Andrew Pell: March 2010

Hanoi & Halong Bay

On the overnight sleep bus from hue to hanoi I somehow ended up in one of the smaller sleeping compartments. I met a couple of girls from Norway on the long bus journey who were also doing similar things whilst in Hanoi. We ened up splitting a hotel room for $4US each that included an interesting breakfast and a free beer each day, which for one reason or another we never had! Hanoi is a crazy crazy city with millions of motorbikes and very small streets. You do the maths! They even have a street dedicated to fruit smoothies! Yum! We used Hanoi as a base to book a tour to Halong Bay. We booked the trip through the Hanoi Backpackers, a little pricey but were assured of tasty food and good service. There was also a few extra activities to choose from which included water skiing, tubing, wake boarding or rock climbing. Our group was rather small consisting of only 9 people doing the 3 day tour. At first a little disappointed with the small turn out we soon realised that you could still have a blast with minimal numbers. The first day of our tour was bloody freezing! A 4 hour bus trip to get to Halong City before being transferred onto our boat the Jolly Roger who cruised us slowly into beautiful Halong Bay. After an hour or so cruising around the bay we anchored up and it was time for some kayaking in and around the caves. Not the most perfect weather to be sitting in a kayak but the scenery soon made you forget how damn cold your hands were. We kayaked for around the limestone cliffs for 2 hours with a stop at some caves along the way. Halong Bay is stunning, but the Vietnamese need to be educated about littering as quite often you would see plastic bags and other trash floating around. After a semi warm shower is was dinner time. We weren't disappointed with a huge spread of different meat stir fries with rice and other interesting fried goodness. Next came the happy hour & drinking games which allowed the laughs to continue all night. We had an older German couple in our group who were great value and joined in on the shenanigans!

The next morning we were served up some lets say intersting eggs/omellette for breakfast. Then after checking out of the Jolly Roger we were transferred onto another smaller boat to be taken to Castway Island (the Hanoi Backpackers own private island). The island did make you feel like you were in the middle of nowhere which was very cool. The island was fitted out with western style loos, hot showers, volleyball court, sharp coral, table tennis and most importantly a chef! That afternoon went tubing which was so much fun and a decent work out to hang on as the crazy Vietnamese driver went round and round!

After a day of activity it was time for a few drinks and a very yummy smokey BBQ, not exactly sure what meats we were eating but it was tasty. A few more drinking games, a game of spoons (card game) and then for the finale..... Vietnamese tabletop beach cricket. This game is only to be played under severe influence of alcohol. I have to say that trying to teach Norwegians & Germans how to play cricket was a challenge!! But i think this style of cricket will be alot more exciting for them than watching the real thing.

Our beds on the island were basically a thin mattress on a raised bamboo ledge with bamboo roof and mosquito net. Actually pretty comfortable! The next morning we were awoken reasonably early by the horn of a transport boat which was ready to take us back to the Jolly Roger. We then sat on top of the Jolly Roger with some lovely sunshine and headed back to Halong City after a whirlwind 3 days of fun.

Tubing in Halong Bay

Hold On!

Tabletop beach cricket, Vietnamese style. The Germans were wondering what the hell the wicket keeper and first slip were meant to do!

The crew on board the Jolly Roger (Thanh Hung)

Life is tough!

Not sure how much longer this beauty will last

This is Castway Island - You can see our hut in the very left of the photo

Sleeping quarters on Castway Island

Wow! Super calm waters with stunning limestone karsts

This was Day 1 - FREEEEEZING!

More limestone

Very nice!

Hue & the DMZ

After 5 days in Hoi An I headed north to a place called Hue (pronouced Hway). It was a very scenic 4 hour bus journey into the old capital of Vietnam. I checked into a $9 hotel and organised a halfday motorbike tour through the yummy cafe next door. I spent the afternoon wandering around Hue and visited the ancient Citadel where i watched what i think was a rehearsal for some celebration. Lots of marching, colour and noise!
The next morning I jumped on the back of a motorbike for a tour around the sights of Hue. It was extremely nice to be driven through some remote parts out of the Hue town where you coud really see how the Vietnamese people live. John & Dave a couple of lads from London were also on seperate bikes doing the same tour. The tour finished around 1pm where it was back to the cafe for some well earnt lunch and beer as it was 38 degrees and extremely sticky. In the afternoon I headed to the Citadel for another look and then had some very cheap beers at the Why Not Bar.
The next day I felt like i was back in Melbourne on a winters day. Yep it turned nasty, 19 degrees and it rained all day! A bit of a shock from the day before. The 3 of us decided to hire a car with driver and a tour guide to take us around the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) which is a good hour north of Hue. It was probably the best place to be on such a wet day, being driven around the countryside with a few stops along the way. We stopped at an American war base where there was hardly anything left, cemetries of the Vietnamese soldiers & the Vinh Moch Tunnels where the Viet Cong lived underground. The tunnels were a lot larger than the Cu Chi Tunnels in Saigon and our tour guide had us underground for around 45mins showing us how they lived relatively comfortably. Around the tunnels you could still see American bomb craters as this was an area that they unloaded all of their amunition on the way back to their base.
Hue was a nice place as there weren't thousands of tourists everywhere and it was interesting to see some of the contryside that is still regenerating from all the Agent Orange America had previously dumped here.

American bomb craters in the distance

1 of the entrances to the Vinh Moch tunnels

A bombshelter inside the Vinh Moch tunnel

Me inside the tunnels

The biggest flag in Vietnam! The Citadel.

A mote around a temple

Chua Thien Mu - Very impressive

A bombshelter in the DMZ

The view from the top of the bombshelter/sniper hideout

The rice fields in Hue were extremely green

Expensive Hoi An

After arriving in Hoi An after a lengthy and squishy overnight bus trip from Nha Trang, Rob, Lisa and myself were still in a daze and booked ourselves into the hotel that the bus dropped us off at. This actually turned out to be reasonably cheap between the 3 of us and fairly comfortable. Instead of doing the normal thing and having a few more hours sleep in the hotel we stupidly went out suit and shoe shopping. Hoi An is known for its ridiculous amount of tailors that line the streets and promise to make all types of clothing from a large range of fabrics. We headed straight for a tailor that had been recommened in our Hotel, called Peace Tailors. Within an hour or so, we had chosen our fabrics, been measured and completely charmed by the shop assistances. Rob bought a couple of suits and I somehow got sucked into buying 3 of the things! So much for watching my budget to last me a year. We probably ended up paying a lot more for the suits than we should have but they did turn out pretty damn schmick and they fitted like a glove after 3 or 4 alterations. Still in our sleepy daze we found ourselves in a shoe shop that charmed us once again. Another credit card swipe and we both had a pair of shoes to be made overnight. This was probably our stupidist purchase as my shoes turned out a little tight and Robs ended up being a completely different colour than what he asked for!! So pretty much we were the perfect tourist in Hoi An. We didn't bargain much over price and we just did everything in a rather sleepy and spontaneous way, just what the shope keepers wanted! Another cost was sending the box of clothes home. After some serious retail therapy it was time to enjoy the other charms of Hoi An. Come night time the streets are completely lit up with colourful lanterns. The old quarter is an area of Hoi An that has not been developed and no motorbikes are allowed. Another few dollars for entry into the old quarter and you are free to enjoy the sights which included a Japanese bridge, old style houses and plenty of arty shops. The food in Hoi An is regarded as some of the best in Vietnam. They have a few specialities of which I had most days. First there favourite dish is called Cao Lao. Its thick noodles in a little bit of pork broth with pork fillets, mint, coriander & crispy fried pork bits. YUM! Next it was a dish called White Rose. They are basically a plate of steamed pork & prawn dumplings. And last but not least was some fried wontons with a tomatoe and onion type sauce splattered on top. One last thing on the food side was this patisserie I found. Cocunut tarts, chocolate brownies and home made ice cream were just a few of the delicious treats i managed to fit in post dinner.

I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of Hoi An and ended up spending 5 nights here. You could easly spend a day just wandering around. I also hired a bike and rode around the old quarter in the morning and then made the 7km ride out to the beach for the afternoon. The beach wasn't up to Koh Phi Phi standards but was a hell of a lot better than Mui Ne & Nah Trang so it was atleast swimmable! Perfect for some reading, sunning and swimming. After 6 days it was time to put the wallet away and leave Hoi An, a place that had somehow managed to drain a lot of dosh from my savings!

Hoi An by day

Dinner with the Americans

The Japanese Bridge in the Old Quarter of Hoi An

Yep... A pink dog... Fancy buying a suit form this shop!

The lanterns of Hoi An by night

Suits, suits, suits!

Sunset over Hoi An

Nha Trang

After keeping in contact with two American friends i had met in Cambodia we managed to catch up again in Mui Ne. Rob and Lisa were great value and it was nice to have some company as we headed north to Nha Trang. Julien from Canada also tagged along which was good fun.
All 4 of us joined a half day snorkelling tour (6 hours) around the islands of Nha Trang. The water was a lot cooler than Thailand but there was plenty of sea life and bright coral to see. A windy but fun day was had cruising around the beautiful islands.
Whilst in the party town of Nha Trang we celebrated St Patricks day with a quick beer at the overcrowded and tiny Irish bar before heading to a beachside bar for some potent buckets of vodka and orange. A biggish night followed with a rather sluggish start to the next day. Instead of chosing to go to the inviting Vin Pearl water park we opted for the relaxing mud bath centre. All 4 of us piled into this tiny bath which was followed by a natural spring shower and a very warm swim in the pool. A brutal 1 hour massage was the finishing touch to cure the hangover before we headed back to Nha Trang for a quick dinner before our overnight bus north.
We managed to get the very back row of the bus for our overnight trip to Hoi An. The first few hours were fun and the rest was quite bumpy and uncomfortable as the bus driver honked his horn on a 2 second average. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! So annoying. Finally at around 6am we had arrived in Hoi An!

Myself, Rob & Lisa ready for snorkelling

Nha Traing islands here we come!

Bright fish and bright coral!

This may have been the last photo before my underwater camera became
not so waterproof! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

The sand dunes of Mui Ne

After 3 nights in chaotic Saigon it was time to hit up the beaches of Vietnam! A 5 hour bus ride north from Saigon (1 hour of that for getting through traffic) and i had arrived in Mui Ne and checked into a cool little resort. A whopping $10us for a shared room with one other that included a massive pool and ocean views. Pure gold! I shared with a crazy Canadian called Julien who was full of laughs.
After a 12 hour recovery sleep it was time to check out the main attractions of mui ne. 6 of us chipped in $4 each and hired a jeep with a driver for 4 hours. Our first stop was at the Fairy Spring (Suoi Tien). Basically this was a stream running through a patch of sand dunes with really interesting sand and rock formations. We were able to wade through the stream and visit the smallish dirty waterfall at the end. Sounds a bit boring but it was super nice wading through the water and soft sand.
We then jumped back in the jeep and headed towards the white sand dunes to try our luck at sand-sledding, a must do when in Mui Ne. The local kids hire out very average plastic sleds for just under a dollar and then it's up to you to find the steepest slope and sled down it. Although no super speeds or records were set it was still an extremely fun and sweaty couple of hours in a beuatiful setting. The jeep then drove us to the red sand dunes for sunset. We were a touch late so we only saw the last little bit of the sunset but it was still worth seeing. We then headed back into town driving along the beautiful coast road for a cheap and tasty dinner in a roadside restaurant.
The next day I woke up reasonably early and went for a walk along the beach to watch the hundreds of fisherman in their little round boats. The boats look more like half of a supersized coconut. It must be such a difficult job for these fisherman as they are continually bringing in tiny fish and resetting multiple lines at the same time. As one boat came into shore they saw me watching and called me over. This wasn't to say hello, it was to get me to help lift the ridiculously heavy boat up to dry ground. The man was very happy that i had helped and wanted a photo next to his rig. I have found the majority of Vietnamese people to be extremely friendly, always happy and willing to give you a smile. :)

Lisa & Rob from the States!

The Fairy Springs - Amazing colours

The dirty waterfall at the end!

BEWARE of falling coconuts!

The guys that I helped lift this heavy MOFO of a boat onto the rocks

All the fisherman getting a motorised lift back into shore

Sunrise in Mui Ne

Sunset over the red dunes in Mui Ne

The little fella is ready to go for a row

Clearly beating the American! Very slow ROB!

The windswept white sand dunes of Mui Ne

Hang Ten!

Pick your slope...

So many boats in such a small bay!

Sunsets on Mui Ne - The view from our guesthouse

Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon

After 4 extremely interesting and fun days in the Mekong Delta aboard all types of transportation we finally dropped off by bus in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Wow! I thought Phnom Penh was busy but this city really does take the cake! I have never seen so many motorbikes in the one place all vying for their piece of the road. I stayed at Madam Cucs hotel in a $16 room that had hot water, A/C and great views from the 6th floor. The hotel even had a winch to haul my back pack up the 80 odd stairs, very cool. These 80 odd stairs did give me some exercise during my stay in Saigon. The best thing about this hotel was that a free breakfast & dinner were included along with fresh fruit juice and coffee all day. Not to mention that the service was brilliant!
I took a 1/2 day tour bus to visit the Cu Chi tunnels which the Viet Cong used extremely effectively against the Americans in the Vietnam War. The tour was very interesting and our guided pointed out many of the Viet Cong boobie traps and hiding places. After meeting a couple of scottish lads we decided to go thirds in a round of bullets for an AK47. The ear protection provided was basically an old set of earphones that did not block out a single decibell! After leaving the shooting range pretty much deaf it was time to go through a 100m stretch of the Cu Chi tunnels. Hot, claustrophobic, pitch black in places and 8metres underground made the 'light at the end of the tunnel' look extremely inviting. It's hard to imagine how the Viet Cong lived under here for so long.
On the way home from the tunnels we made a stop off at a furniture making and dcorating business where all the workers are war survivors or those with disabilities. Some of the furniture was stunning but obviously not suitable for the backpacker to take home! I made a quick stop at the war museum which again hit home how brutal the American/Vietnam war was. A cocktail on the 9th floor with a couple of people from the hostel was a perfect way to reflect on a busy day.
I saved my last day in Saigon to wander the streets and visited another war museum, a fine arts building, the huge post office and the opera house. I then caught up with Rob & Lisa who I had first met in Cambodia for some sun down beers.
Saigon was completely chaotic but with a nice waterfront, plenty of green parks and millions of smiling faces it has been a highlight of my trip so far.