In Nha Trang, a seaside town and Vietnam's unofficial scuba diving capital, we decided not to do any diving. We heard it isn't that spectacular due to underwater garbage and the effects of dynamite fishing. Instead we spent a day at Vinpearl Land - a scaled-down version of Canada's Wonderland (or Disneyland, to our non-Canadian readers). For $16 we got unlimited access to outdoor rides (including a roller coaster), animal shows (complete with monkeys wearing silk and riding tiny bikes), indoor arcade games, a "4D" movie theatre, and a waterpark with a lazy river, slides, and a wave pool. Also, our three-km-long cable car rides (the world's longest over water) to and from the island were included. Since the place was chock full of Vietnamese families, we considered it "immersing ourselves in local culture."
Next up was the refreshing climate of another hill town (elevation 1500 m), Dalat. During our three days there it was between 15 and 20 degrees Celcius - ahhh. Unfortunately, it also rained on and off. But the $2 (!) bottles of red wine (locally produced) and the $2 baguette and cheese deals at the bakery made up for the rain.
Sidenote: the only cheese that stores carry in Vietnam is triangles of "Laughing Cow" cheese. While it is an alright cheese, we really miss a nice sharp cheddar, a savoury brie, or some old blue cheese (well, actually only Craig misses the smelly blue cheese).
Our final town was Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon (and actually still called Saigon by everyone in the south - hmmm, a small rebellion against communism?). We visited the War Remnants Museum with its American planes and tanks. The photo exhibits, primarily from the "American War" (aka the Vietnam War), were heart-wrenching. The jars of miscarried Agent Orange babies were a little much. And although the museum was pretty anti-American and presented a very one-sided, propagandist view of the war (you'd think the Viet Cong were saints), it was a touching tribute to the millions casualties on both sides, including civilians and international journalists.
We meandered down the Mekong on a two-day tour, staying the night at a floating hotel, and entered Cambodia via a riverside border crossing. We're currently in the capital, Phnom Phen ("nom pen"), where we're getting our bearings before heading south to the beaches. For the last two weeks or so, we've been travelling with Marlous, Floris, and Vanessa, two Dutchies and a Brit. It's been great to play cards and share drinks with a group of like-minded people.
In our blog we try to be positive about where we go and our experiences. There are always giong to be high and lows of travelling. However, so far Vietnam has been the least favourite country we're visited. There are more scams and tricks to separate you from your dong (money) than anywhere else. The bargaining is excessive, many hotels tried to cheat us, and we just got sick and tired of it. If you get a few glasses of wine or beer into us when we return home in six weeks we'll have some good stories to tell that we can laugh at with the benefit of hindsight. While Vietnam has a lot to offer - beautiful cities, cheap beer, alright food (though it has nothing on Thailand) - Southeast Asia has much more friendly and welcoming countries than Vietnam.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Craig Tried To Pay For Dinner With Wiener, But They Would Only Accept Dong
An overnight train delivered us from Sapa's cool mountain climate back into Hanoi's heat. When our train arrived at 4 am it was already 30 degrees in Hanoi. Two hours later we boarded another train and headed south to Nihn Binh ("Ning Bing"), where we found a tiny restaurant that served excellent goat (sorry Brad) and beef.
Here we did a boat trip through the Trang An caves. We were rowed down a 3 km river winding through 15 limestone caves. We can across a Vietnamese movie being shot at a temple along the river's edge, complete with warriors, ninjas, and lots of swords. Unfortunately white extras did not fit into the script, but they were doing some production stills that Craig snuck into. We also went to Mua Cave, which has a look-out at the top of 500 stone steps over rice paddies, rivers, and limestone karsts. It was absolutely beautiful, but the 500 steps at noon in 40 degree heat was craziness.
Next up was another 12-hour overnight sleeper bus ride to Hue ("Hway"). This was the night of the World Cup final between Holland and Spain, so our bus stopped at 2 am to watch most of the game on a tiny TV at a roadside stall. Craig was the only backpacker who got off the bus to watch the game with a bunch of locals. When they asked him where he was from and he replied "Canada", they weren't very impressed, since "your country didn't even make it to the World Cup."
Hue was a very modern city - it used to be the capital of Vietnam. We walked the wide, shaded streets, enjoying views of the Citadel and drinking freshly squeezed sugar can juice over ice. Mmm.
Five days ago we arrived here, in Hoi An, our favourite city so far in Vietnam. It's a World Heritage City, so many of the buildings downtown are preserved like a fine strawberry jam. The city sits on a river, and at night the lights of the colourful paper lanterns twinkle on the water. The food is delicious (the best yet), the people are friendly, the beer is cold and cheap (20 cents a glass again), and the beach is only a 5 km bike ride away. We've reconnected with people we met in Laos and Hanoi, so it's been nice to have some social nights out. It's been very easy to chill here for a few days. There are almost 200 tailors and cobblers in town and many travellers choose to have custom-made clothes and shoes. We took a pass, since the workmanship can be hit or miss, and our packs are choc-a-bloc with New Zealand and India clothes we never wear!
Tonight we take our last sleeper bus in Vietnam, since the rest of the towns will be (relatively) close together. We'll be arriving tomorrow morning in Nha Trang, the scuba diving capital of Vietnam.
We have been having difficulty finding computers that will let us upload pictures to our blog. Many computer labs here block Facebook, and most are not fast enough to upload more than one or two photos per hour. Gross.
Here we did a boat trip through the Trang An caves. We were rowed down a 3 km river winding through 15 limestone caves. We can across a Vietnamese movie being shot at a temple along the river's edge, complete with warriors, ninjas, and lots of swords. Unfortunately white extras did not fit into the script, but they were doing some production stills that Craig snuck into. We also went to Mua Cave, which has a look-out at the top of 500 stone steps over rice paddies, rivers, and limestone karsts. It was absolutely beautiful, but the 500 steps at noon in 40 degree heat was craziness.
Next up was another 12-hour overnight sleeper bus ride to Hue ("Hway"). This was the night of the World Cup final between Holland and Spain, so our bus stopped at 2 am to watch most of the game on a tiny TV at a roadside stall. Craig was the only backpacker who got off the bus to watch the game with a bunch of locals. When they asked him where he was from and he replied "Canada", they weren't very impressed, since "your country didn't even make it to the World Cup."
Hue was a very modern city - it used to be the capital of Vietnam. We walked the wide, shaded streets, enjoying views of the Citadel and drinking freshly squeezed sugar can juice over ice. Mmm.
Five days ago we arrived here, in Hoi An, our favourite city so far in Vietnam. It's a World Heritage City, so many of the buildings downtown are preserved like a fine strawberry jam. The city sits on a river, and at night the lights of the colourful paper lanterns twinkle on the water. The food is delicious (the best yet), the people are friendly, the beer is cold and cheap (20 cents a glass again), and the beach is only a 5 km bike ride away. We've reconnected with people we met in Laos and Hanoi, so it's been nice to have some social nights out. It's been very easy to chill here for a few days. There are almost 200 tailors and cobblers in town and many travellers choose to have custom-made clothes and shoes. We took a pass, since the workmanship can be hit or miss, and our packs are choc-a-bloc with New Zealand and India clothes we never wear!
Tonight we take our last sleeper bus in Vietnam, since the rest of the towns will be (relatively) close together. We'll be arriving tomorrow morning in Nha Trang, the scuba diving capital of Vietnam.
We have been having difficulty finding computers that will let us upload pictures to our blog. Many computer labs here block Facebook, and most are not fast enough to upload more than one or two photos per hour. Gross.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Fist Full of Dong
Remember the air conditioned bus (complete with beds! how posh!) to Hanoi we wrote about in our last post? Well, it turned out to be a complete gong show. The set-up of the bus was three rows of bunk beds (people sleeping head-to-toe) that were crazy-narrow, and we couldn't fully recline because our feet went under the head of the person in front of us. There were 36 beds, but over 50 passengers - luckily we got actual beds, but we couldn't get to the bathroom because the aisles were full of sleeping people. Other backpackers left, furious, after they were told they had to sleep on the floor even though they paid $40 like the rest of us. The good news is that the bus was air-conditioned (except for four hours in the middle of the night while we were pulled over at a rest station while our driver slept), we were probably more comfy than we would have been on a regular bus, there was (bad) 1980s karaoke, and we made it through the border and arrived in Hanoi safe and sound (although it the trip took 26 hours in total instead of the promised 16 hours - we even stopped at one point to have the bus washed!).
We had been warned that Vietnam is the most in-your-face country in southeast Asia, and so far it is definitely true. We have to barter for things here we've never had to before, from bottles of water to meals to the price of our guesthouse. This gets tiring. If we're sitting near a street (even eating or drinking) people constantly come up and try and sell us anything and everything: hats, sandals, donuts, purses, etc. Hanoi is also full of scams, from taxis changing the agreed-upon fare at the end of a journey or having "fast" tourist meters, to shoe repair guys who hold your shoes for hostage to dodgy guesthouses demanding extra payment upon check-out. There are countless ways to try and separate tourists from their dong (aka, the Vietnamese currency).
All that aside, Hanoi is a very clean and modern town, at least around the Old Quarter where we stayed and explored. It is full of trees, lakes, better shopping than Bangkok, and our favourite, cheap delicious local beer. With the 40-degree-plus temperatures in Hanoi, meeting up with fellow travelers (and locals) for an afternoon session of street-side 20 cent (!) glasses of microbrewery draught beer is the only way to survive. One night a group of us even found a pub with free (unlimited) bottles of beer from 6pm to 9pm, and then more free beer if we stood on one foot for two minutes.
After exploring Hanoi for a few days, we booked an overnight sleeper train north to Sapa, for some detoxing in the hill station at 1600m. Coming from Hanoi's sweltering heat to Sapa's 20-degree loveliness was heaven. This town is fairly touristy, but rightfully so it is a big holiday destination for Vietnamese people trying to escape the heat. It is built on a hill so the views over the surrounding green valleys are beautiful. We have explored trails around town and are glad we've been working out as we have to ascent eight flights of stairs to reach our hotel room!
We've also been indulging in Vietnamese cuisine, though since it's a touristy town we have to seek out restaurants that offer more than pizzas, pasta, and burgers. Last night we sampled some local plum wine: $2 for a "bottle" which turned out to be a refilled 500 ml Aquafina water bottle. It was extremely potent, but that turned out to be a great conversation starter with a local Vietnamese guy Craig started doing shots (of "wine") with. As adventurous as we are, we decided to take a pass on the BBQ dog paws and puppy hindquarters for sale at the market (there is a suspicious lack of street dogs in this country). We are still undecided on the restaurant down the street, where horse is the only meat on the menu and is accompanied by boiled blood stew!
We had been warned that Vietnam is the most in-your-face country in southeast Asia, and so far it is definitely true. We have to barter for things here we've never had to before, from bottles of water to meals to the price of our guesthouse. This gets tiring. If we're sitting near a street (even eating or drinking) people constantly come up and try and sell us anything and everything: hats, sandals, donuts, purses, etc. Hanoi is also full of scams, from taxis changing the agreed-upon fare at the end of a journey or having "fast" tourist meters, to shoe repair guys who hold your shoes for hostage to dodgy guesthouses demanding extra payment upon check-out. There are countless ways to try and separate tourists from their dong (aka, the Vietnamese currency).
All that aside, Hanoi is a very clean and modern town, at least around the Old Quarter where we stayed and explored. It is full of trees, lakes, better shopping than Bangkok, and our favourite, cheap delicious local beer. With the 40-degree-plus temperatures in Hanoi, meeting up with fellow travelers (and locals) for an afternoon session of street-side 20 cent (!) glasses of microbrewery draught beer is the only way to survive. One night a group of us even found a pub with free (unlimited) bottles of beer from 6pm to 9pm, and then more free beer if we stood on one foot for two minutes.
After exploring Hanoi for a few days, we booked an overnight sleeper train north to Sapa, for some detoxing in the hill station at 1600m. Coming from Hanoi's sweltering heat to Sapa's 20-degree loveliness was heaven. This town is fairly touristy, but rightfully so it is a big holiday destination for Vietnamese people trying to escape the heat. It is built on a hill so the views over the surrounding green valleys are beautiful. We have explored trails around town and are glad we've been working out as we have to ascent eight flights of stairs to reach our hotel room!
We've also been indulging in Vietnamese cuisine, though since it's a touristy town we have to seek out restaurants that offer more than pizzas, pasta, and burgers. Last night we sampled some local plum wine: $2 for a "bottle" which turned out to be a refilled 500 ml Aquafina water bottle. It was extremely potent, but that turned out to be a great conversation starter with a local Vietnamese guy Craig started doing shots (of "wine") with. As adventurous as we are, we decided to take a pass on the BBQ dog paws and puppy hindquarters for sale at the market (there is a suspicious lack of street dogs in this country). We are still undecided on the restaurant down the street, where horse is the only meat on the menu and is accompanied by boiled blood stew!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Lessons in Ridiculousness: Taking Buses Through Northern Laos
Luang Nam Tha was the first town of our northern Laos "Off the Beaten Track" tour. It was near a National Protected Area, where we did an 18 km kayak trip down the Nam Tha River. The day involved navigating various classes of rapids, visiting two hill tribe villages, and eating a BBQ lunch (including a delicious bass) cooked at the side of the river.
Sidenote: roads in northern Laos were all kinds of crazy. Mountains, hairpin turns, unsealed sections with potholes the size of St. Bernards, and more cow obstacles than New Zealand meant we kept an average speed of 25 - 35 km/h. This makes for slooooooooow going. Heaps of Gravol made the trip fine for us, if a little hot and uncomfortable at times, but on each bus ride at least 5 to 6 Laos people were constantly throwing up (and then chucking the plastic puke bags out the window and into the countryside - painful to watch). The views over the dramatic cliffs and valleys, and the lovely sunsets, made the journey worth it.
From Luang Nam Tha we caught a 9-hour bus to Nong Khiaw, a beautiful riverside town completely surrounded by limestone karsts. This was our favourite spot in Laos. We did various hikes to caves (which housed 100 people hiding from bomb attacks during the Indo-China War) and waterfalls. It was gloriously quiet with excellent food and friendly locals.
Next up was a 12-hour bus to Sam Neua, which involved two bus break-downs and Andrea getting puked on by a 5-year-old. We arrived at midnight, two hours late, and faced the challenge of finding an open guest house in the middle of the night during a power outage - the city was pitch black. Sam Neua didn't have much to offer, so we left after two days.
On the 9-hour bus ride to Phonsavan the little girl in front of us threw up, no joke, at least 25 times - luckily into bags instead of on Andrea. Curiously, we found the best Indian restaurant outside of India in Phonsavan, run by an Indian lady in a sari. It was a treat but reminded Craig how much he misses Indian food - Laos food, usually noodle soup and fried rice dishes, just isn't the same, especially when you're eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner some days.
Touring through the north, we learned about the "Secret War" that devastated Laos in the 60s and 70s. The US carpet-bombed eastern and northeastern Laos from 1965 to 1973 because of the presence of the North Vietnamese during the "American War" (as the Vietnam War is known here in Southeast Asia). One statistic we found particularly devastating was that it is estimated that America dropped an average of 1 planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 9 years. This amounts to 1.9 million metric tonnes of bombs - or 2 tonnes for every person in Laos. Unfortunately, the country is still scattered with unexploded ordinance, which has killed at least 10,000 innocent people so far, and which means that literally going "off the beaten track" in many places is NOT recommended!
We are now back in Vientiane, the capital city, after an 11-hour bus ride south. Tonight we board an air-conditioned sleeper bus (complete with beds! how posh!) for the 16-hour-plus ride to Hanoi, in north Vietnam.
Overall, the people and the landscape of northern Laos (and the yummy meat salads) have been wonderful. After we are done touring Cambodia we may pop back into south Laos to see what adventures await us there!
Sidenote: roads in northern Laos were all kinds of crazy. Mountains, hairpin turns, unsealed sections with potholes the size of St. Bernards, and more cow obstacles than New Zealand meant we kept an average speed of 25 - 35 km/h. This makes for slooooooooow going. Heaps of Gravol made the trip fine for us, if a little hot and uncomfortable at times, but on each bus ride at least 5 to 6 Laos people were constantly throwing up (and then chucking the plastic puke bags out the window and into the countryside - painful to watch). The views over the dramatic cliffs and valleys, and the lovely sunsets, made the journey worth it.
From Luang Nam Tha we caught a 9-hour bus to Nong Khiaw, a beautiful riverside town completely surrounded by limestone karsts. This was our favourite spot in Laos. We did various hikes to caves (which housed 100 people hiding from bomb attacks during the Indo-China War) and waterfalls. It was gloriously quiet with excellent food and friendly locals.
Next up was a 12-hour bus to Sam Neua, which involved two bus break-downs and Andrea getting puked on by a 5-year-old. We arrived at midnight, two hours late, and faced the challenge of finding an open guest house in the middle of the night during a power outage - the city was pitch black. Sam Neua didn't have much to offer, so we left after two days.
On the 9-hour bus ride to Phonsavan the little girl in front of us threw up, no joke, at least 25 times - luckily into bags instead of on Andrea. Curiously, we found the best Indian restaurant outside of India in Phonsavan, run by an Indian lady in a sari. It was a treat but reminded Craig how much he misses Indian food - Laos food, usually noodle soup and fried rice dishes, just isn't the same, especially when you're eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner some days.
Touring through the north, we learned about the "Secret War" that devastated Laos in the 60s and 70s. The US carpet-bombed eastern and northeastern Laos from 1965 to 1973 because of the presence of the North Vietnamese during the "American War" (as the Vietnam War is known here in Southeast Asia). One statistic we found particularly devastating was that it is estimated that America dropped an average of 1 planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for 9 years. This amounts to 1.9 million metric tonnes of bombs - or 2 tonnes for every person in Laos. Unfortunately, the country is still scattered with unexploded ordinance, which has killed at least 10,000 innocent people so far, and which means that literally going "off the beaten track" in many places is NOT recommended!
We are now back in Vientiane, the capital city, after an 11-hour bus ride south. Tonight we board an air-conditioned sleeper bus (complete with beds! how posh!) for the 16-hour-plus ride to Hanoi, in north Vietnam.
Overall, the people and the landscape of northern Laos (and the yummy meat salads) have been wonderful. After we are done touring Cambodia we may pop back into south Laos to see what adventures await us there!
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