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Published: November 1st 2010
Sorry for the lack of regular blogs over the last couple of weeks, I have been slacking! Fear not though my friends; there will be this one and another couple to bring you bang up to date over the next few days.
I’ll pick up the story as we left Saigon on the evening of Wednesday 13th October for our mammoth 17 and a half hour train journey north to Danang and then our final destination of Hoi An on the coast. After being ripped off by a very unscrupulous taxi driver (I think Rach was ready to stage a sit down protest in order that we paid the amount we previously agreed with him) we were at the station and ready to begin our next Asian rail adventure.
After struggling to board through the ridiculously narrow doorway and corridor (put it this way, Rik Waller wouldn’t be able to travel Vietnam by rail!), we found our carriage. Before I explain the carriage arrangements, I’ll tell you that we had booked ourselves a sleeper ticket in what is known as the “Soft Sleeper with Air Conditioning”. Travelling in comfort and style we thought hopefully. In reality we were in
a small cabin (similar to the one on the boat at Doubtful Sound) which was already inhabited by two elderly ladies on the bottom bunks. With some difficulty we got all our bags and more importantly ourselves up on to the top bunks and surveyed the scene. There was a decent enough area to stow our big bags and we kept our ‘hand luggage’ beside us as we settled down onto the wafer thin and rather grubby looking mattresses. Our sleeping bags were soon out to offer us a layer of protection against whatever grime was on the mattress and soon the train was clacking its way slowly through the darkness.
When we bought our tickets we were told all food would be provided in the form of tray meals which came with both Vietnamese and Western food and was included in the price of our ticket. Therefore Rachel didn’t think we needed to take any food on board with us. Luckily for us, I am a greedy sod and insisted we stock up on supplies from the supermarket and we had a little stash of Pringles, Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers just in case. When the tray meal
arrived, it was only Vietnamese food and we had to pay for it! We ordered one between us because we were unsure what it would consist of. We were glad we only paid for one as what arrived looked (and tasted) hideous! On top of a cold and stodgy bed of rice was something that we still haven’t discovered what it was! It resembled a small pile of torn up hessian sack. It was a dry and fibrous pile of kindling that I am sure wasn’t fit for human consumption. The ladies on the bunk below told us it was fish. If that was fish I am ringing the Vietnamese Society for the Protection of Fish to tell them something is seriously wrong with whatever f that was! A nutritious and healthy meal of crisps and cookies followed before we broke out the deck of cards and I was soundly beaten at rummy again.
The night passed with sleep coming to us both in fits and starts as the train stopping and starting and noisy journey prevented us from resting properly and it was soon light. At around 9am our two lady friends (both of whom slept in gloves
and with surgical masks on) left the train and we were joined in our carriage by two middle aged men. Considering how health conscious and hygienic the two ladies had been, these men were the opposite. After cracking open a couple of beers with breakfast they proceeded to spend the next three hours burping, farting, picking their noses and hocking up what sounded like tennis ball sized greenies! We were happy to reach midday and the end of our journey!
Hoi An was an hours taxi journey away from the train station and we found ourselves a lovely traditional hotel (called the Phuoc An Hotel) for a decent price and collapsed on to the comfy beds for a couple of hours rest. Hoi An is a charming old town, made famous by the sheer volume of tailors who have shops here. Needless to say, one of main objectives was to get some made to measure clothes handmade for us ready for when we go back to the UK. The hotel we stayed at had its own tailors, and the following morning after breakfast, the hotel staff asked if we would like to go and visit the tailors and make
use of their free transport to get there. We took them up on the offer and climbed aboard the little motorbikes for the short journey into town. It was our first time on this very popular Vietnamese method of transport and it wasn’t as bad as we thought.
The routine at the tailors shop was very obviously well rehearsed as two of the female members of staff pounced on us as soon as we walked in and began showering us with compliments and being very touchy feely as they explained the process, materials and prices to us. I don’t think I have ever heard shop staff use the word “discount” as often as this pair did! Once they had got to the bottom of exactly what kind of clothes we wanted and the kind of quality material that we required, they whisked us off to the other premises nearby to choose colours and subject us to a rather intrusive bout of taking our measurements! Soon, we were sat down in front of them having chosen everything and been measured, beginning to negotiate prices. All in all it was a very pressured but good fun experience and we got them
down to a reasonable price that we were happy with. Our next visit would be 24 hours later for our first fittings.
We spent the afternoon enjoying a lazy, drawn out lunch in a lovely little wine bar called White Marble and enjoyed a stroll around the old town and through the markets. Before we knew it, we were back at the tailors for our first fitting. The shop was roasting hot and very sweaty and the fluorescent strip lights didn’t show the clothes in a good light. By the time we had told them what we thought needed changing and anything we thought that wasn’t quite right, we were very hot and bothered and not enjoying the experience quite as much as the first visit. Again we were asked to come back for another fitting a couple of hours later. The same routine followed when we went back again and there were still some little adjustments needed making. By 7pm that evening we were almost there, and bar a few minor changes, the clothes would be ready the following morning. When Rachel picked the clothes up in the morning, she told the staff that we would try them on
at the hotel where the the lighting and temperature were a little more bearable! Once we had tried them on we noticed that there were a few improvements that needed to be made, such as tidying up of the stitching inside and the a couple of shiny marks on my suits.
Back at the tailors shop we were greeted by different members of staff who we told that there were still improvements to be made before we accepted. Cue chaos! To cut a long story short, our two lovely, touchy feely members of staff were called back in to the shop where they transformed from charming sales assistants into wild and feral screaming banshees! The transformation was incredible and they tore into Rachel with venom whilst not saying anything to me. Once I had stepped in and said we would leave until they calmed down, it seemed to defuse the situation and we went back to the hotel to calm down with Rachel in tears. Eventually we arranged a meeting with the manager of the shop who was much more reasonable and sorted the problems out for us. I don't think my description does any justice to just how
taken aback we were and how upset they made Rachel! Anyway, alls well that ends well and we got out clothes and were soon on our way back to Saigon and ready to return to Thailand for the long and final leg of our trip.
The next blog will give details of our fun weekend in Bangkok recently and the start of our two weeks in Koh Samui. Bye for now x
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greg
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pics
Some great pictures on this blog....really makes me want to dig out the ol' trusty rucksack.......