The Vibrating HANOI

If you wanna be brave.... or mad... just do like me and wake up at 06:30am to out running in Hanoi around the pond close to the old district.

A very good experience, because I thought to be the only one there, but in fact it was very crowded all around. Men training with weight in open air, old women practicing stretching or following a weird aerobic class without music, someone running with very curious outfits or just people jogging in their pijamas!!!!!!

That was amazing… a city that never sleeps, at any time you can find crowds doing something, even in the early morning they are so active! Well, then they just eat and sleep everywhere, but they are funny in a way…

Then I took a tour to visit the Perfume Pagoda… which I definitively do not recommend as it takes almost 2 hours to get at 70km north of Hanoi by bus and it is nothing special at all. But the funniest thing has been the trip to get to the cable-cars by river, in those tiny boats that were rowed by little old women with their skinny arms and their big hats.

Unfortunately it was raining a bit, but I enjoyed the scenery around and the company of my Serbian friend Yelena and Drasgo which I met yesterday visiting the old prison.

We spent the rest of the late afternoon just chilling out in a local place in the street, having few beers in one the most characteristic corners of the old district and spending less than 1 Euro for 7 beers… believe me… less than 1E!!

I cannot say why, but this city is really fascinating me… even if you have to really take care of your belongings and be careful if you don’t wanna be stolen… but like every big city in the World. So… open your eyes and watch out and you will spend a fantastic time over here, where tourists from different countries are mixed all together to enjoy their staying in the capital.

SAIBADEE LAOS....

Finally has arrived the time to leave this beautiful country. The time spent here has been great and I have experienced different nice things and explored an unknown population which is honest and peaceful and always smiling (or eating!!!).

Some of the things that I remeber the most:

The procession of the monks at 6am to get their food of the day

Trekking for almost 7h a day on the mountains, with fantastic views and sleep in a typical house without electricity nor hot water

Seen so many different Buda in a variety of positions

Drive a local little scooter in the dusty roads of the countryside (damn!!)

Se the training of the snake-boats preparing for an important race

The fabulous mix of colors between blu sky and green grass, all surrounded by magnificent mountains

Experience the fantastic different types of massages (one a day.. believe me!)

Having a sauna in a woden cabaña in the middle of a forest (that was sooo unreal!!!)

Local food is amazing and even if the place doesn’t look that good, you will be surprised by the taste and the cleaness (but no more sticky rice please...)

Local prices are so low that sometimes you cannot even believe it!

A little bit of sad in this last moments here, remembering all the thing that I have done and all the people that I have met during this first days here in Asia, but happy to know the time that I have still in front of me and the great experiences that again are waited to be lived!

SAIBADEE LAO….

Laos trekking

Isa and myself have just gone back from a 2 days trekking in the mountains of North Laos - Luang Prabang area - and it has been an excellent experience that I would hardly recommend to everyone who is able to walk and literally "sweat" for almos 7h a day (20km.... up and down the hills).

But the view that you see, everything soooo green and confused between palm trees and rice fields is definitivelt wonderful and you feel very FREE and in peace with the World. We have had a very good guide - Sack - a local guy about thirty - which has been a very good speaker and introducer about the story of every single local tiny village that we have crossed during our trekking.

We have spent the night in a local village on the mountains, having an oper air cold "shower", having dinner cooked by local people, watching a thai tv series with a family (they do not have electricity but they use a generator to let the tv work!!!) and sleeping in a very rural wooden hud just hearing the voice of the animals over night.

Good one, really, and ending the day after again with a soft trekking and a fantastic and bath into the cool waterfalls to finally rest.

Every day is a new experience here in Laos: local people, the orange colour of the monks, the smiling kids, the green panorama, the backpackers, the asian food...

Do not forget to add Laos to your next trip!

Welcome to LAOS, one the the quitest..greener...cleaner..place I have ever seen!

After a 2 hours flight from Bangkok in a very "funny" airplane, I have landed in Luang Pradang, a green small town on the river Mekong. My friend Isa made me a surpirse and she came to pick me up with a local motorbike and we get directly to the guesthouse to leave our packbacks and start the new adventure.

This place is so peaceful and tiny that you know everyone at the second turn and you really feel comfortable and like home. Local people just smile at you, they help you and they are very devoted to their country and their religion.

That's why this morning we were awake at 6am to see the procession of the monks (everyone dressed up in the famous orange and saffron dress): all local people just set down to await the arrival of monks to give them their offer which is basically a portion of sticky rice, some sweets or a bar of chocolate. This is what every monk eats during the day. One hour later, everyone go back to his reality... the monks go back to the temple to prey and to eat the offers, the kids go to school and the women go to cook.

LAOS is a very beautiful country when the time just pass by very slowly and in a complete peaceful which we are enjoying in every single moment and the people that we are meeting are all adventurer packpackers form all over the World.

An experience that I would recommend to everyone!

Tomorrow we will leave for a 2 days trekking, sleeping and living with local peoople in a little village on the mountains. Let's try this too!!!

Bye bye till the next!

Bangkok!

There we are.. landed in Bangkok since a couple of hours, a rush with a pre-paid taxi to the WildOrchid Guest House (fantastic place, thanks to Sonia and Albert!!), a shower and... OUT!!!

Bangkok is a very nice Asian city, expecially when you walk a bit stoned from the jet lag in its narrow streets, full of peoples, vendors, little places where to eat whatever you wanna eat, from fruit to noodle to rice to fish to... ??? What's that animal???? :)

I am delighted to syat here, to feel sooo good, so free but also so comfortable walkind alone in a mini-skirt and with no problem at all... man, we are in the 21st Century or what???? :)

Now I am connected with my super mini computer, having a beer, some noodles (actually I do not know if this is dinner or breakfast for me... it doesn't really matter!!) and waiting to have a massage before goingo to bed and a have finally a comfortable sleep in a proper bed!!!

Tomorrow morning wake up very early to go back to airport: destination LAOS, where I will meet my friend Isa S. for a 10 days travelling together during her holydays.

Stay tooned...

Elenita

Bye bye...

Finally... the D day is coming and the in the last days I have been living different experiences and different sensations ... with all my friends around, asking things... which I really do not know.. I jusst wanna leave now to start my long journey experience around the World, to vist those countries and that part of the Globe which I have always dreamed.

But it hasb nee very important to "touch the triangle" of my life: MILAN-BARCELONA-MADRID, to say BYE BYE to all my best friends and get from them the right feeling and the right energy to stay soooo good alone in the following 6 months.

Thanks to all my friends, to all the words spent, to all the messages left... I will not forget them!!!

See you on the blog with the next trip, landing on Thusday in BANGKOK.

Stay tooned...

Elena