Some Asian impressions from what I have experienced so far:
• Horns Blazing – A common sound out here as horns are used all the time to warn other road users your either: About to pass, want them to move, let them know your there, move animals out of the way, to show your annoyance at other people’s driving.
• Chop sticks – The only instruments you need to eat food out here, maybe a spoon sometimes when soup is involved.
• Spitting – If you don’t see people doing it you’ll certain hear them when they do, a common occurrence.
• Rich paddies – The main crop grown out here, in England you have green fields pass you by as you drive through the countryside, out here its rice paddies stretching for miles either side.
• Flood water – Maybe not a common sight, but this natural problem has followed me around Asia.
• Conical hats –Not just a tourist product, but the headwear of most workers who are out in the fields all day.
• People swatting – Not just over toilets but a general position most Asians adopt whether waiting out in the street or eating at home. Warning to Westerners – do not attempt to copy, we just aren’t built to hover our bums in the air.
• Mosquitos – Don’t think you wouldn’t get bitten because you will at some point; legs are especially tasty to these annoying creatures.
• Blocked pavements – In the west these are designed so you don’t have to walk in the street, out here there seen as an extension of your living room/shop/restaurant and just somewhere to park your bike – not to be walked on apparently!
• Potted roads – When it rains constantly for six months a year you expect the roads to suffer a little, well maybe quite a bit, expect your body to take a pounding when you less expect it. Smooth roads quickly become rally stages.
• Bikes – There everywhere, out here two wheels is the way to go.
• Stunning scenery – You’ll find some of the best driving roads out here. Just when you think you seen it all, the views around the next corner will once again blow you away.
• Tall narrow buildings – Best examples are in Vietnam where nearly every building has a narrow front but will be long and tall, this is due to the way land is sold.
30/10/2011
Karon beach
25/10/11-28/10/11
A change of scenery as I moved to the west coast of the island for a few days to Karon beach, the resort just below the infamous one of Patong. My plan here was just to relax for a few days and that’s exactly what I did. My daily routine whilst here was to wake up late before heading down to the beach to spend the afternoon relaxing on a bed under an umbrella. The sand here is white and makes an audible squeaking noise when you walk on it, whilst the sea is clear and shallow so you can walk quite far out. In the evenings I took a walk along the front just to get some exercise. On the first night I lightning storm was happening in the distance over the sea so I stop off to watch its display whilst in the background there was the constant noise of the waves breaking.
My only problem was the on-going flood situation in Bangkok which was getting worst every day. When on Thursday the city was told to evacuate certain areas I tried desperately to delay my flight to Bangkok without any success, in the end I decided to ditch the flight and change my travel plans. With Bangkok turning into a no go zone I instead decided to travel down to Singapore to catch a flight from there before I head to Perth. My last week in Asia wouldn’t be spent in Thailand as I originally planned, I going to go to two new countries instead!
A change of scenery as I moved to the west coast of the island for a few days to Karon beach, the resort just below the infamous one of Patong. My plan here was just to relax for a few days and that’s exactly what I did. My daily routine whilst here was to wake up late before heading down to the beach to spend the afternoon relaxing on a bed under an umbrella. The sand here is white and makes an audible squeaking noise when you walk on it, whilst the sea is clear and shallow so you can walk quite far out. In the evenings I took a walk along the front just to get some exercise. On the first night I lightning storm was happening in the distance over the sea so I stop off to watch its display whilst in the background there was the constant noise of the waves breaking.
My only problem was the on-going flood situation in Bangkok which was getting worst every day. When on Thursday the city was told to evacuate certain areas I tried desperately to delay my flight to Bangkok without any success, in the end I decided to ditch the flight and change my travel plans. With Bangkok turning into a no go zone I instead decided to travel down to Singapore to catch a flight from there before I head to Perth. My last week in Asia wouldn’t be spent in Thailand as I originally planned, I going to go to two new countries instead!
25/10/2011
Phuket
23/10/11-24/10/11
23: With Bangkok under the threat of flooding I decided early on in Chiang Mai to escape for a few days to one of Thailand’s islands so I could hit a beach. With limited flight options from the local airport I ventured out today to Phuket, the largest of Thailand's islands. I had booked myself a couple of nights stay in the main town to muse over where I wanted to go.
That night I found a nice street bar to watch some football, the first time I've had a chance to see Spurs play since leaving home. It wasn't until I went to the toilet that I started to doubt by choice of bar. After going inside through some glazed doors I opened the toilet door to be greeted by the sight of two men being massaured by the sinks, one was having his back cracked while the other was being stretched out. I quickly went about my business and before dashing out of the door. Outside I turned to look at the name of the joint, turns out it was called Fantasia. A local online guide states the following:
Fantasia
This is another quintessentially Thai place, complete with extremely attractive and skimpily dressed dancing girls in a pretty good floor show, flashing lights, expensive drinks and a slight air of seediness. Be prepared to pay more here – for company, drinks and 'friendship'. All in all, this is a whole lot more entertaining than your typical Go-Go bar in Patong.
At least I had picked a classy place to watch the football! It sums up Thailand perfectly though, this place is just pure filth.
24: With nothing planned for the day I did what most people do when they arrive in Phuket, I visited some of the beaches. I stuck with the east coast so I first jump on the local bus to Chalong but after jumping off I found that there was hardly any beach there. I quickly move further along down to Rawai beach which I discovered is mainly use to transport tourist to neighbouring islands, so far not what I was expecting to find. I just wanted to find somewhere where I could park up for the day. Dissappointed I headed back to town safe in the knowledge that I was moving the next day to Karon on the west coast of the island. Hopefully I would find what I was looking for there.
23: With Bangkok under the threat of flooding I decided early on in Chiang Mai to escape for a few days to one of Thailand’s islands so I could hit a beach. With limited flight options from the local airport I ventured out today to Phuket, the largest of Thailand's islands. I had booked myself a couple of nights stay in the main town to muse over where I wanted to go.
That night I found a nice street bar to watch some football, the first time I've had a chance to see Spurs play since leaving home. It wasn't until I went to the toilet that I started to doubt by choice of bar. After going inside through some glazed doors I opened the toilet door to be greeted by the sight of two men being massaured by the sinks, one was having his back cracked while the other was being stretched out. I quickly went about my business and before dashing out of the door. Outside I turned to look at the name of the joint, turns out it was called Fantasia. A local online guide states the following:
Fantasia
This is another quintessentially Thai place, complete with extremely attractive and skimpily dressed dancing girls in a pretty good floor show, flashing lights, expensive drinks and a slight air of seediness. Be prepared to pay more here – for company, drinks and 'friendship'. All in all, this is a whole lot more entertaining than your typical Go-Go bar in Patong.
At least I had picked a classy place to watch the football! It sums up Thailand perfectly though, this place is just pure filth.
24: With nothing planned for the day I did what most people do when they arrive in Phuket, I visited some of the beaches. I stuck with the east coast so I first jump on the local bus to Chalong but after jumping off I found that there was hardly any beach there. I quickly move further along down to Rawai beach which I discovered is mainly use to transport tourist to neighbouring islands, so far not what I was expecting to find. I just wanted to find somewhere where I could park up for the day. Dissappointed I headed back to town safe in the knowledge that I was moving the next day to Karon on the west coast of the island. Hopefully I would find what I was looking for there.
24/10/2011
Chiang Mai
18/10/11 – 22/10/11
18-20: On route to Chiang Mai we stop off at the White Temple, one of the most unique temples in the world due to its artistic decoration. Last day of my tour with Gap (now known as G-Adventures) so we have a final meal at the coupon place in the Night Bazaar before a few drinks at a local bar. The next day I transfer to a hostel and go to see Thai boxing in the evening. This is followed up on the 20th with me visiting some of the local temples here – Wat Jediluang, Wat Chiangmun. After I have a quick walk through the local China Town here where straight away you can see the difference in culture.
21: I have a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park (ENP). Instead of going elephant riding at another attraction I instead choose to visit the ENP because here they rescue injured or rejected animals and give them some much need care and attention, and most importantly love. On arriving we are first taken to see two elephants which have been injured by land mines in Burma. You can clearly see the damage they have suffered as they can only put weight on three legs. One had its ankle blow off while the other lost its toe. We have a quick chance to feed them before we head back to the main building to feed some of the other elephants. After feeding its bath time so we each grab a bucket before heading down to the river which runs alongside the sanctuary, time to get wet. As the elephants step in we all join in to throw water over them to help them cool off in the hot weather. Then we grab our own lunch before we have another chance to meet other residents here where the process is repeated. We are also shown a video about the work done here and the ritual elephants have to go through so they are made submissive to work. I have had a great day and am happy I choose to go somewhere where these massive creatures are being helped.
22: Another animal day as I head to Chiang Mai zoo further out of town to hopefully see pandas. My mission is successful and I get to see 3 of only 35 pandas outside of China. Disappointed that they are all asleep I head for the exit but am stopped in my tracks by the sound of raised voices behind me as one decides its food time and wakes up to feed. They are big creatures and its surprising how man-like their movements are, they are also very fussy eaters. That evening I head out with the last member of my tour group who stuck around the same as me for one last meal. Been a bit of a sad week as I have mostly only said goodbye to people, a chance in scenery is needed.
18-20: On route to Chiang Mai we stop off at the White Temple, one of the most unique temples in the world due to its artistic decoration. Last day of my tour with Gap (now known as G-Adventures) so we have a final meal at the coupon place in the Night Bazaar before a few drinks at a local bar. The next day I transfer to a hostel and go to see Thai boxing in the evening. This is followed up on the 20th with me visiting some of the local temples here – Wat Jediluang, Wat Chiangmun. After I have a quick walk through the local China Town here where straight away you can see the difference in culture.
21: I have a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park (ENP). Instead of going elephant riding at another attraction I instead choose to visit the ENP because here they rescue injured or rejected animals and give them some much need care and attention, and most importantly love. On arriving we are first taken to see two elephants which have been injured by land mines in Burma. You can clearly see the damage they have suffered as they can only put weight on three legs. One had its ankle blow off while the other lost its toe. We have a quick chance to feed them before we head back to the main building to feed some of the other elephants. After feeding its bath time so we each grab a bucket before heading down to the river which runs alongside the sanctuary, time to get wet. As the elephants step in we all join in to throw water over them to help them cool off in the hot weather. Then we grab our own lunch before we have another chance to meet other residents here where the process is repeated. We are also shown a video about the work done here and the ritual elephants have to go through so they are made submissive to work. I have had a great day and am happy I choose to go somewhere where these massive creatures are being helped.
22: Another animal day as I head to Chiang Mai zoo further out of town to hopefully see pandas. My mission is successful and I get to see 3 of only 35 pandas outside of China. Disappointed that they are all asleep I head for the exit but am stopped in my tracks by the sound of raised voices behind me as one decides its food time and wakes up to feed. They are big creatures and its surprising how man-like their movements are, they are also very fussy eaters. That evening I head out with the last member of my tour group who stuck around the same as me for one last meal. Been a bit of a sad week as I have mostly only said goodbye to people, a chance in scenery is needed.
Mekong River
14/10/11 – 17/10/11
14-15: Stayed in Luang Prabang (Laos). Lovely town next to the Mekong River, classic architecture, feels a lot like Hoi An but not so touristy. During my stay I visited Wat Tham Phu a temple on top of the only hill in town, great views of the local surroundings. Also visited the Night Market which runs through the centre of town, a massive market which sells all sorts of gifts, I pick up a monk painting made on special local paper.
16-17: Board a Slow Boat as we make a two day journey to the Thai border along the Mekong River, which I have come across before on my travels. We have an overnight stay in Pak Beng, a small riverside town with only one bar. Here I eat Buffalo and tried the local rice wine – Lao Lao. End up visiting the only bar which we turn into a nightclub. The next day after a 10 hour boat journey we reach Chiang Khong (Thailand) where we have to perform a water border crossing.
14-15: Stayed in Luang Prabang (Laos). Lovely town next to the Mekong River, classic architecture, feels a lot like Hoi An but not so touristy. During my stay I visited Wat Tham Phu a temple on top of the only hill in town, great views of the local surroundings. Also visited the Night Market which runs through the centre of town, a massive market which sells all sorts of gifts, I pick up a monk painting made on special local paper.
16-17: Board a Slow Boat as we make a two day journey to the Thai border along the Mekong River, which I have come across before on my travels. We have an overnight stay in Pak Beng, a small riverside town with only one bar. Here I eat Buffalo and tried the local rice wine – Lao Lao. End up visiting the only bar which we turn into a nightclub. The next day after a 10 hour boat journey we reach Chiang Khong (Thailand) where we have to perform a water border crossing.
Blog changes
As you can tell I have fallen behind with my blog already. Due to not having the time to do updates every day I am now going to do weekly summaries of what I have done in weekly segments. If I feel there are any worth well stories to post I will accordingly along with lists of travel related stuff.
Mount Doom
13/10/11
Today was to be the best day so far of my travels, and one of the best experiences of my life.
I and one other of the group had booked up yesterday to take part in a full day of trekking and kayaking. As we were dropped off at our starting place we discovered that it was only us two and a guide that would be doing this particular activity, others were booked in to do different stuff. The first half of the day would involve trekking through the surrounding mountains up to a waterfall before stopping off to have a BBQ dinner. But to start our trek we first had to cross one of the scariest bridges in the world. It spanned across the Mekong River and was simply a narrow wire bridge with bamboo as decking, not too bad until you actually had to cross it. Baring in mind that people are shorter out here I soon discovered that the guide wire across the side of the bridge was at knee level for me forcing me to have to adopt a crouching position, a slight hindrance. As I started crossing behind an elderly local women who was heading to harvest the rice paddies the next problem became apparent, this bridge wasn’t level. The further I moved out the more the bridge began to lean to the right hand side, resulting in the elderly woman upfront to start shouting out probably to tell me to stop rocking the bridge! As a result I slowed down to let her cross without me making the trip any harder for her but the leaning problem was only getting worst, it was now leaning at more than a 45 degree angle. To compensate I shifted my weight more to the left hand side but this didn’t approve things. To make matters even worst over half way through the bamboo decking starting to disappear literally as giant gaps appeared in front of me. What remain of the bamboo had either fallen off or was simply broken with only the bamboo on the leaning right hand side in a reasonably sound condition. Never less I eventually made it to the other side surprised that I hadn’t fallen into the river, not the sort of start I expected!
Next we made our way through the rice paddies to the foot of the mountains before beginning our first ascent up rocks which had fallen down during a landslide at some point, halfway we stopped off to look into a cave which we might try and make our way through later, although no one had been able to go through it yet due to the water level inside. At the top we got our first view across the valley below and saw where the waterfall we were heading to was located but to get there we had to descend to ground level again before climbing up a mountain on the other side of a farm full of cattle and water buffalo. After another ascent we finally find the river that was the result of the waterfall and so switching to my sandals we started to wade our way upstream to find our target. Eventually we arrived at the base of the waterfall were after a quick dip we had a BBQ lunch with the sound of rushing water around us. Out in the mountains you quickly realise how much larger things in nature are, leafs on plants are huge and bugs and insects are bigger than the ones you normally see.
After lunch it was time to make our return back down to the river to board our kayak. To get there faster the guide suggested we took a look at a cave system that went under the mountain, apparently done to water levels inside no one had been able to pass through it that year but he suggested we had a look anyway. Unprepared for this no one had thought to bring a flash light with them so on the way our guide pick up some dry bamboo to which we could fashion some torch to provide light. Stepping down we eventually found the entrance to the cave, all around us you could hear the roar of flowing water and the few rays of light that entered shine off the water vapour in the air. At this point looking into the pitch blackness I thought this was a silly thing to do, but our guide never less soon had the bamboo lit and with him ready to lead the way we grab our makeshift torches and adventured into the darkness. The whole situation felt like it had come straight from an Indiana Jones movie, with us up to our knees in water crouching low with the only light coming from the burning bamboo, to me it felt like proper exploring. Eventually after about 15 minutes and with our bamboo nearly exhausted, we finally saw sunlight pouring through our exit to the cave. Once out high-fives were handed out all round, the only bad thing that had happen was take I found I had picked up an unwelcome guest in the form of a leech which was fasten to my foot!
We now had a long trek to pick up our kayaks from further down the river but this was to be a pleasant stroll through the rice paddies where workers were getting ready to harvest their crop. Throughout this section we walked along the base of the mountains and were able to just enjoy Laos’s stunning scenery. But the atmosphere soon c hanged as we neared the river again as modern pop tunes filled the air; we had come to the start point of the notorious tubing here in Vangvieng. Most travellers flock to this part to take part in the tubing, which basically involves you hiring out a rubber ring which you use to flow down the river while all along bars on the riverbank try to pull you in buy drinks and party. After the beautiful sights we had seen that day, it was a shame to see people getting drunk and listening to loud music whilst out in the adjoining fields local people were busy at work harvesting their crops in full sight of it. Anyway for us our kayak session was to be a non-stop ride down the river back to the town taking just over an hour. For me it had been one of the best experiences in my life, a struggle at sometimes but never less a rewarding one. And to round off a prefect day that evening a lighting storm passed over the town before making its way over the mountains. In the pitch darkness every lighting strike laminated the shape of the mountains, an engrossing sight to watch.
Today was to be the best day so far of my travels, and one of the best experiences of my life.
I and one other of the group had booked up yesterday to take part in a full day of trekking and kayaking. As we were dropped off at our starting place we discovered that it was only us two and a guide that would be doing this particular activity, others were booked in to do different stuff. The first half of the day would involve trekking through the surrounding mountains up to a waterfall before stopping off to have a BBQ dinner. But to start our trek we first had to cross one of the scariest bridges in the world. It spanned across the Mekong River and was simply a narrow wire bridge with bamboo as decking, not too bad until you actually had to cross it. Baring in mind that people are shorter out here I soon discovered that the guide wire across the side of the bridge was at knee level for me forcing me to have to adopt a crouching position, a slight hindrance. As I started crossing behind an elderly local women who was heading to harvest the rice paddies the next problem became apparent, this bridge wasn’t level. The further I moved out the more the bridge began to lean to the right hand side, resulting in the elderly woman upfront to start shouting out probably to tell me to stop rocking the bridge! As a result I slowed down to let her cross without me making the trip any harder for her but the leaning problem was only getting worst, it was now leaning at more than a 45 degree angle. To compensate I shifted my weight more to the left hand side but this didn’t approve things. To make matters even worst over half way through the bamboo decking starting to disappear literally as giant gaps appeared in front of me. What remain of the bamboo had either fallen off or was simply broken with only the bamboo on the leaning right hand side in a reasonably sound condition. Never less I eventually made it to the other side surprised that I hadn’t fallen into the river, not the sort of start I expected!
Next we made our way through the rice paddies to the foot of the mountains before beginning our first ascent up rocks which had fallen down during a landslide at some point, halfway we stopped off to look into a cave which we might try and make our way through later, although no one had been able to go through it yet due to the water level inside. At the top we got our first view across the valley below and saw where the waterfall we were heading to was located but to get there we had to descend to ground level again before climbing up a mountain on the other side of a farm full of cattle and water buffalo. After another ascent we finally find the river that was the result of the waterfall and so switching to my sandals we started to wade our way upstream to find our target. Eventually we arrived at the base of the waterfall were after a quick dip we had a BBQ lunch with the sound of rushing water around us. Out in the mountains you quickly realise how much larger things in nature are, leafs on plants are huge and bugs and insects are bigger than the ones you normally see.
After lunch it was time to make our return back down to the river to board our kayak. To get there faster the guide suggested we took a look at a cave system that went under the mountain, apparently done to water levels inside no one had been able to pass through it that year but he suggested we had a look anyway. Unprepared for this no one had thought to bring a flash light with them so on the way our guide pick up some dry bamboo to which we could fashion some torch to provide light. Stepping down we eventually found the entrance to the cave, all around us you could hear the roar of flowing water and the few rays of light that entered shine off the water vapour in the air. At this point looking into the pitch blackness I thought this was a silly thing to do, but our guide never less soon had the bamboo lit and with him ready to lead the way we grab our makeshift torches and adventured into the darkness. The whole situation felt like it had come straight from an Indiana Jones movie, with us up to our knees in water crouching low with the only light coming from the burning bamboo, to me it felt like proper exploring. Eventually after about 15 minutes and with our bamboo nearly exhausted, we finally saw sunlight pouring through our exit to the cave. Once out high-fives were handed out all round, the only bad thing that had happen was take I found I had picked up an unwelcome guest in the form of a leech which was fasten to my foot!
We now had a long trek to pick up our kayaks from further down the river but this was to be a pleasant stroll through the rice paddies where workers were getting ready to harvest their crop. Throughout this section we walked along the base of the mountains and were able to just enjoy Laos’s stunning scenery. But the atmosphere soon c hanged as we neared the river again as modern pop tunes filled the air; we had come to the start point of the notorious tubing here in Vangvieng. Most travellers flock to this part to take part in the tubing, which basically involves you hiring out a rubber ring which you use to flow down the river while all along bars on the riverbank try to pull you in buy drinks and party. After the beautiful sights we had seen that day, it was a shame to see people getting drunk and listening to loud music whilst out in the adjoining fields local people were busy at work harvesting their crops in full sight of it. Anyway for us our kayak session was to be a non-stop ride down the river back to the town taking just over an hour. For me it had been one of the best experiences in my life, a struggle at sometimes but never less a rewarding one. And to round off a prefect day that evening a lighting storm passed over the town before making its way over the mountains. In the pitch darkness every lighting strike laminated the shape of the mountains, an engrossing sight to watch.
15/10/2011
Laos
10/10/11
An early start as we said goodbye to now close friends as
the remainder of our group started the next leg of our journey to Laos. We had
a long 10 hour bus journey ahead of us, which included having lunch at the
remote bar where most of the local men inside were drunk on rice wine! The
journey wasn’t too bad especially near the border as a winding mountain road
gave us an insight into some of the scenery we would experience during our time
in Laos. Gone are the flat lands of constant rice paddies, now stunning rock
formations and mountains would be the order of the day. After crossing the
border we had only a short journey to our overnight rest stop in the sleepy
town of Lae Sao, here we toured the market before grabbing some food before
hitting the sack.
11/10/11
Another early start as we headed on to Vientiane one of the
smallest capital cities in the world. It
lays next to the Mekong River with Laos on one side and Thailand on the other.
On arriving we discover it is festival time in the city as the Buddhist Lent is
coming to an end as well as a boat festival is being held. The water front is
full of stalls and music stages as this city celebrates these events. That
night we decide to eat out from one of the stalls to experience the part
atmosphere, the place is full of people so after a while we decide to catch a
quick drink at a local jazz bar, very classy night out for our group! I end up
ordering a Pimm’s – very refreshing after a long day.
12/10/11
With only the morning to explore the capital city
most of us jump on a tuk tuk tour to quickly see the main sights. We first stop
off at Wat Ho Phakso and Wat Si Saket, the latter contains over 7,000 Buddha’s.
After we visit Pha That Luang the nation’s main monument before finally
checking out the views from the Victory Monument, which was built from concrete
that was supplied by USA to actually build a runway – opps! After our whistle
stop tour we jump back on the bus again to move on to our next destination –
Vang Vieng. On arriving we discover that a boat festival is in full flow here
as well. That night I book a full day trekking/kayaking tour to take place the
next day.
An early start as we said goodbye to now close friends as
the remainder of our group started the next leg of our journey to Laos. We had
a long 10 hour bus journey ahead of us, which included having lunch at the
remote bar where most of the local men inside were drunk on rice wine! The
journey wasn’t too bad especially near the border as a winding mountain road
gave us an insight into some of the scenery we would experience during our time
in Laos. Gone are the flat lands of constant rice paddies, now stunning rock
formations and mountains would be the order of the day. After crossing the
border we had only a short journey to our overnight rest stop in the sleepy
town of Lae Sao, here we toured the market before grabbing some food before
hitting the sack.
11/10/11
Another early start as we headed on to Vientiane one of the
smallest capital cities in the world. It
lays next to the Mekong River with Laos on one side and Thailand on the other.
On arriving we discover it is festival time in the city as the Buddhist Lent is
coming to an end as well as a boat festival is being held. The water front is
full of stalls and music stages as this city celebrates these events. That
night we decide to eat out from one of the stalls to experience the part
atmosphere, the place is full of people so after a while we decide to catch a
quick drink at a local jazz bar, very classy night out for our group! I end up
ordering a Pimm’s – very refreshing after a long day.
12/10/11
With only the morning to explore the capital city
most of us jump on a tuk tuk tour to quickly see the main sights. We first stop
off at Wat Ho Phakso and Wat Si Saket, the latter contains over 7,000 Buddha’s.
After we visit Pha That Luang the nation’s main monument before finally
checking out the views from the Victory Monument, which was built from concrete
that was supplied by USA to actually build a runway – opps! After our whistle
stop tour we jump back on the bus again to move on to our next destination –
Vang Vieng. On arriving we discover that a boat festival is in full flow here
as well. That night I book a full day trekking/kayaking tour to take place the
next day.
Hanoi
08/10/11
After an overnight stay in Halong Bay, were that night we visited a karaoke bar where you get your own private booth to sing songs just with your mates, we had an early start as we made our way back to the capital Hanoi to spend two nights there. On arriving we went on a quick tour through the Old Quarters where each street used to sell the same products as its name (e.g. Paper Street, Metal Street) before a group of us headed off to watch the rugby before the rain set in as it was England vs. France. England of course lost and with the rain still falling we decided tonight would be a good chance for us to have a farewell party as half of our group would be leaving the day after tomorrow. After a group meal and a few drinks at a local bar involving downing B-52 shots (when in Nam!), we headed off to a nearby club. The night was going well until the police raided the club and confiscated the sound system! This happens all the time as clubs aren’t meant to be open in the early hours, but after a raid and some money has passed hands most open up again. We on the other hand took this as a sign to end our night and so made our way back to the hotel.
09/10/11
What a difference a day makes, today I woke up to find it sunny and warm outside, a prefect day to go sightseeing on my last full day in Vietnam. We started off by visiting Hoa Lo prison where American airmen were detained during the Vietnam War; to them it was ironically known as the Hanoi Hilton. Most of it has been destroyed but a part still remains although if you believe the propaganda pictures you would think the airmen who were held there wanted to stay! Afterwards we walked past St Joseph Cathedral (legacy to French rule) before we split up as some were going to watch the water puppets. Joined by the two Colombians on the tour I set off with them for what would be a long walking tour of the city. We first visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum which unfortunately was closed before seeing the One Pillar Pagoda. Next we went in hunt of a relic of the war which we successfully found, part of a shot down B-52 which has been left were it fell, in the middle of a pond in a residential estate. We completed our tour by walking past the gardens and flag tower here, before lastly visiting the lake at the centre of the city. On walking round we saw lots of couples having their wedding photos done, here these are done before the big day so the pictures can be displayed at their receptions.
After an overnight stay in Halong Bay, were that night we visited a karaoke bar where you get your own private booth to sing songs just with your mates, we had an early start as we made our way back to the capital Hanoi to spend two nights there. On arriving we went on a quick tour through the Old Quarters where each street used to sell the same products as its name (e.g. Paper Street, Metal Street) before a group of us headed off to watch the rugby before the rain set in as it was England vs. France. England of course lost and with the rain still falling we decided tonight would be a good chance for us to have a farewell party as half of our group would be leaving the day after tomorrow. After a group meal and a few drinks at a local bar involving downing B-52 shots (when in Nam!), we headed off to a nearby club. The night was going well until the police raided the club and confiscated the sound system! This happens all the time as clubs aren’t meant to be open in the early hours, but after a raid and some money has passed hands most open up again. We on the other hand took this as a sign to end our night and so made our way back to the hotel.
09/10/11
What a difference a day makes, today I woke up to find it sunny and warm outside, a prefect day to go sightseeing on my last full day in Vietnam. We started off by visiting Hoa Lo prison where American airmen were detained during the Vietnam War; to them it was ironically known as the Hanoi Hilton. Most of it has been destroyed but a part still remains although if you believe the propaganda pictures you would think the airmen who were held there wanted to stay! Afterwards we walked past St Joseph Cathedral (legacy to French rule) before we split up as some were going to watch the water puppets. Joined by the two Colombians on the tour I set off with them for what would be a long walking tour of the city. We first visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum which unfortunately was closed before seeing the One Pillar Pagoda. Next we went in hunt of a relic of the war which we successfully found, part of a shot down B-52 which has been left were it fell, in the middle of a pond in a residential estate. We completed our tour by walking past the gardens and flag tower here, before lastly visiting the lake at the centre of the city. On walking round we saw lots of couples having their wedding photos done, here these are done before the big day so the pictures can be displayed at their receptions.
07/10/2011
Halong Bay
6/10/11
Today started off with a free morning in Hue, we had a long train journey coming up that afternoon so most of us hanged around in the hotel before heading to get lunch and pick up some take away food for the train. The train journey was going to take 13 hours so when we boarded around 3pm that afternoon the time was spent playing cards, talking and drinking. At around 10pm I turned in to try and get some sleep.
7/10/11
Our ride came to an end at around 4am when we pulled into Hanoi train station, but this wasn't to be are final stop for the day, instead we jumped into a minibus for 3 hours to head east towards Halong Bay. As we neared our final distination the famous islands the bay is known for suddenly started to appear on the horizen at sea. But by the time we reached our hotel for the night they were shraded in mist as light rain started to fall. The temperture up north is much cooler than anything we have experienced so far, I even wore my fleece for the first time!
That afternoon we had a 4 hour junk boat trip around the islands. First we were served a seafood lunch including prawns, squid, crab and fish. For me it was the first time I had eaten only thing like this so I was surpised to find out how nice it was. After a quick stop we went for a slow cruize amoung the hundreds of small islands, with mist hanging around them there was even more of an peaceful atmosphere. It's an incredable sight to see all these rocks poking out of the sea, the place reminded me of Jurrasic Park abit. Finally we stopped off to visit an recently discovered cave system on one of the islands.
Today started off with a free morning in Hue, we had a long train journey coming up that afternoon so most of us hanged around in the hotel before heading to get lunch and pick up some take away food for the train. The train journey was going to take 13 hours so when we boarded around 3pm that afternoon the time was spent playing cards, talking and drinking. At around 10pm I turned in to try and get some sleep.
7/10/11
Our ride came to an end at around 4am when we pulled into Hanoi train station, but this wasn't to be are final stop for the day, instead we jumped into a minibus for 3 hours to head east towards Halong Bay. As we neared our final distination the famous islands the bay is known for suddenly started to appear on the horizen at sea. But by the time we reached our hotel for the night they were shraded in mist as light rain started to fall. The temperture up north is much cooler than anything we have experienced so far, I even wore my fleece for the first time!
That afternoon we had a 4 hour junk boat trip around the islands. First we were served a seafood lunch including prawns, squid, crab and fish. For me it was the first time I had eaten only thing like this so I was surpised to find out how nice it was. After a quick stop we went for a slow cruize amoung the hundreds of small islands, with mist hanging around them there was even more of an peaceful atmosphere. It's an incredable sight to see all these rocks poking out of the sea, the place reminded me of Jurrasic Park abit. Finally we stopped off to visit an recently discovered cave system on one of the islands.
05/10/2011
Hue
The city of Hue was our destination today as we made an early start to drive the 4 hours north to this next city. Our journey was to take us over Hai Van Pass, simply put one of the best driving roads in the world. As we made our ascent on one side the view became more and more stunning as the sight of the town of Danang surrounding by mountains became our landscape view. At the top we stop for a short break to be able to take in this amazing view, it was like being on top of the world. For me the whole journey to Hue was fantastic, every view was like a picture postcard, this carried on as we passed along Lang Co beach. This had to be one of the best car journeys in my life, one not to be missed.
On arriving in Hue we had a motorbike tour booked to visit several local sights during the whole afternoon. We had a vegan lunch at a monastery, drove along rice paddies, saw ducks being herded, visited the only colosseum in Asia, saw Tien Mu Pagoda, went to Bunker Hill and took a tour inside the Citadel visiting the Forbidden Purple City (most of it was destroyed during the Tet Offensive).
On arriving in Hue we had a motorbike tour booked to visit several local sights during the whole afternoon. We had a vegan lunch at a monastery, drove along rice paddies, saw ducks being herded, visited the only colosseum in Asia, saw Tien Mu Pagoda, went to Bunker Hill and took a tour inside the Citadel visiting the Forbidden Purple City (most of it was destroyed during the Tet Offensive).
04/10/2011
Suits you sir!
02/10/11
Today in Nha Trang we had a free day to do whatever we wanted till we caught our overnight train to Hoi An. After a late start a few of us headed down to the beach to get a few quick photos before having a dip in the sea. With a late arrival at our hotel tomorrow I choose to keep snacking today so I could go without breakfast this morning - I have to admit this included having a Zinger meal from KFC! What you soon discover on trips like this is you soon miss certain groups of food from home. The main one that I have been craving is cheese which doesn't feature in food out here. The only way to get your fix is to have Western style food - so today I took a break from my Asian diet. Another thing that I have really been missing is music. I find myself at certain times humming or singing songs from home without realising I'm doing it. I don't think I knew that music mean so much to me - funny the things you miss!
With rain approaching from out to sea the rest of the afternoon was spend relaxing and playing cards back at the hotel. Our days with the sun seem to be slowly coming to an end as we travel further north, we know we are heading straight towards an approaching typhoon; the next few days are going to be wet! After a day long wait we finally boarded our overnight train which we were promised wouldn't be as nice as the last one. We soon find out why when the train pulls into the station to reveal it is already carrying passengers. Inside our beds for the night have already been used but we are able to find clean sheets. It's the other passengers we are not so happy about, these include cockroaches and mice! Luckily in my cabin we only seem to have the one mouse so things could be worst.
03/10/11 – 04/10/11
Today we arrived in Hoi An, this is the place where you can get tailored made clothes and shoes made for you in less than 24 hours, the price depend on what materials you use. We basically had two free days here to do whatever we wanted, but the main thing here to do is barter and shop. The old town by the river is a protected cultural area so most of the buildings are as they were originally built during the 19 century. As I didn’t want to get anything tailor made I join a group to witness the process for myself. They can literally make you anything you want, all you need is a basic idea of shape and design and then they run with the idea, selecting materials and colours and then taking your measurements. The shops are just a front to the process; everything is made off site probably all in the same place! After hitting a few shops and with several orders made by others in the group, a few of us went for a wonder around this very pretty town.
The next day in the pouring rain some of us rented out bicycles to go on a ride through the local countryside and then down to the beach. This was quite a refreshing change of pace as we gently (well most of the time) cycled around the rice paddies, local homes until we finally reached the raging sea. But on the way back one of the bikes sockets stopped turning so it had to be dragged alongside another bike with two people on it. The afternoon was spent roaming around town with people having fittings and buying souvenirs.
Today in Nha Trang we had a free day to do whatever we wanted till we caught our overnight train to Hoi An. After a late start a few of us headed down to the beach to get a few quick photos before having a dip in the sea. With a late arrival at our hotel tomorrow I choose to keep snacking today so I could go without breakfast this morning - I have to admit this included having a Zinger meal from KFC! What you soon discover on trips like this is you soon miss certain groups of food from home. The main one that I have been craving is cheese which doesn't feature in food out here. The only way to get your fix is to have Western style food - so today I took a break from my Asian diet. Another thing that I have really been missing is music. I find myself at certain times humming or singing songs from home without realising I'm doing it. I don't think I knew that music mean so much to me - funny the things you miss!
With rain approaching from out to sea the rest of the afternoon was spend relaxing and playing cards back at the hotel. Our days with the sun seem to be slowly coming to an end as we travel further north, we know we are heading straight towards an approaching typhoon; the next few days are going to be wet! After a day long wait we finally boarded our overnight train which we were promised wouldn't be as nice as the last one. We soon find out why when the train pulls into the station to reveal it is already carrying passengers. Inside our beds for the night have already been used but we are able to find clean sheets. It's the other passengers we are not so happy about, these include cockroaches and mice! Luckily in my cabin we only seem to have the one mouse so things could be worst.
03/10/11 – 04/10/11
Today we arrived in Hoi An, this is the place where you can get tailored made clothes and shoes made for you in less than 24 hours, the price depend on what materials you use. We basically had two free days here to do whatever we wanted, but the main thing here to do is barter and shop. The old town by the river is a protected cultural area so most of the buildings are as they were originally built during the 19 century. As I didn’t want to get anything tailor made I join a group to witness the process for myself. They can literally make you anything you want, all you need is a basic idea of shape and design and then they run with the idea, selecting materials and colours and then taking your measurements. The shops are just a front to the process; everything is made off site probably all in the same place! After hitting a few shops and with several orders made by others in the group, a few of us went for a wonder around this very pretty town.
The next day in the pouring rain some of us rented out bicycles to go on a ride through the local countryside and then down to the beach. This was quite a refreshing change of pace as we gently (well most of the time) cycled around the rice paddies, local homes until we finally reached the raging sea. But on the way back one of the bikes sockets stopped turning so it had to be dragged alongside another bike with two people on it. The afternoon was spent roaming around town with people having fittings and buying souvenirs.
02/10/2011
Saigon
29/09/11
Today started off with a long coach trip to Saigon, at one point we had to take a ferry to cross the Mekong Delta. Just went we were over half way across a sudden rain storm hit the ferry drenching most of us on broad. By the time I got my plastic poncho on I was already soaked through. By mid-afternoon we arrived in Saigon, the R&R capital the Americans used during the Vietnam War. This is the first really modern city we have been to on our trip so far excluding Bangkok. As the rest of the group go off to explore I have an important task to carry out first, I need to get a tourist visa sort out for Thailand as I will be staying over the 15 day exclusion period you are given when entering over land. On arriving at the embassy things are find until they ask for evidence of a onwards flight, stupidly I have left my flight details back at the hotel so I make a mad dash back to get them before the cut off time to get visas in 24 hours! That evening we have dinner at a restaurant on the street; there we order beef which you cook yourself on a roof tile which is suspended over hot coals. We go for a few drinks that night to say farewell to the people who are leaving us as the next leg of our trip kicks off.
30/09/11
Today is a day which is going to focus on the ‘Vietnam’ war, or as the state here calls it the Indochina war. In the morning we visit the Chu Chi tunnels, a series of narrow tunnels dug by the Viet Cong near Saigon to act as a base against the Americans who were stationed only a short distance away. At one point we have a chance to go through a section of the tunnels ourselves. After what seems like ages, crawling hunched over in such a narrow space we eventually get to the end of the tunnel to discover we have travel over 100m underground. It is at this point that I discover that the 2 week old brand new camera I have been using has developed a lense error – gutted!
In the afternoon a small group of us go to visit the War Remnants museum back in Saigon. As well as exhibiting American war machines the museum also has several exhibits on war crimes committed by American and South Vietnamese forces. What must be remembered when visiting is that Vietnam is a communist state so the museum does present a biased view of what happen during the conflict but several photographs and especially the effects of Agent Orange (a chemical substance used by the Americans) which are still felt today cannot be argued against. The only problem is there is no mention of what acts the North Vietnamese committed to give a balance opinion of what happened in the whole conflict. Never less it is still worth to see what people over here are taught. Afterwards I pick my passport from the Thai embassy which is only a few blocks away; when we get back to the hotel I discover I have lost my Vietnam departure card from my passport!
After all the things that have gone wrong over the last two days I am almost glad to leave Saigon behind as we catch our overnight train heading for Nha Trang.
01/10/11
Well the train journey went better than I expected especially after my previous experience of one in Russia. The train was clean with air conditioning so it was actually quite a pleasant overnight trip; I also managed to get some sleep. In the morning we had arrived in Nha Trang a growing coastal holiday resort. Today we hit the beach as we travelled a little way out of town to escape away from other tourists to a huge stretch of sand used mainly by locals. We had paid a one off fee for an all-day spot at a place on the beach which had a free bar and an all-day BBQ. The place was stunning; everything had come together luckily for us. The weather, view, sea, beach, food and drink were all amazing; it was like we had arrived in paradise. I spent a happy few hours de-stressing and learning I’m rubbish at beach sports, at one point while playing with a volley ball I managed to launch it straight into my face!
Today started off with a long coach trip to Saigon, at one point we had to take a ferry to cross the Mekong Delta. Just went we were over half way across a sudden rain storm hit the ferry drenching most of us on broad. By the time I got my plastic poncho on I was already soaked through. By mid-afternoon we arrived in Saigon, the R&R capital the Americans used during the Vietnam War. This is the first really modern city we have been to on our trip so far excluding Bangkok. As the rest of the group go off to explore I have an important task to carry out first, I need to get a tourist visa sort out for Thailand as I will be staying over the 15 day exclusion period you are given when entering over land. On arriving at the embassy things are find until they ask for evidence of a onwards flight, stupidly I have left my flight details back at the hotel so I make a mad dash back to get them before the cut off time to get visas in 24 hours! That evening we have dinner at a restaurant on the street; there we order beef which you cook yourself on a roof tile which is suspended over hot coals. We go for a few drinks that night to say farewell to the people who are leaving us as the next leg of our trip kicks off.
30/09/11
Today is a day which is going to focus on the ‘Vietnam’ war, or as the state here calls it the Indochina war. In the morning we visit the Chu Chi tunnels, a series of narrow tunnels dug by the Viet Cong near Saigon to act as a base against the Americans who were stationed only a short distance away. At one point we have a chance to go through a section of the tunnels ourselves. After what seems like ages, crawling hunched over in such a narrow space we eventually get to the end of the tunnel to discover we have travel over 100m underground. It is at this point that I discover that the 2 week old brand new camera I have been using has developed a lense error – gutted!
In the afternoon a small group of us go to visit the War Remnants museum back in Saigon. As well as exhibiting American war machines the museum also has several exhibits on war crimes committed by American and South Vietnamese forces. What must be remembered when visiting is that Vietnam is a communist state so the museum does present a biased view of what happen during the conflict but several photographs and especially the effects of Agent Orange (a chemical substance used by the Americans) which are still felt today cannot be argued against. The only problem is there is no mention of what acts the North Vietnamese committed to give a balance opinion of what happened in the whole conflict. Never less it is still worth to see what people over here are taught. Afterwards I pick my passport from the Thai embassy which is only a few blocks away; when we get back to the hotel I discover I have lost my Vietnam departure card from my passport!
After all the things that have gone wrong over the last two days I am almost glad to leave Saigon behind as we catch our overnight train heading for Nha Trang.
01/10/11
Well the train journey went better than I expected especially after my previous experience of one in Russia. The train was clean with air conditioning so it was actually quite a pleasant overnight trip; I also managed to get some sleep. In the morning we had arrived in Nha Trang a growing coastal holiday resort. Today we hit the beach as we travelled a little way out of town to escape away from other tourists to a huge stretch of sand used mainly by locals. We had paid a one off fee for an all-day spot at a place on the beach which had a free bar and an all-day BBQ. The place was stunning; everything had come together luckily for us. The weather, view, sea, beach, food and drink were all amazing; it was like we had arrived in paradise. I spent a happy few hours de-stressing and learning I’m rubbish at beach sports, at one point while playing with a volley ball I managed to launch it straight into my face!
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