After Hanoi, we had two nights/ one day in Hue. We arrived there via an overnight train from Hanoi, which was definitely not as nice as the one we took from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, nor as comfortable, but we made the best of it. I shared a cabin with Leia, Shaun and Lynda, and we passed the time played the card game Hearts for 3 hours. Even though I was the one getting criticized for telling people the (right) rules, I ended up losing! Sleeping that night was difficult, as the train was loud.
We arrived in Hue around 830, got vans to our guest house, had breakfast and then met our motocycle drivers and Vietnamese guide, Tam, who were taking us around the area for the entire day. It was such a spectacular activity, not only because traveling around via motorcycle ensured that we saw a lot all in one day, but also because I never knew how fun it is to ride motorcycles!
Our guide Tam was extremely animated, great at English, and really well educated. I learned an extensive amount about Vietnam's history before the French colonized. I also really enjoyed hearing about his personal stories about growing up during the American War. He pointed out the fields that he and his 10 brothers and sisters played in while bombs dropped less than a mile away, and how his mother would get furious with them when they were not back in the bomb shelter quickly enough. He also talked about his current life today, and how much corruption there is the government, but they all live with it because the economy is booming. He showed us pictures of his two kids, and when we asked him if he wanted more, he replied that he can't have more because of the family planning laws. His wife is a teacher, so she works for the government; if they have another child, she will not be fired, but will be "punished" by being transferred or not receiving pay raises as she should.
After our day of motoring around the city, I had an early night as we had to get up early the next morning to head to Hoi An.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Halong Bay
Halong Bay was a spectacular experience, I obviously loved being back on the water again, and also the islands sticking up everywhere reminded me of Milford Sound in New Zealand, except here the thousands of small islands made the feeling more paradise-esque. We arrived around 12 and quickly boarded our boat (called a Junk Boat). The docking area was absolutely packed with tourists, both Westerners and Vietnamese, boarding identical boats. Halong Bay is the most visited spot in Vietnam.
I felt like a princess getting on the boat because as soon as I walked up the stairs to the seat/dining area, one of the crew members was handing out the wet wash-clothes like they do on long airplane rides. The tables were set for our seafood lunch, which was absolutely delicious. After dining we motored over to the caves, and we got out with our Vietnamese guide to walk around what is called the "Surprise Caves". There were three of them attached to each other, each one bigger than the next, surprisingly bigger in fact...hence the name! The caves were lit up inside, with multicolor lights, which helped to highlight the interesting formations on the walls, and also created a disney-world like feel to the experience.
After the caves we got back on the boat and motored past little floating villages where a number of Vietnamese live on their fishing boats. We then dropped anchor in a bay specifically designated for these tourist boats because it is an area protected from pirates (a very real threat to the area still!). Once we anchored, most of us put on our bathing suits and started jumping off the side of the boat. While the water didn't feel that clean, it was still really fun to float in the Gulf of Tonkin around such stunning landscape. We had diving contests off the side and floated around the boat for the whole rest of the afternoon. That night we had another delicious seafood dinner, drinks and played cards until about midnight.
The next morning we got back to the docking area around 9 and got in vans to begin the 4 hour drive to Hanoi.
I felt like a princess getting on the boat because as soon as I walked up the stairs to the seat/dining area, one of the crew members was handing out the wet wash-clothes like they do on long airplane rides. The tables were set for our seafood lunch, which was absolutely delicious. After dining we motored over to the caves, and we got out with our Vietnamese guide to walk around what is called the "Surprise Caves". There were three of them attached to each other, each one bigger than the next, surprisingly bigger in fact...hence the name! The caves were lit up inside, with multicolor lights, which helped to highlight the interesting formations on the walls, and also created a disney-world like feel to the experience.
After the caves we got back on the boat and motored past little floating villages where a number of Vietnamese live on their fishing boats. We then dropped anchor in a bay specifically designated for these tourist boats because it is an area protected from pirates (a very real threat to the area still!). Once we anchored, most of us put on our bathing suits and started jumping off the side of the boat. While the water didn't feel that clean, it was still really fun to float in the Gulf of Tonkin around such stunning landscape. We had diving contests off the side and floated around the boat for the whole rest of the afternoon. That night we had another delicious seafood dinner, drinks and played cards until about midnight.
The next morning we got back to the docking area around 9 and got in vans to begin the 4 hour drive to Hanoi.
Hanoi
Hanoi is a bustling city, where crossing the street is an extreme sport. There are motorbikes absolutely everywhere, and traffic laws are just light suggestions. So, to get anywhere in a normal amount of time you have to just step off the sidewalk and keep walking at the same pace, while the motor bikes avoid you. Really scary at first, and actually it never got less scary, but I did get much better at just going for it after the second or third time. Shopping in Hanoi is spectacular, and so is just walking around the old quarter and the French quarter. Once you can get past the extreme NOISE pollution of the horns, it is a great city to spend 3 days in.
The first day in Hanoi was our first experience with the tremendous rain fall in SE Asia, and mother nature did not spare us one bit. After a lunch in the old quarter, and some pirated DVD shopping, the sky opened up, and we were too stubborn to buy ponchos from the street ladies, and also to get into a cab. By the time we realized the pouring rain was not going to let up, we were so wet, it was too late to do anything about it. After about a 30 min walk back to the hotel (walk/ death race through motos to cross streets!) we arrived completely DRENCHED. That evening, I was not impressed with Vietnam at all. I was overwhelmed by the motos everywhere, wet, and just not happy with the day we had. Thankfully, the next day was a lot better, and my opinion of Hanoi and the rest of the country quickly changed.
The second morning we went as a group to see the preserved dead body of Uncle Ho (aka Ho Chi Minh). It was really strange lining up to see him. We had to stand in two straight single file lines and walk on a small red carpet up the stairs and through the halls to the room where the body is displayed in a glass case surrounded by 4 guards. You have to stay in your lines the entire time, and so you walk by rather quickly. The body could have been a wax replica, and it would have looked exactly the same, and I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years, they reveal that is! Apparently most Vietnamese try to come see Uncle Ho once year, or at least once in their lifetime. Every year for 2 months in September and October he is sent to Russia to be preserved again.
Once that was finished we walked with our Vietnamese guide around the palace and the former home of Ho Chi Minh (very simple, and not that interesting). The most interesting part was talking to our guide at the end. He is rather young, had recently finished business school, which he said was really hard to get into because of how popular it is right now, and also how hard it is to get a job once you get out. Because he knew English well, he had a much better advantage. He then told us that the young people do not like Communism because of how corrupt everything is, but they aren't looking to do anything about it right now because of the stability it provides. He remarked that in their country they are not afraid of terrorism like many western nations, so they just are doing the best they can with what they have for now.
When the morning was finished I went exploring around the city with Lynda and Sean for the afternoon. There was some great DVD shopping and really interesting art work and crafts to browse through. That night our group went to a water puppet show, which was really miserable. It consisted of really annoying Asian music being sung by two women who sounded like they were shouting over the not that great Asia instruments and then these puppets popping out of a pool. All the stories were in Vietnamese, and the audience was all white, so needless to say not many people really understood the cultural significance of any of the acts.
After Hanoi, we drove to Hue where we spent one night.
The second morning we went as a group to see the preserved dead body of Uncle Ho (aka Ho Chi Minh). It was really strange lining up to see him. We had to stand in two straight single file lines and walk on a small red carpet up the stairs and through the halls to the room where the body is displayed in a glass case surrounded by 4 guards. You have to stay in your lines the entire time, and so you walk by rather quickly. The body could have been a wax replica, and it would have looked exactly the same, and I wouldn't be surprised if in 10 years, they reveal that is! Apparently most Vietnamese try to come see Uncle Ho once year, or at least once in their lifetime. Every year for 2 months in September and October he is sent to Russia to be preserved again.
Once that was finished we walked with our Vietnamese guide around the palace and the former home of Ho Chi Minh (very simple, and not that interesting). The most interesting part was talking to our guide at the end. He is rather young, had recently finished business school, which he said was really hard to get into because of how popular it is right now, and also how hard it is to get a job once you get out. Because he knew English well, he had a much better advantage. He then told us that the young people do not like Communism because of how corrupt everything is, but they aren't looking to do anything about it right now because of the stability it provides. He remarked that in their country they are not afraid of terrorism like many western nations, so they just are doing the best they can with what they have for now.
When the morning was finished I went exploring around the city with Lynda and Sean for the afternoon. There was some great DVD shopping and really interesting art work and crafts to browse through. That night our group went to a water puppet show, which was really miserable. It consisted of really annoying Asian music being sung by two women who sounded like they were shouting over the not that great Asia instruments and then these puppets popping out of a pool. All the stories were in Vietnamese, and the audience was all white, so needless to say not many people really understood the cultural significance of any of the acts.
After Hanoi, we drove to Hue where we spent one night.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Vietnam- Nimh Bin to Halong Bay
Crossing the border from Laos to Vietnam went really smoothly. After getting our passports stamped out of Laos, our Lao van driver drove us across "No Man's Land" where we saw Vietnamese guys hoisting refridgerators on to their backs to carry through the jungle across the Vietnamese border...nothing can be done about it once they're in "No Man's Land" unless they get caught coming out of the jungle in Vietnam. Getting into Vietnam was pretty easy because we already had our visas (I got mine in Wellington). Our van was waiting for us just over the border (what I love about Intrepid is how well eveyrthing is organized in terms of accomodation and transportation). We then had a crazy ride through the mountains to Nimh Bin.
Note on driving in Vietnam: Lines = Loose suggestions, Lights = Suggestions, Horns = used at ALL times. So yeah, driving through the mountains in the van was pretty nerve racking looking out the front of the dashboard, so I looked out the side. This was much better because the scenery is stunning, and it was really funny to pass by the motorcycles and see what they could fit on the back. Quite frequently we passed baskets filled with pigs, or chickens, or even live fish floating in a bag...it's so interesting!!
So Nimh Bin was a gross orientation to Vietnam. Really, really dirty and the traffic was overwhelming. Thankfully, we were only there for a night and left early the next morning for Halong Bay, where we were boarding a boat for an overnight boat stay in one of the most beautiful places in SE Asia.
The drive to Halong Bay was about 5 hours, again very exciting drive because of the choatic way the drive, the beautiful scenery (green rice paddies EVERYWHERE), and again the really interesting motobikes transporting every type of good one can imagine.
Note on driving in Vietnam: Lines = Loose suggestions, Lights = Suggestions, Horns = used at ALL times. So yeah, driving through the mountains in the van was pretty nerve racking looking out the front of the dashboard, so I looked out the side. This was much better because the scenery is stunning, and it was really funny to pass by the motorcycles and see what they could fit on the back. Quite frequently we passed baskets filled with pigs, or chickens, or even live fish floating in a bag...it's so interesting!!
So Nimh Bin was a gross orientation to Vietnam. Really, really dirty and the traffic was overwhelming. Thankfully, we were only there for a night and left early the next morning for Halong Bay, where we were boarding a boat for an overnight boat stay in one of the most beautiful places in SE Asia.
The drive to Halong Bay was about 5 hours, again very exciting drive because of the choatic way the drive, the beautiful scenery (green rice paddies EVERYWHERE), and again the really interesting motobikes transporting every type of good one can imagine.
Homestay- Laos
The last two days in Laos we spent with a hilltribe in Laos. I wasn't particularly looking forward to this bit due to how sick I was but thanks to modern day medicine I held up pretty well, and it turned out to be much more bearable. The hilltribe was a very, very basic village...they do have electricity, but no indoor plumbing. Their toilets are in the back, and they are squat toilets (hence why I was not looking forward to this part of the trip). The houses are built up on bamboo stilts (for the rainy season and shade). The tribe is one that lives off the land, and no one ever really leaves. There are 46 families, 3 generations normally living in the houses. The school was the most depressing bit because it was this one room hut with dirt floors, a few falling apart desks and a little chalk board at the front. Our Laos guide explained to us that about 50 children (ages 6-11ish) are in that one room, taught by one teacher everyday. They only go to school for those ages because that is required by the government (they must learn to read and write, but that's it). If they do want to go on to secondary school they must travel 40 kms away, but what is most prohibitive is the cost of stationary. Also, there isn't much point for them to go, since they are needed to work in the rice paddies.
Intrepid (the tour I'm on) pays this tribe (not sure how much) for every group that goes through, which is good to give the village extra, much needed money, but at the same time it's a little awkward that we're going in there and basically invading their way of life. More recently they have gotten televisions and mobile phones in a lot of their homes, which, along with us westerners coming in all the time, illustrates to the young children what life is like outside of the tribe. My Intrepid guide pointed out that in many ways TV and Westerners travelling to these parts is pretty much helping to spread Western ideals just as the US government wanted to acheive with the Vietnam War, except this way is obviously a lot more peaceful. (My guide hates America by the way). The other awkward part about the stay is that no one speaks any English, so while playing with the children (Soccer and cards) was a great thing to do with them no other interaction was possible, so it feels like we're just invading for the night (which we are...but still). Even dinner was awkward because Laos custom means that they will not eat with us nor let us help clean or cook. After dinner (which was cooked for us by our Laos guide) that I couldnt eat because I still felt so nauseous, we got ready for bed. While I was getting ready it reminded me of Outward Bound/Chewonki. I went to bed, a thin mattress on the floor under a bright pink mosquito net, early (still sick) while Lynda and Leia (my roomates for the night) 'talked' with the family. They recited some Laos words that we had in our books, which made the girls giggle and I think it was really great that did that because it felt less like we were imposing.
The next morning we woke up early and got in the van to head to the Vietnam border!
Intrepid (the tour I'm on) pays this tribe (not sure how much) for every group that goes through, which is good to give the village extra, much needed money, but at the same time it's a little awkward that we're going in there and basically invading their way of life. More recently they have gotten televisions and mobile phones in a lot of their homes, which, along with us westerners coming in all the time, illustrates to the young children what life is like outside of the tribe. My Intrepid guide pointed out that in many ways TV and Westerners travelling to these parts is pretty much helping to spread Western ideals just as the US government wanted to acheive with the Vietnam War, except this way is obviously a lot more peaceful. (My guide hates America by the way). The other awkward part about the stay is that no one speaks any English, so while playing with the children (Soccer and cards) was a great thing to do with them no other interaction was possible, so it feels like we're just invading for the night (which we are...but still). Even dinner was awkward because Laos custom means that they will not eat with us nor let us help clean or cook. After dinner (which was cooked for us by our Laos guide) that I couldnt eat because I still felt so nauseous, we got ready for bed. While I was getting ready it reminded me of Outward Bound/Chewonki. I went to bed, a thin mattress on the floor under a bright pink mosquito net, early (still sick) while Lynda and Leia (my roomates for the night) 'talked' with the family. They recited some Laos words that we had in our books, which made the girls giggle and I think it was really great that did that because it felt less like we were imposing.
The next morning we woke up early and got in the van to head to the Vietnam border!
Lao Air
After 3 days in Luang Prabang, we headed to the airport to catch a flight to the capital, Vientiane. We were flying on Lao Air, an airline that Western governments do not allow their diplomats fly on...the Laos government does not release their airline statistics, add on to that we were flying though the mountains, so it was a nerve-racking! After going through security, we had to get our passport examined and our ticket checked again before boarding the plane. The plane actually seemed alright, relatively new and that made the journey a lot more comfortable. Right after we took off we were handed wet naps for our hands and then a box with biscuits (aka cookies) and some water. Before we knew it we were in Vientiane!
Viantiene is nothing to write home about...so I'll keep this brief. The day after we arrived Leia, Norelle, Lynda and I rented bikes to pedal around the city. A great idea because what there was to see is pretty far apart. The ride itself wasn't that beautiful and it was soooo hot so we didn't use them for too long, but we did get to see all the "important" places. That night I got really sick...thankfully we were in a hotel, because the next night we were at our homestay with a Laos Hilltribe.
Viantiene is nothing to write home about...so I'll keep this brief. The day after we arrived Leia, Norelle, Lynda and I rented bikes to pedal around the city. A great idea because what there was to see is pretty far apart. The ride itself wasn't that beautiful and it was soooo hot so we didn't use them for too long, but we did get to see all the "important" places. That night I got really sick...thankfully we were in a hotel, because the next night we were at our homestay with a Laos Hilltribe.
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