2geonomads

My most expensive bout of nausea ever has cost me my fine dining meal at about 3.00 in the morning so breakfast is one bread roll and jam.
Bags all packed and off to the airport for early afternoon to Kuala Lumpur.
Looking forward to the relative luxury of Kuala Lumpur but 3 hour flight from Hanoi gives us both time to think back on our Vietnam experience.
It has not been a holiday in the conventional sense. Vietnam is in some ways an assault on the senses with frequent reminders along the way that one is travelling through a third-world country. What is undeniable is the incredible energy and industry of the people and it is to be hoped that the inevitable growth in tourism will see their efforts rewarded without sacrificing the essential character of this fascinating country.
 A decidely more emaciated Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Arrive back at The Amazing Hotel at 4.30 am and they kindly allow us to use another room to have a shower while waitng for our own room to be vacated.
Suitably rested, we walk to Ho Chi Minh’ s Mausoleum, only to find that it is cloed in the afternoon ( thank you Footprints Guide for the inaccurate information ). Visit instead HCM’s house and Museum and keep a promise to Craig to take some photos of a B52 Bomber shot down in the Ngoc Ha Village suburb.
Walk back to hotel via alleys and laneways teeming with the incredible industrious Vietnamese going about their business. ( No weekends or penalty labour rates here! )
As a special treat we have booked dinner at reputedly Hanoi’s finest hotel, the neoclassical Sofitel Metropole. Their Le Beaulieu restaurant offers fine dining at its very best and is a far cry from the $3 and $4 meals which have been our main fare during the trip.
The meal, wine and the experience are all that we could have asked for and we round off the evening with a visit to the famous  Water Puppet Theatre near to the Hoan Kiem Lake.
Back to the hotel in good time to pack our bags for the departure the next day.
Leaving Hanoi with very fond memories of this attractive city. Whilst lacking the frenetic activity of Ho Chi Minh City it is in our view a more stylish city which has kept much of its character and elegance from the French colonial era.
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

I greet the New Year by bringing up all of previous night’s meal at about 7.00am and decide to give a breakfast of pancakes and other goodies a miss.
Mist has lifted somewhat but still drizzly and chilly as we set off, this time accompanied by a new trio of villagers. The morning trail very slippery and demanding so Gail has no alternative other than to enlist the aid of one of the women to negotiate the more difficult sections. A real workout for my Titanium knee but it seems to be holding up remarkably well, certainly better than my gut. Such situations only serve as a reminder, if such were required, of what the soldiers had to contend with in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. Puts my temporary problems into perspective.
Gradually wend our way down to the riverbed and late morning say goodbye to the three villagers who have been tagging us. Not really a fond farewell as they are unhappy with our gesture to pay them a reasonable amount for their help on the trail but not to buy any of their very poor quality locally made items.
On arrival at Su Pan we wait for our transport back to Sa Pa in the house of some delightful villagers who made us feel very welcome, even to the point of offering me some local herbal medicine for my gastro problems. They looked and tasted pretty horrible but I felt obliged to give them a go. Long later showed me a business card which the family had had printed extolling the virtues of their herbal remedies, one of which was designed to solve erectile dysfunction!  I explained to Long that given the way I was feeling nothing was further from my mind than a knee-trembler deep in the heart of the Vietnamese countryside!
Bumpy ride back to Sa Pa for quick lunch, after which we say goodbye to Long who has been an excellent guide.
As part of the tour we are able to have a quick shower at Hotel Papillon and then wait for bus to take us back to Lao Dai. The 4.30 bus finally arrives one hour late and what follows next is truly Pythonesque.
A mini bus designed to carry 15 people spends close to one hour picking up people from various hotels, dropping them off again, driving down numerous streets and then reversing back up the same streets. The increasingly harassed young driver finally managed to squeeze 18 passengers sardine-like into his vehicle and as luck would have it he proved to be a very careful driver as he negotiated the thick fog on the road from Sa Pa to Lao Cai.
All aboard the train at 7.30 pm for the usual uncomfortable trip to Hanoi. The cabin this time shared with a very friendly Kenyan/British guy and his French partner.
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Wake up to a valley shrouded in mist so the much-vaunted views of the valleys are non-existant.
After lovely breakfast we are met at hotel by Long, our guide for the trek into the mountains and outerlying villages. As soon as we step out of the hotel we are surrounded by villagers,mainly from thr Hmong minority ethnic group. 3 of the villagers tag onto us as we set off on our trip. After walking out of Sapa for about 500 metres we realise that Long is expecting us to do only a day trek and return to Sapa in the evening. We explainn that we are in fact booked on a two day trek with an overnight stay in one of the villages. A quick phone call to Long’s office sorts all of this out, one of a number of problems which we are to encounter along the way with regard to the Sapa travel arrangements.
We leave Sapa and gradually descend into the river valley cursing our luck with the weather and accompanied  by the three Hmong villagers, ranging in age from 17 to 47. the 17 year old hasa 5 month old baby and we are informed by Long that the girls in the villages get married as young as 14 and start a family very early.
Some explanation on the system in operation with regard to the omni-present ‘hangers-on’.
The villagers leave their homes at about 3.00 am to walk to Sapa and tag onto a guide with tourists in tow.
They then accompany the group back to their village, helping the trekkers when necessary on the at times slippery tracks. The unstated agreement is that the tourists will than purchase from them some of their locally handcrafted items such as purses, handbags cushion covers etc, often hemp dyed. The purple dye is there for all to see on the hands of the villagers.
The quality of the items is variable and some prices charged do not really represent the best value-for-money. Nevertheless, it is a way of putting some money back into the local community.
There are ,however, some pitfalls – firstly on reaching the first village at lunchtime it is not easy to identify among the sea of faces the villagers who have in fact accompanied us along the trail. Secondly, as we leave the village a second shift of the Red Dao minority group takes over to be with us to the village where we will spend the night. Fortunately, we manage to get the message through that our budget has been spent for the day and the taggers drift off.
Arrive late afternoon at village of Ta Van ( Giay minority group ) and ‘check into’ our very basic homestay. This consists of a ground floor where we will eat our meals, a veranda from which to enjoy the still elusive vistas and an upstairs with up to 30 mattresses laid out on the floor.
Fortunately, we are only sharing this with 4 very pleasant Thai girls so we are each  able to to use numerous quilts and pillows to keep out the the bitter cold. ( there is no heating in the place )
The New Year’s Eve meal prepared by the landlord, an assistant and our guide comes as a very pleasant surprise with a huge array of superb Vietnamese food,washed down by some rice wine. Much frivolity as the wine takes effect even if by now Gail’s cold has taken a real turn for the worse.
Into bed before 2011 arrives ( a sign of old age ).
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Hanoi nowhere near as frenetic as Ho Chi Minh City and it has retained much of its traditional architecture. The French Quarter in particular is a delight.
We stroll Hoam Kiem Lake and have a snack at the Paris Deli near to St. Josephs Cathedral. Generally try to soak up the atmosphere before returning to Paris Deli for dinner.
Off to the station to catch the 20.35 train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We have booked a Deluxe cabin ( 4 berth ) and find ourselves sharing with 2 New Zealanders who have only paid for a standard 4 berth cabin, much to Mrs Ireland’s displeasure. However, they are a very nice young couple and the 9 hours overnight trip is as comfortable as it can be on a very hard bunk bed and a railway track which is seemingly in great need of some maintenance.
Arrive in Lao Cai at 5.00 am on 30th Dec. Usual chaos and lack of communication leads to our waiting in a mini bus for 2 other passengers who are supposed to travelling with us to Sapa. The male passenger is Juan but after I have spoken to a French-speaking guide at the station it transpires that Juan is actually Sam, the Kiwi who shared the cabin with us from Hanoi. This little incident really sums up the joys of travelling in a Vietnam still coming to come to terms with their burgeoning tourist trade.
Eventually get under way for the fairly bumpy drive to Sapa.
Sapa is a mountain retreat at 1650 metres with a vaguely alpine landscape. Although the town itself is ethnically Vietnamese its shops and markets serve the minority groups such as the Kmong and Red Dao.
More on these groups later.
Book into a very pleasant Papillon Hotel, after which we spend a fairly sunny day walking around the town. As evening draws in the mist really descends on Sapa and the temperature drop quite dramatically, apparently the norm for thid time of year. To be fairly early to prepare for our trek the next day.
The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Craig’s books a motorbike to visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum but unfortunately did not have time to visit the sight of a B52 bomber which crashed during the Vietnam War. Also visits the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ prison,ironically named as such by USA airmen and soldiers in reference to the brutal treatment meted out to so many during the war.Unashamedly biased from a Vietnamese point of view, the prison held John McCain when he was shot down during the war.
Craig leaves by cab to airport and we then venture out to also visit the same prison, wander round to get a feel of this attractive city.
More later as yours truly has come down with some stomach trouble and I am in ‘take-off’ position at the hotel computer which is not really conducive to my muse sending pearls of wisdom!
THe Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Up reasonably early after a decidedly cold sleepless night on hard bunk beds but the pain eased by the glorious sight of the cliffs in the early morning light.
After breakfast, off to a floating village where we each pay $5 for a 30 minute boat trip round the rocks. Something of a rip-off as many people work for $1 a day but the scenery magnificent and it all benefits the local people ( and we suspect our tour guide!). The water in some areas was quite disgusting and merely confirmed what Craig had reported to us the evening before.
Back to Halong Harbour for a good lunch and then the long drive back to Hanoi.
Dinner at very good upmarket seafood restaurant, found by Craig, on the last evening before he flies back to Melbourne.
Receive more news on the Ashes so go to sleep safe in the knowledge that I will be receiving some more messages from nephew Andy in the UK.
Book a trip to Sa Pa in the mountains.
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Leave from hotel at 8.oo pm for drive to the world-famous Halong Bay.
3and a half hour drive in very uncomfortable bus through a sadly very polluted industrial area. The air quality is truly appalling.
Air clears slightly as we catch the first sight of the iconic limestone rocks and cliffs out in the bay.
Once off the bus we are sheperded away from our fellow bus passengers as we are apparently on a superior cruise( never like to mix with hoi polloi !).
The Dolphin Cruise junk is very well appointed although there is some problem with the toilet and our fellow passengers come from various parts of the globe, including France, India, Russia and the UK. Fortunately, the two girls from the UK are not cricket fans as Aus have imploded at the MCG.
Arrive on board junk in time for very nice lunch, after which we proceed to the heart of the rock formations in Halong Bay. The bay exceeds all our expectations and we enjoy spectacular views of the limestone cliffs from the vantage of a very impressive cave high up on one of the peaks.
Around 5.00 pm we all venture out on a kayaking trip in the bay, hugely enjoyable even if a rather wet experience.
Craig is the last to get back to the junk ( he has a reputation to live down to ) with darkness falling. He then regales us with a report on his kayaking experience which apparently included paddling through raw sewerage! Given his experience as a water engineer we have to assume he recognises a load of sh.t when he sees it!
Good dinner back on board follwoed by passable attempts by the crew to do some kareoke and some truly pathetic offerings from the passengers. Our cause was not helped by the fact that the songs were in such a high key that even the castrati among the group were having some real problems.
Off to bed at 10.30.
The Obese Ferret

Read Full Post »

Wake up to a filthy day in the former Imperial City but nevertheless head off on a walking tour, first taking in the walled Imperial City.
After quick look at the inside of the citadel we come to the conclusion that, in the absence of any information in English we really need a tour guide. Discover that all guides had gone off for lunch ( that’s public servants for you!) but we manage to tag onto a guide hired by a family from Perth.
It turns out that the guide, Mr Tong, had worked as an interpreter for both the Aussie and USA forces during the war and unsurprisingly was victimised by the North Vietnamese Gov’t.
In any event he was a superb guide who refused the money which we offered to him. ( we solved this by giving the money to the Perth couple for them to hand over to him later)
After the Citadel Craig decides to spend more time looking round the Imperial City while Mr Tong takes uds off to the Temple and Tomb of Tu Duc who had 104 concubines but failed to produce an heir! All that effort for nothing!
We all eventually arrive back at the hotel totally drenched but dry off enough by the time we set off for the airport.
Wealthy still terrible and we are informed at the airport that the 7.10 pm flight has been cancelled due to bad weather. Suspect that Vietnamese Airlines have combined two flights and we duly take off at 10.00 pm.

Slightlly bumpy flight to Hanoi, arriving at 11.30 pm
Long drive to hotel which is perfectly situated in the old part of the city. Very friendly staff and comfortable if small rooms.
The Obese Ferret
y

Read Full Post »

Picked up from hotel at 8.00 am for trip to the Unesco Heritage-listed site of My Son, location for My Son Champa Temples.
The Champa temples were built between the 7th and 13th century and there were originally 70 in number before the Viet Cong based themselves there in the 1960’s.
Only 20 temples, in varying states of restoration, now remain, courtesy of the pounding from USA B52 bombers. Craters around the site bear testimony to this episode.
The drive though the lushly wooded hills to My Son certainly made a welcome change from the congestion of the cities.
Arrive back in Hoi An to catch 2.00 pm bus to Hue. Uneventful trip north ,especially since the previously spectacular road over the Hai Van Pass has been replaced by a more practical tunnel through the Truong Son Range.
Reach Hue late afternoon and decide to have meal at L’Auberge restaurant and have early night after long, fairly tiring day.
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Hoi An a lovely city which lives up to all of the hype in the travel guides and the reports from friends who had visited the area earlier.
Checked into surprisingly upmarket Golf Hotel walk into the centre to get our bearings.

Craig soon picks up the vibes that the first priority of his oldies is to check out the local tailors who have gained a real reputation for makng up garments in a very short space of time. He therefore heads off on his own for more interesting pursuits.
We eventually find Yally’s which seems to be one of the more reputable tailors, place our order at 3.00pm, have a first fitting at 6.00 and walk out with our garments at 7.00 pm ( blazer for me and pants for Gail)
Meet up with Craig early evening and after experiencing a magical sunset over one of the bridges we have very pleasant Christmas Eve dinner overlooking the river.
Back to hotel for relatively early night as off next day to My Son.
The Obese Ferret.

Read Full Post »

Now at Hue Airport using Craig’s IPad which does not have a mind of its own and will hopefully reproduce my words faithfully rather than in Vietnamenglish.
Following visit to Cu Chi Tunnels on morning of Tuesday 21st Dec we headed off to Nui Ba Den, a mountain which rises from the surrounding plain up to almost 1000 metros. Legend has it that a certain Ly Thi Thong,who, while her lover was fighting occupying forces, was ordered to marry the son of a local mandarin. Rather than comply she threw herself off the mountain. It took the efforts of both Craig and myself to prevent Gail from following her example although it has taken her 36 years to realize the injustice of being forced into a marriage with me!
The mountain was also the scene of fierce battles between the French, Americans and the Viet Minh.
Evening meal at the restaurant of a guy called Huy who had lived for some time in Brisbane, followed by a return visit to our friendly travel agent Duong who finalized more plans for the rest of the week.
The Obese Ferret.

Wednesday 22nd Dec.
Set off at 8.30 am on an Open Tour Bus for a 2 day tour of the Mekong Delta. Open Tour buses offer basic travel ( the cost of our tour including an overnight stay in Can Tho was $24 each ).
We had taken the decision to go with a larger party rather than with a personal guide as a) we wanted to enjoy some interaction with fellow travelers and b) there is always a risk that the guide will speak such poor English his/her commentary becomes meaningless.
First stop on the trip was My Tho on one of the many tributaries of the Mekong and from here we took a boat trip over to the Island of the Coconut Monk, otherwise known as Phoenix Island , where we amongst other things we watched coconut candy being made, had a decidedly large python draped our around our neck, drank snake wine, sampled lemon tea, honey and tropical fruit. Gail being a snakeophobic ( if such a word exists ) declined the python and the snake wine.
We all took up the offer of 5 packs of candy to get 1 free only to find later that they didn’t suit Craig’s sensitive stomach. The result- I ended up with about 3 kgs extra weight in my bag and enough candy to last us through 2011.
Continue on bus to Can Tho, the centre of the Mekong Delta, after good meal at restaurant river spend night at very basic hotel ( what did you expect for a $24 trip all-inclusive! )
The Obese Ferret.

Thursday 23rd December.
6.30 start and straight onto boat to an on-shore market. This followed by a truly fascinating visit to the Floating Market where the owners of boats peddled their wares of fruit and vegetables while gawping idiots such as ourselves made our way past their primitive vessels.
It was food for thought that these people lived on these boats, as evidenced by the washing hanging on the lines alongside the veggies etc.
Later visited an area to see noodles being made and walked through a tropical fruit area.
Lunch back near hotel and then long bumpy trip back to Saigon.
Evening snack at Allez Boo which apparently is one of the ‘in’ places to go ( and prices to match).
Late night 1 hour flight to Danang.
All in all a day which highlighted the incredible energy and industry of the Vietnamese people. Whilst many live in what we would regard as primitive conditions they appear to have a fierce determination to improve their lot in sharp contrast to other so-called third world countries that we have visited.
The Obese Ferret.

Friday 24th December.

An early morning stroll along the river, followed by a visit to a very interesting Champa Museum showed Danang to be a pleasant surprise and a town which was done a disservice by our Footprints Guide book.
Decide to book a taxi to take us from Danang to Hoi An calling in at the 30 mile China Beach ( a favorite of GI’s during the war ) and two magnificent sports stadia which from a distance appear to be state-of-the-art.
China Beach is being developed at a rate of knots and with its golden sand and surf has the potential to become a real tourist magnet. Certainly, golfers Greg Norman and Colin Montgomerie have caught onto this as they have given their names to golf estates with Norman in particular featured on posters galore.
Moreover the beach is surrounded by mountains to the north and south which only add to its development potential.
It could even become another Surfers’ Paradise if they get everything wrong!
The approach to Hoi An gave us a real ‘Gailism’ which have become part of the Ireland family folklore. Asked by the taxi driver to confirm the name of our hotel in Hoi An, Gail on trying to find the name on a voucher ( held in the front seat by Craig ) said with her usual confidence that she could see the name it was’ Book Ing’, only to realise that she was reading ‘ booking confirmed’!. We have since realized that the hotel is part of a very large chain as there appear to be Book Ing offices everywhere! Even the taxi driver, with his limited knowledge of English laughed.

Location:Hue Airport

Read Full Post »

Met by guide and driver at 8.00 am to travel northeast ò Saigon in mini bus, first to Cu Chi Tunnels and later to Nui Ba Den ( Black Lady Mountain ). The Vietcong built 250 kms ò tunnels during the war to infiltrate the south, carry our subversive action against the USA troops and plan the Tet offensive in 1968. The original tunnels were too narrow for fat westerners so just over 100 metres have been widened for tourists, The experience is still a claustrophobic for many and it’s truly amazing how the VC survived for months dơưn there for months at a time. Crawling on all fours  a great test for the titanium knee!
Another comfirmation ò the brutality of the war,if such were needed came in the array of booby traps which were set up to greet any unsuspecting enemy soldiers.
The afternoon offered a far less confronting experience in the form of a visit to Nui Ba Den.
More later as the keyboard in this hotel, which keeps trying to write in Vietnamese letters í driving me nuts.
The Obese Ferret,

Read Full Post »

Plans for the following 3 days sorted with travel agent so go on quick tour of city,visiting the Reunification Palace, famous as the scene of a North Vietnamese tank bursting through the gates to finally take over the Gov’t of South Vietnam. On to the War Remnants Museum where the brutality and futility ò the Vietnam war is all too graphically shown, albeit with an understandably anti- USA slant.
Good meal at travel agent-recommended restaurant and off to bed for early start the next day,still marvelling at the ability òf the motorbike riders to survive another day!
The Obese Ferret. 

Read Full Post »

Arrived in Vietnam with a bang,literally! I had been warned about pickpockets and muggers but never expected the first assault to take place before I had left the aircraft. A passenger in the seat in front of me dropped a rather heavy computer case on my admittedly fairly large nose while taking it out of the overhead locker, sending my specs flying and leaving me with a nice cut on the bridge of my snozzle.
After first aid from the cabin crew and a check by an airport doctor I was able to take a cab to the centre of Saigon and Gail and I were able to meet up with Craig.
Saigon has a population of 9 million people and apparently 10 million scooters and motor bikes! Chaos reigns.
After checking in at very comfortable hotel headed off with Craig to visit the Reunification Palace and later the War Remnants Museum, the latter a very confronting reminder of the brutalities of the Vietnam War, albeit from a decidedly anti-American standpoint.
Good meal at restaurant recommended to us by local travel agent, followed to a second visit to said travel agent to make arrangements for the following days.
A slightly wounded Obese Ferret.

Location:Arrival Loop,,Vietnam

Read Full Post »