So back into 'Nam, and you know about it the moment you step into Vietnamese territory. Coming from laid back, rural Cambodia into bustling, populated and concreted Vietnam is quite the contrast. But we were still in the hills, so nice enough. The short drive to Kon Tum was marred by the death of a little puppy - merciless driving :(, but the town was pleasant, nestled in the coffee-covered hills.
Onwards to Danang through some stunning scenery, paralleling the Ho Chi Minh Trail trod by the tenacious North Vietnamese. But it wasn't so much the scenery we were focused on, rather our means of self preservation which unfortunately we had no control over. The Vietnamese are notoriously bad drivers and up until now we have managed to do OK with it. This trip however was ridiculous. We spent the majority of the time on the wrong side of the median strip, and passing on blind corners...not a problem apparantly, well, at least nothing a last-minute swerve can't fix. As for the other 18 passengers (in a minivan, yep a 7 seater in our world), they didn't seem to care at all that their lives were being toiled with by the moustached freak at the wheel. But we obviously survived, Costa adamant it was trains from now on!
A short hop from the well-placed city of Danang to Hoi An, an ancient city steeped in Vietnamese history and trade with the outside world. Beautifully restored French Coonial buildings, and quiet, motor-less streets for the tourists....it made for a very relaxed atmosphere. By the second day however it started to feel more and more like Disneyland, it's existance only for the fruits of the pockets of tourists. Fair enough I suppose.
We managed to escape the sideshow to the ancient ruins of My Son, occupied between the 4th and 13th Century by the Cham people and more recently bombed by the Americans. Some pretty cool stuff, and amazing sculptural work with hints of Javanese and Khmer influence. They certainly found a cool spot in a granitic amphitheatre cloaked in rich forest.
Some premium beaches around Hoi An to chill at, pineapples and mangoes on the beach is a favourite pastime of mine. From Hoi An we caught a train to another historically important city, Hue, the site if the Imperial City and an access point to the DMZ (Demilitiarised Zone, during the Vietnam War). By this stage, Costa had been complaining about a headache, nausea, fever and general 'feel-like-shitness' for about 5 days, so we figured it was time to see a quack. Hue Hospital it was, though of a somewhat standard than what we may be used ot back home. Ushered to a blood stained bed, the rubbish bins were over-flowing with used bandages and needles and we were seperated from the yelping, screaming and groaning neighbouring patients by a blood splattered curtain - all of whose troubles seemed far worse than Costas. For those who know me well, hospital-going is not my forte, and I was constantly in and out of the building searching for fresh air. I was perplexed by the placement of a mini-theme park opposite the hospital, as it meant whether inside or outside my ears were met with screaming, either of pleasure or pain. It certainly added to the atmosphere!
Anyway, about the sick one. The doc thought it was Dengue Fever, a mosquito-borne disease that is very common in the tropics. Nausea, high fever, bone-aches and intense headaches are all symptoms during the acute phase which lasts about 7 days. It was suggested Costa stay the night, but we both figured we would be in a more hygienic environment back at our guesthouse. So with drugs in tow, off we went. To cut an already long story short, Costa got better, but the headaches returned after a few days. We checked into the Australian Embassy Clinic in Vientiane, Laos, where Dengue was confirmed, and he is well over the worst and now into the chronic stage, which means he can expect to be unwell for the next couple of months. bummer, but could be worse.
We sought refuge and solace in a magnificently secluded granite boulder creek about 50km south of Hue, at Suoi Voi Creek. Delicous, fresh, cool water, and boulder-hopping upstream to more inviting pools was a great way to ease the effects of the fever.
So we spent a few extra days in Hue to recover, exploring the impressive Imperial city on the north-west bank of the Perfume River. Bullet-riddled buildings and bombed ruins are slowly being reconstructed, but it was a very grand and stately place.
More war remnants were encountered in the DMZ orth of Hue. We visited the Vinh Moc tunnels which the unfortunate locals had to dig when they found themselves precariously placed in one of the most intensely bombed areas in Vietnam. Up to 40m deep, the tunnels were amazing and conveniently located close to some of the best beaches we have found in Vietnam, and best of all we were the only ones there.
Westward now to Laos, we farwelled Vietnam for the second time, and after much haggling to avoid the ubiquitious rip-off merchants in this country, we managed to negotiate our way through the Troung Son mountains and into the hills of Laos.
