Rest Of Vietnam

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Hi guys...I did start this blog nearly a week ago now yet the computer I was working on decided to crash so from about halfway through the Ha Long Bay stuff I'm actually writing about from Australia...rather than go through and change everything I'll just do my best 😊



Hello again everyone, hope you are all well. As this is my last night in Vietnam it seems the right time to update the blog with evrything that has happened in the last week from heading up to Hanoi to me sitting with the last local lager I'm yet to sample (Bia 333).

On the 23rd we travelled upto Hanoi after arranging flights in Ho Chi Minh. We were staying at a place called Thu Giang guesthouse, located in the old quarter of Hanoi just a few minutes walk from a vast array of local and not so local eateries and shops. It was again though tucked away down a side street and though it was safe enough it was very 'basic' shall we say to hyperbole the state of the rooms-which consisted of:a bed (we think flea ridden); a TV (sound enough but lacking my favourite channel in Asia AXN;no House, CSI, Chuck or Wipeout=bad times) and a fridge (which worked sporadically). To complete the basic feel was the replacement of a good old fashioned wooden door with a corregated iron shutter which gave the impression of a grim attic cell as yet again we were on the top floor of a place with no lift!!

However, what Thu Giang lacked in room comfort was made up in friendly, helpful staff and efficiency and reliability in terms of pick ups and drop offs and tour arrangements; they were superb in that respect.

Now onto Hanoi itself, the roads were still packed but by now we are experts (Tamara on her part may disagree) at crossing with confidence, yet Hanoi has more charm and character about it than the manic Saigon. The old quarter was filled with an array of coffee shops, clothes and craft stores and perfect for a relaxing day of people watching. On our first full day in Hanoi we meandered fully around the Old Quarter and particular highlights included: St Joseph's Cathedral (which we went past evryday after and on the mass on Sunday was rammed with hundreds of people and had a big screen on the outside for those not lucky enough to even get in!!). Also there was the particularly eye catching sights as Hoan Kiem Lake which upon walking around we encountered two Vietnamese singers shooting a music video and though we had no idea who they were they ellicited the 'I'm kind've a big deal around here, people know me' style of demenour. The Hanoi Opera House was another sight of grandeur and it was a nice experience to just sit eating lunch and basking in the sunshine in the gardens to the side of it. In stark contrast to the beauty of the morning came the highlight of the afternoon- a visit to Hoa La Prison where they kept Vietnamese rebellers during the French influence in Saigon and then American p.o.w's in the 60's and 70's; especially grim were the death row cells accompanied by photographs of people before, during and after they met their fate to the guillotine.

Our next day was the full tourist trek it seemed with the visit to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum-a grand building surrounded by guards and fantastic open walkways and greenary. Located near to this were Ho Chi Minh's house, a sweet looking mustard coloured mansion type and the Presidential Palace of the same yellow hue but as it was much larger looked hideous in my opinion. The final thing of mention for this uber touristy day was the visit to the 'Temple of Literature' which although the main man fella in there-I think I'll have to consult my programme for his name; anyway, although the statue of this man was holding a scroll I felt I'd been duped by false advertising as there were none, nada, not a single piece of literature in this Temple of Literature other than the vast array of Lonely Planet and Rough guides to Vietnam in people rucksacks. Still took a picture of this statue is it is meant to bring students good luck and good results so that will sit on my uni desk for next year.

Ha Long Bay

With much of Hanoi covered we booked an excursion to go on a junk boat around the world heritage sight of Ha Long Bay, a place that was in the running to be one of the seven wonders of the world (according to a flight attendant called Jason-a flight attendant so don't take that as gospel). While the views were stunning the problem with rubbish in the water took a little of the sparkle away slightly. However overall it was a fantastic experience and a highlight of the trip so far, mainly for the people we met on the boat - an Aussie family who we'll meet up with when we're in Sydney; Jason the said flight attendant and two fellow English travellers to name just a few. The stop offs the boat did weren't bad either from a rather deep and colourful cave to the fantastic experience of kayaking on the water at sunset; some form of kayaking could be my way in to the 2012 Olympics as I felt I was good due to: 1)We didn't sink, 2)We went where we wanted to go and 3)WE DIDN'T SINK!!
Unfortunately for the night's entertainment our guide insisted on karaoke but fortunately we were soared this humiliation by the machine deciding it didn't want to work :d. Thus, we set about the more enjoyable task of drinking (responsible amounts mother) on deck and bantering the night away. I also haggled a woman who came along on a floating shop type thing for a packet of Oreo's which she was clerly not happy about as when Tim, the father of the Australian family tried to get them at the price I did she launched into an angry tirade. I feel it's now James 2 Women Sellers 0 (Tanzania reference-The tomato woman).
Right this is where I'm picking up from the stuff that has already been written so bear with me....ermm okayyy we returned back to our less than glamorous lodgings after our Ha Long Bay expedition for just a couple of chill days to write postcards, drink coffee and people watch before returning to Saigon.

Cuchi Tunnels

On returning to Ho Chi Minh we really only had one thing left we wanted to do and felt we had to do the Cuchi tunnels, where the VC hid underground from the Americans in the war. They were very small, definitely not designed for my tall stature but on a personal pride moment I was only one of three people from our group to do the full 100 metre stretch they allow you to do (Tamara pulling up just short at 80 metres) but I was also the first one out :D...still it was no picnic and the booby traps we were shown from a bamboo leg trap to a torso gouger were harrowing as they didn't leave much to the imagination. There was also a massive firing range where guests could shoot off live weapons from simple hang guns, to Ak 47s to giant M16s. Tamara and I decided against having a go with them as:1)They were expensive and 2)it seemed weird to take enjoyment out of something that in the same area, almost in the same footsteps that only a few decades ago caused so much suffering. We were also shown a highly Vietnamese biased propaganda-esque video that had I been American would have been extremely embarrassed about, I was uncomfortable enough watching it as just a humble uninvolved Westerner.

Hong Kong is the next location and if anything like Vietnam will be a fantastic experience!!!
Much love, James x

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