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 These were used by the southern Vietnamese forces to conduct low level bombings; given to them by the Americans as out of date weaponry, the Southern forces used them to aid ground attacks against the more motivated northern troops.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!
Sunday, 19 May 2013
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!
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Hanoi
After a gruelling 26 hour bus journey, where we only stopped for food once and went through a 3 hour border crossing, we made it to Hanoi. We were absolutely starved, so we had a quick shower in the hostel and went in search for food. We found a little restaurant on a busy street (every street in Hanoi is busy) and sat outside. We were joined by Tom and Marie, a couple from Belgium whom we met on the bus (Tom is 6ft 5 so he struggled with the sleeper bus beds designed for Asian men)! Nearing the end of the meal, Nat had obviously had too many cans of coke because he toppled backwards off his chair and flat on his back!! The owner tried to catch him but with no avail and instead snapped the chair leg clean off... An interesting first meal!
We've found that the main mode of transport in Southeast Asia is a scooter, Vietnam is no exception! The roads are more like rivers, with constant flows of mopeds, you have to be on your guard when crossing. Before arriving in Hanoi we had been advised on a technique for crossing what seems to be a wall of traffic, go slowly, steadily and don't stop! Crude we know, but it has been some of the best advice we've had.
At the centre of Hanoi City is a lake called Hoam Kiem. From here most of the interesting streets branched off, subsequently encircling the watery hub of business and nightlife. We stayed near the old quarter, which was the entire city in the early part of the 20th century, containing only 50 to 60 roads. Now it's the place to go at night for dinner and a few drinks, you can even get a beer for 5000 dong (about 15p!).
Our first bit of site seeing was Hoa Lo Prison Museum, built by French to contain Vietnamese political activists, it was later over turned and used as a POW camp. Nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by US POW's, it was used mainly to keep airplane pilots who had crash landed on their bombing missions. The place has a dark and eerie feel, with wax figures clamped in iron, one of the two original guillotines and some pictures of heads in baskets, you get a real feeling of the atrocities that must have gone on there.
The highlight of Hanoi was undoubtably the water puppet theatre. We weren't sure what to expect, but it seemed like a fitting place to go for Lots birthday. We booked tickets with our Belgian friends for that evening. Even though we went at 9 PM it was packed, mostly with tourists. It began with traditional Vietnamese music and swiftly moved on to six short ancient stories all portrayed with the water puppets. Before each story a lady explained what the story was about, luckily she was translated on a big screen and we had English programmes. The puppets were manoeuvred with amazing skill, attached to large wooden poles and moved by wire and handles. You can't see the poles easily as they are underwater, it takes a while to realise how it all works.
Overall Hanoi was great - slightly hectic but great. So we decided to go to Cat Ba Island next to see some rustic countryside and the renowned islands of Halong Bay.
See you soon!
We've found that the main mode of transport in Southeast Asia is a scooter, Vietnam is no exception! The roads are more like rivers, with constant flows of mopeds, you have to be on your guard when crossing. Before arriving in Hanoi we had been advised on a technique for crossing what seems to be a wall of traffic, go slowly, steadily and don't stop! Crude we know, but it has been some of the best advice we've had.
At the centre of Hanoi City is a lake called Hoam Kiem. From here most of the interesting streets branched off, subsequently encircling the watery hub of business and nightlife. We stayed near the old quarter, which was the entire city in the early part of the 20th century, containing only 50 to 60 roads. Now it's the place to go at night for dinner and a few drinks, you can even get a beer for 5000 dong (about 15p!).
Our first bit of site seeing was Hoa Lo Prison Museum, built by French to contain Vietnamese political activists, it was later over turned and used as a POW camp. Nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by US POW's, it was used mainly to keep airplane pilots who had crash landed on their bombing missions. The place has a dark and eerie feel, with wax figures clamped in iron, one of the two original guillotines and some pictures of heads in baskets, you get a real feeling of the atrocities that must have gone on there.
The highlight of Hanoi was undoubtably the water puppet theatre. We weren't sure what to expect, but it seemed like a fitting place to go for Lots birthday. We booked tickets with our Belgian friends for that evening. Even though we went at 9 PM it was packed, mostly with tourists. It began with traditional Vietnamese music and swiftly moved on to six short ancient stories all portrayed with the water puppets. Before each story a lady explained what the story was about, luckily she was translated on a big screen and we had English programmes. The puppets were manoeuvred with amazing skill, attached to large wooden poles and moved by wire and handles. You can't see the poles easily as they are underwater, it takes a while to realise how it all works.
Overall Hanoi was great - slightly hectic but great. So we decided to go to Cat Ba Island next to see some rustic countryside and the renowned islands of Halong Bay.
See you soon!
Monday, 22 April 2013
Laos "Sabaidee Pimai"
The journey to Laos was interesting to say the least, 20 hours in a mini van with the Thai Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. Lets just say it was an experience! Luckily we were getting off at the first stop Vientiane.
Vientiane is the capital of Laos and is only separated from Thailand by the river Mekong. We booked four nights here mainly to sort out our Vietnam visa. The visa turned out to be a piece of cake involving filling out one form and collecting it the next day, at a price of $65 each however.
At this point Nat was still unwell so we decided to find a doctor for him. The Australian embassy in Vientiane have an in-house doctors surgery which is available for British nationals to use also. We rang up and got an appointment for 20 minutes time! After a consultation and a blood test it transpired Nat had Dengue Fever. Lots of rest and sleep were the doctors orders.
It's clear to see the French influence on Laos, there are many cafes all serving croissants and baguettes, as well as pretty decent coffee! Something that was almost impossible to find in Thailand.
After a couple days rest, a large quantity of baguettes and some interesting nights wondering a vibrant night market we hopped on a VIP bus to Vang Vieng. Don't let the companies fool you, it was a fairly run down bus with some suspicious smells.
After a very scenic journey through countryside villages and mountainous passes we made it to Vang Vieng. We arrived during the height of Songkran, a water festival celebrating the New Year in most of the south east Asian countries. It starts when the sun transits the constellation Aries and marked the start of the year 2556 in Laos. We have been to the future!
After we got off the bus, it was a short tuk tuk ride to the hostel. Even though the ride took approximately 3 minutes we still got soaked form head to toe by locals enjoying the festivities.
We spent the next day trying to manoeuvre around the town without getting a drenching. The locals take no prisoners, if you are riding a moped down the street they will stand in the road, forcing you to stop, subsequently chucking a bucket of water down your neck!
One day we decided to bite the bullet and rent a moped to see the caves and lagoons in the mountains. The bike was geared so it took Nat a while to get used to it, we drove up the road on the left hand side before we remembered they drive on the right, whoops!
We started off at a tourist hotspot called the 'Blue Lagoon', but found it was really busy and dirty. After making a quick exit, we met Kathy, Anja and Rawad, two Germans and a Canadian. We then decided to team up and explore the rest of Vang Vieng's incredible surroundings.
Our first stop was a secluded lagoon which was peaceful and succeeded in giving us a relaxing rest bite from the dirt track roads. As we were leaving we came across a deaf and dumb Laos man who was pointing ecstatically for us to follow him up the side of a mountain. Dubiously we followed him, which turned out to be the best decision of our visit to Vang Vieng. We followed him until we came across a cave about a hundred metres up a rocky path. Slowly we made our way into the dark abyss. It was incredible, full of stalagmites, glittering rock formations and the odd creepy crawly. This led to a few screams from the women!
The final part of our Vang Vieng experience was a bit of tubing down the Mekong. As the water was low and the tubing scene has some what evaporated after the deaths of drunk tourists last year, we ended up paddling at a leisurely pace down the river. It was pretty relaxing, but if we were to do it again we would hire a kayak. The trip is longer and there's no bobbing around.
The next and final stop on our journey through central to northern Laos was Luang Prabang. We decided to jump on another VIP bus and arrived about 7 hours later in the world heritage city. First impressions mean a lot and Luang Probang offers bundles of beauty, although this comes at a bit of a price. It was the most expensive place we've been in so far during our whole trip, but our favourite in Laos. We spent our first day chilling around a pool with a submerged pool bar and went out for a nice meal in town that night.
On our second day we met up with Simon and made our way to Kuang Si Falls with our German friends on a 32 km tuk tuk ride. After some great bartering, knocking off a whole dollar $8 (8000 kip) from the total trip we made it to the waterfall. The water was an amazing shade of blue and very refreshing to swim in. There was a rope swing and a mini waterfall that you could jump off. We made it to the top waterfall after what seemed like a mini trek, especially with flip flops on!
That night we all went out for a traditional Laos meal, followed by a game of pool and some drinks. Because of the 11.30 curfew the Laos government impose, all bars close early apart from one place... Luang Prabangs one and only bowling alley. Situated in what seems like a warehouse, slightly outside of the town, sits a state of the art bowling alley. Full of Westerners, it was great fun, if not slightly surreal!
The next day it was time to leave Luang Probang to journey to our third country, one month into our trip. Many thanks to Simon for letting us chill out at his hotel pool and use his room to get ready for a gruelling 24 hour bus journey to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sabaidee Pimai, Happy Laos New Year!
Vientiane is the capital of Laos and is only separated from Thailand by the river Mekong. We booked four nights here mainly to sort out our Vietnam visa. The visa turned out to be a piece of cake involving filling out one form and collecting it the next day, at a price of $65 each however.
At this point Nat was still unwell so we decided to find a doctor for him. The Australian embassy in Vientiane have an in-house doctors surgery which is available for British nationals to use also. We rang up and got an appointment for 20 minutes time! After a consultation and a blood test it transpired Nat had Dengue Fever. Lots of rest and sleep were the doctors orders.
It's clear to see the French influence on Laos, there are many cafes all serving croissants and baguettes, as well as pretty decent coffee! Something that was almost impossible to find in Thailand.
After a couple days rest, a large quantity of baguettes and some interesting nights wondering a vibrant night market we hopped on a VIP bus to Vang Vieng. Don't let the companies fool you, it was a fairly run down bus with some suspicious smells.
After a very scenic journey through countryside villages and mountainous passes we made it to Vang Vieng. We arrived during the height of Songkran, a water festival celebrating the New Year in most of the south east Asian countries. It starts when the sun transits the constellation Aries and marked the start of the year 2556 in Laos. We have been to the future!
After we got off the bus, it was a short tuk tuk ride to the hostel. Even though the ride took approximately 3 minutes we still got soaked form head to toe by locals enjoying the festivities.
We spent the next day trying to manoeuvre around the town without getting a drenching. The locals take no prisoners, if you are riding a moped down the street they will stand in the road, forcing you to stop, subsequently chucking a bucket of water down your neck!
One day we decided to bite the bullet and rent a moped to see the caves and lagoons in the mountains. The bike was geared so it took Nat a while to get used to it, we drove up the road on the left hand side before we remembered they drive on the right, whoops!
We started off at a tourist hotspot called the 'Blue Lagoon', but found it was really busy and dirty. After making a quick exit, we met Kathy, Anja and Rawad, two Germans and a Canadian. We then decided to team up and explore the rest of Vang Vieng's incredible surroundings.
Our first stop was a secluded lagoon which was peaceful and succeeded in giving us a relaxing rest bite from the dirt track roads. As we were leaving we came across a deaf and dumb Laos man who was pointing ecstatically for us to follow him up the side of a mountain. Dubiously we followed him, which turned out to be the best decision of our visit to Vang Vieng. We followed him until we came across a cave about a hundred metres up a rocky path. Slowly we made our way into the dark abyss. It was incredible, full of stalagmites, glittering rock formations and the odd creepy crawly. This led to a few screams from the women!
The final part of our Vang Vieng experience was a bit of tubing down the Mekong. As the water was low and the tubing scene has some what evaporated after the deaths of drunk tourists last year, we ended up paddling at a leisurely pace down the river. It was pretty relaxing, but if we were to do it again we would hire a kayak. The trip is longer and there's no bobbing around.
The next and final stop on our journey through central to northern Laos was Luang Prabang. We decided to jump on another VIP bus and arrived about 7 hours later in the world heritage city. First impressions mean a lot and Luang Probang offers bundles of beauty, although this comes at a bit of a price. It was the most expensive place we've been in so far during our whole trip, but our favourite in Laos. We spent our first day chilling around a pool with a submerged pool bar and went out for a nice meal in town that night.
On our second day we met up with Simon and made our way to Kuang Si Falls with our German friends on a 32 km tuk tuk ride. After some great bartering, knocking off a whole dollar $8 (8000 kip) from the total trip we made it to the waterfall. The water was an amazing shade of blue and very refreshing to swim in. There was a rope swing and a mini waterfall that you could jump off. We made it to the top waterfall after what seemed like a mini trek, especially with flip flops on!
That night we all went out for a traditional Laos meal, followed by a game of pool and some drinks. Because of the 11.30 curfew the Laos government impose, all bars close early apart from one place... Luang Prabangs one and only bowling alley. Situated in what seems like a warehouse, slightly outside of the town, sits a state of the art bowling alley. Full of Westerners, it was great fun, if not slightly surreal!
The next day it was time to leave Luang Probang to journey to our third country, one month into our trip. Many thanks to Simon for letting us chill out at his hotel pool and use his room to get ready for a gruelling 24 hour bus journey to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Sabaidee Pimai, Happy Laos New Year!
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
A slice of Pai?
Highly recommended by friends doing a similar route, we decided to head off in the wrong direction to a little town called Pai. We travelled by minibus, full of travellers stuffed together, breathing heavily; this combined with windy roads left Lottie feeling slightly queasy! (Nat slept like a baby all the way).
When we arrived in Pai we were met by a sea of tourists/ex-pats, the majority being very hippy! Even so we could instantly tell there was a great atmosphere. After a bit of wandering around we eventually found our 'hut'. Surrounded by plenty of greenery and intertwining streams it offered a serene atmosphere yet we were still located in town. That night we sampled the local entertainment... Chelsea vs. Sunderland.
The next morning we woke bright and early to hire a scooter and explore the surrounding area. We started off at a secluded waterfall and had a swim. The water was freezing, but a welcome rest bite from the morning sun. We stayed until midday and left just as the pool was getting busy.
After a few wrong turns, we made it to the viewing point, unluckily the surrounding farmers were (we think) burning their fields. The view was obscured in places, but the idyllic spot we found ourselves in was still a great place to relax and have our baguettes.
We visited Pai Canyon next, stupidly in the heat of the midday sun, Nat was feeling unwell so we headed back to our hut. The next day was spent hanging around as we thought he had sun stroke, although we found out that Nat had contracted Dengue Fever.. Damn mosquito's!!
When we arrived in Pai we were met by a sea of tourists/ex-pats, the majority being very hippy! Even so we could instantly tell there was a great atmosphere. After a bit of wandering around we eventually found our 'hut'. Surrounded by plenty of greenery and intertwining streams it offered a serene atmosphere yet we were still located in town. That night we sampled the local entertainment... Chelsea vs. Sunderland.
The next morning we woke bright and early to hire a scooter and explore the surrounding area. We started off at a secluded waterfall and had a swim. The water was freezing, but a welcome rest bite from the morning sun. We stayed until midday and left just as the pool was getting busy.
After a few wrong turns, we made it to the viewing point, unluckily the surrounding farmers were (we think) burning their fields. The view was obscured in places, but the idyllic spot we found ourselves in was still a great place to relax and have our baguettes.
We visited Pai Canyon next, stupidly in the heat of the midday sun, Nat was feeling unwell so we headed back to our hut. The next day was spent hanging around as we thought he had sun stroke, although we found out that Nat had contracted Dengue Fever.. Damn mosquito's!!
Sunday, 7 April 2013
Naughty elephants, naked Frenchman and forest fires
Being the culture capital of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai has a great amount to offer; nights out, good food, mountain pursuits and among other things an enormous walking market. We spent more time here than anywhere so far on our journey to the North, staying at a guest house called Parami that's owned by a Swiss man and his wife.
While chilling out in the garden, we met another travelling couple and later hit the town. We had started off in a budget Thai restaurant that was delicious and slowly worked our way up the strip bar hopping. We finished in a bar playing some locals at pool in a nail biting tournament that ended up with the locals winning the final match and the dosh!
Our second day was spent on a cookery course, you each choose six dishes to make. We had an energetic Thai lady as our teacher, she was great fun and made the course a fantastic experience. The first step was to make our curry paste, which is much simpler than we expected. We chose to make red and yellow curry between us, the only real difference was the type of chilli used and fresh turmeric was used to make the yellow curry. Bashing the paste into submission with a mortar and pestle was hugely entertaining, especially as our instructor was shouting exuberantly the word "harder" over and over again! We recommend going on a cooking course if you ever visit Thailand and we hope to bring some of our newly learnt culinary expertise back to the UK (Lots got the highest mark for her vegetable Tom Yum Soup so there are no excuses!).
Our next adventure took us on a two day trek into the local mountain regions to the North of Chiang Mai. We started with an Elephant ride, we weren't to sure what to expect after seeing the way they were treated in central Thailand, but they were well fed, watered and rewarded with a bath in the local river after each ride. For such cumbersome animals, they seem very happy in water. We saw this in the Elephant sanctuary outside Lampang, they use their trunks as water pistols and splash their fellow herd and anyone who foolishly gets too close!
We managed to get on the naughtiest elephant of the lot, starting in second place and finishing in last by some way. Within minutes he had gobbled up all of our bananas and then moved onto the surrounding shrubbery and trees.
After the elephants we went on a two/three hour track to a local hill tribe. We followed a narrow path weaving its way up the mountain, jumping obstacles and dodging over-hanging branches. We stopped off at a secluded pool, although the water levels are low at the moment, there was still enough for us to slide down the naturally made waterfall and into the cool waters of the pool. This was all well and good until the only Frenchman in the group decided to strip naked directly in front of Lottie which gave her a bit of a surprise.... Typical French!
We made it to the mountain village at about 7 pm and were showed to our sleeping quarters. We were sleeping on a bamboo floor, about three meters above the ground with a roof made of leaves. The villagers were friendly and all helped cook for us, there were dogs, pigs, chickens and a litter of newborn puppies running around us all the time which definitely provided us with entertainment. Surprisingly we weren't bitten by any Mosquitos that night too, result! One of the highlights of the camp was a local who was both deaf and dumb; he was keen on showing us his newly learnt magic tricks from previous visitors.
The next day we set off down the same track but were halted by a forest fire; although it was on the adjacent hill, the smoke and ash were spreading across our path so we turned back. It wasn't the end of the world as went down a new track, although it was mostly through smelly cabbage fields, it was nice to see some different scenery.
Our final part of the trek was white water rafting,even though it was incredibly tame, it was still fun. We went down with an Irish girl who was a great crack and our coxswain wasn't that proficient at steering (on more than one occasion we got stuck and had to jump up and down to get ourselves moving again). The highlight was bobbing past an elephant bathing as well as some locals climbing onboard to catch a free ride!
The final night was spent with Sharon, our Irish friend. We visited the night market where Lottie bought her first anklet (with some great bartering!). The night market in Chiang Mai is a must visit and is without a doubt the best one we've been too in Thailand.
That's it from us, next stop Pai where we will be staying in a bamboo hut! Adios Amigos! X
While chilling out in the garden, we met another travelling couple and later hit the town. We had started off in a budget Thai restaurant that was delicious and slowly worked our way up the strip bar hopping. We finished in a bar playing some locals at pool in a nail biting tournament that ended up with the locals winning the final match and the dosh!
Our second day was spent on a cookery course, you each choose six dishes to make. We had an energetic Thai lady as our teacher, she was great fun and made the course a fantastic experience. The first step was to make our curry paste, which is much simpler than we expected. We chose to make red and yellow curry between us, the only real difference was the type of chilli used and fresh turmeric was used to make the yellow curry. Bashing the paste into submission with a mortar and pestle was hugely entertaining, especially as our instructor was shouting exuberantly the word "harder" over and over again! We recommend going on a cooking course if you ever visit Thailand and we hope to bring some of our newly learnt culinary expertise back to the UK (Lots got the highest mark for her vegetable Tom Yum Soup so there are no excuses!).
Our next adventure took us on a two day trek into the local mountain regions to the North of Chiang Mai. We started with an Elephant ride, we weren't to sure what to expect after seeing the way they were treated in central Thailand, but they were well fed, watered and rewarded with a bath in the local river after each ride. For such cumbersome animals, they seem very happy in water. We saw this in the Elephant sanctuary outside Lampang, they use their trunks as water pistols and splash their fellow herd and anyone who foolishly gets too close!
We managed to get on the naughtiest elephant of the lot, starting in second place and finishing in last by some way. Within minutes he had gobbled up all of our bananas and then moved onto the surrounding shrubbery and trees.
After the elephants we went on a two/three hour track to a local hill tribe. We followed a narrow path weaving its way up the mountain, jumping obstacles and dodging over-hanging branches. We stopped off at a secluded pool, although the water levels are low at the moment, there was still enough for us to slide down the naturally made waterfall and into the cool waters of the pool. This was all well and good until the only Frenchman in the group decided to strip naked directly in front of Lottie which gave her a bit of a surprise.... Typical French!
We made it to the mountain village at about 7 pm and were showed to our sleeping quarters. We were sleeping on a bamboo floor, about three meters above the ground with a roof made of leaves. The villagers were friendly and all helped cook for us, there were dogs, pigs, chickens and a litter of newborn puppies running around us all the time which definitely provided us with entertainment. Surprisingly we weren't bitten by any Mosquitos that night too, result! One of the highlights of the camp was a local who was both deaf and dumb; he was keen on showing us his newly learnt magic tricks from previous visitors.
The next day we set off down the same track but were halted by a forest fire; although it was on the adjacent hill, the smoke and ash were spreading across our path so we turned back. It wasn't the end of the world as went down a new track, although it was mostly through smelly cabbage fields, it was nice to see some different scenery.
Our final part of the trek was white water rafting,even though it was incredibly tame, it was still fun. We went down with an Irish girl who was a great crack and our coxswain wasn't that proficient at steering (on more than one occasion we got stuck and had to jump up and down to get ourselves moving again). The highlight was bobbing past an elephant bathing as well as some locals climbing onboard to catch a free ride!
The final night was spent with Sharon, our Irish friend. We visited the night market where Lottie bought her first anklet (with some great bartering!). The night market in Chiang Mai is a must visit and is without a doubt the best one we've been too in Thailand.
That's it from us, next stop Pai where we will be staying in a bamboo hut! Adios Amigos! X
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