South East Asia (Part 4)

Vietnam (The Land of a Million Motos) 14/07/2008 - 29/07/2008

I was a little weary about traveling in Vietnam, most of the stories I'd heard from travelers on the road were negative. I was told if I thought Cambodia was soul bashing and toot infested, wait until I got to Vietnam! For me, my experience was au contraire..I absolutely adored the country! I will no doubt revisit for it's cheap Bia Hoi beer, for the friendliness of the natives and their cheeky smiles but most of all for their playful yet crafty ability to squeeze a Dollar out of you at any given opportunity. Oh and not forgetting their traditional dish of rice noodle soup called Pho, it's to die for.

Being the only westerner and sitting at the rear, absorbing every bump during the 9hr ride to Hoi Chi Man City (HCMC), I got acquinted with the locals. Even though none of them spoke a word of English, they kept talking to me, feeding me with God knows what and handing me cigarettes! By the end of the trip the back of the bus was alive with locals singing their hearts out and insisting I joined in...I had no idea what I was singing but I didn't care, I was having a great welcoming party!

Arriving in HCMC I couldn't believe my eyes the amount of motorcycles on the streets! Crossing the street was somewhat of a challenge, I soon mastered the technique of putting my foot out, holding my breath and just praying they scoot around you. I stayed in the Pham Ngu Lao Area of the city, a backpacker area pretty close to all the main sights. In a day or so sightseeing I done the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum (Not for the faint hearted!) and the Museum of HCMC. A day trip to Cu Chi tunnels followed where I crawled through a small part of the 200km narrow tunnel network made by the Viet Cong in the American War. For something like $5 I got the opportunity to fire an AK47 machine gun. However, I did totally miss the target but thankfully no one was in the vacinity to be wounded ;-)

It was in HCMC where I once again hooked up with my good traveling and card playing buddies, Jenn and Paul. We set off together to the Mekong Delta for 2 day/1 night tour. By boat along the Mekong we visited local villages making rice paper and coconut candy and experienced the fruit and veg floating market on the river. We stayed 1 night in Can Tho which has a great statue of Ho Chi Minh himself and some pretty decent bars and restos. It was also on the Mekong Delta that I overcame my snake phobia for 5 seconds and held a Phython around my shoulders...my skin is still crawling when I think about it! It was back to HCMC and onto a night bus bound north to Mui Ne. Arriving after 1 in the morning, accomodation was hard to find. We did get sorted in the end with the help of a passing motocyclist, shouting "Cheap Hotel" surprisingly enough. We took a tour to the fishing village and the magnificant red and white sand dunes where we all had a go at sand sledging...fun but somehow I just couldn't gain speed and always ended up stopping due to the mountain of sand I'd created in front of me.

The Central Highlands was on the cards next, Dalat the City of Eternal Spring. The higher altitude, cooler tempature and bizarre sights were what brought us to this charming little town. We visited it's old Cog Railway station, Datana Falls where you could take a mini rollercoaster ride to get to, took a 2.3km cable car ride with stunning views of the area, paid a visit to Hnag Nga Crazy House with it's bizarre Alice in Wonderland architecture and not forgetting played cards a lot.

Our first experience of a Vietnamese night bus was from Dalat to Hoi An. Comfy seats which fully reclined, a good night's sleep was had by all. Around Hoi An you have My Son, spectacular ruins of an ancient Cham empire and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Also you have a fantastic white sand beach called Cua Dai Beach which we paid a short visit. The Old town of Hoi An itself is charming with it's historic architecture and narrow streets. It's also known for it's affordable custom-made clothing. We managed to fit in a local Dance and Musical show in the old part even after discovering a bar by the river that sold beer for 4,000 Vietnamese Dong, that comes to about 0.16 in Euro terms!

Via another comfy night bus we found ourselves in the fast capital Hanoi. After arriving and burning my leg off the exhaust of a motorcycle, Jenn and I had booked a 2day/1 night cruise to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. This has to be the most beautiful place I've been to in Vietnam. 3,000 islands and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, on an old yet charming wooden cruise boat we visited caves and done some kayaking in the South China Sea. Just a few sights in Hanoi were done, weather hindering plus cheap beer and card playing got addictive. A walk or two around Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple, Hoa Lo Prison home to Senator John McCain during the American War and we supposedly had The Best Pho in Vietnam in a tiny resto, I'm not so convienced myself! We also were regulars in The Finnegans Irish Pub where the owner is a good mate of Paul. It was in Finnegans on my last eve that my great Irish traveling buddy and talented musician Paul performed a live gig, a calm evening that turned into an all-nighter!

Sadly after 2 weeks of great laughs and adventures it was time to say goodbye to Vietnam and my traveling co. I had to get back to Bangkok as I'd arranged to hook up with an Irish Traveler I'd met in Hippy Pai and to go see a Thai boxing match. From there I was on a cheap Air Asia flight out to Macau.

Some pix @ VISIONARY VIETNAM