Saigon - aka Ho Chi Minh City

As with all Vietnamese cities, the name of the game in Saigon is scooters. One of our favourite pastimes has been watching the bikes go by and spotting the biggest family piled onto a scooter or the craziest item being carried on the back. It's not unusual for someone to scoot past with an entire wardrobe strapped loosely on the seat - and I don't just mean the clothes. Or from time to time you'll see someone ride by with three live pigs tied on. Crazy times!

We've spent almost a week in Saigon and as well as taking walks around the city, shopping at the markets and watching Australia make it through to the next round of soccer (yay!), we've also done a few touristy trips. We spent a day at the Cu Chi tunnels, which is a 250km network of underground tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war. They used to live and fight in the tunnels and we got to crawl through a short stretch of them. A very claustrophobic experience to say the least. It's crazy to think people inhabited such a tiny space just 30 years ago. It's the kind of thing you expect could have taken place hundreds of years ago - but not in the 70s!

Bol makes friends with the Viet Cong replicas at the Cu Chi Tunnels

Bol, Wayne, Sarah and I get ready for battle

Bol in the tunnels

We also visited the War Remnants Museum in Saigon which was extremely sobering. Very graphic photos of war victims - people with limbs blown off, children starving, burn victims. Perhaps just a warmup to what we'll see when we head to Cambodia tomorrow.

One of the more disappointing aspects to Saigon was that I was hoping to find the orphanage my brother and sister lived in before coming to Australia. The only organisation that could help me out with that never replied to my emails, so I missed out there.

To end on a light note though, our mate Wayne from SA arrived on Tuesday. We picked him up from the airport and spent an hour crammed between hundreds of Vietnamese at the arrivals gate. Eventually we spotted him though - standing at least a foot taller than everyone else. It's great to see a face from home and catch up with stories of Adelaide misadventures. Stay tuned for our next installment, which will come from Cambodia.

And then there were tailors ...

After leaving Halong Bay and spending a final night in Hanoi (at Bia Hoi Junction of course), Bol and I jumped on an overnight train headed for Hoi An. Hoi An is typically where tourists spend way too much money because of the strings and strings of tailors. Bol and I were no exception, although we were very conservative in our spending compared to most travellers. We did, however, have a ball being measured, fitted, picking materials etc for a few items each that will come in handy in Europe. We were originally planning to do a bit of a fashion parade and take photos of our new threads to post on this blog, but have since decided that if we were to take our clothes out of the tightly packed bags the tailors put them in, we might not be able to get them back in. So instead of seeing the visuals, you'll have to use your imaginations....

Bolly has been decked out in:

1) a light knit summer suit in a pale shade of grey/green. He expects to wear it at such occasions as summer weddings, spring carnivals and baptisms :)

2) a selection of shirts to compliment his suit, including a dazzling white and light green pinstripe number and the ever fashionable chocolate brown striped piece. The brown number in particular he expects to be able to don with a casual pair of jeans to ensure he's the most stylin' of the lads at all the Budapest parties.

3) in preparation for the upcoming winter, which we will endure when you all enjoy a sunny Christmas, Bol selected a dark grey hooded jacked complete with duffel coat buttons. The snug outfit will keep him safe and cozy on those cold European nights.

Emma has been decked out in:

1) think Marilyn Monroe in that classic dress - well kind of. I had a dress made (to wear to the wedding we're going to in Hungary) which has a similar neckline and style to the Monroe number. Halter neck top with lots of flowing material past my knees. The material, which Bol picked out, is a cream silky crushed fabric with tiny flowers embroidered. Very, very girly. Makes me feel like a princess!

2) to complement the spectacles which you all saw in a previous post, I had a business suit made up to ensure I look smart at any job interviews I have in Europe (if I get any!) I selected a navy blue suit with the slight hint of a stripe through it, although the stripes are also dark so as not to look too cheap. A crisp white shirt tops off the ensemble. The suit also has a slight shimmer in some lights :)

3) well, I couldn't be shivering with Bol snuggled up in his jacket, so I also had a winter duffel coat number made. Mine is chocolate brown with a really big collar ..... Can't wait for weather cool enough to wear it around Budapest. It definitely has a European feel about it.

That's all for the new stylin' Bol and Emma update.

Write more soon

X

Halong Bay

Em and I left Hanoi and headed to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island off Vietnam's east coast. It was a 3 hour mini bus ride to Halong Bay where we boarded a beautiful old Junk for a 6 hour cruise to Cat Ba Island. The scenery was amazing! Over three thousand lime stone island formations in the middle of the ocean surrounded by inviting green sea water. We had lunch on the boat which was a feast of seafood and local Vietnamese dishes. After lunch we dropped anchor and went kayaking. It was a lot of fun, exploring the formations and paddling through small tunnels to get into private hidden bays. Despite the rumours, Emma was actually good at kayaking. After the paddle we pulled up anchor and finished off our cruise to Cat Ba Island. We arrived at a perfect time. Dinner time! We got picked up by 2 motor bikes and arrived at the hotel to find James and Franny wating for us as well as another feast. Yep it sure is a hard life!

The next day we had planned to go to Monkey Island for a swim (which was included in our deal). But because it was only me and Em the hotel guy didn't really want to send us. We waited around for an hour before he finally organised the trip for us. What we didn't realise until later was that he had put us on a boat that a Vietnamese family had chartered for themselves. Anyway, we got to Monkey Island, had a look around which only takes 30 seconds and did some sun bathing. Before the sun had barely touched our skin the crew from the boat said it was time to leave! Strange we thought, but wasn't a problem because there really wasn't anything to do there. So we boarded the boat and headed off, in the wrong direction! After a bit of panic, thinking we were heading back to Halong Bay while all our gear was back in Cat Ba, the crew informed us that we were visiting one of the floating fishing villages. Once again we thought it a little strange since we had seen them the day before and it wasn't meant to be part of the package, but hey, we were on a boat in a beautiful environment so what did we care?!

The Vietnamese family started asking if we would have our photos taken with them, as if we were some kind of celebrities. Of course, we obliged. They then disembarked at the floating fish market and started buying heaps of live seafood. Once they had bought their supplies we finally started heading back in the right direction. After about half an hour the father of the family asked if we would join them for dinner. We told them we'd be delighted to, thinking that they would be taking their seafood back to their hotel to get it cooked. No sooner than we agreed to dine with them the crew started bringing up plate after plate of fresh tasty seafood. Giant clams, giant purple prawns, king prawns, baby squid, big squid, on and on it came. Man what generosity! What a lovely family. One of the daughters, Rosie (Huang in Vietnamese), could speak the best English so she would translate for us and her family. After dinner they took more photos of us while we headed back to the port. It was probably 7:30pm by the time we pulled into the port where the father asked us to join them in their second course - a delicious fish and rice soup. How could we refuse their hospitality? We couldnt! So the boat got turned around and we dropped anchor and ate soup with chop sticks - so cool. They kept laughing at Emma who was struggling a little but they were so sweet. They peeled her prawns for her and everything! I gotta say thank you so much "Family Lee!!!! They showed us another side to the Vietnamese people because until that point, every Vietnamese person we met had been trying to sell something to us. The Lee family wouldn't accept anything from us at all, even when we tried to give them some money towards dinner. They really made our trip to Halong Bay worthwhile.

Dinner with the Lee's

Cruising around the islands

Hanoi = Bia Hoi (pronounced Beer Hoy!)

What can we say, the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, is an overwhelming mix of pesty touts, millions of motorbikes, cheap beer and colourful characters. In short - it took us a day to settle in but we have now fallen in love with this fast paced city. To cross the road here is complete blind faith. Hundreds of motorbikes cram the narrow streets and with no traffic lights to stop them, it is impossible to find a gap to walk through. Instead you simply hold your breath and walk straight out amid the zooming bikes. Remarkably they manage to swerve around you and as yet (cross fingers) neither of us have been hurt. After the first day it becomes second nature to step in front of traffic. I must admit though, I have reverted to my childhood and Bol has to hold my hand whenever we cross the road! A tid bit of info for you - there are 4 million residents in Hanoi and more than 2 million motorbikes!

Bol indulges in the Bia Hoi stall

We're staying at a hotel right in the centre of the "Old Quarter" - the liveliest part of the city. It's lined with shops and stalls, touts and the infamous "Bia Hoi". For those who don't know, Bia Hoi is set up on street corners. They consist of a keg of beer and a stall owner who pulls out tiny plastic kids chairs for you to sit on. You kick back chatting to locals and other backpackers on miniature stools drinking - you guessed it - beer, for the bargain price of 18 cents a glass. Magic! Needless to say Bia Hoi has become our favourite hangout in Hanoi.

The world has also become so much clearer to me during our stay here. I finally got a pair of prescription glasses after struggling to see long distances for the past year! For just $45 (so cheap in comparison to Oz) I got a cool, very simple pair of specs. When I walked out the optometrist the world was suddenly crystal clear. Bol and I did a circuit of the city in which I kept saying "Oh my god - look at the blades of grass." "Wow - I can see people's faces. Before they were just blurry images and now I can actually see every detail of their eyes, nose, mouth ...". I've decided not to wear them too much though, because as soon as I took them off the world looked more blurry than it ever had before. So I think I'll save them for special occasions - job interviews in Europe and work (when I manage to get a job).

I try out my new specs (they look better in real life, I swear!)

Hanoi is the base in which to head to Sapa, in the mountains, and Halong Bay, on the coast. We've just returned from Sapa (see next blog post) and we head to Halong Bay tomorrow. The weather at the moment is really hot and humid so we're looking forward to the sea breezes. There's not too much more to say about Hanoi at the moment as we've only been here a couple of days and it's been spent hanging out with other travellers and just meandering around the crazy streets. The food though definitely deserves a mention. Fresh fish, "make it yourself" fresh spring rolls (filled with caramelized beef) - Mmmmm.... Our tastebuds have definitely had a work-out. Over and out!

Sapa...Is this Asia or the Austrian Alps?

After 1 night in Hanoi we teamed up with James and Franny, an aussie couple we first met in Laos. We went to a Bia Hoi for a few refreshments then boarded the night train in our first class sleeper compartment and headed on the 10 hour ride to Sapa. The sleeper was amazing - really comfy beds and a little table which held our beers and card games. We managed to get a semi-decent sleep before coming to a stop at about 6am.

We got off the train and then had a 1 hour drive up the mountains which took our breath away. The mixed scenery of rice fields carved into the steep mountain-sides contrasted with the European style buildings. We got to the summit and checked into the hotel (total luxury compared to what we've been used to). The cooler climate in the mountains meant for the first time we had white fluffy quilts to settle us to sleep. Once again I was sick so I missed the first day of sight seeing but by the next day I was fine and ready for some trekking.

Our trek took us on a 14km journey down the mountain through dozens of rice fields and villages where many local children followed us trying to sell us trinkets. The trek was led by Lyn - a gorgeous Vietnamese girl who was so sweet and fit - she does the trek every day! The steep muddy decline took us to the river and into a small village for our lunch break. After lunch we visited more villages and also a local school. School was out for the rice field holidays. A 1 month holiday that lets the parents and teachers work the rice fields while the local children stay at home to look after the babies and smaller kids. Not the typical Aussie school break by any means. Village children seem to have many more responsabilities than kids back home. They are parents to the smaller kids as well as the second income earner for the family by selling their handy crafts. Makes me think that the weekend chours I had as a kid weren't all that bad really!

We ended the trek with a rewarding hot shower then headed into the town centre to explore the sights. We walked around the chalet style hotels and through the narrow streets and stumbled apon the local market which sold flowers, fruits, vegies and roast dog, head and all. As you can imagine the sight of a dog on a platter almost brought tears to mine and Em's eyes.

Sapa is full of local village women trying to sell anything from fake silver jewellery and clothes to opium and hash, all of wich we declined to buy. Apart from their distinct style of village clothes it's easy to recognise these women -they'll be the ones following you in hoards saying "you buy from me? You buy something from me?" At first it seems charming but it sure can get annoying fast when they don't leave you alone, but it's all a part of travelling. All I can say to summarise Sapa is ..... it's a place not to miss!

The view from our room

Rice fields awaiting planting

Some of the village kids

Rice ready for the picking

Local village woman and child