BANGKOK : Oriental city with population of around 12 million .... and another 6 million commute daily into Bangkok to work. Locals recognise 4 capitals within the city boundaries. We stayed at what the locals call Angel Bangkok
What a mind blowing place. We stayed with family at the Montien Bangkok which is located in the night market area, Patpong 1 and Patpong 2. My brother had been refused travel at Wgton airport because his passport was due to lapse within the week !!!! So, the rest of us took off and he caught us up in Bangkok for the last night ( of course we all took the piss when he arrived about " 1 night in Bangkok " ).
Whilst in Bangkok, we did the following amazing things :
Visited the night markets .. visited the weekend Chatuchak markets ( went there on the fastest underground train I have ever been on which took us from one side of the city to the other in 20 mins ) .. went to the Blue Elephant restaurant where our own private chefs cooked us a 12 course meal to die for ( it was my nephew's 40th and his father-in-laws 60th ). I went to the floating markets and saw snake charming ( cobras and others ) and elephants ( very revered in Thailand ) .. went on a klong canal tour by longboat ... and hung out at Joe's bar during the evening drinking the very cheap grog and eating streetfood (yum, I will never cook again!!!)
(When I learn how to transfer photos from my phone to the tablet, I will add photos )
Now we are in Chiang Mai which is another story for another time.
CHIANG MAI
Our second amazing destination. Here we hired a tour guide and his driver who took us wherever we wanted to go. Total cost for 7 of us for 2 days was about $40 plus a tank of fuel ... which cost around $45. We went elephant riding, spent an afternoon at an orphanage where we took pressies to the kids who were all infected with HIV since birth. Fortunately, the Thai govt is now paying for these kids to receive the antiviral vaccine which is keeping them alive longer. We also visited an astonishing Bhuddist temple where every statue was covered in gold leaf and our guide took us to his favorite restaurant which the tourists haven't found yet !!!! ?... bonus. On day 2, I found a Chinese accupuncture clinic and had some work done on my left archilles tendon which has been playing up for over a year. The others went to a tiger sanctuary where my brother actually lay down next to a 22 month old tiger .... about 4 meters long ... he used the tigers belly for a pillow and the cat didn't move a muscle .... freaky. Roz had a full Thai massage and my brother had his feet cleaned by tiny skin eating fish.
We also visited the night markets and resumed our acquaintance with the amazing street food served up by the locals.
UDON THANI
After leaving Chiang Mai, we flew to U THANI and stayed about 45km out of the city in the heart of rural Thailand. Roz and I hadn't been expecting this isolation but what a highlight. The villa owner gave us a private tuk tuk to drive around in and this had the local farming community in fits of laughter as we bumped our way over the clay roads amongst the paddy fields. Our first meal at the villa was an experience in itself. 7 of us sat down around a massive teak table on huge teak chairs. During the meal my brother got up and there was this wierd noise that we couldn't identify. He sat down and continued his meal but after a while got up again and moved away from the table .... the noise came back then NEK MINIT ....the whole dining room floor collapsed underneath us and we fell about a meter to the ground below .... furniture, hot food, table decorations, cutlery, crockery .... the whole bloody shooting match. We sat there a bit stunned then with the assistance of the panicked owner and his staff, extricated ourselves from the wreckage. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and when we recovered from the fright, we sat about killing ourselves with laughter. The owner was still mortified and couldn't understand why we thought it was so funny. We thought initially that the 7 of us hefty kiwis had overtaxed the local building code but it turned out, after an inspection by the owner, that termites had eaten through the floor joists over time, and the timber had chosen our mealtime to let go ..... what a hoot .... unforgettable.
We lounged by the pool, ate, drank, read books and tuk tuk'd about the place for 3 days .... fabulous. On the last night, the owner organised a private fireworks display and we sent about 30 chinese laterns kilometers up into the sky .... truely amazing.
KRABI
.... or more specifically, Ao Nang, was our final Thai destination whilst with family. We stayed at this beachside resort for 5 nights where it rained for most of our stay ... mind you, it was the end of the rainy season and not cold like it is at home when it rains. The weather didn't stop us swimming in the pool and getting out and about. I decided that this was the place to get the very scratched lenses in my specs replaced. I wandered into this random optometrist and we became mates when he realised that NZ was my homeland. He had visited twice in the past and loved it. He got my specs fixed in 4 days and I saved NZ$300.00 by having it done in Thailand .... no GST to start off with ... then I managed to barter him down about 80 bucks as well. The only problem was that the family had to order my meals 'cause I couldn't read the bloody menus !!!! Worth it though ,,,, now I have clear vision ..... hearing's still stuffed though !!!!
Went walking on the beach and saw a troup of wild monkeys come out of the nearby jungle to harrass the tourists .... I kept my distance while brave Rozzie got in close to take photos.
On the last day, family returned to NZ and some went off to Cambodia leaving Roz and me without our safety net !!!! We traveled 30 mins up the road and stayed in Krabi town for one more night. When we got there, the hotel owner popped us in her car and dropped us into the shopping centre where the Chinese community were celebrating their annual vegetarian festival. They were parading down the street all costumed up, in their hundreds .... a bit gruesome though 'cause all the young men were slashing their tongues with long machetes, daggers and razor blades, letting the blood run down their chins onto their upper bodies. Others in the parade looked like they were in a trance like state .... maybe enhanced by funny substances ???
And talk about fireworks in the parade .... something like we've never witnessed. The guys carrying some of the symbolic props danced about in these exploding fireworks without regard to their personal safety .... and not just once ,,, about every 5 mins during the parade. In the end, the blood and smell of cordite, saw us seek out the local temple for some sight seeing in silence. We collapsed into bed early that night ready for an early flight to Malaysia next morning.
MALAYSIA - total popn 28 million
Kuala Lumpur - Capital City - popn around 7.4 m in city and adjoining Klang valley
Our main purpose of coming to Malaysia was to catch up with our backpacker friend, Cynthia Chong who lived with us for 6 weeks during the 2011 apple season. Cynnie said that if we ever came to Malaysia, she would show us round. True to her word, she took time off work and took us by car to the South of Malaysia ... firstly to the historic port of Malacca and then to her home city of Johor Barhu where we met her mum. Michelle, Cynthia's sister, accompanied us on the 4 day trip. Zooming down the motorways at 150kph, we soon learnt that Asian drivers make up the rules as they go along .. right down to running red lights. The cops do it as well !!! When Cynnie was pulled over for a minor traffic issue, she simply bribed the cop, explaining to us that this was far cheaper than paying the fine .... unbelievable. When we were in J. Bahru, I had another accupuncture experience on my failing archilles tendon. Expecting that it would be the same gentle process that I had in Thailand, when the new Dr hooked me up to the electricity, he had my whole leg in spasms and me screaming in pain with the sweat simply , leaking out of me. He explained that the initial treatment I'd had simply wasn't grunty enough !!! and also gave me more high powered drugs. Amazingly, less than a week later, my tendon has improved out of sight .. I hope its a total cure as the Dr suggests it should be.
We were really lucky as we encountered a public holiday while we were here, and one of Cynthia's colleagues, who had previously worked in Singapore, offered to show us around this fine place ... she said this with a grin .. and implied that it was a fine place to visit and that the authorities would be quick to fine anyone for any misdemeanor. In total contrast to Malaysia, it is clean, well organised and has rules to be obeyed. Roz loved it and said that she could live there ... despite the heat being in the 30s and us having to rush into nearby shopping centres for the air conditioning !!!!
After our visit down Sth, we returned to KL for another 4 nights ... 3 in the central city and 1 an hour out of town closer to the airport for a smoother getaway on 20th Oct bound for Penang to catch up with some 2013 backpackers we worked with. In total we have spent 7 nights in KL and visited the museum, Chinatown, the KL birdpark, Batu Caves ( a Hindhu shrine ), Petronas twin towers and Genting highlands ( 6.8 km on the steepest gondola I've been on ... above the jungle to the top of a mountain that had a lot of touristy things to do including a full sized theme park ,, closed for 2 yrs of upgrading !!! )
Our total visit time in Malaysia will be 2 weeks, , a bit longer than we anticipated but great to catch up with people we know and enjoy the Malaysian hospitality where visitors are treated like royalty.
TRAVELLING ROUND SO FAR
OK ... so how have we been getting around.
Air Travel ... the Asian airlines, by NZ standards, are as cheap as chips and the aircraft fleet and service is exactly as we would expect it at home ... right down to the inflight info spoken in English (but you have to listen hard as some of the accents are a bit difficult to interpret !!!). Tomorrow, we are flying from the capital city of Malaysia to Northwest Malaysia - the island of Penang to be precise. This is about an hour's flight ... from Napier to Auck in comparison. Total cost for the 2 of us is $NZ 74.00 ... simply a no brainer when it comes to getting around. And if you get in early, you can pick up flights cbeaper than this e.g. the same journey about 4 days ago would have cost $NZ 40.00 but we were unsure of when we would be leaving at that stage. A bit of apprehension however when we read in the local papers that one airline we have flown on recently, had a prop aircraft slide off the end of the runway in wet weather and another, tragically, crashed into the Mekong river during a storm, killing all aboard. Roz reckons that she wants to pop her clogs in NZ thanks very much !!!
Travel by bus ... airport transfers are in well appointed air cond coaches - quite comfortable but when you get to your destination at the bus stop in the city with backpacks attached, you're pretty much on your own in the best high temps the country can muster ... consequently, you are soaked in sweat by the time you've walked 100 metres. Travel by bus in the cities is a different matter. The buses are well used and haven't seen an interior clean since they were built in the 1970's. With such a huge travelling population however, you just have to accept this if you want a cheap way to get around a city.The "hop on, hop off" buses in the cities are designed for the tourist and are clean, double decked with an open deck upstairs in some cases, and we would thoroughly recommend them as a quick way of seeing the high spots of a big city ... very cheap too. The coaches that transport tourists to outer regions of big cities are well appointed too .... its just the run of tne mill commuter buses that are a bit dodgy.
Travel by underground train .... if you want to get from one side of a big city to another in lightening fast time, this is the way to go. No traffic to contend with is a real bonus and again, a cheap way to get around. You got to study the the electronic in carriage map constantly and listen hard to the onboard announcements (all in English as well as the local dialect) so that you get of at the right station. Underground trains are popular with the locals, modern and clean but they are big by our standards and passengers sometimes pack in like the proverbial sardines so you gota get up close and personal !!!! Elderly people, people with injuries, pregnant women and in Thailand, Buddhist monks, have preferential access to seating .. I am in tbe old people category so no wucckers there !!!!
Travel by Tuk Tuk ... is an experience not to be missed. Usually a little more expensive than a taxi, the price should be negotiated with the driver before you get on. Be prepared for the joy ride of your life and be prepared to laugh like hell.
Traffic on the roads ... is unreal by NZ standards. You've got to keep bearing in mind you are an insignificant one of millions of people making their way about. To cross a road as a pedestrian, you soon get the hang of the "asian shuffle" and for those of you that don't understand this expression, ask me to explain it face to face ... too tricky to write down. If you don't adopt this philosophy, you will soon be maimed or perhaps killed as a pedestrian !!!! Expect traffic jams and gridlocks particularly in the cities ... this is the way of life and if you are gonna lose your cool about it, then you will be constantly in road rage mode. In Kuala Lumpur whilst on a tourist bus one day, Roz and I got caught up in a 3 hour traffic gridlock from 5pm to 8pm. By the time we got to where we were going, we had travelled about 6km ... what an experience. We were upsatirs on a double deck bus and we just had to laugh most of the way because Asians just make up the road rules as they go along ... to hell with red lights , simply ignore them ... if there is a gap, just head for it.. other motorists will avoid you cause they are practicing exactly the same rules. As long as you are going in the rough direction you want to go in, its all good.
Travel by car ... you know how we diss Asian drivers in NZ ,,,, well, all respect for them here. We must just have the ones who failed in Asia !!!! I reckon that Asian drivers must have about 3 sets of eyes in order to survive without maiming both themselves and their vehicles every time they go on the road. It's just too difficult to put into words but Roz and I have lots of experiences and stories to tell you when we next meet about the extraordinary driving in Asia and we have only visited 2 countries so far !!!!
Walking - in the humidity with temps mostly in the mid 30's, is an arduous task. You simply have to be prepared to sweat all over your body and drink heaps of water. Footpaths, where they exist, are an absolute hazzard .... nothing is level or without potholes and the paths in front of shops are smooth ceramic tiles - slippery as hell especially after rain. There are also small steps on footpaths and no hole is covered or roped off .... injury could be quite nasty if you should slip or fall ... so far, fortunately, neither of us have but I have had some close shaves ...
FOOD
As Roz predicted before we came, Asian food is not really to her taste .... but, gotta say that she has been more adventurous than I thought and has tried many different food types and styles. If she eats any more chicken though, I reckon she will start clucking !! Roz has definitely lost weight so far with the Thai and Malaysian cuisine. On the flip side however, I am loving it and have learnt a lot about the Asian cooking styles from the locals accompanying us. All the weight Roz has lost, I have found !!! Gonna have to make a concerted effort when we get back to NZ. We have eaten out for every meal since we have been in Asia ... not many of the locals cook at home on a regular basis unless it's an occasion. Why ?? ?..because food is soooo cheap and fresh,,, especially street food. Quite easy to get a large yummy meal for around $NZ 4.00 and you can choose to eat it there on tne street at a nearby table, or they will package it to take away ... along with the accompanying sauces, each in its own bag. If we eat out at a restaurant, the avaerage cost for the 2 of us, including drinks, is around $NZ 16.00 - 20.00. We took Cynthia and her sister out for a flash meal in KL at a nice restaurant ... total cost for 4 of us, including drinks,,,,, $NZ72.00 !!!! That's why the locals eat out.
PENANG
Our final Malaysian stop, this histrorical ( world heritage site ) city is in the Northwest of the country, an island connected to the mainland by the most massive bridge we have ever seen. It has a blending of English, Indian, Chinese, Arabian and naturally, Malay cultures with a poulation around 3/4 million. We caught up with more friends made during the 2013 apple season and they treated us with the usual Malaysian hospitality taking us to any destination we wished, returning us to our hotel in Georgetown when we were shattered !!! The buildings in Penang reflect the different cultures over the ages and display its rich and diverse nature. We found Penang a lot cleaner than other parts of Malaysia we have visited and more organised. We also saw and photographed, some of the fascinating wall art dotted around the city
We visited the butterfly farm ( Jude if you are reading this, its a place you would never want to leave !!! ), Burmese and Thai Bhuddist temples, Penang Hill, Fort Cornwallis, Little India ( a suburb of town devoted to the Indian people ), the marina, the waterfront at night (Guerney Drive ) and Kek Lok Si .... the largest Bhuddist temple in SE Asia. This we accomplished in 2 days thanks to Fonda and Sean ... two of the lovliest people one could meet. In the Bhuddist faith, it is expected that at some stage of their lives, the male will live the true life of a monk .. even if just for a day. Sean explained that he had spent a week as a monk some years ago and I was fascinated by his knowledge of the religion. Sean also took us out for a feast ... my God, I have never seen so much food ordered for 3 people in my life >>> but, against all odds, we munched our way through it ... rather, Sean and I did with Roz nibbling at the bits she recognised !!! We flew out of Penang, bound for Phuket, on 23/10/13 with the main aim of getting dental work for Roz.
PHUKET
Well, here we are back in Thailand. Today is 24/10/13 and the dental work is organised. Totally mind blowing when you can walk in off the street without an appointment, see the dentist, get x rays done, have a consultation where the dentist explains what you are up against and then have all the work quoted for your consideration. And for a fraction of the cost in NZ ... no wonder people from all over the world come to Thailand for dental surgery. We will be here in this tourist mecca for 7 days to accomplish what is needed for Roz. Can't say that it is one of my favourite Thai spots .. full of embarrassing Australians on holiday and to make matters worse, the locals mistake Roz and I for Aussies ,,, how rude !!! We didn't stay in Phuket proper - we stayed in Patong beach .. the next bay over from Phuket. We did, however, visit the night markets in Phuket where I brought half a cooked duck, takeaway, ready to eat with accompanying Thai sauces for $NZ 8.00. It was simply superb and took me 2 days to finish !!! By now though, night markets are a bit same-same all over SE Asia ... but you can pick up some good bargains if you are prepared to haggle ... which is no problem for me. You've just got to be polite and realise that everyone has to make a living. One paramount thing to always bear in mind is that the Thai do not raise their voices and as soon as you get into an argument and raise yours, you lose face and they are likely to laugh in embarrassment ... so, softly, softly when bartering and everyone comes out a winner. Pays to talk to the locals as well.
We actually got kidnapped ( twice in one day ) very cleverly by holiday companies selling their holiday club packages ... similar to timeshare. We saw the second one coming but just went along for the ride for fun ,,, and to fill in the day as we hadn't much else to do. Their concept is a good one if you've got a spare $15k lying about. We let them lead us up the garden path then said an emphatic NO at the end. How do they rake you in .... guys on motorbikes of course ... fast smooth talkers who approach you in the street saying " do you speak English" as though fhey are asking for directions !!!!
We also did an amazing night show called Phuket Fantasea ... would totally recommend this one to anyone travelling to Phuket or surrounding bays.During the 1.5 hr show, as well as amazingly costumed actors, we saw ghe following animals incorporated into the show - 15 elephants on stage at once (so you can imagine the size of the stage), goats, chickens, doves, a buffalo, a horse and a live tiger .. all loose on stage at various times. It was colouful, had a story theme told in English along with amazing lighting and pyrotechnics ... had us spellbound. And we got our photos taken with the elephants outside.
Anyway, as I previously said, Phuket wasn't really my scene ... far too many tourists mainly Russians and Aussies outdoing each other in the rudeness stakes !!! We had had enough at tbe end of 8 days but Roz had her teeth fixed and I even got mine cleaned ... I swear, the dentist didn't leave a millimeter untouched and went over them 3 times with different dental gadetry ... all for a fraction of the cost at home.
PHOTOS SO FAR .. WHERE ARE THEY ????
..... sorry ,,,, as I have had no instruction on how to maintain the blog, once I put the initial pics on, I then had no idea as to adding more .. tried a couple of times but it took so much time, I got frustrated, told it some choice words and gave up. We have 100's of photos as you can imagine. They are pretty well catalogued and for those who are really interested, we can bore you to infinity next time we catch up face to face !!!!
VIETNAM
... total population 90 million living in 63 states. The area of the country is about the same size as Malaysia where 29 million people live ,,,, so, obviously, more humans to the square metre ,,,, and we thought Malaysia was bad. We have to keep reminding ourselves. that Vietnam has spent most of its existence being invaded by other countries or in civil war; this has stymied its development and it is only since the war that ended in 1975, that progress has been made ... most of it in the last 20 to 25 years. When viewed in this light, Vietnam has come a long way in a short space of time ... but it has much to do yet in order to give its huge population a less fortunate lifestyle. The average wage in Vietnam at present, is just a little over $300 per month !!!! The government still has a communistic approach to things ,,, sometimes a good thing, sometimes bad.
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) ... population 10 million. Number of motorcycles estimated at 5 million. So the traffic in the city is mainly on two wheels and is absolutely insane and just to confuse us kiwis, they drive on the RHS of the road .... bloody scary when no one has prepared you for it and you leap in a taxi and take off. Most bikes have 2 people up, but it's nothing to see 3 adults or 2 adults to kids travelling around. Also, the goods that can be carted on 2 wheels is unbelievable .. ladders, panes of glass, roofing downpipes 3m long, huge boards with scores of automotive mirrors attached and that's not to mention the bikes with side wagons attached selling street food. These are common in SE Asia and they really don't surprise us any more.
We stayed in HCMC for 2 nights, which was enough. Had heaps of laughs and made friends with the locals and came to realise that Vietnamese people are super polite and can't wait to please the tourists. We stayed next to the Ben Thanh markets in district 1 HCMC. A bit risky and we had to be on our guard at all times for pickpockets and theives who would think nothing of snatching whatever they could get their hands on. Roz witnessed a couple of dudes running like racehorses with cops on motorbikes in hot pursuit outside our hotel one afternoon. Roz also made friends with a young guy working in the restaurant next door .. he gave us lots of good advice about the places we would be visiting in Vietnam during our stay, including the speciality foods in each area.
The Mekong Delta
I took a day guided tour of the delta which was a featured area during the Vietnam war. Incidentally, the war ended 38 years ago .. 1975. The delta is made up of the Mekong river which splits into 7 braids when it enters Vietnam. 17 million people live on the delta in villages and on boats. The boat people never migrate to the land and travel the delta constantly eeking out a living. Boat children receive no formal eduacation and learn survival skills from their elders ... thus perpetuating the next generation. On the tour, I visited a buddhist pagoda ( another amazing setup ), took a boat trip downriver and lunched in an orchard and visited a village. The village specialised in making coconut candy from the adjoining coconut orchards. The villagers split the coconut and took the flesh from the husk. The flesh was pulped and cooked then honey was added. This brew was transferred to a table for cooling and cutting. It was then wrapped individually and packaged for sale. It had a delicious flavour and I bought some to bring home. It took 4 hours by bus to and from Ho Chi Mihn city to the delta. Along the way, there were some amazing sights to see ... the locals getting on with daily life.
Ohhhh , I nearly forgot. I was collected for the trip from the hotel and transferred to the bus by motor scooter. Jesus what a ride. Weaving in and out of the traffic and sometimes into the oncoming traffic !!!! At one stage, I felt a hessian sack carried by the rider of an overtaking motorbike, brush my leg .. that's how close they get to each other. Imagine my excitement about returning by scooter at the end of the trip which was made more exciting by the guy riding the thing, talking the whole time on his cellphone and riding one handed.
Hoi An
We flew from HCMC to Da Nang and then went about 40 mins south by car to the delightful town of Hoi An. Hoi An is a world heritage site steeped in history. It is kind of commercialised but in a nice way .... heaps of shopping and resturants. Very cheap. We visited a workshop entirely staffed and run by disabled adults. Their products were a tad more expensive than other local shops but the quality was superb. We did a bit of shopping there and Roz brought herself a beautiful silver necklace and earring set ... hand made on site. I had my photo taken with the dude who made them. He didn't speak a word of English but what a cool guy. We have 3 cushions in Shagnround that are odd sizes. Roz has been procrastinating about covering them for the past 18 months !!!! even borrowed a sewing machine for about 2 months but never got a round tuit.
In this workshop in Hoi An were the most beautiful pillowslips. They were the wrong size for our cushions at home and while we were busy saying to ourselves, what a pity,, the shop lady asked what size they were. We guessed added a bit for comfort and told her ... no problem was her reply ... you choose exactly what you want from our extensive range and we will have them made in 24 hours. Come back this time tomorrow, pay and collect. Bang on, and what a deal ... only $2.00 more than the pillowcases, made exactly to our chosen materials. We were both stoked .. me especially when I managed to talk Roz out of a paisley one ... I mean, paisley, how feckn '70s !!!!
We spent 3 days in Hoi An ... maybe 1 too many .... but really enjoyed the atmosphere, found a fabulous local restaurant and even got ripped off by a pair of local street vendors ... me that is ,,, so from this point onwards, I put Roz in charge of all of our cash .. I am refusing to carry any from this experience onwards ... much safer that way !!! Roz doesn't get ripped off and has turned out to be quite an accomplished barterer ... despite the apprehension she had about bartering at the beginning of our trip. She is certainly less of a pushover than me.
On the way to Hoi An, our driver took us to a local marble factory where a lot of the products are hand chiselled by local carvers. Magnificent pieces some over 2 meters tall. It takes about 10 years to become a master carver. All around Asia, Roz has wanted to buy a Buddha ... and this was the place. We bought one carved in "tiger eye" marble ... supposed to give us strength. A bit pricey but worth every cent. I feel stronger every day !!!!
We met an Aussie guy in a local restaurant and he wised us up about typhoon Hoiyan, rapidly approaching the Phillipines and then on to Vietnam. He had been tracking it for days and said that it was the biggest typhoon this season. What an understatement that turned out to be as we discovered in the next few days as we journeyed on.
Da Nang to Hue by Vietnamese Rail
After Hoi An, we returned to Da Nang by car and caught the train to Hue, further up the coast. ( by the way, Da Nang is home to the famous "China Beach" which we didn't go anywhere near ... very unspectacular without a movie crew according to the locals !!! )
The train - we booked this 3 hr trip up the coast because it was described as the most scenic trip on Vietnam rail. And it would have been if it hadn't pissed down with rain so much that you could hardly see 500m out the train window. We sat in the air conditioned, soft seat carriage that we had booked. What a hoot. The carriage was nothing short of filthy ... the velour covered seats made me wonder what we would catch just by sitting in them. Roz wiped the wee table and the inside window with a couple of wet wipes, both of which came back absolutely black. While we sat at Da Nang station waiting for the train to pull out, we heard a rooster crow. Firstly we thought that it was someone's cell phone but when it crowed a few minutes later in a multi tone ( and was answered elsewhere in the carriage !!! ) we knew that it was the real thing. Throughout the journey, we witnessed the locals having a pre-occupation with any cavity they could find on their faces ,, mostly their noses. One guy had his digit rammed so far up his, I felt like saying " when you get to the bridge mate, give us a wave ". Altogether not a very pleasant trip.
Hue
A pleasant city where we were supposed to overnight before flying to Ha Noi. We spent the day at a world heritage site ... the old city which was still inhabited but had been heavily bombed during the Vietnam war by the Americans, destroying the beautiful buildings and history within. The Vietnamese, under supervision by world heritage, are gradually restoring the site but as it spans a huge acreage, this project will continue for decades I would suspect. We toured the inner city by cyclo, our first experience in these unique vehiceles. The guys cycling them took us to about 4 high spots within the city for the hour that we engaged them. One memorable spot was a house that had been occupied by Ho Chi Minh and his wife before he became the influential person he was in the communist system. A very humble abode which typified the poverty he was born into. I would guess that if one tracked his living style throughout his life in Vietnam, he never lived lavishly .. his whole reason for being was for the people he served and to this day, the Vietnamese people speak about him with great reverence.
Ha Noi - capital city of Vietnam ... population around 10 million ... seven million motorcycles.
Our main purpose of visiting Ha Noi was to travel out to Ha Long Bay and do 3 night, 2 day cruise on a 20 cabin boat. Away we went - 4 hrs by road to get to the boat with crazy mini bus driver. There were 10 of us on board and due to his shonky driving we soon became close friends !!! It really was a riot. The cruise was an outstanding experience but was unfortunately cut short due to typhoon Haiyan which was homing in on Ha Long Bay .... what bugger so back to Ha Noi for an extra unplanned night.
We stayed in the old quarter of the city and I accidently ended up at a history lecture being given to American students by a professor for Ha Noi university. I learnt that the inhabitants of the city were considered by the academics, as peasants because they still had the peasant mentality which they brought with them from the rural sector, into the city. This was problem for the progress of Vietnam as nation. We certainly saw some peasant behaviour in the city streets ... in terms of street food and cooking and mothers using the gutters right next to food stalls, to toilet their babies and children. Needless to say, I avoided the streetfood in Ha Noi which was prepared in less hygenic surroundings than anywhere else in Asia. Had Pho Bo ( prounounced furrr bow ) for the first time .. a yummy beef and noodle soup ... chopstick skills progessing amazingly eating this dish.
When crossing 4 lanes of traffic in the street one day, we witnessed a French Canadian guy almost get taken out .. the side of the car brushed his torso and both sets of tyres ran over his feet. Car didn't reduce speed and certainly didn't stop. We checked him out and apart from being a bit shaken and agreeing with us about crazy drivers in Ha Noi, he was ok. Thank christ for that .. didn't fancy using my first aid skills in 4 lanes of relentless traffic.
When we went to visit Ho Chi Minh's preserved body which lies permanently in state in a monumental building in the city, we discovered he was on holiday in Russia being "touched up" ... lucky sod. So we opted for a day trip into the provence Ninh Binh ; to Tam Coc. Here we visited the ancient capital of Vn and learnt a lot about the King driven dynasties in bygone centuries - very interesting. We also got to go for a 1.5 hr trip down the river on a sampan rowed by feet and I went on an hour long cycle tour out into rural Vn .. fabulous. We got to the city at 7.30pm - bloody whacked.
LAOS
We flew from Vietnam to Luang Prabang in Laos. Vietnam airlines transported us in and the fares were far more expensive than anywhere so far. Unfortunately, the only other alternative was by bus .. a 2 day trip. This we found each time we shifted camp in Laos .. either fly at the expensive rate, or endure days on a non-stop bus. Anyway, Luang Prabang turned out to be a beautiful sleepy place on a peninsula with the mighty Mekong flowing on one side, and a smaller tributary on the other. One of the main attractions was the dawn alms giving ceremony to the 300 or so monks living in this town. A truely beautiful spectacle to see the saffron robed monks collecting food donations from locals and tourists alike. Unfortunately, some tourists get right in the faces of monks taking flash photos while the monks are attempting to do their serious thing. I asked a couple of these infiltrators to show some respect and stand back to give the monks space ... and I didn't put on my polite voice either !! We stayed within metres of the morning markets, set up in a side street providing fresh fruit, meat and veges to the locals who, along with the tourists, packed the narrow walking lanes. It was noisy, smelly and hot but a lot of laughter and banter amongst the stall providers. What did surprise us was, that at the end of the morning, stall holders packed up and walked off leaving their rubbish and offcuts behind them. We couldn't work out who cleaned up, but by nightfall, all traces of garbage had disappeared ready for the next morning's setup at dawn.
The night markets were arranged at the end of the main street and stretched out for a least 1km on both sides of the road with a narrow walking strip down each side. For the first time in SE Asia, there was no real pressure from the stallholders to buy. This was quite refreshing considering what we had previously experienced in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The goods, whilst same-same at each stall, were beautifully hand crafted and were of good quality. Some of the more outstanding things were locally made shoes, mulberry lanterns and the myriad of beautifully coloued scarves and patchwork bedcovers. Only one foodstall in the entire market and it looked a bit dodgy to me so we skirted round it.
We went on an afternoon tour to the most magnificent waterfalls I have seen. Located 29km out of town, there was an Asian bear sanctuary on site and I even got to swim in the limestone based falls. This was a trip that we both enjoyed immensely. On the return journey to town, we stopped at a village which, whilst it had been set up with the tourist in mind, was a functional village with the usual chickens, communal water supply and stalls dotted about everywhere so you could buy stuff. We went into one particular stall where the lady was eager to show us how she was carding and spinning cotton on some pretty primative gear. The end product ready for dying and turning into textiles, was superb. Roz bought a beautiful scarf from this lady for around $NZ 7.00.
There were of course, the obligatory temples to visit ... after all 300 monks have to hang out somewhere. We saw a group of teenage monks swimming in the river,, having the time of their lives splashing each other, yahooing and throwing a small ball ... just like any other teenage behaviour. Fishing and boating happening on both rivers and on the bank, intensive vegetable growing right up to the jungle's edge. Quite freaky to realise that the jungle harbours cobras and lots of other nasties I suspect. We lunched in the outdoor cafes overlooking the Mekong and enjoyed our 3 memorable days here vowing to return sometime in the future. Luang Prabang is a local world heritage site in its own right.
Vientiane
The capital of Laos where we spent 4 nights and 3 days. This was the low light of our trip to date. A dirty, dusty rubbish strewn place with naff all to do unless you took an expensive trip out of town to the Buddha park ( by this time one Buddha is looking much the same as another ). We arrived in the city at the end of a 3 day festival and had the unfortunate experience of visting another group of temples that had been involved in the festivities. As we strolled through the complex, people were taking down their stalls ... which was fine but everywhere was ankle deep in rubbish. Dead flowers, plastic bags by the ton, discarded food and all sorts of other stuff that we didn't stop to identify, sprawled out over acres of site. Disgusting, and nobody seemed to be making any real effort to clean it up ,, they just simply shuffled round in it breaking down the stalls ; unbelievable. Prior to this, we had been chatting to an ex-pat Laotian guy living in the USA, who had returned to visit his brother for the first time in about 35 years. He told us that he thought Vientianne was "very dirty" ... and that pretty much, sums it up .. right down to the entrance to our hotel which backed on to the morning markets where nobody wanted to collect the garbage from either !!
We did spend a few hours at an organisation called COPE ; a rehabilitation centre set up to assist the nationals who have lost limbs due to the unexploded ordinance littering the country ,, a legacy from the Vietnam war despite the fact that Laos had declared itself neutral. Unfortunately, however, the Ho Chi Minh trail went right up the border of Laos so the Americans invested a lot of time bombing the crap out of the Vietcong in this area and not distinguishing Laos as being neutral. COPE not only provied prosthetics manufacured on site, but also establishes teams that comb the jungle with metal detectors, serarching for and destroying old ordinance. There still remains 30% of all bombs dropped on Laos, in an unexploded condition and, unfortunately, the locals scavange old metal for recycling .. truely a hazardous occupation, especially as many are children who have little regard for safety.
We made a decision that if we ever return to Laos, the capital city would not be on our visiting list !!
Unfortunately, we had to spend an extra day and night in Vientianne waiting for the right flight to take us to Cambodia,, the last Asian country on our tour.
CAMBODIA (KAMPUCHEA)
Siem Reap ( means "defeat of the Thai" .... obviously from former times when neighbouring Thailand was a constant invader )
We journeyed to Siem Reap to see the magnificent ancient temples built from 805AD to 1300AD. We were not disappointed and I realised why they have become one of the new wonders of the world. The first day we hired a tuk tuk for the day and travelled through rural Cambodia for 50kms to see rock carvings done centuries ago. This trip involved a 1.5km tramp up through the jungle to a waterfall .. hot and sweaty but soooo worth it. Some of the carvings were into the rock riverbed under the water ... how did they do it all of those centuries ago ? 100km in a tuk tuk was fabulous in the heat .. a great way to cool down. The next day we hired a tuk tuk and a guide for the day to see Ankor Wat and Ankor Thom .. so worththe $US 30.00 as we learnt the difference between the temple construction between Hindhu and Buddhist temples. Also a commentary about the carvings into the stone which we would never have understood by ourselves. We stayed at V & A Villa ; a new hotel owned by a young English guy Andy, and his Cambodian wife Volek. This was such laid back place, clean and our every need attended to for less than 20 NZD per day. Magnificent. Next time we stay,, they should have swimming pool. Temps were high and so was humidity so we gave the hotel based tuk tuks plenty of business. We took a shine to one of the drivers, Chen, and employed him for all of our trips.
We are now looking forward to returning to NZ ... only about 2 weeks away.
