Tales From South East Asia

Photos: Sihanoukville & Koh Russei

rangers — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:46:00 GMT

Photos: Hoi An and Cambodia

rangers — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:13:00 GMT

Photos

Hoi An & into Cambodia

rangers — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:02:00 GMT

The next leg of the trip (destination Hoi An) was the worst bus trip yet. Having been promised a VIP bus since the trip was 24 hours long (we know that sounds obnoxious but they’re the only way you can travel in some reasonable comfort) we were confronted by a very shabby vehicle filled primarily with freight and passengers squeezed in between the boxes. Horrified but thinking positively we got there early and placed our bags onto two of the better seats. On our return to the bus after getting food we were ushered to the back of the bus. Refusing at first knowing full well it was common for westerners to be placed up the back amongst the boxes in the crappiest seats available, the driver insisted these seats were better. Fooled again - the seats did not even recline nor have any sufficient leg room and by the time we got back to our original seats they had been occupied by some very smug looking locals. Utterly furious I stormed up to the driver and demanded we have our original seats… I continued to make quiet a scene until they finally took notice of me – and by notice I think he probably told me to “eff off” in Vietnamese and clearly gestured for me to get off his bus, which was then followed by everyone on the bus laughing hysterically. I was so furious and in complete dismay at the thought of being in the most uncomfortable position for 24 long hours, I just sat in my seat and cried. Very funny in retrospect but at least it got one of the other much nicer drivers sympathy; moving some of the boxes from under our feet so we had a few inches in which to move (all the while probably thinking “silly western princess”). The only other westerners on the bus were two Swiss guys who didn’t have it any better than us. I think the whole ordeal was emphasized by the rude Vietnamese temperament which we had not encountered being in Laos for some weeks. I don’t want to generalise but the Vietnamese truly are a harsher and unbelievable rude people in comparison to Laos and Cambodia - more so in the large cities. But I guess you can hardly blame them, it truly is a dog eat dog society and they are simply products of their environment.

Hoi An and the sight of the ocean was a welcome treat after being land locked for nearly four weeks. Our time was anything but cultural, spiritual or the like, spending the three days we were there getting clothes and shoes tailor made and riding bikes down to the beach. Pretty tough. The only issue we had was my tailor, who had the foulest attitude, but after paying the 50% deposit there wasn’t a whole lot I could do but deal. Angus on the other hand dealt with the most wonderful lady (at the same shop) and I think at times enjoyed watching my struggles and ongoing frustration whilst he sat back and relished the ease of his dealings.

Siam Reap next – after crossing the boarder with far less fuss than entering Vietnam our first bus stopover stayed true to the Cambodian rumors - having plethora of unusual edible delicacies, including to our horror; turtle and to Angus’ curiousness; bbq tarantula (which he has promised to attempted at some stage). The town truly surprised us with its very western tourist district and full on night life (one strip called “pub street”). Our first day was spent at the Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom temples. Riding bikes there in the 30 degree heat was a struggle in itself but the dry heat engulfed us at the temples making every step an effort. Regardless they were both phenomenal and despite Angkor Wat being in restorative stages it’s sheer size and grandeur can only be appreciated in the flesh. Leaving around 3pm we soon realized we left at exactly the right time as swarms of tour groups came up the steps – posing Malaysians for photo’s on dehydrated ponies and every Japanese man and his dog seemed to be there with their four different sized tripods and 8 lenses. Despite missing the sunset the tourist were quiet unbearable and we were happy to leave.

That night we wandered over to “pub street”, which had intended and non intended entertainment. Angus and I were amused for many hours watching the multitude of horrendously dressed prostitutes meandering up and down the strip in groups, the numbers dwindling by the early hours of the morning. We bar hopped up and down the street and finally ended at Angkor What?, infamous for their lethal buckets, we joined forces with a Belgian couple and stumbled home at 4am. The next day we had planned to go to the land mine museum but feeling pretty sorry for ourselves, didn’t make it much further than the local pool run by the very friendly Englishman ‘John’ and his lovely non English speaking Cambodian lady friend.

Back in Phnom Penh today and will report of movements here and on the coast next week. Until then… Love T & A

Photos: Lao

rangers — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:15:00 GMT

South to North and Back

Lao

rangers — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:42:00 GMT

It has been a while since our last installment, and it is not because we don’t like documenting our story, but more so that it’s just that little bit hard dragging ourselves away from the beautiful scenery and weather to sit at the computer for a few hours! I think most people would feel the same.

From Hanoi we departed by bus en route to Lao and Vientiane. Not only was it a bus, but it was a sleeper bus, a whole 20 hour trip is what we had ahead of us. There a few young travelers with us. We all waited patiently as everyone boarded and were told to wait, and wait, and wait. What we were actually waiting for was for all the seats at the front of the bus to fill up so ‘us’ westerners could occupy the seats at the back... nearest the horrendously smelling toilet. The most disturbing part was that we actually all got used to the smell some hours into the trip.

We settled in and slept most of the way. When we awoke we were at the boarder of Vietnam and Laos and in a half sleep daze, converted money and got our passports stamped then walked the few hundred meters to the Lao border to purchase our Visa’s. Another few hours of mountain passes and narrow roads, which seemed inches from the edge of treacherous cliffs, and we were in the capital Vientiane.

The following evening after exploring the capital city and ordering a barbequed frog by the Mekong for dinner (Yes Tess the ‘Veggie’ also indulged, as they were “ugly creatures anyway, and deserved to be eaten”) we set off on another over night bus bound for Luang Prabang. This was one of the most uncomfortable, sleepless, bumpy bus rides yet. It didn’t help that Laotian karaoke was blaring well into the night (well past 10pm), then began blaring when we arrived at the wee hour of 5am… just what we wanted…

After door knocking for an hour trying to wake up any sleeping guesthouse owner, we ended up getting a room across the road from the Mekong and slept until noon. That night we came to two choices for dinner… Angus: Nice looking cheap restaurant and Tess: Veggie Buffet. The decision was made for the buffet, which was ironically had a meat BBQ adjacent. Tess woke early that morning complaining of dizziness and nausea which eventuated into violent vomiting and diarrhea. I thought I had evaded this bug to only later to find myself either stuck in the bathroom or in the fetal position in bed. This lasted for a few days after, and we thank gastro-stop, dry biscuits, and the Lao beer company for producing the many bottles of water we consumed over that period. We hired a motorbike and ventured out to one of the waterfalls in the area after we had started to feel better. When I saw a straight of road and started to increase speed I would feel this sharp pinching in my stomach from my passenger, and very stern words saying to slow down or let her off. In the true interests of both Tess’ fear of me exceeding 50km/h and the pinching of my stomach I kept it to a slow pace the rest of the way. The waterfalls themselves were an amazing spectacle of clear blue/green water, a beautiful sight for us who had been locked in the room for the better part of two days.

We headed to Vang Vieng the following day on a mini bus that was just as uncomfortable as the trip up. Some kids from Perth were also on our bus that we later met up with on our second day when we went tubing. The town itself was very touristy (think Laos’ equivalent to Kuta Bali) so we enjoyed exploring the islands and river a few kilometers out from the main town including some amazing caves and villages.

On our second day we surrendered to the infamous tubing experience that we had heard so many stories (good and bad) about. In a nut shell it is a progressive party down the river, in which you hire a tractor tube and float down the river stopping at platforms on the banks with bars, loud music, rope swings, slides, and diving boards. Lets just say we never quite made it to the end of the river spending far too long at each designated bar rather than floating in our tubes. That night; dinner and then the sunset bar with the Perth crew, lying in hammocks by the fire consuming “said” shakes, which made for a fun and interesting night.

Now back in Vientiane waiting for our bus transfer back to the coast of Vietnam (Hoi An) where we’re looking forward to the sight of the ocean after being land locked for so long. Our movements post Hoi An are to go south and across the border into Cambodia, so our next reporting’s will probably be from there.

Love A&T

Photos: Sapa

rangers — Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:33:00 GMT

Sapa & the H'mong

rangers — Sat, 9 Jan 2010 16:25:00 GMT

We are starting to learn that in Vietnam if a bus is due to leave at 5pm, they mean 9.30pm. If they say you will be picked up and taken directly to your destination, they actually mean you will have 3 transfers, and one bus will dump you on the side of a main hwy in the middle of the night with all your luggage until the next bus picks you up. This was our experience catching the overnight bus from Hanoi to Sapa. All this confusion was heightened by the fact that every person we dealt with spoke little to no English and once again we were the only westerners on the trip again. By 9.30 we were on our final transfer to Sapa, passengers were yelling at us pointing at our shoes (apparently shoes are a big ‘no no’ on overnight buses) & as people spread out, limbs everywhere, it became apparent to us that this was indeed a very good idea. Me next to the window and reclined back, I had just started dozing off when a dirty man’s hand reached forward (10cm from my face) to slide open the small window next to me, to throw out what I thought was rubbish. This was tolerable until the 5^th time he did it waking me up every time. I told him to stop but to no avail. This continued intermitted until we got to Sapa - I could smell his hand reaching for the window before the sound actually woke me up. Gross. Meanwhile Angus was sleeping soundly in the isle seat. We later worked out that he was actually throwing fake money out the window – which is done in Vietnam as an act of good luck and good fortune.

We arrived in Sapa at 9am and were greeted with representative from nearly every hostel from Sapa. We walked down to our pre-booked hotel which was a long way from the main strip so opted for a closer guesthouse which turned out to be cheaper and have the most spectacular views of the adjacent mount Fansipan and the valley below. Unlike some of our friends who had visited the town a few days earlier with freezing and wet conditions we were blessed with 23 degree heat and nearly 100% visibility of the surrounding ranges.

That day we hired motorbikes and rode up into the mountains to the silver waterfalls. Untrusting of Angus’ motor bike riding abilities I jumped on the back of a locals bike and he lead us up there with Angus following behind. To be honest the scenery was more spectacular than the falls and after seeing that Angus was more than capable of holding his own on a bike we told Mr local we would make it back to town ourselves & he left us to our own devices. On the way back we stopped at a completely deserted pagoda on the top of a hill which we climbed to see the most incredible views yet.

We headed off on our 2 day trek at 9.30am the next morning. We were in a group with a French couple, Hungarian couple & an American author who’s literary accomplishments were on the themes of sex and rock and roll – at 44 she was pretty damn cool. The day was spent visiting different tribal villages and navigating steep slopes and river crossings with stealth co-ordination and balance. Where there was no breeze the pockets of stagnant heat were overwhelming, yet once we stopped for breaks deep in the valley, layers had to be added once again. It was a rollercoaster of temperature. More challenging than the trekking was constant presence of the H’mong people. Although lovely and very beautiful is their customary dress, answering the same questions; “What is your name?”, “Where do you come from” then to be followed by “You buy something from meeeee????”, got extremely tiresome. But they did add to our journey, the trek felt that much more ‘cultural’, if you will, having them there with us.

That night we slept at a home-stay in one of the villages and a Czech couple also joined our group. We were fed to the eye ball & then sampled some of the local rice wine, which our guides called ‘happy water’, followed by many a drinking game including one called ‘chopsticks’ in which I ‘accidentally’ got one in Angus’ eye. Good night.

The next day was like walking in a cloud. Visibility was no more than 20 meters in front and everything was ridiculously slippery. The most frustrating and really quiet humorous part of the trek was whilst our group labored up and down steep muddy inclines in our hard core trekking boots, the small statured H’mong people wearing flimsy rubber sandals flew effortlessly up and down hills putting us to shame. The trek was a lot more challenging than the first day also and by 2pm we had had enough. Our guide kept us amused however, commenting to Angus one time “All you have is the fog… and your darling” (looking at me and smiling) & that he got very lonely and sad trekking sometimes and wanted a girlfriend to accompany him and possibly carry him whilst walking. We advised him that he would need an exceptionally big and strong woman to do this task. He laughed like this was the funniest thing he had ever heard. Being the only single in the group, he also tried to swoon Jen (the 44 year old Californian writer). Jen advised our 19 year old tour guide that she was old enough to be his mother and cancelled her already booked 3^rd day of trekking – after finding out that it would only be the two of them in the mountains together on this final day. LOL.

On our return to Sapa that night afternoon we decided to depart Sapa that night as with the unfavorable weather limited the activities were would be able to do the next day. The scenery was the spectacle in Sapa and with 30metres visibility we were literally walking in a cloud, hence there was no point staying. Bus back to Hanoi was much better than journey there with no men depositing money out the window.

Utterly exhausted and aching, all day yesterday was spent in our hotel room watching movies on HBO – renamed by us ‘Hanoi Backpackers Overly-exhausted” channel. We can’t seem to shake Hanoi as it is the centre point through which you have to pass through to reach all other northern destinations – including Laos, which we leave for by sleeper bus tonight. Vietnam has been good but the city is so full on & we’re ready to seek warmer and greener pastures in Laos.

Photos: So Far

rangers — Mon, 4 Jan 2010 16:52:00 GMT

A few from the south/A few from the north

The beginnings...

rangers — Mon, 4 Jan 2010 11:02:00 GMT

So apparently you are not allowed to leave the country with a one-way ticket unless you have return flights booked. We were made aware of this at check-in. So after leaving the flight itinerary at home which left us totally frazzled and then to hear from the snooty jetstar assistant we would not be able to board our flight, things were off to a ripping start. Apparently we were meant to sift through the very extensive smart traveler website until we found this information and it was not the airlines responsibility to disclose this. Anyway, so snooty mc snoot then directs us to the service desk to make other arrangements. We were very relieved however to find out from the much nicer 'Wayne' that we can in fact book return flights on the spot and board our flight. Thank Christ.

Things were looking up... until we got to Darwin for our Saigon transfer. One hour delay - manageable. Two hour delay - somewhat frustrating, but still manageable. Flight cancellation - not so happy. Flying jetstar, we thought a flight cancellation meant being directed to the airport white pages or alternatively sleeping there overnight with our packs as pillows but we were pleasantly surprised being put up in the swanky Darwin Inn - full buffet breaky included. Since this would probably be the nicest accommodation we would be staying in for weeks frustration at the inconvenience soon turned to taking full advantage of our situation.

Exiting Saigon airport we felt like Vietnams hottest power couple (looking much different however) with hundreds of people flanking the isles taking pictures and trying to get our attention as we walked down the exit "runway". Sweating bullets within seconds we eventually found a cab and reached our hotel who had given our room away due to us missing our first night so we were shoved in a box with no windows at the back at the complex. Positive thinking prevailed however as we both agreed minimum time would be spent in there.

Much to Angus's delight my first mission (before I got these bad boys out) was to get a leg wax. We found a lovely girl - not so lovely experience. 2 hours later of boiling hot wax and dodgy strips she had managed to miss a good 1/3 of hairs (by this stage angus had passed out). Not the most fascinating experience to share but we feel it sums up Vietnam quiet well; as thorough and hard working the Vietnamese people are, everything always seems half finished and that is part of its charm.

The rest of the day was primarily spent exploring. Staying in the backpacker district there is a phenomenal western influence and many areas are like little las vegas alleyways with random fluorescing nativity scenes which look like jesus is on acid. The traffic is incredibly hectic and there is a fine art to crossing the road (which we still haven’t completely mastered). We try to steer clear of the western bars and restaurants and stick to the street food and beer which will set you back about a dollar for a feed and 20c for beers (Not exactly running out of money any time soon). Simply sitting on any main corner and watching the traffic and people go by is entertainment enough for an afternoon. Motorbikes laden with up to what looks like 100kgs of goods and families of four sharing the one bike defying all kinds of safety is shocking and awesome. We especially enjoy watching the many old western men walking by with young Vietnamese girls under arms. Legitamite? Maybe. Likely? We think not.

The next day we went to the cu chi tunnels used by the viet kong in the Vietnam war. Unfortunately we were put with a group of about 30 other tourists and it made the day quiet unbearable. The passengers were as offensive as the bright red and gaudy bus exterior. You could have seen that thing from the moon. Obnoxious Americans winged about the $4 entry fee and had to ask the same questions four times because they didn't listen the first time instructions were given... or perhaps it was because the tour guide didn't speak "American". Cher wannabees straddled cannons for photos but the highlight of tourist activity was when a young Australian girl with a significant spare tire got stuck in the tunnel entry and had to have 5 men pull her out. Hi-larious! We were also shown a very propagandist movie (much like most of the war museums in Saigon) which went on the call the enemy "American killing devils" among other such derogatives. This was especially humorous watching the Americans shifting in their seat. Although I wouldn't visit the tunnels again, all in all they are a must when visiting Vietnam. The experience of crawling through a very hot and stuffy 90 by 120cm tunnel 3 meters under ground gives you an enormous appreciation of the sheer athleticism and ingenuity of the viet kon people and the system they created.

That night beer and pho in the always classy backpackers district during which a middle age Sweed sat down at our table and proceeded to explain his unfortunate predicament to us. Apparently, he was walking in an alleyway and a lady boy approached him and tried to grab his arms and pull his hands out of his pockets. Unable to resist the sheer strength of the "ladys" grip she pulled his hands out of his pockets and somehow managed to steal his wallet without him noticing. Yeah righto mate. We informed him that there was free internet at our hotel to cancel his cards so we didn't need to lend him money. And off he went, completely embarrassed that not only had he fabricated such a ridiculous story but he had unnecessarily shared it with two complete strangers. LOL.

Our last day in Saigon was spent relaxing drinking green saigon and playing cards on the grass watching the new years eve celebratory performers rehearse for the following night. I bought a watch which stopped three times in the one day - the third time we went back I demanded a exchange. We tried all sorts of strange street foods including dried squid which tasted like bait and an unusual Vietnamese man stroked down Angus’ leg in an attempt to shine his shoe. This was before he had realized that angus was wearing white canvas’ and black nugget just wouldn’t work. We also went to the war museum which was more propagandist than the tunnel video with horrific photos of blown apart limbs and dead Vietnamese babies and children, however the area up stairs was far less bias and has some incredible photographs and war artifacts on display.

That night we flew to Hanoi. We were the only westerners on the flight and thoroughly enjoyed the lack of drunk and rowdy boagan travelers. It was raining and 19 degs when we got off the plane which was a sharp contrast to the heat we left behind as at saigon. By the time we got to the hotel it was 1am and thats pretty late by Vietnamese standards and the city was absolutely dead. Hanoi is far more beautiful and untouched by modernisation than Saigon and the French colonial influence is very prevalent from the architecture the food with French frie street stalls at every corner. The people are nicer, the atmosphere is slower but the traffic is just as bad.

Our first day we went to the Ha Loe prison which was originally built by the French colonists to house Vietnamese prisoners and later to incarcerate American prisoners of war. We walked through some markets with every animal you can imagine on sale for the eating; live frogs, eels, turtles and every description of animal innards.

That night we met up with Angus' mate Jake and Lou, Annabelle & Justin from home. Our evening began at the hanoi backpackers which was ridiculously packed & half of the kids were off their guts by the time we got there around 730… no thanks to the 80c beer and sangria. As respect to the neighbours things shut down there around 930 and everyone was given a multi-coloured sombrero as we walked up to Flannigan’s bar just up the road - which was quiet a sight. Things got fairly loose and everyone virtually forgot the countdown and it was about 5 past 12 and we all looked at each other, said "happy new year". At around 1am the festivities ceased as a ute load of police closed the bar because of curfew. A short walk/stumble home in the mist, and that was new years 2009.

The next day was lazy. Jake took us to beer hoi where you sit on little plastic chairs right on the corner of the street and drink 30c pots. It's pretty popular with the tourist so the chairs eventually spill off the sidewalk until people are sitting virtually in the middle of a t-intersection.

The next day we got up early to take the 3 1/2 hour bus trip to Halong Bay. It was pissing down and foggy as all hell though so being able to see a lot of the mountains was difficult and the boat was wet and slippery so most of the time was spent inside. We drove around for an hour or so before we docked to get off to go inside the main halong cave which was pretty spectacular. Huge stalactites and stalagmites in massive open caves - it took us a good half hour to walk around the whole thing. After that some of our group went kayaking into some of the caves but is was still very wet and angus and I (being extremely unadventurous) opted out - partly because he still had his camera and both of us only had no change of clothes for the trip.

We were very lucky with our group with mostly young people from Israel, France & Germany. Angus & I were a little jealous however that we couldn't speak our own language amongst ourselves like all the people on our boat. We slept on the boat that night & the next day the fog lifted making the scenery that much more spectacular. That morning was spent on top deck lying in the sun lounges listening to the Israeli brothers rendition of the Titanic theme song on recorder. Then the bumpy bus trip back to Hanoi.

Tomorrow we leave for Spa, then maybe back to Hanoi to leave for Laos but we will try to get a bus directly from Sapa if possible.

Apologies for the essay but if your reading this we’re thinking it's not totally uninteresting...

Xin chao ong/ba (goodbye) & love from Hanoi - Angus & Tess