Vietnam covered but not much sun

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13/11/09

Woke early and went off to my favourite wifi restaurant where I had some lovely Lao coffee then back to my guesthouse to fetch my stuff and then off to the airport. It is always interesting to see how technology has helped to speed things up in the first world and how we are so impatient when it takes 15min to check one person in as they don’t have a biometric scanner!! Welcome to the third world but at least there are a few people employed instead of just one.
Had a good flight that left early and got in on the Friday with enough time to get a bus into the mayhem of Asian rush hour traffic and it took two hours to do the 27km from the airport to the old part of Hanoi where I hoped to get some accommodation.
I have taken lots of video on how the traffic works when no rules are applied!
As I got off the bus one guy took me to a hotel but it was up too many stairs and he kept changing his mind as to what was available so I went to central backpackers where the offer was free internet and beer however even with free beer I could not fit my stuff into the locker provided and my backpack is small ,I cant imagine what it is like for someone with a big bag. I soon decided this was not good enough and left and went to a hotel where for no free beer aaah ! I got a room not in a dorm with aircon free breakfast and wifi all for $12 not too shabby!
Went out for something to eat and met a nice Czech guy who was here for three weeks , seems that Asia is a good destination for short holidays.


14/11/09

Hanoi is interesting as it has a Christian history as well as Buddist and so at 5am the catholic church was ringing its bell I guess to wake up the buddist monks so that they could take over the waking up of the tourists sleeping next to their pagodas , especially the south African ones that did not remain awake after the catholic bells rang. The Buddists however do a much better job by chanting for around an hour and a half much cheaper than a set of cast bells.
The guy I spoke to last night says it is possible to see everything in Hanoi in one day so after looking at what I wanted to do I set off after breakfast and saw all the sights round the old city , unfortunately most of the sights including HCM so fortunately I found a guy with a motorbike who took me to the B52 museum where there was a bomber that had been shot down laid out in the yard , I never knew that they were that big !
Went out to the same area I did last night for a bite to eat and had a seafood dish however the seafood was lacking in a big way! Decided to test my sense of direction , I mean I had done this by myself twice and did not need a map on my way to the restaurant so hey I’m good , well after one beer at the restaurant and another takeaway as well as walking for nearly half an hour I finally gave into the fact that I was lost and eventually took a pedlo and my beer back to my hotel won’t be trying to get home in a strange city again on my own in a country where I don’t speak the language again till next week!
Booked a tour to Halong bay so off to bed as I have an early start.






15/11/09

Woke up again by the ever present monks but as I was up early for my tour I was only slightly upset.
Picked up at 8am and headed off with a group of 13 for the 3hr drive to Halong bay to do the 170km with the road being ok and terrible in some stretches.
Arrived at 12pm to the usual disorganisation where thousands of tourists arrive to people holding bits of paper with names scrawled on them. Finally after having time to purchase some rice vodka/benzene we were hurried onto our Junk which looked quite nice and we headed off to the caves on one of the islands while we had our first seafood meal with the table that I was sitting at eating so much that we even ate some from the other tables
We arrived at the island with the caves and it was here that I realised that I had booked onto a trip that was contrary to what I normally like. On entering the first cave I was greeted by hundreds of other people in front of me all gawking at the lighted areas with the many different colours as well as the many guides all trying to tell you about the various features and how they looked like dragons etc
It all came to a head when someone commented that the shadows only show a figure because the light has been put in such a way so as to create the shadow. The second cave we were advised not to go to but I was very glad I did as this had only been slightly ruined with the odd bit of concrete and penguin rubbish bins that looked
slightly out of place in the tropical islands! I did feel however like I was Jonny Depp in Pirates of the Carribean as the amount of boardwalks made it look that way!
Back on the boat we got to know the other people as we headed off to where we were going to do some Kayaking and I got put into a room share with a German girl who seemed quite nice and so out came the rice benzene mixed with redbull and it was almost pleasant.
The kayaking was ok but unfortunately I was on my own in a kayak that was supposed to have two and so it was a battle to move without getting too much water in the boat and to not get my camera wet but I did this with some grace and even invented a new way of paddling ,photos turned out ok as well.
Our guide was really wanting to do some karaoke and he was not too bad for a tone deaf person and after about an hour we managed to persuade him that the 10000 dong payoff was better for all of us , they rice benzene having had a worse effect on him than us by this stage.
Afterwards we as a group started playing our own music through our iPods and it became very plain to see that I was well out of date with my taste of music I will have to get that sorted out as soon as.
Around 1230am tne captain decided that we were to go to bed as he want ed to get some sleep so that was the end of the festivities even though the Dutch contingent decided that a quick swim was in order.
Woke up at around three when my body decided that the benzene was in fact benzene and therefore poisonous and should be shared with fish who get a lot of this sort of thing in this area , managed to sleep much better after that!






16/11/09

Woke up rather tired after not much sleep and a far too early start to the day , I mean what is the deal with 7am , I am on holiday!!
Had a simple breakfast and headed off to kat ba island where I would leave they group and head back to Hanoi as I only had the two day one night option which once I got on shore and spoke to those who had the extra day I was glad I hadn’t as is entailed far more benzene drinking than my body was ever designed for!
The trip back to Hanoi was made more interesting due to the fact that there were a few Manchurians ont the bus who were hilarious , whish I had been on their boat seemed their captain only shooed them to bed at 3am !!
Back to Hanoi with enough time to change my bag and have a bite to eat before my bus to Sapa arrived.
Went with some local guys and had some rice soup which was very nice except that I was a European so I must pay three times the price this did not go down well with me and it was not a big bowl either!!
The bus to Sapa seemed to be quite nice until I boarded and found that the seats were designed for Asians and there really was not enough room for me to sit without my legs forced into the back of the seat in front and so began the trip of 12hrs where the bus only stopped three times with no toilet on board! So no drinking , and when we did stop for a bite to eat the rats scuttling around the eating house made me decide to go to the loo and then go back to sleep!

17/11/09

Arrived in Sapa at around 630am wearing a teashirt and some shorts only to find that the temp was about 5 and the pickup that was supposed to be there wasn’t!
It only took me a few minutes in the cold to realise that this was madness so I checked into a hotel had a hot shower and changed into my warm clothes then went back to the bus station to find out about the pickup.
The weather was not that great and so if there was no pickup I was prepared to get back on the bus from hell and go back to Hanoi. Fortunately a pickup was found and I cheched out of my hotel and went to the Summit hotel where I had my breakfast and waited for my guide , whilst meeting a couple of great Brazillian guys who were over for a couple of weeks from Australia.
My guide was Lan who had a great sense of humour and really made thw day that more interesting , with all the extra info that she knew being part of the H’moung people. There was also a group of kids that helped us climb the wonderful countryside in the lovely red mud that fortunately I did not fall down in as that would have meant a change in the colour of my clothing for the next three days till I got it all washed !
The reason the kids helped was at the lunch stop we were expected to buy some thing form them and it was here that I got gouged but after that I was left alone and it was the other people in the group that got pestered.
The hike after lunch was made interesting for me as I was walking through a farming village and the pigs , chickens and ducks were so cute ,not to mention all the rice paddy fields stretching out as far as you could see.
We arrived at the homestay at around 2pm and told we were allowed to have free time till 5pm but I really was tired and required an hours gonk before I went for a walk to the bamboo forest then back for a beer , which was difficult to enjoy as there were people working by carrying bricks up the hill and I was sitting.


The evening meal was fabulous and we were able to see the preparation as we were all huddled around the fire in the kitchen as I was really cold.
After dinner we were presented with some more benzene of which I had only one glass and then orr to bed at 830pm.

18/11/09

Slept really well and up for pancakes and some sweet coffee , hope I don’t get the taste for it, then we were offered the option of hiking through the bamboo forest which would be very slippy as it had rained again in the night or the alternative more sedate main road route, we took the main road.
The visibility was much better and I managed to get some lovely photos before coming to appoint where we could see those that chose the bamboo forest route only to see that almost everyone had spend some time on their arse!
We had our final lunch in the mountains and then hiked back to the main road and caught a bus to the Summit hotel where I decided to change my bus ticket for a return train ticket and the proceeded to relax and wait for the bus to Lao cai where I would get the train.
Finally got on the train and shared a berth with three Vietnamese people one of whom was a civil engineer and spoke quite good English.
The train was fabulous and the option to take a bus should not even be there I managed to sleep for 10 hours.


19/11/09

Straight off the train I got an exhorbitant taxi to my hotel and went to sleep for a couple of hours then relaxed for the day before going out and getting some dvd’s and waiting for my bus to leave for Hoi Ann.I had learnt the hard way about the street food so went to a restaurant and had something that was at a set price.
Got onto the bus to realise that it was a sleeper bus but with a twist !! As in a normal bus with two seats squashed together this was the same and being a single traveller I had to share with a Vietnamese guy who was quite pleasant , he however did like to share my part of the bed , but other than that it was very comfortable except for the rain that came in through the seals that were clearly shot!!

20/11/09

17 hrs later I arrived in Hoi Ann and took the first hotel that the bus stopped at at 13h00 and then went out to see what tours were available and booked a tour to see My Son which was once a beautiful site belonging to the Chang empire , however the Americans put paid to that buy bombing it during the Vietnam war that they didn’t fight in !! nor have ever owned up to even after their pilots were shot down and captured.
Went to the night market and met Octavia and Carolina from Laos and ended up going to this bar where I got a free ride there as well as free rum and cokes and then left , apparently the deal is free rum and coke from 10 - 1am cool , cheap night!




21/11/09

Went on the tour and met some nice German people and a very funny Dutch guy who had only been travelling for ten days and he had yet to learn the value of money as he was just happy that things cost less than Holland!
After the tour we all went for a drink and then out to a place that did fish in a banana leaf that was very nice then it was time for me to catch my bus to Na Trang. I was initially happy that the bus was to be changed however on getting on the new bus I realised that it too was designed for Asians with small feet and not that tall so I was only able to find enough room at the back of the bus which was a bad idea as I had to buckle myself in as the flex at the back of the bus was so great there were times I was trying to sleep where I was jumping like I was on a bucking bronco.


22/11/09

Arrived at 6am and checked into a hotel that was half what I paid last , had a shower then out to see what Na Trang has on offer , ended up walking to the cable car which was nearly 7km away , but stopped and had some breakfast. At the cable car we decided me and a kiwi couple to go over and see what this amusement park was like and boy were we surprised !!
Once you paid to get over the rest except for food was free and we were able to play computer games and ride bumper cars to our hearts content.
There was also a water park and we went and spent nearly four hours going down supertubes and generally having a great time , almost felt like a kid again!
Left at around 6pm and got to see the city spread out under the cable car , but not really good for the photos as it was moving.
Had dinner in a local place and then to bed and to figure out why skype works on my pc but no internet aaah!

23/10/09

Woke up late and caught up on my diary which took me the best part of two hours and then went and booked my bus ticket to Saigon for the following morning , the first of my bus trips in the morning in Vietnam.
Went and spoke to Kris and arranged to go out to see a bit more of the city then he and he and Libby went off to do the mud bath and I watched the film Transformers 2 which was not that great and then went out to have a meal with Kris and Libby and after much looking around went to an Indian restaurant where I met the south African guy I had met in Haulong bay and had a great meal then went back to finish my film , however I was unaware that the film was nearly three hours long and managed to get to sleep by 12 and I had a bus at 8am.



24/11/09

Up to catch the bus and managed to get a space that was not near the back so as to prevent the panel beating of my body on the trip to Saigon.
The trip was quite pleasant and made better for the reading of the Shantaram which was being read by more than one person on the bus!!
The rice paddies were very diverse and interesting to see that with the two crops that are grown giving the opportunity of seeing the different stages of the crop allowing some photos of some very nice photos.
At Mui Ne it was the first time that I had seen the sun for nearly two weeks and it was here that I left Kris and Libby and continued to Saigon where I found some nice accommodation off the main strip in between the roads where I had wifi and the noise that was on the road therefore making a good nights sleep.


25/11/09

Woke after a great nights sleep and headed out to walk around the city and see the War Remnants Museum but as I walked out onto the street a motorcyclist offered to drive me there for a really good deal and so off I went without breakfast!
The museum is very touching and moving in what atrocities were committed to the Vietnamese people by people who had no real right to be there , the most astounding thing I saw was that at one instance Senator Bob Kearney was a leader of a group of Navy Seals who systematically murdered civilians women and children and the Vietnamese have forgiven him and that he is still in the government in a position of leadership!
The museum was indeed interesting but afterwards I was not interested in seeing anything else and went back to my hotel.
Went out to have a nice noodle soup and met a Russian guy from St Petersburgh.
Went to bed rather late after booking a trip to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Vietcong held out and lived in tunnels that in their best were a network of nearly 200kms!

26/11/09

As per normal the bus did not leave on time but eventually we left on a nice Hyundai bus along with the other twenty buses to see the tunnels, I was a little worried that the tunnels would be rather touristy , which they were however the guide was very good and we as a group got to experience the tunnels as best we could. The first tunnel was only 10m long however the entrance was really small and I was the first through which gave me the opportunity to find a blind alley in which to hide in and wait for the rest of the group to come though the tunnel and as I was the only one with a torch it was great to give them all a very good scare , at least they were all good sport and took it very well.







The space was very tight and it had been opened up to allow the westerners to fit into the tunnels and I could only imagine what it was like to live under these conditions with the Americans bombing the area above and the tunnel rats trying to kill everyone underground!
The traps that the Vietcong developed to try to stop the Americans and the photos proved that they were very effective.
The second tunnel was much longer and I headed into them with much relish , I wonder if I was in another life I may have lived and fought in these tunnels.

After the tunnels we were given the option to fire some real guns and I for one had no option but to have a go with an AK-47 a wonderful invention with only seven moving parts and not much of a recoil , personally one of my all time favourite guns if that can be said , but only for its simplicity and not for the fact that it has probably killed so many innocents.

The day was all very nice and I went and tried to book a trip to Cambodia but again dependant on the different travel agents and they try to rip you off at every possible situation so I went and got a better option and then had some more noodle soup.


27/11/09

Up early again third day in a row to go to the Mekong delta by bus.
The bus was very nice and our guide the “Tiger” told us that we had the best driver in Asia. After an hour or two I was pretty sure that this was the case as he overtook and undertook bikes , buses and trucks through spaces that seemed to open up in places where only before there had been none!! He also seemed to squeeze more speed out of that bus that any of the other vehicles on the road so even though we were one of the last vehicles to leave as our bus had no diesel we were at the halfway way before most of the others.
We got onto the boat and headed out to see the smallest floating market in the delta where wholesale fruit and veg was sold , I found it rather interesting.
Next we went and saw where they make coconut toffees which are divine!
The process first gets the coco milk then the oil and the rest is used to feed the animals. We also got see the making of popped rice and rice cakes , hot sand is used to pop the rice that is still in its husk , quite nice really , however there are no food safety measures making it all a little too unhygienic for me.
For lunch we headed off to another island though little channels and ended up at a place very nice where after the lunch I went for some bicycling and nearly got lost on the paths.
The riding reminded me of my childhood riding along the paths along the fruit orchards and the sugarcane fields.
The itinerary that I was given said that we would be on our floating hotel on the Cambodian border by 530pm and at around the 7 mark it became obvious again that this world is different and time really doesn’t mean anything!





The floating hotel itself was a large deck moored to the side of the shore and after having a great meal onboard I headed to bed in my room with Luka who had had a lot of bad luck , he had been overbooked at a homestay and therefore had to sleep outside in the rain the night before and in Saigon had had his wallet stolen with all his cards.
He was needless to say fast asleep and I was soon too.


28/11/09


Next day started early and we headed out to see a fish farm and then a Moslem village. The fish farm had four types of fish which are ready from fingerlings in six to seven months and they are apparently exported worldwide.
Afterwards we got on a larger boat and headed off to the Vietnamese border where we would be separated and travel either on the fast or slow boat with me being on the fast boat which turned out to be not that fast surprise, surprise !!
The best part about the trip was sitting on the roof drinking ice cold beer and watching the Cambodian landscape pass slowly by it was magic!!
We arrived at the dock and then had a one hour drive to the centre of Phnom Pen where after much haggling we took a tuk tuk to the hotel area and got a hotel.
I found it strange that everywhere I went people trade in US dollars and the local currency which is not as low as Vietnam is hardly used!
Took a motorbike to town and managed to get some US then went and had a beer and then a massage done by the blind which was very good except the massage of my skull that was strange and made me have a sore neck but the rest was great.
Went for a meal and decided on eel with chilli and a beer that I could not understand and so I was rather surprised to get a jug of beer that at least I made a good effort to finish , however the eel chilli was a little harder and gave up hahaha.
Took a motorbike home and on the way decided to use him for a tour tomorrow.


29/11/09

Up at 9 and out to the killing fields which was a long ride and passed some lovely fields which was so strange to be at a place where so many people were murdered in such a beautiful setting
I kept on being reminded about a saying that is “ it is incredible mans ability to inflict hurt on his fellow man” and I saw that in the accounts there and in the Toul Sleng museum which used to be a school before being turned into a prison and torture barracks.
It was the first time on my trip that I was unable to take photos.
Back to my hotel at around three to book for the bus to Sihanoukville.

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Photos

Ho Chi Min Maosileum
His will says he wanted to be cremated the people had other ideas