Friday 22 June:
We got picked up at 8am and took the thirteen hour bus ride to Bangkok. It was a minibus which was already packed. I asked someone to move so that Carl and I could sit together. I wish I hadn’t because all through the six hour journey to the border I had to sit with my legs across Carl’s lap. The seat in front had fallen back and I was above the wheel arch so it was impossible for me to put my feet down. The six hour drive to the border of Cambodia was along an undeveloped road so it wasn’t the most comfortable journey. Apparently an unnamed airline company is paying the government money to delay the development of the road so that more people use their airline to cross the border.
Once we had crossed the border on foot we were met at the Thailand border by a beautiful (it was only beautiful at this time because of our dreadful journey in a thirty year old minibus) coach with had so much leg room. It was so nice especially as I was sipping beer out of a can in a lady like manner. We arrived at Khao San Road – our first real experience of Bangkok.
We booked into D&D Hotel where Jamie and Michelle stayed last time which was more than we wanted to pay but we would find somewhere cheaper tomorrow. Carl and I walked along Khao San Road and couldn’t believe how many freaks there were on this one little strip. We had a really good night though and got completely drunk.
Saturday 23 June:
D&D Hotel is one of the noisiest hotels. The walls and doors must be paper thin because we heard everything and everyone. I remember that when we got in at 3am this morning Carl tried our key in the wrong door. He was rattling the key and rattling the handle trying to get in until we heard a voice saying “excuse me” and then we hushed up and went next door to where our room was. I blame it on the Chang. When Carl drinks Chang beer something happens. It’s like the werewolf on a full moon. Chang beer could be anywhere from 6% to around 20% so you never know how strong the Chang beer you are drinking will be.
We checked out of the hotel and booked into Swansdee Bunglampoo Inn which was much nicer and we saved a bit of money.
Sunday 24 June:
Jamie and Michelle left for Pattaya so Carl and I pushed our hangovers to the back of our minds to say goodbye. We had a lazy day doing absolutely nothing. In the afternoon though we sat in a bar reading and then I decided to go shopping along the street which is full of stalls selling clothes, jewellery, DVDs etc. I had been gone for about half hour and had only done one half of the road. I hadn’t found anything but I did buy Carl a Thundercats t-shirt. I returned back to the bar to find that a Thai prostitute was talking to Carl. So of course I didn’t finish the other half of the road. I plonked my backside down next to Carl. This woman was awful. Most Thai women like the old men but this woman kept going on about how she liked them young and all the places she has had sex and so on. I think Carl had actually been shaking in his boots before I had got there. Carl had no idea that she was a prostitute and she said that as soon as she sat down Carl told her that he had a girlfriend who will be back any minute now. Aaahh. And she kept telling me not to take him anywhere because she had lost several of her boyfriends to blonde girls. I was actually thinking “you don’t loose your boyfriend to other girls, love. You loose them because you’re bonkers”. And that was that. She wanted to carry on drinking with us through the night but that was madness so Carl and I went to Cabbages & Condoms instead. It was a really nice restaurant which had condoms and fairy lights everywhere. I ordered the soft shell crab. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten but Carl’s food was delicious. It’s definitely worth a visit. Plus they give you two condoms at the end of your meal instead of chocolates.
Monday 25 June:
A bus picked us up at 7am to take us on a tour to the bridge over River Kwai, the Death Railway and also to the Temple of Tigers. These places were all around Kanchanaburi. Our first stop was to see the Allied War Cemetery. The cemetery holds the graves of over six thousand prisoners of war, most from Britain, who died building the bridge and death railway. This cemetery is a gift from the Thai people to remember these soldiers who died on their soil. The grounds are lovely and are well looked after.
We then stopped at the Jeath War Museum which is mostly a display of prisoners working on the death railway and is very close to the bridge. We walked over the bridge and it gave us a really weird feeling, especially after visiting the cemetery and war museum but it is such a beautiful place as well.
We took the train along the death railway which was also beautiful. It also gave us a horrible feeling though knowing that this railway was built by approximately 300,000 prisoners of war under the control of the Japanese. After the first year of building this bridge most of the prisoners were in such a poor state because of the beatings they received and the poor diet.
The Tiger Temple was our last stop. This place is why most people come on this tour. It’s run by monks who provide a home for orphaned cubs and they stay here until they are ready to be released into the wild. Unfortunately the elder tigers don’t have enough instinct to survive in the wild but the young cubs are trained and then released. We were taken around all five tigers, stroking each one while a member of staff took a picture. They aren’t behind cages. They are just chained to a heavy piece of rock. All the tigers looked so dopey though and we thought they were drugged up but were assured that they weren’t. I got to hold a playful young cub and it was like holding a teddy bear. Afterwards we had to hide behind trees while the staff used catapults to scare other animals away. The tigers were being led back to their cages. What a great day! Seeing the death railway and bridge over River Kwai was my highlight though.
Tuesday 26 June:
We caught a minibus to Pattaya today but Carl and I were the only ones leaving Bangkok to go to Pattaya. The minibus driver drove around the same area for about forty minutes until he decided to take us back to the travel agent he had picked us up from. Here we were told that we had to go to the main bus station because it wasn’t worth their while taking us. So we drove another forty five minutes to the bus depot. We would have been half way to Pattaya now but we hadn’t even left Bangkok. So we got on the bus and realised the ticket was 150 baht cheaper that the price of the minibus but the skanks didn’t give us a refund.
Jamie had booked us into Mark Land Hotel and we had our own apartment which was great. We had cutlery, glasses, fridge and even a microwave. Heaven. Jacket potatoes were moving closer and closer at the sight of this microwave. Even though I prefer my done in the oven.
Wednesday 27 June:
We did absolutely nothing all day. We did manage to go out in the evening with everyone and had such a fab time. I must explain that Pattaya is the sex capital of Thailand. Oh my Lord. It all goes on here right in front of your face. Prostitutes and lady boys are everywhere you turn. Hundreds of them. You can’t go into a bar without there being prostitutes at the door. They work there of course. I went to the toilet in one bar but the toilet was behind several bars and you had to pay to go so they were quite clean. As I walked to the toilet, on my right was a very large glass window which I glanced at out of the corner of my eye and saw about thirty women in really nice dresses sitting on a stage. There was one really fat mama as well that I couldn’t help but notice. On my way back from the toilet I looked again out of curiosity and noticed that these women were in fact prostitutes and on the other side of the glass were sofas where men were sitting with a drink in their hand while they chose which prostitute they would have tonight. I couldn’t believe it. I had been there long enough for me to exchange a wave to the women and then I did a runner.
We found a bar which I can’t remember the name to but we stayed here for most of the night – and morning. We made friends with Jenny (our lady boy friend who has a boyfriend in Leeds), the prostitutes and their pimp who we called mama. She owned the joint. Jenny’s role is to be DJ (on a tape player) for the night at the back of the bar. Jenny says that it’s because she’s too old now to stand at the front and bring in customers. We really liked Jenny. She is absolutely lovely and fantastic at pool. Whipped Carl and Jamie’s backside several times. She had the hots for Jamie we think. She started off wiping his sweat with a tissue but by the end of the night she used her hands. Mama is a little round thing who reminds me of a bubble. She wears her hair like Princess Leah but the buns are really wonky. She’s so cute. There’s a lady boy who works on the door and is kind of stunning but a real bitch. A lady boy (who looked more like a boy than a lady) walked past with a really old man and our lady boy started throwing ashtrays at her/him. She had her butt cheeks hanging out and I must say if I had a butt like that I would show it off too. I am very jealous of that butt. You could crack nuts with it. We stayed here until about 3am and they made loads of money out of us but then we did draw really rude pictures of lady boys all over their walls.
Jamie came back to ours because he had to stay up until 6am to collect a key off one of his friends who was checking out. Carl stayed up with him until about 3.30am (yep, he lasted half an hour) and I stayed up until about 6.30am finishing my bottle of wine.
Thursday 28 June:
As I didn’t get to bed until 7am we did absolutely sweet FA. We woke up at about 11am and in the late afternoon went to Tesco to get some drinks, wine, jacket potatoes, beans and cheese. Carl and I stayed in and cuddled up on our sofa watching movies with our spud dinner. It was heaven and our first taste of what home will be like. Can’t wait.
Friday 29 June:
Me and Carl went to watch Transformers at the cinema and it was fab. Absolutely brilliant. Loved everything about it apart from the fact that this cinema didn’t do sweet popcorn – only salty – which I hate. But you can’t go to watch a film without popcorn so I had to eat salty.
After the film we thought we would have a bit of a wonder and came across Soi 6. Blimey. As soon as we arrived in Pattaya a few days ago we already sensed that this was the sex capital of Thailand even possibly the world but this one little street is something else. I have never seen anything like it in my life but I’m glad something good came out of it. The street is lined on both sides with sex bars, one after the other, with about ten girls outside each one just waiting for that dirty, wrinkly man to walk up to them. A curtain divides the outside from the inside and inside there are loads of poles and cushions and upstairs is where the bedrooms are. Carl clung on to my very tightly as we walked up this road and I made sure that I clung on to him. There was even a place called barely legal. The good thing about this street? Half way up was Queen Victoria. A proper English pub. On the menu was bangers and mash, cottage pie, Sunday roast, jacket potato, toad in the hole to name a few. It was heaven and worth walking up that street for. We were so excited when we told Jamie and Michelle. We ate here in the evening but the main attraction was watching this lady boy across the road who looked like a string of spaghetti. Actually that’s wrong. A string of spaghetti on a diet.
We had a drink back in our local bar but there was an accident outside which ruined the evening. A motorcyclist had ran over a dog and was lying motionless in the road. I looked across the road to where the squealing was coming from and it was the injured dog trying to get up a curb. He had obviously broken his back in the accident and was in so much pain. The squealing was unbearable. He crawled off to die.
Saturday 30 June:
We all went to the English pub for lunch and the main topic of conversation was where we were going next. We decided that me, Carl, Michelle and Jamie would stick together for another week – well it has been about a month already – so our next place would be Koh Tao.
Sunday 1 July:
We could only get to Koh Tao from Bangkok so had to get the bus back there. We didn’t rush to check out because neither of us wanted to get to Bangkok in a hurry and we’d have to stay overnight to catch the bus to the coast anyway. Once we had checked back into our hotel in Bangkok we found out that we could have left straight away on a bus to the coast so we were a bit annoyed. Carl and I went out in the evening and sat on a balcony in a bar looking at all the freaks. There were so many of them that Carl had to go back to the hotel and get the camera. A woman on crutches came past with her boob hanging out. She went for ages along the street until her friend looked round and tucked it back in. A big man walked past with the worst homemade cut off jeans you could imagine. They were so short they could have easily been mistaken for a thong.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Cambodia - Monday 18 June to Thursday 21 June
Monday 18 June:
We caught the six hour bus ride to Phnon Pehn in Cambodia. As we didn't arrive until late me and Carl disappeared to the Frog & Parrot and played Jenga and Scrabble. No one will believe this but I won at Scrabble. We didn't play for points though which is probably why.
Tuesday 19 June:
A tuk-tuk driver (we bought him a beer last night) took me, Carl, Michelle and Jamie to the killing fields and S-21. He seemed to be the only one who wore the biggest crash helmet but we felt quite safe.
The Killing Fields which isn't as big as it sounds holds 129 mass graves, 43 of which have never been tampered with. Men, women and children were executed here in many different ways by the Khymer Roughe between 1975 and 1978. 300 people a day were killed. There was also a huge stupa which acts as a memorial to all 17,000 people who were killed here and holds the skulls of over 8,000 people including clothes which were found. A very depressing place but one that people should be aware of.
Svay Prey High School (S-21) obviously used to be a school but in 1975 Pol Pot's security forces turned it into a prison where they killed at least one hundred people a day. Men, women and children were brought here to be tortured and those unlucky enough to survive were then taken to the killing fields to be 'finished off'. This place gave off a more eerie feeling than the killing fields. It still looked like a school but everywhere you looked, whether it be the classrooms or the corridors, you were reminded of the terrible things that happened here. Five classrooms were full of large boards which held passport pictures of all those brought here and you could see the terror in their eyes. It was so sad. One room was dedicated to the few that survived (only six in total) and also Pol Pot himself (his photo had been removed because of vandals - you can understand why) and the torturers. By each picture was an explanation of where these people are today.
Wednesday 20 June:
The bus to Siem Reap took six hours. We stopped half way for a quick five minute break where they were selling caramelised crickets, cockroaches and fried tarantulas. On the floor was a bucket full of live tarantulas which you could take away with you. We didn’t arrive in Siem Reap until 7.30pm.
Thursday 21 June:
Carl and I chose to see the small circuit of Angkor Wat. We were told that we would be bored after a couple of hours so only bought a one day ticket. Our tuk-tuk driver took us around all day and told us which each ruin was. He was very helpful and you definitely need someone like that at Angkor. You have to hire a tuk-tuk because all the ruins are too far spaced out. As we entered Angkor we drove around the huge moat which circles Angkor Wat. It was really pretty. Our first stop was Raven Village and as soon as we walked up to the ruin a young boy came up to us and gave me a wooden bracelet. He was all teeth and gums and was so sweet. As we walked around the ruin he kept following us but stayed on the ground and kept shouting up that we had to buy a drink because he gave me a bracelet. So we did.
We absolutely loved Angkor Wat and didn’t get fed up with it once. To us it wasn’t a case of ‘once you’ve seen one ruin, you’ve seen them all’. We could have carried on but the weather was scorching that day. We got there at 10am and left at 3.30pm and managed to complete the short circuit. The ruins which impressed us most was Angkor Wat, Ta Prohn, Terrace of Elephants and Ta Keo.
Angkor Wat is huge. It’s the largest temple, standing sixty five metres high. The moat surrounding it is huge as is the bridge crossing over the moat. It didn’t impressive us as much as we thought it would. A lot of the other ruins were more impressive. But the size of this ruin is what makes it amazing. As we walked up the stairs a monkey was sitting at the top. Carl joked as he walked past the monkey about making sure that it didn’t bite me. What did it do when I walked past? It grabbed my leg with both hands and bit my leg. It really hurt but luckily it didn’t draw blood and I’m sure it was just playing because it could have had my blood if it wanted to. I kicked it off and then it bit a local guy.
Ta Prohn is where Tomb Raider was filmed and the ruin is amazing. Enormous trees are growing through the ruin and pulling down the building. There is a lot of work going on here though to try and keep it in its original state. All stones which have fallen are being numbered and put back in place. Many areas are shut off because it is too dangerous but with the chambers, halls, trees and wooden walkways around the ruin, it is easily our favourite.
The Terrace of Elephants is another favourite. It is not a building as such, rather a very long and high platform with elephants and other animals carved into the stone.
Ta Keo is a temple which stands fifty metres high. We climbed to the very top using the extremely small steps which are just about big enough for a two year old to walk up. You had to walk up sideways. On the way back down Carl was having a bit of a moment. I took a picture of him on his way down and he said ‘stop f’ing laughing at me because it’s not funny’. He’s not very good with heights.
We caught the six hour bus ride to Phnon Pehn in Cambodia. As we didn't arrive until late me and Carl disappeared to the Frog & Parrot and played Jenga and Scrabble. No one will believe this but I won at Scrabble. We didn't play for points though which is probably why.
Tuesday 19 June:
A tuk-tuk driver (we bought him a beer last night) took me, Carl, Michelle and Jamie to the killing fields and S-21. He seemed to be the only one who wore the biggest crash helmet but we felt quite safe.
The Killing Fields which isn't as big as it sounds holds 129 mass graves, 43 of which have never been tampered with. Men, women and children were executed here in many different ways by the Khymer Roughe between 1975 and 1978. 300 people a day were killed. There was also a huge stupa which acts as a memorial to all 17,000 people who were killed here and holds the skulls of over 8,000 people including clothes which were found. A very depressing place but one that people should be aware of.
Svay Prey High School (S-21) obviously used to be a school but in 1975 Pol Pot's security forces turned it into a prison where they killed at least one hundred people a day. Men, women and children were brought here to be tortured and those unlucky enough to survive were then taken to the killing fields to be 'finished off'. This place gave off a more eerie feeling than the killing fields. It still looked like a school but everywhere you looked, whether it be the classrooms or the corridors, you were reminded of the terrible things that happened here. Five classrooms were full of large boards which held passport pictures of all those brought here and you could see the terror in their eyes. It was so sad. One room was dedicated to the few that survived (only six in total) and also Pol Pot himself (his photo had been removed because of vandals - you can understand why) and the torturers. By each picture was an explanation of where these people are today.
Wednesday 20 June:
The bus to Siem Reap took six hours. We stopped half way for a quick five minute break where they were selling caramelised crickets, cockroaches and fried tarantulas. On the floor was a bucket full of live tarantulas which you could take away with you. We didn’t arrive in Siem Reap until 7.30pm.
Thursday 21 June:
Carl and I chose to see the small circuit of Angkor Wat. We were told that we would be bored after a couple of hours so only bought a one day ticket. Our tuk-tuk driver took us around all day and told us which each ruin was. He was very helpful and you definitely need someone like that at Angkor. You have to hire a tuk-tuk because all the ruins are too far spaced out. As we entered Angkor we drove around the huge moat which circles Angkor Wat. It was really pretty. Our first stop was Raven Village and as soon as we walked up to the ruin a young boy came up to us and gave me a wooden bracelet. He was all teeth and gums and was so sweet. As we walked around the ruin he kept following us but stayed on the ground and kept shouting up that we had to buy a drink because he gave me a bracelet. So we did.
We absolutely loved Angkor Wat and didn’t get fed up with it once. To us it wasn’t a case of ‘once you’ve seen one ruin, you’ve seen them all’. We could have carried on but the weather was scorching that day. We got there at 10am and left at 3.30pm and managed to complete the short circuit. The ruins which impressed us most was Angkor Wat, Ta Prohn, Terrace of Elephants and Ta Keo.
Angkor Wat is huge. It’s the largest temple, standing sixty five metres high. The moat surrounding it is huge as is the bridge crossing over the moat. It didn’t impressive us as much as we thought it would. A lot of the other ruins were more impressive. But the size of this ruin is what makes it amazing. As we walked up the stairs a monkey was sitting at the top. Carl joked as he walked past the monkey about making sure that it didn’t bite me. What did it do when I walked past? It grabbed my leg with both hands and bit my leg. It really hurt but luckily it didn’t draw blood and I’m sure it was just playing because it could have had my blood if it wanted to. I kicked it off and then it bit a local guy.
Ta Prohn is where Tomb Raider was filmed and the ruin is amazing. Enormous trees are growing through the ruin and pulling down the building. There is a lot of work going on here though to try and keep it in its original state. All stones which have fallen are being numbered and put back in place. Many areas are shut off because it is too dangerous but with the chambers, halls, trees and wooden walkways around the ruin, it is easily our favourite.
The Terrace of Elephants is another favourite. It is not a building as such, rather a very long and high platform with elephants and other animals carved into the stone.
Ta Keo is a temple which stands fifty metres high. We climbed to the very top using the extremely small steps which are just about big enough for a two year old to walk up. You had to walk up sideways. On the way back down Carl was having a bit of a moment. I took a picture of him on his way down and he said ‘stop f’ing laughing at me because it’s not funny’. He’s not very good with heights.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hanoi and Ninh Binh pictures
Ninh Binh and surrounds...
Primate rescue centre
Us in Hanoi...
Hanoi traffic...
Primate rescue centre
Us in Hanoi...
Hanoi traffic...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Saturday, June 9, 2007
VIETNAM - Tuesday 22 May until Sunday 17 June
Tuesday 22 May:
I woke at 6am because I was worried about the visas. We went to the Vietnamese Embassy and got our visas within a couple of minutes of being there. And then we booked our flights. Yesterday it felt like we would never get out of here. Our flight wasn't until 5.45pm and by 8pm we were in a taxi to Hanoi. The flight wasn't bad but I had this really annoying little boy sitting behind me who kept bashing my chair, pulling my hair and pinching my arm. On leaving the airport we got a cab. The taxi driver was a psycho. If a vehicle was in front of him, no matter what size, he would flash his lights and beep him out of the way. If that didn't work he would just barge them into another lane. Even though he was breaking the speed limit three times over, it still took an hour to reach the centre. He dropped us off at a hotel so that he could get commission but we just walked off with our bags and found our own hotel which was called Lucky Star and included free breakfast and internet use. We bartered on the room, which was huge, and got a third off the price so we thought the hotel really was lucky. But little did we know. We went for a walk around the city and it was a nightmare. We had come from quite a quiet place with a relaxed atmosphere and landed in hell. Traffic lights didn't exist and neither did road rules. People on scooters were driving up the road which ever way they wanted, on the left or right. In order to cross, you had to be brave and step out in front of vehicles and they would drive around you. Worst of all you couldn't use the pavements because they were covered in parked scooters. Luckily, after a few hairy moments we found a bar called Laybac which was small, nice and served wine. People had signed the bricks on the wall inside and one brick said 'Paul Gadd '05' which we hope was a joke.
Wednesday 23 May:
Oh my god. Do you remember what I said yesterday? About how lucky we were to find the Lucky Star hotel and how lucky we were for bartering to get a huge room and little did we know? From 7am we had people right outside our hotel room wall banging constantly with sledge-hammers and using hacksaws. From 7am. The noise was incredible. We walked to find another hotel, and after a few hours found one called Prince which was down a lovely quiet street. When we checked out of Lucky Star the guy on reception honestly wondered why we (and everyone else) were checking out. We did feel sorry for him because it wasn't his fault but the noise was unbearable. They were only in the first stages of building a hotel next door as well so over the next couple of years Lucky Star will lose so much business and it is a nice hotel.
In the evening we ate in a proper Italian restaurant, run by an Italian and all the food was imported. The wine was excellent and we no longer felt the hate and anger we did when we arrived yesterday
Thursday 24 May:
Today we decided to brave the roads and go shopping. I was hoping to fill the whole which my Adidas Jesus creepers left. Oh, and now I know that a couple of days after my creepers got stolen, two girls had their iPods stolen - from the same guesthouse.
In Vietnam the easiest way to sell food is to store it in two baskets which are attached to either end of a pole and balanced over the shoulder. The women here are tiny and look delicate but they somehow manage to carry these poles whith heavy baskets piled with food. As we were walking down the street one of them collared Carl and put one on his shoulder so that I could take a picture. And although I protested she then dumped it on my shoulder and it was really heavy. I don't know how she managed it but she really stung Carl for money. She demanded money for the photos and she made Carl buy a bag of fruit as well, handing over a handfull of notes as change. By the time Carl had added it up she had disappeared with his money, which came to about seven pound. Once Carl had worked out how much he had paid he was very angry.
After searching for ages I finally found some Nike Jesus creepers and managed to knock the price down a bit. But instead of giving me the change the shop assistant said she was keeping the change as a tip. I've never heard anything so stupid. Oh I'm just going to go to Clarks or Asda and buy some shoes. Oh and I think I might tip the cashier as well. These people are money grabbers. I also managed to find a little Roxy rucksack to add to my collection back home and also bought yet another travel bag so I dumped my most recent one. I'm now on my third travel bag but this one is much better.
Friday 25 May:
We booked a three day boat trip around beautiful Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. The boat was luxurious despite being very reasonably priced. On the bottom deck were the bedrooms which had their own toilet and shower, the middle deck was where the bar and settees were and the top deck was where the sun loungers were. Our first day involved seeing a large cave, kayaking and visiting a fish farm around Halong Bay, which consists of over 3,000 islands rising from the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.
Going back to the cave, the description in the Lonely Planet Guide says 'a popular cave to visit. It too has three vast chambers, in the second of which there's an astonishing pink lit 'penis rock''. It made me chuckle. See the pictures and make up your own mind.
In the evening we took great pictures of the sunset and we had the best seafood - squid, king prawns, red snapper etc. It was all bought fresh from the floating fish farm we had visited earlier in the day and prepared and cooked at the back of the boat. It was delicious. And then we spent the evening drinking with a group of New Yorkers we had met earlier in the day.
Saturday 26 May:
We made full use of the sun loungers this morning mainly because the boat had broken down and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. Luckily a smaller boat (a bit crappy) picked the three-day tour people up and then we sailed to an island for a spot of mountain biking and walking. Unfortunately the mountain bikes had no brakes or gears. We had to cycle four kilometres uphill and downhill and walk a further one kilometre and reached (apparently) a national park. The only thing in this national park was a house which had not finished being built. Toss. I noticed a group of tan coloured dogs caged by a small house on the way back and the guide told me that they were all for food. I told him that he would get put in prison for that in England. He just laughed.
We then sailed to Monkey Island which was great because we were the only ones there and we had the whole beach to ourselves. There was only six of us. No monkeys though. You had to climb over cliffs to see them because at this time of the day it was too hot for them to come down. Twenty minutes later thirteen boats of Vietnamese turned up and swarmed into the sea, making it feel like Bournemouth on a hot day. It was time to leave.
We got dropped off at Cat Ba Island where we stayed at Holiday View Hotel. We didn't see a lot of Cat Ba Island but what we did see we really liked. It was also the last day of school so all the children had broken up and were riding bikes up and down the main road. It was fortunate that the scooter riders and other road users were alert as some of the kids were a little wobbly!
Sunday 27 May:
We boarded the crappy boat at 8am which took us back to the luxury boat and sailed back to Halong City where we caught the bus back to our hotel in Hanoi. It felt horrible arriving back to the rush and noise of Hanoi after such a peaceful three days. We went back to the same hotel (Prince) who gave us a much nicer room with a balcony for the same price as before. In the evening we found a lovely bar which overlooked the main roundabout in Hanoi where we had a bottle of wine.
Monday 28 May:
We got picked up at 8am and took the two hour drive to Ninh Binh. Unfortuntely the minibus which picked us up was part of a tour so once on the edge of Ninh Binh we had to wait in the minibus for an hour while the people on the tour looked at caves. They didn't tell us this when we booked our tickets and we had no idea what they were doing or how long they would be, which was really out of order. When we finally arrived in Ninh Bin we booked into Thuy Anh Hotel because it was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide. We took a walk around town and our only thoughts of Ninh Binh is that it's such a pointless place on this earth full of perverts who do hand signs even when you are walking arm in arm with your boyfriend and some of these people stare at you like you are an alien. There is absolutely nothing here. Carl stepped in a huge dog poo, which was the highlight of our walk because even the locals were laughing at him. He tried wiping it off but by doing that he was just wiping it deeper into the ridges of his shoes. He was lucky though because he was wearing his Jesus creepers so it could have easily gone all over his feet.
Carl's description of Ninh Binh:
"A place almost completely unaware of tourism. Even the hotels seem a bit surprised by a Western face - or maybe it's just our faces. There is nothing to do in the evening - no bars, no restaurants and the hotel food is grim. We can't be here more than a day.
We had dinner in the restaurant of the hotel because we didn't want to venture away from our safety blanket. I paid the boss lady for dinner and waited patiently for my change. After fifteen minutes she still didn't return and we had a feeling that she never would. I checked my wallet just in case I had suffered a memory loss but didn't have any small notes. We found her behind reception and asked her for our change and she stared at us in the face and said that she had already given it to me. I looked again in my wallet and there was still no small change but we couldn't be arsed to argue so just went to bed. OK, it wasn't a lot of money, but it was way more than 15% and it should be my choice if I leave a tip or not and she lied to my face."
Tuesday 29 May:
As soon as we woke up we booked a sleeper bus to Hui which left at 10pm. We talked to the man behind reception about getting to the floating village, Kehn Ga, and the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre during the day. He aranged a driver who took us to these places, the first being the rescue centre. The rescue centre was in Cuc Phuong National Park and it's a non-profit organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation, breeding, research and conservation of endangered primates. It was really interesting and saw all sorts of species.
Next we got driven to a ticket office for a boat tour to see a floating village. We paid for a two hour boat ride along the river to the floating village. We had the whole boat to ourselve as it was low season. For the first hour we were both happily snapping away with our cameras and taking in the sights but then it got a bit boring. We came to what seemed like a dead end which was really a wall across the river which opened up to a tiny little village where there were a row of houses set on the banks of the river. We sailed up the river until we came to a dead end and then it started raining. We had been on the river for an hour and a half and we were getting very bored and a little bit angry because we realised that there was no floating village. We sailed back to the wall across the river and then headed back to the start. We questioned the man who sold us the ticket saying that they had taken us to the wrong place because there was no floating village but he just said it was the wrong time of year for the floating village. Even though we had specifically told him that was what we wanted to see when we bought the boat tickets. When we got back to the hotel reception we questioned the man who told us about the floating village and he said that everyone knew that the floating village didn't exist this time of year. I was pulling my hair out at this stage so Carl had to deal with him. We still had six hours to wait until our bus came so we sat in the bar and got drunk so that we could sleep on the bus through the night.
The bus came at around 9.30pm and there were no seats, just bunks beds which were really comfortable. We swapped beds several times until we ended up on the back beds so that we could snuggle up and then drifted off to sleep.
Wednesday 30 May:
We arrived in Hui at 9am. The journey had taken just under twelve hours and we didn't really sleep that much. It happened to be more spacious and comfortable at the front of the bus but Carl sufferend because I wanted to snuggle. There were lots of locals waiting for us, as usual, to give us business cards for their guest houses when we arrived in Hui, but we had a walk around looking for the bet deal before checking into Nhy Phu hotel - which was clean, comfortable and cheap. We had a walk around Hui and it was a really nice place but the sellers, motorbike and cyclo riders were even worse than Hanoi and would follow us down the street so we decided that we would leave the next day. You may have gathered that we are getting pretty fed up with north Vietnam at this point. Fortunately other travellers have told us that the south is much more laid back than the north and that the people are more friendly and less money grabbing.
Later in the evening we ate in La Carambole which was really nice, and then had a few beers in Why Not bar. All through the evening all the shops, bars and restaurants were burning insence sticks in a temporary shrines. People on the streets were also burning paper. Tomorrow is Buddha's birthday but they are celebrating tonight.
Thursday 31 May:
We caught the 10.37am train out of Hui and headed to Nha Trang where we needed a much deserved break. We booked a 4-berth bunk bed cabin (in the day we know but it was a ten hour journey) which we had to share with two Vietnamese people. We also both had the top bunks so unfortunately couldn't see much of the scenery which was the whole idea. But lucky for us we had the most annoying kids in the world who saw there were two Westerners next door so constantly banged on the wall and kept opening our door to peep inside and laugh. Get a life! We arrived at 10pm where we booked into a shabby hotel - too late to be picky. After dumping our bags we walked around the place to find that most hotels were fully booked for tomorrow night. We found one called Golden Hotel which we booked for tomorrow and it just so happened to be next door to a bar called Le Cabanon which later turned out to be our local. It was a bar run by Aussie Tom and his out of control but very hilarious Vietnamese wife called - we never found out. An American in his 50s was also sitting outside with his Vietnamese bit of stuff (funny because he only arrived yesterday) and Carl thought he could have been ex-marine. We soon fitted in very nicely and the pretty waitresses kept filling us up with monkey nuts.
Friday 1 June:
We moved to the Golden Hotel, next door to our local, and spent the day on the beach. In the evening watched an English guy attempt a fire show. He was good but he did burn his back a few times. Ouch. We noticed that there were an awful lot of young Vietnamese girls tarted up very badly. They were either prostitutes or mafia or maybe both.
Saturday 2 June:
We didn't get in until 4am because we went back to our local. We didn't really want to but they kept coming out with more large bottles of Tiger beer so we couldn't say no. They insisted. As we were far too poorly for the beach (the heat) we found a barbers for Carl to get his hair cut. We waited and waited for about fourty five minutes while they finished their food but they did give Carl some and then spent another fourty five minutes cutting his hair. But the lady did a good job. At one point I thought he was going to be bald. They called us Posh and Becks which I took as a compliment but Carl didn't. That was before they thought I was Vietnamese. We bartered at another hotel called Nice Hotel and got a really nice seaview room for tomorrow for less. We can't help but move on everyday to a different hotel. We always feel like we're missing out on something. Then when we went back to our hotel to have a siesta the movie channel was playing all the Star Wars movies in order which was fantastic. We ate in Truc Linh. I had lobster in the evening which Carl chose from the tank because I can't bear to see them alive and then dead on my plate fifteen minutes later.
Sunday 3 June:
Another big hangover and all because they kept insisting we drink beer at the local bar. The woman who owns it with Aussie Tom is completely insane but she's so funny. The young waitresses are also lovely and even when we walk past in the day they cross the road and pull us in. We spent all day on the beach and then had seafood in the evening at Truc Linh 2. Carl chose my crab from the tank and the chef explained to him how it would be cooked with garlic and butter. When it came it was just one big crab on the plate with no flavour at all. After I had finished this Aussie guy with bad eyes came up and said that his wasn't flavoured either. Neither of us were impressed and Carl wasn't impressed with this tiger prawns. This guy had bad eyes because he had been swimming around Monkey Island but didn't realise that he had been swimming in sewage. Yuk. We later met him at the local where the mad woman turned into a nurse. She sat by us dabbing his eyes with cotton wool which had been soaked in boiling water.
Monday 4 June:
Beach day. A Vietnamese lady comes along the beach with two buckets filled with fresh seafood held on a wooden pole and she cooks lobster, crab, etc. on the beach. When she cooks it it smells so good but we had lunch in the Irish Bar which had the best Western menu around. I had cottage pie and Carl had bangers and mash. The potato was so good.
Tuesday 5 June:
Beach day. In the evening we went to a place called Andy's where we had breakfast yesterday. Andy had just finished the upstairs which he had turned into a lovely wine bar but he only tells customers who happen to eat in his cafe which is quiet most of the time. So this evening we decided to drink a bottle of wine on the balcony and people watch which was fantastic.
Wednesday 6 June:
Big day today. We decided to give the beach a miss and take the skyrail over to an island where the Vinpearl resort was situated. On this island was also a theme park which sounded great. We walked all the way to the skyrail which took about an hour. A long walk in flip flops and burning heat and my toes have never been the same since this day. We spoke to the information guy who told us the best deal was to buy a card which allowed us a return journey on the skyrail and two rides on each of the rollercoasters over there. The skyrail was really nice and the views along the coast were amazing. That part was definitely worth the money. When we arrived at Vinpearl theme park we got slightly worried because there was no one around. The adults with their children that got off with us headed straight for the indoor games so that's where we went. The indoor games were for children under ten years old so we decided to head for the shopping mall. Only two shops where open and they hadn't even finished building the waterpark. We went back to the rollercoasters but they were shut so we were really angry because we had paid a fair bit of money in comparison to most things out here. We caught the skyrail back after about ten minutes and kicked ass. We asked if we could have our money back and they said no because the rides were open. We disagreed because we had just come from there. They telephoned the theme park and said that the indoor games were open. We explained that the indoor games were just for little children but they couldn't grasp that fact so insisted that they take us over there. We even spoke to the manager who nearly cried. This went on for a whole fourty five minutes and we still didn't get our money back so we took photos of them and we're going to name and shame them. So in the end we did end up at the beach. The safest bet really.
In the evening we ended up at the local bar again. As the seats are on the street you are always hassled by people selling books and postcards which is so annoying because the elder females use their children to sell them and these children happen to be a pain in the arse. I did buy some postcards but from a young woman who had passed us every night. She had cerebral palsy and she was such a sweet person. And she was so happy. Her face was a picture. Especially when I asked her to sit down and join us while I looked through. We saw her the next night as well and she was going to sell us some postcards but then recognised us and that same big smile appeared.
Thursday 7 June:
We walked along the beach to the Ana Mandara resort to see if we could pay and use their infinity pool for the day. This had to be without a doubt the best resort in Nha Trang and probably the most expensive but it's paradise. We couldn't use it which was a big bummer and I came away hating those people who were staying there. So we went back to our usual spot on the beach, outside Louisiane. We lay on the beach for a bit and then had a couple of mojitos which made us really giggly. Everything we did after that made us laugh. We checked into a hotel called Asia Paradise which had a swimming pool at the top and that's where we stayed for the rest of the afternoon until the sun disappeared and all the locals came out to use the pool. They hate the sun. Over here white is beautiful. I can't find one single deodorant that doesn't whiten your armpits. How ridiculous is that? Who gets a suntan on their armpits anyway? We had a few drinks in our local bar to say goodbye to the girls and we had a group photo done. Also the mad one went out and bought us some Vietnamese coasters for our flat when we get back home. She admitted that they didn't cost a lot. She's like that. Whenever we walked passed her down the street she'd shout that we should come in because she wants our money. True but very funny. So we always went in.
Friday 8 June to Thursday 14 June:
We caught the 8.30am bus to Mai Ye where we met Jamie and Michelle. We all stuck together and found a place to stay called Thuy Thuy. We had our own bungalow and the place also had a swimming pool. As Mai Ye is on the coast not many have swimming pools because they are set on the beach but ours wasn't.
From Friday 8 June until Thursday 14 June we spent every day in the pool and it was just the four of us. One night we ate in a restaurant where there were four dogs. One of the dogs being a very skinny pug. This very skinny pug couldn't stop having sex with this other dog (which was twice the size) right by our table. It was heave worthy because even after he had had sex he still wanted more.
We visited the white sand dunes because you can apparently sledge down them. So the book says. Carl went down because no one else could be arsed after walking twenty minutes through what felt like a desert. The only problem with sledging down is that it took you five times as long to walk back up because the sand dunes were quite high. And he was covered in sand. Jamie decided to go down after him but as he slid down he burrowed a pile of sand in front of him so didn't really move far. He had to roll down in the end. That was the funny part of the day.
Mai Ye is definitely the best place we have stopped in Vietnam. If you have travelled from the north you need to stop here to recuperate. The north of Vietnam we found to be too busy and too undeveloped compared to the south. Jamie and Michelle were glad they didn't travel around the north after they had heard our stories.
Friday 15 June:
After spending a week in this place and scaring other guests off so we could have the place to oursevles we decided to take the four hour bus ride to Saigon. When we arrived Michelle and I left the boys in a bar while we looked for a hotel. We finally checked into Lahn Ahn.
Saturday 16 June
Me and Carl went to see the tunnels made by the Vietnamese army during the war in the 1960's at a place called Cu Chi. The tunnels were tiny and we had to crawl through the tunnels on our hands and knees. They were also pitch black. Incredibly the tunnels we crawled through were a wider version of the originals, specially enlarged for fat western tourists! There were also examples of man traps used by the Vietnamese to kill or mutilate unsuspecting American soldiers. It was a little gory. Throughout the tour the sound of gunshots rang around from a rifle range where tourists could pay to shoot AK47's and various other weapons just behind the tunnels. The sound of gunshots also added to the creepy atmosphere. Afterwards we met Jamie and Michelle and wandered around the Saigon war museum which was really depressing and showed pictures of people being tortured by the Americans.
Sunday 17 June:
Did absolutely sweet F.A.
I woke at 6am because I was worried about the visas. We went to the Vietnamese Embassy and got our visas within a couple of minutes of being there. And then we booked our flights. Yesterday it felt like we would never get out of here. Our flight wasn't until 5.45pm and by 8pm we were in a taxi to Hanoi. The flight wasn't bad but I had this really annoying little boy sitting behind me who kept bashing my chair, pulling my hair and pinching my arm. On leaving the airport we got a cab. The taxi driver was a psycho. If a vehicle was in front of him, no matter what size, he would flash his lights and beep him out of the way. If that didn't work he would just barge them into another lane. Even though he was breaking the speed limit three times over, it still took an hour to reach the centre. He dropped us off at a hotel so that he could get commission but we just walked off with our bags and found our own hotel which was called Lucky Star and included free breakfast and internet use. We bartered on the room, which was huge, and got a third off the price so we thought the hotel really was lucky. But little did we know. We went for a walk around the city and it was a nightmare. We had come from quite a quiet place with a relaxed atmosphere and landed in hell. Traffic lights didn't exist and neither did road rules. People on scooters were driving up the road which ever way they wanted, on the left or right. In order to cross, you had to be brave and step out in front of vehicles and they would drive around you. Worst of all you couldn't use the pavements because they were covered in parked scooters. Luckily, after a few hairy moments we found a bar called Laybac which was small, nice and served wine. People had signed the bricks on the wall inside and one brick said 'Paul Gadd '05' which we hope was a joke.
Wednesday 23 May:
Oh my god. Do you remember what I said yesterday? About how lucky we were to find the Lucky Star hotel and how lucky we were for bartering to get a huge room and little did we know? From 7am we had people right outside our hotel room wall banging constantly with sledge-hammers and using hacksaws. From 7am. The noise was incredible. We walked to find another hotel, and after a few hours found one called Prince which was down a lovely quiet street. When we checked out of Lucky Star the guy on reception honestly wondered why we (and everyone else) were checking out. We did feel sorry for him because it wasn't his fault but the noise was unbearable. They were only in the first stages of building a hotel next door as well so over the next couple of years Lucky Star will lose so much business and it is a nice hotel.
In the evening we ate in a proper Italian restaurant, run by an Italian and all the food was imported. The wine was excellent and we no longer felt the hate and anger we did when we arrived yesterday
Thursday 24 May:
Today we decided to brave the roads and go shopping. I was hoping to fill the whole which my Adidas Jesus creepers left. Oh, and now I know that a couple of days after my creepers got stolen, two girls had their iPods stolen - from the same guesthouse.
In Vietnam the easiest way to sell food is to store it in two baskets which are attached to either end of a pole and balanced over the shoulder. The women here are tiny and look delicate but they somehow manage to carry these poles whith heavy baskets piled with food. As we were walking down the street one of them collared Carl and put one on his shoulder so that I could take a picture. And although I protested she then dumped it on my shoulder and it was really heavy. I don't know how she managed it but she really stung Carl for money. She demanded money for the photos and she made Carl buy a bag of fruit as well, handing over a handfull of notes as change. By the time Carl had added it up she had disappeared with his money, which came to about seven pound. Once Carl had worked out how much he had paid he was very angry.
After searching for ages I finally found some Nike Jesus creepers and managed to knock the price down a bit. But instead of giving me the change the shop assistant said she was keeping the change as a tip. I've never heard anything so stupid. Oh I'm just going to go to Clarks or Asda and buy some shoes. Oh and I think I might tip the cashier as well. These people are money grabbers. I also managed to find a little Roxy rucksack to add to my collection back home and also bought yet another travel bag so I dumped my most recent one. I'm now on my third travel bag but this one is much better.
Friday 25 May:
We booked a three day boat trip around beautiful Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. The boat was luxurious despite being very reasonably priced. On the bottom deck were the bedrooms which had their own toilet and shower, the middle deck was where the bar and settees were and the top deck was where the sun loungers were. Our first day involved seeing a large cave, kayaking and visiting a fish farm around Halong Bay, which consists of over 3,000 islands rising from the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.
Going back to the cave, the description in the Lonely Planet Guide says 'a popular cave to visit. It too has three vast chambers, in the second of which there's an astonishing pink lit 'penis rock''. It made me chuckle. See the pictures and make up your own mind.
In the evening we took great pictures of the sunset and we had the best seafood - squid, king prawns, red snapper etc. It was all bought fresh from the floating fish farm we had visited earlier in the day and prepared and cooked at the back of the boat. It was delicious. And then we spent the evening drinking with a group of New Yorkers we had met earlier in the day.
Saturday 26 May:
We made full use of the sun loungers this morning mainly because the boat had broken down and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. Luckily a smaller boat (a bit crappy) picked the three-day tour people up and then we sailed to an island for a spot of mountain biking and walking. Unfortunately the mountain bikes had no brakes or gears. We had to cycle four kilometres uphill and downhill and walk a further one kilometre and reached (apparently) a national park. The only thing in this national park was a house which had not finished being built. Toss. I noticed a group of tan coloured dogs caged by a small house on the way back and the guide told me that they were all for food. I told him that he would get put in prison for that in England. He just laughed.
We then sailed to Monkey Island which was great because we were the only ones there and we had the whole beach to ourselves. There was only six of us. No monkeys though. You had to climb over cliffs to see them because at this time of the day it was too hot for them to come down. Twenty minutes later thirteen boats of Vietnamese turned up and swarmed into the sea, making it feel like Bournemouth on a hot day. It was time to leave.
We got dropped off at Cat Ba Island where we stayed at Holiday View Hotel. We didn't see a lot of Cat Ba Island but what we did see we really liked. It was also the last day of school so all the children had broken up and were riding bikes up and down the main road. It was fortunate that the scooter riders and other road users were alert as some of the kids were a little wobbly!
Sunday 27 May:
We boarded the crappy boat at 8am which took us back to the luxury boat and sailed back to Halong City where we caught the bus back to our hotel in Hanoi. It felt horrible arriving back to the rush and noise of Hanoi after such a peaceful three days. We went back to the same hotel (Prince) who gave us a much nicer room with a balcony for the same price as before. In the evening we found a lovely bar which overlooked the main roundabout in Hanoi where we had a bottle of wine.
Monday 28 May:
We got picked up at 8am and took the two hour drive to Ninh Binh. Unfortuntely the minibus which picked us up was part of a tour so once on the edge of Ninh Binh we had to wait in the minibus for an hour while the people on the tour looked at caves. They didn't tell us this when we booked our tickets and we had no idea what they were doing or how long they would be, which was really out of order. When we finally arrived in Ninh Bin we booked into Thuy Anh Hotel because it was recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide. We took a walk around town and our only thoughts of Ninh Binh is that it's such a pointless place on this earth full of perverts who do hand signs even when you are walking arm in arm with your boyfriend and some of these people stare at you like you are an alien. There is absolutely nothing here. Carl stepped in a huge dog poo, which was the highlight of our walk because even the locals were laughing at him. He tried wiping it off but by doing that he was just wiping it deeper into the ridges of his shoes. He was lucky though because he was wearing his Jesus creepers so it could have easily gone all over his feet.
Carl's description of Ninh Binh:
"A place almost completely unaware of tourism. Even the hotels seem a bit surprised by a Western face - or maybe it's just our faces. There is nothing to do in the evening - no bars, no restaurants and the hotel food is grim. We can't be here more than a day.
We had dinner in the restaurant of the hotel because we didn't want to venture away from our safety blanket. I paid the boss lady for dinner and waited patiently for my change. After fifteen minutes she still didn't return and we had a feeling that she never would. I checked my wallet just in case I had suffered a memory loss but didn't have any small notes. We found her behind reception and asked her for our change and she stared at us in the face and said that she had already given it to me. I looked again in my wallet and there was still no small change but we couldn't be arsed to argue so just went to bed. OK, it wasn't a lot of money, but it was way more than 15% and it should be my choice if I leave a tip or not and she lied to my face."
Tuesday 29 May:
As soon as we woke up we booked a sleeper bus to Hui which left at 10pm. We talked to the man behind reception about getting to the floating village, Kehn Ga, and the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre during the day. He aranged a driver who took us to these places, the first being the rescue centre. The rescue centre was in Cuc Phuong National Park and it's a non-profit organisation dedicated to the rehabilitation, breeding, research and conservation of endangered primates. It was really interesting and saw all sorts of species.
Next we got driven to a ticket office for a boat tour to see a floating village. We paid for a two hour boat ride along the river to the floating village. We had the whole boat to ourselve as it was low season. For the first hour we were both happily snapping away with our cameras and taking in the sights but then it got a bit boring. We came to what seemed like a dead end which was really a wall across the river which opened up to a tiny little village where there were a row of houses set on the banks of the river. We sailed up the river until we came to a dead end and then it started raining. We had been on the river for an hour and a half and we were getting very bored and a little bit angry because we realised that there was no floating village. We sailed back to the wall across the river and then headed back to the start. We questioned the man who sold us the ticket saying that they had taken us to the wrong place because there was no floating village but he just said it was the wrong time of year for the floating village. Even though we had specifically told him that was what we wanted to see when we bought the boat tickets. When we got back to the hotel reception we questioned the man who told us about the floating village and he said that everyone knew that the floating village didn't exist this time of year. I was pulling my hair out at this stage so Carl had to deal with him. We still had six hours to wait until our bus came so we sat in the bar and got drunk so that we could sleep on the bus through the night.
The bus came at around 9.30pm and there were no seats, just bunks beds which were really comfortable. We swapped beds several times until we ended up on the back beds so that we could snuggle up and then drifted off to sleep.
Wednesday 30 May:
We arrived in Hui at 9am. The journey had taken just under twelve hours and we didn't really sleep that much. It happened to be more spacious and comfortable at the front of the bus but Carl sufferend because I wanted to snuggle. There were lots of locals waiting for us, as usual, to give us business cards for their guest houses when we arrived in Hui, but we had a walk around looking for the bet deal before checking into Nhy Phu hotel - which was clean, comfortable and cheap. We had a walk around Hui and it was a really nice place but the sellers, motorbike and cyclo riders were even worse than Hanoi and would follow us down the street so we decided that we would leave the next day. You may have gathered that we are getting pretty fed up with north Vietnam at this point. Fortunately other travellers have told us that the south is much more laid back than the north and that the people are more friendly and less money grabbing.
Later in the evening we ate in La Carambole which was really nice, and then had a few beers in Why Not bar. All through the evening all the shops, bars and restaurants were burning insence sticks in a temporary shrines. People on the streets were also burning paper. Tomorrow is Buddha's birthday but they are celebrating tonight.
Thursday 31 May:
We caught the 10.37am train out of Hui and headed to Nha Trang where we needed a much deserved break. We booked a 4-berth bunk bed cabin (in the day we know but it was a ten hour journey) which we had to share with two Vietnamese people. We also both had the top bunks so unfortunately couldn't see much of the scenery which was the whole idea. But lucky for us we had the most annoying kids in the world who saw there were two Westerners next door so constantly banged on the wall and kept opening our door to peep inside and laugh. Get a life! We arrived at 10pm where we booked into a shabby hotel - too late to be picky. After dumping our bags we walked around the place to find that most hotels were fully booked for tomorrow night. We found one called Golden Hotel which we booked for tomorrow and it just so happened to be next door to a bar called Le Cabanon which later turned out to be our local. It was a bar run by Aussie Tom and his out of control but very hilarious Vietnamese wife called - we never found out. An American in his 50s was also sitting outside with his Vietnamese bit of stuff (funny because he only arrived yesterday) and Carl thought he could have been ex-marine. We soon fitted in very nicely and the pretty waitresses kept filling us up with monkey nuts.
Friday 1 June:
We moved to the Golden Hotel, next door to our local, and spent the day on the beach. In the evening watched an English guy attempt a fire show. He was good but he did burn his back a few times. Ouch. We noticed that there were an awful lot of young Vietnamese girls tarted up very badly. They were either prostitutes or mafia or maybe both.
Saturday 2 June:
We didn't get in until 4am because we went back to our local. We didn't really want to but they kept coming out with more large bottles of Tiger beer so we couldn't say no. They insisted. As we were far too poorly for the beach (the heat) we found a barbers for Carl to get his hair cut. We waited and waited for about fourty five minutes while they finished their food but they did give Carl some and then spent another fourty five minutes cutting his hair. But the lady did a good job. At one point I thought he was going to be bald. They called us Posh and Becks which I took as a compliment but Carl didn't. That was before they thought I was Vietnamese. We bartered at another hotel called Nice Hotel and got a really nice seaview room for tomorrow for less. We can't help but move on everyday to a different hotel. We always feel like we're missing out on something. Then when we went back to our hotel to have a siesta the movie channel was playing all the Star Wars movies in order which was fantastic. We ate in Truc Linh. I had lobster in the evening which Carl chose from the tank because I can't bear to see them alive and then dead on my plate fifteen minutes later.
Sunday 3 June:
Another big hangover and all because they kept insisting we drink beer at the local bar. The woman who owns it with Aussie Tom is completely insane but she's so funny. The young waitresses are also lovely and even when we walk past in the day they cross the road and pull us in. We spent all day on the beach and then had seafood in the evening at Truc Linh 2. Carl chose my crab from the tank and the chef explained to him how it would be cooked with garlic and butter. When it came it was just one big crab on the plate with no flavour at all. After I had finished this Aussie guy with bad eyes came up and said that his wasn't flavoured either. Neither of us were impressed and Carl wasn't impressed with this tiger prawns. This guy had bad eyes because he had been swimming around Monkey Island but didn't realise that he had been swimming in sewage. Yuk. We later met him at the local where the mad woman turned into a nurse. She sat by us dabbing his eyes with cotton wool which had been soaked in boiling water.
Monday 4 June:
Beach day. A Vietnamese lady comes along the beach with two buckets filled with fresh seafood held on a wooden pole and she cooks lobster, crab, etc. on the beach. When she cooks it it smells so good but we had lunch in the Irish Bar which had the best Western menu around. I had cottage pie and Carl had bangers and mash. The potato was so good.
Tuesday 5 June:
Beach day. In the evening we went to a place called Andy's where we had breakfast yesterday. Andy had just finished the upstairs which he had turned into a lovely wine bar but he only tells customers who happen to eat in his cafe which is quiet most of the time. So this evening we decided to drink a bottle of wine on the balcony and people watch which was fantastic.
Wednesday 6 June:
Big day today. We decided to give the beach a miss and take the skyrail over to an island where the Vinpearl resort was situated. On this island was also a theme park which sounded great. We walked all the way to the skyrail which took about an hour. A long walk in flip flops and burning heat and my toes have never been the same since this day. We spoke to the information guy who told us the best deal was to buy a card which allowed us a return journey on the skyrail and two rides on each of the rollercoasters over there. The skyrail was really nice and the views along the coast were amazing. That part was definitely worth the money. When we arrived at Vinpearl theme park we got slightly worried because there was no one around. The adults with their children that got off with us headed straight for the indoor games so that's where we went. The indoor games were for children under ten years old so we decided to head for the shopping mall. Only two shops where open and they hadn't even finished building the waterpark. We went back to the rollercoasters but they were shut so we were really angry because we had paid a fair bit of money in comparison to most things out here. We caught the skyrail back after about ten minutes and kicked ass. We asked if we could have our money back and they said no because the rides were open. We disagreed because we had just come from there. They telephoned the theme park and said that the indoor games were open. We explained that the indoor games were just for little children but they couldn't grasp that fact so insisted that they take us over there. We even spoke to the manager who nearly cried. This went on for a whole fourty five minutes and we still didn't get our money back so we took photos of them and we're going to name and shame them. So in the end we did end up at the beach. The safest bet really.
In the evening we ended up at the local bar again. As the seats are on the street you are always hassled by people selling books and postcards which is so annoying because the elder females use their children to sell them and these children happen to be a pain in the arse. I did buy some postcards but from a young woman who had passed us every night. She had cerebral palsy and she was such a sweet person. And she was so happy. Her face was a picture. Especially when I asked her to sit down and join us while I looked through. We saw her the next night as well and she was going to sell us some postcards but then recognised us and that same big smile appeared.
Thursday 7 June:
We walked along the beach to the Ana Mandara resort to see if we could pay and use their infinity pool for the day. This had to be without a doubt the best resort in Nha Trang and probably the most expensive but it's paradise. We couldn't use it which was a big bummer and I came away hating those people who were staying there. So we went back to our usual spot on the beach, outside Louisiane. We lay on the beach for a bit and then had a couple of mojitos which made us really giggly. Everything we did after that made us laugh. We checked into a hotel called Asia Paradise which had a swimming pool at the top and that's where we stayed for the rest of the afternoon until the sun disappeared and all the locals came out to use the pool. They hate the sun. Over here white is beautiful. I can't find one single deodorant that doesn't whiten your armpits. How ridiculous is that? Who gets a suntan on their armpits anyway? We had a few drinks in our local bar to say goodbye to the girls and we had a group photo done. Also the mad one went out and bought us some Vietnamese coasters for our flat when we get back home. She admitted that they didn't cost a lot. She's like that. Whenever we walked passed her down the street she'd shout that we should come in because she wants our money. True but very funny. So we always went in.
Friday 8 June to Thursday 14 June:
We caught the 8.30am bus to Mai Ye where we met Jamie and Michelle. We all stuck together and found a place to stay called Thuy Thuy. We had our own bungalow and the place also had a swimming pool. As Mai Ye is on the coast not many have swimming pools because they are set on the beach but ours wasn't.
From Friday 8 June until Thursday 14 June we spent every day in the pool and it was just the four of us. One night we ate in a restaurant where there were four dogs. One of the dogs being a very skinny pug. This very skinny pug couldn't stop having sex with this other dog (which was twice the size) right by our table. It was heave worthy because even after he had had sex he still wanted more.
We visited the white sand dunes because you can apparently sledge down them. So the book says. Carl went down because no one else could be arsed after walking twenty minutes through what felt like a desert. The only problem with sledging down is that it took you five times as long to walk back up because the sand dunes were quite high. And he was covered in sand. Jamie decided to go down after him but as he slid down he burrowed a pile of sand in front of him so didn't really move far. He had to roll down in the end. That was the funny part of the day.
Mai Ye is definitely the best place we have stopped in Vietnam. If you have travelled from the north you need to stop here to recuperate. The north of Vietnam we found to be too busy and too undeveloped compared to the south. Jamie and Michelle were glad they didn't travel around the north after they had heard our stories.
Friday 15 June:
After spending a week in this place and scaring other guests off so we could have the place to oursevles we decided to take the four hour bus ride to Saigon. When we arrived Michelle and I left the boys in a bar while we looked for a hotel. We finally checked into Lahn Ahn.
Saturday 16 June
Me and Carl went to see the tunnels made by the Vietnamese army during the war in the 1960's at a place called Cu Chi. The tunnels were tiny and we had to crawl through the tunnels on our hands and knees. They were also pitch black. Incredibly the tunnels we crawled through were a wider version of the originals, specially enlarged for fat western tourists! There were also examples of man traps used by the Vietnamese to kill or mutilate unsuspecting American soldiers. It was a little gory. Throughout the tour the sound of gunshots rang around from a rifle range where tourists could pay to shoot AK47's and various other weapons just behind the tunnels. The sound of gunshots also added to the creepy atmosphere. Afterwards we met Jamie and Michelle and wandered around the Saigon war museum which was really depressing and showed pictures of people being tortured by the Americans.
Sunday 17 June:
Did absolutely sweet F.A.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Laos photos - tubing in Vang Vieng
Thomas and Johanna demonstrate the art of tubing - floating down a river in a tractor tyre inner-tube. When you get bored of drifting through the magnificent scenery, why not float over to one of the many bars on the riverside for a cold beer or a bucket of vodka redbull? If you are feeling adventurous you can also climb up the many towers on the riverside for some impressive rope swinging action. For anyone visiting Laos this is a must.
The view from the river.
The first rope swing over the river. It's pretty high.
Splash down.
Time to go again.
After a few beers things liven up a little...
And the rope swings keep getting bigger.
As night falls, we clamber into a hammock and relax by the fire. Perfect.
Laos photos
On the Thai/ Laos border
The view from our guesthouse across the Mekong river into Laos. We stayed here the night before we commenced the slow boat trip down the river to Luang Prabang.
Slow boating down the Mekong...
Some monks taking time out to bathe in the 'pristine' waters of the Mekong...
Some water buffalo take time out from bathing in the river.
The gang.
Monk on the Mekon.
On the road - Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
The road winds through the mountains. No fun with a hangover.
Vang Vieng.
The aptly named elephant cave...
The view from our guesthouse across the Mekong river into Laos. We stayed here the night before we commenced the slow boat trip down the river to Luang Prabang.
Slow boating down the Mekong...
Some monks taking time out to bathe in the 'pristine' waters of the Mekong...
Some water buffalo take time out from bathing in the river.
The gang.
Monk on the Mekon.
On the road - Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
The road winds through the mountains. No fun with a hangover.
Vang Vieng.
The aptly named elephant cave...
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