A change of scene

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Apologies for the delay in updating my blog, there have been a variety of factors affecting this, partially that I am going to make some comments on Vietnam that I couldn't really make from inside the country, partly that I've spent very little time on the internet, and partly pure laziness. Due to this, I will apologise in advance, this blog may be slightly longer than the previous two. As I type this, I am sitting in an Internet Cafe on the Meakong River, in Northern Thailand. It seems a world away from the craziness that are the two largest cities in Vietnam, Hanoi and Saigon.

Our final day in Saigon consisted of visiting a few of the other main tourist attractions in the city, and culminated in a visit to the War Remenents Museum. It is often said that it is the victors who write war history, and this was a clear attempt by the Vietnamese to do just that. It was a rather one-sided portrayal of the war, exposing the actions of the American soldiers, citing the use of Agent Orange, Napalm and the murder of many innocent civilians. Due to the nature of the museum, we were shown very starkly what happened, but very little on why it happened. There was little mention of how the Viet Minh would dress as ordinary peasants, before launching a grenade or rocket into an group of American GIs. Indeed, this hit home on the train journey to Hanoi, where you would see two different types of terrain. The first is the fields, where anyone standing was massively exposed, you could see them for miles. The other was in the jungles, where, the opposite was true, as it created a real claustrophobic atmosphere, and you could see beyond a few feet in front of you. Both of these must have been absolutely terrifying, and whilst do not excuse US actions during the war, certainly go some way to explaining them.

After a surprisingly quick 30 hours on the train, we arrived in Hanoi, which is slightly nicer than Saigon, with less hassle and generally better kept. Most of our travel centred around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, visiting the famous Ha Lao Prison (also known as the Hanoi Hilton) where US prisoners of war were kept during the war. The following two days were spent on a boat in the spectacular Ha Long Bay (see picture), one of the natural wonders of the world, where islands protrude from the ocean, creating a spectacular setting. Whilst this was very much a tour, it was great party atmosphere on the boat, with the opportunity to meet a range of people from different countries.

The day after returning from Ha Long Bay, we spent the day flying to Udon Thani in Northern Thailand, via Bangkok. From there, Nong Khai is only 40 minutes in a taxi, and is an interesting place to relax on the Mekong, with several temples and a bizare sculpture park. We are staying at the Mut Mee Guest House (see picture), which is an equally bizzare place. We are paying 580 Baht a night (around 12 pounds) for a spacious twin room, with all the modern amenities. It seems to host a few ex-pats, as well as tourists. It works on an honour system, so that if you get a drink from the fridge, you simply write it in your book, and do the same thing to do order a meal (giving the book to one of the waitresses). It is however, a very friendly place to stay, and we will be trying out their floating restaurant tonight. We have two more days in Nong Khai before heading to Laos, where I will probably update this next.

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Comments

[Tony Banks]

Trip
Alan, Sarah, Seems like you are enjoying the trip and having a good time. I hope it stays interesting for the duration and look forward to seeing the photographs when you get back. Take care Tony