Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is on the north east coast of Viet Nam and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it's strange geology.  It is quite a stunning stretch of coast line, with huge limestone craggs rising from the water and lots of little coves within.

Our plan was to sail round the bay on a Junk boat, spending one night on board and then some kayaking and swimming. Sadly we arrived in Ha Long Bay just hours after one of the Junk boats sank with 27 people on board, 12 people lost their lives. 

The tour operators tried to keep the sinking very quiet however a couple of Swiss girls we were with got a text message from a friend informing them about it and word quickly spread. The tour operators then tried to manoevre people into a one day tour but the internet was saying that they were still looking for survivors so the four of us opted out.  It felt a little disrespectful, and whilst the bay is large we are reminded time and again how small a world we live in.

We had a lovely quiet lunch at the edge of the beach in a sweet little restaurant and talked about cup cakes and a Swiss/English chain of cup cake and hot chocolate shops.  Oh that does sound tempting. Please can someone get me a cup cake in for when I get home!

On a lighter note, we met another travelling gnome today, Hans is from Holland and to date has visited 23 countries. Norman has someway to go to catch up but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

This evening sees us returning to Ha Noi and the lovely Ha Noi Street Hotel, tomorrow we will visit the museum of ethnology and arrange a shuttle bus to the airport for our flight to Bangkok on Saturday morning.

Delhi Belly and other germs

Well, no trip is ever without it's share of germs.  Usually it is Adrian who gets the Delhi belly but this time it's my turn! No idea where it's come from but it was a very worrying 11 hour train journey back to Ha Noi - thank you Imodium you didn't let me down!

All other germs and ailments have been Adrian's.  We arrived in Phnom Penh with the need for a hip replacement which thankfully has been postponed by the power of Ibuprofen! Then on arrival in Saigon we had Swavian Flu - yes you read it correctly, Swavian flu is a cross between Avian and Swine flus, in most but the hardiest it is deadly, thankfully Paracetamol was on hand to save the day. Finally we have a DVT in the knee! Even I am unable to find words to comment on this!

Bac Ha

Sunday is the day of the big market in Bac Ha where all the hill tribes do their trading.  It was easily the biggest market we've been to. The sights,smells and sounds were unbelievable.  Everywhere a sea of colour with the Montagnards (hill tribes) all in their different dresses. There was a livestock section selling buffalo which can go for as much as US$800, pigs, big dogs for eating,, little dogs for something else, chickens, ponies you name it, it could be bought. There was even tofu being made.

There was a large catering section selling goodness only knows what. Normally that would have been the place we would head for lunch however,  once we heard horse hotpot was an option we decided perhaps not! Our lunch was a vegetarian affair and caused a stir as Adrian wasn't able to sit on the little stool, he had to put one on top of the other and then got the very elderly vendor to help him up. The guy knows no shame. We had great fun bartering for our shopping and entering into the spirit of it, and came away happy that we got good deals.

From Bac Ha we went to Ban Ho which is a village of the flower Hmong tribe.  We went to the house of a family and were shown around - which is an overstatement, two rooms, one a kitchen, the other a living room with beds curtained off.  Here the family were making corn wine which we were able to taste.  It was like any countries fire water, but the Polish people on our trip really enjoyed and finished it off.  We had a walk around the fields that they were cultivating and saw some ploughing being done, this looked very skillful  but perhaps a little barbaric as they were holding onto the buffalo's tail.

From here we went to Lao Cai and to see the Chinese  border which we didn't bother with we just bought peanut brittle and had a sugar hit instead.

Sa Pa

Our ten hour train trip to Lao Cai is an experience.  There's all manner of things going on, hard seaters sitting in soft seaters seats, non-stop eating, puking, hawkers you name it and the train is absolutely filthy - I am so glad we changed our minds to the day train and not the overnighter!

At Lao Cai the minibuses are lined up ready, we are armed with the knowledge that the fare is 28,000 VND, and fall off our perches when one asks for 500,000 VND. They really do see all westerners as wallking dollars and it is now starting to get wearing. We finally agree on 150,000 VND for both of us. Sa Pa, when we finally arrive is in darkness but it feels nice and there are dozens of ladies and young girls dressed in the garb of the various hill tribes around all selling and it's persistent, in fact it's the hardest sell we've come across!

The Auberge sees us for tonight with a balcony and hot water for US$8. Beer and food is needed as all we've had today is ritz crackers. Adrian falls for the pasta pangs but I stick with Vietnamese food, beef Lok Lak - good choice.

The weather is beautiful today much better than we had anticipated, it must be 28 degrees and sunny sunny sunny. We walk to Cat Cat Village, which is a hill tribe village, we get up close (but no personal) with lots of Vietnamese pot bellied pigs and see a lady weaving, their outfits are quite beautifully decorated.  There are about 10 hill tribes around here and they all wear different clothing.  The path continues beyond the village to a beautiful waterfall and then rejoins the road to Sa Pa.

Dinner tonight is a set menu, vegetable soup, spring rolls, chicken (Adrian) beef (me) with steamed rice, a pancake with banana chocolate sauce followed by Sa Pa tea. Delicious.

It's bloody freezing in Sa Pa!!! It's 4.45pm  and we're sat huddled round a fire in the hotel. It poured down at 4.30am and the mist hasn't lifted all day.  Everything is damp, and yes, I am moaning! I went for a pedicure this  morning, all that flip flop walking has really taken its toll on my feet so I thought I'd treat them.  US$5 for a full pedicure absolute VFM.

Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh

The sleeper bus thankfully got us to Ha Noi alive - it was touch and go at one or two times! Sleep was off and on but was a saviour from the maniacal driving.  We found a nice little hotel just off the backpacker alley and by 8am had showered and breakfasted and on our way to see Ho Chi Minh. Passing a huge statue of Lenin en route how odd!

Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho to his friends, is kept in an enormous mausoleum built specially for the purpose. The security is absolutely unbelievable.  We even had a bottle of water taken off us as we went through security. Adrian got told to unclasp his hands from behind his back, I got told to shut my guidebook which I was reading in the queue - yes, queue! It was good to see the old guy but it has to be said he looked very like a wax work. From here we went on to the Ho Chi Minh museum which was very interesting but quite propagandarist (if that is actually a word).

Ha Noi is a lovely capital city, nothing like what we were expecting at all and certainly not like Saigon which is what all the other travellers we've spoken to have said.  Strange what different people like isn't it! As you can imagine we're knackered from the bus so a good afternoon ziz is required.  Our bar in Ha Noi is a little locals bar at the road side with cheap draught beer which is a barrel in a fridge with a hose from it which if lifted stops dispensing - genius.  At the centre of the old quarter is a lake with a little island in. On the island is a little pagoda with an embalmed tortoise, legend has it that these live in the lake and even in 2007 a picture was taken of a large tortoise swimming in the lake - The Ha Noi'an Nessie!

Walking the streets is an absolute must here, there are so many shops all selling the same thing - eveything is beautiful and relatively inexpensive. Tickets to leave by the 6am train tomorrow have been purchased but we'll be back!

Hue

The road to Hue is stunning lush green mountains on the left, beautiful  coast line on the right. At our little stop there is a beautiful stretch of coastline with boats bobbing around. This is Viet Nam, beautiful and unspoilt, unfortunately it isn't all like this.

The bus drops us outside Binh Duong II Hotel which turns out to be the place for us. Our room has a bath, only the second one I've seen since we've been away, and a lovely balcony with table and chairs.

Dinner tonight is to be at a vegetarian restaurant which gets a write up in the book and sounds great. The menu is extensive and sounds mouthwateringly good.  It turns out we can only order noodle soup (I'm so sick of noodle soup) or the set menu for 90,000VND, there's no translation for this so we order one to share! It looks good apart from the sizeable bug in the rice (which she changes) and we tuck in.  Then the rats come out to play - needless to say we left fairly quickly.

The next day dawns with a serious mist and we head off to the railway station to book tickets on the reunification express - it's not to be, full today full tomorrow.  Eventually we settle for the overnight soft sleeper bus to Ha Noi, it's full today but we get seats for tomorrow.  Now our time in Hue can begin.

The Citadel is the old imperial city and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It ts quite beautiful and peaceful despite the hoards of Vietnamese tourists - it is still New Year you know. The centre of the Citadel is very much Indochinese but the outer, later buildings are quite definitely French, built by an Emperor who went to France to be educated. All  in all it's a quite beautiful place.  From here we head to the market which is still not fully open but it's interestin all the same.  Hue is THE place to buy the Vietnamese cone hats, they make a special one which when held up to the light shows a picture of the Pagoda, a poem about Hue, a couple within a heart and the victory bridge. They;re quite clever as you can't see anything inside and out unless you hold it up to the light.

Dinner tonight is preceeded by beers and backgammon on the balcony. We find a very busy restaurant just around the corner where they order beer in crates! Dinner is very tasty and the man on the next table gives us jelly fish to try - it's an acquired texture sort of crunchy and jellified all at once - and it's quite expensive.  He explains that the sign on the wall for BaBa (which we thought was the beer Bar Bar Bar) is turtle which is available as free range or farmed and priced accordingly.

A bright and sunny day awaits for our boat tour on the Song Huong (Perfume River) today. First stop on our twin hulled dragon boat is a little temple. This is followed by the Thien Mu Pagoda when I am asked (more than once) to pose for pictures with various Vietnamese people.  I think I might have missed a money making opportunity here!

Next stop is the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang which is really nice and peaceful.  The Emperor had 200 wives but only 142 children oh, and several concubines too. Busy chap! A good hour down river and we stop at another tomb, we decline this time and sit by the river in the sun it's so peaceful.

Lunch on the boat is rice and tofu, it's the best tofu I've tasted whilst we've been away, not spongy at all.  Could just do with a nice big slice of coffee and walnut cake!

After lunch another couple of tombs and a little shop where they make incence sticks and cone hats.  It's been an interesting and relaxing day and we're now on the road to Ha Noi.

Hoi An

Finally, we have found the Viet Nam we were looking for. Hoi An Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is beautiful. It's an eclectic mix of French and Chinese architecture and is a nice blend of Asia meets west.  The surrounding area is full of agriculture and rice paddies.

We have a day visiting all the listed buildings of the Old Town which are free today as it is New Year - Hurrah. Many purchases are made (including a Vietnamese hat for Norman the Gnome) - we're not great at the haggling but we're happy. In one of the Chinese Assembly Halls we visit there are huge spirals of incence hanging from the ceiling and people are paying to light them, presumably this is like lighting a candle in a church.

We meet up with Barry & Lynsey for beers, picture buying, a lantern exhibition and dinner - it's all go here!  Dinner is an exceptionally delicious Indian - yes I know we're in Viet Nam but they were Indian!

We decide we need another motorbike day so we can get around see what's out there.  We are heading to My Son where there are ruins of temples from the 4th Century.  It's 50km and we very quickly remember that these seats aren't made for big fat western bums! We travel through lots of towns, the road is very busy and Adrian is very adept at riding to the 'no rules' method used here in Viet Nam.  The temples are very different to the Temples of Angkor in construction but similar to look at. It's very peaceful here and lovely and warm. There's a little pool with some frogs in who are no more than 4 inches high and they sound they make is amazing, it's so loud, like they're all plugged in to little amplifiers.

On the way back to town we call in at a ship restaurant and conference centre, it's fabulous - levels of opulence we haven't seen here at all.  It is obviously where all the tours come for lunch and we're there as the staff are clearing up. We think it was built insitu rather than sailed there. We're offered crystalised ginger on board which is the hottest ginger I have every tasted. All the staff wish us Happy New Year and we are left to tour the ship at leisure.

We drive back to Hoi An and carry on to Cai Dao (China Beach), yes the sand is white and the sea is blue. The get to the sea you have to walk through all the little kitchens on the top of the beach with their little BBQs going, the smells are fantastic.  I paddle in the edge of the South China Sea whilst Adrian keeps his distance he has a strange phobia about sand on his feet - very odd.

We walk along the beach for perhaps a kilometre and then go into one of the very swish hotels that have their own private beach, it's lovely.  Cheapest room is £130 per night. From here we take the bike to the end of the road (literally) and it's beautiful so quiet. We sit on the beach and have a beer and watch the boats go by - this could be paradise.

Beer and dinner this evening is preceeded by lantern buying which is quite fraught as we're not sure what colour we want and can't remember how high our bedroom ceiling is.  It's a hard life!

Post Script

There was something I meant to share about the minibus ride from Kon Tum to Hoi An.  We were travelling on a 14 seater minibus, there were 30 passengers and a driver and his mate, at about 26 passengers all the luggage went on the roof to make space in the boot for more passengers, it was unbelievable.

On all the buses we have travelled on I have seen little bags like nappy sacks or pooh bags and thought they were for rubbish, they are all different colours, some black, some green some red.  It transpires these are for sick and on our bus they were clear!  Out of the 30 passengers 8 were throwing up, when they've thrown up in the bag they just drop it out of the window.  Can you imagine being on a motorbike at the wrong moment?

AnywayI thought that was an important point to share - it caused much hilarity on the back seat until someone let go of the bag when they'd puked a little and the breeze from the open windows blew it backwards - I won't say anymore but needless to say we howled.

The road to Hoi An and a Happy New Year

Another early start and we're sat on the back seat of a mini bus with Lynsey and Barry from London. It's a four hour journey but it flies by with a good free flowing conversation.  They're travelling for 8 months and are 5 months into their trip - it sounds like they're having a fantastic time.

Kon Tum is our destination today, again it's a little off the beaten track but is reputed to be the friendlist town in Vietnam but it's not coming across like that. When you smile many people do not smile back and it's not just the older generation whose suspicion you could understand.

It's delightfully hot here and our walk and market meanderings find us in need of beer.  'Our bar' is on a very busy roundabout and we settle down to watch the world go by - literally.  We see a man on a motorbike with a fridge freezer on the back, a family of 5 on one motorbike, huge pots of Chrysanthemums, orange trees you name it, it fits on the back of a motorbike. The a procession appears and a truck full of people are waving cheerily, we respond with the same amount of enthusiasm - then the coffin goes past! This is our second funereal experience here and it's far from a solemn affair.

We have a couple of beers and some very soupy noodle soup with Barry and Lynsey tonight and find we are travelling together again tomorrow.

It's another early start and we're on the back seat of a mini bus again.  The driver tries to scank us but thankfully there's another minibus and we manage a price war, sadly the money we save will have to go towards a bus to our destination when driver fails to deliver us in the correct town. Hey ho! It doesn't matter when we finally arrive in Hoi An.

Our hotel tonight even has an indoor pool! This town has a really good feel about it and this is soon backed up when we take a stroll into town for some lunch.  Tonight is New Years Eve and the plan is to have several beers and see the New Year in in style, so a rest is required.

Hoi An is lit up with lanterns across the street, on shop fronts on the bridges over the river and looks fantastic. There is an exihibition of artistic lanters, a pinata stand where they bang symbols at the side of your head as you are hitting the Pinata and a strange little square with all sorts of gambling games. We had a couple of bets on the roulette wheel but leave when we're evens. True to plan we have a few beers, another not so satisfying meal, some more beers and watch the evening's entertainment and just soak up the atmosphere. The entertainment consists of singing, dancing a little play and more singing and dancing. At midnight we cheer and clap and wish everyone Happy New Year and the Vietnamese just stand impassively. It's a little strange but on the way back to the hotel everyone is happy and smiling and wishing everyone chúc mừng năm mới.

Buôn Ma Thuột

7am sees us packed, breakfasted and hailing a taxi for the bus station.  We're bound for Buôn Ma Thuột today - an unknown entity as it isn't in the book!  The road is extremely bumpy - at one point Adrian is even thrown from his seat - but the scenery is stunning.  We're in the mountains and hill tribe life is all around.  In one little town we pass through the hill tribe ladies are dressed in their finest and look fabulous, lots of heavy colourful clothing.

At our lunch stop Adrian disappears in search of something to fill his ever hollow legs and I am approached by two young men who want to speak English.  It's difficult but we get there somehow and they help me with pronunciation of some place names.  Another man joins us who spoils things somewhat as he's extremely religious and does not hide his disappointment that I do not read the bible daily with my entire family, or at the very least say the rosary.  I try to explain to him how life in England is different to Vietnam but it's not working - we settle with I do try to always be a good person, but he suggests I should try the bible and the rosary.  Let me tell you it's a long 30 minutes and Mr Fox keeps a very safe distance and makes no attempt to help me out!

Buôn Ma Thuột has a great feel about it and after half a dozen attempts we find a room, there's a lot lost in translation here as they have very few tourists and not much English is spoken. We settle into the room and watch Mr Murray in the Australian Open Final - don't think we need say much more about that!

After a few beers we go in search of food, which tonight is BBQ'd pork with rice and vegetables at a little street kitchen. In the house behind is a pre-new year party going on and we are greet with many shouts of Happy New Year. After eating, we are literally dragged into the house and given beer and food.  It's hard life but someone has to do it. These people are so hospitable and friendly and they have very little English among them and as you probably know our Vietnamese is not that hot! Some young girls teach me to count to ten and we are both taught to say chúc mừng năm mới (Happy New Year).

After our efforts of the previous day we have a very lazy start and decide to just be man about town today.  A visit to the American tank which was left after the city was liberated leads us to a lovely park and then a fabulous flower market.  The road was a kilometre long and both sides are lined with people selling huge pots of yellow Chrysanthemums. This town is getting ready for New Year in a big way.