Well Hoi An sucked us in! All the guidebooks said the thing to do in Hoi An is get clothes made. Being the non-clothes horse that I am, I really had no interest. First of all how would I know what to have made? Second, if the clothes actually fit me, they'd probably be too tight and I would not like them. Third, I was not interested in lugging new clothes around for the remaining 2 months of the trip. Fourth, it was so hot and hard to imagine slipping into newly made long sleeve shirts or coats or whatever else was anything but shorts and short sleeve shirts. In the end, this did not stop us. We went to town!
V started it with getting a coat made and then shirts and then pants and then a blazer. I jumped in when it started to look fun and got measured up for a funky asiany thing. Soon I prgressed into shirts - cotton and linen - as well. We both went for silk pajamas. We had to! It was all so cheap. But best of all seeing yourself in clothes that are tailored exactly to your body and to your design is very addicting. The best part of all is that I could get them to make it fit just right - not too tight and not too loose. You just can't get that in off the shelf clothes.
We were like madwomen in Hoi An. We were working with 2 different tailor shops - same company but different locations and thus different fabrics. There we were on bikes, pedaling our way through the chewed up roads of the Old Quarter to our various fittings. Back and forth we went with stops along the way for lunch, the beach, and a refreshing drink when we could afford the time. I think we had about 8 fitting sessions while we were there. Our assistants, Ha, Tuyet, Mai, and oh I forget the fourth one's name, were getting a good laugh out of us adding more and more to the shopping list. They were all very sweet and patient, especially with me and my pickiness.
I should say though that we also really did have a great time in Hoi An aside from the tailor shop. The atmosphere in the town is so charming. The restaurants were great - that first meal we had there in the seaside "Swedish" owned place was I think the best meal we'd had on the whole trip. The beach is not too shabby there either - and a great flat bike ride to get out there, which we really enjoyed.
A word must also be said about the hotel we stayed at -The Ha An Hotel. Loved the place! It was a total haven. Be it the room, the breakfasts, or the guy who took care of our bikes every day for us, we felt like queens (especially with all our new custom fitted clothes)!
In general, Hoi An was our favorite place in Vietnam (along with Hanoi). Each night we both kept talking about how it wouldn't be such a crazy idea to go there once a year and have an ENTIRE wardrobe for nothing, while you could also eat well, kick back on the beach, and maybe even take a cooking class or two (which we did as well). Just wish it wasn't so damn far from Boston!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sardine Sleeper Buses
Whenever given the choice of an overnight trip by train or bus, we ALWAYS choose train. That's because you can easily walk around on a train. There are bathrooms. The beds are fully flat. There is a restaurant car. It's a no-brainer.
We had not yet taken a bus in all of India or Vietnam mainly for these reasons (and others in India - I think an Indian bus would be pure hell and I think V would agree.) When presented with the option to take one for the Hue to Hoi An leg of Vietnam, it seemed like the logical choice because it was a day trip and only 4 hours long. We bought our tickets - they cost like $4 each or something ridiculously cheap. Curiously enough it was going to be a sleeper bus where the seats recline to nearly flat but not quite enough so that it is still uncomfortble to sleep. This seemed to be overdoing it for a day trip but this was deemed to be the most comfortable option. So we opted for it and were assigned seats 16&17.
Well, seats 16&17 were the WORST seats in the bus. This is a double decker bus with these odd seats that you slip yourself into, unless you are more than an inch taller than me and I don't know how you fit into it. Our seats were in the last row of the bus which was made up 5 seats next to each other. Our seats were the middle seats. With another 5 seats on the upper level of this bus and on top of this seating area, we had about 1.5 feet, IF THAT, of head space between our (reclinined) seats and the ceiling. This essentially meant that you could not fully sit up for any part of the ride. We were to be lined up like uncomfortable, partially squished up sardines back there.
I FLIPPED! I am one of those people that maniacally plan my seat on plane trips to ensure that I will never be in the middle of a 3 seat row. To put me back there for 4 hours, lying next to some tiny Vietnamese woman who could probably fully sit up given her size, feeling every bump on the road, and seeing NO sights while I stare at the ceiling above me was NOT going to happen.
We promptly asked if we could move and after some hand gestures of being unhappy with the sardine trap in the back, we jumped into other (reclined) seats. Luckily the bus was'nt full. I didn't care that I was roasting in the Vietnamese sun on the sunny side of the bus for the whole way down there or that I was right under the speaker for the horrid film that was playing and distracting us all from the beauty of the area. I had head room and a window!
We ended up seeing some amazing scenery of mountains, coastline, and rice paddy fields. I did vow though not to take another bus for fear of seats 16&17 for who knows what number they are on another bus and even if we did request that we not get them on a future bus, I'd never trust the travel agent. As such, I think we decided to forego Dalat and Mui Ne because I was definitely not traveling by that type of bus again. I'm not the same adventurer traveler that I once was....give me the train please.
We had not yet taken a bus in all of India or Vietnam mainly for these reasons (and others in India - I think an Indian bus would be pure hell and I think V would agree.) When presented with the option to take one for the Hue to Hoi An leg of Vietnam, it seemed like the logical choice because it was a day trip and only 4 hours long. We bought our tickets - they cost like $4 each or something ridiculously cheap. Curiously enough it was going to be a sleeper bus where the seats recline to nearly flat but not quite enough so that it is still uncomfortble to sleep. This seemed to be overdoing it for a day trip but this was deemed to be the most comfortable option. So we opted for it and were assigned seats 16&17.
Well, seats 16&17 were the WORST seats in the bus. This is a double decker bus with these odd seats that you slip yourself into, unless you are more than an inch taller than me and I don't know how you fit into it. Our seats were in the last row of the bus which was made up 5 seats next to each other. Our seats were the middle seats. With another 5 seats on the upper level of this bus and on top of this seating area, we had about 1.5 feet, IF THAT, of head space between our (reclinined) seats and the ceiling. This essentially meant that you could not fully sit up for any part of the ride. We were to be lined up like uncomfortable, partially squished up sardines back there.
I FLIPPED! I am one of those people that maniacally plan my seat on plane trips to ensure that I will never be in the middle of a 3 seat row. To put me back there for 4 hours, lying next to some tiny Vietnamese woman who could probably fully sit up given her size, feeling every bump on the road, and seeing NO sights while I stare at the ceiling above me was NOT going to happen.
We promptly asked if we could move and after some hand gestures of being unhappy with the sardine trap in the back, we jumped into other (reclined) seats. Luckily the bus was'nt full. I didn't care that I was roasting in the Vietnamese sun on the sunny side of the bus for the whole way down there or that I was right under the speaker for the horrid film that was playing and distracting us all from the beauty of the area. I had head room and a window!
We ended up seeing some amazing scenery of mountains, coastline, and rice paddy fields. I did vow though not to take another bus for fear of seats 16&17 for who knows what number they are on another bus and even if we did request that we not get them on a future bus, I'd never trust the travel agent. As such, I think we decided to forego Dalat and Mui Ne because I was definitely not traveling by that type of bus again. I'm not the same adventurer traveler that I once was....give me the train please.
Friday, May 16, 2008
S&V on Thu Wheels
The city of Hue (pronounced like Way, I think) is where V and I hopped on to 2 wheels - bicycles. For a dollar a day you can have a whole lot fun on bikes in Vietnam. Everyone is doing it whether they are on pedal bikes, motorbikes, or some other combination of it like the cycle rickshaw. While appearing incredibly chaotic , the flow of traffic somehow works. You pass the slow poke bicyclist in front of you only to then be passed by a motorbike or more determined bicyclist behind you. At points, usually at lights, you are amongst like 10 or 15 bikes. When the light changes, get ready to fight for your position. Bikes rule here more than cars.
It's all wonderfully flat so no huffing and puffing, which is good since it is about 97 degrees with a humidity level of 99% as well. The breeze feels great and is a definite benefit to being on a bike versus walking. The other advantage to being on a bike is that now you are not constantly offered a ride by someone else on their motorbike/cycle rickshaw/taxi, etc. Yahoo! Freedom from the touting, a gentle breeze running past you, and SPEED! Of course I like to go fast and V always tells me to slow down and relax. I guess it's a good thing the bikes have no gears other wise I'd be even less likely to just chill.
I did chill though at times and really get into the biking, especially through the old Citadel area of town where we wandered through streets trying to find a restaurant renowned for its dinner. We eventually found it after passing by some very cute boys climbing and hanging out in trees and 3 girls in a shop where I bought water and then took their picture. I love how all the kids shout out "HELLO!" to you when you pass by them.
Our adventure on 2 wheels did not stop there. We succumbed to the sales pitch of Thu (pronounced like Two) to go on a motorbike tour out to the Emperor's Tombs, Japanese Bridge, and Pagoda with praying monks. She owned a tiny cafe across from our hotel in the same alley as our hotel. It's called "Cafe on Thu Wheels". The following day we each jumped on to our own motorbike driven by a guide. Well, my guy was really just a driver and V's guy was the guide. So halfway in the trip we switched so I could get a bit more out of the trip. I certainly enjoyed the sights but the highlight was within 10 minutes of being on the motorbike. We came across a guy, standing on the end of his boat in the middle of a vibrantly green rice paddy field with mountains in the background, herding his flock of ducks through a canal. This was a beautiful scene and I think V captured it well on the camera for us to enjoy again later. It was quintessential Vietnam.
Back in Hue we of course went to the Citadel which made us feel like we were in China instead of Vietnam. We kept going back to the same restaurant every morning for I think the best ice coffee we've had on the whole trip. We had a great meal back at that restaurant in the Citadel part of town where we dined on a 7 course meal with Hue specialties. Another night we tried to find a restaurant that we'd seen from inside a taxi only to not find it and return all the way back where we started (The DMZ cafe) for dinner. We paid double what we should have for 2 cycle rickshaws and then laughed our way through the streets at getting annoyed over such little money!
So Hue on Thu Wheels or whatever mode we were in was a good time!
It's all wonderfully flat so no huffing and puffing, which is good since it is about 97 degrees with a humidity level of 99% as well. The breeze feels great and is a definite benefit to being on a bike versus walking. The other advantage to being on a bike is that now you are not constantly offered a ride by someone else on their motorbike/cycle rickshaw/taxi, etc. Yahoo! Freedom from the touting, a gentle breeze running past you, and SPEED! Of course I like to go fast and V always tells me to slow down and relax. I guess it's a good thing the bikes have no gears other wise I'd be even less likely to just chill.
I did chill though at times and really get into the biking, especially through the old Citadel area of town where we wandered through streets trying to find a restaurant renowned for its dinner. We eventually found it after passing by some very cute boys climbing and hanging out in trees and 3 girls in a shop where I bought water and then took their picture. I love how all the kids shout out "HELLO!" to you when you pass by them.
Our adventure on 2 wheels did not stop there. We succumbed to the sales pitch of Thu (pronounced like Two) to go on a motorbike tour out to the Emperor's Tombs, Japanese Bridge, and Pagoda with praying monks. She owned a tiny cafe across from our hotel in the same alley as our hotel. It's called "Cafe on Thu Wheels". The following day we each jumped on to our own motorbike driven by a guide. Well, my guy was really just a driver and V's guy was the guide. So halfway in the trip we switched so I could get a bit more out of the trip. I certainly enjoyed the sights but the highlight was within 10 minutes of being on the motorbike. We came across a guy, standing on the end of his boat in the middle of a vibrantly green rice paddy field with mountains in the background, herding his flock of ducks through a canal. This was a beautiful scene and I think V captured it well on the camera for us to enjoy again later. It was quintessential Vietnam.
Back in Hue we of course went to the Citadel which made us feel like we were in China instead of Vietnam. We kept going back to the same restaurant every morning for I think the best ice coffee we've had on the whole trip. We had a great meal back at that restaurant in the Citadel part of town where we dined on a 7 course meal with Hue specialties. Another night we tried to find a restaurant that we'd seen from inside a taxi only to not find it and return all the way back where we started (The DMZ cafe) for dinner. We paid double what we should have for 2 cycle rickshaws and then laughed our way through the streets at getting annoyed over such little money!
So Hue on Thu Wheels or whatever mode we were in was a good time!
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Are We Inside a Washer Machine?
We took an overnight train to Hue from Hanoi. The train left Hanoi at 11pm - actually an ontime departure. Usually when you have a train leaving this late in the evening, it turns into a long day of waiting and waiting. That was not the case for us as we continued to enjoy Hanoi by walking the streets, taking pictures, and having some good meals. We spent a good amount of time in some art galleries, which helped to pass the time as well.
We were in a compartment with 4 sleeper beds - our compartment mates were 2 Aussies who had traveled through China and were spending a few weeks in Vietnam. The train and compartment itself were fairly on par with an India train. the bathroom was perhaps more of an adventure on this one due to the toilet filling up with water way too high for how much we were rocking around. They actually cleaned stuff on the Vietnamese train - sweeping etc. That definitely did not happen on an Indian train. On Indian trains they provided sheets and a blanket. (How we dealt with these is another story that we should have blogged about but nevermind.) On this one all you got was a blanket. Now I sure as heck was not going to put that blanket just straight on to me without a sheet because who knows when they last cleaned it. It's not like it looked dirty but it's just not my cup of tea. I had brought along my sarong and used that to separate me from the blanket. Since we could not figure out what would be provided to us, Veronica had purchased a silk sleeping bag in Hanoi which she very happily slid into.....I was cursing myself a bit for not spending the $4 as well on one. Penny wise and pound foolish.
The train ride was like being in a WASHER MACHINE. It rocked heavily back and forth as well as jerked forward at times when slowing down. I think Veronica, ever the engineer, spent most of the night trying to puzzle out why the train was doing that. I myself was thinking that being up on the top bunk, I was surely rocking worse than she. I did manage to get some sleep though.
I woke up at about 7 am and was anxious to get out of the compartment to see the scenery. Sure enough the scenery did not disappoint. We were going through an area with mountains and lots of rice paddie fields with farmers tending their land. It was all beautifully green. At this point in the train ride, we were very close to where the DMZ (de-militarized zone) was during the Vietnam war, which saw an extraordinarily large amount of war action. I was thinking about what it was like to be there then. That war had such a dramatic effect on people and it was interesting to be in an area where a lot of fighting occurred. It seemed hard to imagine actually given how serene it all looked.
I woke Veronica up so that she too could enjoy the scenery. We made the trek through 8 or 9 coaches to make it to the dining car and have some tea. A Vietnamese woman was eating pho (noodle soup) which did not appeal to me. We contemplated having steamed rice with an egg, but then we decided to wait on food.
A short while later we made a stop. All the vendors with their food were set up at the station waiting for us. I hopped out and negotiated on 2 baguettes (gotta love that French influence!), 2 bananas, and 2 hard boiled eggs. The ladies were not too into negotiating so I gave them way more than I should have but it was worth the experience though not worth eating. The baguettes were good but the eggs were sort of bluish color inside so we both bailed on those and hucked them.
After about 10 hours of being on the train, we arrived in Hue. There was our hotel guy waiting for us with a sign saying "Suzanne Parisa". I had spent so much time on the phone with 2 different people at the hotel spelling out my name. This was pretty close. And certainly a relief to just hop into the car rather than negotiate with the taxi people. Off we went to the Binh Duong 3 Hotel, owned by the same people as the Binh Duong 1 people but not the Binh Duong 2 people. Guess some copycat jumped in before they could start their second hotel.
We were in a compartment with 4 sleeper beds - our compartment mates were 2 Aussies who had traveled through China and were spending a few weeks in Vietnam. The train and compartment itself were fairly on par with an India train. the bathroom was perhaps more of an adventure on this one due to the toilet filling up with water way too high for how much we were rocking around. They actually cleaned stuff on the Vietnamese train - sweeping etc. That definitely did not happen on an Indian train. On Indian trains they provided sheets and a blanket. (How we dealt with these is another story that we should have blogged about but nevermind.) On this one all you got was a blanket. Now I sure as heck was not going to put that blanket just straight on to me without a sheet because who knows when they last cleaned it. It's not like it looked dirty but it's just not my cup of tea. I had brought along my sarong and used that to separate me from the blanket. Since we could not figure out what would be provided to us, Veronica had purchased a silk sleeping bag in Hanoi which she very happily slid into.....I was cursing myself a bit for not spending the $4 as well on one. Penny wise and pound foolish.
The train ride was like being in a WASHER MACHINE. It rocked heavily back and forth as well as jerked forward at times when slowing down. I think Veronica, ever the engineer, spent most of the night trying to puzzle out why the train was doing that. I myself was thinking that being up on the top bunk, I was surely rocking worse than she. I did manage to get some sleep though.
I woke up at about 7 am and was anxious to get out of the compartment to see the scenery. Sure enough the scenery did not disappoint. We were going through an area with mountains and lots of rice paddie fields with farmers tending their land. It was all beautifully green. At this point in the train ride, we were very close to where the DMZ (de-militarized zone) was during the Vietnam war, which saw an extraordinarily large amount of war action. I was thinking about what it was like to be there then. That war had such a dramatic effect on people and it was interesting to be in an area where a lot of fighting occurred. It seemed hard to imagine actually given how serene it all looked.
I woke Veronica up so that she too could enjoy the scenery. We made the trek through 8 or 9 coaches to make it to the dining car and have some tea. A Vietnamese woman was eating pho (noodle soup) which did not appeal to me. We contemplated having steamed rice with an egg, but then we decided to wait on food.
A short while later we made a stop. All the vendors with their food were set up at the station waiting for us. I hopped out and negotiated on 2 baguettes (gotta love that French influence!), 2 bananas, and 2 hard boiled eggs. The ladies were not too into negotiating so I gave them way more than I should have but it was worth the experience though not worth eating. The baguettes were good but the eggs were sort of bluish color inside so we both bailed on those and hucked them.
After about 10 hours of being on the train, we arrived in Hue. There was our hotel guy waiting for us with a sign saying "Suzanne Parisa". I had spent so much time on the phone with 2 different people at the hotel spelling out my name. This was pretty close. And certainly a relief to just hop into the car rather than negotiate with the taxi people. Off we went to the Binh Duong 3 Hotel, owned by the same people as the Binh Duong 1 people but not the Binh Duong 2 people. Guess some copycat jumped in before they could start their second hotel.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Cruising in Halong Bay
There were a few places on our trip where we had planned to splurge a little and break up the backpacker accommodation. A Halong Bay trip was deemed as one. So through the Handspan travel group in Hanoi we selected the Indochina Sails as our boat on which to spend 2 days / 1 night. With this boat we were promised high end cabins, great food, less people, better transport to the Bay, and a relaxed cruise to some of the lesser traveled spots. It pretty much hit on all of those things for us.
The trip started with a 3.5 hour mini bus ride to Halong Bay. Along the way we made friends with the two women sitting behind us - one French and the other Belgian, though she had more allegiance to Spain and France as those were places she had lived for most of her life. The Belgian was named Katy and the French woman Angelique - both were doctors, albeit very young ones (early thirties) and on a 2 week trip. Katy was actually a transplant surgeon (!) mainly for children. Wow, talk about a stressful job. She was the more chatty of the two as both her English was better and she was just more social than Angelique, who Veronica noted had bitten all of her nails down and was obviously in turmoil over something. (We never got to what that was). From Katy, we learned that we would love the Gili Islands in Indonesia. Her reasonings would maybe be different from ours - finding an Italian lover and partaking in the island's mushrooms - not what you'd usually expect from a transplant surgeon! Anyway we enjoyed her company on the boat and ate a couple of meals with them.
OK, I got a bit sidetracked with Katy and Angelique. Now back to Halong Bay. So the Bay truly is stunning with these limestone karsts jutting out into the water. Apparently there are something like 1200+ of these huges karsts. You could endlessly take pictures of them, and we did. They looked different during the day, sunset, and morning with a kind of misty aura to them.
Within the Bay we also cruised past a fishing village. This was fascinating because these people, a couple hundred of them, live on tiny floating houses. They are not attached to any land because there is no shoreline on the karsts, just sheer rock face jutting upwards. The nearest real piece of land to set foot on is back about an hour's cruise away. So literally these people live on the water. Kids were playing on the little (and I mean little) docks in front of their houses or on wooden boats. In some places you had 3-4 houses all attached to each other, so you could maybe walk a total of 50 feet across the docks. But then at the end of the dock was just water. Water, water, everywhere for them. Except of course fresh water, which gets brought in on wooden boats with motors in big plastic barrels from which they buy their water.
Women in wooden boats laden down with all sorts fo food and beverage items would paddle up to our big boat and try to sell us stuff - Pringles, cookies, cokes, beer, etc. We got some good pictures of them.
On one of the islands, you could go into a big cave, which was a cooler experience than I thought it would be. The cave was very big and felt almost prehistoric. Of course you had tons of tourists being guided through it so it took away from the experience a bit but such is life if you want to see the sights.
We also climbed to the top of one of the islands which did have a small beach too. The climb was pretty steep but we got some great views out, especially of our beautiful wooden boat, moored off the island.
Between stopping points, we spent time up on the deck in nice teak lounge chairs. It was great to just sit there and gaze out at the passing islands.
After dinner on our only evening onboard, we did a little squid fishing off the back of the boat, which was fun. Both Veronica and I did end up catching a few. There was a young American couple on their honeymoon from San Francisco also having fun with the squid fishing. I think the boat staff ended up eating our squid which is good because otherwise I would have wanted to toss them back in.
The other people on board were quite friendly. There were groups or couples from Holland (as always), US, France, Russia, and England. We chatted quite a bit with the English couple as they had many interesting stories to tell from their time of living in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and parts of Africa. He was with the English Foreign Service. I felt too embarrased to ask him just what exactly "the foreign service" is - I mean I think it's like working for the Secretary of State's office or something in the US but not sure. I have heard the term before and it always seemed to be associated with Hanoi or Hong Kong and sounded quite exotic of a job. With his English accent and manner of speaking, he was exactly how I pictured someone who worked in "The Foreign Service".
On the bus trip back to Hanoi, I learned why you do not want to sit in the last row on the bus. Veronica and I were being tossed about. I think it's the first time I have ever felt a bit car sick.
While neither one of us would want to be on a tour for our full trip, I think we both enjoyed meeting the other people which of course comes quite easily on a tour. So together with having some interesting conversations, great scenery, and a really comfortable boat, we enjoyed ourselves a lot!
The trip started with a 3.5 hour mini bus ride to Halong Bay. Along the way we made friends with the two women sitting behind us - one French and the other Belgian, though she had more allegiance to Spain and France as those were places she had lived for most of her life. The Belgian was named Katy and the French woman Angelique - both were doctors, albeit very young ones (early thirties) and on a 2 week trip. Katy was actually a transplant surgeon (!) mainly for children. Wow, talk about a stressful job. She was the more chatty of the two as both her English was better and she was just more social than Angelique, who Veronica noted had bitten all of her nails down and was obviously in turmoil over something. (We never got to what that was). From Katy, we learned that we would love the Gili Islands in Indonesia. Her reasonings would maybe be different from ours - finding an Italian lover and partaking in the island's mushrooms - not what you'd usually expect from a transplant surgeon! Anyway we enjoyed her company on the boat and ate a couple of meals with them.
OK, I got a bit sidetracked with Katy and Angelique. Now back to Halong Bay. So the Bay truly is stunning with these limestone karsts jutting out into the water. Apparently there are something like 1200+ of these huges karsts. You could endlessly take pictures of them, and we did. They looked different during the day, sunset, and morning with a kind of misty aura to them.
Within the Bay we also cruised past a fishing village. This was fascinating because these people, a couple hundred of them, live on tiny floating houses. They are not attached to any land because there is no shoreline on the karsts, just sheer rock face jutting upwards. The nearest real piece of land to set foot on is back about an hour's cruise away. So literally these people live on the water. Kids were playing on the little (and I mean little) docks in front of their houses or on wooden boats. In some places you had 3-4 houses all attached to each other, so you could maybe walk a total of 50 feet across the docks. But then at the end of the dock was just water. Water, water, everywhere for them. Except of course fresh water, which gets brought in on wooden boats with motors in big plastic barrels from which they buy their water.
Women in wooden boats laden down with all sorts fo food and beverage items would paddle up to our big boat and try to sell us stuff - Pringles, cookies, cokes, beer, etc. We got some good pictures of them.
On one of the islands, you could go into a big cave, which was a cooler experience than I thought it would be. The cave was very big and felt almost prehistoric. Of course you had tons of tourists being guided through it so it took away from the experience a bit but such is life if you want to see the sights.
We also climbed to the top of one of the islands which did have a small beach too. The climb was pretty steep but we got some great views out, especially of our beautiful wooden boat, moored off the island.
Between stopping points, we spent time up on the deck in nice teak lounge chairs. It was great to just sit there and gaze out at the passing islands.
After dinner on our only evening onboard, we did a little squid fishing off the back of the boat, which was fun. Both Veronica and I did end up catching a few. There was a young American couple on their honeymoon from San Francisco also having fun with the squid fishing. I think the boat staff ended up eating our squid which is good because otherwise I would have wanted to toss them back in.
The other people on board were quite friendly. There were groups or couples from Holland (as always), US, France, Russia, and England. We chatted quite a bit with the English couple as they had many interesting stories to tell from their time of living in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and parts of Africa. He was with the English Foreign Service. I felt too embarrased to ask him just what exactly "the foreign service" is - I mean I think it's like working for the Secretary of State's office or something in the US but not sure. I have heard the term before and it always seemed to be associated with Hanoi or Hong Kong and sounded quite exotic of a job. With his English accent and manner of speaking, he was exactly how I pictured someone who worked in "The Foreign Service".
On the bus trip back to Hanoi, I learned why you do not want to sit in the last row on the bus. Veronica and I were being tossed about. I think it's the first time I have ever felt a bit car sick.
While neither one of us would want to be on a tour for our full trip, I think we both enjoyed meeting the other people which of course comes quite easily on a tour. So together with having some interesting conversations, great scenery, and a really comfortable boat, we enjoyed ourselves a lot!
Hello, Vietnam!
We've been in Vietnam for 11 days now and I wanted to try to blog more often here so that it is not just one long post our experiences here. So let's start with Hanoi. We LOVED it! It was a really charming city with lots of atmosphere and beautiful buildings with a French influenced architecture. The food was fantastic - Asian and French - that translates into things like great spring rolls, chocolate croissants, strong coffee. How can you go wrong with that? You can't!
We really enjoyed just walking around in the old quarter with all its small streets buzzing with atmosphere and motorbikes by the gazillions. Each area (street actually) sells certain items - this is because back many years ago, it was where they would produce such items. For instance, in the old quarter there streets with just lantern makers, or silk/tailor shops, or baskets etc. Streets are named accordingly like Silk Street (in Vietnamese of course).
Throughout the city there are many areas with wide boulevards and big colonial French type of buildings. Along with this you have a beautiful lake right in the heart of the old quarter which was very pleasant to walk around. We took a pleasant stroll the first day we were there. We enjoyed an area of the Old Quarter that had some galleries and quaint cafes. That's when we first discovered the great French style pastries that are on offer in Vietnam.
We continued our stroll and checked out the Opera House and Cinematique, which is a small theater within a pretty courtyard that shows English speaking movies mostly to expats and of course foreigners who are visiting Hanoi. They were showing Western themed movies, so no interest there. Onwards we went and eventually landed at Au Lac, a very Parisien lake cafe with chairs in a courtyard on the sidewalk. Ice coffee! And an excellent one at that!
Hanoi is where we had to learn how to cross the street and not be run over by a motorbike. This sounds easier than it is. It realy does take some guts to get the hang out it, which is essentially that you just have to start crossing and let the motorbikes weave around you. Weave they do along with the cycle rickshaws and many people on bikes. If you didn't do it this way, you would never be able to cross the road for sure.
We saw a dead body in Hanoi. It was Ho Chi Minh's! There he is within his mausoleum all embalmed and there for the viewing. You are herded through the place but it is quite something to see him just right there. Meanwhile it should be noted that he had no interest in actually having that type of set-up for after his death. It seems a bit strange to then go ahead and put him there.
We kept finding ourselves in 2 places - Bia Hoi Junction and Restaurant 69. Bia Hoi Junction is an intersection in the Old Quarter where on each corner a little store-like place sold extremely cheap beers from a keg. You sit on little plastic chairs that are placed on the small bit of sidewalk in front of the shop / keg. Eventually as things get hopping - and they do from like 5pm-midnight - the chairs start getting put into the street where you have to watch your legs as you may get run over by a passing motorcycle that is zipping by. The whole world is sitting there on the four corners facing each other - Vietnamese and foreigners alike - drinking this beer that costs 20 cents. Bia Hoi is the special brew of Hanoi. Apparently Saigon has its own brew too (as did Halong Bay (bia Halong)) but not sure if they do the same thing with the sidewalk set up with little plastic chairs. Anyway we enjoyed the people watching, especially all the vendors going by on their pedal bikes loaded down with stuff or the women who carry two baskets that are supported by a wooden beam that they hold on their shoulder. They carry everything in this manner - fruits (like 4 watermelons on each side!), bras(!), whole entire meals of chicken soup (pho) in a vat along with bowls to be able to serve you right there! Amazing to see and of course great photo opportunities.
By the way, the Vietnamese love their little plastic chairs and tables. These chairs look like children's chairs and the tables are maybe only a foot and a half off the ground. Throughout Hanoi there were many food stands set up on the sidewalk and attached to each food stand has its own set of the chairs and tables. The Vietnamese like to eat out on the street.
Speaking of small things, everything here is small as this is a country of small people. I would pity the 6 foot guy who has to sleep on the train here or sit within one of the bus seats. I would say that my height is just reaching the maximum for comfort.
Ok back on track here - Restaurant 69. This was a great restaurant around the corner from where we stayed in the Old Quarter. Bun cha was my favorite thing that I ate - little pork hamburger like things which you'd eat with fresh mint, bean sprouts, rice, and a fish dipping sauce. Really good! The margaritas were a hit for Veronica and me at the Restaurant 69 too!
I have to comment on how nice the Vietnamese people are. They are so mild mannered and pleasant - and genuinely so. I think of all the countries I have traveled in within my lifetime, these are the nicest people. I really enjoy talking to them and laughing with them, as they often like to do.
So, as a start within Vietnam, Hanoi did not disappoint and was a big hit for us!
We really enjoyed just walking around in the old quarter with all its small streets buzzing with atmosphere and motorbikes by the gazillions. Each area (street actually) sells certain items - this is because back many years ago, it was where they would produce such items. For instance, in the old quarter there streets with just lantern makers, or silk/tailor shops, or baskets etc. Streets are named accordingly like Silk Street (in Vietnamese of course).
Throughout the city there are many areas with wide boulevards and big colonial French type of buildings. Along with this you have a beautiful lake right in the heart of the old quarter which was very pleasant to walk around. We took a pleasant stroll the first day we were there. We enjoyed an area of the Old Quarter that had some galleries and quaint cafes. That's when we first discovered the great French style pastries that are on offer in Vietnam.
We continued our stroll and checked out the Opera House and Cinematique, which is a small theater within a pretty courtyard that shows English speaking movies mostly to expats and of course foreigners who are visiting Hanoi. They were showing Western themed movies, so no interest there. Onwards we went and eventually landed at Au Lac, a very Parisien lake cafe with chairs in a courtyard on the sidewalk. Ice coffee! And an excellent one at that!
Hanoi is where we had to learn how to cross the street and not be run over by a motorbike. This sounds easier than it is. It realy does take some guts to get the hang out it, which is essentially that you just have to start crossing and let the motorbikes weave around you. Weave they do along with the cycle rickshaws and many people on bikes. If you didn't do it this way, you would never be able to cross the road for sure.
We saw a dead body in Hanoi. It was Ho Chi Minh's! There he is within his mausoleum all embalmed and there for the viewing. You are herded through the place but it is quite something to see him just right there. Meanwhile it should be noted that he had no interest in actually having that type of set-up for after his death. It seems a bit strange to then go ahead and put him there.
We kept finding ourselves in 2 places - Bia Hoi Junction and Restaurant 69. Bia Hoi Junction is an intersection in the Old Quarter where on each corner a little store-like place sold extremely cheap beers from a keg. You sit on little plastic chairs that are placed on the small bit of sidewalk in front of the shop / keg. Eventually as things get hopping - and they do from like 5pm-midnight - the chairs start getting put into the street where you have to watch your legs as you may get run over by a passing motorcycle that is zipping by. The whole world is sitting there on the four corners facing each other - Vietnamese and foreigners alike - drinking this beer that costs 20 cents. Bia Hoi is the special brew of Hanoi. Apparently Saigon has its own brew too (as did Halong Bay (bia Halong)) but not sure if they do the same thing with the sidewalk set up with little plastic chairs. Anyway we enjoyed the people watching, especially all the vendors going by on their pedal bikes loaded down with stuff or the women who carry two baskets that are supported by a wooden beam that they hold on their shoulder. They carry everything in this manner - fruits (like 4 watermelons on each side!), bras(!), whole entire meals of chicken soup (pho) in a vat along with bowls to be able to serve you right there! Amazing to see and of course great photo opportunities.
By the way, the Vietnamese love their little plastic chairs and tables. These chairs look like children's chairs and the tables are maybe only a foot and a half off the ground. Throughout Hanoi there were many food stands set up on the sidewalk and attached to each food stand has its own set of the chairs and tables. The Vietnamese like to eat out on the street.
Speaking of small things, everything here is small as this is a country of small people. I would pity the 6 foot guy who has to sleep on the train here or sit within one of the bus seats. I would say that my height is just reaching the maximum for comfort.
Ok back on track here - Restaurant 69. This was a great restaurant around the corner from where we stayed in the Old Quarter. Bun cha was my favorite thing that I ate - little pork hamburger like things which you'd eat with fresh mint, bean sprouts, rice, and a fish dipping sauce. Really good! The margaritas were a hit for Veronica and me at the Restaurant 69 too!
I have to comment on how nice the Vietnamese people are. They are so mild mannered and pleasant - and genuinely so. I think of all the countries I have traveled in within my lifetime, these are the nicest people. I really enjoy talking to them and laughing with them, as they often like to do.
So, as a start within Vietnam, Hanoi did not disappoint and was a big hit for us!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Back in Bangkok
After a long 24 hour trip from Darjeeling to Baghdogra (by zooming minivan with a funeral procession on the road along the way and some maniacal driving on the last stretch to add just a tad of momentary stress) to Delhi (by flight with one stop) and then by Jet Airways to Bangkok on a 1am flight(!), we finally arrived back where we started 7 years ago! Yep, Khao San Road, Bangkok, folks! This is backpacker central for South East Asia. Guesthouses, street vendors, banana pancakes made roadside in a quick 30 seconds, and lots of cheap fake clothing!
I have to say after India it was kind of a relief to be in Bangkok - it seemed almost 1st world compared to India. Bangkok has changed since we were last here though. Or maybe I have. No, really, it was actually different. The new airport was the first noticeable difference - very modern and making quite a different impression than last time we fly into Bangkok. Khao San Road has gone commercial - Starbucks is there! (We were bad and went there almost everyday for iced coffees and blueberry muffins...we could not resist. But then again, we have been Starbucks deprived in the DR for the past 3 years so it's different if we go there versus the other backpackers who have just landed from England or Holland or wherever.) Khao San Road had a lot more "real" restaurants and prices were high. Still we were happy to have a large Chang beer and sit there and watch all the people go by. It is still quite a great people watching place - albeit 99% foreigners, though it seems that some of the venues there now seem to be the hip place to go for Thais who want to drink Heinekens. Some of the places had this cool see-through contraption that held 3 liters (who knows what that translates to into non-metric) within a tube-like thing that had a cooling element inside it.
We stayed off Khao San Road on Soi Rambuttri which is a slightly less chaotic but still fun street about a block away. I highly recommend the Lamphu House - and we will be going back there at the end of June for our flight to the UK.
The reason for us going to Bangkok was solely to get our Vietnam visa. I think we both didn't really think we'd be that into being in Bangkok, but we really enjoyed ourselves - in fact we PAMPERED ourselves there. V got a haircut, some waxing, and a Thai massage. While I went for a much needed facial, waxing, and Thai massage. This was our first Thai massage which is very different from Swedish or the other techniques. This involves the masseuse using more than just her hands - at times elbows, legs, and upper body were put to use. It was....well actually kind of painful at times but I was feeling a lot more aligned after it. It was alomst like a chiropractic visit in some ways. I think we both will go for another one when we return in June.
Aside from pampering ourselves, we ate like queens! My stomach was finally back to normal after the India Trauma and boy did I go after it! Tom Yum Gum soup, fried rice, green beans with cashews, pad thai, lots of spicy shrimp dishes.....the Thai food really does rock.
We hit the waterways of Bangkok too - gotta do that as you see much cool stuff that way. We hit the ferry on the big river there and cruised that. We went to the Jim Thompson House by long tail ferry on the canal. You had to watch out for getting splashed on that one though as the canal water is probably a bit toxic.
One of the best things we did was go on an early morning bike tour with the Co Van Kessel company. Yep, a company owned by a Dutch man who likes biking no less. Those Dutch! Of course the 2 other people on our bike ride were Dutch - a young couple nearly finishing up a 6 month trip around the world. This bike ride took us through the tiny alleys of Chinatown where we slipped and slided our way through fish guts (courtesy of the fish market), loads of strange foods being prepared, and lots of people who seemed unfazed by us trying to squeeze past them with maybe an inch to spare or else you'd be in their big vat of noodle soup. A few temples, a church even, and a quieter side of Bangkok on the opposite side of the river which we reached by putting our bikes on to one of the ferries. It had rained the night before so it was not so steamy which was good thing. Did I say how hot it was in Bangkok? Well, if India was a hair dryer blowing hot air on to you, Bangkok was like the DR in summer.
We can't forget our trip to the PatPong area. No, no ping pong shows, people. We went for the cheap fake clothes and accessories. We did our part for the local (illegal) economy and loaded up on fake Lacoste shirts ($5 each), a pair of Gucci sunglasses ($6), Prada sunglasses ($6), and a Cartier watch ($15) - V couldn't resist. A few margaritas and a talk with a very friendly Thai waitress who is more accustomed to speaking to disgusting foreign men who are waiting for the ping pong shows to get going. She was happy to practice her English and thought it funny that we were going to Hanoi -- "Oh, so many motorbikes. Hehe! Hehe! Oh and you for Obama or Hillary?" Wow, a politically minded Pat Pong waitress. Times have a changed in Bangkok!
Well that about sums up Bangkok. It was a great few days where we could kick back in a city that we knew and in which you can really enjoy yourself. Since we'd already seen many sights around the city we had an excuse at times to just relax. All in all we were glad to be a back!
I have to say after India it was kind of a relief to be in Bangkok - it seemed almost 1st world compared to India. Bangkok has changed since we were last here though. Or maybe I have. No, really, it was actually different. The new airport was the first noticeable difference - very modern and making quite a different impression than last time we fly into Bangkok. Khao San Road has gone commercial - Starbucks is there! (We were bad and went there almost everyday for iced coffees and blueberry muffins...we could not resist. But then again, we have been Starbucks deprived in the DR for the past 3 years so it's different if we go there versus the other backpackers who have just landed from England or Holland or wherever.) Khao San Road had a lot more "real" restaurants and prices were high. Still we were happy to have a large Chang beer and sit there and watch all the people go by. It is still quite a great people watching place - albeit 99% foreigners, though it seems that some of the venues there now seem to be the hip place to go for Thais who want to drink Heinekens. Some of the places had this cool see-through contraption that held 3 liters (who knows what that translates to into non-metric) within a tube-like thing that had a cooling element inside it.
We stayed off Khao San Road on Soi Rambuttri which is a slightly less chaotic but still fun street about a block away. I highly recommend the Lamphu House - and we will be going back there at the end of June for our flight to the UK.
The reason for us going to Bangkok was solely to get our Vietnam visa. I think we both didn't really think we'd be that into being in Bangkok, but we really enjoyed ourselves - in fact we PAMPERED ourselves there. V got a haircut, some waxing, and a Thai massage. While I went for a much needed facial, waxing, and Thai massage. This was our first Thai massage which is very different from Swedish or the other techniques. This involves the masseuse using more than just her hands - at times elbows, legs, and upper body were put to use. It was....well actually kind of painful at times but I was feeling a lot more aligned after it. It was alomst like a chiropractic visit in some ways. I think we both will go for another one when we return in June.
Aside from pampering ourselves, we ate like queens! My stomach was finally back to normal after the India Trauma and boy did I go after it! Tom Yum Gum soup, fried rice, green beans with cashews, pad thai, lots of spicy shrimp dishes.....the Thai food really does rock.
We hit the waterways of Bangkok too - gotta do that as you see much cool stuff that way. We hit the ferry on the big river there and cruised that. We went to the Jim Thompson House by long tail ferry on the canal. You had to watch out for getting splashed on that one though as the canal water is probably a bit toxic.
One of the best things we did was go on an early morning bike tour with the Co Van Kessel company. Yep, a company owned by a Dutch man who likes biking no less. Those Dutch! Of course the 2 other people on our bike ride were Dutch - a young couple nearly finishing up a 6 month trip around the world. This bike ride took us through the tiny alleys of Chinatown where we slipped and slided our way through fish guts (courtesy of the fish market), loads of strange foods being prepared, and lots of people who seemed unfazed by us trying to squeeze past them with maybe an inch to spare or else you'd be in their big vat of noodle soup. A few temples, a church even, and a quieter side of Bangkok on the opposite side of the river which we reached by putting our bikes on to one of the ferries. It had rained the night before so it was not so steamy which was good thing. Did I say how hot it was in Bangkok? Well, if India was a hair dryer blowing hot air on to you, Bangkok was like the DR in summer.
We can't forget our trip to the PatPong area. No, no ping pong shows, people. We went for the cheap fake clothes and accessories. We did our part for the local (illegal) economy and loaded up on fake Lacoste shirts ($5 each), a pair of Gucci sunglasses ($6), Prada sunglasses ($6), and a Cartier watch ($15) - V couldn't resist. A few margaritas and a talk with a very friendly Thai waitress who is more accustomed to speaking to disgusting foreign men who are waiting for the ping pong shows to get going. She was happy to practice her English and thought it funny that we were going to Hanoi -- "Oh, so many motorbikes. Hehe! Hehe! Oh and you for Obama or Hillary?" Wow, a politically minded Pat Pong waitress. Times have a changed in Bangkok!
Well that about sums up Bangkok. It was a great few days where we could kick back in a city that we knew and in which you can really enjoy yourself. Since we'd already seen many sights around the city we had an excuse at times to just relax. All in all we were glad to be a back!
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