Friday 16th October - Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Saigon, VietnamEventually moto turns up at 5.10 a.m., no bus, go shared taxi, such a cool border, very dusty moto to Saigon, check into cool, cheap hotel, ripped off for cigs, maybe ripped off in Backpackers, meet Tuong, can't wait to leave. |
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Saturday 17th October - SaigonShouldn't have left this so long to write, it's very nearly 48 hours. Earlyish start, ready for Tuong by 8.30. Small genuine experience coffee, amazing tour, trashed by War Crimes, Chinese temples, Saigon accident. Trabant(?) to airport, Norah really there, a little late, a little light, a little short on visa, but no problem in the end. So we drink and have a suprisingly nice time, this being big city hassle Saigon, and then... Sunday 18th October - Cao Dai Temple and Cu Chi tunnels |
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Big day, early start, felt loose but off we go. Lovely bus, lovely guide, back towards Cambodia, turn right, gets super-amazing, Cao Dai and Black Lady mountain. Now apparently I'm going to love China says Aussie. Cu Chi deserves another chapter, very powerful. More drink, so late it's a lockout with Tom, and then..., very late night. Monday 19th October - SaigonMy rest day. Norah and Tom go off with Tuong and brother-in-law. I have a lovely lazy rest day, get film processed. Very lazy afternoon, take Tuong out for a meal in the evening at Kim's, the last drinks at Backpackers and very sad farewells. Can't sleep, too excited. |
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Tuesday 20th October - Saigon to Dalat |
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Bye, bye Saigon, bus journey out, learn to count, incredible journey into hills then mountains, then plateaux, great journey. Battle with Dalat Tourism, eventually get the hotel next to the market, very nice. Traverse the lake, have a honeymoon beer amd a very pleasant meal. Wednesday 21st October - DalatMarket time was indeed intense, pretty noisy, and rain-soaked.The rain seems to have set in for the day, so after a trot round the north of town and Lin Son Pagoda, we go to a local place for a more ethnic lunch and trash the afternoon. I face up to the realisation that I have viral gastroenteritis, and stay in bed to leave Norah and Tom to revel. |
Thursday 22nd October - DalatDay starts nice, fever passed somewhat, head out south for a crazy day, at Crazy House and Lam Ty Ni with the wonderful artist Vien Thuc. the rain sets in hardcore so we trash the afternoon to sleep and the first chapters of Fire In The Lake. Is it so unbuddhist to wish for sun in Nha Trang? Evening we try the food stalls and finish off with Italia ice cream. Friday 23rd October - Dalat to Nha Trang |
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Mild flap in the morning as we exit Dalat. Great journey down through the hills, first Cham ruins. Highway 1 slow as we pass through well flooded land. Arrive in Nha Trang a little late, but the sea view hotel is fine. Now, with Alison, we are 4. Lovely snapper in the evening, Norah gets her passport, I've lost my trunks, welcome to the seaside! Saturday 24th October - Nha TrangOne of those interface days, nice trip to Cham tower, nice trunks, argument with cyclo driver, my fault. Too many beach sellers. Afternoon mellower, fried stupid, dizzy spell in the evening in Banana 60. Sunday 25th October - Nha Trang |
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Mama Han day, just as expected but more so, so much food and gear, more swimming than I thought I'd manage in a lifetime. Very tiring day, trashed evening. Monday 26th October - Nha TrangRest day. Hassle in bank to start, nice breakfast at Banana 58, very hot walk back and crash. Revive, walk to beach to say goodbye to the nice weather. Storms on the way, round to Mr. Lanh's for tea and talk, the last bit by very cheap taxi, then walk home and crash via seafood tea at Saiga. |
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Tuesday 27th October - Nha Trang to Quang Ngai |
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Very early start, little tour minibus to ourselves into scrubby central plains, very long, hot drive, and that's only to Quang Ngai, very moto hasslesome walk to the hotel, throw a wobbler about the tourness of this trip, nice ethnic tea in bits, but still go to bed in a bad mood. Wednesday 28th October - Quang Ngai to Hoi AnSolo walk and good chat in small bus station, find a reasonable moto driver and set off to My Lai. Beautiful morning, Rememberance Park is intensely moving, all in tears including the guide. Retire to the beach for a very, very expensive lunch, seems well worth it what with one thing and another. Go for a bus, get one with the moto-driver's help, and eventually pull out of Quang Ngai. Great journey, much life but scrubby, sandy scenery. Eventually dropped 10 km short of Hoi An. Reasonable moto journey in as the sun drops. The usual fight for hotel of choice, massive multi-facetted pile, niceish tea, amazing walk around apparently hassle-free Hoi An. |
Thursday 29th October - Hoi An |
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Norah not too well today, so, after early start I trash the day. End up by the pool by 11 a.m., and asleep by 3 p.m. Lovely early tea at Rose and super-early night turns into big China anticipate. Sleep delayed massively. Friday 30th October - Hoi AnTherefore a late start and hot tour round a merchant house and temple. Excellent streetside lunch, late pool experience, tea (best yet at Arins) and drinks with Alison. Superb day, starting to realise how cheap clothes, carving and painting are here! |
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Saturday 31st October - My Son/Marble mountains/China beachEarly start rushing about this lovely place, getting little jobs done, great lighter refill. Tour out to My Son, laoesque mini-trek to stunning setting, great morning, jeep back down, average lunch, very hot. Marble mountains, good carving, good caves, great view, mucho hassle. Quick trip to China beach. Very hard but very special day. Gorgeous meal, more clothes, stunning photo booth girl. Sunday 1st November - Hoi An |
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Bit of a lie-in, more clothes, or was it museum? Photos great, check more in, back just in time for GP. Mika world champion. Slow afternoon by the pool, much socialising. Final clothes, great shirt, final meal. pick up 2nd photos and flirt with the babe in the photo shop. Challenging pack. Wonderful Hoi An. Monday 2nd November - Hoi An to Hue |
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Very sorry to leave. Last flirt with super-babe, catch bus to Danang no problem. 11/2 hour wait in Danang, onto Hue bus. Hai Van pass sensational as is the beautiful country after it all the way to Hue. Find a nice hotel, first trot around Hue, meal with deaf family, get very wet on the way home. Tuesday 3rd November - HueAnd that's just the start. Heavy rain all day only just dampens our spirits for the Forbidden City, which is resplendant in the damp, and that's about it for the day. DMZ thrown into doubt, tea at News. |
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Wednesday 4th November - Departure from HueStill very wet, abandon day, book train for 4.30 p.m., more News cafe, then cyclo to railway station, then "soft" seat into the night. |
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Thursday 5th November - Arrival in HanoiTrain hard work but great fun. Dawn brings us into a virtually cloudless Hanoi. Finding a hotel is slightly hard work, but, after nose-diving out of a cyclo, we land on our feet in the Old Quarter, then sleep till lunch. Wake up to explore the area, then the lake including post office. No card from Tracey, other than that delightful. Cultural evening, first at lakeside restaurant, then water puppets. Hanoi appears at first sight a wonderful city. |
Friday 6th November - Perfume PagodaSo we immediately look to get out! Eventually find motorbikes to take us to Perfume Pagoda. Wonderful journey to the very edge of the delta, but hard work. Incredibly idyllic rowing boat to the start of the climb, featuring the most beautiful child I have ever seen. Far too many coke sellers, avaricious monks and bad Buddhist monkey torture see me losing my rag for the first time in Vietnam. Back down the hill I recover, meet up again with the children, same beautiful boat ride back. Very late for the motos, so most of the ride back is cold and dark, but good tea stop, ethnic toilet and pigs. Got back, squabbled briefly over money as usual, but all's well that ends well, so much cheaper meal, coffee and home fairly early. |
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Saturday 7th November - Hanoi to Cat BaNo joy at the bank, so still broke. After that the day pans out wonderfully. Good minibus to Haiphong, nice stopover with more delightful seller girls. Remeet Danish girls from Perfume Pagoda, very vivacious Haida on the boat trip to Cat Ba. Can't believe how low hassle and beautiful Cat Ba is. Change money on the black market and book boat trip. No hassle, no cyclos, no postcards. Peace at last! Sunday 8th November - Halong Bay |
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Just the most perfect day. Early start for the boat trip around Halong Bay, and just WOW. Stunningly idyllic and beautiful birds and creatures.Little leaping fish, a tiny beach, a perfect lunch, a cave with a view that should have been the panorama had I brought more than one film. Still, I will be back. Nice low-key tea at Tonga, but my mind is still lost in Halong, and will be for some time. Sample of the day, "I can dream, can't I?". Monday 9th November - Cat Ba to HanoiSo, journey back from that wonderful place goes as smooth as silk, nice boat ride, nice walk to station, nice train back to Hanoi, mad afternoon rushing around. Photos, Ho's mausoleum, and book bus tickets to Son La. Mildly long walk back through French Quarter to Old Quarter, last meal in very authentic place and early night. |
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Tuesday 10th November - Departure from Hanoi5 a.m. start to Son La starts with a very civilised moto, then a couple of punctures, and it's very slow progress to an 8 p.m. finish to not Son La. Blazing row, short sleep in expensive hotel in god knows where then back on the road at 2 a.m. and eventually to Tian Gaou. Wednesday 11th November - Arrival in Dien Bien Phu |
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Nice hilltribey walk around with missy until noon then back on the road for more stunt scenery on a different, very nippy bus to Dien Bien Phu. Cursory look around and forced meal then very early night. Thursday 12th November - Dien Bien Phu to Tam DuongEarlyish start on misty cold morning, nippyest bus yet to Mai Chau, quick breakfast then on through mega-mega scenery and Da River valley to Tam Duong. Nice walk up to panoramic sunset, including beautiful conversation with Hmong grandfather, then nice meal and back. So many buses. Friday 13th November - Tam Duong to Sapa |
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Auspicious date for our final leg. Woken at 6 a.m. by the pacification to find that the early bus hasn't left, so quick walk round and return and pack only to find it's gone. Nice breakfast, then turn up for bus, which turns out to be Yunnanese luxury bus, half full, and off. Ride of our lives this time. Mega-mega scenery and before long we've arrived. Smiling Red Dzao all the way, more Hmong than you could ever count on arrival, mostly gathered round us, selling at a good price! So we're installed pretty effortlessly and everything unfurls and we're paying 5000d to walk down to Cat Cat and down to the river in no time to get healed. Back for tea in town and a fairly early night. Saturday 14th November - Sapa |
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Our last day, as we set out for a mini-trek with Chin Viet and girlfriend and Mrs. Hotel, to a variety of Hmong, Dzai and Dzao villages. I realise that Dzao is Yao and we have a number of formative moments and invitations. Finish quite early and return to Sapa in time to get out into the market and buy loads of jewellery, then back out for our final evening. Very wonderful meeting with Red Dzao lady. Shows us the full kit and dresses Norah up but she can't afford the wonderful jacket. Alison turns up so we're diverted from the main business long enough to miss most of the clearing of the streets but we catch the tail end and I finish off with a few samples and we have a very late night, but not late enough to catch it all kicking off again at about 1 a.m. |
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Sunday 15th November - Sapa, Vietnam to Hekou, ChinaVery early start and I see Norah off with extremely mixed feelings, take a few very heavy-hearted circuits around an increasingly bustly Sapa, then say my farewells and head for the jeep. Soon we're in Lao Cai, then the border, where I think I'm going to get trouble, but no, a $1 fee, a 15 minute wait for customs that never come, and all of a sudden I'm on the bridge, looking back. China couldn't be more different. I'm welcomed courteously, the bank's open on Sunday, the hotel's a shithole, and I sleep and sleep. continued in Travels in China |
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