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!
Monday, 30 January 2012
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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