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.
15/10/2011
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!
28/09/2011
Beach days
26/09/11
Another early start today as we made our way down to the coast. Our destination is Sihanoukville, a quiet little town that hugs onto the hills around here. The landscape has completely changed from the flat rice paddies we have constantly seen since entering Cambodia. Now hills rise up all around us and the flood water that has blighted our trip so far is no longer an issue. On arrival we head straight down to the beach were we are immediately swarmed by kids who want to be our new best friends so we will buy handmade bracelets directly from them. We dive into a bar to try and get rid of them but of course we are followed so in the end I ended buying some just so I wouldn’t be hassled again. After quick bites to eat we hurriedly dive in to the sea and enjoy the waves, it's a bit of a shock to discover just how warm the sea is here. In the evening we head but down to the beach to try some BBQ food, and then the madness begin as bucket drinks are passed around. Some end up skinny dipping in the sea while I’m left at the bar to DJ.
27/09/11
The next day we have a boat trip planned for the morning but the weather has other ideas. Early that morning we are hit by heavy topical showers which are to last the whole day. Watching the news it becomes clear we are on the outskirts of a typhoon that is about to hit North Vietnam over the coming days, not a good sign when we are due to leave Cambodia tomorrow morning to head to Nam. With the boat trip cancelled the day is spent bumming round.
28/09/11
This morning we jumped into Minibuses to make our way to the Vietnam border. It seems a shame to leave Cambodia after only spending six days there. It is a lovely little country full of friendly and polite people. We eventually arrived at the border-crossing which is just a series of shacks on a causeway, not as vast as the one we used to cross into Cambodia. We quickly pass through to enter Vietnam; once again it immediately looks and feels different to where we have been. After a quick bus journey we arrive at our hotel in Chau Doc, a quiet little town located in the Mekong Delta. We have two trips planned for today. First a boat trip through the floating houses that belong to the fishermen here before we jump on the back of some scooters to be transport up the top of Sam Mountain to watch the sunset over the Delta. Tomorrow we make our way to Saigon.
Another early start today as we made our way down to the coast. Our destination is Sihanoukville, a quiet little town that hugs onto the hills around here. The landscape has completely changed from the flat rice paddies we have constantly seen since entering Cambodia. Now hills rise up all around us and the flood water that has blighted our trip so far is no longer an issue. On arrival we head straight down to the beach were we are immediately swarmed by kids who want to be our new best friends so we will buy handmade bracelets directly from them. We dive into a bar to try and get rid of them but of course we are followed so in the end I ended buying some just so I wouldn’t be hassled again. After quick bites to eat we hurriedly dive in to the sea and enjoy the waves, it's a bit of a shock to discover just how warm the sea is here. In the evening we head but down to the beach to try some BBQ food, and then the madness begin as bucket drinks are passed around. Some end up skinny dipping in the sea while I’m left at the bar to DJ.
27/09/11
The next day we have a boat trip planned for the morning but the weather has other ideas. Early that morning we are hit by heavy topical showers which are to last the whole day. Watching the news it becomes clear we are on the outskirts of a typhoon that is about to hit North Vietnam over the coming days, not a good sign when we are due to leave Cambodia tomorrow morning to head to Nam. With the boat trip cancelled the day is spent bumming round.
28/09/11
This morning we jumped into Minibuses to make our way to the Vietnam border. It seems a shame to leave Cambodia after only spending six days there. It is a lovely little country full of friendly and polite people. We eventually arrived at the border-crossing which is just a series of shacks on a causeway, not as vast as the one we used to cross into Cambodia. We quickly pass through to enter Vietnam; once again it immediately looks and feels different to where we have been. After a quick bus journey we arrive at our hotel in Chau Doc, a quiet little town located in the Mekong Delta. We have two trips planned for today. First a boat trip through the floating houses that belong to the fishermen here before we jump on the back of some scooters to be transport up the top of Sam Mountain to watch the sunset over the Delta. Tomorrow we make our way to Saigon.
27/09/2011
Phrom Penh
Saturday was assigned as a long travel day so we had a free morning as our coach wasn’t leaving until the afternoon. With some free time to kill a few of us decided to pop in to town to have a fish foot massage done. After asking a local we eventually found a place next to the night market, where for two dollars you could have a half hour fish massage and to our surprise a free beer as well. After a three count we plunged our feet into the tank and instantly burst out laughing at the tickling sensation we felt from the fish rushing to attack our feet. It wasn’t until about after 10 minutes that you could keep your feet still so the fish could do their work. I’m happy to report that our feet were indeed smoother at the end of the half hour. From flooded Siem Reap we made our way east to Phrom Penh, the Capital of Cambodia. During the journey there we could see further evidence of the damage the flood water is causing at the moment. The green rice paddies you see everywhere next to all the main roads are now under a sea of water. A lot of this current crop is now ruined meaning prices are going to have to rise.
On arriving in Phrom Penh you can instantly see how more tourist influence the Capital is, the main stretch next to the river is lined with bars and restaurants, it almost feels like a Spanish holiday resort until you dive down the back streets where familiar life returns. That night after visiting a restaurant that supports orphans a group decide to go for a night out, although at the time none of us know how mess it is going to get. After several visits to different bars and clubs we eventually head to bed at quarter to 4.
The next morning we make our way to a place labelled S 21, a former detention centre which was used during the genocides under Pol Pot only 30 years ago. Here those from an educated background were tortured and detained before being sent on to be killed. The buildings have mainly been left as they were discovered, a variety of rooms and cells to hold prisoners and some of the devices used to torture them. After a guided visit we travel to the Killing Fields were men, women and children were killed; their bodies simply chucked in pits and then covered over. Even now bodies still lay underground here; only around half of the graves have been dig up. As we walk round we have to be careful were we tread, the recent rain has pushed bones and clothes up through the ground so they are now visible on the surface. It was a sombre morning for the whole group.
We have the afternoon free so a few of us decided to go explore the city. At one point we have a tuk tuk find us a place which services local food but on arrival we wish we hadn’t bothered, it is filthy but we decide to have some food as to not offend our driver. We made a quick escape.
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