Late, but not forgotten?
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| Sa Pa. About as far north as you can go in Vietnam What a fantastic place and a truly magnificent hotel |
Hello cyber followers, vicarious holiday makers, cybernoughts et al.... I wonder how many of you care about this trip anymore... Hmmmm
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| We are on the train to Hoi An, just finished in Nha Trang where we were out all day, under a sun umbrella It had an SPF of 50, 80 or such. Kayla still got really burnt |
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| I just love this one. Nha Trang hotel |
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| A home share. Not bad, but the pool was a bit basic I know..... Bloody tourists |
And so, lets try to make this the final, final painless (or pain light), addendum to the (first?) Koplimae-Smith SE Asia travelogue
At least being back "home", I can compare and contrast our time in these places with said Crack infested mayors back here. It's also, pleasantly temperate. No more sweating so much that your T shirt is soaked (not an exageration for me), by lunch time, or even earlier on some occasions
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| Hoi An has huge amounts of history. Lots of UNESCO stuff here |
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| Usual cultural stuff |
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| It's always hot in Vietnam, so cool evenings are always a great time to chill |
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| Hoi An isn't very big, but all the buildings on the main street are 17th, 18th century |
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| Take your pick folks |
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| It look like art, but most of it is concrete or similar materials |
The pix are ordered as we travelled, and, hopefully, the text makes some sense as I meander and stream of consciousness my way through central Vietnam back to Toronto.
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| Very atmospheric |
Vietnam, being a long thin country. all of the major distances (its about 1800KM from our southern most extent, to our most northerly point), we travelled, is done in various train carriages. Cheap, clean, convenient and fun (mostly if you get air).
You (re) join us on the train, early AM, May 10th, where you see Kayla's aftermath of a day under an SPF 20 sun umbrellas in Nha Trang. We head towards, in our "hard" (aka 6 berth) sleeper, Da Nang.
We have heard that Hoi An is a "Must See" place. So, we are on our way there. It's about 30Km south of our destination
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| Looks like we went biking around. This being and ancient bridge |
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| There's not much more to oooh and ahh about and it looks like a thunderstorm heading over We drop into a local boat for tea and coconuts. Got to stay hydrated |
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| Its heading on for evening, do this is pre dinner break |
The "homestay" while being cute, is not really what I would call a homestay, which historically has been something like a farm or a village house with an extra room, or space for a few intrepid travellers, usually basic, no air, share all with the family affair. This place is relatively huge (about 20 large rooms) and has a pool. No peasants here
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| It appears to be the families income stream It's actually quite lovely |
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| Kayla has a friend who recommended this place. 25c beer (very good beer), and fabulous stuffed squid |
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| Vietnam isn't fully westernised yet |
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| Ilge prefers to stay back at the homestay |
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| Looks like we caught the luxury bus to Hue |
It became very rich by controlling the spice trade in the 7th century, and a lot of buildings show how trade was multifaceted across various cultures, typically from the 17th century on.
Morning, and we hire bikes (typical in these kind of hotels) and take to the streets and the ancients that are all over this tiny city.
Museums in ancient buildings, bridges, active temples etc., mostly dating back to 15th century. There is a 6 pack of tickets so you can choose the places you are most interested in, (there's 10 - 12 places I think), and we bike off to discover Hoi An. Most buildings have seen better days, and there's that ugly blackened look about any masonry. I guess the peoples republic did not worry too much about their cultural heritage during, well, a long time. Some are still in use and having additional "artwork" added.
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| Hue Citadel Kayla & I investigate without the missus After about 3 hours of exploring, we realise she doesn't have any money, or water. We cut short our investigations |
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| It's a big site, so you get some impression of the size of what had been the power base |
We wend back into town later and its late enough for a cultural show at one of the UNESCO buildings.
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| Some of it was well maintained |
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| But some had been left a little too long without budget |
There are about 8 of us viewers there. There are more performers than audience, but very interesting as it gave us some insights into traditional music, song and dance. I'm the only one to leave a tip.......
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| There's lots of originally ancient buildings, but I guess with wars and time, not much left now |
Kayla & I re venture back out after our statutory pm shower to the local backpackers hotspot (cafe 43), where we indulge in the local beer (lasts one day in the keg, totally unpreserved, and costs 14 cents per glass) and can you believe it (I couldn't) stuffed squid which is, apparently, the speciality of the place. it was delicious! I'm convinced.
OK, so we are done Hoi An, and so, next morning, early (for us, 7:30), onward to Hue and the ancient citadel, this time, we have 4 hours on a bus which is a long distance one (HCMC to Hanoi) where all the seats are sleepers and air conditioned. Just don't try to have a crap!
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| Ilge, who is always right about this kind of stuff, has been enticed into a bike around Hue with "The Smiths" (yes, really!) biking outfit |
Again, we are pre booked, and are met at the station (Ha!, just on the street here), by a hotel guy. Eventually we find out that we just get into a taxi and he pays the $1 for the fare. Nice enough place, as a base. We move in, and are straight off to the citadel once again, on hotel bikes, braving the roads and 1000's of moto bikes. Hue is pretty ancient, being the centre of government of the Nguyen emperors from the 17th century. There's a lot of old stuff here, obviously a centre of art and learning from the time of the first emperor.
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| We meet early and do a grand tour around the locale |
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| Your own personal fortune teller Of course, she got everything wrong Must have got someone else's future readout |
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| There's some mundane tourist like places, but it really was a blast |
The citadel contains a lovely, sort of well maintained garden which is still tended with gardeners in attendance, a royal temple is still very functional and has about 20 folks praying for various interventions, but other buildings are mostly run down and several obviously abandoned, or even missing altogether. It's large and Kayla & I walk, almost non stop for nearly 3 hours.
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| fOur team of guides and transportation |
We bike over to the exit gate and drop into a corner cafe. We, well at least me, stink. I'm soaked. It's really hot.
As it turns out, we are in a cafe which is run by a family that sidelines in Hue moto bike tours. Uy gets out a log of more than satisfied customers for us to read with our coconuts and Pho Bo (I love it!). As ever, I'm not convinced, but Ilge again thankfully, over rides this and books these guys for the day trip next morning. I hack around trying to get the laundry done. Expensive here $1.50 / Kg.....
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| Lots of old Hue, mostly falling apart, and blackened with aging |
Uy and 2 cousins meet us outside the hotel around 8AM. We have a fantastic time. Once again. "LeFamily" really look after us and make the day another fantastic adventure.
As Hue was a centre of government, there's lots of tombs, royal palaces gardens and ancient culture around the city. We bike around to piles of this stuff. Not boring: I'm amazed. And its great fun. Everything from a local market (more family here) where we (Kayla & I) have our fortunes read from our palms, (I will live to 89, Kayla will get a job next year, get married and have 2 kids and I will be "VERY happy", Aiden will get married in 2 ?4? maybe, years, have 2 kids and I will be be "VERY happy"). Whatever.
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| Bunker, aka The Hill. It wasn't that long ago that this place was the site of many US/ Viet Cong battles Our guides were very proud of it |
We bike around and wander through palaces, tombs and up to the hills where the Americans had bunkers (still there but locked bolted and wired shut), where they lobbed their mortars into the
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| The day is winding down, soon to head back |
surrounding
peasant infested areas. No judgement here. While we were at our last
temple, we got a taste of what we were missing. 4 - 5 boats full of
tourists from Hue suddenly arrive. This certainly added to our feelings
of superior choice of transit mode. I think it was $15 each for the ride
(maybe less?). Just a great day! Incredible. That evening, Ilge &
Kayla take Uy's bicycle rickshaw around the town and citadel. It's
Vietnamese size, so they have trouble fitting in and are glad to get
out. I pick up the laundry...
One of Kayla's long time desires, was to head off down Phong Nha
cave, a huge underground system, one of the longest in the world at
30+Km. Just checked, actually "The" biggest in the world, but not sure I
believe that.
So, we opt to take the train again and book rail tickets to Dong Hoi at the hotel. I asked for air con, but I blew it as the time we wanted to go was just a locals, non air con train. How to explain how badly I'd blown it? We boarded about 12:10, middle of the day. It was so hot, that when Kayla & I sat close to each other, we could not bear to touch each other, it was so hot, that the wooden seats became too hot to touch! As you can see, the windows are open, but its a bit like being in a chicken cage. Soooooo unbelievably hot and sweaty, and some folks take the train for 2+ days...... As you may see, a lot of time is spent lying on the floor. What a story, not one I will ever want to repeat.
It wasn't only the train I'd blown. I kept holding back on booking the Phong Nha farmstay to the point they were full when Kayla tried to book.... Mea Culpa! or what? So we find the Phong Nha Lake House which has a pretty good view, good food, adequate G&T's, lots of potential, broken air conditioning and terrible management.
God! It was the hottest night we'd had so far (37C), and either the helpful staff could not fix it, and/ or the managers didn't seem to give a shit.
Sigh! At least we had a shower after the trials of the chicken cage. The hotel brochure is a total work of fiction. There's no way these guys can make a living at this.
Next day, we decamp to the farmstay, where we wanted to stay and chill.
Its a real farm, right outside the front door, where lots of people stay, typically for the cave tours, but theres lots of local stuff to see, and you can take a moto for half a day around the area. Seems like a Brit & an Ausy are married to Vietnamese sisters, so thats how they can stay in the country. Its only been running 2 years and its always sold out
Its a really cool place. A lovely "vibe" about the atmosphere, and the best pool in Vietnam so far. I could stay here for a few days.... But we don't. Instead, we book up the cave hike (NOT for the feint of heart, either physically, or economically - don't ask!, but whats a dad to do?) a pick up in the morning , and a night train to Hanoi.
There also a slide show that night about all the local caves, given by the Brit who's been exploring them almost since the end of the war back in the 70's, so we hang around to watch, then all moto bike back to our place. The aircon has been fixed, and the manager (another Ausy married to a Vietnamese lady) who offers me a beer "because I deserve it". Hmmm. We chat and it's obvious the electrics are crap, and he does'y have a clue. Theres less power than you would need for a small house. Obviously some poor bugger is missing out on aircon if we have it. I meet the owner and tell her we are leaving tomorrow.....
In the morning, no car, but bikes arrive, can you believe this?.
They are obviously adept at having a passenger plus a 20KG bag on the
bike. We make it, somehow, and settle in for breakfast.
So we leave Ilge to the pool and her books, and head off to the main event: Phong Nha cave system. Theres a 529 step hike up the mountain, then a 300+ step down into the cave before we get to the tourist walkway part. It's much cooler inside, but soooo humid. This first 1Km of cave has a wet well laid wooden walkway above the cave floor. After the "tourist" part, the guide opens a gate and we descend to the cave floor, turn on our caving lights and leave the day bums behind.
There's 4 of us paying guests, 2 guides. We enter something like a
Moria landscape and head off into the depths. We see amazing huge
underground caverns as big as a football field, sparkling quartz
detritus of a few thousand/ million years of water coursing, and
amazingly, 3Km in, marker sticks that are growing with green leaves. A
few blind fish, spiders and a bug or two here and there. Your neck
begins to ache looking up at the voids above. The trail takes us through
easy to difficult terrain. Lots of bending and sharp poiny and often
wet rocks. No helmets or specal caving gear here folks. At one stage we
all get into a very capsizable boat, lugged down for the tourists. Until
this year, everyone had to swim this 200 metre stretch. We expect to do
the same. These guys are cave guides, not Mr. CanoeHead......
I have my mountaineering walking stick, it does save me a few nasty slips and cuts, but by the time we finish, everyone ends up in the water and/ or on their arses. I fall twice and I think I break something in my hand. I finally realise that I am old and my knees are shot. The guides (and the other tourists) appear to hang around me and help me over difficult, and to my mind, easy obstacles. Lets face it, my mountaineering days are nearly over :)
It takes (apparently) nearly 4 hours to get the 7Km's inside to the
underground river and the collapsed roof - the surface is about 300 -
400 metres above us. We arrive at the perfect time for pix. The sun is
directly overhead.
Lunch (so thats what the second guide was carrying). We did not realise it, but we were hungry. The underground river is clean and after jumping in, very refreshing. I distinguish myself by falling in the river on the way out. Both the camera and my phone in various pockets, end up damp, but appear to withstand the immersion.
The better pix aren't mine by the way....., they are from the Italian guy who has everything in his waterproof (smart!) camera box, and has a tripod for the non light.
Out of the cave by 5:00 and back to the farmstay, we shower (gasp, we were even more disgusting than usual!), order dinner (stuffed squid for me, but then I always was more adventurous than the others......)
It turns into a bit of a rush as we are back at 5:45PM, and the taxi for the train goes at 6:30, hopefully with everything that belongs to us (it did), for the SE4 at 8:10. We arrive in time, get our tickets from our taxi driver, board, and settle in for the 522Kms that should take 9 hours, but takes nearly 10. We sleep. more or less
The concept is to get to Hanoi in time to catch the day train to Sa Pa. It's nearly an hour late arriving in Hanoi, but, with some help from an obnoxious tout and a $1.50 fee to him later, we get our tickets and make it, with 5 minutes to spare. Gasp! We did it
Smart phones to the fore, just out of Hanoi, Kayla & I check out hotels in Sa Pa as we travel North West toward the Chinese border. Once again, using text and voice until the batteries run out (thats 2 phones and the lap top as a battery booster), we just get our hotel and lift booked...... we think.
Yep, at 5:00PM, (its only 290Km, but takes 11 hours, but we did get the air con seats this time), we head to the station door, and theres a sign with "KAYLA" on it. Home free mate!
Its a 40 minute, fantastically scenic taxi ride into the mountains, and we arrive to be greeted by Dong, easily the most organised and capable hotel manager we've met so far, and that's saying a bunch! We move in.We are totally gobsmacked by the view from the patio. It's still light so we G&T in traditional style, and dine in, really good grub too.
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| Hue Train Station. Midday There's only local trains at this time That means no air conditioning |
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| Did I say it was sooooooo HOTTT!? |
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| I've booked a farmstay because I screwed up booking the perfect place Kayla kept telling me to book. It looks great but it was actually dismal. We only lasted 2 nights here |
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| Hey! It's all protein, and in this case, they don't even need to pay for them |
So, we opt to take the train again and book rail tickets to Dong Hoi at the hotel. I asked for air con, but I blew it as the time we wanted to go was just a locals, non air con train. How to explain how badly I'd blown it? We boarded about 12:10, middle of the day. It was so hot, that when Kayla & I sat close to each other, we could not bear to touch each other, it was so hot, that the wooden seats became too hot to touch! As you can see, the windows are open, but its a bit like being in a chicken cage. Soooooo unbelievably hot and sweaty, and some folks take the train for 2+ days...... As you may see, a lot of time is spent lying on the floor. What a story, not one I will ever want to repeat.
It wasn't only the train I'd blown. I kept holding back on booking the Phong Nha farmstay to the point they were full when Kayla tried to book.... Mea Culpa! or what? So we find the Phong Nha Lake House which has a pretty good view, good food, adequate G&T's, lots of potential, broken air conditioning and terrible management.
God! It was the hottest night we'd had so far (37C), and either the helpful staff could not fix it, and/ or the managers didn't seem to give a shit.
Sigh! At least we had a shower after the trials of the chicken cage. The hotel brochure is a total work of fiction. There's no way these guys can make a living at this.
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| The perfect place I should have booked. Oh well |
Its a real farm, right outside the front door, where lots of people stay, typically for the cave tours, but theres lots of local stuff to see, and you can take a moto for half a day around the area. Seems like a Brit & an Ausy are married to Vietnamese sisters, so thats how they can stay in the country. Its only been running 2 years and its always sold out
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| The local bike mafia arrive and after arguing and haggling somehow, take all of us and our luggage on their bikes |
Its a really cool place. A lovely "vibe" about the atmosphere, and the best pool in Vietnam so far. I could stay here for a few days.... But we don't. Instead, we book up the cave hike (NOT for the feint of heart, either physically, or economically - don't ask!, but whats a dad to do?) a pick up in the morning , and a night train to Hanoi.
There also a slide show that night about all the local caves, given by the Brit who's been exploring them almost since the end of the war back in the 70's, so we hang around to watch, then all moto bike back to our place. The aircon has been fixed, and the manager (another Ausy married to a Vietnamese lady) who offers me a beer "because I deserve it". Hmmm. We chat and it's obvious the electrics are crap, and he does'y have a clue. Theres less power than you would need for a small house. Obviously some poor bugger is missing out on aircon if we have it. I meet the owner and tell her we are leaving tomorrow.....
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| A real farm, which makes sense as it's a farmstay |
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| My kind of farmstay |
So we leave Ilge to the pool and her books, and head off to the main event: Phong Nha cave system. Theres a 529 step hike up the mountain, then a 300+ step down into the cave before we get to the tourist walkway part. It's much cooler inside, but soooo humid. This first 1Km of cave has a wet well laid wooden walkway above the cave floor. After the "tourist" part, the guide opens a gate and we descend to the cave floor, turn on our caving lights and leave the day bums behind.
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| Kayla wanted to go caving. Apparently the local ones are some of the biggest in the world |
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| It was outrageously expensive, but, HEY! I'm a parent What to do? |
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| It was pretty unique and very exclusive |
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| Surprisingly humid down there |
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| Surprisingly tough going through these caverns |
I have my mountaineering walking stick, it does save me a few nasty slips and cuts, but by the time we finish, everyone ends up in the water and/ or on their arses. I fall twice and I think I break something in my hand. I finally realise that I am old and my knees are shot. The guides (and the other tourists) appear to hang around me and help me over difficult, and to my mind, easy obstacles. Lets face it, my mountaineering days are nearly over :)
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| Just make sure you wash your hands before you eat your lunch |
Lunch (so thats what the second guide was carrying). We did not realise it, but we were hungry. The underground river is clean and after jumping in, very refreshing. I distinguish myself by falling in the river on the way out. Both the camera and my phone in various pockets, end up damp, but appear to withstand the immersion.
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| The entrance is lit, but thats it |
The better pix aren't mine by the way....., they are from the Italian guy who has everything in his waterproof (smart!) camera box, and has a tripod for the non light.
Out of the cave by 5:00 and back to the farmstay, we shower (gasp, we were even more disgusting than usual!), order dinner (stuffed squid for me, but then I always was more adventurous than the others......)
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| One other tourist was a photographer with a mission He played around with lights and exposures for about 20 minutes, with quite good results |
It turns into a bit of a rush as we are back at 5:45PM, and the taxi for the train goes at 6:30, hopefully with everything that belongs to us (it did), for the SE4 at 8:10. We arrive in time, get our tickets from our taxi driver, board, and settle in for the 522Kms that should take 9 hours, but takes nearly 10. We sleep. more or less
The concept is to get to Hanoi in time to catch the day train to Sa Pa. It's nearly an hour late arriving in Hanoi, but, with some help from an obnoxious tout and a $1.50 fee to him later, we get our tickets and make it, with 5 minutes to spare. Gasp! We did it
Smart phones to the fore, just out of Hanoi, Kayla & I check out hotels in Sa Pa as we travel North West toward the Chinese border. Once again, using text and voice until the batteries run out (thats 2 phones and the lap top as a battery booster), we just get our hotel and lift booked...... we think.
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| Post spelunking beers for all |
Yep, at 5:00PM, (its only 290Km, but takes 11 hours, but we did get the air con seats this time), we head to the station door, and theres a sign with "KAYLA" on it. Home free mate!
Its a 40 minute, fantastically scenic taxi ride into the mountains, and we arrive to be greeted by Dong, easily the most organised and capable hotel manager we've met so far, and that's saying a bunch! We move in.We are totally gobsmacked by the view from the patio. It's still light so we G&T in traditional style, and dine in, really good grub too.
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| A lot happened between our farmstay and Sa Pa But we arrived totally delighted |
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| Abject luxury, fantastic hotel and incredible manager |
We realise we could stay here for weeks.
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| The H'Mong are incredible linguists |
We are hounded by the local H'mong sales ladies on the way there, and back too..... There's no escape.
As luck would have it, we are here on the weekend. Its the H'Mong market in Bac Ha on Sundays. Its a long drive, but worth it.
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| Kayla and I take a hike It's surprisingly bland |
We get a few bits for Christmas etc (watch this space), and I load up with a half litre of the local rice wine for $1.00. Its good stuff!
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| Not only are there few tourists in Sa Pa, there's none on our hike |
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| But a whole slew of local traders to run the gauntlet on the way back to the hotel |
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| We seemed to be the only folks in town who were up for tourist stuff |
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| And Kayla is not the tallest person in town |
Not to be cowed by the local traffic, we hire motos next day, our
last here ($5.00 /day, the fuel is more expensive! Once again, I'm
ripped off), and travel, finally motorised, and independently around the
area. One more of Kayla must wannados ticked off.
We trek around and enjoy the cooler temperatures as we head up the pass. Then down. Unfortunately, it's getting late, and as we are leaving this night (we've booked a night train to Hanoi for the Ha Long
Bay
tour next AM), so we get back and pack in a frenzy to be out by 12.
Then, having stacked our bags in the hotel lobby, we all moto the other
side of Sa Pai into the other (Dragon) mountains. Except for the
peasants working the fields, we have all the paddy fields and views to
ourselves. The sense of having the place to ourselves is just wonderful
Dung has us all set for our taxi to the train, and we say our fond goodbyes.
I get lumbered with a shit bed with almost no room between the bed and the ceiling, thankfully, Kayla offers to change with me. We arrive Hanoi early, 4:30AM and taxi to our pick up ride rendezvous hotel. On the way, we see huge numbers of Hanoi residents out in the early morning dark, by the lake doing Tai Chi, this is before 5:00AM mind you. It's quite a sight, and I imagine seeing this in Toronto or London (HAH!)
We wait it out in the hotel lobby until breakfast, then at 8:30, the
pick up arrives and we depart for the long drive to the boat tour.This
driver was in a hurry, and we were treated to some of the most
amazingly bad driving we have endured so far. It was really funny how he
just missed piles of other vehicles, several on the wrong side of a
divided highway....
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| Sunday, and there's a market about an hour away We hire a guide and head out. It's still a real local market I ditch the guide after about 20 minutes. Far too much come here, do this, see that I still pay her, but she's pretty pissed off in a Vietnamese kind of controling way |
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| We actually bought lots of stuff here |
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| Really was a local market |
We trek around and enjoy the cooler temperatures as we head up the pass. Then down. Unfortunately, it's getting late, and as we are leaving this night (we've booked a night train to Hanoi for the Ha Long
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| I think that we were the only Europeans It was again, pretty exclusive in a local kind of way |
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| Obviously a local exchange and see your neighbours event |
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| I realised that I hate motor bikes |
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| Monday and we're off to Ha Long Bay, but first a scoot around the locale |
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| But we did go on some startling rides |
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| And did an extensive tour of the local hills and paddies |
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| Hells Family? Maybe not quite |
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| Certainly no other travellers or even vehicles about |
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| I nearly ripped the missus knee off on a post prematurely before the orthopaedic surgeon got to it |
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| I have never met a culture like the Vietnamese Everyone works tirelessly and fights for everything |
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| We have taken the overnight train back to Hanoi Dropped our bags at the hotel we are staying at on our return |
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| And headed out to Ha Long Bay |
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| It's quite a stunning event |
I get lumbered with a shit bed with almost no room between the bed and the ceiling, thankfully, Kayla offers to change with me. We arrive Hanoi early, 4:30AM and taxi to our pick up ride rendezvous hotel. On the way, we see huge numbers of Hanoi residents out in the early morning dark, by the lake doing Tai Chi, this is before 5:00AM mind you. It's quite a sight, and I imagine seeing this in Toronto or London (HAH!)
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| Actually a stunning area |
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| And there's a pile of tourist crap tro be impressed with here |
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| And then it's back to our hotel (it was lovely) in Hanoi for our final wind down |
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| Hanoi is actually a lovely place |
We head back to the harbour early, the other tourists, having to depart at 10:30 have "lunch" at 10:00AM..... well, most of them are off back to Paris, so they may need the fill up. we don't and end up with nothing except the cold lunch cooked with the others for 10:00 lunch, and the tip box... fat chance folks.....
Hanoi..... I like it, looser and more earthy than Saigon. People are definitely friendlier here too.
Lots of old "stuff", including ramshackle streets, full of character. The rains are finally here, so initially we flit from coffee shop to cafe, to smoothies (not as good as HCMC :( ), and the fact that we leave in 3 days, reality bites in. We will be sad to leave this place.
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| Real silk, real Dollars Everyone was happy to exchange Our swag needed a small hockey bag |
Just across from our hotel which is in a gloriously run down part of the old French quarter, is a wonderful locals restaurant, and the food is just fantastic. I know, boring! As it's our last few days, we start to shop. Hmmm, Snake & Scorpion wine anyone?, a must have?.......
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| I've kept a few hundred US$ in my safe for exactly this place. Silk Street |
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| Culture, Vietnamese style The theatre seats are designed for tiny locals, not big fat westerners |
Evening, and yet more culture "traditional" Catru music concert.
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| Kayla tries her hand(s) at the local percussion section |
It was really pretty bad, but you have to give these folks the benefit of the doubt. Apparently there are only two ancient (in their 90's) folks who still have this tradition, and they are trying to revive it. Kayla wants to forget it, thats for sure.
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| Hanoi has the wonderful lake, right in the middle of the town It's a magnet for exercise, marches, joggers |
Our last full day here, and I struggle to get up early to marvel at the locals out exercising around the central lake. We don't make it, getting to the lake around 7. Just about everyone has left.
We stroll around the lake. Even now its really humid, quite damp and sticky.
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| Gateway (bridge actually) to Chua Tuan Quoc Just another buddhist monastery |
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| Yep, black teeth were all the rage some time back |
Hanoi is our last stop before "civilisation", we leave, 10:30 next day, so its time to consider shopping, and more importantly, Dog Kebabs. Apparently, this time of the month is an "auspicious" time to munch the domestic canines, so its off to the local dog market (yes! really), for a doggie bag (Ha Ha!). The hotel manage was kind enough to write the Vietnamese text for what we should look for...... ("That Cho" for those of you in the need, AND in Vietnam), so we did our due dilligence homework. Rats! No dogs here, (none that we recognise anyway. Can you see one in this lot?)
No luck. As we have no spare luggage capacity, we content ourselves just to get a hockey, not doggie bag, and wait to look longingly at muts back home in Toronto.....
Next stop, well, a final wander around the lake, to the "Vietnamese Womens museum" where we are regailed with the pixs of exciting exploits of comrade this and comrade that of their ability to maim and kill American....
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| As Vietnam was a French colony (who said Dien Ben Phu?) the cafe's have a definite French flair like coffee and croissants |
Our final "must do": Quoc tu Giam: The Temple of Literature, the first university I've heard of, first built and running in 1070. The universally recognised "first" university, Bologna started in 1088. Hmmm, Although Al-Karaouine was founded in 859. OK..... from there, its just a $2.00 taxi ride to the Silk street (Hang Bong), where I I am party to my final Vietnam rip off ($1.20 this time!), and we proceed to spend most of the rest of the $US cash we still have. Upon packing that night, The silks and bits we bought, just fits into our hockey bag (we bought a LOT!)
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| Lao Bac Giac, or loosely translated The ancient Temple of Literature These ancients were a very civilised lot you know |
GOD!!!! but it's expensive here. After SE Asia, this is outrageous. And the island, it's like a pumped up New York, on a shopping spree, on steroids. Apart from the incredible skyline and the Peak, we can't get on with the place. If I were 20 something, I'd love it! I'm not, and I don't.
An then it's off to the airport and back to our starting point, Hong Kong, this time with Kayls heading home too
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| Hong Kong skyline at night It's easy to hate Hong Kong |
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| Breakfast (included) at our "cheap" hotel |
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| A veritable paeon to consumerism |
Vladimir Ashkenazy is in town the night we arrive, so we take in the local concert that night. We get half price Seniors rate. Strauss (not my favourite) and Sibelius. It was fun. I think the TSO could have done it better, but Hey!
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| Just about the first thing we do is but a 2 day tourist bus pass. |
First impressions: Hong Kong is so dense, and so controlled we can't even get across some of the streets to parks on the other side. We go shopping, but really don't need these kind of Super Upmaket things. I get ripped off in the fruit market of all places......... God! One great thing about the place is the public transport. Its GREAT! Buses are typically $1.00 or less per trip. Just for comparison, we take the subway for a few stops. TTC! What a no hoper. Here its clean, efficient, pleasant even
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| It allows you access to a lot of the island, and it was about the only way I could navigate the city |
Eventually we decide to take the Big Red Bus tour, memorable more for its hum drum commentary of the glorification of sky scrapers and property values than local scenery. That seems to be all Hong Kong is about. Money, lots of it. Lunch in Stanley, a pleasant enough place, but full of tourist dives, somehow, I pay nearly $20.00 for one plate of above average Chinese food......
The tour also includes a sampan tour of Aberdeen harbour. (Yawn, oh dear, time to leave yet?). On our way back to Central, we pass our hotel, and the terraced cemetery. In that order.....
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| Lots of stiffs. Burial plots on the way into downtown |
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| On "The Avenue of Stars" Cheapest meal in Hong Kong: pressed dried squid Actually, I found it delicious |
Kayla & I hike the movie greats trail. I recognise 2 names. Starbucks, and back, via the shredded squid stand (Hey, it's tasty!). Bed, ready for our final day on the Big Bus tomorrow.
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| All part of the fare The boat trip pretty much identified and defined Hong Kong for me Endless details about the price of buildings, the increase in the price of buildings, who paid for the buildings... That was about it |
I'm ready to leave now....
So, time for the Victoria Harbour tour. Once again, a litany of land prices and square footage values. Zzzzzzzz!
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| The giant duck is how Hong Kongers piss off the mainland Communist party. I worked, but not fore ever |
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| At the top, it's just about spending money Nowhere to sit, just buy stuff Welcome to Hong Kong |
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| The "major" landmark "The Peak" Pretty snappy name eh? |
Hmm, ok, move on to "do" the Peak, once again, via the bus tour. Lovely except for the endless supermarkets and shops.... Hmmmm, get the theme here? Coffee, a walk around the stores, head back to Central for the final night bus tour and we're done.
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| The night tourist bus. Part of the all inclusive 2 day ticket I'm glad that I've taken it, even if it's only because I'll never have to do it again |
The structure of Hong Kong airport transit is amazing. We check our bags in right in the city centre, 30Km from the airport, (up to 90 minutes before your flight), pay $HK100 (about $15) each for the train shuttle. We have our boarding passes, all we need to do is travel (its very well organised) to the airport, find our gate, and board. We are almost quite rushed its so efficient.
And so, we depart, it ends.
We are back in Toronto whether we want to be or not.
Hmmmm, where shall we go next?
to be continued (Sorry about that!)
Happy times folks
THE END
From Your correspondent