Just like the Thai's love their king so much they are happy to send an older Swiss man to jail for longer than required really, just to send a clear lesson for defacing an image of the Royal monarch, so to do the Vietnamese still love former President Ho Chi Minh.
Ho Chi Minh, or 'Bringer of Light', or any other of his some 50 aliases you wish to call him by, is affectionately known to the nation as Uncle Ho. His body is preserved at a mausoleum in Hanoi, despite his express wishes that he be simply cremated. It is a strange experience, walking in pairs with Vietnamese families on their day off to go and look at the body of their President, deceased since 1969, having them chatting, laughing and teasing each other until the moment they file in to the temperature controlled room where their Uncle Ho lies, motionless in his glass sarcophagus, looking like he might make up at at any moment, or maybe twitch a finger, and have them fall deathly quiet in awed respect of this man.
Personally, I could not tell whether the body was the real deal and subsequently sent to Russia every year for 'retouching', or whether the rumours of Madame Tussaud's getting a new contract are true. Its an interesting thing, these people loving a leader so much - I can not begin to imagine Australians feeling that way about the 'Honourable' John Howard. But if you can give your country independence than I guess you're a fairly stand up bloke.
This communism thing is a funny thing. Its apparently quite hard to find a job here, but everyone seems to have one. I do know that for an OK job you mist pay and 'authorisation license' to a government official to even have a chance. The more you pay the better your job might be. No wonder so many people work in the rice paddies here. On the flip side, most people I have seen do have jobs, however they are completely superfluous - a tollway has a guard to slow traffic, then a ticket seller, then a ticket checker, then another guard to usher your vehicle in the right direction out of the tollway, and they all have additional people in the booth for some reason I am yet to work out.
Hanoi was pleasantly raining for much of Sunday. It gave me a chance to lounge around and read while vainly hoping that the streets might be shiny and clean when next I stepped out...
As I mentioned I was bound for Sapa that night. The overnight train left at 9.55pm (on the dot) and I have to say that this was by far the best sleeper train we have been on this whole trip. The sheets were clean and already on the bed, and there was even a nice little lamp on the table under the window. Unfortunately this did not automatically guarantee a good night's sleep. I don't think I slept at all that night, so when I arrived at Lai Cau at 6am I was surprisingly grumpy.
Thankfully the view on the drive from Lai Cou to Sapa was spectacular, so I was very quick to forget how much I would love to crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the day, which was lucky because this was not an option. We were to breakfast, shower and meet our guide by 10am for a trek through the highlands some 20km from Sapa.
As we left town we were joined by a small group of minority villagers - friendly and inquisitive, but with a definite agenda to part us with whatever cash they could manage. All the women sew brocade to sell to the tourists while their husbands toil in the fields, or possibly drink at the neighbours place in the off season. The trek was beautiful, hills on either side of us and a swiftly flowing stream between. It wasn't too tough going, but a nice bit of a stroll. At lunch there seemed to be a changing of the guard accompanying us. This time we managed to get a group of 13 (plus 2 babies strapped to their backs) who joined us until we finally sat down at our homestay some 12-15kms from Sapa. Unfortunately the aggressive sales pitch continued for about another hour, before we got out the cards and started dealing out, trying to send a very disinterested message.
The family we stayed with were lovely. We sat and watched the mother prepare dinner, hoping to pick up a few tips on Vietnamese cooking, but as soon as the chips were ready (which we all knew how to cook...) we were ushered out of the kitchen to eat. The kitchens are so simple - a small fire pit in the centre of the kitchen with a grate over it, and a few pans, a wok, some sharp knives and a truck load of vegetable oil and Uncle Ho's your uncle. When the rest of the food was ready we joined the whole family to enjoy some great food and company. Com (the father) pulled out a couple of suspicious bottles and as a good host, poured everyone a shot of home made rice wine. Without knowing the exact alcohol content, you would not be far wrong approximating 30-40% proof, and it would put hairs on your chest. Immediately another round was poured, and then a third, and so on and so forth. I had lost count quite quickly, but there was a point when we protested the next shot being poured, but when the hosts only knew a few words in English that went something like 'one more', how could we refuse their generous hospitality. It was a funny evening, and probably one of the most enjoyable where we were really welcomed into the family.
Next morning I was up at 6.15 to try to catch the sunrise over the hills, but it didn't work out exactly as I'd planned. The sun rose, but in the valley, the effect was just missed. It was a sunny morning so I sat on a rock and gazed about, writing in my diary, to the great interest of the locals. Every single person who walked by on their way to work stopped and stared at my writing - I really didn't think it was that bad...
Our trek for that day was shorted, but pretty much straight down and straight back up the valley. I was whinging to myself about the 'tough paths' until about 8 people trotted by us with concrete roof slabs about 1m x 70cm strapped to their backs. After that I just put my head down and kept going. It was a great day, and probably the best experiences I've had in Vietnam.
I'm back in Hanoi now, and have met a few of the people I'll be joining on the China trip. A couple from Perth and a girl from California. I don't think the group is full, so hopefully it will be a nice small group of nine.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Hanoi
Today is the last day of my organised Vietnam trip. Tomorrow night I am heading to Sapa which is near the Chinese border for 4 nights and 3 days of trekking through some of the highlands, and what I'm told is some of the most beautiful scenery in Vietnam. But I'll tell you about that later.
So Hanoi is quite a compact place - for a major city. The Old Quarter is packed with tiny streets choked with motorbikes and cyclos. You can sit on the footpath and if you wait long enough everything will come to you. Food, water, transport, sunglasses, clothes, travel agents and a number of people selling items that I'd struggle to name, let alone know their purpose...
The traffic here is manic, yet usually works. You drive on the right - if there is room, or traffic is flowing OK, but this is not set in stone. If you are going faster than someone else you pass on the left while vigorously tooting your horn (which you have previously modified to make your vehicle sound bigger than it is). If you actually are in a bigger vehicle you may pass on the left, crossing over into oncoming traffic, which will move, unless of course the oncoming traffic is bigger than you. Footpaths are optional road lanes, because of course, smaller people will move. Its great. You just have to cross the road moving slowly and consistently and for a brief moment the traffic will swallow you up before you emerge miraculously unscathed on the other side. It's possible that I've even closed my eyes on occasion...it definitely gets your heart rate up.
Hanoi is also quite a nice city, there are several lakes scattered around, and the city itself is surrounded by rivers on at least 3 sides (although constant expansion may be making a liar of me as I type). There is a story about the main lake here similar to Arthur and the lady of the lake, however I believe in this case the lake took back the sword of the Emperor, or something like that - I have not quite got that one down yet.
We actually arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday morning after a long, long overnight train from Hue, departing at 3pm Tuesday afternoon, and arriving just before 6am. I HAVE lost the ability to sleep in. Our group leader thought it best to do an orientation walk of the city immediately, before the bikes and horns made it impossible to a group of 11 weary westerners to get across the roads in one piece, and then hear the directions for the way back to the hotel. To be honest, I didn't do much. I wandered around the lake and strolled up the main drag for 'genuine original copies' of designer jeans. Unfortunately no purchases of this quality merchandise was made, while I actually feel quite tall here, I also feel quite fat - the reinforcement of which by most shopkeepers flatly stating "No big sizes!" upon entry to most stores does not help my fragile ego...
I like the Old Quarter - while we are staying in a tourist hub, its still obvious that the locals are still completely ensconced in their day to day lives here as well. There is a local market in the block behind our hotel that still sells the fresh fruit, meat, fish and various fast food items (including roast dog) that is purchased everyday by the women of the households. I quite like the idea of getting up every morning and getting just what you need for the day, and its so fresh, I mean the fish are often still alive until you buy them. There are barely any supermarkets around, and if you do find them, there is never any fresh produce, there would be no point in stocking it. In the evenings you can sit at plastic tables and chairs (that we would consider to be made for children) on the corner of almost any street and buy a freshly brewed, no-name beer for 2,000 Dong per glass (lets see, that's about 20cents for a handle of beer).
The food here is a great mix of Western and traditional Vietnamese. I don't know if I'll ever get sick of spring rolls, and I know I've mentioned the seafood, but honestly, its so good and really, really cheap. I'm feeling very proud of my new found skill with which I can now pick up peanuts and the like with chopsticks. I'm not saying I've mastered them by any means, and will not be catching flies any time soon, but as I have not yet hit China, I'll keep myself open to the Chi...
Thursday we jumped on a bus bound for Halong City, and of course the famed Halong Bay. We had a private boat (one of the great advantages of being with a group, I have to say!) waiting for us that somehow made its way from the middle of the marina to the open waters of the bay. Now when I say the middle - please take me literally. Boats are not moored individually and logically, they are moored often to each other, with the first boats in tied safely to the pier. Somehow - perhaps I can liken it to Moses and the parting of the red sea - boats do find their way out to open water.
Unfortunately we only saw one traditional junk boat (they old ones with awesome orange/red sails that look so majestically imperial floating out in the water), and unfortunately the weather was c.r.a.p. I don't know whether you would call it a sea fog, a cloud of polluted haze or what, but there was no clearing it, no matter how much wishing I did. I still have to say that despite the haze the bay was pretty amazing. There are about 3,000 islands in the bay - most of which are just sheer limestone rocks that burst out of the water for no apparent reason other than that they can. We cruised for about 4 hours (again, gorgeous seafood lunch on board) before we docked at Cat Ba island - the largest of the islands populated by about 12,000 people. I could not actually tell you how many people lived in the floating villages in between the islands, along with their pet guard dogs, guarding their floating fish farms I guess. I was not a huge fan of Cat Ba Island, but you can not argue with the view.
Friday morning I joined a few from the group on a little paddle around the islands. 'Little paddle'. It felt like I could have paddled home! We crossed a few big channels, passing bobbing jelly fish the size of small children. Many plastic bags, the size of...plastic bags, and thankfully no shark sightings, which was obviously what my paranoid imagination interpreted anything other than water as - no wait, sometimes even water, before my right, rational brain reassured me. It was a good morning's exercise, even if I am struggling to lift a water today...
So Hanoi is quite a compact place - for a major city. The Old Quarter is packed with tiny streets choked with motorbikes and cyclos. You can sit on the footpath and if you wait long enough everything will come to you. Food, water, transport, sunglasses, clothes, travel agents and a number of people selling items that I'd struggle to name, let alone know their purpose...
The traffic here is manic, yet usually works. You drive on the right - if there is room, or traffic is flowing OK, but this is not set in stone. If you are going faster than someone else you pass on the left while vigorously tooting your horn (which you have previously modified to make your vehicle sound bigger than it is). If you actually are in a bigger vehicle you may pass on the left, crossing over into oncoming traffic, which will move, unless of course the oncoming traffic is bigger than you. Footpaths are optional road lanes, because of course, smaller people will move. Its great. You just have to cross the road moving slowly and consistently and for a brief moment the traffic will swallow you up before you emerge miraculously unscathed on the other side. It's possible that I've even closed my eyes on occasion...it definitely gets your heart rate up.
Hanoi is also quite a nice city, there are several lakes scattered around, and the city itself is surrounded by rivers on at least 3 sides (although constant expansion may be making a liar of me as I type). There is a story about the main lake here similar to Arthur and the lady of the lake, however I believe in this case the lake took back the sword of the Emperor, or something like that - I have not quite got that one down yet.
We actually arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday morning after a long, long overnight train from Hue, departing at 3pm Tuesday afternoon, and arriving just before 6am. I HAVE lost the ability to sleep in. Our group leader thought it best to do an orientation walk of the city immediately, before the bikes and horns made it impossible to a group of 11 weary westerners to get across the roads in one piece, and then hear the directions for the way back to the hotel. To be honest, I didn't do much. I wandered around the lake and strolled up the main drag for 'genuine original copies' of designer jeans. Unfortunately no purchases of this quality merchandise was made, while I actually feel quite tall here, I also feel quite fat - the reinforcement of which by most shopkeepers flatly stating "No big sizes!" upon entry to most stores does not help my fragile ego...
I like the Old Quarter - while we are staying in a tourist hub, its still obvious that the locals are still completely ensconced in their day to day lives here as well. There is a local market in the block behind our hotel that still sells the fresh fruit, meat, fish and various fast food items (including roast dog) that is purchased everyday by the women of the households. I quite like the idea of getting up every morning and getting just what you need for the day, and its so fresh, I mean the fish are often still alive until you buy them. There are barely any supermarkets around, and if you do find them, there is never any fresh produce, there would be no point in stocking it. In the evenings you can sit at plastic tables and chairs (that we would consider to be made for children) on the corner of almost any street and buy a freshly brewed, no-name beer for 2,000 Dong per glass (lets see, that's about 20cents for a handle of beer).
The food here is a great mix of Western and traditional Vietnamese. I don't know if I'll ever get sick of spring rolls, and I know I've mentioned the seafood, but honestly, its so good and really, really cheap. I'm feeling very proud of my new found skill with which I can now pick up peanuts and the like with chopsticks. I'm not saying I've mastered them by any means, and will not be catching flies any time soon, but as I have not yet hit China, I'll keep myself open to the Chi...
Thursday we jumped on a bus bound for Halong City, and of course the famed Halong Bay. We had a private boat (one of the great advantages of being with a group, I have to say!) waiting for us that somehow made its way from the middle of the marina to the open waters of the bay. Now when I say the middle - please take me literally. Boats are not moored individually and logically, they are moored often to each other, with the first boats in tied safely to the pier. Somehow - perhaps I can liken it to Moses and the parting of the red sea - boats do find their way out to open water.
Unfortunately we only saw one traditional junk boat (they old ones with awesome orange/red sails that look so majestically imperial floating out in the water), and unfortunately the weather was c.r.a.p. I don't know whether you would call it a sea fog, a cloud of polluted haze or what, but there was no clearing it, no matter how much wishing I did. I still have to say that despite the haze the bay was pretty amazing. There are about 3,000 islands in the bay - most of which are just sheer limestone rocks that burst out of the water for no apparent reason other than that they can. We cruised for about 4 hours (again, gorgeous seafood lunch on board) before we docked at Cat Ba island - the largest of the islands populated by about 12,000 people. I could not actually tell you how many people lived in the floating villages in between the islands, along with their pet guard dogs, guarding their floating fish farms I guess. I was not a huge fan of Cat Ba Island, but you can not argue with the view.
Friday morning I joined a few from the group on a little paddle around the islands. 'Little paddle'. It felt like I could have paddled home! We crossed a few big channels, passing bobbing jelly fish the size of small children. Many plastic bags, the size of...plastic bags, and thankfully no shark sightings, which was obviously what my paranoid imagination interpreted anything other than water as - no wait, sometimes even water, before my right, rational brain reassured me. It was a good morning's exercise, even if I am struggling to lift a water today...
At 12.30 we jumped on the public ferry, with a couple of motorbikes for good measure, and headed back to Hai Phoung on the main land. Bussed it back to Hanoi for our last supper together and that was that.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Perfume River
I must apologise for me last entry - it was crap. My heart just wasn't in it, and you deserve better.
OK so we left Saigon, er, several days ago... We were due to catch the overnight bus at 8.20 pm, however we arrived only to find the train delayed until 11pm. [Sorry, this huge green butterfly just floated into the cafe and sat on the wall for a minute - awesome!] Cards are very handy things when trying to pass several hours.
The trains here are quite good - there's only one main line that runs from north to south, so delays are inevitable, but they always seem to arrive as scheduled. I think we were fairly spoilt in getting the 4 berth rooms, rather than 6, or even seated compartments [she says with nose in the air] but I think the toilets were shared by everyone - well, that's how they smelt, anyway. Normally I can sleep OK on these things, but the air-con kept flicking on and off like the flouro light outside so I spent the night trying to maintain a regular body temperature...
The train was due to arrive about 5.30am (its becoming a common theme for me) so I guess I was up at about 5.15, and taking in the view of rural Vietnam. It was amazing - the sky was a hazy salmon pink with grey mountains behind a strip of rice paddies, some of which were burning, ready for the next crop. The locals were out already - understandably, most people are pretty useless in the midday sun - oh wait, that might just be me. There were bullocks pulling carts and it was just generally picturesque.
We pulled into Nha Trang and headed for the hotel, keen for showers. Nha Trang is a beach town, as I mentioned, so we chartered a boat and went out for a day of snorkling (which was pretty crap - no coral at all) and just generally sunning outselves on the boat, or splashing around in the water. Lunch was a seafood buffet, and man was it good. Grilled squid, fried prawnd, grilled marlin with mango salsa, fried noodles, rice, stir fried greens - OK I'll stop. Yes, at times I do feel like I'm on an eating tour of SE Asia, but its all sooo good! Except whatever made me sick the other day!
From Nha Trang we caught another overnight train to Da Nang (and I slept really well this time), then a quick bus trip back to our base in Hoi An. Hoi An is a small place not that far from the coast. Its retained alot of the old town, and this is a shoppers paradise. Every second shop is a tailors shop, and the shops in between are usually shoe makers. Hoi An is well known for its food also, but unfortunately I had lost the first day of this gastranomical location getting better acquainted with our hotel's bathroom. God love those generic stomach bug anti-biotics. The people there are really friendly - they can make quite a nice conversation out of "You come and see my shop - just look OK". Its funny, if you walked through the markets blindfolded (but not recommended) you would be able to tell what the vendors were selling; all the souvenir sellers spoke to you, but the fresh produce people just didn't waste the energy, unless of course you gave them a big grin, and quizzical look at what they were selling. I often try to ask what things are (as sometimes you honestly just don't know), but unfortunately the only reply is often just a nod and a grin, occasionally a price per kilo...
From Hoi An to Hue is only about 4 hours, so we managed a private bus for a scenic tour over the mountain pass that virtually seperates north from south. They say that they even affect the temperature, so I guess I'm just insensitive to that subtle climatic change...The drive was beautiful, if not slightly hair raising, as we wound our way up and down hair-pin bends at a very slow pace, while still managing to pass slightly slower vehicles. There were hollows of rice fields either side of the road, with the mountains fading into the backgound behind; the scenes were great - locals standing on their buffalo, workers silhouettes wandereing across the railway bridge, and dropping out their fishing nets behind their boat on the little river inlets. As our guides often say, many kodak moments.
Hue is a reasonably big place, but I like it. Again, the people are friendly (sometimes too friendly, you can't hire every moto driver in the city!) and keen to get your money, er I mean help you out. Yesterday we took a full day tour by motorbike that lead us out into the countryside, through little villages, rice fields, bamboo groves, along rivers and past kids screaming "Hello!" and holding out thier hands for a Hi 5 out wide! We say ducks being herded down a river, locals making cone hats and incense, and then stopped for lunch at a nunnery which was lovely and quiet. You almost feel like a local on the back of one of these bikes, you can go anywhere, and I think we kinda did. We finished with a boat trip back along the Perfumed River that runs through Hue, so named as the rains would un down through the mountains, picking up the scent of the orchids on their way - I don't know that it smells like Orchids now, but at least it doesn't smell of anything else, which can't be said for too many of the rivers throughout the region.
OK so we left Saigon, er, several days ago... We were due to catch the overnight bus at 8.20 pm, however we arrived only to find the train delayed until 11pm. [Sorry, this huge green butterfly just floated into the cafe and sat on the wall for a minute - awesome!] Cards are very handy things when trying to pass several hours.
The trains here are quite good - there's only one main line that runs from north to south, so delays are inevitable, but they always seem to arrive as scheduled. I think we were fairly spoilt in getting the 4 berth rooms, rather than 6, or even seated compartments [she says with nose in the air] but I think the toilets were shared by everyone - well, that's how they smelt, anyway. Normally I can sleep OK on these things, but the air-con kept flicking on and off like the flouro light outside so I spent the night trying to maintain a regular body temperature...
The train was due to arrive about 5.30am (its becoming a common theme for me) so I guess I was up at about 5.15, and taking in the view of rural Vietnam. It was amazing - the sky was a hazy salmon pink with grey mountains behind a strip of rice paddies, some of which were burning, ready for the next crop. The locals were out already - understandably, most people are pretty useless in the midday sun - oh wait, that might just be me. There were bullocks pulling carts and it was just generally picturesque.
We pulled into Nha Trang and headed for the hotel, keen for showers. Nha Trang is a beach town, as I mentioned, so we chartered a boat and went out for a day of snorkling (which was pretty crap - no coral at all) and just generally sunning outselves on the boat, or splashing around in the water. Lunch was a seafood buffet, and man was it good. Grilled squid, fried prawnd, grilled marlin with mango salsa, fried noodles, rice, stir fried greens - OK I'll stop. Yes, at times I do feel like I'm on an eating tour of SE Asia, but its all sooo good! Except whatever made me sick the other day!
From Nha Trang we caught another overnight train to Da Nang (and I slept really well this time), then a quick bus trip back to our base in Hoi An. Hoi An is a small place not that far from the coast. Its retained alot of the old town, and this is a shoppers paradise. Every second shop is a tailors shop, and the shops in between are usually shoe makers. Hoi An is well known for its food also, but unfortunately I had lost the first day of this gastranomical location getting better acquainted with our hotel's bathroom. God love those generic stomach bug anti-biotics. The people there are really friendly - they can make quite a nice conversation out of "You come and see my shop - just look OK". Its funny, if you walked through the markets blindfolded (but not recommended) you would be able to tell what the vendors were selling; all the souvenir sellers spoke to you, but the fresh produce people just didn't waste the energy, unless of course you gave them a big grin, and quizzical look at what they were selling. I often try to ask what things are (as sometimes you honestly just don't know), but unfortunately the only reply is often just a nod and a grin, occasionally a price per kilo...
From Hoi An to Hue is only about 4 hours, so we managed a private bus for a scenic tour over the mountain pass that virtually seperates north from south. They say that they even affect the temperature, so I guess I'm just insensitive to that subtle climatic change...The drive was beautiful, if not slightly hair raising, as we wound our way up and down hair-pin bends at a very slow pace, while still managing to pass slightly slower vehicles. There were hollows of rice fields either side of the road, with the mountains fading into the backgound behind; the scenes were great - locals standing on their buffalo, workers silhouettes wandereing across the railway bridge, and dropping out their fishing nets behind their boat on the little river inlets. As our guides often say, many kodak moments.
Hue is a reasonably big place, but I like it. Again, the people are friendly (sometimes too friendly, you can't hire every moto driver in the city!) and keen to get your money, er I mean help you out. Yesterday we took a full day tour by motorbike that lead us out into the countryside, through little villages, rice fields, bamboo groves, along rivers and past kids screaming "Hello!" and holding out thier hands for a Hi 5 out wide! We say ducks being herded down a river, locals making cone hats and incense, and then stopped for lunch at a nunnery which was lovely and quiet. You almost feel like a local on the back of one of these bikes, you can go anywhere, and I think we kinda did. We finished with a boat trip back along the Perfumed River that runs through Hue, so named as the rains would un down through the mountains, picking up the scent of the orchids on their way - I don't know that it smells like Orchids now, but at least it doesn't smell of anything else, which can't be said for too many of the rivers throughout the region.
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