DandG Hideaway

Gallery: Saigon

deena_and_gary — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:18:00 GMT

Sights & Trouble

Gallery: Nha Trang

deena_and_gary — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 09:05:00 GMT

Beach !

Saigon 2 - The End

deena_and_gary — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 08:10:00 GMT

So it was our last day in Vietnam, in South East Asia. We had some money left and went shopping to spend every last bit (it would go a lot further in Vietnam than in England), had a HUMONGOUS meal and got everything ready for the trip to the airport.

We were total geeks and got there about 4 hours early. There were no Cathay Pacific check in desks open so we sat down and read for a bit. After a while Gary decided to go and enquire where we could go and pick up our tickets - when we brought them we were told to pick them up at the airport. The lady at the desk was confused and sent us somewhere else, they sent us back again, we were sent seomwhere else. Finally, it seemed that no one had any idea about our 'ticket pick up' arrangement, apparently it had never been done before at the airport in Ho Chi Minh (saigon). We started getting a bit worried and just a little annoyed. Cathay Pacific called British Airways who we were booked with from Hong Kong onwards and they said the only way to get the tickets was to come to the ticket office in the city and pay for tickets there! But we had already paid! And we didn't have time to go back into the city (about 45 minutes each way). We were given a phone number to call the BA office and were told that if BA could guarantee to print a ticket for us in Hong Kong and send Cathay Pacific a confirmation, we could fly. Phew - that should be fine, we thought, because we've paid for a ticket. BUT NO. BA didn't have our ticket details, lastminute.com had them. And on it went... we started to resign oursleves to the fact that something had majorly messed up and our guts began to churn, the tears began to pour (out of Deena's eyes, not Gary's) and we were well and truly pissed off and made quite a scene at the airport. The flight was closing and we couldn't get on - we had already been imagining ourselves at home. We were totally gutted when we got a taxi back into town.

Deena immediately got on the internet phone to family and to lastminute.com to see what had happened while Gary went to find us a hotel (in the end we stayed at the same place and they were really kind to us). Lastminute.com could not do anything for us as it was late at night in Vietnam. That night we took the sleeping pills!

The next morning we couldn't believe we were still in Vietnam and were so worried. Lastminute.com had already taken the money for the tickets and we didn't have much left. We were dreading how much new tickets would cost at such late notice so close to Christmas, there might not even be any flights available! We were terrified we'd be stuck for weeks, we had spent most of our money and had thrown away stuff like underwear and shampoo. We spent most of the day at the ticket office and speaking to people on the phone trying to organise lastminute.com to get us some new tickets. In the end, we became really good at the technicalities of the travel industry but unfortunately lasminute.com were blaming British Airways and British Airways were blaming lastminute.com. It was all a complete nightmare, the only people not to blame were us and the only people suffering mentally and financially were us. We researched all the laws and started talking like lawyers about various acts and regulations. To cut a very long and stressful story short, we decided to buy new tickets (which didn't turned out to be too expensive but still left us totally in the red for coming back to UK) and deal with it all from England. At this point, we just really wanted to get home and it was very difficult with time differences and expensive overseas phone calls.

So two (very long) days after our first trip to the airport, we were back in a taxi doing the same route. This time we had paper tickets in our hand, but we both still had butterflies. The first problem had been so illogical that anything could happen this time round. We got through check in ok and started to relax. Then we got to passport control. It seemed to be taking longer than usual and the guy kept looking at Deena in a funny way. The other passport man was asking Gary for his return ticket and identity card, they couldn't dpeak English and it was hard explaining that we had come in by bus and only had a one way ticket and English people don't have identity cards. Then the lady from check in appeared, 'Excuse me Sir, there is a security issue with your bag. Please leave your passport here and come with me'. Gary was led off, and Deena's heart starting going a million miles an hour. It was like being in 'Mignight Express' or something. Maybe someone had planted drugs in the bag? So many thoughts were going through our heads. Meanwhile, Deena's passport guy was not happy and declared, 'You never go England in your life'. She was shocked, how had he come to this conclusion? It turned out he didn't think she 'looked English' and was suspicious that there were lots of Dubai stamps and that the passport was issued in Dubai. For a proffesional passport man, he was a total ignoramus! He didn't understand that it was a British passport issued in Dubai. It took 4 men about 45 minutes scratching their heads and Deena's rather angry explanations for them to believe she wasn't a crazy Arab terrorist and let her through. Meanwhile Gary was back and the 'security problem' was a present we'd brought that looked like a gun but wasn't at all! So we got through but our nerves were totally shot. We were still expecting everything to go wrong at any minute.

As soon as we were out of Vietnam, however, everything went ok. Hong Kong airport was organised and our transit went smoothly. Although we were stuck in horrible, squashy middle seats on the 13 hour flight to London we were just thankful to be going home. Back in England, the cold air never tasted so sweet!

It's been really hardwork trying to sort out all the paperwork to get our refund from lastminute.com (PLUS compensation) but we're willing to bombard them until we get what we're entitled to. We're pleased to be back for Christmas but PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT buy from lastminute.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006.

This is where our story end and thanks for reading and commenting! You've kept us company along the way!

(Now, where are we going next....?)

Saigon 1

deena_and_gary — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 07:15:00 GMT

Another early arrival. This time we thought we'd take our time about finding a hotel. Now loaded down with luggage (presents, suits and more!) we wandered around the backpacker area of Saigon for ages, with the idea of finding somewhere nice for our last hotel - we were EVEN prepared to go up to $20 a night. In the end it turned into 'same, same' and we were so bored and tired of walking around we settled on somewhere that seemed OK, the Bi Saigon. The room was quite cute - the bathroom was like a miniture 'house' with a roof inside our room. And it came complete with two stuffed toys on top of the TV. It seemed strange that this would be our last stop, we were happy and sad, our decision to leave early had been quite sudden and we weren't quite used to it. We planned to enjoy it and spoil ourselves a little.

That night we went to a highly recommended ice cream parlour (research for Gary of course) and it was delicious. Then we wandered around looking for a restuarant recommended in the Lonely Planet which was (surprise surprise) no longer in existance which led to our favourite pastime of spending hours looking for the perfect place to eat, similar to our perfect hotel search and ending in the same way - tired and bored, anywhere that looked OK would do. We did like Saigon though and found it much more friendly than Hanoi, more cosmopolitan and more spacious. Yes, it was very very busy BUT that was were the comparison with Hanoi seemed to end. We booked a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels the next day. Unfortunately, as we only had one free day we couldn't do a Mekong Delta tour which we had wanted to do.

The next morning we were up bright and early for the tour. We needn't have bothered as it was an hour late leaving. Our tour guide was called Tom (it seems to be a popular Vietnamese name!) and he was great! He kept us entertained on the mic for the 4 hour or so drive to the tunnels with stories about the history of Vietnam, facts and figures, Vietnamese philosophy, RATHER intimate details of his personal life (something to do with fancying two sisters at the same time), some TERRIBLE jokes and (BEST OF ALL) some very enthusiastic karaoke ('last christmas I gave you my heart'). On the way we made the obligatory stop at the handicrafts village to see people making things then charging us ten times more for it than in town. It was quite interesting to see what a long process it was to make these things, sawing shells and painting and dipping in water etc.

Eventually we arrived at the tunnels and after buying our tickets were sheparded into a dugout to watch a very informative film and for a lecture. The film was really old and really bad. We were sat on benches and at the front, so it was really uncomfortable but we couldn't squirm too much because MAYBE the people behind were REALLY interested in the film. 'This is Mi. A great fighter. Awarded for killing many Americans...this is Su. She killed many Americans...'. After the film a lecturer took the stage, he obviously fancied himself as a great public speaker and gave a very animated and passionate speech about the Cu Chi tunnels. It was actually a very good lecture and there were lots of diagrams and models to illustrate! We could only admire the clever fighting methods and die hard attitude of the Vietcong. It was the only time that Deena remembered her original fascination with Vietnam when studying the war at school.

Next we went for long walk through the trees. We were shown a typical entranceway to the tunnels which was about the size of a postbox, a few of the smaller people had a go at getting in including Deena. Then we were led around various displays with models doing things like cutting bombs and making shoes, we also saw models of all the traps that made to capture Americans. Gary was happy as he got to clamber all over a real tank from the war, he was so comfortable he nearly got left behind. We were taken down the 'tourist tunnel' apparently this was made larger than the real ones in order to fit in all the gigantic, fat tourists. We were only down there for about 5 minutes and it was 5 minutes too long. It was pitch black and really scary! We were on all fours the whole time and felt quite claustraphobic. It's amazing what the Vietcong did living down there! They must have been really hardy fighters. One of the best bits for Gary was the shooting range where you could buy a bullet for a dollar (minimum 5 bullets) and shoot them from a choice of guns. Gary chose an AK47. Half the bullets didn't go off at all, luckily they had a large supply to replace the dud ones but we all joked that it was a good job we weren't fighting a war! As for Gary shooting skills... erm, he maybe needs more practise... no , sorry it was the gun's fault, it wasn't shooting right. Well, anyway, luckily for the cardboard rhino he didn't manage to hit the rhino once.

Back in town we went out for our last night's meal in the city centre. At one of the malls there were lots of twinkly christmas decorations up, with a Vietnamese Santa. The kids were going nuts. We were getting really excited about going home the next day. In the hotel, we showered and packed and fell into a peaceful slumber thinking about getting home and seeing everyone.

The next day we had our flight back to England.

Now, there's a happy ending and a sad ending. Which one do you want? We wanted the happy ending, but...

Nha Trang

deena_and_gary — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 06:27:00 GMT

We arrived in Nha Trang at 6 in the morning. Gary had been on the sleeping pills so wasn't as groggy as usual, although got a bit tetchy when the tour operator got a bit too close! He greeted us with 'Good morning!' and 'Congratulations! The Typhoon is gone'. Good news as Nha Trang was primarily a beach town. Anyway, they dropped us off at the 'recommended' hotel and it was nice SO we signed up. It wasn't until later that we realised it was the other side of town and a thirty minute walk every time we wanted to get anywhere. But it was a nice walk along the beach so we weren't too upset.

Gary was hungry and requireed breakfast, we asked at the hotel for the nearest restaurant and were directed around the corner. They restauranteurs were very pleased to see us and sat us down with our free cups of Vietnamese tea. It tasted very good but later on we saw them scooping some out for another customer, it was kept in a big plastic tub in the corner. No one spoke much English at all and for the first and last time on our trip there was no English on the menu. Deena managed to explain that she was vegetarian and that eggs were ok. Gary said for the lady to decide for him on food and that he wanted a black coffee. Soon we got a plate of rice and eggs for Deena and a small cup of strong syrupy coffee in a bowl of hot water. We had encountered a similar coffee problem in Hanoi and had poured the coffee into the bowl to mix with the water, this time Gary tried a different method, pouring the hot water into the coffee cup. 'No no' the lady rushed over to us 'this no good, to make hot'. Ah ha, it became clear - the bowl of hot water was simply a heating device! Gary ordered some drinkable hot water to add to the coffee and waited for his food... and waited... and waited. 'Do you think we should ask where it is?' 'No, I'm sure it will be here soon'. Finally, we asked were it was. Apparently the lady had not understood Gary's request for her to choose a dish for him. This led to a lot of pointing, confusing and moments 'lost in translation'. 'What is this?' 'Chicken' 'How much?' she dissapeared for about 5 minutes '120,000 dong. 1 chicken. We go buy from market'. Well Gary did not need a whole chicken. In the end (about 20 minutes later) Deena pointed to a bowl of noodle soup a local man was eating at the next table, 'one'. After that and the overnight bus trip we felt shattered and went back to the hotel for a nap which lasted a few hours!

Later on that day we walked to Louisiane which was recommended for a treat, with good desserts and coffees. We ended up spending pretty much the next two days there. It all began with ice cream and moved on to freshly brewed beer for Gary and 'Betty Boops' for Deena. It was a really nice posh place and after two months of roughing it, it felt kinda good. Almost immediately we bumped into two travelers we knew from the Vientiane - Hanoi bus and much to Gary's delight there was a free pool table for customer use! Needless to say we stayed there all night, playing with various other travellers. We decided to come back the next day as there was a pool (as in swimming, not hitting balls with a cue) which was also free for customers and we hadn't actually done much swimming. Unfortuntely, the beach in Nha Trang was also a mess and covered in litter from the typhoon - people who knew it said that usually it was beautiful but that wasn't much use to us! The next day was spent in the pool, playing pool, reading and drinking. Truly relaxing, it was probably the only day of the trip that actually felt like a 'holiday'.

We didn't get to do any of the typical 'things to do in Nha Trang' - boat trip & mud baths - but we had a good time relaxing and treating ourselves! Finally, we got on our last overnight bus to Saigon. Deena was thinking that no matter how bad it was, it didn't matter as it was the last one - WRONG! It was the worst! A guy next to us was making horrible mouth noises the whole night long and we were both really grumpy, we experienced the worst toilets yet (lets put it this way, there wasn't even a squat toilet, just a kind of sink thing that Deena couldn't reach! OH NO!)AND Deena forgot the sleeping pills. It was a long journey.

Hoi An

deena_and_gary — Sat, 9 Dec 2006 23:29:00 GMT

Well Hoi An definitely proved to be a recovery spot for us and we stayed for 8 days in the end, we did a lot of sleeping, a lot of shopping and made some important decisions.

We arrived at around 7pm and as we got off the bus we were instantly sorrounded by touts. 'You come my hotel' 'Only 7 dollar' 'Free Cocktail' shoving flyers under our noses and slagging each other off. This was to set the tone for the rest of our time in Hoi An. We were a bit overwhelmed but eventually decided to try out the one with a free pool for only 8 dollars a night, 'only 5 minute walk'. About 20 minutes later we arrived but it was 25 dollars a night. The moral - don't trust the touts. Luckily we found an equally good hotel which really was 8 dollars a night and had a free pool and free cocktails every night. We went out for a late dinner and a stroll with Marta and Patrycja, two lovely Polish girls we met on the bus. We made friends with the restuarant owner, a wonderful lady 7 months pregnant. At 9pm at night a few of the tailor shops and cobblers that Hoi An is so famous for were open and we did a specualtive browsing. We were drawn in by a lady called Moon who owned a tailor shop and we promised to 'think about it' and come back later, admittedly we were very attracted to the idea of getting clothes made to our design and measurement for next to nothing. But what we DID NOT KNOW was that we'd be walking past Moon's shop several times a day and basically had no choice in the matter and second that it would be such an effort by the end of it all.

The next day morning we met the girls bright and early (well, 10am) for a trip to the market. Once again we were accosted by offers of, 'you wanna buy something', 'hello! Buy tshirt?', 'You want manicure? Only 1 dollar', 'motorbike?', 'Come see my shop', 'look my menu' etc ! What a nightmare! But we kindly refused and carried on looking around the stalls. Once again, flattery did the trick on Gary and he was wooed by a little tailor called 'Forget-Me-Not'. She is an excellent character and talks in English proverbs ('A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush' and 'oh, it's raining cats and dogs' and 'customer is golden'), she must have a book at home, but very sweet and earnest. Gary got a top quality suit made for him which he had been desiring the whole trip. It was funny watching him at the fittings as there wasn't a changing room just a sheet in the corner. The suit turned out really nice although at one fitting Gary tried to sit down (luckily) and nearly tore them open at the bum! We got them adjusted.

Unfortunately Deena's tailor experience wasn't as smooth sailing. Deena went to the same one as Marta and Patrycja, in fact the lady we had met the night before called 'Moon'. I ordered a bunch of stuff including a beatiful silk coat, some trousers copied and a vietnamese dress. A couple of days later it was ok, everything had turned out ok except the coat which was supposed to have been loose and flowing but they had made loose but fitted (ie too many sizes too big)SO they promised to get it sorted. However that evening Patrycja noticed on HER coat that they had stiched a coat pocket realy badly and went to complain, Gary went with her for support but it ended in a big fight with everyone and the tailors... and Deena was supposed to be going for a fitting in an hour. It was tense and the jacket STILL wasn't right. It was turning out to be more hassle than it was worth. In the end after several fittings Deena just gave up and settled on this coat that looked nothing like what she'd ordered!

BUT we were enjoying Hoi An and made some friends with shopkeepers and restaurant owners, particularly a lady who owned a bag shop with two cute little puppies. She was really nice and sold us snickers at nearly cost price! Hoi An is an easy laid-back place (which is what we really needed) more over our hotel was cheap and great what with the pool, friendly staff and free cocktails. Just as we were thinking about moving we met our next hurdle...

On the news we had heard about a typhoon which had hit Phillipines and people were starting to panic that it would come to Vietnam. Deena laughed it off, 'nha, we'll be fine'. But the next day it hit us! It was hard to sleep because of our window was loose in its frame and banged and rattled all night. And in the disorientation of sleep we weren't sure what was going on with all the howling and noise. Over the next few days we hid in the hotel, reading and going on the internet and watching the typhoon causing havoc on the roads, slowly Hoi An began to flood over. First the riverfront merged in with the river and then the street behind it was lost too! (We got some before and after shots) Ocassionally we donned our rain macs (which we thought we wouldn't have to use but were very necessarry in the end) and tried to walk around or search for an interesting place to eat, we inevitably got soaked, especially our shoes which got VERY squelchy.

We also had a lot of thinking time during this bad weather and after a lot of budget juggling, honesty and speaking to home we decided to come home early. Organising this took up a couple of days! (So we weren't bored, haha) and endless phone calls to Royal Jordanian airways. The result was that we had to buy new tickets, but that was ok as it would still work out cheaper than staying and in our hearts we were ready to come home. We're just not taking it in anymore and want to compete the journey at another time when we'll appreciate it again. Because tickets get really expensive around christmas time we booked for the 12th of Decemeber, so one a half months left was reduced to 8 days!

We embraced the holiday with renewed vigour and went out in the rain doing some unexpected christmas shopping. Deena got duped into signing up for a 'quick' 1 dollar maniqure. The Polish girls had done this and their nails turned out lovely. Unfortunately Deena's nails ended up looking pretty much the same and captured and alone in the lady's beauticians 'booth' at the back of the market Deena got persuaded into a pedicure too (purely out of intimidation as she HATES her feet touched). NOT ONLY THAT but the lady had a constant stream of friends selling their wares out of plastic bags to the new found captor and in the end she tried doubling her quoted price. This was the last straw and Deena paid the original price and ran away. Scary maniqure ladies!

In the end we decided we would have to move on from Hoi An, we booked our onwards bus journey and brought an extra bag because of all the extra things we had brought. We said goodbye and boarded the night bus to Nha Trang. We felt quite attached to the place and the hotel staff seemed quite attached to us (maybe because we were some of the only customers there during the typhoon, it was weird like a ghost hotel in a film!) and they all stood outside and waved us off.

Halong Bay

deena_and_gary — Fri, 1 Dec 2006 18:59:00 GMT

After our night on the town in 'New Century Club' it's not surprising that we woke up late for our trip to Halong Bay - Very late! In fact our wonderful tour agent, Tom, was banging on the door, 'Wake up! Wake up! Halong Bay! Halong Bay!' we had twenty minutes to get to the bus and we still hadn't packed! We just threw everything into our backpacks and ran downstairs where our moto taxis were waiting. It was our first go on the motorbikes and perhaps not the best time to experience it - a little hung over, in a rush with our huge backpacks! But it was still fun pushing through the busy crossroads and the drivers really knew what they were doing! Deena slept most of the way to Halong Bay so it was in fact quite a short bus journey for a change!

Halong Bay was swarming with tour groups at the dock and our group was herded through and onto the fateful boat where our adventure began quite smoothly. We floated out onto the bay and it looked really beautiful. We were served lunch and that helped our sore tummies. Before long we were anchoring at an island - surely we weren't at Cat Ba already? As that would mean the end of the trip and it was only about 2pm. Luckily, it was a stop to look at an 'ancient' cave. It was beautiful but unfortunately was made 'more beautiful' by the neon lighting, plastic penguin bins and man-made fountains! The tour guide had an affinity for pointing out rocks that looked like things, 'This one fróg', 'Here is dragon'and 'say goodbye to buddha' we all went 'aaaa', ok' but it basically just looked like a rock. He also told us of an ancient legend about two dragons having 100 children and going to heaven through a hole in the roof - however in the previous speech had told us it was only discovered in 1993. They make these 'legends' up very quickly.

In the afternoon, back on the boat, we were chatting with another couple who had booked with a different tour guide and they had been promised everything included plus a night on the boat (now they were being told to stay on Cat Ba Island)and were NOT happy. They started to complain to the tour guide and he got very angry indeed! 'Why you tell me everything included? I VERY angry' they argued back and forth for about half an hour during which the guide threatened to throw the English guy into the sea! Afterwards he seemed sorry though as he came back with his head down and offered them the room they wanted, sulking like a child.

About 4.30 we got to a particularly dirty area of water, next to a load of fishermen's houses. 'Ok, now you swim and kayak' it was almost dark and a little cold. Needless to say, no one took him up on the swimming but some people went out kayaking. We thoguht we'd leave it for another time and sat chatting and looking at the views. About an hour later rumours started spreading through the boat that someone in a kayak was missing, it was almost dark and everyone was worried. We found out that it was a nice American guy travelling alone and a Korean girl that were still out on the water. An hour later or so, they still hadn't been found and people were shouting their names from the boat into the darkness. It was pitch black and foreboding on the water and all the worst things went through our heads. Everyone grouped together, telling jokes and hoping they'd be found soon. The guides sent out a boat but without lights! (duh!) The landscape on Halong Bay is easy to get lost on with all the rocky crags that look exactly the same. All of a sudden the boat started moving and rumour spread that they had been found. We all breathed a sigh of relief and sure enough we picked them up from a fisherman's house, they were fine, luckily the American guy, Joe, had his mobile and the reciept fro the tour with him! They were very sorry, but we were just glad they'd been found. By this time it was about 8pm and we were all hungry.

We drove towards Cat Ba island but the Captain was getting mad at people standing in front of his deck and was shouting a lot. The crew wouldn't turn on the electricity but wouldn't tell us why and it was quite dangerous and teh decks were so dark, we could have fallen overboard, we couldn't do anything in the dark and everyone was getting very very angry and shouting and protesting. At one point the Captain came out and pushed an Israeli guy who pushed back. It was all a bit eerie and scary in the dark. At the island, everyone staying on land disembarked. We were staying on a different boat (luckily) and started driving back out to sea to meet the other one. They 'parked' bum-to-bum (not sure about the technical term for that one) and we had to jump accross but the waves were so choppy that they rarely were on the same level. It was very very scary and totally dangerous (it would never happen in UK with all the safety rules) also we had our big backpacks on so balancing was tough enough! We made it! It was so scary though that Deena was shaking for about an hour afterwards - she gets sea-sick enough as it is! Everyone on that boat had already gone to bed but they had some dinner left for us, all a bit burnt (probably the stuff they were going to throw away) but we wereso hungry we guzzled it down). We made with some Koreans who were doing the same thing as us. Gary made aprticular friends with SolBin as they chatted about English football. Soon we went to bed, our cabin was really nice but unfortunately right near the engine so it smelt of diesel and was really hot. We were so shattered we fell right asleep.

In the morning we could take the new boat in properly. It was a world apart from the boat of the day before - clean, spacious, professional and it had lifejackets! We just felt sorry for our friends still on the other boat (you make best buddies very easily when travelling). As we pulled in to the island to pcik people up we pulled up next to the other boat, we called across to ask about how the night went,aparently there had been no electric all night (so no fan, no flushing toilet, no lights etc). We felt lucky to be on our boat and had a really pleasant morning cruising in the bay, watching the landscape and talking with the Koreans. About half way back to shore we stopped at a fish farm, Deena stayed on board but Gary got out and had a look. Some people brought big fish and crabs for highly inflated prices. Unfortunately our betteries konked out and there were none to be brought out at sea, so there's no pics of a lot of the boat journey! Sorry!

Back on shore we had lunch and then got the bus back to Hanoi where we grabbed some food for the overnight bus to Hoi An and brought some batteries. We put them in the camera but it said 'lens error', we thought, 'oh no! we're gonna have to buy another camera' which would really mess up our budget. But luckily Gary gave it a hardknock and it fixed itself! Hooray! Another bus ride was ahead of us for the night, but we didn't mind, we were pleased to be leaving Hanoi and the north. Most people love it but we didn't. We needed some r & r but it had been the busiest place yet. As the bus rolled away we started to relax.

Gallery: Hoi An

deena_and_gary — Fri, 1 Dec 2006 18:41:00 GMT

Shopping!

Gallery: Halong Bay

deena_and_gary — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:39:00 GMT

World Heritage Site

Gallery: Hanoi

deena_and_gary — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:28:00 GMT

Hustle & Bustle

Hanoi

deena_and_gary — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 17:05:00 GMT

I know we've complained about bus journeys before but this one took the biscuit! Admittedly it was famous for being a horrific, 24 hour slog but it was definitely worse for us as you'll discover!...

We got dropped off at the bus station in Vientiane at about 5pm ready for the bus to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. As usual, they packed us in like sardines and then thought it would be a good idea to fill the aisles with rice sacks, bundles of blankets and straw mat rolls so we were well and truly wedged in for the duration (although we weren't the worst off, a German traveller ended up with the best seat on the bus - sleeping on the floor in the aisle). We were ok though but at about 12 midnight the bus pulled over at a restaurant (the Laos equivalent of a moto - a big room which served yucky coffee). The 2 drivers dissapeared for a good nights sleep and the rest of us were stuck on the bus! It was so stuffy and someone started eating a garlic sausage so strong that we could taste it. We went out for some fresh air but once we were out we couldn't get back on again as there were two many sleeping bodies and rice sacks in the aisles. We hung about outside in the dark until about 5am when people started stirring again. Back on the bus it was an hour's drive to the border.

We made our way to passport control. "Have you got my passport?" Gary asked. "No" we always kept our own passport on us. Although our brains screamed into panic mode it was one of those situations that you just can't believe is true and that if you stay calm and just look through your bags one more time, it'll turn up. But not in this case. We resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd have to go all the way back to Vientiane to the last place we had seen it which was at our guesthouse. We were very downhearted and couldn't believe our luck - we thought we were on our way! And getting back to Vientiane wasn't easy! First we caught a tuk tuk to the nearest village (Lak Sao) which took about an hour. Feeling so glum, we didn't even look up to notice the stunning scenery around us. We had heard that a new passport in Laos takes 3 weeks, not to mention the expenses, lost time etc. In Lak Sao the bus station didn't look promising, more of a shak. No one there spoke any English but through pointing, other sign language and place names we managed to establish that we had missed the only bus to Vientiane. We asked about getting to Paksan (the next major town) however they kept pointing to a random truck shouting a name we'd never even heard of. We had nothing to lose and they seemed pretty sure so we hopped on and hoped it would turn out alright.

After about 2 hours on the road to nowhere, passing through random dusty villages, the truck suddenly pulled over and the driver jumped out, shouting to us “Viantiane! Viantiane!” and pointing to bus behind us. It was flagged over and Gary went to sort out a lift while I got our bags off the the roof. We had flagged down the bus going the opposite direction (from Hanoi to Vientiane) and had a lift all the way into the city! We were so lucky as we thought we’d have to stay overnight somewhere.

Back in Vientiane we arrived at the guesthouse. “I stay here yesterday, leave my passport in the room” Our hearts sunk, they hadn’t found it and had cleaned the room and everything. Still, we asked if we could have a look and there was no one staying in the room (lucky, again). Deena searched under the bed, under the dresser behind the table, no luck. But then she noticed a piece of paper under the side table - Gary’s departure papers! And then there it was down the back of the table! What a relief! We asked at reception if there was any way we could get on the next bus to Hanoi (this was brave as it was another 24 hour journey to begin again and we’d already been going about 22 hours! But we just wanted to get on with it). We freshened up, had some lunch and then, before we knew it were back at the bus station a day later with an enormous sense of dejavu! We were the know-it-alls and had all the info about the bus journey for the other travellers.Once again, the bus pulled over for 'sleep-time' and this time we were so tired that we both got a little bit of a nap. And although the border was a complete nightmare (we were treated as lowest class and ignored for a couple of hours) we were please to be through into Vietnam. We still had a long journey to Hanoi though, about 10 hours!

Around 8pm we arrived in Hanoi. A lady boarded the bus "Hello, my name is Tilly" She welcomed us and explained that she'd look after us as the bus stop was far away from the city. she arranged us a taxi and offered to show us all her hotel, which we gladly accepted, it being so late at night and having travelled for around 50 hours! Her hotel WAS beautiful but when we said we needed it for a week she refused, then Gary got mad and then it wasn't on offer any more. So we were left on the crazy streets of Hanoi at 9pm with no hotel!

And the pattern continued for our stay, we had 3 hotels in 3 nights. Our first hotel had a hole in the floor and you could see into someone's kitchen, in the second one the people nearly ran Gary over with a motorbike 'as a joke' and the third was ok but very small but by then we were leaving. So much for staying a week in Hanoi!

We mostly just wandered around the old quarter in search of cheap food (which we couldn't really find). We're getting used to the Vietnamese coffee that gets made in a coffee maker placed on top of your glass (Gary always asks for some hot water to add to it as it's as strong as turkish coffee). Hanoi is very very busy and there are no crossings, so you just have to start walking accross the street and the motorbikes drive around you! Every road looks the same, it's like a warren.

The last night in Hanoi was the best. We bumped into a group from the bus, filling them in on the end of the passport story. They invited us out to dinner that night at the market. It was great! We had a hot pot where they set up a gas burner on your table with soup and veges and spices in it to which you add whetever you like. They brought a huge! plate of seafood, assorted veges, a variety of noodles - it just kept coming and coming. It was lots of fun, we shared a bottle of vodka and the Vietnamese at the next table were drinking with us. After dinner we didn't want the night to end and made our way to the swankiest spot in town 'New Century Club'. The music was terrible (pounding dance stuff) but it was interesting watching the locals mingling, no different from anywhere in the world!

Gallery: Mong Ngoi trek

deena_and_gary — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:59:00 GMT

Trekking

Mong Ngoi

deena_and_gary — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:08:00 GMT

They say flattery will get you everywhere. We think that in this case it's true. We arrived in Luang Prubang with the intention to settle down for a week and enjoy the UNESCO world heritage city. On first arrival it seemed very beautiful with temples on every corner and tasteful architecture. We spent some time wandering in the night market and picking up a few souveneirs, Gary practised his haggling and we got Rudi a birthday present. However, our plans were soon to be jolted when that night as we were having dinner and beer lao with Rudi & Christian (our travelling friends from Norway)they mentioned the trekking they were planning to do with some people they had met. 'You know, we'd prefer to go with you guys' Christian said and before long we had been persuaded. After a bit of budget juggling and a few drinks we were making plans for the trek. The next day we began to shop around for the best deal, it began to unfold that the best treks were not to be had in the Luang Prubang area and that it would be better to get a bus up North to a place called Nong Khiaw from where you catch a boat to a village called Mong Ngoi. Maybe it was the heat but we thought this sounded fun.

At 10 the next morning we were crowding onto the mini bus to take us on our adventure. We don't think they have a cap on the amount of tickets they sell because they definitely had more people than seats and Rudi and Christian ended up on plastic seats in the aisle. The boat journey from Nong Khiaw to Mong Ngoi was absolutely beautiful. It lasted about an hour in a long boat. The water was like glass and either side was bordered with lush jungle draped mountains. We passed kids bathing and buffalo relaxing. Mong Ngoi itself was very quiet, there were animals everywhere (particularly lots of cockerels who like to wake everyone up at 4am) and lots of $2 a night bungalows. Gary was feeling particularly brave as he decided to sign us up for one. It was ok and Mama (our host) was very lovely and hospitable. We met an Israeli Chinese medicine doctor in the next bungalow and Gary sat talking to him all night, well after 'lights out' (about 9.30pm) which was when the village electricity generator was switched off and it was candles or nothing! We didn't get much sleep that night because the frogs on the river were really loud.

The next morning Deena, Gary, Rudi and Christian all set out for the trek. We met our guides, Vita (an ex-monk of five years) and Pho Sai who didn't speak any English but helped carry supplies and knew all about the jungle. First we visited a cave which was where many people hid during the Indo-China war, it was very deep and we didn't go in very far.Cool, though. Then we walked through rice fields for an hour or so, their crops were sticky rice (we hadn't even realised it was a different plant) and we saw some villagers working the fields, hard work! Then we stopped off for lunch at a small village. We were greeted by the village chief and sat down to eat our fried rice. some kids became interested and one asked for a pen, which I gladly handed over - we drew 'tatoos' on his hands and arms. While strolling around the village we picked up some more kids who joined us and we sat talking with them for some time before they dragged us along to the chief's house to watch a war documentary. It seemed like all the kids in the village were gathered around this tv.

In the afternoon we began the trek for real. Three hours and mostly uphill - Deena thought she wouldn't make it! But we took breaks and managed not to die, we were all in high spirits so it was ok. Some of the climbs were almost vertical though and we weren't used to it at all. The views were truly spectacular, something that you don't imagine exists in reality - only on tv documentaries. But we were there on top of the mountains sorrounded by jungle. At about 5pm we got to a monority group village where we were staying the night. The people are called Khmu and they are originally from cambodia, they speak a different language from Laos people (however they all speak Lao too). When we first arrived they were in the middle of volleyball-like game, however it wasn't volleyball - you were only allowed to use legs and head to get the ball over the net. The ball was made out of bamboo. It looked hard and they players were very skilled, practically doing backflips getting it over the net. We then went to the Chief's house and he greeted us. We sat outside taking it all in while they prepared our dinner. It seemed like an idyllic life on the surface of it all - everyone living together with sturdy bamboo homes and plentiful animals everywhere. They cooked over an open fire for us. After a delicious dinner (they even provided vegetarian food for Deena) the Chief and his wife sat down with us to share some Laolao (sticky rice whiskey) and chat. He was good at English as he had studied a long time in Vietnam. They were very kind, friendly and hopsitable - we felt very humble. Afterwards there was more Laolao and singing and chatting around a campfire well into the night. The stars looked extraordinary from the top of mountain and we were sure that we could see the milky way. We had never seen a sky like that!

Next morning we were tired and smelly but happy, drinking coffee around the remains fo the campfire sitting with the dogs. We had a quick breakfast and then we were off again for more trekking. It seemed a lot harder than the day before - probably the accumulation of yesterday and not much sleep . About an hour of the trek was wading through a river. We hadn't been pre-warned about this and (apart from Rudi who must have been a very good boyscout - be prepared) none of us had sandals so we were barefoot. The rocks were quite sharp and Deena and Gary were being quite slow and ended up way behind the others. Gary's feet were really sore. Pho Sai was catching crabs along the way, although once he mistaked a snake hole for a crab hole. Gary wanted to poke the snake with a stick but we persuaded him to move on - probably a better idea! (Gary still disagrees). After much hard work we finally reached the end of the trek with jelly for legs, burning faces, stinking to high heaven. Luckily it all ended on a beach along the river. The water (though freezing) was divine! And it felt so good to get clean. We had potato curry and rice and more coffee before the final boat ride back to Mong Ngoi. The trek was hard, but worth it. The experience was something we will never forget.

Back at Mong Ngoi we booked into the most expensive hotel ($5) with dreams of a hot shower, but it wasn't to be. At least it was sparkling clean. That night we had one last final farewell dinner with Rudi and Christian who we have grown quite attached to. It will be strange travelling without them as we have been together throughout Laos.

The next day we made our way back to Luang Prubang in a converted truck which we shared with other travellers, locals and even some chickens and ducks. Luang Prubang hasn't been very lucky for us - we got sold ANOTHER lot of dud batteries (batteries have been the bane of our life here) and got a $50 note that no-one would change although we finally managed to get rid of it, and we got a bathroom where the water won't drain. But we think most of all we're tired and we've been here a month now and it's starting to hit us. We're starting to miss things from home. We'll be over it in a few days though (we hope)and it's probably just the after effects of the hard trek, the Laolao and long journeys. Tomorrow we're making our way back to Vientiane for our final days in Laos before Vietnam! Hopefully the change of scenery will refresh us a bit!

Vang Vieng

deena_and_gary — Wed, 8 Nov 2006 17:25:00 GMT

Whenever we spoke to other travellers about Vang Vieng, we always got the same reply, ‘Oh, everyone goes there… it’s so touristy… there’s more falang (foreigners) there than locals’ (sounds like Dubai!). In the guide book it was a similar opinion. We decided to try it anyway. What no one mentioned was how beautiful it is, how peaceful and fun! I guess there’s a reason why the falang flock here. Although we’ve been having an easy, lazy time here getting here was not so easy!

Friday morning we found our way to Talat So bus station in Vientiane however it was not like Thailand, we couldn’t figure out where to go, which bus it was… luckily a friendly Lao man tried to warn us that, ‘this bus takes many hours, maybe 5 or 6 and very crowded because everyone want to use it, very cheap’ he pointed out a yellow bus (like an American school bus), it sounded alright to us! Once again, it was so different to Thailand. Instead of an underneath store for our bags they were tied to a piece of rope and hauled onto the roof with the bags of dried fish and boxes. The gangway was covered in sacks of flour and we had to clamber over huge buckets of paint to get to our prefered seat at the back (leg room for Gary). Once we got going it was actually quite pleasant as we had lots of space at the back (no one else could be bothered to clamber over the paint). All was ok until all of a sudden there was an explosive sound and fragments flew through the air. The bus pulled over. We’d had a tyre blowout (although of course you imagine the worst… Gary thought we’d been shot at). But still the bus rambled on, one tyre down, round and round up the mountains. The scenery was stunning. Eventually we pulled up to a tiny village infront of a little shack. We got off and instantly two boys (about 12 years old) began changing the tyre, very adept they were too! Better than KwikFit. About half an hour later we were on our way again.

As the bus pulled onto a patch of tarmac (about the size of a football field) the conductor called out ‘Vang Vieng’ and we all disembarked in the middle of nowhere. This was their ‘bus station’ and apparently their airplane landing strip too. We instantly had the offer of a free tuktuk ride into town if we checked out this hotel, no strings. Sounded ok to us and it turned out to be a really nice place, we got our own bungalow for half the price we were paying in Vientiane, the cheapest place yet in fact! (Gary managed to negotiate a discount for a weeks stay as usual).

We’ve mainly spent our time here relaxing, drinking fruit shakes and eating baguette sandwiches. On the second day here we rented two bicycles and rode around the sorrounding area. It was really nice and the fields smelt of England, we found a country path to ride along but mainly stayed on ‘highway’ 13, although it’s not a Western image of a highway! We rode down to an organic farm that specialised in Mulberry, I tried mulberry tea, we had mulberry shakes and mulberry crisps. Got a bit mulberried out! Later on we got a flyer inviting us to a ‘full moon party’ with a ‘fireshow’ – this sounded good and we recruited our Norwegian friends (who are also in Vang Vieng) to come too. The show didn’t start until 11pm so we wasted some time and got there about. The place was wonderful with a big open log fire under the starts and platforms over the river with hammocks (which we tried at first but after a while the swinging was making Gary dizzy!) We had a lovely evening chatting with our friends but by 12.30 there had been no show, we came to the conclusion that the ‘show’ was the log fire… a translation thing I think!

The other thing that Vang Vieng is famous for is TUBING (Uncle Bob was making fun of this). You get taken upstream and given an inflated tractor inner tube to float down the river. It was really great! The water was a little cold but in the sun we soon got used to it. Soon we came to the first of many riverside ‘BeerLoa Bars’ (which also sold other refreshments luckily!) mostly made from wood, some locals ‘rescued’ us from the river with bamboo poles and pulled us into shore. From there you could sunbathe, have a drink and, best of all, use their rope swings. I admit I was a BIG WIMP and opted out (though I’m regreting it now) but Gary had a go. He climbed up a ladder onto a high platform over the water. You hold onto a wooden bar attached to the rope and swing out over the water! Gary found it exhilerating, the swing being as high as a house you would! There were more of these along the river (getting higher and higher it seemed) however at the third one Gary’s hand slipped and he twisted his middle finger knuckle. It swelled up instantly so he was out of actiong for swinging from then on (and also out of actiong for paddling, Deena had to pull him home once it started getting cold in the water!). Another side-effect of the wonderful day of tubng on the river was that Gary got sunburnt! And he’s still suffering three days on (I think we’ll be lathering on the sunblock from now on). So since then we’ve mostly been recovering and enjoying the lush landscpaes of Vang Vieng.

Gallery: Vang Vieng

deena_and_gary — Wed, 8 Nov 2006 16:54:00 GMT

Beautiful Landscapes

Overnight Train - Vientiane

deena_and_gary — Thu, 2 Nov 2006 17:18:00 GMT

I don't think either of us were looking forward to the long journey planned for the 30th of October. It would take us first from Kanchunaburi to Bangkok then north through Thailand by train to arrive the next morning at the border town of Nong Khai, following which we would cross the border into Laos and to the capital Vientiane. In the end it wasn't that bad! Once we were dropped off at Bangkok Southern Terminal we had our first dose of taxi madness that would plague the rest of the day. Although they have big signs on the roof that say 'Meter Taxi' actually getting them to turn on the meter is hardwork! (Near on impossible). As soon as you mention the meter they pull a face and wave you away, or wind up the window. Still it ends up costing about half the price if you persevere. We ended up with about 7 hours to kill in Bangkok which was a bit of a trial with our big heavy backpacks in the midday sun. We went to Khao San Road, the travellers 'haven' in the city, which is really something else! It's stall after stall of hippy headbands and fake CDs, bangkok tshirts next to Irish pubs, vege spring roll stalls next to macdonalds. It's a world like no other. We were sweltering so resigned ourselves to paying through the nose for the privelege of an 'Air-Con Coffee Bar' as Gary has calls them then went in search of a highly recommended Vege Restaurant. It turned out to be a small makeshift type restaurant run by a sweet lady with really delicious Thai vege food all for less than 2 dollars for two people. Finally, we got bored and decided to go straight to Hua Lamphong Station and wait there, we sat on the floor reading for three hours.

At 8.15pm we boarded the train. It was better than we expected and quite cosy. The upper bunks were already made up but the lower ones were converted into two seats. We had an upper and a lower. We had been warned that the upper ones were extremely claustraphobic but Deena (who was assigned a topbunk for 'safety' reasons by Gary) found them to be quite spacious and with the curtains drawn we began calling the bunks our 'bedrooms' the had little reading lamps and everything. While we settled in the attendant went around converting all the lower bunks into beds while peddlars came round with drinks and snacks. And soon we were off... It's wonderful looking out the window on the train but this train began very slowly! And there wasn't much to see in the dead of night. So Deena settled down reading while Gary went to have a cigarette. After a while she began to wonder where he'd got to and he soon came back with the news that he'd made some Norwegian friends and was going to have a beer with them and he'd be back soon. Two and a half hours later, still no Gary! Deena could see the odd flash of Norwegian guy in the next carriage. Finally Gary crept sheepishly into his bunk and we all tried to get to sleep. But it was not to be! The air-con was definitely working well and were more of a curse than a blessing! We almost froze to death! Especially with only one very thin towel-cover as they use here.

The next morning Deena was very grumpy due to getting no sleep and this was not helped by the stares of the Thai ladies opposite and the hustle bustle of everyone waking up at the same time on a train! But after having a few green-tea custard bun she was revived and ready to face the next few bits of travel. Upon arrival at NongKhai train station we were isntantly whisked away in a tuktuk to the Thai-Lao friendship bridge to begin crossing the border and unfortunately didn't get to see a bit of Nong Khai! There were lots of forms to fill out but as far as applying for a visa and crossing a border goes it was ok. All the tourists were herded onto a bus to cross the bridge across the Mekong and deposited on the Lao side. Soon we were in another tuktuk making our way to Vientiane.

Often when you read and research a place you have an idea in your mind of what it would be like and then when you get there it's a shock. Vientiane was a pleasant suprise - its quiter and more laid back than expected, certainly a lot more tiny (more like a town than a capital city) and more modern than expected. As Gary wrote in his journal, it is like water about to boil, quite and still on the surface but bubbling away underneath. It's beautiful in a shabby-chique way and is more old worldy than anything in Thailand. It also feels safer and less agressive. You can walk from one side to the other in about 20 minutes. While we've been here we've spent a lot of time with our new Norwegian friends (Christian and Roody). Our guesthouse is a rambling old villa with old passageways and huge hallways that feels like something out of a mystery novel! Yesterday we went to the morning market and brought some more clothes as we were constantly running out (fake polo tshirt and a cheap sarong). We also did a walking tour of all the main temples, we didn't go in any of them but will do as we're coming back to Vientiane later on. The food here is less spicy and easier for Deena to find vege options - we went to a vege food buffet for 1.3 dollars a head and went to the 'best noodle place in Laos' which was like a converted garage with plastic tables... so cheap and so good! Yesterday we went bowling with the Norwegians! We felt quite strange bowling in Laos! And then we all had dinner, the boys tried stuffed frog and roast quail. Gary has so far declined on trying the deep fried crickets and grubs. Today we're relaxing and probably going to the National Museum before our trip to Vang Vieng tomorrow!

Gallery: Vientiane

deena_and_gary — Thu, 2 Nov 2006 17:00:00 GMT

Gallery: Overnight Train

deena_and_gary — Thu, 2 Nov 2006 16:39:00 GMT

Gallery: kanchanaburi 2

deena_and_gary — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 19:37:00 GMT

beautiful sights

Kanchanburi Part 2

deena_and_gary — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 19:15:00 GMT

We're still alive and kicking (each other! Hahaha) For all it's faults (a bit overly touristy, possible sewage contamination in the water, mangey dogs and the fact our room hasn't been cleaned) Kanchanaburi really is a charming and beautiful place. We've had a lovely week here relaxing and taking in the sights. On Wednesday we signed up for a tour to the 'Tiger Temple Experience' we weren't sure what we were in for, but it was quite an experience. The ride there was in a converted pick-up with a bunch of other travellers (strangely enough, all English and around our age). It was the first time we really got chatting to other 'farang' (foreign) people here and we managed to extract some useful travel tips. There were, of course, the know-it-all backpackers, one of which came out with the comment, 'Trust me mate, once you're travelled a bit more you'll realise.... ' etc. He was here with his mum, guess where from! COLCHESTER! Small world!

We got to the temple and had a dusty walk to the 'Tiger Canyon'. We saw the crowd from a distance & it transpired that you queued up outside the roped-off section & two assistants took you in one by one. You were shuffled from tiger to tiger to have your picture taken (Gary got 18 but the batteries ran out on me - I can't say I was dissapointed). They looked well taken care of but I just didn't like it. It was all too strange. We've since had discussions with people and the theory is that they're not drugged but very well trained in the manner of a dog (ie sit still while hordes of tourists swamp around you and then you'll get you're dinner type of thing). I'm sure the monk handlers know what they're doing but I don't doubt that eventually someone's gonna get really hurt. Afterwards we were led to another area to watch the animals getting fed (these were water buffalo, pigs, deer, cows, ponies) and at this stage a Belgian girl who was with us was up-ended by a water buffalo! It wasn't too safe!

The other trip we did was to the Erawan National Park to see the seven tiered waterfalls. It's a 2.5km climb up hill but the hardest part was the bus getting there. We were both a bit groggy and grumpy when we got on but it didn't help that it left 50 minutes late, Gary had to crunch up in order to fit his legs in and I was getting whipped by the wind. BUT we got there eventually and it was worth it. The waterfalls were so beautiful. The climb was hard up paths, steep steps (mostly made of wood) and clambering over rocks. It was so stunning, something that you don't believe really exists, it's idyllic. There were butterflies the size of my hand in many different shapes and colours, little skinks everywhere and we saw our first monkeys up in the trees. Luckily they behaved thamselves! So did we! We stayed on the ground, they stayed in the trees. By about the fifth tier (around an hour of climbing) we were really sweaty and hot (lovely!) and decided to break for a swim in one of the pools of water. Gary proclaimed it was FREEZING and only really got up to his knees but I plunged it. It was one of the most beautiful swims I've ever had! There were loads of little fish that tried to nibble our feet and legs which felt weird! The viw at the top of the falls was incredible.

That night we met a couple that had been on the tiger tour with us and we got chatting and ended up having dinner with them and Gary got quite tiddly. I'm not drinking here because the only thing we can afford is beer and I think I've got an allergy to it as I get itchy spots on my fingers and they swell up. Apart from that we've mainly been relaxing, watching the beautiful sunsets and eating yummy thai (and western for me, I'm fussy I know, but I AM vegetarian) food. My favourite dish so far is a tangy fried noodle salad and Gary likes that best too! (We'll have to try it out at home). It's our last day here today and then we're catching a bus to Bangkok for the overnight train to north Thailand were we are going over the border to Laos. Will catch up with you from there!