Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City.
Well, this is a bit of culture shock. Left Nah Trang, beach, ocean breezes, islands in the distance above an azure sea. The flight was thirty five minutes. Half an hour in a taxi and we are five blocks off the Mekong deep in downtown HCMC. Hanoi was busy. This is something all together different. We chose a place out of Lonely Planet, the taxi brought us here and they had room, which is fortunate. A little pricey ( relatively speaking - Kim and I will never again be able to rent a hotel in North America after a littany of $10 to $20 really nice hotel rooms) but large, clean, comfy and hot watery. The traffic here is mad. Mad, I tell you! And, unlike every other town we have visited in Vietnam, they will not stop for you.
We have yet only wandered about twenty blocks (we are in the old city) from our rooms to the day market. Off of each street we walk down, many small alleyways run perpendicular, and off of those run more. A total warren. At 4 we decided on a before dinner drink (totally unheard of for Kim and I) and Kim wanted a lime with hers. That took me 45 min of searching. Another 20 min to find mix with ice. So Kim has been tasked with finding us dinner, which she has done. We are eating our street food on the balcony, so I will leave you until the next post.
Sunday, 23 February 2014
Nha Trang 2
We are finally learning how to travel here, through the errors we make. The lesson learned is, plan ahead. On Friday we decided we would fly to Saigon on Sunday rather than the long bus trip (1 hour verses 20 hrs). I went out to buy our tickets. Now flights available on Sunday. Only business class available (1,700,000.00 VND each) on Monday. Tuesday economy available (1,200,000.00 VND). So we are traveling Tuesday.
With some unplanned time on our hands, we turned Sunday into a classic tourist day. Went to ancient Cham temples, modern Pagodas, visited a big Buddha, the Catholic Church (??!! WTF?) and the Oceanographic Institute. You can see pictures below. Wrapped the day up watching some random hockey game with a gazillion other rowdy Canucks (there was booze involved) and back in our rooms by midnight.
Today we nurse our hangov.... wait, I mean catch some sun on the beach.
Ho Chi Minh City in the am.
Friday, 21 February 2014
Nha Trang 1
Arrived Nha Tran (pronounced Na hay tran) on Thursday, our time, Wednesday to you. Another great hotel room - balcony with a view out over the city and a really comfortable bed (finally).
Nha Trang is a total tourist town right on the beach. I am sure there is a lot of history that I could look into but really, all you need to know right now is "PARTY!".
During our first full day I went diving while Kim went walking and checking out the town. It was cloudy and there was a lot of wave action so the visibility wasn't great, but I was able to have two good dives and saw some amazing corals and fauna. The highlight was We (pronounced "way"), my dive master. I was the only diver for the day so we spent fom 7am to 2pm together. 26 years old and conversational in English I learned a lot about his life and culture. A funny guy and seemed to think I was funny (may have been funny hmmm... And I was paying him) and the only Viet I have met who says "fuck" regularly, so, like, my soul mate.
Kim found a great little restaurant and, after an afternoon nap, we had a lovely dinner. Tons of obese, totally rude Russians in town and we had a pair at the table next to us. They were such assholes to the really good, young, serving staff which took a bit of the shine off, but still nice.
After dinner we wandered about, planning for a walk before bed. We came across a British owned and staffed bar and the Sweden Finn game was on. Curling final to follow. Then Canada US semi final. There was booze involved. Sooooo, when we got back to the hotel at FOUR A F**KING CLOCK in the morning, the hotel was locked up tight, including the gate that keeps one away from the locked front doors. Risking a night in a Vietnamese jail, I scaled the gates (I mentioned there was booze involved, righ?) and banged on the front door until I woke the staff. They totally love us as guests.
I'll keep you updated.
A long walk in Nha Trang
We arrived yesterday in Nha Trang, a seaside town with many Russian, tourists, the town is lovely, the beach is beautiful, if it weren't for the big, fancy hotels and the R......... It would be fabulous, no, no, who am I to pass judgement. ( I will leave that to Lou, he is so much better at that). Not the judgement part but telling you about Nha Trang and our adventures. Lou went diving today, so I had several hours to walk, the beach, the town, the countryside,(4 hours Blainer, my trainer) for those of you who don't know, my son bBlaine registered me in the Vancouver marathon for a Christmas present, not blindly, I had mentioned I wanted to do it to celebrate my 50th year, walking division, albeit, but 42 km is 42 km. and only one month after being on vacation for 3 months!! And I didn't bring runners,only flip flops, i did pose the question to him if I can walk 10km in flip flops does that translate into 42km in runners. He just laughed....you're so funny mama!
I'm getting away from where I started, I went for a walk and much of the flora and fauna reminded me of people I care about, so I thought I would put it out there, please don't for a minute think I am feeling homesick, of course I miss all of you, however I have plenty of time left on this adventure and am having much to much fun to want to cut it short, I am hoping that when the time comes I will be ready to come home but for now I miss you all and enjoy reflecting on you all, I am not pine....ing for you yet.
Division 4 I miss you guys too, I tried to find a school in my walking today but didn't come across one, but do you know I ate scorpion and it tasted like bacon! I will have lots of stories to share with you after spring break........
Love to you all.....xoxoxoxo
Thursday, 20 February 2014
Last of Quy Nhon
Some weather moved in to Quy Nhon yesterday, so though it was warm through the morning, it was overcast and cool in the afternoon.
Our hotel is one of 5 or 6 at the south end of a long (1 km +) block, most of which is the road frontage of Quy Nhon University. The city of Quy Nhon is built along the shore in a broad, flat valley, not unlike Vancouver. Quy Nhon U is right in the centre of town and the courtyards are full of bicycles, transport for the majority of the students and staff. The streets in the rest of the town one sees many scooters, the occasional truck, and tons of bicycles. Silly third worlders. Don't they know they should have built their university on the top of one of the nearby mountains, thereby limiting all access to buses, cars and trucks.
On our way to Nha Trang, the boozin' capital of Vietnam.
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Quy Hao Beach.
Got up this am and, after a bite at Barbara's Kiwi something-or-other restaurant, rented some bikes for a ride to some ancient Cham towers and Quy Hao Beach. Our map to the towers was a sketchy computer printout and we were soon asking locals for direction. "Go this way," two kilometres, next folks, "Go back,"'another kilometre, "No, down this road," said the next folks we asked, before we said screw it and headed for the beach.
To get to the beach we headed south from town, which you kind of associate with down hill, but the first bit was decidedly up hill, steeply, for about 2 km. We began at sea level and were heading for a beach so... Shortly after cresting the peak, we heard a gun shot. Nope. Kim's front tire. We decide that we will walk the bikes down the hill to the beach and then, after sun and swimming, walk the bikes back the 4 km to town. I rode ahead and bought a water at the beach while Kim walked her bike down the hill (Lou Keating=chivalry, right?). When Kim arrived with her flat, the owners of the kiosk lept to action, the pictures of which are below. They would not accept any money for their good hearted deed.
When we returned to town, I rode to the bus depot to buy our tickets to Na Trang tomorrow. Sold out. So tomorrow is a lay on the beach day. Are you feeling sorry for us yet?
Monday, 17 February 2014
Fun on the beach.
Out for a walk on the beach yesterday, a couple with a 10 year old who we met during breakfast are about 50 meters ahead of us. 15 meters off the beach from them, on the steps to the promenade, Kim draws my attention to a local fellow, asking me what I think he is up to. At first I think her is pulling his dick out for a pee, as all the local men seem to do everywhere, but I soon see he is just pulling his dick. As he jerks off he points his groin at the couple ahead of us as he struggles to cum. We divert and head up to the promenade to go around him. An hour later Kim heads along the promenade for town and a bit of shopping. His dickness is there and, as she passes, offers Kim a closer look at his equipment. The sights of Vietnam.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Quy Nhon update.
It is the morning after we have arrived, I have finished my morning wander and I can tell that Quy Nhon (pronounced "whee en gone") will take more than one post.
Our room at the Hotel Au Co is too funky by far. The stair from the narrow lobby is steep, the treads and risers made of red marble, the rail teak carved in a dragon motif from the lobby to the fourth and final floor. And each floor has, count 'em, one room. Our room on the third floor overlooks the main drag, the promenade and the sea. It contains, apart from sideboards, tables and chairs, three beds - two queens and a double, and there is still enough room for a sexy dance party if we choose.
After settling in last night, we went out searching for dinner. We shunned the upscale sea food joints off the promenade and, down a dark side street, spied a crowded patio furnished with kindergarten sized plastic furniture and packed with twenty something Vietnamese kids eating, drinking and having a wee party. Sensing that this was the place, we sat and asked for a menu. No English. A slightly drunken young man joined us and tried out his extremely limited English on us, but the barrier was too great and he could not help at all translating the menu. After deciding we would corral a server and start pointing at things on other tables, a kindly young woman sitting next to us who works at one of the hotels offered her help. Her English wasn't great (and our Vietnamese is limited to hello and thank you) but she was able to get us two dishes, two beer, and slab of flat bread. We ended up with spicy beef satay in a salad and (we did not know this at the time of ordering) pig organ with rice soup, both really good.
After dinner we searched out and found the Quy Nhon super market - think a small Great Canadian Superstore - the first such beast we have seen since Thailand. Looking for decaf coffee - no go - we did find a drinkable Chilean Shiraz at $6.50 a bottle (the last wine we had was at our cooking class in Hoi An and six small glasses cost $45.00) which we consumed before bed.
During this morning's wander the beach and promenade (at 6am) were crowded with folks my age and older playing badminton, volleyball, soccer, practicing Tai Chi, stretching, running and walking. The beach is beautiful and clean, the water warm and the sun was poking through the morning marine air. I walked the beach, the broad avenues off the water, and wandered through the narrow streets and alleys of the town and, until I came back to our room, saw exactly zero Europeans.
I didn't have the iPad, so photos will come later. Kim is getting her swim suit on and we are off to breakfast and then the beach.
Hoi An.
After leaving Cat Ba town ( holy crap, that was months ago, wasn't it? ) our intent was to head down the Vietnam coast about half way to Hue. There is little on the coast between Halong Bay and Hue for tourists to see or do, so we gritted our teeth and travelled 21 hours by bus, boat, bus, bus, sleeper (not) bus to Hue. When we go to Hue, we discovered that the beach in Hue is 17 km from where the hotels are and it was raining and cool in Hue. We had a conference and voted "screw that", and added train and van, along with 4 hrs to our trip, and kept going to Hoi An.
Hoi An is one of Vietnam's most prosperous towns based largely on it's tourist trade. Once a major port, Hoi An's fortunes turned when the Thu Bon River silted up in the 19h century, preventing ocean going vessels from using the port. For most of the 20th century Hoi An's allure diminished until the current boom in tourism. Most of the warehouses, merchant's homes and temples survived Hoi An's economic down turn and the old town area of Hoi An today retains the narrow alleyways and hundreds of years old wood facades on most buildings. The tourist boom has resulted in the rapid construction of resort hotels and associated infrastructure between old town on the river and the seaside (about 4 km). Hoi An, however, is on the Thu Bon delta and the many large islands in the river off Hoi An maintain an ages old agrarian way of life. (First time for either Kim or I seeing a field being tilled using a water buffalo.)
Our first full day in Hoi An was overcast, so after a sleep-in for Kim and breakfast, we rented bikes and took the ferry to Cam Kim island, just off Hoi An. Quite a large island, it is entirely given over to agriculture, largely rice. Only small areas of high ground are developed for housing and the roadways connecting these areas are 4' wide concrete paths. Again, the folks we met there are very friendly. Our intent was to ride for a couple of hours, have lunch, ride a while longer and head back to the ferry. Instead, we got horribly lost spent way too much time and effort getting found, and headed back to the ferry and lunch in town. Our valentine fun was a cooking course where we prepared a six course Vietnamese meal and ate it, along with (finally) some nice wine.
Day two we again rented bikes and spent the afternoon lying on the beach. Not that warm and the water was cold, but nice.
As I write we are on our way to Quy Nhon by train.
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Cat Ba Island.
Off the bat I have to declare two things. Cat Ba is amazingly beautiful. All of Halong Bay is dotted with Karsk formation islands, spears of ancient sea beds forced skyward and perpendicular to how they were laid down, now covered with thick, lush jungle. Cat Ba is the largest island in the bay and most of it's area is Karsk peaks rising from the jungle.
The second thing I have to declare is that it was FUCKING FREEZING when we visited. We didn't pack for the kind of weather we experienced here, but we toughed it out and had a good time.
Cat Ba and the surrounding area is, like Clayquot Sound, a specially recognized and protected bio zone, home to the world's only population of Golden Lemers and other species. About half the island is national park and the rest has little development - though this is changing with a massive resort hotel under construction on the south of the island.
Our rooms were exceptional, large with two queen sized beds, great shower and stunning views over the harbour, all for $12 a night. One drawback is that there is no heat in any hotel on the island, though there was a duvet on each of the beds. As long as we stayed under the covers, we were golden.
We stayed for two nights and during our full day on island we got the full meal deal. We rented a scooter and first visited the "hospital cave". This is an amazing thing. One of the features of most Karsk formations is that they are made up of rock of widely varying hardnesses. As a result, erosion has created many caves within these structures. Inside this particular small mountain is a very large cave, large enough that the Viet Cong were able to construct out of concrete a three story hospital to treat wounded solders within the mountain.
We also stopped a the Cat Ba National Park and climbed a small Karsk mountain. The trail goes nearly virtical up the side of the Karsk. We went down every road on the island and arrived back in town whole. We finished the day with an hour and a half tour of the harbour in a small boat, though it really was too cold for it.
It's too bad the weather sort of chased us to warmer climes - I feel like it would be really worthwhile to explore Cat Ba more.
As I write we are on a sleeper (not) bus to Hue. 21 hours of travel from Cat Ba. Arg.
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Hanoi
Hey kids. Miss me? Sorry for the break but I spent time being a tourist and, rather than filling my spare moments blogging, I read a book.
Hanoi has been a ton of fun. We stayed in the old quarter which initially can be a bit un-nerving. The streets were originally named based on the type of goods that were sold in that section of the street. (The convention of businesses of a similar ilk clustering still holds - all houseware retailers are found in just a few blocks of Bac Su next to a few blocks of kid's toys, etc.) As a result, Hang Na becomes Hang Dieu which becomes Hang Ga all within six blocks, and it is a street that runs strait north out of the old quarter, the name changing every one or two blocks. Desperately clutching a city map, we were able to see a lot if this great city.
Dispite how heavily populated Hanoi is, virtually every street is tree lined. Ancient looking trees lean out over the narrow roads and lanes of Hang Na, fine tap roots creating curtains which drape down to the car tops. Get into the wealthy areas around the presidential palace and huge mango trees shade the broad avenues. Hanoi has much urban space dedicated to park space and this is reflected in the quality of the air.
It is hard to believe that such a (relatively) clean and pretty city was, only 35 years ago, still having the shit bombed out of it by Amercan B52's.
After arriving we were searching for the area where we hoped to find a room and stopped a French couple - Adeline and Erwin we later learned - to ask directions. Once settled we headed out for dinner, stopping at a corner bar. After being seated we noticed that these folks were at a nearby table. After a bit of chit chat, we joined them and spent the evening eating, drinking and chatting.
Our first full day in Hanoi began with a little orienteering. I was up early and found Hoan Kiem, a small lake in the centre of Hanoi around which a broad walk circles. I also tracked down the major roads that cut through the old quarter, in all their sobriquets. We visited the "Hanoi Hilton", went down most alley ways in the area, and ate some pretty good food. Lonely Planet leads one to believe that great food is everywhere at hand in Hanoi, but my experience is that it talks a bit of finding. It is worth the looking. We joined Adeline and Erwin for a drink before taking in the famed Hanoi Water Puppet show. I hardly slept at all during the show, just ask Kim. The four of us finished the night with dinner.
In the morning of our second day we had a short visit with Ho Chi Minh - no shit, they have pickled him and put him on display ala Lenin. Damn, he looks good. We were visiting on a Sunday and tens of thousands of folks joined us for a visit. We followed this up with a brief stop at the Musum of Literature, the oldest university in Vietnam (1000 years plus). This attraction drew thousands as well, though as it is a fraction of the size of Ho Chi Minh's tomb, the crowds soon forced us out. I felt like the coach of some sports team whilst trying to find the museum. We wandered down a warren of lanes hoping to run into the road the museum is on. That road is at one point named Nguyen and then becomes Thai. So I was encouraging Kim to look for a Thai (pronounced "tie") or a Nguyen (pronounced "win").
We later braved the Hanoi Public transit system to travel cross town to purchase our tickets for Cat Ba Island. Took a bit of doing and lots of kindness from strangers whose language we don't speak, but we worked it out. We wrapped up the night with a hot pot dinner with our new pals.
One of the great past times for me in Hanoi was to sit at a streetside restaurant and watch the traffic. There are a crazy number of vehicles on the streets and almost no traffic lights. No driver stops before entering an intersection. Everyone just goes, weaving and dodging, stopping short as a last resort, but only briefly, before scooting ahead. And it works! If Vancouver had this much traffic and most drivers observing the rules of the road, it would be grid lock. But taking a taxi across Hanoi is a fairly speedy experience. Unless there is an accident (I'm making an assumption here as we didn't see any accidents) everything flows surprisingly well.
I mentioned the fact that similar businesses are clustered. Another example is at the market in the Hang Na area. This market, unlike most outdoor markets we have seen in Southeast Asia, is in a three story, newish, big building. In this building is a section that is about 150' by 150' and is completely populated by 6' wide stalls, all of which sell booze. There must be 50 or 60 of them and they all carry the exact same products at the exact same prices. ?????? How does this work?
On to Cat Ba in Halong Bay.
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