After our two days in Hoi An, we caught another flight from Da Nang north to Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. I was excited but not quite prepared for the next level of sensory overload; nearly everything I knew of Hanoi was gleaned from TV, mostly food documentaries like Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown series. It all seemed condensed into the Old Quarter, a district of the city totally alive at all hours of the night with the smells of food grilling over charcoal, live music, and of course, the never-ending drone of motorbikes. Waking up in the morning, I could crane my neck down from our hotel balcony into the cacophony of people cooking, shouting, and tending their wares, and of birds chirping in cages dangling from shopfronts. There was nothing like walking through this chaos, where even crossing the street took a certain confidence; there are no sidewalks, and traffic signals are more of a suggestion. We were quickly forced to learn the trick of making strong eye contact with a motorist, finding a space, and moving — those who are already moving will find a way around you.
The representations of Hanoi on TV turned out to be completely true, but nothing could prepare me for the real thing. For example, sitting on a sidewalk on a tiny plastic stool crouched over a steaming bowl of pho — you can’t replicate that anywhere else. The crowds, the traffic, the thick air, the droplets of sweat that form on your upper lip…it doesn’t sound romantic or even all that appealing, but for me it was love at first sight, and everything I had read and watched about Vietnam suddenly made sense.
Kelly and Rhenee were excellent to work with on planning our trip. The logistics all worked smoothly and everyone was friendly and on time. Our accommodations were very good, particularly the incredible Patagonia Camp in Torres del Paine! Our guides on every excursion were outstanding and made the hikes memorable! Overall we had a wonderful trip with incredible memories!
Scott Gibson
1 day ago
Adventure Life is definitely a first-class safari tour company, and our representative was Franny Friesz. First of all, she responded immediately after we contacted Adventure Life. We told Franny that we had never been on a safari, and she was more than eager to offer a mountain of information about the trip. She informed us fully about all the ups, downs, and all arounds! She even prepared a number of packages for us to review -- even after we made changes to the areas we wanted to explore. Friendly, helpful, professional, and extremely knowledgeable -- these words describe Franny, and what a wonderful trip she prepared! We couldn't have asked for better service than Franny of Adventure Life. We HIGHLY recommend her and her outstanding company! Bon Voyage!
Prima Burke
2 days ago
The staff at Adventure Life made planning my family's trip to the Galapagos Islands as easy as possible. They listened to what we were hoping to experience and made thoughtful suggestions about how to accomplish our vacation goals while meeting the needs of travelers ages 17-76! They patiently answered questions and follow up questions in the months leading up to the trip. They helped us trouble shoot and customize the trip in every way possible. The logistics involved in traveling from Boston to the Galapagos are innumerable. The Adventure Life staff helped us arrange every detail and the team they assembled in the Galapagos was tremendous. I have never done a trip this big before and after working with Adventure Life this time--would not hesitate one second in working with them again.
Jennifer Howard Schroeder
3 days ago
Kevin got right on our request and had us booked within the week