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Published: December 19th 2008
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Hey everyone,
I've been moving very fast over the past week. Flying from Vancouver to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam was a flight that feels as if it happened ages ago. I arrived bright eyed on the morning of Dec. 6th. I was greeted by the highly anticipated humid air of southern Vietnam.
Apparently, I was far to tired to figure out how much Dong (Vietnamese currency) equaled a Canadian dollar, because I payed $40 to get from the airport to downtown when it should have cost me no more than $7. Haha, The cab driver liked me anyways. After checking out a few accommodation options, I found a 3 star hotel with a rooftop pool and gym.
Pat and Craig arrived at midnight and we went straight to the bar, "Apocalypse Now", we didn't last very long. With only a day and a half left in Ho Chi Minh city before we flew to Bangkok, we were determined to take it all in. We went shopping, site seeing and tasted some of the delicious Vietnamese cuisine, all the standard tourist ventures, other than renting the motor bikes of course. It is the worst traffic in Southeast Asia, only
Apocolypse Now
First night out comparable to the traffic in Dehli, India, but I think it even tops that.
The three of us decided to head to the Cu Chi war tunnels with our motor bike rentals on the day that we were to fly out. What a crazy ride, unreal!! Our guide T-boned a tuk tuk and went flying head first into an intersection. He got right up, brushed off the dirt and jumped back on his bike, what a trooper. When we got to the tunnels we found out that we were going to be firing off AK47's and crawling in tunnels that the Vietnamese lived and fought in, very cool experience!! I can still hear the ringing in my ears from firing the AK47. We arrived back in the city with just enough time to make the flight out to Bangkok.
The first night in Bangkok was not a tame one to say the least. Ko San Road was out of control as usual. We overindulged in mekong whiskey buckets and pad thai with spring rolls. We had a short time in that city, but it was time that was well spent on shopping and watching 11 Muay Thai kickboxing
Markets
Flexing muscle to get the cheapest price. matches (3 of them happened to be championship belt matches).
We flew to Chiang Mai on the 10th and headed north to the city of Huay Xai, Laos in a taxi. Our taxi driver hit a truck about halfway to the border, haha. Another T-bone, he payed off some local to give us a ride the rest of the way. The next day we started the Gibbon Experience, looks like they have added more zip lines since my last visit. There is a network of over 40 zip lines throughout the 132,000 hectres of deep jungle, the Gibbon Experience is out of this world. Living in tree forts for 3 days is cool, but when the only way in and out of the tree forts is to use a zip line makes it outstanding. We managed to be the only group ever to do all the zip lines and we saw a female gibbon (a gibbon is a small ape). Besides having a rat who joined us at night to chew through our bags, the accomodation was lovely.
After the Gibbon Experience we decided to take the speedboat from Huay Xai to Luang Probang along the Mekong river.
The company did not advise us that just days before, 2 tourists died because of a crash on one of the speedboats. Apparently this happens quite frequently.
Luang Probang has the nicest night market in Southeast Asia. With amazing restaraunts and a french influence throughout the city, it is a great place to spend a few nights. To bad we only spent one night, we were off to Vang Vieng the very next day.
Pat had a very good analogy of Vang Vieng.... "This place is like Merrit Mountain Music Festival on steroids." During the day, you rent inner tubes to go floating down the river. The river is packed with bars that have massive rope swings, flying foxes and slides that throw you into the river. So as you get drunk, you come up with all sorts of clever ideas of how you can outdo your friends on the swings. A recipe for disaster. I cut open my big toe on a rock on one foot and the next night I stepped on a nail with my other foot, but I'm still having the time of my life!! Vang Vieng has a great feel to it. All
of the restaraunts have beds instead of chairs to sit in while you eat your food. I have met loads of great people, I never want to leave.
We are on our last night here in Vang Vieng. Tomorrow we fly to Phuket and we will spend Christmas in Ko Phi Phi. I hope all is well with everyone. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Take care
Kris
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Danielle Renshaw
non-member comment
Hey Kris and crew, Happy New Year!! I would love to go to Vietnam one day, sounds like you had a blast! Sorry for commenting so late but better late than never! It was so nice to have seen both you and Pat when I was over sorry I missed you Craig! I am doing well and growing day by day, Im showing alot now! So no travelling for me, only to the hospital when it's time! It is really cold here in London so have been going to the gym and doing pilates and yoga and swimming to pass the time. You all should try to get over to Ibiza in the summer, you will love it! Anyways miss you guys and take care, Love Danielle