We reached Phnom Penh in the afternoon and it was stifling! We didn't expect the increase in temperature and were glad we had air conditioning at the hostel. The first night we met up with the Belgium's and ended up in a Australian pub with a free bar and some live music. Good start to Phnom Penh.
Our first full day was spent doing the two main tourist attractions, the killing fields and the genocide museum. Though they are dark and morbid, the experience was a real eye opener into the Khmer Rouge regime. They were responsible for mass genocide and killed one in four Khmer people. The regime killed the majority of educated people, anyone against the Khmer Rouge regime and anyone with affiliations to the so called traitors. People that didn't suffer death had to work the fields, farming mostly rice and living off two bowls of rice porridge a day. The Cambodian people had a choice, be part of the regime and work in extreme conditions or be subjected to the killing fields. The regime is so hated that the Cambodian people now pronounce their identities differently. Instead of Khmer they pronounce themselves as "Khmar", but the word is still spelt the same.
The reason for so many deaths was the Khmer Rouge killed all family members of anyone they executed. This was so that they would have no potential enemies in the future. Although the Khmer people have been through such atrocities, the people are incredibly friendly and very warm hearted.
We visited the genocide museum next. Set up in an old prison called S-52. The buildings were converted from a school into a holding area for people who were inevitably going to the killing fields. In a way this was more disturbing than the killing fields, with dark rooms, long corridors and small brick cells, the buildings send shivers down your spine.
The rest of Phnom Penh is pretty nice. It has a good night life, some tasty food and some great backpacker hostels. We stayed at the White Rabbit, which was owned by an American, Kiwi and a Khmer lady; this gave the place a really relaxed feel and was a good base to explore the city from. Not forgetting to mention the hostel cat... Jerry. Permanently asleep, you would find him behind doors, in corners, on the bar (!) and even once on our bed.
Tuk tuk drivers generally don't know where they are going and often you need a detailed map with directions to get anywhere in Cambodia. We found this out when trying finding the Myanmar embassy. Luckily we stumbled upon it in the end! We found that it would take six days to process the visas, so we decided to go to Koh Rong and Otres Beach on the south coast to fill the void of time.
Thursday 30 May 2013
Sunday 19 May 2013
Saigon - Sadly it's time to leave Vietnam!
We have both loved our journey from North to South, it's been an adventure and luckily we got to cap it off with the amazing city of Saigon. Also known as Ho Chi Minh, it was named after their victorious leader; he's so revered and loved that he's not only had a city named in his honour, but is encased in glass in the mausoleum found in Hanoi.
We got to Saigon quite late in the afternoon, so only went for a quick wander around district 1. This is the the main backpackers area and is full of shops, restaurants, hostels and has a large market, operating both in the day and at night. Our first night was spent with the Belgians and the soon to leave English girls. We went for a curry at Ganesh, one of the highest rated restaurants in Vietnam and can be found in Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon. On the recommendations of some British army doctors we met in Mui Ne, we then went in search of a hidden bar full of locals and cheap cocktails. We found it fairly quickly by chance. From the outside its very unassuming and looks more like the side alley for a locals house. It has no signs and we think it must be a hidden hotspot for the more affluent locals. When you walk in, the place opens up into a Moroccan themed bar, full of shishas on short legged tables, where people sit around them on cushions.
The next day we did a bit of sight seeing. We started at the war museum. The courtyard in front of the museum has American fighter jets, tanks and helicopters on show, it even has a plane with a rotary engine. These were used by the southern Vietnamese forces to conduct low level bombings; given to them by the Americans as out of date weaponry, the Southern forces used them to aid ground attacks against the more motivated northern troops.
The museum starts with a room paying homage to "uncle Ho" and his love of the Vietnamese children across the nation. The rest of the ground floor was mainly based on propaganda posters slandering the Americans, as well as anecdotes and encounters of the Viet Minh meeting other nations to lobby support. The rest of the museum took a bit of a sour turn, with disturbing images mainly in the genocide and agent orange room. These were enough to make Lots sit outside and take a pass on the other gruesome images.
We then visited the Grand Palace, home of the Southern Vietnamese government prior to and during the war. The palace looked more like a 70's three story concrete flat block as it was demolished during the revolution prior to the war and was rebuilt. Inside it's a bit more glamorous and exhibits the old living quarters for the ex-president and his family, as well as meeting rooms, bunkers and a ball room.
Our last day started with a half day Chu Chi tunnel tour. About two hours out of Saigon, this is where the village of Chu Chi hid and fought against the American Army. They wore no uniform and fought as part of the Vietnam Cong using guerrilla warfare techniques. They used boobie traps made from bamboo and metal spikes designed to maim their enemies. We had a tour around from a guide who called himself "John Wayne"!
Then came the opportunity that made Nats day...shooting an original M1 Carbine from the war. He required ear muffs to deafen the sound plus have an instructor hold him in place due to the recoil and the fact he had to stand on tip toes to reach the gun in the first place!
We then went into the tunnels, or a small part of the tunnel system that ran along a 100m stretch. It was a tunnel on level one (out of three) where we had a go at attempting to get through the dark tight squeeze. You had to go on hands and knees to get through, but luckily you could get out at 20 metre intervals. Lots made it 20 metres feeling the claustrophobia and popped out with an American girl who was having a panic attack! Nat made it the full 100 metres, out first, dripping from the heat, but luckily Lots the saviour was there with a bottle of water which Nat gulped down, only to find Lottie had picked up someone else's bottle by mistake...they were left without!
That evening, we ditched our shorts and t-shirts for dresses and shirts and headed for the SkyBar. Shaped like a sail, it is by far the tallest building in the city and houses a bar on the 52nd floor. We got in an elevator all the way up and were greeted by a chic, modern bar and an outside helipad to top it off! To say the views at night were spectacular would be an understatement. The view stretched for miles and the array of lights were beautiful. We enjoyed a couple of drinks here (all we could afford!) before we headed to the night market for our last taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Something we will both miss.
The next day we head to Cambodia on the bus, our fourth country of the trip so far. We have loved Vietnam from start to finish - a country brimming with culture, history, friendly people, crazy drivers and spectacular beaches. It will be missed!
We got to Saigon quite late in the afternoon, so only went for a quick wander around district 1. This is the the main backpackers area and is full of shops, restaurants, hostels and has a large market, operating both in the day and at night. Our first night was spent with the Belgians and the soon to leave English girls. We went for a curry at Ganesh, one of the highest rated restaurants in Vietnam and can be found in Hanoi, Hoi An and Saigon. On the recommendations of some British army doctors we met in Mui Ne, we then went in search of a hidden bar full of locals and cheap cocktails. We found it fairly quickly by chance. From the outside its very unassuming and looks more like the side alley for a locals house. It has no signs and we think it must be a hidden hotspot for the more affluent locals. When you walk in, the place opens up into a Moroccan themed bar, full of shishas on short legged tables, where people sit around them on cushions.
The next day we did a bit of sight seeing. We started at the war museum. The courtyard in front of the museum has American fighter jets, tanks and helicopters on show, it even has a plane with a rotary engine. These were used by the southern Vietnamese forces to conduct low level bombings; given to them by the Americans as out of date weaponry, the Southern forces used them to aid ground attacks against the more motivated northern troops.
The museum starts with a room paying homage to "uncle Ho" and his love of the Vietnamese children across the nation. The rest of the ground floor was mainly based on propaganda posters slandering the Americans, as well as anecdotes and encounters of the Viet Minh meeting other nations to lobby support. The rest of the museum took a bit of a sour turn, with disturbing images mainly in the genocide and agent orange room. These were enough to make Lots sit outside and take a pass on the other gruesome images.
We then visited the Grand Palace, home of the Southern Vietnamese government prior to and during the war. The palace looked more like a 70's three story concrete flat block as it was demolished during the revolution prior to the war and was rebuilt. Inside it's a bit more glamorous and exhibits the old living quarters for the ex-president and his family, as well as meeting rooms, bunkers and a ball room.
Our last day started with a half day Chu Chi tunnel tour. About two hours out of Saigon, this is where the village of Chu Chi hid and fought against the American Army. They wore no uniform and fought as part of the Vietnam Cong using guerrilla warfare techniques. They used boobie traps made from bamboo and metal spikes designed to maim their enemies. We had a tour around from a guide who called himself "John Wayne"!
Then came the opportunity that made Nats day...shooting an original M1 Carbine from the war. He required ear muffs to deafen the sound plus have an instructor hold him in place due to the recoil and the fact he had to stand on tip toes to reach the gun in the first place!
We then went into the tunnels, or a small part of the tunnel system that ran along a 100m stretch. It was a tunnel on level one (out of three) where we had a go at attempting to get through the dark tight squeeze. You had to go on hands and knees to get through, but luckily you could get out at 20 metre intervals. Lots made it 20 metres feeling the claustrophobia and popped out with an American girl who was having a panic attack! Nat made it the full 100 metres, out first, dripping from the heat, but luckily Lots the saviour was there with a bottle of water which Nat gulped down, only to find Lottie had picked up someone else's bottle by mistake...they were left without!
That evening, we ditched our shorts and t-shirts for dresses and shirts and headed for the SkyBar. Shaped like a sail, it is by far the tallest building in the city and houses a bar on the 52nd floor. We got in an elevator all the way up and were greeted by a chic, modern bar and an outside helipad to top it off! To say the views at night were spectacular would be an understatement. The view stretched for miles and the array of lights were beautiful. We enjoyed a couple of drinks here (all we could afford!) before we headed to the night market for our last taste of Vietnamese cuisine. Something we will both miss.
The next day we head to Cambodia on the bus, our fourth country of the trip so far. We have loved Vietnam from start to finish - a country brimming with culture, history, friendly people, crazy drivers and spectacular beaches. It will be missed!
Saturday 11 May 2013
Walking on the beaches, looking at the...coconuts
First stop on our descent to Saigon was Hoi An. Most people we'd met had said this was the place to go. So, off we went, hopping on a relatively short bus journey from Hue and ending up in arguably the most affluent place in Vietnam.
We got there quite late in the afternoon, so we checked in and then went wandering for a meal. The term "hidden gem" is used too often when travelling and reviewing places, but, the Bale Well restaurant definitely lives up to the term! We stumbled upon it by chance, looking down a back alley and seeing a bustling restaurant. We sat down expecting a menu to be brought, but suddenly this poultice of food started appearing bit by bit. Unsure of what was happening, we started to dig in and were quickly halted by a waitress. Finally when the meal was set in front of us we then discovered, under the tutelage of a waitress, how to actually eat it. The idea is that you make a large spring roll wrap with rice paper, encasing barbecue pork/chicken, salad, fried vegetables and a mini spring roll (yes, a spring roll in a spring roll!). You then dipped the messy masterpiece you had just created into a pot of chilli-satay sauce, it was delicious! Topped off by a mini-chocolate pudding and fresh pineapple. All in all, it made for a memorable meal! That night after we got back we bumped into one of Nats school friends and his girlfriend, James and Natalie. We ended up in a bar called Why Not, cheap drinks, good music but there were a few rats. One actually ran up Nats shin!
Hoi An is beautiful at night, lit up by hundreds of lanterns, which are found mostly along the riverbanks and among the adjoining streets. During the day you've got expansive markets to explore, or a short cycle to a huge beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hoi An is famous for its tailors, you can get suits, dresses, shirts and even shoes made from scratch. The services filter from the shops into the markets offering a range of prices, typically between $100 and $200 for a suit, and about $50 for dresses. It was also at Hoi An where Lottie developed a love for coconut juice! When you order one at the beach, they pick it up from the bottom of the tree, hack away one end and stick a straw in, as fresh as that! We had a great time in Hoi An and both agree that we would like to visit again (maybe when it's time for a new wardrobe!).
Next it was down the coast to Nha Trang, where you'll bump into a Russian every few steps (due to there being direct flights from Moscow). We only stayed here for two nights on our way down to Mui Ne, but had a great time! The highlight was the boat trip we took on our second day. It was only $7 each so we thought it would be a bit like a booze cruise full of Westerners (and maybe Russians), but actually it was mostly packed with Vietnamese. We stopped at an aquarium, then went for a swim in some of the most transparent water we've seen; although little did we know that the fun would start later! For the entire morning we were told to expect a Vietnamese boy band at the floating bar (one of our four stops), but we took this as a joke..so after lunch and when we were at anchor, the crew started bringing out a home made drum kit and a few guitars onto a makeshift stage. Another tour boat rafted up next to us to join in the fun too. They performed a few songs and were surprisingly skilful! Then the captain (lead singer) asked everybody on board which countries they were from and made one person get up on stage and represent their country with a performance! There were only 4 Brits on board and it was Nat who took it for the team, getting up and singing Wonderwall, Oasis (luckily a song he knows every single word too!).
Early the next morning we travelled 4 hours down the coast to the little town of Mui Ne. Surrounded by sand dunes, this area lies in a microclimate making it around 10 degrees hotter than the rest of Vietnam! Our hostel was located next to the beach, making it an ideal place to jump in the sea and cool off. That afternoon we spent swimming and exploring. In the evening we joined in a pub quiz with some friends and surprisingly (and annoyingly) came 2nd out of 15 teams! The next day we hired a small sailing boat. Lots on the helm and Nat on the main. We had been looking for a boat for Lots to learn to sail in for some time, it was a bit of a bonus that next door happened to have one! The only mishap that came was when we attempted a jibe, Lots moved across the boat a bit too quickly and ended up sliding off, backwards into the sea.
On our final day in Mui Ne we went on a sand dunes tour. We visited the Fairy Stream (a shallow stream you can walk down that runs adjacent to the dunes), the White Dunes and the Red Dunes. Nat rented a quad bike to explore the dunes, which was a great way to get around quickly without burning your feet in the heat of the day!
Our next port of call is Ho Chi Minh City, swapping the beach life for the city! Wish us luck.
We got there quite late in the afternoon, so we checked in and then went wandering for a meal. The term "hidden gem" is used too often when travelling and reviewing places, but, the Bale Well restaurant definitely lives up to the term! We stumbled upon it by chance, looking down a back alley and seeing a bustling restaurant. We sat down expecting a menu to be brought, but suddenly this poultice of food started appearing bit by bit. Unsure of what was happening, we started to dig in and were quickly halted by a waitress. Finally when the meal was set in front of us we then discovered, under the tutelage of a waitress, how to actually eat it. The idea is that you make a large spring roll wrap with rice paper, encasing barbecue pork/chicken, salad, fried vegetables and a mini spring roll (yes, a spring roll in a spring roll!). You then dipped the messy masterpiece you had just created into a pot of chilli-satay sauce, it was delicious! Topped off by a mini-chocolate pudding and fresh pineapple. All in all, it made for a memorable meal! That night after we got back we bumped into one of Nats school friends and his girlfriend, James and Natalie. We ended up in a bar called Why Not, cheap drinks, good music but there were a few rats. One actually ran up Nats shin!
Hoi An is beautiful at night, lit up by hundreds of lanterns, which are found mostly along the riverbanks and among the adjoining streets. During the day you've got expansive markets to explore, or a short cycle to a huge beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. Hoi An is famous for its tailors, you can get suits, dresses, shirts and even shoes made from scratch. The services filter from the shops into the markets offering a range of prices, typically between $100 and $200 for a suit, and about $50 for dresses. It was also at Hoi An where Lottie developed a love for coconut juice! When you order one at the beach, they pick it up from the bottom of the tree, hack away one end and stick a straw in, as fresh as that! We had a great time in Hoi An and both agree that we would like to visit again (maybe when it's time for a new wardrobe!).
Next it was down the coast to Nha Trang, where you'll bump into a Russian every few steps (due to there being direct flights from Moscow). We only stayed here for two nights on our way down to Mui Ne, but had a great time! The highlight was the boat trip we took on our second day. It was only $7 each so we thought it would be a bit like a booze cruise full of Westerners (and maybe Russians), but actually it was mostly packed with Vietnamese. We stopped at an aquarium, then went for a swim in some of the most transparent water we've seen; although little did we know that the fun would start later! For the entire morning we were told to expect a Vietnamese boy band at the floating bar (one of our four stops), but we took this as a joke..so after lunch and when we were at anchor, the crew started bringing out a home made drum kit and a few guitars onto a makeshift stage. Another tour boat rafted up next to us to join in the fun too. They performed a few songs and were surprisingly skilful! Then the captain (lead singer) asked everybody on board which countries they were from and made one person get up on stage and represent their country with a performance! There were only 4 Brits on board and it was Nat who took it for the team, getting up and singing Wonderwall, Oasis (luckily a song he knows every single word too!).
Early the next morning we travelled 4 hours down the coast to the little town of Mui Ne. Surrounded by sand dunes, this area lies in a microclimate making it around 10 degrees hotter than the rest of Vietnam! Our hostel was located next to the beach, making it an ideal place to jump in the sea and cool off. That afternoon we spent swimming and exploring. In the evening we joined in a pub quiz with some friends and surprisingly (and annoyingly) came 2nd out of 15 teams! The next day we hired a small sailing boat. Lots on the helm and Nat on the main. We had been looking for a boat for Lots to learn to sail in for some time, it was a bit of a bonus that next door happened to have one! The only mishap that came was when we attempted a jibe, Lots moved across the boat a bit too quickly and ended up sliding off, backwards into the sea.
On our final day in Mui Ne we went on a sand dunes tour. We visited the Fairy Stream (a shallow stream you can walk down that runs adjacent to the dunes), the White Dunes and the Red Dunes. Nat rented a quad bike to explore the dunes, which was a great way to get around quickly without burning your feet in the heat of the day!
Our next port of call is Ho Chi Minh City, swapping the beach life for the city! Wish us luck.
Friday 3 May 2013
From North to Central Vietnam
After Hanoi we decided to travel to Halong Bay and stay at the main island called Cat Ba. Only a four hour journey door to door, including a ferry, the scenery is phenomenal. We decided to stay there instead of taking a two or three day tour from Hanoi itself. The town Cat Ba closely resembles part of the Spanish Costa Del Sol, but if you get a room like we had (4 stories up), the views are breath taking. There surely aren't many places in this world that can compare to scenery on offer around Cat Ba and Halong Bay.
On our first full day, we went for a day long boat trip around the islands. The trip turned out to be great fun; starting with the floating village and then making our way towards what seemed to be a secret cave in a tiny island. The entrance looked like something from Lord of the Rings, and as we entered it grew into an opening and finished at a clearing with a turquoise pool at its centre.
We then had a great lunch with the Belgians and an Ozzy couple on the top deck of the boat. It was a delicious feast with fish, morning glory, spring rolls and steamed rice. Unluckily for the Ozzy couple, who had to remind the tour guides they were veggies and couldn't eat meat, just got given more fish. Although this was bad news for them, it meant more tasty grub for us to tuck into!
The next day on Cat Ba we hired some mopeds and went to explore the island with the Belgians. We started at an old fort that overlooked the main fishing port in Cat Ba town. Our guide was a young Vietnamese women who was really informative and enthusiastic. The fort was built by the French and later took over by the Vietnamese to protect the precious town on Cat Ba. The guide told us that Cat Ba when translated means island of women because the female Vietnamese processed the fish during the war.
We then visited a cave that had been turned into a bunker to protect the islands residents from bombs during the war. Although the cave was interesting, the best part of the visit came at the end as we were leaving and setting up to take a few shots of the steel reinforced exit. It was Lottie that got the first sighting and it took the rest of us a few seconds to realise what was happening. Originally we just saw a frog, it wasn't moving quickly or reacting to our voices; although when you looked at where it had come from you could see a long thin cobra poised to devour its prey. The guide suddenly told us not to move and called his friend who came up with a machete and a thick cloth. Unluckily the snake had gone back into the rocks, presumably because of the commotion so the man hung up the frog and told us to leave. We thought he'd set a trap to rid the tourist attraction of a poisonous resident, but in actual fact it's because they use them in alcoholic drinks to boost fertility in men. You can sell 1 kg of cobra for 200,000 dong, roughly £65. A tidy profit for the snake hunter!
After Cat Ba we decided to travel further down then coast to a place called Hue and stayed at the Google Hotel. We spent two nights here where we went on a demilitarised zone (DMZ) tour and visited the Imperial City. The DMZ tour was really interesting and explained the divide between North and South forces during the war. Our tour guide grew up throughout the war and told us real stories about his personal experiences.
We were then taken to the Vinh Moc tunnels. An extensive tunnel complex used in the war to shelter the villagers of Vinh Moc from the bombing. The tunnels are 30 metres underground, making them dark, damp and encroaching (at 5ft4 Lottie was even crouching)! At the time of the war, approximately 350 villagers lived underground for 6 years - amazingly, sharing just one bathroom between them!
To cap off our stay in Hue, the Google hotel served free local beer between 5pm and midnight. We had met a Mancunian couple that day on the tour and they came over to our hotel to make the most of the free beer. It resulted in a pool match, boys vs. girls with the girls coming out victorious 2-1. We haven't let them live it down quite yet!
This was our last stop in the North before entering Southern Vietnam, we will be reporting from there soon!
On our first full day, we went for a day long boat trip around the islands. The trip turned out to be great fun; starting with the floating village and then making our way towards what seemed to be a secret cave in a tiny island. The entrance looked like something from Lord of the Rings, and as we entered it grew into an opening and finished at a clearing with a turquoise pool at its centre.
We then had a great lunch with the Belgians and an Ozzy couple on the top deck of the boat. It was a delicious feast with fish, morning glory, spring rolls and steamed rice. Unluckily for the Ozzy couple, who had to remind the tour guides they were veggies and couldn't eat meat, just got given more fish. Although this was bad news for them, it meant more tasty grub for us to tuck into!
The next day on Cat Ba we hired some mopeds and went to explore the island with the Belgians. We started at an old fort that overlooked the main fishing port in Cat Ba town. Our guide was a young Vietnamese women who was really informative and enthusiastic. The fort was built by the French and later took over by the Vietnamese to protect the precious town on Cat Ba. The guide told us that Cat Ba when translated means island of women because the female Vietnamese processed the fish during the war.
We then visited a cave that had been turned into a bunker to protect the islands residents from bombs during the war. Although the cave was interesting, the best part of the visit came at the end as we were leaving and setting up to take a few shots of the steel reinforced exit. It was Lottie that got the first sighting and it took the rest of us a few seconds to realise what was happening. Originally we just saw a frog, it wasn't moving quickly or reacting to our voices; although when you looked at where it had come from you could see a long thin cobra poised to devour its prey. The guide suddenly told us not to move and called his friend who came up with a machete and a thick cloth. Unluckily the snake had gone back into the rocks, presumably because of the commotion so the man hung up the frog and told us to leave. We thought he'd set a trap to rid the tourist attraction of a poisonous resident, but in actual fact it's because they use them in alcoholic drinks to boost fertility in men. You can sell 1 kg of cobra for 200,000 dong, roughly £65. A tidy profit for the snake hunter!
After Cat Ba we decided to travel further down then coast to a place called Hue and stayed at the Google Hotel. We spent two nights here where we went on a demilitarised zone (DMZ) tour and visited the Imperial City. The DMZ tour was really interesting and explained the divide between North and South forces during the war. Our tour guide grew up throughout the war and told us real stories about his personal experiences.
We were then taken to the Vinh Moc tunnels. An extensive tunnel complex used in the war to shelter the villagers of Vinh Moc from the bombing. The tunnels are 30 metres underground, making them dark, damp and encroaching (at 5ft4 Lottie was even crouching)! At the time of the war, approximately 350 villagers lived underground for 6 years - amazingly, sharing just one bathroom between them!
To cap off our stay in Hue, the Google hotel served free local beer between 5pm and midnight. We had met a Mancunian couple that day on the tour and they came over to our hotel to make the most of the free beer. It resulted in a pool match, boys vs. girls with the girls coming out victorious 2-1. We haven't let them live it down quite yet!
This was our last stop in the North before entering Southern Vietnam, we will be reporting from there soon!
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