Hanoi and Halong Bay

For our two week Spring Break, we decided to go to a huge bucket list place for us, Vietnam and Cambodia.  Our trip started in the lovely Hanoi with a side trip to Halong Bay.  The entire trip was beyond anything we could have hoped for.  It was truly the trip of a lifetime!

 Here we go!  They love the Etihad pillow that double as neck pillows.

How these girls sleep on an overnight flight...on top of each other

 On the way to our one night cruise on Halong Bay, we stopped at a artist studio for children with disabilities.

 On the boat!

 Our cool family room

 Cuties!

 Delicious food

 We were on Aphrodite II, here is Aphrodite I, the exact same ship

 We bought this shell out the window of our room!

 Exploring the caves in Halong Bay

 STUNNING

Olivia learning how to make spring rolls

 Catching squid with Daddy!

 While Eliza and I chose to take a row boat, Olivia and MPR decided to kayak!  From then on, Eliza decided that "Mommy and I will just relax while Daddy and Olivia can go camping and kayak" :-)

 Floating houses

Heading back

 Back in Hanoi, our first experience with true street food.  That is the "kitchen", right on the street

 My mouth waters just seeing the pictures of this delicious food

 Olivia is such an adventurous eater

 Navigating the crazy streets of Hanoi.  Eliza was not impressed

 Eliza's first experience with KFC.  She was hungry and this is all we could find.  It was actually the only US fast food chain we saw almost the entire trip

 The next day with our fantastic tour guide, Tom and our boat rower.  She rowed us an hour there and back to see the Perfume Pagoda.

 Eliza checking out the seafood market

 Going up in the cable car

At the top!

 Perfume Pagoda...when we told people we went here, they were quite surprised.  We saw maybe 4 western tourist the entire day.

 Blondie got some attention

 So many selfies!  We couldn't go anywhere without people taking pictures of the girls

 Heading back we got to listen to "Lemonade...crunchy ice..." over and over and over

 More street food...we fed the girls spaghetti at the hotel beforehand :-)

 We are pretty sure this was brisket

 More deliciousness being prepared right in front on the street

 The next day, we had Tom take us all around Hanoi.

 Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum 

 Tom told us the guards won't often take pictures with tourists.  I guess they couldn't say no

 Where Ho Chi Minh received diplomats

 More paparazzi

 Over their shoulder is Ho Chi Minh's home and bunker during the war

Pretty Pagoda

Lunch with these lovelies.  This day they thought it was hilarious to tell me that there was "a squatty potty" in the bathroom

Loved this motor bikes juxtaposed with a regular bike

Temple of Literature

 Super fun tuktuk tour of Hanoi

 "Sword Lake"

 "Hanoi Hilton" where John McCain was held captive

John McCain's flight suit he was wearing when his plane went down

Safety First!  Off to Cambodia