Mike and Allison arrived safely, and we enjoyed a night walk around the area as we planned out the next day. Michael was insistent they visit the Lunch Lady, so we scheduled our next day around that. The United States Consulate was directly across from our hotel, so I took the opportunity to get passport pages added. I was running low on space, so I submitted the request for the standard 24 additional pages. The lady told me that it was the same price for 48 pages, so I did that. The result is a passport fat enough to force me to pay additional luggage fees at the airport…but I like it. While waiting for my turn at the consulate, I quickly realized that it was not a job I would want. The women, always smiling, dealt with drama—all kinds of drama. Everyone had their own story and own approach: sobbing, being hateful, etc. There were many old white men and young Vietnamese women requesting marriage papers. While I was there, Michael took Allison and Mike to breakfast and to see some of the places we had already been. Michael and I also picked up our laundry that we had dropped off the day before. We (well I was at least) were on a mission to find a cheap place that charged per kilogram (not per item), and with the help of Google Translate, we found our way. I had to wash all of my clothes because the place in the Perhentians that I used didn’t have a dryer. Normally that would be perfect except there were two rain storms that soured them. I can’t be too picky though because it was a total of $4. I wouldn’t do anybody’s laundry for $4. At university, I used to charge Michael (just friends at the time) and his roommate $20 to do their laundry, and I knew them. I can’t imagine only charging $4 to do a complete stranger’s laundry (especially in the condition that my clothes were in). Mike and Allison enjoyed the Lunch Lady, and we got to try another kind of Vietnamese soup (new day, new soup). We tried to go to the History Museum and see a water puppet show, but they were closed for the day. Later in our trip, Allison reported that she read in the news that a motorbike and taxi got into an argument about a fare just outside of the museum, and one of them was murdered (yikes!). As we walked around, we were all still impressed by the number, skill, and craziness of the motorbike scene. Next we visited a claustrophobic day market where the vendors grab your arms to try to pull you into their booths. Overall, I haven’t noticed the Vietnamese people being especially nice or especially mean, just normal. We have encountered some rude people and some very nice people. After the market, we headed to the required tourist stops of the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Museum. The museum showed horrific but important scenes from the Vietnam-American War. As uncomfortable as the photos and stories were, it a necessary visit to understand just how terrible it was. Even still today, the remains of the war can be seen in Vietnam in the people with no legs or arms, the giant holes in the ground, and the mines that still exist. It was emotional to get through the museum. Once finished, we found a taxi to go back to the hotel. He took advantage of us by taking a few extra trips around the block and then refusing to drive into our hotel driveway because he knew the valet would question him. I pulled out my Thailand trick and told him I’d report him while taking a picture of him and telling him to smile. I probably won’t take the time to follow through with it this time, but I enjoy saying that when they are so rude. It was only a couple of dollars extra. We had dinner at a TripAdvisor recommended place called Cafe If. It had a nice atmosphere, a jovial owner, decent food, but a bit overpriced for Southeast Asian standards. The awkward part was that we were the only ones in the restaurant. It was a weeknight and raining though. We ordered hot pots. Allison got brave and ordered frog legs. Although everyone else’s frog legs seemed normal, mine had a giant blood pocket that burst when I bit into it. I was finished… We also had a nice salad, a fish curry, and a chicken curry. We decided to keep the “hot stone” evening going, so we all got 60 minute hot stone massages at a Japanese spa called Golden Lotus. It was very clean and professional for only costing $20. They added some elements that were similar to a Thai massage where they toss you around, and I could hear Michael and Mike squealing in surprise a few curtains down. The next morning we took our flights to Hanoi to get closer to our trip to Halong Bay. We had a traditional Vietnamese lunch at Quan An Ngon, and then we decided to rest for the evening. Michael and I started the Harry Potter movies during our down time. We were picked up very early at our hotel by our tour operators (Indochina). We had a private van with our English guide and driver for a two hour journey to Halong Bay. Hanoi had more lakes than I realized, and I enjoyed the rice paddies along the way. We boarded our grand boat Jasmine and got a multi-course lunch and boat safety briefing. Halong Bay was incredible. It was one of those moments that you live for, and you sit in awe surrounded by God’s handiwork and artistry. Halong Bay is an area with 1969 majestic limestone islands. Our weather was outstanding and the sunset was spectacular. We had two days and one night on the boat, so we worked our way through the islands, stopping off at one of the remaining fishing villages (Cua Van) as well as Tien Ong cave. We were told that the government made many of the people of the village return to the mainland for many reasons (one being schooling for the children). The locals were very angry, so they burned most of their homes before leaving. Our boat was all wooden inside with beautiful dark paneling. We were over served way too much food (as any good cruise does). We enjoyed a short cooking class on spring rolls and an early morning of Tai Chi on top of the boat. The sheer beauty makes it obvious why it is one of the new seven wonders of nature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New7Wonders_of_Nature. My only disappointment was the water. I’d read the waters were emerald, but it was dirty water with a lot of trash. We stopped off at a man made beach (there were no natural beaches on the islands) to climb 400+ steps to a great view point, so the water felt nice after that (but it was still dirty). On our return trip back to Hanoi, we saw (they did, I didn’t), a man and women security guard fist-fighting outside of a factory. Later we witnessed a man bypass a checkpoint and get chased down by a motorbike police. Our guide told us that the checkpoint system was corrupt, and you could just give money to get through (with the amount dependent upon your vehicle’s contents). He said there was a push for the officers’ uniforms to be redesigned with no pockets (no place to hold the money), but it never happened. We stayed at the Sheraton again and enjoyed an evening show of water puppets at the Thang Lung Water Puppet Theatre. The original water puppet shows were held inside a rice paddy after the villagers would flood it. The performers were in the water behind a wall, and they had the puppets on rods that they stuck under the walls. It was lighthearted and good entertainment for the night. Dinner was delicious at a place called The Moose & Roo although there were no Vietnamese in the restaurant. On our last day in Hanoi, we visited St. Joseph Cathedral, Women’s Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake (golden tortoise story), Ho Chi Minh Museum (next day), Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (only the outside), One Pillar Pagoda, and the Presidential Palace. We had lunch at a nice French restaurant called Porte d’Annam near the St. Joseph Cathedral. The next day we headed out for a late flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia.