China Travels | Phil & Sabine's Excellent Adventure
Jan-Feb 2010 - Winter Holidays Part 2 (the warm bit)
6th Feb-11th Feb: Good morning Ho Chi Minh!
The cold, dry winds of China were soon forgotten when we arrived several hours later by plane in Ho Chi Minh. We arrived late evening and even then it was 28 degrees! This heat was compounded by the fact that we still were wearing our thermal underwear! It felt good to be warm again. We ditched the long johns in favour for shorts and t-shirts and that is how it stayed for nearly three weeks.Our breakfast consisited of dragon fruit, water melon and coffee. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world and I had a lot of catching up to do!The hotel where we were staying was a little out of town and so we headed towards a more central location otherwise known as "Backpackers Paradise" - Pham Ngu Lao. The cold, dry winds od China????Despite the walk being long, the sights and the sounds of the city were fascinating. Everybody seems to have a moped andeach moped can transport upto 5 people. Very practical!Despite the hustle and bustle of the place, people definetely know how to relax. Also, it felt good going to the ATM to withdraw money. As there were 29,000 dong to the pound, for the first times in our lives, we were "millionaires"! The cost of living in Vietnam is quite low and so we found that our milllions went quite a long way. Food was cheap and due to various international influences over the years, there was a good selection of food available ranging from the "baguette" for a good lod fashioned cheese and tomato sandwich and lots of tasty Indian restaurants. Vietnamese food was also pretty good. Its proximity to the sea meant that there were lots of fresh seafood dishes.
The cold, dry winds of China were soon forgotten when we arrived several hours later by plane in Ho Chi Minh. We arrived late evening and even then it was 28 degrees! This heat was compounded by the fact that we still were wearing our thermal underwear! It felt good to be warm again. We ditched the long johns in favour for shorts and t-shirts and that is how it stayed for nearly three weeks.Our breakfast consisited of dragon fruit, water melon and coffee. Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer in the world and I had a lot of catching up to do!The hotel where we were staying was a little out of town and so we headed towards a more central location otherwise known as "Backpackers Paradise" - Pham Ngu Lao. The cold, dry winds od China????Despite the walk being long, the sights and the sounds of the city were fascinating. Everybody seems to have a moped andeach moped can transport upto 5 people. Very practical!Despite the hustle and bustle of the place, people definetely know how to relax. Also, it felt good going to the ATM to withdraw money. As there were 29,000 dong to the pound, for the first times in our lives, we were "millionaires"! The cost of living in Vietnam is quite low and so we found that our milllions went quite a long way. Food was cheap and due to various international influences over the years, there was a good selection of food available ranging from the "baguette" for a good lod fashioned cheese and tomato sandwich and lots of tasty Indian restaurants. Vietnamese food was also pretty good. Its proximity to the sea meant that there were lots of fresh seafood dishes.
Vietnam is certainly geared up for tourists and their level of customer service was impressive. Everywhere we went, the locals were friendly and helpful. There was also lots to do in the city and the surrounding area. For example, the Chi Chi Tunnels. They are a network of underground tunnels built by the resistance movement in repsonse to the American attacks during the Vietnam War. You could go down the tunnels which were pretty claustrophobic - they had even been widened for tourists. In the original ones most westerners would simply get stuck! To get into the feel of things, you could also shoot some guns at the shooting range - we opted for an AK47! Fascinating place and well organised, giving you a good insight into the atrocities of war. Another highlight was the War Remnants Museum. Although is was rather subjective and anti-American, it was well documented and extremely informative about the Vietnam War and the types of warfare used. Some of the photography was great but harrowing at the same time.
A trip to the Mekong Delta was a great experience and certainly eventful. We had a boat trip amongst the islands, drank fresh coconut from the husk, visited a teahouse and drank honey tea fresh from the hives and posed with a 7 foot python. All in a days work! The next day was an early start to catch a sunrise and visit the floating markets. Amazing! We sailed among the different boats which were selling pretty much every type of fruit and veg you could think of. It was very animated.
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12th-14th Feb Goodbye Ho Chi Minh, Hello Nhe Trang
A night sleeper bus took us to our next destination, Nhe Trang and pleasant seaside town on the east coast, north of Ho Chi Minh. Having not slept particularly well that night, we headed off to the beach for a bit of relaxation, swimming and sunbathing. The next couple of days were spent taking it easy, doing some shopping and sight-seeing. We booked a snorkelling tour for one day but they forgot to pick us up! We ended up going on the next day instead which so happened to be Valentine’s Day and New Years Day in the Vietnamese lunar calendar. The day started well, blue skies, good company. Phil chose to go diving whereas I opted for the snorkelling. Unfortunately, when getting back on board Phil slipped and cracked his head open on a piece of metal attaching the ladder to the boat. Ouch! It was quite messy and so he spent the rest of the day staring out to sea, looking like Mr Bump (sorry, should say, a Vietnam war veteran as this sounds more manly!!) with a big bandage on his head. Happy New Year!! |
15th -17th February: Goodbye Nhe Trang, Hello Hoi An
Another night sleeper bus later, we arrived in Hoi An, further up the east coast. It’s a lovely little place with an old town that is listed as World Heritage by UNESCO and a great place to buy tailored clothes made from silk. Oh yes, they also serve the best fish dish I have ever eaten, called “blue fish” apparently. We checked into a hotel with a swimming pool and free cocktail, all for £15 a night for two. We knew we were going to like this place. Whilst here, we hired some bikes and cycled to the beach and also hired a motorbike to visit My Son. This place is the remains of a series of impressive tower-temples located in a dramatic site that was the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence. While there we met a large group of children who took a shine to us and accompanied us around, even holding our hands as we walked. They were with a few adults and we think they were from a children’s home. We spent the afternoon with them walking around and taking pictures, with no idea what they were saying to us!! A piece of advice to anyone who ever rides a motorbike in Vietnam; don’t be surprised if cows, chickens or other animals suddenly appear in your way – it is normal. Also, stand your ground when other vehicles try to push you off the road. They don’t mean anything by it, these are simply the unofficial traffic rules. |
18th – 21st Feb, Goodbye Hoi, Hello Hue
Another day, another pleasant town further north on the East Coast. Once in Hue, the weather became a little cooler, because of a mountain range which marks the border of two climate zones. Hue is on the Perfume River and a World Culture Heritage site boasting the Citadel and the Forbidden City amongst many other places of interest. Whilst here we booked a tour to visit the DMZ (Vietnam’s demilititarised zone), the area around the former border between North and South Vietnam. Historically it was a narrow band of terrain extending from the Laos border to the coast, five km on either side of the Ben Hai River, roughly on the 17th parallel north latitude. The area saw heavy fighting in the war, and ruins of old American military bases still exist. Even if you're not interested in the history, the area has some spectacular mountain scenery. The trip was made all the more interesting as our guide was a Vietnamese war veteran who worked as a scout/translator for the US Army. He was very informative and often got emotional as he described some of the atrocities committed by both sides during the war. We visited the infamous Highway 1 and the “Horrible Highway”, a hidden US camp with bunkers, surrounded by thick forest with rubber trees as well as the Vinh Moc supply tunnels on Highway 9, right next to the South China Sea. |
22nd – 23rd Feb, Goodbye Hue, Hello Hanoi
Due to the fact that the expiry date of our Chinese visa was fast approaching and that we had to be back in China on 24th February, we had to make some difficult choices. Do we visit Halong Bay, a place that includes some 1,600 islands and islets which offers a great diversity of ecosystems including offshore coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes, and sandy beaches? Or do we plump for Sa pa, an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in NW Vietnam. It is called "the Tonkinese Alps" as its great for hiking. You can see many hill tribe people, their villages, rice terraces, lush vegetation, and Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. Tricky decision! We went for Halong Bay and decided we would just have to return to Vietnam some other time to attend our “unfinished business”!
It was a bit touch and go as to whether we would make the trip or not. We booked the trip in Hue and had to be in Hanoi the next morning at 8,30 to catch the tour bus. Unfortunately, our sleeper bus set off late, the only time it has done this during our travels here, and the only time when we needed it to arrive on time. Typical! After some negotiation, we managed to get the bus in Hanoi to wait for us. We were dropped off and then whisked away by two mopeds to meet the rest of our tour group at the edge of the city. Phew! Despite it not looking too good, we made it.
Due to the fact that the expiry date of our Chinese visa was fast approaching and that we had to be back in China on 24th February, we had to make some difficult choices. Do we visit Halong Bay, a place that includes some 1,600 islands and islets which offers a great diversity of ecosystems including offshore coral reefs, freshwater swamp forests, mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes, and sandy beaches? Or do we plump for Sa pa, an incredibly picturesque village that lies on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range near the Chinese border in NW Vietnam. It is called "the Tonkinese Alps" as its great for hiking. You can see many hill tribe people, their villages, rice terraces, lush vegetation, and Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam. Tricky decision! We went for Halong Bay and decided we would just have to return to Vietnam some other time to attend our “unfinished business”!
It was a bit touch and go as to whether we would make the trip or not. We booked the trip in Hue and had to be in Hanoi the next morning at 8,30 to catch the tour bus. Unfortunately, our sleeper bus set off late, the only time it has done this during our travels here, and the only time when we needed it to arrive on time. Typical! After some negotiation, we managed to get the bus in Hanoi to wait for us. We were dropped off and then whisked away by two mopeds to meet the rest of our tour group at the edge of the city. Phew! Despite it not looking too good, we made it.
Halong Bay itself was wonderful. We stayed on a junk, sailed around the islands, kayaked, visited caves and pretty much took it easy and relaxed. Back in Hanoi, we stayed in the worst hotel of our trip and made a conscious decision to find an Indian restaurant to eat what would be our last curry for a while. Mission accomplished. And blimey it tasted good!!
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