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Published: February 18th 2011
Hi guys, me again. Sorry for the long delay in blogging but was very busy while in Vietnam as it is such a bustling city that you find yourself exhausted by the time you get in and wanting nothing more than to fall straight into bed asleep. However, I am now in Cambodia, at a gorgeous little hostel that has a lovely relaxing garden that I am chilling in right now writing this.
Ok, when I last left you it was the night before my last day in Singapore after which I'd be jetting off to Vietnam. Jasmin had had to go back to work so Vignesh had the dubious honour of looking after me! Before I met up with him for lunch I had to hurriedly pack my bag and get everything ready to go, as I was going to be out all day until late and wouldn't get a chance to pack that night. My flight the next day involved getting up at 5.45am so I decided it was best to get the packing and such like (washing of clothes) out of the way. I missioned it to the area where Vig works, having my first taste of
Singaporean public transport, and it was off for an Indian for lunch. Vig's family is originally from Indian (about 4 generations ago) so he knows all the places to go to get a mean curry in Singapore. The indian food was a nice change from Chinese food, as although I had been loving experience all the different Chinese flavours, it was nice to eat something I recognised. The Indian was all served directly onto a palm leaf in front of us; waiters would come round and offer you various dishes and if you accepted it was plonked straight down on your leaf. Once you had finished all your food, you signalled that you were done to the waiter by folding your leaf over. All very simple and I reckon it saves on the washing up :P.
Then I was taken on a tour of some of the temples of Singapore, Vignesh style. This involves seeing things very quickly, with long stops for coffee at regular intervals. He took me to see the Chinese temple in China town, the Hindu temple colourfully decorated with cows and the mosque.
After this we headed to Arab Street for some Shisha. Having never
done Shisha before, I wasn't sure what to expect. However, the apple and mint Shisha we did was very enjoyable, and it was nice to sit and relax for a while with a cold drink.
At around 7.30pm it was time for me to leave Vig and meet up with Jasmin so that we could head over to Yann's house (the girl whose birthday it had been a few nights before). On arrival we were given ang bao and some thai food (as Yann's mum is Thai). It was probably the spiciest thing i have ever eaten and I have no idea what it was called or what was in it, but it was delicious. In the time it took me to clear my bowl, Jasmin and Valerie (a girl I had met at Yann's birthday party) had managed to put away two bowls and had had ample time to start digesting it. All I can think is that they have mouths and stomachs of steel!! I was so pleased with myself when I finished the whole thing, successfully proving that some british people could handle their spice (ignoring the fact that my nose was streaming and that my
lips where on fire!).
Then it was time for the usual evening past time, gambling. Yann invested 2SGD (singapore dollars) in me and as it was my lucky night, I managed to give her about 14SGD back. Not too bad. Just a shame I hadn't placed bigger bets (yes, I am slowly getting sucked in to this whole gambling thing. Just as well i was leaving the next day!!!). Black Jack is obviously my game.
The next day (8th of Feb), I had to get up bright and early at 5.45am, so bright and early infact that it was still pitch black....Very aware the night before that I had to get up, i didn't sleep to well as I was paranoid about over sleeping....still, i figured I could just sleep on the plane. After a delayed flight, where we both napped just about the whole way, Vignesh and I made it to Vietnam.
First thoughts?? Fear!!! As soon as you land, all you can see is soldiers everywhere, armed to the T. Thankfully our pick-up was there to get us, so we didn't have long to dwell on what the hell we had done and why the
hell we were in this country??
Second thoughts of Vietnam?? Fear!!! The driving is insane. Completely and utterly insane. So insane that driving on the other side of the road at oncoming traffic is completely normal and standard practice..... The Vietnamese are constantly honking their horns and even by the end of my time in Vietnam I still hadn't figured out the honking etiquette. As far as I can tell, you honk when you are over taking, as if to say, I am here, so you had better get out of my way or stay the hell where you are. So yes, honking is to let people know you are there, and they all do it all the time, all day and all night....so Hanoi is not exactly a peaceful place to be. Picture this, cars and scooters on both sides of the road, weaving every which way, pedestrians in the middle of the road and at the sides (as there are very few pavements) and you have a good idea of the chaos that is driving and just walking around in Hanoi. Car acrobatics!
Once we had safely arrived at our hostel, we dumped our stuff
and it was straight out to explore (before our nerve abandoned us and we spent the whole trip just cowering in our hostel room). You have to get used to sharing your walking space with cars and scooters, and the only advice i can give if you ever go to Hanoi and want to cross the road is to make no sudden movements. Walk slowly and calmly (if you can) across the road and let the scooters etc weave around you. If you came to visit me in Rome, remember how we crossed the big roads there and it is similar to that, just a thousand times scarier as you are never quite sure if these people would stop to avoid hitting you... All I know for sure is that you absolutely cannot wait for a gap in the traffic or for them to stop, as it just never happens and you'll be there all day if try.
We walked to the lake of the restored sword which was only 5 or so minutes from our hostel, and wandered around it, taking in the temple and pagoda on the lake. Then we found a cafe by the lake where
we sat sipping passion fruit juice (well at least, I had a passion fruit juice, Vig had some sort of fruit shake with milk in it....), watching the world go by. The people of Hanoi all dress very well. The ladies are in fashionable clothes and pretty high heels and all the men are in suits or uniforms. The older generation cling on to the old way, including the old french ways, from when Vietnam was a french colony. The old men all wear berets and the older women sit at the sides of the road selling baguettes wearing their conical straw hats.
After a revitalising nap back at the hostel, we ventured out once more in search of food. We found a nice little place with a balcony, where we could watch the chaos unfold from relative safety. The Vietnamese eat their dinner from street vendors or at tiny little shops, sitting on low, low, low stools, eating food that is prepared right there on the pavement with them (or in the road if there is no pavement!). Women with the traditional Vietnamese hats on cycle past, an unreal amount of fruit and veg balanced on the back
of their bicycles. On the way back to the hostel to turn in for the night we discovered these yummy coffee buns fresh from the oven, that people queue up for to ensure they get it straight out of the oven.
On our first full day in Hanoi (the 9th of feb), Vignesh and I went on a city tour. The first thing we learnt was that in Vietnam a temple is a building built in memory of a hero of Vietnam or someone who is greatly respected by the people and a pagoda is a religious building where people go to worship and practice Buddhism. The first stop on the tour was to the oldest pagoda in Hanoi (and also one of the oldest in the country). It was originally built somewhere else, but the area where it was originally situated kept flooding and the people worried it would be damaged and eventually destroyed, so they asked the king of that time to move the pagoda, and thus it was moved to it's present place. Inside the pagoda there are many, many statues of Buddha, which worshipers come to pray in front of and leave offerings of money.
They stand murmuring, hands pressed together, moving their arms back and forth.
Next it was off to the Ho Chi Minh complex, where we got a real taste of Communist Vietnam. There were soldiers everywhere and everything about the way they herded you around, took your cameras and watched your every step, reeked of control bordering on a sort of paranoia. We were hurried into Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, made to walk two-by-two, and if you fell behind the designated person next to you, there was quickly a guiding hand on your shoulder to push you forward. It was very ominous being marched towards a dark doorway, lined by soldiers dressed in white on either side. I found it somewhat anticlimatical when you reached the room with Ho Chi Minh's (uncle Ho) body in it. The room was cool and the body was guarded by no less that eight soldiers, encouraging you to pass through as quickly as possible. It was strange to be looking at the body of a man so respected by all Vietnamese (whether genuinely or somewhat forcedly) and to see a small old man, with a long white goaty beard, encased in a glass coffin
(very sleeping beauty stylee, though I don't think Uncle Ho is waiting for a kiss....). He didn't look all that much, to be honest, but in the words of Vignesh, it was a very 'surreal' experience.
After we left the mausoleum, things relaxed a little and we weren't watched quite so closely, and were instead allowed to enjoy the rest of the complex in relative peace (barring all the people swarming around, of whom you found yourself encased and trapped by, shuffling with them from one site to the next). We got to see Uncle Ho's house on stilts, a very simple dwelling as he wanted to live a simple life without luxury, so that all the money possible could go to the Vietnamese people.
Once we left the Ho Chi Minh complex it was off to the ethnology museum, where we found out about the history of Vietnam and all the different groups of people that make up the Vietnamese and all the different languages they speak. The outside of the museum had examples of all the different types of Vietnamese housing, from the country houses to the houses that people live in up in the mountains.
It was pretty cool to go in these buildings and get a real sense of what it would be like to live in these places (with the help of some well places props to show you how the interiors would be set out).
When we had had our fill of the museum it was off for a well deserved lunch. We went to this lovely Vietnamese place and the food was to die for. The vegetables were so fresh and perfectly cooked, and the meat dishes were very tender and well flavoured with subtle sauces that were full of spices but not spicy (hot).
Next it was off to the temple of literature, where a famous Vietnamese man (whose name i never quite caught) is remembered for what he did for Vietnam and how he encouraged people to get educated, and generally bettered society. Part of the temple used to be a school, where young Vietnamese would come from all over to study and better themselves. Nowadays, school children and anyone else with a test fast approaching, comes here to pray and try to touch the heads of the tortoise statues for luck. Apparently, if you manage to
touch all the tortoise heads (and there are quite a few!), you are almost guaranteed to pass your exam. Inside the temple are these framed walls where people write what they are praying to happen with their fingers and then they leave an offering of money (to seal the deal!).
Then it was time for our last stop, the lake of the restored sword and the temple on it. This temple is dedicated to a Vietnamese war general who help defeat the Mongolian army three times. The story goes that when he was hiding in a forest he came upon a sword lying there. He used this sword to defeat his enemies, and once the Mongolian army was vanquished once and for all (at least during his lifetime), the general was at the lake, and a tortoise came out of it and asked to have the sword returned to him. The people of Vietnam believe that this sword is somewhere at the bottom of this lake, hence the name!
So after full day it was back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. After we had eaten dinner, I went into a tailors and bargained to have
a traditional Vietnamese dress made for me. Successfully getting the price i wanted, Vignesh and I went to go celebrate with a pappa roti, also known by me as yummy coffee buns! A very good end to a very good day.
On the Thursday (10th of Feb) I went on tour to Tam Coc by myself. Vig had decided not to go as he was still tired from the tour the day before and as we were going on a tour the next day too, he wanted a chance to just relax and have a lie-in. So anyway, off I went. The journey to the place took around 3 hours, though we did stop briefly at a temple (dinh le). Because i had done the the city tour the day before, I felt i had seen enough temples, and this one looked very much like all the others i had seen, so I can't say i was particularly bothered by the whole thing; didn't help that my guides English was impossible to understand, so I had no idea who the temple was for or what any of the stuff meant. Thankfully we didn't stay too long and pretty soon
we were at Tam Coc. It was a relief to get out of the bus, because if i had thought driving was bad in Hanoi, it was even worse when you left the city. Pot holes would send you flying, almost completely propelling you out of your seat, and the number of near misses my bus had...well, I'm just glad I survived it. Driving is dangerous in Vietnam, and lives seem expendable.
Once at Tam Coc, I was told that Tam Coc literally mean three caves in Vietnamese, very apt as the whole trip was about getting on a row boat and going through these three caves. I had a nice 25 year old Swiss girl on my boat with me, and together we were rowed along the river by an older Vietnamese women (at least her skin made her look old, very tanned and leathery). The people who row the boats are amazingly strong, first using their arms to row the boat and then their legs and feet to propel you through the water at a speed you would think was impossible to maintain! We passed through some beautiful scenery, countryside all around, with powerful rocks and small
mountains jutting up from the otherwise perfectly flat ground. The caves have been formed up into the rock where the river has worn it's way through so to go through them you we literally rowed under the mountain. It was a very strange experience being rowed under a mountain, it felt like it shouldn't be able to remain standing with this huge part of it's base hollowed out. Thankfully it decided not to collapse on me.
After we had been through the three caves, our Vietnamese lady turned the boat around and proceeded to row us back, all the while trying to get us to buy some of the patterns and pictures she had on the boat. Having her call 'missy' to us quickly got annoying and i couldn't help but wish the Vietnamese would be less like money grabbing opportunists sometimes. The literally see a white person and just see walking money.
Overall I was slightly disappointed with this trip as it definitely failed to come anywhere near the trip I'd been on the day before. The icing on the cake was when the tour guide let me off the bus (practically threw me off the bus,
he got me out of it so quickly) and sent me in the wrong direction to my hostel. Thank god, Vig and I had done a lot of wandering around the old quarter (the area where our hostel was) otherwise I never would have found my way back. Still, it added an unnecessary 45min walk on to my day, and I was in a foul mood by the time I got back to the hostel (made slightly better by the TWO pappa rotis i had bought when i had finally found my way into a familiar area). At least the rest of the night was uneventful, a quiet dinner and an early night to prepare for the next trip the next day.
On the 11th of Feb, Vig and i went on a trip to Halong Bay. Again, it was a long bus journey away (3 and a half hours) but either the driver was much better than the one i had the day before or the roads where in much better condition (or both) as i managed to sleep just about about all the way there.
Once we arrived we were separated into groups depending on whether
we were doing a 1, 2 or 3 day tour. Vig and i joined the other one day-ers and it was on to a Junk we went (old Vietnamese boat). The Junks are lovely boats, but i am sure that all the ones i saw were only modern day replicas of the beautiful old Junks you see drawn in pictures. It was also sad that we didn't get to see the Junks with their sails up, however, it was still an awesome sight seeing Junk after Junk bobbing away, surrounded by mist. It wasn't a clear day at Halong Bay, but in my opinion this made the whole area seem all the more magical, as you got to see rock like islands mysteriously appear through the mist, the towering structures covered with greenery and birds of prey soaring through the sky, circling likely patches of sea. Magical!!!
First stop on this boat ride was to a Vietnamese floating village, nestled safely in the shelter of a natural cove created by the islands. About thirty or so buildings were happily bobbing there, some with row boats, motor boats or even Junks secured out front. Our Junk berthed at one of
these houses so that we could get off and have a look (and have some of the residents try to sell us some of the fish, squid and crabs from their holding pools) while the crew on our Junk collected some fresh ingredients for our lunch. The food was amazing, fish and squid so fresh it was unreal and so, so, so tasty!
The Junk then took us on a tour of the islands, stopping at one so that we could see the two caves that had formed there thousands of years ago. One of the caves was lit by coloured lights, making it seem like some sort of fairy cave. The other cave was slightly less impressive (probably because it didn't have the pretty lights) although it did have some intricate graffiti all over it, including, apparently, some 18th century french graffiti from when Vietnam was still a french colony. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to spot this graffiti.
It was then time for the Junk to return back to Halong city so that we could get on the bus and head back to Hanoi.
The next day (12th of Feb) was our last full day in
Hanoi, so we decided to dedicate it to shopping. It was nice to get a chance to properly explore the Old quarter, looking in all the shops and bargaining all the price down. I also had to go pick up my traditional Vietnamese dress. I was really pleased with it as it was beautifully made, with flowers on the collar and sleeves. The only down side to the dress is that it emphasises how huge my hips are. The traditional Vietnamese dress involves a tight fitting top half; somewhat like a dress, with a huge slit up either side of the 'dress'. Underneath you wear billowing, loose fitting trousers. So you can imagine that when going from tight to billowing around your hips, it is possible makes them look even bigger than they really are!!
The next day it was off to Cambodia!!! So most of the day was taken up by travelling. I flew from Hanoi to Siem Reap. It was a relief to get to Cambodia as the week or so prior to me flying out to Cambodia, I had begun to hear reports of tension between Cambodia and Thailand. They were disputing who a particular temple
belonged to, and this conflict was happening not all that far from where we were going to be flying to. Then, to make matters worse, Vignesh told me that his mum had rung him saying that there was a case of avian flu reported in Cambodia and that a little girl of 5 years had died. Last time avian flu hit asia, Singapore enforced a week long quarantine for anyone arriving from an area known to have bird flu. If they did this again it would be problematic as both Vig and I were going to be flying back to Singapore after Cambodia, and neither of us could afford to be quarantined for a week. We decided that if we heard of things worsening and more cases being reported then we'd have to cancel our trip to Cambodia. Thankfully, nothing more was heard, so we were able to continue as planned.
I was impressed by Cambodia as soon as I landed, because even the airport seemed beautiful and exotic. It is designed in the Khmer style so has decorative peaks on the rooves and was surrounded by lush trees giving it a very tropical feel. What a difference from
Golden Mango Inn
The lovely place we stayed in while at Siem ReapVietnam! The people were all friendly and smiling and there wasn't a man in uniform in sight!
We were picked up by tuk tuk at the airport and driven to our hostel, which gave us a good chance to look around and see what life in Cambodia was like. The hostel is possibly the nicest one I've ever seen, with a lovely little garden with a bar/restaurant, where you receive your breakfast and can have dinner in the evenings if you so wish. Inside are comfy chairs, and the interior is decorated with carved wood and a sweeping staircase going up to the rooms. My room was lovely, with AC and a TV with over 50 channels (yes, i flicked through them all, and around 1/4 of them were in English!!!). It was even better when I tried out the bed and found that it was a million times softer than the one I'd had in Hanoi (which had felt like i was sleeping on the hard floor!). So after a yummy dinner at the hostel it was time for the best nights sleep I'd had in a while. Heaven!
The next day (Valentines day), Vig and
I got up relatively late and took a free tuk tuk into town. We went to the Old Market, which is this huge building seemingly just surrounded by a few stalls. It is only after closer inspection that you realise that there are little pathways between the stalls that you can squeeze down to go further into the market. Inside it feels a little like a rabbit warren, with paths going off in every which direction, stalls everywhere; food stalls, clothes stalls, wood carving stalls, hairdressing stalls. You name it, it was there. After we got fed up of being accosted everywhere we looked (I give you special price) we just sat at a cafe on the main street to watch the world go by. Slight mistake as the world then comes to you. In Cambodia (or at least Siem Reap) there are loads and loads of landmine victims. So while we were sitting there enjoying our cool drinks, you have people missing a leg, both legs, an arm etc coming up to you. What I found admirable is that they aren't begging but instead are trying to offer you something they've made or sell you something. I ended up
buying a book about the Khmer Rouge from a guy with no legs (though I still bargained him down from $5 to $3) and Vig bought a painting painted by this guy missing a leg. It is all very well and good, except there are so many of them and they all come up to you. Even when you just want to be left alone so you can enjoy the book you've just bought. Also, you end up running into them several times while in Siem Reap, and because I'm sure one tourist looks very much like the next, they come up to you every time they see you, even if you have bought something from them previously....
Shopping and people watching was followed by a lunch at butterfly garden where you eat surrounded by 1500 butterflies. I had been determined to go as originally I had wanted to go to a butterfly dome while i was in Singapore, but i'd never made it there. The butterflies in the garden were a little disappointing, as there weren't all that many varieties and the majority of the butterflies were a browny colour.... Still it was a nice relaxing place and
the food was pretty good.
After lunch, we decided to indulge in an aromatherapy massage for an hour. Overall it was bliss, though I do think she tried to suffocate me a couple of times, pushing my back so firmly that there could be now air left in my lungs. The massage really took it out of us (yeah, it's a hard life I know), so we headed back to the hostel for a nap. Three hours later we ventured out again for dinner and a quick drink.
We didn't stay out too late as the next day was going to be spent exploring the main temples of the complex; Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. Little did I know how much of a workout it was going to be for both me and my camera.
Next blog will be about the temples in Siem Reap!!!!
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Jane
non-member comment
Wow - great blog
Dear Abbie, Your blog is great and you have sold me Cambodia Vietnam maybe? Africa is similar to Vietnam on the road front and really scary - you never get used to the manic driving and huge pot holes. Really got the picture of your day to day travels and the sites you are visiting. The food sounds yummy and hopefully one day I will get there to try.????????? Hoping you are keeping happy and enjoying all, but sounds very tiring with the travelling, but think you sort of get used to it......... Big hugs Janexxxxxxxxx