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Published: February 18th 2007
NOTE: PHOTOS ARE ON THE WAY! STAY TUNED!
So, its been a week now since Darc and I went our separate ways. I've been doing Vietnam since. With only 9 days its been a little rushed but I've had a really great week.
Well, have to start with the Bankok airport (last Sunday). Darc and I flew down to Bankok together and then got our separate flight to Vietnam - Darc to Ho Chi Minh to fly home from and myself to Hanoi, in the north. We had about 4 hours till Darcie's flight left. We had a bit of spare time and a bit of spare money so we got... Tony & Guy haircuts! (Lauren and Sarah, you'd be so proud). It was pretty fun. Best head massages ever. Us with big dirty knotty hair and dirty fisherman pants and Birks, it was great! Both walked out with lovely hair. Of course, being me, I got the same as always - long. Darc got hers a bit shorter and more layered but since they straightened it in there I haven't seen what it looks like normally. Then we said our goodbyes. (Darc started getting teary the big softy!!)
Care of Tony & Guy!
Hey, if you look closely you can tell Darc is getting teary. Awww...I guess its different when we don't know how long it'll be when we next catch up. I had another 5 hours to waste, so by the time I got on the plane I was pretty happy to get outta there. It was the nicest 2 hours of my trip. I had a really good tofu curry and then they started serving...red wine!! Oh my, I was so excited. Never realised how much I love it till I came here and haven't been able to get it. I had 3 glasses so by the time we landed I was well on my way to being tipsy. Perhaps not the smartest move on my part but it was free!
Landed in Hanoi and got my bags. Went out front to get on a mini bus to the city, then this guy came and told me he was from the mini bus company and took me and this Irish girl up to the second floor and told us to wait. We waited for about 15 minutes but never saw a bus. We looked down to the 1st floor and saw all the mini buses down there. No idea what this guy
was trying to do, but ended up getting on a bus and made it to the city. Wow, so intense to be back in Vietnam... got off the bus and about 20 men standing there, grabbing my bag, telling me they were there from the hotel I was booked into. I was booked into a Backpackers Hostel which was only about 5 blocks away which didn't have a pick up service so after chasing my bag finally got it and walked to the hostel. With about 15 of the men following me on foot and bike the WHOLE way.
Anyhoo, spent the next day checking out Hanoi. It was getting up to Tet, the Chinese New Year so the city was really frantic. Saw a really cute water puppet show. Great city but just a bit too much for me. That night booked a boat cruise around Ha Long Bay which was to leave the following morning (Tues). Spent the night in the bar at the hostel drinking beer and singing John Butler and Beautiful Girls songs with this guy from Perth who could play pretty much any song you can name on the guitar.
The boat cruise
Scab Face on the beach
I was actually quite happy. The reason I'm not smiling is that when i smile or open my mouth wide to eat i can feel the scab start to stretch and tear. was great. There was only 4 others in my group - 1 aussie guy, 1 aussie woman and 2 belguim gals - and had already met them at the Backpackers so it was all pretty easy. Spent the first day in a big cruise ship to Cat Ba Island. It's not a really busy time of the year so had the whole boat to ourselves. Lush! Had a really gourmet 8-course seafood lunch on board before kayaking for a bit in the afternoon. But then it came... food poisoning. Me and Darc had been so careful too. Spent the rest of the day throwing up with stomach pains. Not the best when you're on a boat. Arrived at the Cat Ba Island a bit later. Most of the other tours stay in hotels in the city there. But not us - we caught another smaller boat over to our own Island with our own beach and private resort. It was so great. There was another group there already, about 6 Aussie girls. They seemed really nice but I was still vomiting so this was all a bit of a blur for me. The ppl in my group were great tho.
Bliss!
Wine and a flower bouquet... But me into bed. I was sharing with that aussie guy so he came and checked on me a bit. Felt a lot better by the time I went to bed and felt fine the next day. Yukko.
The next day we went over to Cat Ba Island and rode 16km to the national park. Only me and one of the Belguim girls actually ended up riding - the others got motorbikes. But since me and Darc had declared ourselves to be adventure travelers I thought I'd better live up to the name and ride. Got to the national park and climbed for an hour up to the top of a hill for some amazing view. Then rode the 16km back. Boy, my legs had better look pretty great by the time i get home!! Stopped off at the local market. Had a quick look around until I was stopped in my tracks in front of a particular meat table - selling dog! Head and all! Spew!!!
Sailed back the next day and arrived back in Hanoi before saying a sad goodbye to the ppl in my group and boarded my train to Hoi An at 7. It was
Hanoi
The whole town was decorated due to Tet an 18 hour train ride but got a sleeper cabin so it was actually pretty comfortable. The aussie woman (Pip) from my group happened to be in my cabin. There was an older American man in there as well as an a girl from Isreal. We all drank straight vodka from a bottle and talked loudly will we all passed out. Got to Hoi An the next day at lunch time, on new years eve. Found myself a nice little $6US room and went out to join in the celebrations. Randomly ran into a couple I know from Brisbane (Pete and Claire) so spent most of the night with them. It was so nice to be here, and to be celebrating with the locals. There was such a great vibe in the air, its such a big deal for them. They had fireworks at midnight which were beautiful. We carried on drinking apple flavoured beer till about 2 before hitting the stack.
Caught up with Pete and Claire again the next morning (yesterday), as well as Pip. We hired out bikes to ride to a beach not far away. It was only a couple of hundred meters from where
we'd started. We were riding down a hill and I realised I was going to fast so I braked. A little too hard. I went straight over the handle bars. Chin first. It was pretty much the scariest thing thats happened to me I reckon. I was a bit of a mess. A man who worked at the hotel we were in front of grabbed me and pulled me up. I was in a bit of shock. Got me some ice for my chin. Bit of a shame, cos apart from my chin and a few scratches on my stomach and legs I'm fine. But my chin looks really horrible. Its all bruised and scabby. What a day. I felt pretty bad for everyone else I was with cos they stayed with me the whole day. I was really out of it for an hour or two. Really wanted to go to sleep but didn't think it was the wisest thing to do. After a bit we went to a beach much closer. Got down there, bought some pineapple and a beer and got a pedicure. The pedicure ended up being a bad idea - my toes look like they've
been but with hedge clippers. They're almost spikey. I could only laugh. We took the bike back with minimal fuss. It wasn't in the best shape but paid the owner a small compensation (he felt really bad when he realised how injured i was). To top the day off last night we went out for the funniest dinner. It took an hour and a half for our food to come so we didn't get out of there till 11. And it was all so bad. Pete and Claire got the worst deals, ending their meal with this crispy noodle dish that was a mountain of crispy styrifome looking things on a plate, piled up, with a few pieces of tomato and a few prawns on top. It was supposed to be vegetarian... It was all pretty funny. Went back to my hotel room feeling pretty sorry for myself and watched a stupid stoner movie - Harold and Kumar go to White Caste. It was so brainless, which was exactly what I needed. I stayed up watching it, laughing histerically, eating chocolate. What else was there to do....
So, this is my last day in Hoi An. Picked up my
two dresses which I got made and they're really nice. Getting a bus this evening to Ho Chi Minh - 24 hours! Vomit!!! The trains were all booked out, so bumbed! My back will die but at least I'll get there i guess. Arrive tomorrow night in Ho Chi Minh and fly out early the next morning. Kinda glad to be going home - Im in pain and I look like a freak show and quite exhausted after 6 weeks of pretty full on traveling. People can't believe how much we've done in such a short amount of time. I guess we were pretty ambitious but there isn't one place I wish we hadn't been or anything. Has been such a great break from the work and uni life in Brisbane. Will be so much easier for both of us to go back and get into our final years of our degrees.
Sorry, this entry is a full novel but I guess I've been pretty busy in the last week. Depending on how smoothly things go for the next 2 days, this is probably the last entry. So, all you Brisbanites, see you soon. To everyone else, keep in
touch!
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jessdarc
Jess & Darc
jess jess
boy... ha, you did actually write a novel, which is so funny as you were always the one telling me not to. fair enough though as there was a bit to tell. i can't believe you got food poisoning, man, and you got injured - you are just a mess without me - see how good i am for you - cool, calm, collected and injury and spew free =) look, just quickly, if u do get this b4 hcmc, i fogot to tell you - stay at guesthouse 70 - basically opposite from the yellow house hostel, two doors up from the original madame cuc - it has an atm in the front of it (if that helps u). Anyway, so lovely, it was $10 which is a bit, but she woke me up at 4am no worries to get me on my plane home - and organised a taxi, which only cost $6 (which is actually a good deal)... it was all just no rip off, so yeah - stay there. And that dvd shop (if you decide you want more, is just 2 doors up). Also, go eat at that place we went to with that upstairs balcony, and get the tofu burger, i liked it heaps! Also - call me, righto, when you get home! It's fun to get home, sad, but fun, i have been partying since i returned, and nearly spent two weeks worth of travelling money - so expensive here xoxoxo