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Published: January 18th 2010
Thailand and beyond.....
Friday, 8th January Getting to the airport in a taxi was a lot less hair raising than our arrival journey had been. We arrived with plenty of time to spare for our flight to Delhi at 4:45pm. In Delhi we had 5 hours to transfer from the internal to the international airport, sort ourselves out, do some emailing etc and then catch our flight to Bangkok. All was going swimmingly well and we congratulated ourselves on really getting the hand of this international jet setting life of ours. Oh dear! How wrong can you be? The flight was delayed and didn't take off until 8:30pm (fog and bad weather in Delhi would you believe!) and so now we were really worried as we wouldn't get in until 11:30pm for our 1am flight. As we were leaving the plane we struck up a conversation with two American girls who were making the same transfer. They had been told that they had to collect their luggage and transfer it them selves as the two airports were some distance apart so we realised that we must do the same. The four of us dashed off the plane to the baggage
reclaim and while we were waiting for the bags to arrive explained our problem to an airport official. He said the transfer shuttle would be too slow and we must get a taxi but if we were lucky we might just make it. Tel dashed off to get a prepaid taxi slip while I waited for bags. The two girls got their bags and disappeared with the slip to the taxi rank. I chased the girls, Tel waited for bags. I found the girls and the taxi which was already full of them and their luggage and told them to wait while I found Tel and luggage. A man with a big gun wouldn't let me back into the airport so lots of arm waving resulting in another man with a bigger gun. Fortunately at this point the original airport official arrived and said my husband was already outside with the taxi. Ran back to taxi and we then proceeded to cram a quart into a pint pot as it was clearly not meant for four people and all their baggage. We set off for the international airport which was much further away than we thought (about 5 miles) and
all uphill which was almost too much for our poor, overloaded ,little taxi which chugged along at about 20 miles per hour. We arrived with about 25 minutes to check in, clear security etc and do all the things that usually take about an hour. We threw ourselves upon the mercy of more airport staff who pushed us through to the front of queues earning us many black looks and mutterings from crowds of waiting passengers. Then one of the officials said that I was to carry on to the plane but that he needed Terry's help with a wheel chair and whisked him away in a completely different direction. We now had less than 15 minutes before take off and they were making those kind of last call announcements that they make when they are getting pretty close to closing the gate and leaving behind all those silly, late passengers. 10 minuted to go and the two girls and I are sitting on the transfer bus with no sign of Tel. 5 minutes to go and Tel comes flying onto the bus preceded by the wheelchair which seems to have arrived without his help. The bus set off and
we scrambled onto the aircraft with 1 minute to spare. I'll swear they were revving up the engine as our bottoms hit the seats. We were off! We never did discover the significance of the wheel chair as Terry said all he had to do was stand beside it as it went through security and then it disappeared. After a very bizarre and eventful few hours we finally arrived in Bangkok but and were just drawing breath and congratulating ourselves when we realised that not all our luggage had made it too. One of the suitcases hadn't arrived. Terry is in charge of suitcase packing and does a very professional and highly organised job. Usually he packs a mixture of our clothes in both cases plus a selection of toiletries etc. On this one occasion he had packed all his clothes in one case and all mine in the other and it was his case that was missing. We stood around for some time hopefully gazing at the luggage reclaim to no avail. We then asked several airport staff what to do about lost baggage and they all looked completely blank as if it had never happened before and was
quite impossible. We eventually found the lost bags graveyard and after much frowning and keyboard tapping were told that the bag wasn't on the flight and would arrive tomorrow (there is only one flight a day from Delhi to Bangkok) so we set off for the hotel. The roads, although very busy with traffic, are nothing like the nightmare mixture of cows, dog, bikes, buses etc, that is India and so seemed quite civilized.. We arrived at the hotel and fortunately they let us check in early as we had been travelling all night. We fell into bed to recover from the traumas of the journey.
Saturday, 9th January Our hotel is very chic, modern and in the centre of Bangkok. The staff are all delightful and there is continuous bowing and scraping and door opening. We had a very nice lunch there and then went out to explore Bangkok. Our hotel is near to all the shopping malls and entertainment complexes and there is an overwhelming array to choose from. The traffic crawls along at street level but there is a sky train and a sky walkway so getting around on foot is quite easy. The shopping malls
are huge and have every kind of shopping opportunity you could possible wish for and more. Prices are similar to England and there are many designer shops and shops for beautiful people. There are even car showrooms selling Porsche and Lamborghini on the fifth floor - how do you manage a test drive from there I wonder. We went to a travel agent and booked a couple of day tours to take us out of Bangkok during our five day stay and went back to the hotel to sample their cocktails during happy hour.
Sunday, 10th January Still no sign of the suitcase. It was supposed to be delivered early this morning but no luck. We ventured onto the Sky Train this morning to go to the Chatuchak weekend market. The market was absolutely huge and heaving with people. Just about everything under the sun was for sale and there were hundreds of stalls selling street food. Most of it looked delicious but there were some rather odd items too that could have been animal, vegetable or mineral, difficult to tell. The Thais were eating it all with great enthusiasm. Everywhere you go there are numerous food stalls and
local people are eating at them continuously from very early in the morning to late at night. We had a good browse around the market just taking in the sights, sounds and smells and then got the Sky Train back to our hotel. We had a look round another of the big shopping malls. They really are incredible but just how many Gucci shops do you need? Just looking at the people it is clear that anyone over 35 or weighing more than 8 stone has been ethnically cleansed and is not allowed in this very chic part of town. Back to our hotel for a rest in the hope that a certain large black bag will be waiting for us. No such luck. More phone calls and a promise of tomorrow morning. Hmm! We'll see.
Monday, 11th January Up at 5:30 this morning for our trip to Kanchanaburi and the River Kwai. This is about 100 miles away from Bangkok and so took a couple of hours by minibus. First stop was the World War 2 cemetery for the huge number of prisoners of war that lost their lives building the Death Railway to Burma. There were row
upon row of beautifully tended headstones, mainly British and Australian. So many were so young, only in their early twenties, and it was a very moving sight. On then to the famous bridge over the River Kwai. We went first to the museum near by. It was typical of many of the museums we've visited on this trip, some interesting exhibits but all muddled up in dusty cases in darkened rooms so you can hardly see them. However we did manage to get a flavour of what life must have been like in the prison camps and how truly awful conditions were for the prisoners forced to hack a route for the railway. Most died of illness or sheer exhaustion. We walked across the bridge and posed for photos. It's a lovely spot now of course. After that it was off to the station to catch the train for a ride on the infamous Death Railway. The train was very old and we paid a little extra to travel first class which meant that we got a seat and drinks. We travelled about five stops along a route that clung to hillsides, through jungle and along the banks of the
river. A very enjoyable train ride but rather incongruous considering the route's terrible past. After the train we were taken back to the river for a very pleasant lunch overlooking the water. Then we were off again, this time on a long tailed boat at great speed. The boat is very thin and long with a sharp pointed front and a propeller attached to a ten foot long pole at the back. It zips through the water at a tremendous speed sending two great wedges of water out from the front like giant water wings. We transferred to bamboo rafts and glided gently back down the river at a very leisurely pace. Our boatman didn't paddle, he just kept jumping into the water to guide the boat away from the bank as we floated along with the current. Eventually we tied up and clambered up the bank to go to the elephant camp where we were going to ride elephants. How exciting is that? Our elephant was called Honey and his mahoot was named Tom. There was a seat for two so we climbed aboard and were off. The swaying takes a bit of getting used to and you are
very high up but we felt reasonably OK. Tom jumped off and suggested Terry might like to try riding on the neck in his place. Very gingerly Terry eased his way forward and got into position but I can't say that he looked at home on an elephant's neck. When the elephant started to go down a steep bank he decided enough was enough and wriggled his way back to join me. Not an activity he is keen to repeat he says. We continued our ride and can now tick elephant, along with camel and donkey on our list of adventurous ways to travel (animal section). We didn't get back to the hotel until about seven o'clock after an action packed and enjoyable day. The suitcase still hasn't arrived so lots more phoning. They say it will be here first thing tomorrow morning. We are beginning to get pretty anxious now and realise how many things we need are in it. Terry only has the clothes he is wearing and no shaving kit so he is beginning to look a bit like a refugee.
Tuesday, 12th January After all yesterdays activity we opted for a lazier day today. Still
no sign of the suitcase so we decided to get Terry some clothes and also some basic toiletries for us both. We had an enjoyable morning wandering round the shopping mall to find things. We didn't buy too much but enough to get by with until we could establish if the suitcase was really completely lost. We also discovered an Imax cinema in one of malls and booked tickets to see 'Avatar' later in the day. We went to visit Jim Thompson's House, a traditional Thai house filled with Southeast Asian antiques. Jim Thompson was an American who settled in Thailand after the WW2 and revived the Thai art of silk weaving. He designed and built the most beautiful home using traditional teak houses that he had moved from the countryside and then joined together to make a network of interconnecting rooms. It is most beautifully furnished with delicate paintings and textiles, glowing teak wood carvings and delicate porcelain and surrounded by a small but tranquil garden. There was a wonderful air of serenity about the whole place which was particularly surprising as it is in the middle of the most hectic part of Bangkok. Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared while
in Malaysia in 1967 and, as his body was never found, no one knows what happened to him, but the Jim Thompson Foundation continues in his name producing beautiful silk fabrics and supports a variety of Thai projects. Back to the hotel to freshen up and then off to the Imax to see Avatar. What an experience that was. An intellectual experience it may not be, but for sheer mind blowing action, stunning special effects and non stop excitement it couldn't be bettered. I think it would be a great film anyway but in 3D it was real edge of the seat stuff. Back to the hotel and still no suitcase. Phone messages about other things which we attended to but why was the phone still flashing? Eventually Terry got through to someone who said that the case was down in Reception and he needed to confirm that it was his. He flew out the door and returned triumphant bearing the long lost suitcase. He was one happy boy.
Wednesday, 13th January Up at 6 o'clock this morning and off on another day trip, this time to Ayutthaya, about 50 miles away from Bangkok. This was the old capital
of Thailand from 1350 to 1767. We visited lots of different palaces and temples, all very beautiful. Wat Yai Chai Mongkol was full of Buddhas in various poses and one huge reclining one that was about 12m long. Wat Prasrisanphet was once one of Ayuttaya's most glorious temples but was attacked by the Burmese and partially destroyed. Today three stupas remain containing the ashes of Ayuttayan kings. We also went to Bang-pa-in (The Summer Palace) which was built in a mixture of Thai and Western style. For those of you who have seen 'The King and I' this palace was built by the son of the king in the story and largely influenced by Miss Anna (Cue 'Happy Talkie' song). After all our temple and palace visiting we were taken to a river cruiser on the Chao Praya River and cruised back to Bangkok admiring the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river as we went. A very enjoyable day that gave us the opportunity to see a little more of Thailand outside Bagkok.
Thursday, 14th January This morning, as we now both had swimming things, we decided to spend a lazy morning by the hotel pool and
possibly go out for a bit of shopping in the afternoon before preparing for the transfer to another hotel and the start of our next trip the following day. This we did, enjoying the opportunity to swim in the lovely infinity pool and generally lounge around. Shortly after 2pm we decided to leave the pool, go and change and then out to find a spot of lunch. The hotel has the kind of lift that you have to put your room key in to operate. This we duly did only to find that it didn't work. A member of the hotel staff , who was also in the lift, asked if we were checking out today as this would be the most likely cause. 'No', we laughed, 'We don't check out until tomorrow'. ….And then a horrible thought struck us. We hastily counted up nights on our fingers and realised that we should have checked out this morning (while we had been casually lying by the pool) and that the new trip started today and not tomorrow. Well! You've never seen two people move so fast. We threw our belongings into the suitcases, stuffed it in bags, cleared the room
in about 10 minutes flat and hurtled down to Reception full of apologies. They seemed vaguely amused by our antics and were kind enough not to charge us for over staying our welcome and organised a taxi to take us to our next hotel on the other side of Bangkok. The irony is, of course, if only we had looked properly at the detailed spread sheets that we so had carefully prepared before we left England we wouldn't have made this mistake. The reality is that we are now so thoroughly into itinerant mode that we don't know what day it is, let alone the date, most of the time. Our hotel for tonight is nowhere near as grand as the previous one. It is on the other side of the river in a much less smart area, and is probably much more like the real Bangkok than the rarefied atmosphere of the designer shopping malls that we have been used to. We sorted ourselves out and then went to the welcome meeting for our next trip, 'Essence of Indochina' with a new leader and a new group of travelling companions. This time we are a group of 10, Geoff
and Charmian (Australia), Andrew and Catherine (Australia), Chris and Sheila (England) and mother and daughter pair Leigh (Australia) and Sue (England). Our tour leader is an Australian guy, Alan. Again an interesting group of people coming from all kinds of varied lives and travelling experiences and I'm sure we will enjoy getting to know them over the next three weeks.
Friday, 15th January In the morning we set off on a longtailed boat tour of Bangkok's canals. The boat was similar to the one on the River Kwai only bigger. The motor is extremely powerful and zips along in the water at a tremendous speed. Because it was a narrow boat we could travel down all the narrow canals that the bigger boats can't pass through. We saw a completely different side of Bangkok from the fashionable shopping malls of earlier in the week. Very old and simple houses on stilts lined the banks with small patches of farm land behind them. Thai life in action. You could see that the people living here use the river for everything and little boats kept drawing up alongside us selling water, ice creams and all manner of other goods. We had
to pass through a couple of locks which have been constructed to stop the area from flooding during the monsoon season. We saw many temples and pulled up alongside one to feed the catfish of which there are thousands. This is a very good spot to be a catfish as the fishermen are not allowed to fish for them by the temple and they get fed so they are huge. We visited Wat Pho, the city's oldest temple, which was absolutely stunning. The decoration was in such vivid colours of glass with beautiful gold work and paintings. The centre piece is a reclining Buddha 46m long and 15m high covered in gold. He has the most serene expression on his face and the most amazing feet. They are inlaid with 108 scenes in shimmering mother of pearl. The detail is so fine that each one is an individual work of art. There are many other statues and smaller buildings. Monks live here and there is also a very famous school of Thai massage. After Wat Pho we went to The Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo. They were built at the end of the 18th century to house the country's
most precious Buddha, the Emerald Buddha, and to establish Bangkok as the new capital of Thailand. Again the buildings were stunningly beautiful and set in lovely grounds and although the King no longer lives there, they are used for ceremonial occasions. Stretching over half a mile along the cloister walls of the temple are intricate paintings portraying scenes from the Hindu epic of Ramayana. The ordination hall contains the Emerald Buddha. He is just 66cm tall and made of jade. The walls of this building are smothered with murals and the altar is richly decorated. Many Thais were there paying their respects and making offerings. Throughout the site were many statues of Buddha and other interesting statues. After this we were just about 'templed out' and went to have a Thai massage. This is quite different from other types of massage. First you dress in Thai pajamas (loose and baggy and hiding a multitude of sins). Then you lie down on a mat a young woman comes and jumps on you. She pulls all your fingers and toes, twists your body into impossible positions, pummels your arms and legs and walks up and down your back for about an hour.
Just when you think you can't take any more she stops and you feel absolutely brilliant. After a good going over we got the ferry back to the hotel exhausted then caught the overnight sleeper train to Laos. The train journey, although very long (about 15 hours), was a distinct improvement in the Indian trains. The bunks were reasonably comfortable and there were only two tiers with curtains to pull across for a bit of privacy. I don't think either of us slept very much but at least we could stretch out and relax.
Saturday, 16th January We arrived at the Laos boarder at about 11am and after doing lots of paper work, waiting for visas, changing to another train for a short while and then getting a bus ride for about half an hour we finally arrived in Vientiane, the capital. Life in Laos is lived at a much gentler pace than anywhere else we have been to and Vientiane is relaxed and laid back. It doesn't feel much like a capital city, more like a small market town, but it does have some great coffee shops and bakeries due to one time occupation by the French. It
is a very easy place to walk around and we did just that before wandering down to the Mekong River for a beer (Beerlao, very good and very cheap). After a night on the train we were pretty tired and so didn't do much for the rest of the day except sort out some washing for the washing lady down the road and catching up on emails etc. This evening we went to a very interesting restaurant called Makphet (Lao for Chilli). It is a training restaurant of the Peuan Mit Street Children project and is run by young people (without homes or families) who have been taken off the streets and given the opportunity to learn to cook, serve etc. The food was extremely good and we had a real feast.
Sunday, 17th January This morning we went for a guided tour of Vientiane. We visited Pha That Luang, Lao's most important national monument. It is a huge stupa on several levels, each level representing different Buddhist doctrines. We also visited the oldest temple in Vientiane, Wat Si Saket. The courtyard walls inside the main hall house hundreds of niches and shelves containing 6,840 Buddha images (yes, I
think you can safely say we're in danger of getting Buddhaed out on this trip). Actually many of them were quite beautiful and in different states of preservation according to the families that maintained them. Then we went to visit the Cope National Rehabilitation Centre, a very sobering experience. This centre helps people injured by bomb explosions. We had no idea before we visited the country that Laos is the most bombed country in the world. During the Vietnam War Laos was bombed the equivalent of one plane load of bombs every eight minutes for nine years. Many thousands of bombs remain buried in the countryside to be dug up by people working the land or looking for scrap metal and so large numbers are killed or maimed each year. The centre does great work providing training for amputees, providing artificial limbs and raising money for a bomb disposal programme. Another good dinner this evening followed by some rather dubious drinks at a cocktail bar we found.
Monday,18th January[ Today we took a short internal flight to Luang Prabang, the original capital of Laos. Our hotel is on the banks of the Mekong River in the centre of town.
The town itself is beautiful, full of old temples and French colonial architecture and nestles in a valley surrounded by high mountains. Because it is on the UNESCO World heritage list it is very well preserved and has a wonderful, old world feel to it. This afternoon we went about 20km out of town to the Kuang Si Falls. It was very interesting travelling through the countryside. Most of Laos is very mountainous and only about 20% of people live in towns. The other 80% live in small, often isolated communities in the countryside in a fairly simple way. Almost all the houses in the villages are on stilts because of the monsoons and are made of teak or bamboo. We passed lots of teak plantations and rice fields ploughed by water buffalo. The falls were pretty spectacular, crashing down from a great height into a number of pools. The area was surrounded by jungle and very green and lush. I went swimming in one of the pools. It looked just like the kind of shot you get in the adverts (you know ,the ones where the water cascades into a bright blue pool surrounded by jungle creepers, gorgeous girls
and guys frolic in tiny swimwear and nobody sweats because they've all used Sure or Rightguard or whatever). Unfortunately I couldn't quite live up to the image and it was incredibly cold so I didn't stay in long. Terry held the towel!
Tuesday, 19th January Today there were no activities planned so we booked ourselves in for a day at the elephant camp learning to be mahouts. You would have thought we would have had enough of elephant riding but no, we decided we wanted to spend more time with them and actually learn how to ride them. Elephant scrubbing was also on the agenda so how could we resist? We were collected from our hotel and taken through the countryside to the elephant camp which was in a beautiful spot out in the forest, next to a river. The camp is a rescue camp for elephants who have previously been used in the logging industry. Now that logging is becoming more mechanised there is less work for the elephants and nowhere for them to go. Their mahouts (who are usually with them for life) cannot afford keep them if they are not working and it has become a
big problem with elephants actually in danger of dying out. There were eight of us doing the mahout course today. The first thing we did was learn some commands to control our elephants. Unfortunately they only understand Lao so some of the words were a bit difficult to get the hang of. Then, equipped with our new vocabulary, we had to climb on the elephant - easier said than done. When we had ridden an elephant in Thailand we had climbed aboard from a high platform straight onto the elephant's back. No such luck when you're a mahout. First you had to get the elephant to lift its right leg, then you grabbed its ear, stood on its knee and hauled yourself up onto its neck. After much huffing and puffing we were up. You have to sit very far forward, almost on the elephant's head, with your feet tucked up behind its ears . It looked a very long way down to the ground from up there. We had a bit of a ride round the compound to get a bit of confidence but it feels very wobbly and as if you're going to pitch forward over the head.
When we got down, again not an easy task, we did some general feeding and elephant patting before going for a ride through the forest. On this ride we were able to sit on a double seat (howdah) and the mahout guided the elephant. We had a great ride through the forest and then down a very steep bank and into the river, through the river and then up again further along and back to camp. After a very pleasant lunch by the river we did some more elephant feeding etc. before changing into our elephant scrubbing outfits. We mounted our elephants and were off into the forest. We trainee mahouts rode up front with the proper mahouts sitting behind us just in case our elephants decided to go awol. We rode through the forest which wasn't too bad but then had to go down the steep bank into the river which was pretty scary. When we were in the river the elephants knelt down in the water with us still on their backs and we started to wash them with big scrubbing brushes. The elephants really enjoyed their bath with some diving under the water and others making huge
splashes with their trunks. Everyone got very wet and it was great fun. We said goodbye to our elephants and were collected by boat to go up river to a water fall for a little while then back to camp and then to our hotel. A really great, slightly nerve wracking day. We can now add mahout to our CVs. This evening we went to a super restaurant run by an ex Intrepid leader who is married to a Lao chef. The food was brilliant and all designed to give us a taste of real Lao food. They also run a cookery school but unfortunately we haven't got time to fit in a class as we leave Lao tomorrow.
Wednesday, 20th January This morning we took a boat a couple of hours up the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. The caves are full of guess what? Yes, Buddhas. We're getting a bit choosy about our Buddhas now, having seen so many, and to be honest these were not particularly memorable but this an important shrine for the Lao people. Later we went to the airport to get our short flight to Vietnam. Unfortunately it was a very
long wait as we were delayed four hours due to bad weather in Hanoi. We eventually arrived about 9pm. We were very sorry to leave Laos as it is a lovely, peaceful country full of very gentle, happy people but ever onward! What has Vietnam in store for us?
Wednesday, 20th January Today was spent taking a leisurely look at Luang Prabang. It is a beautiful little city with a wonderfully slow pace of life. Laos is full of monks and most of them seem to be here. All young men are expected to become a monk for at least 10 days in order that their parents can go to heaven and some are sent to live at the temple from as young as five. (Sam and Thomas please note, any mischief from you and it's off to the temple with you). They follow a very simple life begging for their food and eating only between 7 and 11am. They have shaved heads, wear orange robes and spend their days in study and prayer. We had a look at a couple of temples, watched the world go by over a couple of beers and climbed Mount Phousi (a small
mountain in the centre of town). From the top we watched the sun set to the clicking of a thousand Japanese camera shutters.
Thursday, 21st January This morning we got up very early and watched the daily procession of monks out collecting food and alms which happens at 6am each morning. Then we took a boat a couple of hours up the Mekong River to the Pak Ou Caves. The caves are full of guess what? Yes, Buddhas. We're getting a bit choosy about our Buddhas now, having seen so many, and to be honest these were not particularly memorable but this an important shrine for the Lao people. Later we went to the airport to get our short flight to Vietnam. Unfortunately it was a very long wait as we were delayed four hours due to bad weather in Hanoi. We eventually arrived about 9pm. We were very sorry to leave Laos as it is a lovely, peaceful country full of very gentle, happy people but ever onward! What has Vietnam in store for us?
Friday, 22nd January Cold and wet, this can't be right! This morning we travelled by bus for about 3 hours to beautiful
Halong Bay (well it would be beautiful if we could see it through the rain). We boarded one of the many boats that cruise this this spectacular piece of coastline. In Vietnamese Halong means the bay of the descending dragon but unfortunately it is the clouds that have descended today and all is grey and misty. Halong Bay is right up by the Chinese border and is an amazing place. The bay contains almost two thousand monolithic limestone islands, each topped with jungle vegetation. The sea is very calm as you weave your way though this dramatic seascape, like sailing through the top of a mountain range with just the peaks of the mountains showing through. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. We visited one. It was an absolutely huge cavern full of stalagmites and stalactites and great to explore. Some of the islands support floating villages of fishermen who catch over five hundred varieties of fish and shellfish. We were spending the night on the boat so lunch and dinner were cooked on board. Both were delicious and consisted mainly of (yes you've guessed it) fish. The plan was to go swimming and kayaking in the
clear blue water but unfortunately, because of the pouring rain, we didn't fancy the idea (yes, we know we're wimps). Despite the dismal weather it is an incredibly beautiful and atmospheric place and quite unlike anywhere else we've ever seen. There is a move at the moment to get it included as a wonder of the world and you can understand why. In sunshine it would be incredible.
Saturday, 23rd January Still raining. After breakfast we left the boat and made the journey back to Hanoi. On the way we stopped at a workshop for people disabled by the chemical effects of the war. Many of them were deaf of dumb. Here they did the most amazing embroidery. You had to look very closely to realise that the pictures on display were embroidered rather than painted as the work was so fine. The stitching was so dense and fine and the colour shading so subtle that you had difficulty believing that it hadn't been done by machine. The workers sat at large embroidery frames in poor light and pretty ropey conditions and created these amazing works of art. We got back to Hanoi for a late lunch and then
went out to explore. We had heard that crossing the road in Hanoi was going to be quite an experience and it certainly was. There are motorbikes everywhere, thousands of them, and what with the cars, buses and bikes added in, you take your life into your hands when you try to cross the road. Alan had given us a 'crossing the road' demonstration which means you step out into the traffic, walking at a steady pace, don't stop or hesitate and let all the traffic weave around you. It does work but it certainly takes nerves of steel to keep going when fifty or sixty motorbikes are hurtling towards you in either direction. Hanoi is a busy, businesslike city rather than a beautiful one and there is lots going on all around you all the time. There are many food stalls, folk selling all manner of things and some rather austere buildings interspersed with elegant French ones from the time when France ruled Indochina. In the evening we went to the theatre to see the water puppets. These are a Vietnamese tradition and great fun. In place of a stage is a large trough of water with screening behind.
There is a raised area for the musicians and singers who tell the stories while the puppets perform in the water. There were all kinds of traditional Vietnamese stories involving dragons, other strange beasts, fishermen, beautiful girls etc. It was all in Vietnamese so we couldn't exactly understand but we could get the general gist. Behind the screen the puppeteers stand waist deep in the water with the puppets attached to long bamboo poles. The puppets were about a metre high and with the weight of the pole as well, it must have taken considerable strength to operate them.
Sunday, 24th January Still pouring with rain. This morning we went to visit the Ho Chi Min mausoleum to see the embalmed body of Ho Chi Min, the 'father' of the nation. Ho Chi Minh led the people of Vietnam to freedom from the French and later resisted the Americans, dying before they finally withdrew. He is highly venerated in Vietnam (particularly North Vietnam) and was certainly a highly educated and creative thinker and leader. Later we visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum. At lunch time we went to a restaurant called KOTO (know one, teach one) which is another
restaurant that takes uneducated, homeless young people and trains them to become chefs. It is the restaurant where Jamie Oliver got the idea for his 'Fifteen' scheme in England. The food was delicious and beautifully served. In the afternoon we went to the 'Hanoi Hilton'. No, not an upmarket cocktail bar but the name the Americans gave the prison in Hanoi where lots of American pilots were imprisoned. Learning about the Vietnam War (or as it is known here, the American War) is a very sobering experience. I'm sure as we visit different parts of Vietnam we will learn more but already we are aware of the tremendous suffering this part of the world experienced in the 1960s and 70s. This evening we all boarded the Reunification Express which would take us overnight from Hanoi to Hue in Southern Vietnam. Of course we are now quite experienced overnight trainers. The journey wasn't too bad and we got a little sleep before arriving in Hue where we are going to spend just one night.
Monday, 25th January Still pouring with rain. A quick check in and shower at the hotel and then we were off to explore Hue which is
situated on the banks of the Perfumed River. Hue used to be the capital city of Vietnam until the then Emperor, Bao Dai abdicated to the republican president Ho Chi Minh in 1945. Hue has suffered repeated fire and bomb damage and many of the original palaces and temples are ruins. The Imperial Citadel, where the royal family and court lived, was badly damaged but is now under reconstruction due to huge grants from UNESCO. We could see how magnificent this must have been in the past and it will be very interesting to see the site in a few years time, when the reconstruction is complete. We took a Dragon Boat across the Perfumed River to the Tien Mu Pagoda. In the evening there was a very fine meal at the home of a Vietnamese family. Unfortunately I didn't go as I wasn't feeling too well but Terry had a very interesting time and found out more about home life for the Vietnamese.
Tuesday, 26th January We left rainy Hue this morning and made the four hour drive to Hoi An. It was a really good drive, lots to see with some great views. We took the mountainous
route over the spectacular Hai Van Pass. The mountains more or less divide Vietnam in two and have a significant effect on the weather. When we got to the other side we quickly left the rain behind and were back to warmth and sunshine. We passed through the city of Da Nang, the main American base during the war. Nearby is Marble Mountain which we stopped to climb. It, as the name suggests, is made almost entirely of marble. It has numerous pagodas built upon it and is considered a holy place. What the Americans didn't know was that, deep below the surface, tunnels were being utilised by the Vietcong as a hospital for their wounded and as a base to launch surprise raids behind enemy lines. In the afternoon we arrived at Hoi An, at one time a major sea port of South East Asia but now a beautifully preserved little city and shopping heaven. Hoi An is now famous for its tailors and handicrafts. Every other shop is a tailors shop full of a huge variety of fabrics which you can have made up, in just a few hours, to any design you choose. The shops that aren't
tailors are shoe shops where you can have shoes made or craft shops where you can buy lacquer work, carving, embroidery, paintings - all manner of things. With so little room available in my suitcase you can imagine the purgatory this place will be for me. There are also some great restaurants and bars. We have three nights here which is a real treat so there will be plenty of time to explore and indulge.
Wednesday, 27th January My resistance didn't last long and I visited a tailor today to have a couple of things made. I'll manage to squeeze them into the suitcase somehow. We had a lovely morning wandering around and visiting coffee shops. This afternoon I went, with some of the rest of the group, to a Vietnamese cooking class. First we were taken to the local market to look at the huge range of produce available. There are dozens of different leaves, fruits, herbs and vegetables as well as numerous fish, noodles and strange substances that nobody was quite sure about. After the market we went by boat up the river to the cookery school. It is on the river bank and very well thought
out with a large outdoor but covered demonstration and cooking area and another part, more like a restaurant where you eat what you have cooked. We learned how to make about four different dishes, sampling as we went, and also how to make some of the beautiful vegetable decorations which is typical of the food here. Then we had a big feast of all the things we had made plus some other dishes that were made for us. While I was doing this Terry had an assignation with a lady from the post office. We had decided that there were some things in our luggage that we just didn't need and didn't want to lug around anymore. A lady from the post office came to the hotel, packed up our belongings and took them away to return to England. The only down side of this was that the value of the contents of the parcel was only about US$50 and the postage was US$93!
Thursday, 28th January The weather is perfect - hot and sunny with a gentle breeze. We visited some interesting buildings in town this morning and then hired bicycles and cycled the 6km to the beach.
The beach is lovely, white sand, rolling waves, palm trees, little cafes serving seafood and very quiet as the Vietnamese think we are quite crazy to take off our clothes and lie on the beach or go in the sea. We spent a very pleasant three or four hours there before cycling back. It is strange to see that, while we are in short sleeves and shorts, the Vietnamese are covered from head to foot. The temperature is about 30 degrees but they wear long trousers, long sleeves, hats and often gloves too. A large number also wear face masks so all you can see is their eyes peeping through. We could understand the face masks in Hanoi because of the traffic pollution but it is a mystery in this sleepy little place. There are still many, many motorbikes but nothing like Hanoi or even Hue. I went to the tailor to collect my clothes. The top is very nice but I'm not sure about the dress - we'll see. We went to a superb restaurant tonight, the best in town, and had wonderful food. Expensive by Vietnamese standards but little more than the cost of Pizza Express for us.
We really have been spoiled for food on this trip, we're having some great meals. Wine is very expensive (at least £20 a bottle) so we drink mainly beer and the occasional cocktail.
Friday, 29th January We were very sad to leave Hoi An this morning. It is such a lovely, relaxing place and we would happily of spent several more days enjoying its pleasures but on we must go. We drove back to the airport at Da Nang to take the short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This was formerly Saigon and is the economic hub of Vietnam. After the peace and tranquility of Hoi An, it seems absolutely hectic. Perhaps you remember my comments about motorbikes earlier on in Hanoi. Well, that was nothing compared to the craziness that is transport in HCMC. All the motorbikes in the world must be here. I read in the local paper that 1000 more motorbikes are registered everyday here. The roads are solid with them with a few large cars, bicycles, cyclo rickshaws and buses thrown in for good measure. Walking is a nightmare as the pavements are blocked by hundreds of parked motorbikes or motorcyclists taking a
short cut when the traffic comes to a standstill. You see some amazing sights too: two people on a motorbike, the front one driving and the back one holding a 6'X4'sheet of plate glass; a family of five packed on one motorbike with the baby balanced on the handlebars, a delivery motorbike with two 8' trees in pots tied on the back. We are still applying the Hanoi method of road crossing but every time we step off the pavement our hearts are in our mouths. This evening we all took a cyclo tour of the city. Cyclos are like tricycles with a kind of bucket on the front where the passenger sits. In the middle of rush hour, in the dark, and amongst a million motorbikes it was a bit of an ordeal but also great fun. There are some beautiful buildings, thanks mainly to the years of French occupation, and twinkling lights cascade from many of the trees in the main avenues. After our cyclo tour we needed a number of large cocktails in order to recover.
Saturday, 30th January Today the rest of the group took a tour to the Mekong Delta but we opted to
stay in HCMC and explore the city as we didn't fancy more hours on a tour bus. We explored the city on foot, dodging motorbikes right, left and centre. We went to the War Remnants Museum which is a photographic history of the war with America. It was pretty horrific stuff to take in and many of the images were very powerful. We were amazed how little about the war we had known previously and what a remarkable job Vietnam is doing about rebuilding its country after such devastation. Later we met up with the rest of the group and went for cocktails on the 23rd floor of the Sheraton Hotel, the place to be at 'happy hour'. The view was brilliant as were the cocktails. Our last evening in Vietnam and lots to reflect upon. Vietnam has been full of contrasts.
Sunday, 31st JanuaryOff to Cambodia this morning travelling through rural Vietnam and stopping at the legendary Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels were used by the Viet Cong to fight the Americans. There were more than 250km of tunnels that stretched all the way to the Cambodian border. They were a vast network, on several levels, containing hospitals,
weapons factories, kitchens, meeting rooms and living space and allowed the Viet Cong to be completely invisible to the enemy. From here they used all manner of ingenuity to create home made weapons and bombs, man traps etc in order to attack the enemy. So well were the entrances to the tunnels hidden that it was only after the war ended that the rest of the world knew about them. Some of the tunnels have been opened up so that it is quite easy to go into them. Some have been left very much as they were and you can go down them. We crawled through one, only about 10m in length, but still pretty scary, very narrow, dark and claustrophobic. Difficult to imagine what it must have been like to be underground for years but I suppose, if the alternative is to be shot or napalmed up above , there is no choice. Also their methods were extremely effective in eventually winning the war. After the tunnels it was off to the border. Crossing into Cambodia can be a very lengthy process, depending upon what mood the officials are in. We were lucky that today it didn't take too
long and after much stamping and form filling we left Vietnam. We had to trail through no-man's land carrying our luggage and then there was lots more stamping and multiple form filling to get into Cambodia. For some unknown reason we also had to have our temperatures taken as well. Finally we were in and then there was quite a long drive to Phnom Penh. Cambodia is quite different from Vietnam, very much poorer, and only slowly recovering from the dreadful Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot in the 1970s. By 1979, when the Vietnamese invaded and Pol Pot fled, almost half the population had been killed or died, all schools, hospitals and banks had been destroyed and anyone with any education eradicated. All cities were cleared and everyone had to go to the countryside to grow rice. Today over 50% of the country is under 18 and more than a third of the people live on less than 1$ a day. The country is slowly rebuilding but corruption is a way of life and people only live from day to day. Phnom Penh has retained some of the buildings from the french years before Pol Pot and the area
down on the waterfront looks quite prosperous but there are areas that are desperately poor. We had a very good supper in a restaurant that uses its profits to support an orphanage and to provide for street children of which there are many.
Monday, 1st February Today was what Alan, our leader, termed 'misery morning'. We visited Tual Sleng, a former school, which served as the Khmer Rouge torture centre. The infamous S1, as it was known, had many thousands of men, women and children through its doors and only seven ever lived to tell the horrific story of what went on there. After that we drove out to Choueng Ek, the notorious 'killing fields' where many thousands were executed and buried in mass graves. Today there is a monument made up of over 8000 human skulls to mark the site. It was all very harrowing stuff and I don't feel I can write more about it really. We had and excellent guide, Mr Run, who invited us all to his house of dinner this evening (we would pay for this, of course, as there was no way he could afford to feed us all). In the afternoon we
were free to explore on our own. We went to the Grand Palace and the Silver Pagoda - very beautiful - but it was extremely hot (mid 30 degrees) and we were still reeling from this morning so we headed back to the hotel for a quiet couple of hours before getting tuk-tuks to take us to Mr Run's house. Run is a remarkable man. Underneath his house he holds a school each night for local children to learn English. Being able to speak English is the key to having a future in Cambodia as it enables you to get a reasonable job, maybe working in a tourist hotel or restaurant. We sat and talked to several of the children and then went upstairs to have a delicious dinner cooked by his wife and beautifully served by his children. For desert we had a special Cambodian treat, crispy fried tarantula cooked in sugar and garlic - yes it was as awful as it sounds. We forced down a few mouthfuls for politeness sake but I have to say it was a bit of a struggle, a bit like eating straw coated with sticky stuff.
Tuesday,2nd February This morning we
left Phnom Penh and took a short flight to Siem Reap. Siem Reap is a busy and quite wealthy (by Cambodian standards) tourist city which exists mainly because it is the base from which you can explore the magnificent temples of Angor. Until ten years ago little was known of the hundreds of Khmer temples, covering a vast open site of 160 sq km, and built between the 9th and the 13th centuries. Now it is acknowledged as one of the greatest archeological sites in the world and so many people come to Siem Reap to see them. This afternoon we visited Bayon temple in the Angkor Thom which is the central citadel and quite amazing and jungle- covered Ta Prohm which is where 'Tomb Raider' was filmed. We expected to see Angelina around every corner but I think she was too busy falling out with Brad to appear. To watch the sun set we climbed to the top of a third temple to admire the splendid view. We had a great night out in the evening. The restaurant we went to had a very good display of traditional Cambodian dance and excellent 2 for 1 cocktails. We decided it
was our last chance for the group to have a good night out so after several drinks we went to see what else we could find. We had heard about a Cambodian specialty, fish massage, which we decided was a 'must have'. It is a massage done, yes you've guessed it, by fish. You sit with your feet in a large tank of water filled with fish who nibble away at all the dead skin on your feet. You end up with hundreds on each foot feeding away to their heart's content while you drink a cocktail of your choice. It is the most weird sensation, a cross between tickling and pins and needles and such a bizarre thing to do that we were all in absolute hysterics. We laughed so much that quite a crowd gathered to watch and we now appear in several unknown peoples' holiday snaps.
Wednesday,3nd February We had two more temples to visit this morning, First we went to Angkor Wat, which is absolutely huge. It is believed to represent the cosmic world, set in perfect balance and symmetry. Built of sandstone on a base of lava rock, there are enormous carved faces on
the many towers, beautiful carvings and many different levels to explore. Like the pyramids in Egypt, it is difficult to believe that man actually built this without the aid of modern machinery. After Angkor Wat we visited a much smaller temple which was equally impressive, not for its size but for the intricacy of its carvings and decoration. By then we were truly 'templed out' (I seem to have said this before) and decided that the remaining 600 odd that we hadn't seen would have to wait for another visit. We visited a Landmines Museum run by a young Cambodian man who had actually been a boy soldier in the Khmer Rouge but later changed sides. The Khmer Rouge laid many, many thousands of landmines in Cambodia and they are still a huge problem today as they explode almost daily killing and maiming rural workers and children. The museum guy now devotes his life to clearing many of the mines he laid and helping people damaged by them. This is one of the interesting things about Cambodia, there are numerous Non-Government Organisations (NGO), run by people from all over the world as well as locals, who want to help the
country recover from the terrible things that have happened here in the last 35 years. Later we took a boat ride out on to an enormous lake where there are several floating villages. Not only houses are built on top of bamboo rafts, there are also schools, shops, fish farms, eating places and even a small football stadium all floating about on the lake. All transport is by water and there are little boats zipping everywhere. As you a riding along one will suddenly appear selling ice cream, cold drinks and all manner of other things. One appeared carrying a small child with a python wound round his neck who wanted his picture taken for 1$. After this we went to an excellent bar along the waterway. As with all other buildings in this area it was built of wood on tall stilts over the water. The seating was made up entirely of hammocks strung along the decking. The locals come here to fish of their supper, enjoying a few beers at the same time. We missed out on the fishing but enjoyed the beers, swinging in our hammocks and watching the sun set. The owner's daughter brought round some
bar snacks; roast snake chunks and spicy snakes' eggs! This evening we went for our final dinner at a very nice restaurant in town. Another lovely group of people that we've had such a great time getting to know and travelling with. Alan, our leader, made the trip a very memorable experience too. He showed us so many sides to the four countries we have visited. They are all so different but all have in common huge upheaval in the last century and the devastating effects of war. Yet the people are great and are working so hard to rebuild their lives and their countries. We have loved our time in Indochina and have had so many terrific experiences that we will be very sad to leave but tomorrow leave we must for the next stage of our epic trip.
Thursday,4th, February An early morning goodbye to everyone,into a tuk-tuk and off to the airport to fly to Singapore via Bangkok. All went extremely smoothly, no last minute dashes, phantom wheelchairs or lost luggage and we and our baggage all arrived safely at a very swish hotel in Singapore in the late afternoon. What a contrast Singapore is from
where we have just been. Perfect order, smooth running traffic, skyscrapers and wealth.
Friday,5th February We hadn't really thought about what we would do in Singapore before we got here so this morning we had to plan our itinerary. We had thought that we probably wouldn't want to do much after the previous, rather hectic, twelve weeks but it's amazing what a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed can do for you. This morning we got ourselves down to Orchard Road, Singapore's shopping mecca, and picked up a city tour bus which would take us around all the sites. There are dozens of shopping malls, filled with designer shops, but also lots of distinct areas like China Town and Little India and lots of buildings reflecting the former British rule. It is also a very green place with many parks, gardens and tree lined avenues, all beautifully manicured. We had a ride on the 'Singapore Flyer' which is like London's Millennium Wheel, only bigger. You really can see all of Singapore and beyond laid out around you.
Saturday, 6th February Only one day left here and lots more to do than we had realised. We took the
city tour bus again down to the harbour and took a boat ride around the area. We decided that there was one thing we really must do in the limited time we had and that was to visit the famous 'Raffles Hotel' for a liquid lunch at the Long Bar. Of course there is only one drink to have there (and at the staggering price of £15 a glass we could only afford one) and that is a 'Singapore Sling'. It tasted pretty good but rather like a very expensive alcopop! We sat sipping our cocktails and reflecting upon our first fabulous three months. We've had a terrific time seeing sights we never thought we would see, meeting great people and learning a bit more about the world as we travelled along. The first half of our adventure has been brilliant and tomorrow we're off to Oz for the next stage of 'Terry and Frances' Big Adventure'.
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norma
non-member comment
Bangkok
Well you can tell you are seasoned travellers, nothing seems to phase you now, if that had been me with the travel and baggage problems I wouldn't have coped half as well. It all seems very different this leg of your trip, not as much curry and not as intense visits as India. How are you coping clotheswise? Have you had to buy many things or have you been able to eek them out? Obviously you had to buy things when the suitcase went missing, a bit of a nailbiter that, luckily all turned out well but I bet it would have all been part of the great adventure if it hadn't turned up. Iwould have gone spare !!! We are all well here now we are out of our hillside prison[snow gone]. Hope the rest of your stay is calm and restful. Love to you bothxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx