Made in Japan, Outsourced Globally

Water Puppet Show
I was told that one of the "must see"s in Hanoi was the water puppet show - a distinctly Northern Vietnamese cultural entertainment. Magically choreographed by 9 puppeteers and accompanied by a live orchestra , this art transcends language barriers and tells the stories of the countryside and Vietnamese mythology.

The puppets dance across the water to the lively music and captivates the audience with their sophisticated moves. There's simply nothing comparable to this art.


The Dance of the Fairies


Faces behind the bamboo curtain


You gain a newfound respect for the comical-looking puppets after seeing the show


Here's a sexy fishmonger couple

Some Good You Can Do While You Travel
Traveling through a country with poverty can make one feel guilty at times. But there are ways to enjoy the trip as a tourist while contributing to the community. It may be hard not to be skeptical sometimes, but if I get more information about what the organization is trying to do, I think it's worth a try.

One restaurant that has been receiving attention from guidebooks and TV programs is


This restaurant was founded by a Vietnamese-New Zealander who wanted to help get kids off the street. So with his business acumen, he built KOTO - 'Know One Teach One'. A class of kids are recruited from all over Vietnam (both the city and country side) to live and work at KOTO. There, they learn how to work as waiters, chefs, and store clerks - the graduates go on to work professionally in the hotel and tourism industry. The US$6+ you spend there will go towards the room & board and helping keep KOTO open. And the food there is really good!


Our cyclo driver knew KOTO immediately and took us there. One funny thing about this guy is that he didn't have a bell - so whenever he wanted to signal, he yelled "Peaap! Peeap!"


Pumpkin dumplings in vegetable chili soup - Mmm...

When I went to Halong Bay, we stopped by a handicraft shop. All the handicrafts sold there were made by handicapped kids. 80% of what you pay goes towards their room & board.



Beautiful embroidery art


The girls work on the embroidery art at the store - what you see is what you get

Halong Bay

I can't say that the weather was best, but the landscape is awesome. No postcard or photo can do justice to see the 343 major limestone islands and rocks that emerge from the glassy emerald waters in Halong Bay. Since it was one of the sea borders to its age-old territorial enemy, China, some of the caves have history related to the battles.


Hang Dau Go - the caves here are amazing... except maybe they should refrain a bit on the florecent lights. It was almost like Peter Pan and Alice and Wonderland on crack. Still, the giant fang-like stalagmites and stalactites are natural wonders that take you by surprise.

Here, the military hero, Tran Hung Dao, hid bamboo stakes to win against the Mongolians during the 13th century. Using their knowledge of the tides, the Vietnamese army crossed the waters over the stakes at high tide. But the Mongolians were caught in the middle at low tide, leading to their defeat.


The floating villages in Halong Bay are another wonder of Halong Bay. They fish and go to nearby islands to cultivate land. They are mainly subsistent farmers and will continue to live their lives on water.


The government determined that children living in the floating villages must receive education too. A teacher commutes to these floating schools (yellow house in middle) every day from Hanoi.


Some friends I made along the way: Kohei (Japan) and Nelly (France)


Aviv and Boaz (the crazy Israeli backpackers)

One of the things I love about traveling is meeting amazing people. We exchanged interesting information about traveling through Southeast Asia. To me, it was an introduction to a new breed of people: backpackers. They don't mind leaving home for months to even years, flexible about being alone or traveling together with anybody who wants to join their company.

The two Israeli guys were especially adventurous - when I went kayaking (yes, I went despite the freezing weather - and it was so worth it!), the two guys called us over... from a floating house. The villagers had invited them over for tea and tobacco - which the Japanese guy and I joined as well. It was truly a cultural delight to be able to see the house of the floating village people and to meet them, even for a brief moment.



Various vendors come to sell fruits and fresh seafood

Cat Ba Island
After sleeping on the boat the night before, we headed out to Cat Ba Island and hiked up the mountain to get a gorgeous view of the bay. It took us about 5 hours and it was especially hard after the rain, but we all made it.


Village on Cat Ba Island

We reached the summit! The Austrian student and the 3 Italians with a local man who wanted to climb the mountain with us.

We were huffing and puffing, but this guy was singing (he learned an Italian song, singing "Ciao! Ciao! Ciao!" all the way back) and skipping his way up in sandals.


The aerial view of the village


100s of islands in Halong Bay


Acid rain had made the rocks jagged


The 3 Italian guys play pool - for the first time, and won!

Back in Hanoi. Off to Sapa to do a homestay in ethnic villages tomorrow. Keep on trekking!