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Helen's Gang
These kids were such a laugh. They showed us all around the sanddunes.What a country! What a place! I absolutely love it. The people are brilliant, the scenery is out of this world, the culture, the craziness; it's all just so... so... ASIAN!
Finally a country with both a safe infrastructure and a crazy dangerous blend of the eastern world with western influences. Thankfully not too western though.
Both Helen and I are very glad that Vietnam was our last country in SE Asia because it is simply manic, crazy! Everyone wants something from you - whether it is your money or a simple broken English conversation... everyone is moving, jostling, eating, drinking... you can't walk on the path because families are cooking their food on them; you can't walk on the roads because there are more bikes than mosquitos.
Walking is by far the most dangerous hazard we have experienced in South east Asia. It hasn't been the threat of muggers, or some tropical disease - just walking! It can be perilous!
It is widely accepted in Vietnam that you don't wait to cross the road. Because if you wait for a gap in the traffic you won't move at all. There is never a gap!! The only
Easy Riding
Here I am on the back of my bike with Mr Thai. Helen's guide is Mr Hong - he is sat behind us on the other bike. way to cross the road is to step out into the traffic and just hope you don't get run over. Strangely you never do. Although wearing flip flops isn't a good idea because your toes are forever in danger of being ridden over.
Hanoi was our first port of call and my old my! It is crazy! I think it was my favourite place to date, although we could only stomach three days of big city living.
We moved on to Halong bay and Cat Ba island where we spent the night on a boat out at sea in between huge limestone mountains - this was a real highlight.
From there we went back to Hanoi and then got the night train down to Hue - which oddly enough was also a highlight. I never thought a 13 hour journey could be a highlight but over the space of three days we had stayed overnight on a boat and a train - it was very bizzare looking out over the ocean brushing our teeth and then looking out of a train brushing our teeth...
Hue was a lovely little place. The Cyclo drivers (men riding bikes
They just get cuter!
This little girl was in a cardboard box when we met her. It was the only way her father could work without her running off. with seats at the front for tourists to sit on) in Hue were probably the most determined in all of Asia. Some of them followed us for at least half an hour. "Cyclo?" they would ask. "No thanks" we would reply.
"Cyclo?", "no thanks", "cyclo?", "no thanks", "cyclo?", "no thanks", "Cyclo?", "no thanks", "cyclo?", "no thanks", "cyclo?", "no thanks"... and on and on and on... once we had shook one cyclo driver off, another one found us. It wasn't that we didn't think it would be nice to take a cyclo, but you can only take one once before you are seeing all the same things over and over again.
This was another reason we were glad Vietnam was our last country. If it had been our first we would have probably been driven insane. Infact, a lot of travellers we met in Laos had found Vietnam too much to bear and hated it. Luckily we were used to the types of people hassling you and also found it all kind of funny/endearing to be chased for half an hour. Plus, we have learned to say yes more and give more. What is a dollar afterall? It's not
Grandma Phong
Grandma Phong loved Helen's soft pink skin. So much she kept pinching it. good to give to beggars in Vietnam because it only encourages dependence on begging (or so the locals say) but so many people find things to sell, why not buy something?
The thanks we have received from local people just for spending 40pence on a bottle of water (they have doubled the price and made 20pence for themselves) - it's astounding... they will thank you for ten minutes and wish you good luck just for a twenty pence profit. When you realise how much they need your tourism then you come to realise/expect such reliance.
The people in Vietnam are absolutely brilliant. For every wheeler dealer who tries to sell you some dodgy rip-off there is another local who wants to just sit down next to you and listen to you talk.
Our best day so far on this entire tour was in Hoi An. We met a lovely man by the name of Mr Phong. The night before he had invited us to spend the day with him and his family. He took us to his village for the day and we met all his friends, visited the primary school and all the local businesses. It
Halong Bay
The view from our bedroom window during our stay on a boat. was an amazing day. We ate local food, sat around with local people, watched local people live... it was REAL Vietnam.
I think that Vietnam is all about seeing REAL Vietnam. The government keep a strict eye on tourism and try to get people to follow one route, stay in the same places and do the same things. This isn't all bad because the places you go are usually the most beautiful places and you are normally doing the best things... but, if you only do what the government (through the local tour offices) plan for you then you miss out on the REAL people. Lots of people must end up doing the 'Tourist Route' and never seeing the amazing small villages that Vietnam has to offer.
Mr Phong showed us just a little of Vietnamese culture, but enough to convince us to find out the 'Easy Riders' in Dalat.
The 'Easy Riders' are a group of locals who have excellent english and brilliant knowledge on Vietnam. They ride around Dalat (a town set up in the mountains) on big old motorbikes from Germany and Taiwan (rather than the normal scooters that cover the streets) looking for
Little ones.
How blooming cute are these little ones! people to hop on the back of a bike for a few days.
They will take you anywhere and everywhere. From Saigon to Hanoi you can ride all the way through Vietnam. They will show you REAL sights and normal people. You will get away from tourist prices and tourist food. It's the only way to travel.
Unfortunately we spent all our budget in Hoi An (famous for hand tailored clothes made within a few hours for next to nothing prices - we ended up buying suits, shirts, trousers, dresses (I got the dress), shorts... you name it, we had it hand tailored!) so we could only afford to hop on the back of their bikes for three days. From Dalat down to Mui Ne.
Our riders were called Mr Hong and Mr Thai and they were not only excellent guides but also good friends to spend time with. On the first day we travelled around the area of Dalat. The highlight was sipping tea with an ex-army general whilst he smoked opium (thankfully our drivers didn't join in!), it was probably the most surreal experience we have had. The ex-army general was now a bamboo craftsman
Bath Time.
This mother was only 19 years old. She was very proud to have one child and to be married. but he still looked as hard as nails.
On day two we took off through the mountains on the small roads that most tourists don't see. Helen and I both had arm ache from waving at so many people. All the kids could spot the 'westies' from a mile off and were running to the road shouting 'HELLLOOO' - I have never said 'hello' so much in my whole life.
The views were amazing. We stopped off in many places and learnt all about the local food (fruit, rice, vegetable crops) and about the local crafts (silk weaving, bamboo crafting). The real highlights were when we stopped off for a drink at someone's house. It went from relatively nice brick houses that were full of people expecting us, to simply pulling up at the side of the road and asking the local farmer if we could come in and sit down.
Most of the local people hadn't ever seen a westerner before, especially because we were off the beaten track. We soon realised why they looked at us so funnily. The only place they had ever seen us was from the television; they actually thought we had
The guy in the know.
No decision was made in the village without consulting this man first. For he knew how to talk to the gods. come straight from being in front of the camera! Helen and I loved being celebrities for a few days.
Some of the houses we visited were amazing. 13 people lived in one house which was no bigger than a normal living room at home. Mum, dad, granny and all the kids would sleep in the same place on a wooden platform. It was really eye-opening.
Another house was made of bamboo and had a young family living in it. We met the mother and her two young children. When we looked around their home we noticed there was actually nothing in it whatsoever. There was a bed which was again just a wooden platform, and that was it. It is really amazing how people can survive. I don't know what I would do without my Playstation! Let alone no chairs or tables or anything!!!
On the second evening we stayed in a hotel by Dambri Falls, a huge waterfall. There wasn't anyone else around apart from Mr Thai and Mr Hong. Helen and I were really getting used to spending time away from the backpacker route.
Unfortunately it couldn't last (we ran out of funds!) and
Travelling Tesco's
The boat stopped for two seconds and all of a sudden someone is throwing Oreo's at me... Shops can get anywhere now! we had to say goodbye to Mr Thai and Mr Hong in Mui Ne, which is a lovely little beach town. We were both sad to say goodbye to them because they had become good friends and we had spent the last three days with them - which is a long time in backpacker world.
As soon as we hit Mui Ne we realised we were looking forward to moving on from SE Asia. With only Saigon to go, NZ was only a few steps away. We loved everything in SE Asia and we are not tired of it, but... we have grown to like change and look forward to new challenges everyday.
Soon we found ourselves in Saigon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) with only a couple of days to go. It's funny, it almost feels as though our travels are coming to an end, or to a new beginning. It feels as though we are leaving home for travels as I sit here and write this blog. Because we have got very used to Asia, it almost feels like home. Well, it HAS been our home for the last four months! So it is
Cat Ba Island
What a nice balcony! strange to be leaving, but exciting to be going to a new country and a new way of life.
We have loved Vietnam. In fact, it has made us PROPER travellers. This is why:
During our stay in Nha Trang we had some things stolen from the beach. We had actually been quite responsible and had taken virtually nothing down to the beach. Whilst we were in the sea someone ran off with Helen's towel bag (but not her towel), one of Helen's flip flops - yes, only one - one t-shirt and Sam's shades (the shades were the most annoying because they were worth a fair bit).
We actually weren't too bothered. We tend to care less about things like that now. As long as we are safe and we are not harmed, that's all that matters.
So... now that we have had something stolen we are REAL travellers!
Bring on NZ!
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Janet (Helen's Mum)
non-member comment
Love the Raincoats!!
WOW!!! What an amazing blog! Really brilliant, well done, Sam. I was smiling all through reading it! So many thoughts entered my mind, like.........Tofu (that's not what we Wills call it! More like something that ryhmes with fogies!) What a silly little torch, Helly! You know what Dad will say..........there's a perectly good headtorch you left behind here in Newbury! Vegetarians............oh no! We've been there before............. for almost 10 years!! Plastic macs! So stylish.....we all want one! NATHAN!!!!!! Wait till I go upstairs and tell Fluppy! Tut, tut, tut. She will be SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sad. Love you loads. Happy days in NZ. Mummy xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx