Lao and the temples of Luang Prabang

After a quick flight (yes we cheated) we were able to leave behind the hassle and noise of Hanoi for the quiet temple lined streets of Luang Prabang. On our first day we simply wandered in and out of temples (aka wats), walked the heated banks of the mekong and weaved our way through local market stalls.

To next day we decided to escape the heat by heading out to Tat Kuang Si waterfall 30 km south of town. We followed a forest trail to a series of tiered waterfalls each ending in a turquoise pool of water. We picked our preferred swimming spot and jumped in. After a lunch of whole BBQ fish and a compulsory bottle of Beer Lao we headed back to LP to watch the sun set over the mekong.

Sapa trekking with friends

Most of the people heading up to Sapa on the night train book their ticket with one of the many agencies in Hanoi. We circumvented this system and headed to the station. We thought a great saving had been made. And it had, but also to the cleaning of our cabin and the blankets provided. It was COLD in there. Might need to upgrade on the way back. But perhaps we're too old or too soft....

Getting a minibus from Lao Cai, where the train terminates, to Sapa was an interesting experience. All along the train bleary and tired westerners (it was 5am after all) were talking to touts about minibuses. Invariably agreeing and being taken to a bus, to be the only people on it! The driver wandering back to get some brekkie before the next train came. With a long wait in store, a few of us got together to fill one bus and get going.

The first thing you notice about Sapa is the cascading rice terraces. Then the weather. Climbing to this altitude allows you to leave the Hanoi sauna behind. The other thing you notice is the attention from the local H'mong people trying to sell you things. Questions in sequence were always '1. What's your name? 2. Where you from? 3. How old are you? 4. You buy from me?' We would give a great big smile and answer 'We no buy today, sorry'.

A homestay sounded like a good idea, so we headed out on a 2 day walk through a few of the local villages. Our guide was a 23yr old local H'mong girl Ze. Amazingly she has three children, the oldest is 5! We also had a big possie of other women keen to ingratiate themselves to us along the way, making little love hearts and animals out of foliage. The way was wet and slippery and a couple of near misses ensued (Tash did some great Kosak work!). The views were priceless and the food was really good, with Ze our own personal chef. We passed through a few villages before staying in Ta Van. Our homestay had a really good view and beer that was ice cold. The next day was also wet and we wandered through a bamboo forest and more rice terraces, before noodles for lunch and a bus back to town. It was a great walk and well worth the effort.

Morag, I'm sorry but you aren't allowed to read any more of this entry.

On our last day we decided to head out to the Silver Falls by motorbike. But this time Greg was riding and Tash was trying to keep her nervousness from showing. But it was all ok and we had a great day out. The falls themselves were ok, but a lot of blue tarps and eyesore rain shelters didn't help. We considered heading along the Tan Tom pass, but the fog closed in. Instead we headed out towards Ta Van. The sun came out and we had a great day. Tash even got to relax (so she tells me anyway).

Tonight the train back to Hanoi and then its the PDR of Lao!

Hanoi - Cruising Ha Long Bay

We were going to be so intrepid and clever. Tash got a location for our hotel from the net, and we took the incredibly cheap public bus from the airport into town. Once at the bus station we walked to where we thought the hotel was, and proceeded to wander around embassies and guard posts. We eventually admitted defeat and got a Taxi to avoid the tropical downpour, still expecting a very short trip. The driver then drove us from near Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum into the old town, quite a long way. Whoever posted that map got it very, very wrong. To add insult to injury, we got a dodgey taxi with a rocketing meter!

Hanoi old town is a grid of small streets. It feels quite enclosed and was oppressively hot. Its definitely the hottest place so far. We took in the green and tranquil Literature Temple and the lake in the centre of town.

The main order of business was to find a tour operator for Halong Bay that we could trust. We decided on Vega Travel, it had good reviews and the price was a reasonable. So after breakfast we readied ourselves. 7:45 became 8:15, became 8:35. The hotel manager made a call and it seems they had forgotten us! Luckily we had a day up our sleeves. So we saw Ho Chi Minh in his Mausoluem (he gets 3 months embalming work done in Moscow every year!).

Halong Bay is an utterly gorgeous part of the world. There is a very good reason its FULL of wooden tour boats! They are everywhere. Why would you not want to visit? Our first stop was a massive cave caused by water erosion, giving the roof a beautiful wavy look. It was well lit and everything was given a name (an active imagination comes in handy). That night, before we ate very well and slept on the boat, a rain storm swept in and everyone on board took advantage by jumping and diving off the boat.

The next day we did a trek across Cat Ba Island, through the dense rainforest that covers it. Everyone agreed it was a difficult walk, but really rewarding. Tash and I both enjoyed getting wet and muddy. More swimming and kayaking finished the day. We had seafood for dinner (impossible not to!?). The final day had us cruising slowly to the bus back to Hanoi. Tonight the train will take us to Sapa.

Hue - The Land of Tombs and Pagodas

We cruised into Hue on one of the popular 'Open Tour' buses. We'd managed to avoid them thus far. It wasn't the best trip you could hope for. The bus did have air conditioning, but most people thought that opening a window was a great idea! Hmmmm.......... We were relieved to get off, but some people were heading on up to Hanoi - at least another 12 hours away! We prayed for their tortured souls.......

We wanted lodging pretty quick because some serious showering was required. Said yes to the first option. Then had to ask for the sheets to be changed for clean ones. Then the smell began to rear its ugly head. The spider webs began to vie for our attention. To shower was great, but we easily found another place, Sports 1 Hotel (literally 25m away), a huge improvement.

Hue was the centre for the Nguyen Dynasty that lasted from the early 1800's through to the French colonisation (1930's). So as a result there are some spectacular sites (tombs, pagodas and palaces) dotted around. We took a river cruise down the formerly accurate but now slipping named Perfume River. It was so ridiculously hot and HUMID! An oppressive day. We took in the Thien Mu Pagoda (where the first monk to burn himself alive in protest was from), former Emperor Minh Mang tomb (which was very pretty), Emperor Tu Duc's tomb (which was also really good), a small temple and finally an incense maker.

The next day we headed to the old city to see the Citadel. But I subconciously decided that taking photos was not really worth it and left both memory cards in the hotel room. For some reason my decision seemed to cause a level of consternation (whaaaat?!). Luckily a nice man just outside the gates decided to sell us a new one (at a pretty good price). No photos of the old Citadel would have been a crime. This was a beautiful oasis in the buzzing Hue streets. There was barely any scooter noise (a rare blessing). A couple of elephants were hanging around (unfortunately chained to trees). It was a beautiful and tranquil place. It was like wandering around an abandoned city left to crumble.

We were chatting to a guy from Perth who had just taken the sleeper bus from Hanoi to Hue. He was a big lad, and his description of the journey had us looking for the nearest Vietnam Airlines office. We managed to find it and get a very good price for a flight to Hanoi ($50 each!) And soon we land there.......

Hoi An - The tailoring capital of the Universe

Hoi An old town is world heritage listed and for good reason. Its a beautiful little place that has a different pace to what we have experienced so far. Its really relaxing and pretty. Our hotel was great and close, and there are plenty of places to see. The weather was hot, with the odd late afternoon storm for relief.




We headed out to My Son (pronounced Mee Sun) ruins, about 60km out of town. This is all that remains of a 1300 year old Hindu inspired civilisation. It's a beautiful place. It was continuously inhabited for 1000 years! Unfortunately the Americans bombed it during the war because the Viet Cong used it as a staging point. We wandered the ruins, showering ourselves in our own sweat. I have never been more thankful for an air-conditioned bus in my life.









One of the best lines written in the Lonely Planet is the warning "getting clothes tailored in Hoi An is very addictive" And it soooooo is. We decided getting a few things done was a great idea. And it is - its cheaper than getting it made back home and the clothes fit better. You get one thing made, and its soooooo easy you decide to get something else made. The rot sets in. Your mind starts to see everything you desire or have wanted for ages. Your brain tells you: 'you are in fact saving money! I could never get it back home for the same price!' You ask yourself 'Is there a shop that does leather jackets?' Turns out there is. And so guess what I had made. Tash has wanted to replace a set of sandals she loved to death. Guess what she had made. I wondered if I could get a winter jacket made. Tash has always been a sucker for jackets. Suit? No problem. Skirt? How about 2!

We ended up sending a big box back (the most efficient post service I have ever encountered - they came to the hotel and in 5 minutes a well enclosed box was on its way). We'll probably get home before it does.We must leave for Hue before something else gets our attention.

The beaches of Nha Trang & Quy Nhon

Nha Trang is a very pretty part of Vietnam. It has a long beach and is a favourite on the backpacker trail. We spent a couple of days pretty much lazing around. Its the Vietnamese holiday season so there are plenty of people. Lots of paragliding and jetskies about.

In our wandering we spied an interesting sign that advertised a boat trip with the Funky Monkey. We'd heard of this guy from fellow travellers, and decided to give it a go. The trip started well and our man turned out to be full of laughs. The day was hot and clear and just perfect for snorkelling and swimming in the clear azure waters of Nha Trang Bay. We went to an aquarium shaped like a sailing ship. It was all very relaxing. After a pretty good lunch, the band began to play. There was a guitar, our man on vocals and the most beat up drum kit you have ever seen! Yours truly (referred to as Mr Australia) got dragged up to sing 'waltzing matilda! (my finest hour, check the bod! HOT!).

Then we all jumped off the boat and hit the sea bar - downing awful rocket fuel as we hung onto a floating raft in the water. That night we had dinner with some people we met on the boat. Its a hard life this travelling gig.

Going all the way to Hoi An in one go is a bloody long way. We decided to stop in at Quy Nhon for a night to break up the journey. Tash made a friend on the way (hehe). Unfortunately the weather was against us, with the wind and rain spoiling what would have been a beautiful spot. The seafood meal more than made up for this. Crab with a fabulous tamarind sauce. Prawns fried in salt that were so good you could eat the shell like a crunchy coating. That was a memorable meal.

On to Hoi An.....

Easy Riding Dalat

We made our way into the central highlands to get a break from the humidity, which turns me into a sweat fountain. Dalat is a bit strange in Vietnamese terms. It was where the French used to run to when it got too hot for them. So there are Villa-style buildings all over the place. A communications tower built like the Eiffel Tower. Very weird. We got a room in the Europa hotel, which was clean and spacious.

Dalat is famous for being the base of 'Easy Riders' - originally a crew of men who offered motorbike tours of the area. There are loads and loads of 'Easy Riders' (aka clones) offering their services, always stopping and asking you 'Where are you going?' 'Can I talk to you later?' tout tout tout..... (Nothing that odd there, they are always saying 'have you heard of easy rider?') We asked a few questions and found out that their rates are pretty steep, but we could do a day trip.

Not sure if we got the real thing, but it was a really good day trip. Son and his far less talkative and grumbling buddy Lou were our guides. They rode very smoothly and showed us a few sites. Son was full of useful facts and was generally just good fun. They took us to a lookout, a flower farm, the great Elephant waterfall (beautiful spot), an interesting silk production place and took us to a really cheap and very very tasty lunch. We rode along a winding road through a valley that was very beautiful.

Dalat itself is set along a small valley. There is also a rather weird piece of architecture known as 'Crazy House'. Its conceived by the daughter of the second president of Vietnam (meaning her work is untouchable). And its the biggest amusement park idea gone horribly wrong. A cross between a tree, a cave, a giraffe and a melted candle. You can stay there, but you wouldn't.

Now its off to Nha Trang for some beach action.