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Published: November 14th 2008
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So here we are, Linda dying in bed the last 2 days of flu and I, running errons and foriging for food.
This town should not exist. There is sweet nothing here to do but slit your throat, if you can find someone here who speaks english so you can ask for a knife!
Our pland was to leave Sapa and come here to sort out our money issue as my card was stollen a few days ago and Lindas card was running dry. The bus to Laos leaves this hell hole on Monday, wednesday, Friday and Sunday. So we left Sapa on Sunday to get the Wednsday bus.
While Linda has been in bed sick, I have tried to sort a few things out, for starters, basic survival, food! This is one tough place to eat unless you like dog, bees, lizzards, etc. There is no shortage of mobile shops, but places to eat, none, none that I have found. Also, not one person in this town speeks english, not one. You have to be a grand champion at Charades to get any where here, even then it is tough.
So we manage to find a bowl of rice the first night and a baguette with god knows what in it and I eat some sort of kebab thing with what looks to be dog meat. Meat is meat and a man must eat, Linda refused incase it was dog meat, especialy when the lady selling the kebab stall was bang next to the choped up dog!
The next day was foraging the town for food also walk to bus station to sort out tickets, hope we booked the right one.
Last night we found bread and some cheese so we sat like vagrants in our room enjoying what food we had.
Today, I spent the whole day at the bank trying to withdraw cash with Lindas card. We got to the ATM at about 9.30am. Lots of people waiting to withdraw cash. While in a sort of line, people were pushing in and we ended up being last to use it. I know why, the ATM runs out of money pretty quick, so we couldn't withdraw cash. I ask how long to refill, we managed to get 3 or 4 different times. We decided, Linda would go back to the hotel and sleep and I would sit on the road waiting for the ATM to be refilled. I went back to the hotel with Linda and made sure she was ok then made my way back to the ATM so I could be first, even if I had to use force. So I get back and sit on the road by the ATM. Time went by and 11am came, then the shops and bank shut shop and there is no one around. Must be lunch, I think, can't be more than 1 hour. So I sit and wait. Nature starts to call and I need a pee, so I see a guy who has a photo copy shop and act out the process of making a pee. He laughs and takes me to some gonernment office and they let me use the toilet.
2pm comes and these over worked people come back from a 3 hour lunch break. Tough job? The one lady then tells me to go up the road, the ATM there is now working. So I run there before the mob gets there and bleeds it dry. Whew, manage to get money, all I now had to do was change it to Laos Kipp. That was easy enough, there is one guy in the town who offers that service, at a price! By now, I don't care, charge whatever, give me the cash so I can leave this hell hole in the morning.
I get back to Linda who is now on deaths door, she is hungry and needs more tissues! So off I go, searching for food again. I walked the market top to bottom, not on crumb of bread anywhere, only the usuall, a dogs body choped to pieces, a bag of bees, a cage full of fresh big lizzards, etc. Pisses off now and also almost being stung by the bees that got loose, I grab a few apples and oranges. The old lady selling them saw me coming, she charged me a fortune. All to happy to have something to eat I head back to Linda. I was complaining to her how there is no food, people don't speek english so hard to communicate, etc. I said no way in hell was I going back out there, next time I step foot on the town road was my one way walk out of town. Then she asks for the tissues? Damn, I forgot, so back to town I go!
On a lighter note, here are some of the rules and regulations exactly as it is spelled in the regulation book. The hotel is The Union Hotel. This is too funny to read. Out of 11 rules we give you our top 4.
At number 4
' apersonal sleep must boring identity cardor personal paper depperent....'
At number 3
' 3. Customer pain meal, sleep in reception room.'
At number 2
' 1. Customer glad give (passportor) identity card for reception. Customer to room registed, no take one people deperent.'
And the winner... At number 1
' 10. Customer don't make sex, don't oganazation to gamble don't flay card and socialist defect deperent.'
Not a clue what any of that says? But funny to read over and over again as the only TV channels in the room are in Vietnamise!
Luckly for us, we leave for Laos in the morning. An new country, a new adventure.
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Dien Bien Phu
I did the motorbiking trip to DienBienPhu 2 years ago, it was such a great time, we stayed in MuonThanh Hotel in DienBien, knowing than i am on inspections, the hotel owner and some other guys invited me Dinner with a lot of ricewine which made me drunk but lot of fun too. Howver, it was not the thing i enjoyed most, i did enjoy the mountain people and so amazing sceneries along my drive from Hanoi to SonLa-DienBien-Muonglay-Sapa. actually, coming there, i still feel now like to the end of the world- isolated, remote but it was great for a couple of days away from the cities with the sea of troubles-dont you think so? Best regards vivutravel