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28 Aug 2006
Hanoi, Vietnam – Day 373 – Hangin’ out in Hanoi
Over the last few days we have been simply hanging out in Hanoi, pottering around the market stalls, enjoying copious amounts of Vietnamese coffee, making noodles with our in room kettle(!), and making the most of our free room PC catching up with family & some friends via Skype and getting lots done in terms of CV’s and things!
Went for a walk around the city one morning (wonder if we will lose this habit of waking up at the crack of dawn to beat the heat?) including Hoan Kiem Lake and ended up at President Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. He specifically requested a cremation but his people wanted otherwise and they built a huge edifice between 1973/5. His embalmed corpse is laid out for all to see… and there are many who queue to see him every day – and we were the only westerners at that time!
We followed the snake of people through security and various windows – we had to leave our water in storage, then about 500m later we had to hand in the camera and we walked through metal detectors etc. Eventually the moment arrived and we lined up outside the giant cube. There were lots of rules to remember such as “no permet to objects entering in unserious costume”; “no person to enter in status of sickness or poor health”; “everyone need to behave strictly, dressneatly and tidily” (sic);
Decided to leave Fred in bed as I’m sure he would not have gone down well! The mausoleum is actually closed between October and November… for maintenance. Turns out his body is shipped to Russia for re-embalming, you would have thought it would be cheaper and easier to fly the embalmers to Hanoi?!
It was all a bit odd, but we were moved by the whole experience and it was the first time either of us had seen a dead body.
One of the other things that we got to do was to visit the famous water puppet theatre. We didn’t really know what to expect and anticipated puppets on string hovering over water – how wrong! Instead the puppets have no strings, are mechanical and rise out of the water with the puppeteers behind a screen moving them with bamboo sticks. It was enchanting and fascinating to watch – but the hour long performance was enough. We have now seen two phoenixes mating, laying an egg and then it cracking to reveal a baby phoenix – remarkable really what you can do with bamboo and a few wooden puppets!
We are going to miss Vietnam and its idiosyncrasies. The kamikaze motorcyclists who would do almost anything to avoid putting their foot on the ground including riding on the pavement, turning the wrong way down a one way street or swerving to avoid hitting a pedestrian. What is compounded is that these motorbikes often are overloaded with produce or people with small children clinging on. I even saw an old lady in her late 90’s barely able to walk without the help of two younger men who helped her step from her house to…. You’ve guessed it… a moped. They then proceeded to get her leg over the bike and zoom off into the Hanoi streets. My Nan’s in her 90’s and there’s no way I would dream of putting her on the back of a motorbike!
Women here make up 58% of the workforce and its really quite evident. We have frequently seen women of all ages digging up roads, doing construction, carrying bricks, nursing babies at their market stalls, lugging enormous quantities of fruits and vegetables and working in the fields. The men seem to complain quite abit about their lot – they don’t earn enough and they have to put up with the women! One guy said that’s why he drunk so much coffee and smoked
The street hawkers and sellers do eventually get to you and you are never really sure who you can trust. Vietnam has been the first country where I have really argued and shouted over price. I hate being done and on several occasions sellers were indignant over the price I offered – even though I was certain it was slightly more than the going rate. Bartering has been quite tough as a result and, to be honest, very weary. You get to the point where you are arguing over a relatively small amount in US$ terms – but a large amount in Vietnamese Dong. And when the average salary is US1 per day, you don’t want to be the one contributing to excessive inflation.
It has to be the first country where we have had to barter over bottled water. As an example 5 litres of Aquafina is around 15,000 Dong or 50p. To purchase a 1.5 litre bottle (of the same brand) the price starts at around 30,000D or GBP1 and they are most indignant when they settle at around 10 or 15,000. The fair price should be 5,000D and most sellers smile when you start at that figure as they know you know the true price – yet STILL they try! More often than not we get the water at 5,000D but its such hard work you wonder if it really is worth it . I should add that most locals pay just 2,000D for the same water – so already we settle for more than twice the going rate.
If any of you are thinking about travel for either the first time or for a destination slightly different from your norm – then you should seriously consider Vietnam as your place. It’s easy to travel around, good value for money, wonderful selection of activities from lazing on a beach to trekking in the hills, great range of accommodation from budget to Luxury (with a capital L!) and wonderful scenery – and fantastic people. Just ignore the hawkers trying to make a fast buck (and every country has them, I remember the price of a small bottle of water in Trafalgar Square!) and you will have a ball!
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27 Aug 2006
Halong Bay, Vietnam – Day 371/2 – Messing about on a junk boat in Halong Bay
This morning we packed an overnight bag and got into our minibus to take us out to the coast. Once there we eventually boarded our junk boat. It was delayed because the Japanese tourists who had it before our group had left something behind on an island and had to return. The Italians complained, and there is nothing like a little altercation to get any Brits chatting and laughing the whole thing off – and we got chatting to some fellow travellers Jenny & Claire. Hi Guys! And hope you are enjoying the blog! The girls met each other in Uganda whilst working on a teaching project, and although now at different universities in the UK – they decided to travel round SE Asia in the summer holidays. We compared lots of notes as they are now in Laos.
After lunch onboard we motored out to the UNESCO World Heritage site. Here over 3,000 small limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea like dragon’s teeth. The 360 degree views are truly amazing.
We eventually moor up and walk up some steps to one of the caves.
Wow!
The caves we saw were the size of European cathedrals and they seemed to go on and on. The crazy paving trails were easy to follow, but we did spend quite a bit of time trying to work out if the roof was real, or if it had been covered in spray concrete!! They Vietnamese are obviously proud of their UNESCO status as flags were everywhere celebrating the fact. The penguin and dolphin shaped bins were a little out of place in Vietnam however – maybe a rethink in the design is needed folks?!
Back on board we motored over the bay to let those who wanted to swim and kayak have a go, and then it was dinner time. The four of us chatted for some time over our feast (the food just kept coming in no particular order – including crinkle chips!) and eventually we hit our cabins with ensuite bathroom – all very civilized!
Kath woke up at 5am to watch the sunrise – the light was amazing and then back to bed for an hour before breakfast. In that hour the heavens opened and the rain began. However, the rain couldn’t dampen the views and we cruised through the islands towards the largest island CatBa. There we dropped off a load of passengers and picked some new ones up and then headed off again. More swimming opportunities and eventually back to Halong City.
It was a truly fascinating experience and it’s probably best to see the photos to understand what we mean.
Back on dry land we were taken to a restaurant for an inclusive lunch and then in a bus back to Hanoi.
We are back in our cheap hotel with a PC in the room, so looking forward to catching up with people over the next couple of days!
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25 Aug 2006
Hanoi, Vietnam – Day 371 – very much a “do” day
Arrived in the capital and spent the day organising onward travel and Chinese visas. Loving the feel of Hanoi and great people. Had lots of laughs and exchanges with random strangers – they have a great sense of humour, especially if you find a funny way to say “No”!!!!
Staff at our hotel are great and very friendly. Learning lots.
Walked out of a veggie restaurant when we realised the prices! Ended up with a donner on the street (first one since Middle East!)
Sorted.
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24 Aug 2006
Hué, Vietnam – Day 370 – Cruising the perfume river in Hue and train to Hanoi
Bit behind on the diary as we have been packing lots in.
More later but we spent the morning on a boat on the perfume river and then caught a train in the afternoon to the capital.
Got in at 4.50am on Friday and we had arranged to be met (for free!) so didn’t need to think much apart from remember our names because he was holding a sign!
Currently sitting in hotel reception waiting for a room to come available. Despite us smelling, the staff couldn’t be nicer plying us with coffee and free internet! They have even offered free breakfast which we wouldn’t normally be entitled to – feeling very pampered and off now to check that room rate is as low as we thought it was cos its starting to feel like a US150 per night place!!!
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22 Aug 2006
Hoi An, Vietnam – Day 368 – Touring the old town
Up early again to beat the heat we had organised a couple of “Cyclos” to meet us at 6.30am to take us round the old town and see the World Heritage sights and museums. It’s a fascinating place and early in the morning you see the locals having breakfast in the street cafés and doing their daily exercise – including women walking backwards! It was very atmospheric at that time in the morning and the Japanese covered bridge looked particularly stunning.
We carried on seeing museums and old houses until about 8am when we returned to our hotel for some breakfast. The rest of the day was spent around town, in and out of fittings, and taking it easy. We did end up having a bad experience with our boots. We turned up for our fitting and we saw the boots for the first time. They were awful, the stitching was terrible, the heel in the wrong place and they did not fit. They looked tacky & definitely not worth the price. We could get better quality but cheaper in a UK discount shoe shop – not the heavily tailored elegant designs we were promised. We argued at length, the girl admitted they had got it wrong and the boots were not good quality – but she still wouldn’t return our deposit. Long story short, after most of the shop holders had got involved as well; we agreed a figure and had most of our deposit back. We were prepared to cut our losses but started chatting to a couple from Manchester – who loved her shoes so much she had ordered 6 more pairs and 3 sets of boots – she had even chosen fabric to match some outfits she had made for her. She took us along to the shop to see her shoes and boots and they were worlds apart from what we had seen earlier in the other store. Talking to the shop staff and explaining our experience – we were convinced they could produce excellent quality boots in the few hours we had left. And sure enough, six hours after Kath’s fitting, she was the proud owner of a fantastic pairs of boots – at less than the price the other store charged! So alls well that ends well
Overall we have had a wonderful time in Hoi An, its got a nice vibe, the hawkers are easy to shake off, the cafés are great and the local food is excellent and cheap.
Heading north tomorrow by bus.
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21 Aug 2006
Hoi An, Vietnam – Day 367 – Back in the kitchen!
It was an early departure to make our way into town for the start of our Vietnamese cookery class. We found the café and met our fellow chefs. We were split into three teams and headed to the local market. Our guide talked about the different produce and various substitutes we can use at home. There is so much fresh and fragrant herbs – it really does hit you. The best of the produce is sold between 3.00-5.00 am so we weren’t buying, just looking. It was hot, busy and full of people at 8am though!
Then it was onto the boat. The name of the cookery school was Red Bridge – which is funny considering where we live! The bright red boat took us along the Thu Bon River out to where the school is located. There we were shown around the herb garden and then shown to our classroom – a deck built over the river. What and idyllic setting! Take a look at the photos, but we had a great time with Thuin, our chef, as he showed us the various recipes. We got to make Muc Xao Thom – Warm squid salad (in half a pineapple); Ca Tim Kho To – Vietnamese aubergine in a clay pot; Cha Gio Tom Tuoi – fresh rice paper shrimp rolls (yes, we had to make our own rice paper); Banh Xeo – Hoi An pancakes; and finally we tried our hand at Trang Tri – or food decoration. Having had our demonstrations and subsequent attempts we then went through to the restaurant and ate it all plus a dish they made for us called Cá Hãp Viêt Nam or steamed mackerel.
It was then back on the boat into town and to find our tailors and get some fittings in. We’ve been really pleased with the results. So much so we have invested in a suit each. Difficult decision but the price is 20% what we would pay in Next or M&S for great quality tailored suits to our personal specifications (including colour of lining). We are seeing them as investments!
Back to that great cheap restaurant for some more Cao Lau and Com Ga (chicken fried rice) – not so many locals tonight but it is Monday. We’ve also booked our bus for Wednesday and hit the bank (gulp!) which was another fascinating experience since when we went in the staff were huddled round sharing fruit. We recognised one as jack fruit and the other was new. It didn’t take long for them to be offering to share some with us – which we did. We are still not sure as to the name of the new fruit but it tasted like a cross between a grapefruit and orange – it would be delicious in salads!
Loving Vietnam and the people – it’s so easy to tell the hawkers that you aren’t interested!! You say, “no thank you” and they smile and walk away!
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20 Aug 2006
Hoi An, Vietnam – Day 366 – Girls about town!
We woke to our alarm clock going off and realised we were on a train! We had caught it in Nha Trang the night before, found our cabin and our lower bunk beds. It was reminiscent of our train journey from Paris to Istanbul a year ago. Above us were two men (who didn’t know each other) & they smiled at our greeting! We secured our packs and bedded down for the night as the train rocked us gently to sleep.
When we finally stirred this morning we packed our things away, said our goodbyes, took our breakfast of dried noodles and jumped off.
Negotiating a cheap mini bus to Han Noi we were soon in our hotel and checking in & getting hot water to make up our noodles. After freshening up we hit the streets of town to explore. We soon found all the tailor shops & it didn’t take long for us to be browsing Next catalogues looking at styles – would you believe they even had the Autumn/Winter 2006 catalogue!
We got chatting and started to have a fitting with all our vital statistics being taken and logged. It was lots of fun, we then chose our style and fabric. With two pairs of trousers ordered we hit the streets. We’d been told about a shop in the market which also made good clothes – so we made our way there and found Anh. She was lovely, got even more catalogues out – including all of the NEXT ones since 2000 – and Anh and her team busied themselves with looking after us. We had cold water, lots of giggles and then the measuring began! They were such fun, and were smacking our bottoms and squeezing our boobs as they went. Apparently they are jealous of our cup size and they wanted to know if we had any spare boobs to share with them – all very good natured and a big scream! Once we had placed an order for trousers and blouses we then were given the local delicacy, Cao Lau (doughy flat noodles mixed with crackling style croutons, fresh greens, and bean sprouts, topped with pork slices and covered in a savoury broth) which was delicious! All in all, not the usual kind of service you get when you walk into a NEXT store
From there we went to see Anh’s cousin who ran a shoe shop/stall just round the corner – there she fitted us up for some winter boots (again the styles were from UK catalogues) at a fraction of the price in the UK – and they are completely made to measure with every part of our foot being documented for her father to make the boot. We were now low on cash after paying various deposits but they offered to take Kathy to the ATM whilst Sharon hung around the stall. Kathy jumped on the back of the moped and sped off to the ATM – and was back in no time.
Worn out from our shopping we got chatting to some girls who ran a beauty salon/stall. There we experienced the delights of threading – which was new to both of us and extremely effective in the hair removal from our legs. Kath even let them work under her arms and their promises of us feeling like new women certainly rang true! We never laughed so much having hair removal and we giggled with the girls as they told us all about Vietnamese men and how they were being treated more like equals and ruled the house now! We chatted about tourists and how they have improved their English and also gave them classic sayings like “see ya later alligator”! Some of the laughter was to mask the pain, and they laughed with us – they remove all facial hair and arm hair from each other. They say its so they can attract men as there are not enough men for the women. Interestingly they also prefer to be white. We were trying to explain that white women desperately want to have skin their colour and spend time and money getting tans to look like they have Asian skins. Its ironic that the Asian women spend a fortune on whitening cream to look paler.
We then wandered around the pretty town of Hoi Ann, politely shaking off the various touts offering souvenirs and headed to our hotel for a rest. That evening we went back to the stores to try on our new tailored clothes. Kathy’s trousers fitted perfectly but Sharon’s weren’t quite the right cut. No problem, it was whisked away to be worked on overnight. At the market stall everything fitted perfectly and looked great. Talk about fast clothes! In fact Sharon liked her blouse so much she chose another fabric to have another one done for tomorrow. The boots will be ready tomorrow so we will let you know. All in all – a great day shopping! We just have to work out whether we can carry it all or send it home. Either way it feels very luxurious to have tailored clothing at silly prices. Thanks to Anne-Marie, Charlie & Linda for all their advice!
We stopped at a busy restaurant for some cheap dinner before heading to our hotel for an early night (More Cao Lau & lemon juice). Big day tomorrow!
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19 Aug 2006
Nha Trang, Vietnam – Day 365 – It’s one year since we left London!
Today is Day 365!!
So far we have travelled some 76,500 km or 47,800 miles on this journey. We left London one year ago at 8.00 am and got on the tube to Waterloo.
The rest, as they say, is history!
This morning Kath went diving and had a fantastic time. Sharon chilled out around town. We’ve caught up on the blog and photos this afternoon and getting a train tonight.
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18 Aug 2006
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Day 364 – They say the early bird…
With it being quite hot during the day (and subsequently exhausting) we decided to get up early this morning and explore the city by foot. The alarm went off at 5.00am and we made our way out to the streets of HCMC. Not really knowing what to expect we were surprised to find so many people in the small park near our hotel. They were all wearing loose fitted clothing and engaged in a variety of movements and motions. There were a mixture of ages from teens to geriatrics and male and females. Some were alone, others in pairs and some decided to join each other for impromptu aerobics classes. Further locals were playing badminton together. There were also differing amounts of exertion going on, from simple walking round in circles to vigorous leg and arm pumping, star jumps and marching. Fascinating! We wandered around the park getting our own morning constitution and took it all in as the sun began to rise.
The buildings here are very thin and very tall. Haven’t yet found out why but they rise into the sky about 5 or 6 levels – but can be only the width of a room. It looks fine when there is a street of them – but strange when there is only one in a street!
Our ambles took us to the Saigon River. There we found even more people, but they were waiting to play on the badminton courts. We found a sheltered bench and took it all in – along with lots of water as already it was getting hot.
Ho Chi Minh City has around 6 million residents. The majority of which own more than one motorbike – one for commuting and the other for posing. Thus HCMC is full to bursting with motorbikes. Those who don’t own a bike, share with someone who has. If you need to deliver something to some other part of the city – put it on a motorbike – better still you hold it while you ride. The result? Mayhem!
Oh, and nearly forgot, all this is conducted without the wearing of crash helmets. So you have 3 people balancing on a motorbike, no crash helmets, and one person holding a 6ft pane of glass, the other with a giant sack of something on their laps and the other steering with something balancing on their heads.
Vietnamese generally drive on the right, mostly. Unless the road is full and then they drive on the left. Turning left or right you choose whichever lane is simplest and move over to the correct side of the road when you can. Roundabouts are free-for-alls with no one person having priority over the other. It’s a kind of survival of the fittest scenario and those with the most nerve wins. Pavements are free game, especially if a traffic light is preventing your progress. Simply ride up onto pavement and drive round to the road that you want to be on. Taxis seem to indicate using their horn and blast their way down the road. There is even valet parking for motorbikes. Ride up to the guy with the tickets and hand it over. He then parks it properly… on the pavement. So walking round the city is a) difficult b) dangerous c) full of surprises. We have now conquered crossing the road. You walk with purpose, but slowly. Thereby allowing the riders and drivers time to swerve and avoid you (that’s the theory). It did feel like we were playing some arcade chicken-lie game. We started by linking arms and then slowly walking out into the traffic – despite the temptation its not a good idea to shut your eyes as you constantly need to tweak your own speed just in case. After a bit of practice we cracked it!
As you can imagine they have appalling death & injury statistics and despite newspaper debates about the need for people to wear crash helmets in the city – there is much animosity. The reason? They a) can’t see as much with a helmet on, so we are guessing couldn’t do so much weaving in and out of traffic, pedestrians and pavements and b) their hair would go flat and it would hinder their posing possibilities! The law does require a helmet to be worn on highways – but we saw people wearing baseball caps, construction helmets and old war helmets balanced on top. Since helmets and subsequent visors are not used – the riders get much pollution and debris going into their faces. The answer? Face masks – a little like surgery masks but more fashionable. Many in white, some in nice frilly patterns and pastel colours and we even spotted Burberry style check. Whatever next?!
After our rest we continued to walk around the city and ended up eventually at Notre Dame. It’s the first time we have seen so many Christian churches since we arrived in Asia, and after all those Wats they look out of place! Tired and exhausted from the heat we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel in time for some breakfast.
This afternoon we caught a train from Saigon to Nha Trang. We booked ourselves some seats and found our carriage (right at the other end of the platform!) The noise from the carriage was deafening with music blaring out. The flat screen TV’s kicked into action for a bit but we could only understand the cartoons when Tom & Jerry came on. Dinner was served around 6pm which wasn’t particularly pleasant (glad we found some grub at lunchtime). The train did stop quickly at one point and we tried to work out how serious it was from the other passenger’s reactions to fellow passengers who had returned from having a nose. We are still unsure as to what exactly happened but it appeared to be a surprise (but nothing major) from the bulging eyes we were seeing!
We continued to pass the time in the usual fashion – playing peek-a-boo with the kids in front (and behind us) and mocking surprise when they hit us on the head. Being the only falangis in the carriage we were often stared at – but its something you get used to. And the cost of a 7 hour train journey including food, entertainment & aircon, reclining seats, etc.? A fiver.
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17 Aug 2006
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Day 363 – Cruising along the Southern Mekong River
Today we explored the Mekong Delta. After a long bus journey we arrived at My Tho and transferred onto a passenger boat (seats were much better than in Laos!) and motored along. We saw floating markets – very different from those in Thailand. The boats were much bigger and selling mainly to local boat owners. The sellers also lived aboard their boats and each had a little tv aerial sticking out from the top! And the other thing that was sticking up into the air on the end of a bamboo pole? Whatever they were selling… so there were bananas, pineapples, melons, sweet potatoes, etc. all proudly being flown like flags.
After some time we moored up and went into a little shelter. Inside there was a lady making rice paper. It was fascinating and something we had never seen before. Once she had spread the mixture onto the round muslin mould, she covered it with a bamboo lid to let it steam for about 5 seconds. Then she would peel it off and hang it to dry a little. The round pancake sized sheets would then be placed onto a drying rack (like we saw in Laos) to dry for a few hours. Rice paper is used a lot here, spring rolls made of the rice paper and a definite local delicacy and everywhere!
We then went to see how another popular local delicacy is made. For want of a better word they are rice cakes and we saw a whole little cottage industry where they were making it all from scratch. Think of a chocolate rice krispies cake … without the chocolate and held together with caramel. Sharon lurves them!
At one point the men from our group were called over. Keen to understand why the sudden segregation, we went to take a peak. They were being asked to try another local speciality, snake wine. This is distilled rice wine with snakes and scorpions inside. They call it Mekong Viagra and we had a long story about a local man who couldn’t get his “banana to go up” so he drank some snake wine and after 6 bottles (this stuff is 40% proof) his banana duly went up. But he couldn’t “get his banana to go down” so his family took him to hospital and they had to give him an injection. All very graphic, but they do believe it! Only men were allowed to buy it, so we are sorry Chris, but couldn’t get a sample for you to do some medical trials at work, to see if Pfizer has anything to worry about!!
We were allowed to try the “rice wine” which is actually more like a “rice schnapps” that goes down rather roughly.
Back on the boat we cruised along the smaller waterways for an hour to get to a house on an island. There we sat down to a meal of elephant’s ear fish (we kid you not), rice noodles, veg and a noodle soup. It was very nice. The fish is so called because it has a large ear shaped gill either side which resembles an elephant’s ear. Others think the whole fish looks like an elephant’s ear. Whatever the real reason, it fillets very easily and tastes like strong fresh water fish.
We watched the world go by from the boat after lunch and then went to the Vinh Long market. There were bought some new fruits (to us) including a dragon fruit and some other smaller fruits that resemble lychee – but aren’t. All very interesting and the fruit sellers were very patient in letting us try the fruit before we bought them and then to tell us (well more like explain) how much they cost. English is rarely spoken in this area so we tend to resort to a few words in Vietnamese and then sign language and miming.
We eventually got into Saigon quite late. Neither of us had realised the significance of Ho Chi Minh City and Saigon before – we assumed it was just the new name for Saigon. Turns out HCMC is the name of two areas, Saigon and china town. Ho Chi Minh was a much loved president – so they named the area after him. It’s a bit like calling a area George Bush City. It was explained to us that if there is a beauty contest, it would be odd to call the winner Miss Ho Chi Minh (or Miss George Bush – to continue the analogy) so instead they have Miss Saigon. Anyhow, its ok to refer to the place as both names, particularly if you are staying in the Saigon part of town near the Saigon river.
We are staying in a fab place, Anne-Marie thanks for the great recommendation by the way! We are in MC127. It’s great value and staffed by very friendly and helpful people. Every time we go in the door they want to get us a drink and last night they even served us food – for free! The only downside? We are on the 5th floor so it’s a bit of a climb since there is no lift (you just have to plan your excursions carefully!) but our bags were taken up by a hoist, so that was a relief!
For more information visit http://www.KSrtw.com
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