....how can a country survive without diluting juice? In Canada there is no Ribena, no Robinson's and worst of all no Vimto!!! Instead the supermarkets stock aisle after aisle of fresh and frozen juice!! It's just not as refreshing as good old Robinsons!!
Despite this recent refreshment trauma, life in Vancouver has improved ten fold! A lot has changed since my last rather dreary blog - we've moved into a lush apartment in the heart of the west end with a seaview and swimming pool; the sun has been shining most days and even more noteworthy I've finally got a job!! Hurray!! With a bit more money to add to the pot we have finally started to relax and enjoy ourselves!
I've managed to secure a maternity cover contract as a Marketing Specialist at a leading graphic printing firm. I began the role this week and it's already proving to be fab experience as it's a really meaty position with a lot of graphic design input. plus profit sharing bonuses which ain't half bad ;)
Now spring is well and truly underway and the ice hockey playoff's have started the city has gone through a complete transformation. It has so much more character! The flowers are in bloom, the beaches are packed and the city is finally bussling! It's great to see everyone come out of hiding and I now understand why everyone continued to say we'll love the city in summer! Despite our reservations last month I can now say that I do love the city (with just a few 'buts'). ...( But it's still fairly quiet by normal city standards ...but it's still not quite as exciting as some cities I've been to). I do love it on a sunny day though when everyone hangs out on the sea wall or Granville island. It's hard not to smile when you're sounded by beaches. We've even found some cool bars and have become regulars in a few nearby haunts.
My aim for this week was to make at least one friend in the city! Hmmm I'm not quite there: everyone at work is lovely (not sure I can say friends not just acquaintances yet), everyone at volleyball is lovely (once again not sure they class as friends yet)... I even went along to gay
volleyball to try and make some more friends but I was the only girl in the entire room so I was worried it wasn't open to women. The boys
welcomed me with open arms and I had a great time but again it's too soon to class those guys as friends either!! So I'll try and wear
someone down this week till they give me their number ;). We do both have social interactions every day though as canadians are sooo
friendly! If you're in the lift with someone - they talk to you, at the bus stop - they talk to you, doing laundry - they talk to you. Anywhere and
everywhere - they talk to you! The guy next door even told us to knock on his door if we're ever bored so it really must be the easiest place
in the world to socialise. If you spoke to someone on the bus at home they'd probably think you were deranged and move away from you!! Here they're even polite when the crack heads talk to them!
So we'll certainly make the most of all the city has to offer this year. Even as I write this blog there is a live concert taking place right outside
our apartment and the Vancouver annual 'sun run' is passing by! So here's to not having any more dull moments!! Now I just need someone to bring me a suitcase full of double concentrated Robinsons orange squash!!
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Sunshine
I take back most of the things I said yesterday. I've just been to my first volleyball session and everyone was absolutely lovely, so friendly. I've not had so much fun for ages!! It's a beautiful sunny day for the first time too so my view from the court was the harbour and amazing mountains!! it's incredible :)
Friday, 16 March 2012
Vancouver
It's hard to believe that just four weeks ago we were sat on the beach in the tropical island of Koh Phangan when we are now deep in the throes of winter in downtown Vancouver. I'm trying to cast my mind back to remember just what it felt like to wake up to glorious sunshine everyday when all I have seen out the window for days on end is rain, rain and yet more rain!!
Yes you guessed it the weather in Vancouver really is worse than Manchester: so far it's been grayer, wetter, colder, windier and more changeable than you would ever see during 'supposed' spring at home ....and it's somewhat of a shock to the system after Asia.
We have been here for just two weeks now so I'm guessing it will take a little while longer to climatise, even the Canadians seem to find it hard going, but so far we have been able to see the mountains on just a handful of occasions. It's a real shame as the mountains are incredible but on the positive side I do find that I finish the day with a very healthy glow after being pelted with water from all directions!!
Everyone keeps telling me that summer makes it all worthwhile........hmm we'll see!
Unfortunately we have both been a little underwhelmed by the City, the weather probably hasn't helped, but after the adventure of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia the whole place just feels a little sedate....(i might even say 'dull'). Yes the mountains and coastline are beautiful, the people are incredibly friendly and the city itself is impressive but I expected to arrive here and completely fall in love with the place....unfortunately so far I haven't.
Don't get me wrong I like it and it's exciting to be somewhere else new but if I were to compare it to the great cities of Europe: Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, London.....it just feels a little quiet and soulless. I have every confidence that this will change in summer, especially when we can make use of the beach and mountains. Plus we have been a little spoilt as I found Manchester pretty dull after experiencing Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon. I miss the streetlife and buzz of those places and I could absolutely move to Bangkok tomorrow! I loved it! I guess this just feels a little too similar to home.
We are staying in the most alternative area outside downtown called Commercial Drive, it's full of quirky cafes, bars and shops and it really reminds me of Chorlton, particularly as almost everyone is either a hippy or gay. There are a lot of Italians and homeless people here too so it's an interesting mix! But this is as alternative as it gets as downtown is mostly full of non-descript sport's bars and Starbucks' branches.
I may not have sold the city to you yet and it's about to get slightly worse before it gets better as I have to mention Downtown Eastside - a district which is absolutely teeming with crack addicts!!
I always imagined Vancouver would be full of clean living, sports crazy Canadians...I was wrong as this side of town has an astounding number of down and outs and drug addicts. I have never in my life seen anything like it. We rather foolishly walked into town along East Hastings street on our second day in town and soon found out that this is a no go area....it is full of people on crystal meth, heroin and god knows what else walking around like zombies, often with mental health issues. It's not that they would do anything to you, we walked by without any problems, but it is just really disturbing as there are literally hundreds of them and often they have kids in toe! It's like a scene from 'The Wire' ...we never saw anything like this in Asia and of course we made a hasty exit!
This made it clear why we had already seen so many homeless people hanging about downtown too! Apparently they tried to tidy up this area of the city during the winter games by opening hostels outside of town and closing the mental health units....!! I guess it's not great for tourism but these people seem to have been abandoned by the Government! Surely there is some kind of solution?! Unfortunately it was our first impression of Vancouver!
Of course the rest of downtown is very clean, leafy and modern. Packed with skyscrapers, beautiful harbours, amazing mountain scenery and endless beaches. The West End, which is surrounded by coastline and one of the largest Urban Parks in N America (Stanley Park) is really lovely. This is where we are moving to in April. We have signed a 6 month lease on a flat on 'Beach Avenue' so we will wake up to a fabulous view of the water each morning. Once there I'm sure we will begin to get to know the city a lot better, especially with summer on the way, and make some friends.
Our first two weeks here have been far too hectic to do any real sight-seeing or go out and meet people so that will become our focus over the coming months. Since arriving we have been on a manic mission to get work. This is an extremely expensive city so anytime out of work is not really wise. We spent the first week running around the agencies registering for temp positions and completing lots of online testing and the second week beginning our first batch of work.
This week we have been working at a Pathologist event at the Vancouver Convention Centre. It might sound kind of glamourous but I feel like I am working in a sweat shop as we were given just one day to pack 4,000 goody bags!! I could barely walk when we finished the 8 hour shift last night and they had to call us in today to do another batch. It's well paid though at 14 dollars an hour and pretty sociable as we met a group of fellow travellers and some local guys. Two days of bag stuffing is enough for me though as it is brain numbing and I was feeling pretty home sick yesterday just thinking why did I leave a job I loved for this crap!
But you can't keep me down for long as next week I am on to something new - I'm working as a multimedia assistant at the same event and then a market researcher for some extra cash...that job in particular pays really well (given the lack of work involved) at 18 dollars an hour so at least I'll come home with lots of cash!! I have been put forward for a marketing coordinator job too which would be fab as it's loads more money and at least something I want to do. It's easier to hammer the applications for proper marketing jobs now that I have temp work to keep me going.
The busy schedule is probably another reason we haven't really warmed to the city yet! That and the fact we need to make some friends. Canadian's are really 'nice', they stop you in the street and talk to you and in shops and cafes, but whether or not they are always 'genuine' i'm not so sure....more often than not I detect a hint of insincerity. I'll find out properly next week when I sign up for the local volleyball club and get involved with more socialising. I do miss how blunt Brits are and the fact we are completely miserable and grumpy sometimes too....everyone is always smiling here...I guess it's not such a bad thing!
I must finish on a positive as now the sun has come out briefly and a band has set up on the street over the road so already I'm itching to go and explore the city more. In the meantime I best get back to the job search so that we can afford all the socialising we're about to do!!
Miss you guys at home x
Yes you guessed it the weather in Vancouver really is worse than Manchester: so far it's been grayer, wetter, colder, windier and more changeable than you would ever see during 'supposed' spring at home ....and it's somewhat of a shock to the system after Asia.
We have been here for just two weeks now so I'm guessing it will take a little while longer to climatise, even the Canadians seem to find it hard going, but so far we have been able to see the mountains on just a handful of occasions. It's a real shame as the mountains are incredible but on the positive side I do find that I finish the day with a very healthy glow after being pelted with water from all directions!!
Everyone keeps telling me that summer makes it all worthwhile........hmm we'll see!
Unfortunately we have both been a little underwhelmed by the City, the weather probably hasn't helped, but after the adventure of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia the whole place just feels a little sedate....(i might even say 'dull'). Yes the mountains and coastline are beautiful, the people are incredibly friendly and the city itself is impressive but I expected to arrive here and completely fall in love with the place....unfortunately so far I haven't.
Don't get me wrong I like it and it's exciting to be somewhere else new but if I were to compare it to the great cities of Europe: Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, London.....it just feels a little quiet and soulless. I have every confidence that this will change in summer, especially when we can make use of the beach and mountains. Plus we have been a little spoilt as I found Manchester pretty dull after experiencing Bangkok, Hanoi and Saigon. I miss the streetlife and buzz of those places and I could absolutely move to Bangkok tomorrow! I loved it! I guess this just feels a little too similar to home.
We are staying in the most alternative area outside downtown called Commercial Drive, it's full of quirky cafes, bars and shops and it really reminds me of Chorlton, particularly as almost everyone is either a hippy or gay. There are a lot of Italians and homeless people here too so it's an interesting mix! But this is as alternative as it gets as downtown is mostly full of non-descript sport's bars and Starbucks' branches.
I may not have sold the city to you yet and it's about to get slightly worse before it gets better as I have to mention Downtown Eastside - a district which is absolutely teeming with crack addicts!!
I always imagined Vancouver would be full of clean living, sports crazy Canadians...I was wrong as this side of town has an astounding number of down and outs and drug addicts. I have never in my life seen anything like it. We rather foolishly walked into town along East Hastings street on our second day in town and soon found out that this is a no go area....it is full of people on crystal meth, heroin and god knows what else walking around like zombies, often with mental health issues. It's not that they would do anything to you, we walked by without any problems, but it is just really disturbing as there are literally hundreds of them and often they have kids in toe! It's like a scene from 'The Wire' ...we never saw anything like this in Asia and of course we made a hasty exit!
This made it clear why we had already seen so many homeless people hanging about downtown too! Apparently they tried to tidy up this area of the city during the winter games by opening hostels outside of town and closing the mental health units....!! I guess it's not great for tourism but these people seem to have been abandoned by the Government! Surely there is some kind of solution?! Unfortunately it was our first impression of Vancouver!
Of course the rest of downtown is very clean, leafy and modern. Packed with skyscrapers, beautiful harbours, amazing mountain scenery and endless beaches. The West End, which is surrounded by coastline and one of the largest Urban Parks in N America (Stanley Park) is really lovely. This is where we are moving to in April. We have signed a 6 month lease on a flat on 'Beach Avenue' so we will wake up to a fabulous view of the water each morning. Once there I'm sure we will begin to get to know the city a lot better, especially with summer on the way, and make some friends.
Our first two weeks here have been far too hectic to do any real sight-seeing or go out and meet people so that will become our focus over the coming months. Since arriving we have been on a manic mission to get work. This is an extremely expensive city so anytime out of work is not really wise. We spent the first week running around the agencies registering for temp positions and completing lots of online testing and the second week beginning our first batch of work.
This week we have been working at a Pathologist event at the Vancouver Convention Centre. It might sound kind of glamourous but I feel like I am working in a sweat shop as we were given just one day to pack 4,000 goody bags!! I could barely walk when we finished the 8 hour shift last night and they had to call us in today to do another batch. It's well paid though at 14 dollars an hour and pretty sociable as we met a group of fellow travellers and some local guys. Two days of bag stuffing is enough for me though as it is brain numbing and I was feeling pretty home sick yesterday just thinking why did I leave a job I loved for this crap!
But you can't keep me down for long as next week I am on to something new - I'm working as a multimedia assistant at the same event and then a market researcher for some extra cash...that job in particular pays really well (given the lack of work involved) at 18 dollars an hour so at least I'll come home with lots of cash!! I have been put forward for a marketing coordinator job too which would be fab as it's loads more money and at least something I want to do. It's easier to hammer the applications for proper marketing jobs now that I have temp work to keep me going.
The busy schedule is probably another reason we haven't really warmed to the city yet! That and the fact we need to make some friends. Canadian's are really 'nice', they stop you in the street and talk to you and in shops and cafes, but whether or not they are always 'genuine' i'm not so sure....more often than not I detect a hint of insincerity. I'll find out properly next week when I sign up for the local volleyball club and get involved with more socialising. I do miss how blunt Brits are and the fact we are completely miserable and grumpy sometimes too....everyone is always smiling here...I guess it's not such a bad thing!
I must finish on a positive as now the sun has come out briefly and a band has set up on the street over the road so already I'm itching to go and explore the city more. In the meantime I best get back to the job search so that we can afford all the socialising we're about to do!!
Miss you guys at home x
Friday, 10 February 2012
The final circuit before home!
Neither Nat nor I had any great desire to go to Langkawi, Malaysia, admittedly it was never in our travel plan however, our Thai visas were about to run out so it seemed the best place to spend a few days before being allowed to return to Thailand again.
Thankfully it far exceeded our expectations from the moment we arrived.
As soon as we stepped off the ferry it was apparent that this is the choice holiday resort for wealthy Malaysian's - you only need to catch sight of the spectacular villas to realise this! The streets are notably more up Market than in many of the places we have visited previously and the usual health and safety hazards that we have been confronted with - like holes in the ground / wild dogs roaming round - are few and far between. The other notable difference is the culture. We had come from a predominately Buddhist country with a very carefree attitude towards life/ relationships to a country where most people are Muslim. There are certainly no 'hostess' bars here for the western men to shamefully induldge in (far too many in Thailand)!! I was certainly quick to ensure i mentioned twin rooms too as being gay is illegal. It seemed such a big shift in attitude when compared to Thailand.
The vast majority of women wear either a Burkha or a head scarf here although unlike in many other Islamic countries it is entirely their choice if they wish to do so. Due to the intense heat in all those extra layers most people stay indoors until 6pm when suddenly the beach is absolutely jam packed until sun set. It was fascinating to watch the crowds of people, especially the women and children who jump into the sea fully clothed and go jet skiing in a burkha - I can't imagine it is particularly enjoyable given that the sea is like a bath tub and the men and young boys have all got their tops off having a good old time! Maybe i'm just ignorant!
During our stay we were occasionally on the receiving end of glares from men so I wouldn't personally like to
be one of the women who chose not to cover up. This is also the only place we have been to where men come up to you in bars and hassle you a lot - they seem to see western women as easy prey but clearly we sent them packing. I'm sure such repression cant be a good thing as we did hear the occasional horror story of men following single women to their beach hut at night and trying to break in. That said everyone was very friendly.
Langkawi is markedly more expensive than Thailand. On the same budget we could just about afford to stay in a basic beach front hut although, compared to many of the Thai islands, the scenery was incredible. We were right in the heart of a tropical garden with a white sandy beach a stones throw from our door. Being in such beautiful surroundings does have it's draw backs however as a rather large spider took up residency in our bathroom and several geckos crept into the room at night (something you get used to here). We were so scared of the spider that I didn't shower for a few days and we even considered peeing in a bucket to avoid going near it! Thankfully I spotted it on the front step one morning and got the brush to coerce it away - this worked a treat and we never saw it again - meaning I could finally take the bandana off and have a shower!
Another creep then began to visit us every day - this time it wasn't of the insect variety but of the human kind. The same old man came to speak to us day after day and each time he asked the same questions. He was trying to get to Thailand and clearly didn't listen to a word we said when we gave him detailed information! We were hounded by him and he still went away non the wiser and pronouncing everything wrong. He was probably best off not following us anyway as ,as usual, the journey to and from Langkawi was a nightmare. You should now have the gist of how any journey goes here and this one was no different - if you ever want to experience what it's like to drive in the Grand Prix - come to Thailand; if you ever want to experience blatant racial discrimination and be shoved to the back of a bus behind all the locals even though you have been charged considerably more for the privilege - come to s e asia. It's always a joy! ...
...But now our last bus journey is complete and we are in our final stop before returning to Bangkok - Koh Phangan. Of all the islands in Thailand I thought this one would be the worst. It has a reputation for the full moon parties so we thought it was best avoided however as we'd spent so much elsewhere we decided to give this cheaper island a go and boy oh boy did we make the right decision :) Away from the party hard core scene in Haad Rin, the north west corner is the tropical paradise we have spent all month searching for. We're staying in Haad Salad which is anything but a package holiday resort. It has the perfect balance between development and local life. It is such a relaxing place to be and I absolutely love it here, i only wish we hadn't bothered with the other islands now as it is far superior!
From the hammock on our balcony we have the most beautiful view across the bay with the lush mountains surrounding us. Tonight I can watch the stars and the small camp fire on the beach below where just a few people gather.
So at the very end of our trip we have found that picture postcard image that we imagined when we decided to come to Thailand and it is certainly worth giving everything up and going away for!
Thankfully it far exceeded our expectations from the moment we arrived.
As soon as we stepped off the ferry it was apparent that this is the choice holiday resort for wealthy Malaysian's - you only need to catch sight of the spectacular villas to realise this! The streets are notably more up Market than in many of the places we have visited previously and the usual health and safety hazards that we have been confronted with - like holes in the ground / wild dogs roaming round - are few and far between. The other notable difference is the culture. We had come from a predominately Buddhist country with a very carefree attitude towards life/ relationships to a country where most people are Muslim. There are certainly no 'hostess' bars here for the western men to shamefully induldge in (far too many in Thailand)!! I was certainly quick to ensure i mentioned twin rooms too as being gay is illegal. It seemed such a big shift in attitude when compared to Thailand.
The vast majority of women wear either a Burkha or a head scarf here although unlike in many other Islamic countries it is entirely their choice if they wish to do so. Due to the intense heat in all those extra layers most people stay indoors until 6pm when suddenly the beach is absolutely jam packed until sun set. It was fascinating to watch the crowds of people, especially the women and children who jump into the sea fully clothed and go jet skiing in a burkha - I can't imagine it is particularly enjoyable given that the sea is like a bath tub and the men and young boys have all got their tops off having a good old time! Maybe i'm just ignorant!
During our stay we were occasionally on the receiving end of glares from men so I wouldn't personally like to
be one of the women who chose not to cover up. This is also the only place we have been to where men come up to you in bars and hassle you a lot - they seem to see western women as easy prey but clearly we sent them packing. I'm sure such repression cant be a good thing as we did hear the occasional horror story of men following single women to their beach hut at night and trying to break in. That said everyone was very friendly.
Langkawi is markedly more expensive than Thailand. On the same budget we could just about afford to stay in a basic beach front hut although, compared to many of the Thai islands, the scenery was incredible. We were right in the heart of a tropical garden with a white sandy beach a stones throw from our door. Being in such beautiful surroundings does have it's draw backs however as a rather large spider took up residency in our bathroom and several geckos crept into the room at night (something you get used to here). We were so scared of the spider that I didn't shower for a few days and we even considered peeing in a bucket to avoid going near it! Thankfully I spotted it on the front step one morning and got the brush to coerce it away - this worked a treat and we never saw it again - meaning I could finally take the bandana off and have a shower!
Another creep then began to visit us every day - this time it wasn't of the insect variety but of the human kind. The same old man came to speak to us day after day and each time he asked the same questions. He was trying to get to Thailand and clearly didn't listen to a word we said when we gave him detailed information! We were hounded by him and he still went away non the wiser and pronouncing everything wrong. He was probably best off not following us anyway as ,as usual, the journey to and from Langkawi was a nightmare. You should now have the gist of how any journey goes here and this one was no different - if you ever want to experience what it's like to drive in the Grand Prix - come to Thailand; if you ever want to experience blatant racial discrimination and be shoved to the back of a bus behind all the locals even though you have been charged considerably more for the privilege - come to s e asia. It's always a joy! ...
...But now our last bus journey is complete and we are in our final stop before returning to Bangkok - Koh Phangan. Of all the islands in Thailand I thought this one would be the worst. It has a reputation for the full moon parties so we thought it was best avoided however as we'd spent so much elsewhere we decided to give this cheaper island a go and boy oh boy did we make the right decision :) Away from the party hard core scene in Haad Rin, the north west corner is the tropical paradise we have spent all month searching for. We're staying in Haad Salad which is anything but a package holiday resort. It has the perfect balance between development and local life. It is such a relaxing place to be and I absolutely love it here, i only wish we hadn't bothered with the other islands now as it is far superior!
From the hammock on our balcony we have the most beautiful view across the bay with the lush mountains surrounding us. Tonight I can watch the stars and the small camp fire on the beach below where just a few people gather.
So at the very end of our trip we have found that picture postcard image that we imagined when we decided to come to Thailand and it is certainly worth giving everything up and going away for!
Monday, 30 January 2012
Thai Island hopping
Since setting off on this adventure two months ago we havent really had that much time to relax.... (i'm sure you feel extremely sorry for us) so, rather than venturing further into Cambodia, we decided to spend the last month enjoying the sun, sea and sand of the Thai islands. Oh and the food of course!
We had our priorities straight upon returning to the land of smiles as we headed straight to the nearest cafe for some Pad Thai! It was really delicious after the rather bland food we had eaten elsewhere.
After a bite to eat we set off on the journey back to Bangkok to drop in for a night on Beth and Pete before heading down South.
This time we took the 3rd class passenger train which although very slow and unbearably hot was a welcome change from the local buses and actually quite enjoyable. There are so few tourists on this route so we were sat with all the locals. In their company you are reminded of just why Thailand has the nickname the 'land of smiles' .... one lady smiled at me the whole way and then shook my hand and then Nat's hand vigorously when we finally reached Bangkok, another boy smiled and sang Rihanna the entire way (tone death but entertaining) and others laughed at the Cambodian TShirt I was wearing (probably not a good move) although they did it in the nicest possible way, even the random people who jump on and off the train to sell food and drinks on route have a smile for you.....so as I looked out on the beautiful countryside and the lightening sparks in the sky from a distant thunder storm I thought there is nowhere else I would rather be right now!! ....until I was reminded of some of the not so pleasant local habits such as picking your nose and putting it on the floor, coughing and spitting everywhere... hmmmm travelling does have its drawbacks!
Arriving in Bangkok we were keen to book the train down to Surat hani for the next day, unfortunately our timing was lousy as it was not only the weekend but also Chinese new year so all the seats were completely booked up! An hour of discussion with various train station staff and we were eventually offered two tickets (which were double the price as they had been sold to the travel agent who then sold them back to us - argghhh very frustrating but it got us where we needed to go).
So it was a quick overnight stop in Bangkok where we managed to do all our laundry and hand over a bag of souvenirs for safe storage (thanks again Beth and Pete)and we were off on the road again.
The traffic is absolutely mental in Bangkok so what should be a short journey to the station ended up taking 1 and a half hours - thankfully we arrived 5 minutes before our train and we legged it to the platform and took our seats. This was foolish as we should have learnt our lesson by now that absolutely no transport leaves on time... an hour later we were off!
This time, with a lot more experience under our belt and the help of Chang beer we slept better - Nat passed out and I didn't see her again until the morning and I at least felt like I did sleep a fraction. We did have an argument with the staff about the beer though as they seemed far too keen to encourage westerners to buy another one. I was on to them and suspected the prices would be sky high and indeed they were, cheeky tactics!!
After yet another delay we finally arrived in Surat hani and took the ferry over to our first island stop: Koh Samui.
Koh Samui is renowned for being a party island with some chavtastic resorts so we opted for the trendy fishing village of Bo Phut. It attracts a more affluent crowd with more expensive accommodation but we managed to bag a special offer on the Samui Heritage Resort so had a fabulous luxury stay.
We really enjoyed Bo Phut. It has some nice reggae bars with deck chairs and beds right on the sea front so you can sit back in the evening and watch the waves with a beer in hand! Bliss!
It does seem difficult to escape the typical holiday style resorts on the islands and really see local life but at least in Bo Phut you still have some street food stalls and feel you are able to chat with the locals a little bit.
After 4 nights here we headed back to the mainland and over to Krabi Province (on a public bus - why we do this every time I dont know as it is the same price to take a tourist bus but as usual it was so entertaining and so behind schedule!!). We arrived in Krabi after dark so we had to take a taxi to Ao Nang (a coastal resort where all the people who cant afford Railay beach seem to go - that's us!!).
We hated Ao Nang, it was extremely touristy and despite its natural beauty I couldnt help but think of the similarities with Blackpool!! Plus we stayed in budget accommodation here so for the first time on our trip we were really going back to basics....well I say that but we still had a pool and I suppose the room was okish..we've been a bit spoilt on this trip and i've become a snob now it seems!
The guy running the hotel must have thought i was a looney as I screamed when a moth flew at me when we opened the door to our room and then I ran away from the flying cricket outside our room - i'm really not a fan of insects and I didnt sleep a wink!
On the positive side Ao Nang is a good base from which to visit Railay. We took the longtail boat round the coast and spent a day on Railay and Phra Nang Cave beach. I loved it there and it was well worth the time in Ao Nang to see it.
From here it was back on the bus/ferry to Koh Lanta. We opted for this island as it is supposedly less developed than the islands to the East of the mainland, however it still feels much like you are on a package holiday when you arrive here. I have to admit that I have been disappointed by just how much on the tourist trail Koh Lanta is, mostly it seems to be full of European families and I feel a bit like I may as well have gone to the costa del sol. Plus the people do not seem as friendly and laid back here as in the rest of Thailand and it has been raining for most of our stay.
I may just be on a downer as we have just been chased by 10 dogs (yes yet again) - we were walking in the pouring rain and tried to take a short cut when they all came chasing after us, i made the mistake of shouting run so they pounded after us even further. Thankfully when i shouted stop they stopped too and left us to walk off but I have seriously never been so scared in my life. I must react better if i come across any wild animals in Canada!
Although we were keen to get to the island we are now beginning to realise that we are more city folk at heart and we should have gone to Kuala Lumpa and back up through the islands. Not that I am complaining about having 3 weeks to relax and take it easy!!
From here we head to yet another new country for 4 nights: the island of Langkawi in Malaysia so we shall see what that part of the trip has in store for us!
We had our priorities straight upon returning to the land of smiles as we headed straight to the nearest cafe for some Pad Thai! It was really delicious after the rather bland food we had eaten elsewhere.
After a bite to eat we set off on the journey back to Bangkok to drop in for a night on Beth and Pete before heading down South.
This time we took the 3rd class passenger train which although very slow and unbearably hot was a welcome change from the local buses and actually quite enjoyable. There are so few tourists on this route so we were sat with all the locals. In their company you are reminded of just why Thailand has the nickname the 'land of smiles' .... one lady smiled at me the whole way and then shook my hand and then Nat's hand vigorously when we finally reached Bangkok, another boy smiled and sang Rihanna the entire way (tone death but entertaining) and others laughed at the Cambodian TShirt I was wearing (probably not a good move) although they did it in the nicest possible way, even the random people who jump on and off the train to sell food and drinks on route have a smile for you.....so as I looked out on the beautiful countryside and the lightening sparks in the sky from a distant thunder storm I thought there is nowhere else I would rather be right now!! ....until I was reminded of some of the not so pleasant local habits such as picking your nose and putting it on the floor, coughing and spitting everywhere... hmmmm travelling does have its drawbacks!
Arriving in Bangkok we were keen to book the train down to Surat hani for the next day, unfortunately our timing was lousy as it was not only the weekend but also Chinese new year so all the seats were completely booked up! An hour of discussion with various train station staff and we were eventually offered two tickets (which were double the price as they had been sold to the travel agent who then sold them back to us - argghhh very frustrating but it got us where we needed to go).
So it was a quick overnight stop in Bangkok where we managed to do all our laundry and hand over a bag of souvenirs for safe storage (thanks again Beth and Pete)and we were off on the road again.
The traffic is absolutely mental in Bangkok so what should be a short journey to the station ended up taking 1 and a half hours - thankfully we arrived 5 minutes before our train and we legged it to the platform and took our seats. This was foolish as we should have learnt our lesson by now that absolutely no transport leaves on time... an hour later we were off!
This time, with a lot more experience under our belt and the help of Chang beer we slept better - Nat passed out and I didn't see her again until the morning and I at least felt like I did sleep a fraction. We did have an argument with the staff about the beer though as they seemed far too keen to encourage westerners to buy another one. I was on to them and suspected the prices would be sky high and indeed they were, cheeky tactics!!
After yet another delay we finally arrived in Surat hani and took the ferry over to our first island stop: Koh Samui.
Koh Samui is renowned for being a party island with some chavtastic resorts so we opted for the trendy fishing village of Bo Phut. It attracts a more affluent crowd with more expensive accommodation but we managed to bag a special offer on the Samui Heritage Resort so had a fabulous luxury stay.
We really enjoyed Bo Phut. It has some nice reggae bars with deck chairs and beds right on the sea front so you can sit back in the evening and watch the waves with a beer in hand! Bliss!
It does seem difficult to escape the typical holiday style resorts on the islands and really see local life but at least in Bo Phut you still have some street food stalls and feel you are able to chat with the locals a little bit.
After 4 nights here we headed back to the mainland and over to Krabi Province (on a public bus - why we do this every time I dont know as it is the same price to take a tourist bus but as usual it was so entertaining and so behind schedule!!). We arrived in Krabi after dark so we had to take a taxi to Ao Nang (a coastal resort where all the people who cant afford Railay beach seem to go - that's us!!).
We hated Ao Nang, it was extremely touristy and despite its natural beauty I couldnt help but think of the similarities with Blackpool!! Plus we stayed in budget accommodation here so for the first time on our trip we were really going back to basics....well I say that but we still had a pool and I suppose the room was okish..we've been a bit spoilt on this trip and i've become a snob now it seems!
The guy running the hotel must have thought i was a looney as I screamed when a moth flew at me when we opened the door to our room and then I ran away from the flying cricket outside our room - i'm really not a fan of insects and I didnt sleep a wink!
On the positive side Ao Nang is a good base from which to visit Railay. We took the longtail boat round the coast and spent a day on Railay and Phra Nang Cave beach. I loved it there and it was well worth the time in Ao Nang to see it.
From here it was back on the bus/ferry to Koh Lanta. We opted for this island as it is supposedly less developed than the islands to the East of the mainland, however it still feels much like you are on a package holiday when you arrive here. I have to admit that I have been disappointed by just how much on the tourist trail Koh Lanta is, mostly it seems to be full of European families and I feel a bit like I may as well have gone to the costa del sol. Plus the people do not seem as friendly and laid back here as in the rest of Thailand and it has been raining for most of our stay.
I may just be on a downer as we have just been chased by 10 dogs (yes yet again) - we were walking in the pouring rain and tried to take a short cut when they all came chasing after us, i made the mistake of shouting run so they pounded after us even further. Thankfully when i shouted stop they stopped too and left us to walk off but I have seriously never been so scared in my life. I must react better if i come across any wild animals in Canada!
Although we were keen to get to the island we are now beginning to realise that we are more city folk at heart and we should have gone to Kuala Lumpa and back up through the islands. Not that I am complaining about having 3 weeks to relax and take it easy!!
From here we head to yet another new country for 4 nights: the island of Langkawi in Malaysia so we shall see what that part of the trip has in store for us!
Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
As we stepped off the bus in Siem Reap we were greeted by the usual hustlers - this time dozens of tuk tuk drivers offering us a 'free' ride to our hotel courtesy of our bus company! How nice!! So, we totally ignored them and found our own driver. (We later found out that the 'free' ride involves being taken to a guesthouse owned by the bus company, regardless of where you might actually be staying...)
According to the general theme of our trip, for Siem Reap we decided to stay a little way out of town. Obviously, no one knew where the place was so we drove round for an hour looking for it....When we arrived though, we knew we'd made the right choice. Villa Shanti is a lovely little place, away from the centre with only seven rooms and its own pool.
Siem Reap reminded me of Luang Prabang in many ways - almost an illusion created for tourists. That's not to say it's not a nice place - to the contrary. On the drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap the roads are barely paved, there is no street lighting and no electricity. People live in very basic huts and cook around an improvised fire.... Siem Reap is like another world.
The central part of the town has dozens of five star hotels, the roads are all very well paved and lit. There are beautiful, well tended gardens and more police than I've ever seen in one place anywhere else in SE Asia. The central street - imaginitively named 'pub street' seemed to us like any street you'd find in a tourist town on a package holiday in Europe. Almost all of the businesses are non-cambodian owned and at night police literally sit at either end to keep out the beggars. It was very nice though....
As we were staying out of town, we noticed that by the time we got to Villa Shanti the street lighting had stopped and so had the paved roads. There are signs all the way up the river that talk about how its been cleaned up.... closer to our end of town, adjacent to the metallic huts on the river banks, we noticed a huge net across the river with tons of rubbish in it. The net alone was preventing it from spreading too far downstream....
The staff at the villa were lovely, young Cambodian guys who talked to us about their lives and the Pol Pot regime. All of them work full time, study full time and cycle for hours between their homes and work / school, just to make enough money to be able to keep studying. Their ultimate goal was to become tour guides at Angkor. In a country where the average wage is less than $1USD a day, tour guiding is a 'well-paid' 'career'. One of the guys talked about trying to get sponsored to go to Australia, he was staggered at how many countries Jane and I have visited and he pointed out that he would never be able to afford to even visit England - even if he saved for the rest of his life. I think that was the main reason I was so cynical about Siem Reap (yes, I'm cynical about everything anyway...), it didn't seem like any of the tourist cash actually went to the people who live there. We were even more shocked when we found out where the money from Angkor Wat goes....
We chose to just see the temples on one day and they were incredible. You could easily spend a week visiting the site as its so huge but at $20 dollars a day entry we decided to cram in as much as possible in one visit. Unsurprisingly, the site was packed (it gets up to seven thousand visits per day in peak season) and absolutely huge. One of the guys from our hotel drove us around in his tuk- tuk and did some improvised guiding!It was hard going in 35 degree heat and what felt like 100% humidity but the whole sight was incredible. As Jane seems jinxed with these things, Angkor Wat was covered in scaffolding for repairs.... it was still amazing though. Our favourite temple was Ta Prohm (aka the one from Tomb Raider), it was a jumble of fallen down temples and rocks with incredible trees everywhere.
After our visit, we wondered where all the cash raised from the entrance fee goes? $20 USD a day times seven thousand = a LOT of money. Cambodia is a very corrupt country - everyone there will tell you that but we were still shocked when a local pointed out that Angkor Wat was "owned by the prime minister". Apparently the prime minister (also a former member of the Khmer Rouge) owns a company called Sokha Hotel group (there are several of these five star hotels across Cambodia and in Siem Reap - officially the group is owned by a 'close friend' of the PM) and sure enough - on the back of our ticket it actually states that the site is operated by APSARA (the government group supposed to preserve Angkor) and SOKHA HOTELS.
After that we noticed that the Sokha hotel was really popular - it won "best Hotel" "best spa" and "best service" awards for the past year - as voted for by the Cambodian Government.... Apparently it's an open secret that the Prime Minister is making a fortune out of the temples.
That'll be why the actual province of Siem Reap is still the third poorest in the whole of Cambodia.
We did enjoy Siem Reap, it's a beautiful place and probably one of the safest towns in Asia. The people we met, as with all Cambodians, were lovely, open and incredibly friendly - which is surprising given their recent and apparently, current history. I'm by no means an expert on Cambodian politics but it's clear that the many millions made at Angkor aren't actually going where they should be and I doubt that many tourists are even interested....
According to the general theme of our trip, for Siem Reap we decided to stay a little way out of town. Obviously, no one knew where the place was so we drove round for an hour looking for it....When we arrived though, we knew we'd made the right choice. Villa Shanti is a lovely little place, away from the centre with only seven rooms and its own pool.
Siem Reap reminded me of Luang Prabang in many ways - almost an illusion created for tourists. That's not to say it's not a nice place - to the contrary. On the drive from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap the roads are barely paved, there is no street lighting and no electricity. People live in very basic huts and cook around an improvised fire.... Siem Reap is like another world.
The central part of the town has dozens of five star hotels, the roads are all very well paved and lit. There are beautiful, well tended gardens and more police than I've ever seen in one place anywhere else in SE Asia. The central street - imaginitively named 'pub street' seemed to us like any street you'd find in a tourist town on a package holiday in Europe. Almost all of the businesses are non-cambodian owned and at night police literally sit at either end to keep out the beggars. It was very nice though....
As we were staying out of town, we noticed that by the time we got to Villa Shanti the street lighting had stopped and so had the paved roads. There are signs all the way up the river that talk about how its been cleaned up.... closer to our end of town, adjacent to the metallic huts on the river banks, we noticed a huge net across the river with tons of rubbish in it. The net alone was preventing it from spreading too far downstream....
The staff at the villa were lovely, young Cambodian guys who talked to us about their lives and the Pol Pot regime. All of them work full time, study full time and cycle for hours between their homes and work / school, just to make enough money to be able to keep studying. Their ultimate goal was to become tour guides at Angkor. In a country where the average wage is less than $1USD a day, tour guiding is a 'well-paid' 'career'. One of the guys talked about trying to get sponsored to go to Australia, he was staggered at how many countries Jane and I have visited and he pointed out that he would never be able to afford to even visit England - even if he saved for the rest of his life. I think that was the main reason I was so cynical about Siem Reap (yes, I'm cynical about everything anyway...), it didn't seem like any of the tourist cash actually went to the people who live there. We were even more shocked when we found out where the money from Angkor Wat goes....
We chose to just see the temples on one day and they were incredible. You could easily spend a week visiting the site as its so huge but at $20 dollars a day entry we decided to cram in as much as possible in one visit. Unsurprisingly, the site was packed (it gets up to seven thousand visits per day in peak season) and absolutely huge. One of the guys from our hotel drove us around in his tuk- tuk and did some improvised guiding!It was hard going in 35 degree heat and what felt like 100% humidity but the whole sight was incredible. As Jane seems jinxed with these things, Angkor Wat was covered in scaffolding for repairs.... it was still amazing though. Our favourite temple was Ta Prohm (aka the one from Tomb Raider), it was a jumble of fallen down temples and rocks with incredible trees everywhere.
After our visit, we wondered where all the cash raised from the entrance fee goes? $20 USD a day times seven thousand = a LOT of money. Cambodia is a very corrupt country - everyone there will tell you that but we were still shocked when a local pointed out that Angkor Wat was "owned by the prime minister". Apparently the prime minister (also a former member of the Khmer Rouge) owns a company called Sokha Hotel group (there are several of these five star hotels across Cambodia and in Siem Reap - officially the group is owned by a 'close friend' of the PM) and sure enough - on the back of our ticket it actually states that the site is operated by APSARA (the government group supposed to preserve Angkor) and SOKHA HOTELS.
After that we noticed that the Sokha hotel was really popular - it won "best Hotel" "best spa" and "best service" awards for the past year - as voted for by the Cambodian Government.... Apparently it's an open secret that the Prime Minister is making a fortune out of the temples.
That'll be why the actual province of Siem Reap is still the third poorest in the whole of Cambodia.
We did enjoy Siem Reap, it's a beautiful place and probably one of the safest towns in Asia. The people we met, as with all Cambodians, were lovely, open and incredibly friendly - which is surprising given their recent and apparently, current history. I'm by no means an expert on Cambodian politics but it's clear that the many millions made at Angkor aren't actually going where they should be and I doubt that many tourists are even interested....
Monday, 23 January 2012
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Boarding the 6am bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh we were both apprehensive, not only because we had yet another long haul journey and border crossing to tackle but also because we both felt we were leaving Vietnam prematurely. We had enjoyed our time there so much - to the extent that we both even talked about moving to Saigon!
Our nerves were made worse by the fact that we had recently met an Australian traveller who had described Phnom Penh as a "rat hole" so our expectations for the next stage of our trip were extremely low.
I have to say that driving into Cambodia was like going back in time: the chaotic traffic immediately subsided and instead we saw the occasional cart carrying 20 or so passengers on the bumpy road. The concrete buildings were also replaced with basic aluminium huts balanced on stilts along the riverside. The major development we had seen throughout Vietnam was not evident here but we were not disappointed as the scenery was incredible. I got a bit snap happy with my camera throughout the journey.
On route to Phnom Penh the bus had to board a ferry across the river and it was at this point that I realised just how poor Cambodia is. Poverty is endemic - Our bus was followed by a stream of beggars: most were unwashed and shoeless children and eldery people with amputated limbs. It was completely heartbreaking to witness. We had seen children selling things on the streets in Vietnam but it didn't seem to compare to the poverty seen here.
Driving through the outskirts of Phnom Penh it didn't feel like we had arrived in a capital city at all as the streets were still very basic, dirty with litter and we saw entire families camped out along the road side. That said we immediately warmed to Phnom Penh. We were greeted by the friendliest Tuk Tuk drivers I have come across on this trip and even the street sellers laugh and joke with you instead of hounding you for cash. Cambodians seem so friendly and carefree, particularly given their recent history!
Our time in Cambodia continued to go well as we were offered an upgrade at the Billabong Hotel! (they had a function on that evening so i can only assume they double booked but I wasnt complaining)
Phnom Penh has some of the best preserved French relics and walking the streets you get a real feel for the history of the country. The National Museum and Royal Palace are so extravagant and a world away from the shacks along the riverside.
The country is still rebuilding itself following the civil war of the 60's and the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 70's when urban Cambodian's were forced to relocate and work in the countryside under the Pol Pot socialist Regime. Many "disobedient" Cambodians were brutally murdered in the killing fields which can be found throughout the countryside. We visited S-21, a former school which was converted into a prison camp during the regime. It was harrowing to see the images of those held and brutally tortured and ultimately murdered in these camps. A mass of bones are kept on display to remind people of the victims so that such crimes against humanity do not happen again and yet those leaders of the regime who are still alive have still not been sentenced. In fact the current prime minister of Cambodia is a former Khmer Rouge member! Needless to say corruption is endemic.
Tourists seem to be flocking back to this city as at night the riverside is swarming with people, restaurants and bars. It was entertaining to watch the street dance class and exercise classes taking place along the waterfront. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and Mojito at the Foreign Correspondence Club overlooking them.
Despite its charm there does appear to be a dark side to the city at night as sex tourism appears to be a real problem here as in many other parts of S E Asia, as does paedophilia given the number of posters and news reports we saw.
All in all yes the city is a bit grimy and edgey but there is so much to see here and the people are amongst the nicest I have ever met! I hope the future is better for them.
Our nerves were made worse by the fact that we had recently met an Australian traveller who had described Phnom Penh as a "rat hole" so our expectations for the next stage of our trip were extremely low.
I have to say that driving into Cambodia was like going back in time: the chaotic traffic immediately subsided and instead we saw the occasional cart carrying 20 or so passengers on the bumpy road. The concrete buildings were also replaced with basic aluminium huts balanced on stilts along the riverside. The major development we had seen throughout Vietnam was not evident here but we were not disappointed as the scenery was incredible. I got a bit snap happy with my camera throughout the journey.
On route to Phnom Penh the bus had to board a ferry across the river and it was at this point that I realised just how poor Cambodia is. Poverty is endemic - Our bus was followed by a stream of beggars: most were unwashed and shoeless children and eldery people with amputated limbs. It was completely heartbreaking to witness. We had seen children selling things on the streets in Vietnam but it didn't seem to compare to the poverty seen here.
Driving through the outskirts of Phnom Penh it didn't feel like we had arrived in a capital city at all as the streets were still very basic, dirty with litter and we saw entire families camped out along the road side. That said we immediately warmed to Phnom Penh. We were greeted by the friendliest Tuk Tuk drivers I have come across on this trip and even the street sellers laugh and joke with you instead of hounding you for cash. Cambodians seem so friendly and carefree, particularly given their recent history!
Our time in Cambodia continued to go well as we were offered an upgrade at the Billabong Hotel! (they had a function on that evening so i can only assume they double booked but I wasnt complaining)
Phnom Penh has some of the best preserved French relics and walking the streets you get a real feel for the history of the country. The National Museum and Royal Palace are so extravagant and a world away from the shacks along the riverside.
The country is still rebuilding itself following the civil war of the 60's and the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 70's when urban Cambodian's were forced to relocate and work in the countryside under the Pol Pot socialist Regime. Many "disobedient" Cambodians were brutally murdered in the killing fields which can be found throughout the countryside. We visited S-21, a former school which was converted into a prison camp during the regime. It was harrowing to see the images of those held and brutally tortured and ultimately murdered in these camps. A mass of bones are kept on display to remind people of the victims so that such crimes against humanity do not happen again and yet those leaders of the regime who are still alive have still not been sentenced. In fact the current prime minister of Cambodia is a former Khmer Rouge member! Needless to say corruption is endemic.
Tourists seem to be flocking back to this city as at night the riverside is swarming with people, restaurants and bars. It was entertaining to watch the street dance class and exercise classes taking place along the waterfront. We enjoyed a fantastic meal and Mojito at the Foreign Correspondence Club overlooking them.
Despite its charm there does appear to be a dark side to the city at night as sex tourism appears to be a real problem here as in many other parts of S E Asia, as does paedophilia given the number of posters and news reports we saw.
All in all yes the city is a bit grimy and edgey but there is so much to see here and the people are amongst the nicest I have ever met! I hope the future is better for them.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Saigon
In Saigon, we stayed at a family run hotel down a side street away from the main bustle of the backpacker district, which was great as we got to see some real people everyday. It was quite entertaining to watch the neighbours sitting in their living rooms singing kareoke!!
We both really liked Saigon, it felt different to Hanoi, a bit more 'spacious' and a bit edgier, with more motos though, which we thought would be impossible until we arrived.
On our first day we visited the war remnants museum,which houses the most horrific pictures I've ever seen. As with most of the museums we visited in Vietnam, there was no real context or background to the Vietnam war, just images and snippets of text about the ''ïmperialists''. Yes, the whole place felt very one sided but it's hard to argue with the images of people who are still horribly disfigured from the effects of agent orange.
Despite it's fairly recent history though, Vietnam and its people seem to welcome all visitors, whatever their nationality, with eagerness. Nowhere has progress been so evident as here. Everywhere you go, people are building houses, shops, businesses and making money.
The next day we visited the Chu Chi tunnels just outside of the city and saw the tiny networks of tunnels and traps used in the resistance.
Our guide was really interesting and gave us a brief summary of Vietnamese history from which we learned more than all our museum visits combined!! Throughout our time in Vietnam, all of the people we've met have been really candid about the future of the country and the government, which actually surprised me (think I had my own preconceptions about what people may or may not want to say). The guide made it clear that everyone in Vietnam is grateful to ''Uncle Ho'' but despite that they don't feel truly ''free'' because they still aren't allowed to vote in free elections - a sentiment that was echoed by many of the people we met....
While on the tour, tourists were given the chance to have a go on the shooting range... After weighing up the options we decided (rightly or wrongly) to have a go. As we know nothing about guns we just picked one at random and walked over to the gallery...
Turns out that the one we picked was the machine gun that they used in Rambo....
Needless to say that we both missed the target, much to the amusement of the guy loading the gun. I think the scariest thing was that it just felt like pulling a trigger on a toy gun....
I think the best thing about Saigon was just people watching. The bustle in the park during the evenings and at 6am as people did exercise classes, skateboarded, did martial arts, tango dancing...
In the evenings we sat in a bar at the corner of a major junction and saw so many random things including a family of four and a FULLY GROWN golden retriever on a moped; A family of four on a moped with the eldest kid slumped over the front asleep; Two minor bike crashes and a robbery....
All the guide books forewarn about robberies in Saigon - and I suppose they're actually right. It wasn't a tourist that we saw robbed though - it was a local.
The girl had stepped out on to the pavement to take a picture and two seconds later the camera was swiped out of her hand by a passing moto driver. I think the girl must have been a track athlete as she actually gave chase into about 10 lanes off on-coming traffic. She didn't catch him though....
We both really liked Saigon, it felt different to Hanoi, a bit more 'spacious' and a bit edgier, with more motos though, which we thought would be impossible until we arrived.
On our first day we visited the war remnants museum,which houses the most horrific pictures I've ever seen. As with most of the museums we visited in Vietnam, there was no real context or background to the Vietnam war, just images and snippets of text about the ''ïmperialists''. Yes, the whole place felt very one sided but it's hard to argue with the images of people who are still horribly disfigured from the effects of agent orange.
Despite it's fairly recent history though, Vietnam and its people seem to welcome all visitors, whatever their nationality, with eagerness. Nowhere has progress been so evident as here. Everywhere you go, people are building houses, shops, businesses and making money.
The next day we visited the Chu Chi tunnels just outside of the city and saw the tiny networks of tunnels and traps used in the resistance.
Our guide was really interesting and gave us a brief summary of Vietnamese history from which we learned more than all our museum visits combined!! Throughout our time in Vietnam, all of the people we've met have been really candid about the future of the country and the government, which actually surprised me (think I had my own preconceptions about what people may or may not want to say). The guide made it clear that everyone in Vietnam is grateful to ''Uncle Ho'' but despite that they don't feel truly ''free'' because they still aren't allowed to vote in free elections - a sentiment that was echoed by many of the people we met....
While on the tour, tourists were given the chance to have a go on the shooting range... After weighing up the options we decided (rightly or wrongly) to have a go. As we know nothing about guns we just picked one at random and walked over to the gallery...
Turns out that the one we picked was the machine gun that they used in Rambo....
Needless to say that we both missed the target, much to the amusement of the guy loading the gun. I think the scariest thing was that it just felt like pulling a trigger on a toy gun....
I think the best thing about Saigon was just people watching. The bustle in the park during the evenings and at 6am as people did exercise classes, skateboarded, did martial arts, tango dancing...
In the evenings we sat in a bar at the corner of a major junction and saw so many random things including a family of four and a FULLY GROWN golden retriever on a moped; A family of four on a moped with the eldest kid slumped over the front asleep; Two minor bike crashes and a robbery....
All the guide books forewarn about robberies in Saigon - and I suppose they're actually right. It wasn't a tourist that we saw robbed though - it was a local.
The girl had stepped out on to the pavement to take a picture and two seconds later the camera was swiped out of her hand by a passing moto driver. I think the girl must have been a track athlete as she actually gave chase into about 10 lanes off on-coming traffic. She didn't catch him though....
Stupid things I've heard so far....
Backpacker A: "So, Russia is part of the E.U. now, right?
Backpacker B: "Errrr...."
Posh backpacker girl: "Mother simply wouldn't let me bring a larger suitcase!!"
(Cue group of posh travellers glancing at her MASSIVE suitcase)
(At the infamous Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam)
Girl A, at the entrance to a tunnel: "Oh my god, how many people do you think they can fit in there?!"
Boy A (looking puzzled) "Well, I guess it's a tunnel so they come out eventually?"
During a power cut in Siem Reap when the power went out across the whole town for 8 hours.
Me: "It's so hot in here without the air-con on..."
Jane: "Why don't you go and ask reception for a fan?"
Me: ".....An electric fan?.....There's been a power cut...."
Jane:"....Oh yeah...."
Sorry Jane, couldn't resist....
Backpacker B: "Errrr...."
Posh backpacker girl: "Mother simply wouldn't let me bring a larger suitcase!!"
(Cue group of posh travellers glancing at her MASSIVE suitcase)
(At the infamous Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam)
Girl A, at the entrance to a tunnel: "Oh my god, how many people do you think they can fit in there?!"
Boy A (looking puzzled) "Well, I guess it's a tunnel so they come out eventually?"
During a power cut in Siem Reap when the power went out across the whole town for 8 hours.
Me: "It's so hot in here without the air-con on..."
Jane: "Why don't you go and ask reception for a fan?"
Me: ".....An electric fan?.....There's been a power cut...."
Jane:"....Oh yeah...."
Sorry Jane, couldn't resist....
Friday, 6 January 2012
The Coastal road - Da nang to Mui Ne
(Not to make you all envious but ..) I'm writing this entry whilst sat by the swimming pool in the idyllic Coastal town of Mui Ne. This beautiful resort was once just a small fishing village but now the exclusive hotels, bars and restaurants take up the entire bay. Most of the tourists here are not backpackers but Russian families who have clearly been frequenting this resort for some time as all the tourist information / menus and often music is in Russian - very bizarre!
We're staying away from the main tourist strip in Mui Ne Hills (very pricey for what you get but ...) From the pool, which we have had almost entirely to ourselves most days, we have a beautiful sea view. We also overlook some of the local houses and you can see the women preparing meals and children playing below. It has been fantastic to recharge our batteries here and I could easily spend a lot more time relaxing but we move on to Saigon today - our last stop in Vietnam. Plus it's very expensive here so we can't enjoy this luxury any longer :(
Our first stop on the coastal road was Da nang. Most tourists seem to miss out this stop and go straight to the ancient city of Hoi An just 45 minutes down the road but we decided to give it a go and escape the other backpackers for a bit (most of the travellers we have met have not really been our kind of people). We were quite possibly the only tourists in town so we did feel a bit out of place but we really enjoyed wandering round the city and the beach front was lovely and very quiet until the evening when we were entertained by the children playing volleyball and climbing trees for coconuts.
From here we went to Hoi An which is a world heritage site. The weather took a turn for the worse as soon as we arrived and it chucked it down throughout our stay. Nat got so soaked that she had to buy a very fetching illuminous poncho - although it did help keep the sales people away for a change - they really hound you to buy things here, especially if you sit still for too long. We found it too touristy although the town was very sweet.
It was really special to celebrate New Year on the riverfront watching all the lanterns float away as the crowd cheered happy new year. The bars were packed with tourists so it was a nice vibe too.
To escape the rain we headed further down the coast to Nha Trang - a slice of Benidorm in Vietnam although with a much nicer sea front.
We got here on another overnight sleeper bus but unlike the one from Laos there was no one in the aisle. It's still impossible to sleep though and you're always thankful to make it in one piece.
Thankfully Mui Ne was only 5 hours away and its only 5 hours from here to Saigon.
We're really enjoying our time in Vietnam. Throughout our time here the local people have been absolutely lovely and the scenery on the
journey down the coast has been absolutely beautiful. Nowhere more so than on route to Mui Ne as we travelled through lush countryside
and rice paddies followed by sand dunes and the villages nearer Mui Ne. I'm sad that we don't have more time to explore Vietnam further but I hope to come back one day.
We're staying away from the main tourist strip in Mui Ne Hills (very pricey for what you get but ...) From the pool, which we have had almost entirely to ourselves most days, we have a beautiful sea view. We also overlook some of the local houses and you can see the women preparing meals and children playing below. It has been fantastic to recharge our batteries here and I could easily spend a lot more time relaxing but we move on to Saigon today - our last stop in Vietnam. Plus it's very expensive here so we can't enjoy this luxury any longer :(
Our first stop on the coastal road was Da nang. Most tourists seem to miss out this stop and go straight to the ancient city of Hoi An just 45 minutes down the road but we decided to give it a go and escape the other backpackers for a bit (most of the travellers we have met have not really been our kind of people). We were quite possibly the only tourists in town so we did feel a bit out of place but we really enjoyed wandering round the city and the beach front was lovely and very quiet until the evening when we were entertained by the children playing volleyball and climbing trees for coconuts.
From here we went to Hoi An which is a world heritage site. The weather took a turn for the worse as soon as we arrived and it chucked it down throughout our stay. Nat got so soaked that she had to buy a very fetching illuminous poncho - although it did help keep the sales people away for a change - they really hound you to buy things here, especially if you sit still for too long. We found it too touristy although the town was very sweet.
It was really special to celebrate New Year on the riverfront watching all the lanterns float away as the crowd cheered happy new year. The bars were packed with tourists so it was a nice vibe too.
To escape the rain we headed further down the coast to Nha Trang - a slice of Benidorm in Vietnam although with a much nicer sea front.
We got here on another overnight sleeper bus but unlike the one from Laos there was no one in the aisle. It's still impossible to sleep though and you're always thankful to make it in one piece.
Thankfully Mui Ne was only 5 hours away and its only 5 hours from here to Saigon.
We're really enjoying our time in Vietnam. Throughout our time here the local people have been absolutely lovely and the scenery on the
journey down the coast has been absolutely beautiful. Nowhere more so than on route to Mui Ne as we travelled through lush countryside
and rice paddies followed by sand dunes and the villages nearer Mui Ne. I'm sad that we don't have more time to explore Vietnam further but I hope to come back one day.
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