India - Jaisalmer

We are in Jaisalmer at the moment, in Rajasthan. Just a temporary post to let people know we are fine - the internet is harder to get to here so the blog won't be up to date for a while.

More time in Hanoi - 23/5

We've had a few more days back in the old quarter which has been good. I really feel like we've got a handle on the place now, the insane pace and rhythm of the city sort of gets under your skin so that walking around in the heat and the traffic and the swarms of people kind of feels natural. It's a hard feeling to try and convey in print but but it's cool. We we haven't done too much touristy stuff, just seeing some local sights. Some of the streets in the old quarter are named after the products they sell (or traditionally used to sell) for example, paper street, silver street etc. Wandering around without too much direction has also been good, it's led to some good photos and some good food discoveries. Last night we had a bit of a special treat, we went to Bobby Chinn's restaurant - he's a bit of a food celebrity and chef so we had a really nice evening with great service and really tasty food. We went the full three courses and were very full afterwards. Today we headed out to the Hoan Kiem Lake, a bit of a centre for the locals to exercise in the mornings and for people to relax and wander or contemplate in the evenings. It's also home to a couple of features, the Thap Rua or Turtle Tower, also The Huc or Sunbeam Bridge. Sadly (at least to us), we saw some local kids fishing a turtle out of the lake, something we thought was a bit at odds with the local legend of the lake, it's meant to venerate a turtle that helped an emperor repel Chinese invaders. This evening we had dinner at what has become a bit of a favourite haunt in the old quarter, the Tamarind Cafe. As well as doing nice food for dinner, we've been there for breakfast a couple of times for a monster stack of pancakes with maple syrup and banana - drool. Monday we fly to Delhi, we are looking forward to the next part of our adventure but I think we'll both miss some parts of Vietnam - the food and some of the people, you can keep the horn beeping.

Sapa

We headed out of Hanoi for a few days, it was fantastic to escape the heat and constant mayhem of the old quarter. Bit of a mission to get there, an overnight train shared with a couple and their sick kid (we're sure it wasn't helped by the amount of junk he was fed before bed) - he was quite ill. When we arrived in the morning, we were picked up by the tour company and taken back to their office. It was pretty early at this point so we found somewhere for breakfast while we waited for the tour mob to get us a car to our hotel. We headed out to the lodge mid morning and got settled into a really lovely place to stay, it was a bit dearer than some of the budget places we've been staying but well worth it, perhaps their site might demonstrate it best. We were at the lodge for a couple of days, faced with tough decisions every few hours of what to eat and drink - nice. On our last day in Sapa we checked out of our accommodation in the morning and headed into the town. We spent the day having a good look around and catching some of the local minority groups' craftspeople. The official market wasn't open as it was during the week but we still managed to have a bit of interaction and score some lovely work. Another overnight trip on the train, more sleep this time and we've made it back to Hanoi.

Hanoi

We've been in Hanoi for a few days now, we are staying right in the heart of the Old Quarter. The streets are narrow, congested with scooters, foot traffic, cabs and hawkers of all sorts of goods. There are also cylco riders, lots of them. We have spent a bit of time wandering around our neighbourhood, its been a good way to find some good shops and some supplies, we've also eaten out at some great restaurants. Hanoi definitely has been delivering on the food front, last night we ate at a tiny place called Gecko's which was down a corridor and up some stairs, there was only about four tables and a balcony but the food was sensational. We went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum on Friday. It is home to some interesting displays on Uncle Ho's life, and some quite bizarre and kitsch displays of stuff which seems quite unrelated to the life of the great man. We were going to visit him in the mausoleum but unfortunately it is closed on Fridays. We did get to see the One Pillar Pagoda, which is next door to the museum. Shopping wise, I'd been hunting for some propaganda posters but the ones we've seen seem to be laser copy reprints or questionable 'originals' so we've given them a miss. One good thing is that we've both had some new prescription sunnies made - very cheap which is great, I also had some glasses made too. Kirsten couldn't find any frames she liked unfortunately but we will keep looking. We've had a quiet day today to catch up on rest a bit, there's a few more photos posted now. Also had a chance to organise the next part of our trip, we are heading up to Sapa on the overnight train tomorrow night.

Ha Long Bay 11/5 - 13/5

We spent about three to four hours on another crap bus ride to get to Ha Long Bay, got a cab to the hotel only to find the one recommended to us via an online booking service was closed, we discovered that they had two separate buildings, the cheaper one was closed for renovations while the allegedly more classy establishment was next door. We ended up staying in the more expensive side, mainly because we’d already booked our Ha Long Bay cruise in Hanoi and we were to be picked up from the hotel. Well the less we can say about this establishment the better, so we’ll move on. We were picked up the next day about 12 and made our way to the boat. It was a reasonable size, with enough room for twelve passengers and the crew. We had a mixture of people on board, an older couple from Adelaide, a father and daughter from the UK, four Spanish backpackers and a couple, Stefan (German) and Quy (Vietnamese) with their young son Maximus. We had lunch as soon as we got on board and headed out into the bay and we got to know some of our fellow passengers a bit. After lunch we got into our rooms, they were quite nice, and we had a bit of a relax. They main group went to have a look at a cave in the afternoon, we stayed back as we were advised it was going to be pretty hard going so we had a bit of time to hang out on the upper deck. Once the group came back we all set out on kayaks to do some exploring. Kirsten sat up front in ours, I sat in the back. Those hoping for a tale of disaster and cursing will no doubt be pleasantly surprised to learn we did quite well and only rammed some of our fellow kayakers a couple of times. We’re both so glad we went out, it was fantastic to see everything from the ocean level. We paddled our way out from the boat along the coast for about 20 minutes before we headed into a cave in ‘Monkey Island’. Once we went through the cave and into the other side, we were totally enclosed by the steep rocks and foliage. There’s meant to be a colony of monkeys at the island, but our guide suspected that a previous group had fed them so they disappeared after that. After taking in the view for a while, we headed back to the boat to wash up and have dinner. All the food was pretty reasonable, mostly Vietnamese dishes. There was some raucous Vietnamese karaoke after dinner, with the Spanish guys joining in as it was one of their birthdays. The next day after breakfast we went cruising around the bay, taking in a fair bit on the way to Ha Long City, such as ‘Camel Island’, 'Frog Island’, ‘Fighting Cock Island’ and ‘Lonely Island’ - so called because they look a little like their animal namesakes and in the case of ‘Lonely Island’, it’s on its own out in the middle of the bay. Our guide said that it’s meant to have some significance for lonely singles who will find love after visiting the island. I’ve kept this description of the trip reasonably brief as it’s hard to do the scenery justice with a description, we’ll have some photos up soon to really show what it’s all about. We made it back into Ha Long City in time for lunch, followed by a better bus ride (more comfortable with air con this time) back to Hanoi. Young Maximus was doing his best to entertain those around him. We got a hotel right in the heart of the old quarter for ten bucks a night so we’re pretty happy and we ended up staying in after dinner.

An ode to joy - train from Hue to Hanoi 10/5

Always book your own train tickets, that’s the personal mantra we will be uttering to ourselves from now on. Because if you don’t, you end up in the two top bunks in a sleeper carriage with three ladies occupying the two lower beds who seem to trying to outdo each other in the volume stakes as if they were all trying to barter for the same chicken carcass. Or something. And they had friends aboard, which was nice for them so we had the three of them and two conductors all hanging out together. Bartering. We’re reasonably sure they were quiet between about 10pm and 4.30am but we were too delirious to confirm. We got off the train at Hanoi station about 5.20, we were met by a travel agent about an hour after arrival and we waited at her office to get the bus to Ha Long Bay.

Hue and Surrounds 8/5 - 9/5

Yesterday we had a bit of a quiet morning which was very welcome after the bus trip into Hue. In the afternoon we went to see the Hue Citadel, set within a massive set of walls and a moat on the other side of the Perfume River to where we are staying. We hired some bikes to get over there, its pretty easy going cycling around once you get used to the rhythm of the traffic - ie there is no rhythm, you just go through and the locals seem to take a wide berth around the westerners - sensible move on their part. Opposite the citadel is a large stone monument, the Cot Co or Flag Tower, with a huge Vietnamese flag on the top of it, a pretty impressive landmark. The citadel however, is more impressive as it's an ancient series of buildings quite well preserved. The grounds within are massive and take in a series of separate buildings. You enter through the Ngo Mon Gate, underneath the Five Phoenix Watchtower and head towards the Thai Hoa Palace (which housed the throne room) and then head around the huge grounds taking in the other buildings such as a library, theatre, royal accommodation etc. The photos might do it best to explain, we’ll get them up soon. That evening we both had a pretty bland meal at the Hot Tuna Restaurant, a blatant design rip-off of the surf company logo - the design was the most exciting thing....
This morning we were up early to join a tour around the outskirts of Hue and beyond. We were picked up at 6 and had breakfast on route about 8am. After that we visited what is known locally as the ‘rock pile’ - a mountain which the American forces used as a lookout point during the Vietnam/American war, only accessible via helicopter. There aren’t any signs of the original base, so you’d be forgiven for thinking its an ordinary looking mountain, which it now is. The next stop after that was at the Da Krong Bridge, which also marked the start of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It took us a fair while to get up into the mountains on the bus so you can appreciate a little of the hardship of the soldiers and civilians trying to negotiate a tiny trail with huge loads in all kinds of weather. The next stop was the former Khe Sanh Base, now a small museum in the middle of a coffee plantation. They had a couple of small dioramas and some photos and weapons on display, outside they had a couple of old helicopters, one being your classic Vietnam War movie type chopper, the other being a more basic and therefore less glamorous transport. There was also a howitzer and some munitions, a pretty basic display but Khe Sanh was pretty much destroyed as a base so its a monument only. On the route to the Vinh Moc Tunnel complex we went past an impressive war memorial, which showed male and female soldiers contributing to the war effort. Our guide mentioned that females weren’t accepted into the regular North Vietnamese Army or NVA but many took part in guerilla fighting as part of the Viet Cong or VC. We later crossed the river by the Hien Luong bridge and saw the monument that marks the 17th Parallel, also known as the DMZ or Demilitarized Zone - a wide border separating the former South and North Vietnamese ‘states’. Our final stop for the day was at Vinh Moc, a massive tunnel complex on the coast by the South China Sea. An area that was heavily bombarded by US Forces, forcing the local populace and the NVA and VC to take shelter underground in a series of complex tunnels, set over three depths. The first incorporated soldiers quarters, the second deeper tunnels held meeting rooms, hospitals, theatres, civilian shelters and the deepest tunnels were reserves for food and ammunition. We all set off into the complex with some guides, the tunnels were reasonably tall, I had to stoop a fair bit but they are apparently a lot taller than the tunnels at Cu Chi in Southern Vietnam so we are glad we didn’t worry about visiting them. It was quite claustrophobic and a couple of times descending down stairs it was easy to slip on the stairs. I have to admit I stacked it pretty spectacularly going down one set of stairs, it was pretty difficult for me to move through so we only went through levels one and two rather than the deepest - we exited out to an entrance facing the surf which was quite pleasant after the tunnel. After a long bus trip back to Hue, we were very happy to clean up and get some dinner. We had the best meal since Hoi An, a shrimp dish with mango, pineapple and onion and also some chilli mushrooms - sensational. We are ready to go into food comas now though so that’s it for this post.

Hoi An 6/5

This morning we went on a tour to My Son, a local temple complex and relic of the Cham Empire. We were picked up at 5am from the hotel so we could be out on site by sunrise and it was well worth the effort as the complex looked really impressive in the morning sun. We had a guide give us a bit of a run down on the site, which is also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Area. It pre-dates Angkor Wat, so it unfortunately isn’t as well preserved. A lot of the site was also destroyed by American bombing during the Vietnam war. Parts are under restoration at the moment so we didn’t get to see all of the sites but we were pretty happy with what we did see. The internet connection at our hotel has been playing up a bit the last couple of days so we hope to have some photos from the last couple of weeks up soon. We were back at the hotel by about 10am so we rode into town for lunch, after which we posted a couple of things home. I don’t believe I ever had cause to complain about Australia Post previously but I know now that I will never ever complain about them in the future - it took an hour to send four parcels to different locations in Australia. I won’t go into the excruciating detail but needless to say we were pretty happy to get out of there without throwing a fit. We picked up our clothes and shoes after that, we’re pretty happy with the results. Had dinner in the old quarter again before coming back to the hotel as we leave for Hue tomorrow, going by bus as it’s not too far to go.

Hoi An 4/5 - 5/5

We’ve spent the last couple of days in Hoi An which has been a real highlight of our time here in Vietnam. We arrived in the afternoon of the 4th after catching the train from Nha Trang, we had our own sleeper which was so much more comfortable than the bus, we didn’t have to share with anyone so Kirsten got a bit of sleep (we had to be at the station just after 5am) and I got to listen to my iPod or read without the lurching of crazed bus drivers or incessant beeping. Nice. We went out that night to have a look around the town a bit and have dinner. We got our bearings reasonably quickly as the old quarter (where most of the fantastic traditional and French style houses and shops are) covers a small area bordered by the river so it’s a good navigational point. We had a pretty early night after a brief walk around but set out reasonably early the next day on a couple of bicycles. The countryside is pretty flat here so it lends itself to a gentle ride around, we are about a kilometre or so out of the main town so it’s a short ride into town. Also makes it a bit quieter apart from a pair of roosters who like to fire up from about 4.30am. We wanted to get a couple of items of clothing made as that is what Hoi An is mostly famous for so we headed along to a tailors just near the cloth market as recommended in our guide book (thanks Sally!). We got measured up for a couple of items and were advised they would be ready the next day. As the measuring was finishing, we were asked if we wanted to check out some shoes at the place next door so we ended up being measured for shoes as well. The people were lovely and we were quoted some pretty cheap prices so it’s well worth it. We had a good look around the old quarter, there’s a lot to see. We visited The House of Tan Ky, one of the oldest original houses in Hoi An, where many successive generations of the same family have lived. There are marks on the wall to indicate where flood waters have come through (it is right by the river) and some of the marks are as tall, if not taller than me. Our guide told us that the owners move all the furniture (some amazing period pieces) and artwork upstairs while the flood waters come through the house. We also visited Reaching Out - Hoa Nhap Handicrafts, a kind of community based workshop for local artisans with disabilities. We found a couple of nice things there (thanks for the tip Sarah!). We also checked out the Japanese covered bridge and and the Cantonese Assembly Hall which has some fantastic Koi Carp, Dragon and Goat sculptures out the back (not all together, that would be weird). We had dinner in town (great food here - wonton soup, shrimp & rice noodles) before riding back to the hotel.

Nha Trang Stunt Riding Course

Today we explored Nha Trang a bit, as yesterday we were rained in so we spent most of the day in the hotel, only venturing out for breakfast and dinner. We set out initially by scooter which was terrifying and entertaining in equal measure. Okay, it was mostly terrifying as neither of us had been on a scooter much before, let alone both of us on one together so Kirsten was elected to drive while I got on the back. We got about ten minutes down the road before we decided it was probably safer for us and the population of Nha Trang if we don't drive a scooter. I took it back to the hotel while Kirsten was going to walk to the Long Son Pagoda, containing a huge statue of Buddha (14m tall) atop 155 steps and tiered gardens. There was a lesser Buddha down the road and that was the one Kirsten ended up at, while I got a cab from the hotel and ended up waiting by the large one. We didn’t have our phones with us and neither of us were sure where the other had ended up at but we eventually got it sorted out as after about an hour Kirsten wandered down to meet me at the proper one and we got underway. It’s a pretty magnificent example and set in some lovely gardens, well worth a visit. After that we had a well deserved drink with some people I’d gotten to know while waiting for Kirsten to come along. We headed along to the local railway station after that, tomorrow we travel to Danang by train and then to Hoi-An which we are both really looking forward to as it should be easy to explore on foot or by bicycle and we might also get some tailoring one. For our last night in Nha Trang we intend to go to a local restaurant we saw the other night, it had a lot of fresh fish and lobster out the front so we’re pretty keen on checking it out.

1/5 - Dalat to Nha Trang

Today we traveled by a car to Nha Trang as we were in a bit of a bind in Dalat. Due to the double public holiday, firstly for the liberation of Saigon and today for Labour Day, there were no rooms available anywhere in Dalat. The buses were also full so we didn’t really have any other choice but to hire a car and driver to bring us here. Not the cheapest option but never mind. We enjoyed our last night in Dalat, we stayed at the Ana Mandara Resort which was sensational, we had a room in a villa. The whole place was done up very well with fantastic rooms, amenities and our own butler! We went out during the day to see the lake at the centre of town which was quite pretty and to see if we could stay another night. As we couldn’t, we decided to spend the rest of our time at the resort to get our money’s worth. We had a great lunch, I had a seafood and papaya salad and Kirsten had pumpkin soup. We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching our shonky copy of Wolverine. Which was very shonky - the special effects weren't finished but we still got the gist. As it was a special public holiday, the resort put on a buffet dinner for the guests for US$20 a head with sensational sushi, barbecued seafood, stir fries, cocktails and a dessert selection that included chocolate covered strawberries. We ate a lot but really enjoyed it. This morning there was a buffet breakfast so we ate up big for the car trip, fruit, pastries and waffles. The car ride was pretty comfortable and we’re happy to report the driver barely beeped anyone so that was a welcome change. We’d booked a hotel in advance in Nha Trang and have been quite lucky with it’s location, it’s only a block from the beach and quite clean and cheap. We’ve just come back from a walk, some drinks and pizza for dinner - early night tonight.