Bikers in the Mist

We were up bright and early to be riding by 7ish. Can't believe that this is the final day of biking. The weather was mild with more gray skies but no rain or even drizzle. We put our daypacks in the van and hit the road.

Retraced the first five km to the junction. Of course, this meant going up the huge hill we came screaming down yesterday afternoon. Good thing we left early. Wouldn't want to do that if the street was any busier than it was. The town was just getting into gear as we sailed through. Made it up the hill and to the junction where we turned right to the National Preserve.

Riding through the Preserve in the mist was absolutely beautiful. After a few more climbs, it leveled out and was pretty flat for a leisure ride through the forest. Passed only one construction site and it was pretty tame.One more hill before the harbor and we coasted down the shore to the boat. It was a wonderful last day of riding. Only 23km, but the mist through the hills and valleys made it very special. 

Picked up our gear and boarded the boat with the bikes. The ride around Ha Long Bay was a great way to end our tour. Before we got into the traffic area, there was a great sense of serenity just going through those giant formations and watching people go about their everyday lives on the water. As we approached the city, the boat traffic grew and we took on a passenger. A woman selling her wares hopped aboard from another boat. Of course, the women were all over that. I bought a few more little gifts to take back.

Ha Long City used to be an old fishing village but they moved the fisherman back inland and are building giant resorts. Not too much beach anymore. It is now a gateway for tourists to come and see Ha Long Bay. Would've liked to have seen it back in the day.

The cruise was about two hours and it was almost 11am by the time we got to Ha Long City where we met our old bus with the luggage. The bikes were packed up on the truck. Geoff made sure we took our muddy bike labels before we said good-bye to them. We are now on the bus riding to Hanoi. 

Lunch was Pho (soup) at a major tourist shopping mecca - tour bus after bus after bus. Not our kind of place at all. They had all the crafts and stuff we see out on the streets except for much more $$. I think it was mostly for last minute shoppers. A lot of our group will be going home tomorrow morning if not later tonight. Have to get all those goodies. The ladies doing the embroidery were interesting to watch, however.

Pulled up to the hotel in the middle of the old city - which turns into a night market later. They close the street to traffic. We will have our farewell dinner and then we are on our own. By the way, our room is fabulous. I haven't posted all the rooms, because we have had some pretty rough ones but this is extremely comfortable and high up away from the noise. Good thing because we are here for three nights. Time to heal and regroup for Japan.

Zang & Binh

Went to a lovely restaurant for dinner. A good time was had by all. It was sad saying good-bye to everyone. The Canadians will be here for a few days so we may see them around. Everyone else is leaving tomorrow. Zang made a very touching speech. It was a tender moment saying good-bye to our guides who took such good care of us for 17 days. They really were terrific. We were fortunate to have two very special knowledge people - not to mention fit! Thank you Zang and Binh for a great adventure.

We said good-bye to Olivia who was catching a flight to London tonight and headed out to the night market. Hanoi is much nicer than I expected but more on that tomorrow. For now we are nestled in our lovely room and glad that we survived with only minor bumps and bruises. It really was a trip to remember. Sweet dreams....

Next time... Exploring Hanoi