Birthday partying in Hanoi!

I awoke in Halong Bay on my birthday to freshly cut mangos in bed! Thanks Erika! We then drove a few hours up to Hanoi, checked in and went for a stroll. As the capital, Hanoi is crowded like Ho Chi Minh City in the south but certainly has a different feel. For one, it was rainy and cold here whereas HCMC was hot and sunny. Also, the French and Chinese influences are strong as there are many smaller streets in the Old Quarter that are quite interesting.

However, as a birthday treat, our main goal was to get massages! And not crappy ones like in Halong! So we stepped it up and found a really nice spa where we has 75 min deluxe massages and pedicures for $26. We were first served mint tea and a warm towel and afterwards, we were given yummy passion fruit and kumquat juice. The lady even held an umbrella over me as she walked us to the taxi! It was splendid! And a good lesson that 'you get what you pay for' (and it's still way cheaper than the West!).

We then cracked the birthday wine and prepped for dinner with the group. Camilla is one of the really cool Danish girls we've gotten to know well on train rides and such and it was her birthday on the 4th so it worked out perfect to have a cake and singing for both of us which was fun!

Birthday girls:

It was nice to pass on the birthday torch at midnight. The rest of the night kinda blurs but includes hookah, police closing down the bar, bringing beers back to the hotel and a long debate regarding American politics, going to the moon and Matt Damon... Til the sun came up. (More of this debate discussion later). Good birthday! Going on five years with birthdays in different countries (A-Stan, USA, Germany, Switzerland and here!). Here's to many more!