Pho, conical hats, and... more temples (tombs, pagodas)

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It's Monday evening in Hue, Vietnam. Just finished off my first 'organized tour' of the city and it was ok for what we expected... which wasn't too much. It seems to be hard to find a good block of time to just catch up with the rest of the world and update my blog, but here I am with about 7 days of travel to fill you in with... enjoy!

I think I left off with finishing our tour of the Angkor temples and arrived in Phnom Penh preparing to enter Vietnam. Well, the next day we took a speedboat down the Mekong River (which runs from the mountains in Tibet through China and down Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam) and crossed the border into Vietnam at Chau Doc. Our first main destination in Vietnam was Can Tho, a small city in the south best known for its proximity to floating markets. However, we couldn't get a bus to Can Tho that night when we arrived so we were forced to stay over in Chau Doc, which ended up being a delightful culinary experience. Lunar New Year is huge in Vietnam and celebrations happen days before and after the New Year. Although the New Year day itself is a quieter affair with families, by the time we arrived in Vietnam, (the day after), it was busy and tons of foods were out on the streets. In one night, we sampled dishes including pho, vietnamese baguette, a congee type of dish, sura chua (a refreshing milk/yogurt drink), and che (variations of desserts with crushed ice with coconut, beans, candied fruits...). People immediately were also very friendly (which I think might have been heightened as a result of the recent Lunar New Year), but I think Vietnamese people are just very friendly in general. So far it has seemed that way this whole week.

After Chau Doc, we awoke to catch a 5AM minibus to Can Tho, one of many interesting bus rides so far. First off, the horn. It sounded like a reverberating honking sound of what you might expect when squeezing the nose of a clown. Drivers tend to honk more out of courtesy saying that they're coming close and going to pass the motocyclists ahead. So we heard this horn the entire way. Also, there was another guy manning the sliding door and would be opening and closing it whenever we passed any bus stops yelling if anyone wanted to get on. They seem to be very persistant about filling the bus at all times as people were getting on and off at various stops. I felt like I was in a clown car the whole way. By the time we arrived, we found ourselves a helpful owner of a family-run guesthouse who setup a boat trip to the floating markets and our ride to Ho Chi Minh City later that afternoon. The floating markets were nice but I think we missed the prime hour since it was later in the morning and people tend to try and stay out the daytime heat. There was a lunch stop at this removed village (which seems to cater to tourists since there are no prices but you have no choice to order). However, because of our bus to Saigon, we had to get back on the boat right as soon as our food was served! Nonetheless, it was actually more exciting eating on the boat as inconvenient as it was. Some excellent grilled shrimp, spring rolls, grouper fish and rice paper rolls. I would say the best meal on the trip so far!

Our bus to Saigon was a lot smoother and arrived at 6pm. However, we weren't very interested in staying in the big city and were really hoping to catch a night bus to Nha Trang, a beach city along the south-central coast. Somehow, after finding ourselves on a local bus that transferred us to a northern bus terminal, we caught the last bus of the day to Nha Trang by minutes and were on our way! Considering the fragmented travelling that we did in Cambodia, I was extremely pleased on how well we transited logistically in a day.

The bus arrived in Nha Trang ahead of schedule so we were there at 3:30 in the morning. Killed some time eating pho until the sunrise and then headed over to the beachside to check-in. After all that travelling, it was time for a break, so we hit the sands and toasted in the sun for a few hours. I decided to also even out my tan... bad idea! My stomach, and thighs were sunburned like lobster red. And the next two days were very painful... didn't want to move. Luckily, we planned to stay in Nha Trang and just enjoy the beach city to re-energize before the second half of our trip, so by the time we left 2 days later, I was feeling a lot better. Nonetheless, I still took 2 days to go diving. Absolutely beautiful waters, coral, and fish. The suns rays were piercing the waters and visibility was excellent. We also had a chance to go through a swim-through cave where schools of fish were ripping past you as you kicked your way through. I truly am loving the diving experience and this time, took pictures so those will be available to post when I get back.

Cat left for Saigon to visit her relatives so we said goodbye at the end of Nha Trang, and then Bernice and I headed up towards Hoi An. This was definitely a sketchy ride... the bus arrived 5 hours late, something was thrown at the window of our bus shattering it, and of course, there was an obnoxious horn blaring all night. Although sleeping on a night bus is great to save time travelling, (and money that would've gone to a hotel), it's definitely not the most pleasant sleep, and I always seem to sleep like a rock the following night. Hoi An... made me finally feel like I was really in Vietnam. Fading walls of houses with bright yellowish colour, and tailor clothing shops all along walkable streets with vibrant colours of silk. If I had more time here, I might've stayed to get a suit tailored at a very good price. Woman in conical hats were all around and for once, I didn't get haggled at all (except the ocassional moto ride). We also had Cai Lau (i think is the spelling), a very particular noodle dish of Hoi An, authentic only here because of the water drawn from the well here to make the noodle. It was really good. pictures to come...

Only 3 hours later we caught a shorter bus to Hue, which passed through the Hai Van Pass (mountaineous region with rice paddies along the plains). It was another spectacular sight really making me feel as if I'm experiencing the true lifestyle and culture of Vietnam.

Tomorrow we head to the DMZ to check out realities of the Vietnam War. Expect one more post before the end of the trip. I think I'm getting travelled out slowly, but I think the best part of Vietnam is just beginning!

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