After being on the road for almost 9 months now and posting loads of photos to keep everyone interested we have now reached our photo limit and have set up a new blog to keep the adlibing adventures recorded. Click here to see the new (but strangley similar) Adlibing Asia! The Link is also on the right toolbar under Blogs We Love.
Adlibing it to a new blog site.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Day 247 - Stepping back in time in the DMZ and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Although it may seem odd, a lot of Vietnam's tourism is based around the war, and today we set off on an organised tour to explore the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which split the country in half from 1954-75. The Benhai river was the mid-point between the Republic of Vietnam (South) and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North), and 5km either side was the official DMZ, but ironially as the war progressed this area became one of the most militarised zones in the country.
After stopping for breakfast at Dong Ha Town, the closest to the DMZ and now almost completely rebuilt, we passed by the Doc Mieu Fire Base on our way to the Guerilla Monument, which stands in remembrance of local guerilla fighters. We were supposed to stop at the fire base, which was once an eerie reminder of the battles that went on here, but it has now faded away and been covered with overgrowth. We then made our way across the Benhai River and saw the huge speakers on both sides of the river that were used to spread propaganda from both sides to the other! Before being hit by a bomb during the war the north side of the bridge was painted read and the south yellow, but now a huge Vietnamese flag flies from the bridge as a sign of unity.
Next we headed to what was the highlight of the day - the Vinh Moc tunnels. These tunnels were built by locals of the village (in North Vietnam) who by 1966 were living in one of the most bombed places in the world. The Viet Cong supported the locals to stay there because it was an important base during the war.
This 2.8km network of tunnels took 18 months of work with 12 entrances and 3 levels, ranging from 12-24m below the surface. Amazingly this tunnel was home for the locals for 3 years, and 17 babies were born in the tunnels. 
One of the many bombs that cratered the surrounding lands, scored a direct hit on the tunnels, but failed to blow up, and the hole from the hit was later converted into a ventilation hole. Walking through the tunnels was exhilarating and spooky at the same time - it was hard to separate the enjoyment and curiousity, from the reality of the environment that existed during the Vitnam war. 
It was a surreal feeling, trying to imagine the lives of the families who lived here and seeing the scarred rocks that bore the words of their terrors. After exiting the tunnels we walked along Cua Tung Beach, where navy ships fired on the tunnel entrances across the South China Sea.
In the afternoon we stopped to glance at the Rockpile, which was a 230m high rockface where American longrange artillery was positioned and soldiers utilised the height as a vantage point to lookout over the forests that hid the Viet Cong as they made their way along the famous Ho Chi Minh trail.
From here we went to the Dakrong Bridge that was once a branch of the Ho Chi Minh trail, this section of the trail is now known as the Ho Chi Minh highway.
On our way to Khe Sanh Combat base, we passed through ethnic minority villages that once homed forests full of tigers and bears. Unfortuneately much of the forest was destroyed during the war, leaving hilltops balded by the blades of agent orange and other chemical weapons. This led to villages replanting rice and coffee fields to replace the lifestyle of hunting and gathering they had previously known.
The Combat Base was where one of the most controversial and bloody battles of the war took place in 1968. On the grounds of the base scarred by bombs, white phosperous shells, and naplam lie downed helicopters (some still complete, others merely piles of ruins), tanks, and reconstructed bunkers that failed to give an idea of what it would have been like to be there during the war when the ground was literally a pile of bodies.
A long bus trip home led us to dinner and bed - basically the only choices we made ourselves today!!
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of local communities worldwide. Check out more about this organisation and the ongoing work it undertakes in Vietnam and other countries that have been affected by landmines left after war. After a day seeing and learning about the effects of war, we're glad to see organisations like MAG working to help countries recover.
Adlibing it someone else's way.
After stopping for breakfast at Dong Ha Town, the closest to the DMZ and now almost completely rebuilt, we passed by the Doc Mieu Fire Base on our way to the Guerilla Monument, which stands in remembrance of local guerilla fighters. We were supposed to stop at the fire base, which was once an eerie reminder of the battles that went on here, but it has now faded away and been covered with overgrowth. We then made our way across the Benhai River and saw the huge speakers on both sides of the river that were used to spread propaganda from both sides to the other! Before being hit by a bomb during the war the north side of the bridge was painted read and the south yellow, but now a huge Vietnamese flag flies from the bridge as a sign of unity.
Next we headed to what was the highlight of the day - the Vinh Moc tunnels. These tunnels were built by locals of the village (in North Vietnam) who by 1966 were living in one of the most bombed places in the world. The Viet Cong supported the locals to stay there because it was an important base during the war.
This 2.8km network of tunnels took 18 months of work with 12 entrances and 3 levels, ranging from 12-24m below the surface. Amazingly this tunnel was home for the locals for 3 years, and 17 babies were born in the tunnels. One of the many bombs that cratered the surrounding lands, scored a direct hit on the tunnels, but failed to blow up, and the hole from the hit was later converted into a ventilation hole. Walking through the tunnels was exhilarating and spooky at the same time - it was hard to separate the enjoyment and curiousity, from the reality of the environment that existed during the Vitnam war. It was a surreal feeling, trying to imagine the lives of the families who lived here and seeing the scarred rocks that bore the words of their terrors. After exiting the tunnels we walked along Cua Tung Beach, where navy ships fired on the tunnel entrances across the South China Sea.In the afternoon we stopped to glance at the Rockpile, which was a 230m high rockface where American longrange artillery was positioned and soldiers utilised the height as a vantage point to lookout over the forests that hid the Viet Cong as they made their way along the famous Ho Chi Minh trail.
From here we went to the Dakrong Bridge that was once a branch of the Ho Chi Minh trail, this section of the trail is now known as the Ho Chi Minh highway.On our way to Khe Sanh Combat base, we passed through ethnic minority villages that once homed forests full of tigers and bears. Unfortuneately much of the forest was destroyed during the war, leaving hilltops balded by the blades of agent orange and other chemical weapons. This led to villages replanting rice and coffee fields to replace the lifestyle of hunting and gathering they had previously known.
The Combat Base was where one of the most controversial and bloody battles of the war took place in 1968. On the grounds of the base scarred by bombs, white phosperous shells, and naplam lie downed helicopters (some still complete, others merely piles of ruins), tanks, and reconstructed bunkers that failed to give an idea of what it would have been like to be there during the war when the ground was literally a pile of bodies.
A long bus trip home led us to dinner and bed - basically the only choices we made ourselves today!!MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a neutral and impartial humanitarian organisation clearing the remnants of conflict for the benefit of local communities worldwide. Check out more about this organisation and the ongoing work it undertakes in Vietnam and other countries that have been affected by landmines left after war. After a day seeing and learning about the effects of war, we're glad to see organisations like MAG working to help countries recover.
Adlibing it someone else's way.
Day 246 - An afternoon in Hue
We woke to one of the frustations that comes with catching Open Tour buses in Vietnam - the bus stopping outside of town at one of the bus driver's 'brother's' hotels! The driver and hotel owner got a little annoyed when everyone refused to get off the bus asking to be taken into town! It wasn't really an issue for us because we were just going to get back on another bus to go to Hue! On the way to Hue, we stopped for a snack and another photo-op:
The drawcard for Hue is that is was once the capital of the country under the rule of the Nguyen Emperors, and after the successive wars Hue and its architecture was badly damaged. 
We arrived in Hue about 5 hours later and after checking into a hotel we set off for lunch and to explore the Citadel. 
The walls that surround the citadel are 2m thick and 10km long and were constructed in 1804. At the front of the citadel is a 37m high flag tower, the largest in Vietnam and during the Viet Cong occupation in 1968 the National Liberation Flag flew in defiance. Inside we wandered around the gates, temples and pagodas, which varied from newly restored to partly crumbled, to almost non-existent.
Almost at the end of our afternoon we came across s a martial arts team doing a performance outside a temple. We got to see a lion dance and a little dude who's bound to be able to break some bones when he grows up! 
Our night was filled with eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Adlibing it inside the Citadel.
The drawcard for Hue is that is was once the capital of the country under the rule of the Nguyen Emperors, and after the successive wars Hue and its architecture was badly damaged. We arrived in Hue about 5 hours later and after checking into a hotel we set off for lunch and to explore the Citadel. The walls that surround the citadel are 2m thick and 10km long and were constructed in 1804. At the front of the citadel is a 37m high flag tower, the largest in Vietnam and during the Viet Cong occupation in 1968 the National Liberation Flag flew in defiance. Inside we wandered around the gates, temples and pagodas, which varied from newly restored to partly crumbled, to almost non-existent.Almost at the end of our afternoon we came across s a martial arts team doing a performance outside a temple. We got to see a lion dance and a little dude who's bound to be able to break some bones when he grows up! Our night was filled with eating, drinking, and sleeping.Adlibing it inside the Citadel.
Day 245 - Surf, sun, and sand
Our day today takes little explaining - after sleeping in most of the morning we hit Nha Trang beach where we lazed in the sun and had fun in the surf until 5pm only straying for lunch at Olivia Restaurant.
Seriously that's all we did until we boarded our bus to Hoi An - we were treated to a free upgrade to a open tour sleeper bus, which was a relief as we had done this very trip in reverse a few weeks ago and were not looking forward to it!!
Adlibing nothing but the beach.
Seriously that's all we did until we boarded our bus to Hoi An - we were treated to a free upgrade to a open tour sleeper bus, which was a relief as we had done this very trip in reverse a few weeks ago and were not looking forward to it!!
Adlibing nothing but the beach.
Day 244 - Travelling our way into a new year, again.
This morning we had a relaxing stroll around Dalat. Enjoying the sun and the views over Xuan Huong Lake we found ourselves a spot to read a few hours away before heading in the direction of the old Cremaillere train station. This station was closed because of attacks during the war, and the destroyed tracks have never been fully replaced so we didn't go for a train ride, only to check out the building and old trains hanging around.
After lunch at the vegetarian restaurant again, we hopped on our bus to take us back to the beach paradise of Nha Trang.
Along the way we were blown away by the phenomenal scenery especially the old quaint villages set in the stunning mountainside that was a combination of farms, lush green forests and sections that were being felled: the result being like a green checkers board.
It was nice to arrive back in Nha Trang where we pretty much knew where to go - we hit some luck when we went to book our onward tickets for the next day as they could tell us where a clean cheap room was! This may not sound like much, but as it is New Year's Eve/TET Eve, everything has tripled in price, and all the others closed down for the week.
We set out for dinner at an Indian restaurant before taking a walk along the beach and watching a lunar new years show - but the exhaustion of the last week of travelling set in and we ended up piking out before midnight and enjoying hearing the fireworks from our hotel room!
Adlibing in the New Year
After lunch at the vegetarian restaurant again, we hopped on our bus to take us back to the beach paradise of Nha Trang.
Along the way we were blown away by the phenomenal scenery especially the old quaint villages set in the stunning mountainside that was a combination of farms, lush green forests and sections that were being felled: the result being like a green checkers board.It was nice to arrive back in Nha Trang where we pretty much knew where to go - we hit some luck when we went to book our onward tickets for the next day as they could tell us where a clean cheap room was! This may not sound like much, but as it is New Year's Eve/TET Eve, everything has tripled in price, and all the others closed down for the week.
We set out for dinner at an Indian restaurant before taking a walk along the beach and watching a lunar new years show - but the exhaustion of the last week of travelling set in and we ended up piking out before midnight and enjoying hearing the fireworks from our hotel room!Adlibing in the New Year
Day 243 - Braving the bikes to tour around Dalat
This morning we woke to the sound of buses honking - but it's a nice change from our alarm! After brekky we set off with Quinn, another traveller staying at our hotel, on the motorbikes. Our first destination was Lat Village - 12km out of town on beautiful sweeping roads that made their way through the mountainside to the base of Lang Bian Mountain. Driving through the village only took us a couple of minutes on the rocky/muddy "road" but we continued on through to climb a bit higher and get a good view of the village.
From above we had views of valleys and over farms that looked so organised and manicured that the crops could have been planted using a ruler and they still wouldn't be straighter. Another striking feature of the fields was the amazing irrigation system, that utilises hollow bamboo stalks as pipes.
Back in the village we wandered around and checked out the wooden church, complete with stained glass windows. Afterwards we were invited into a party in celebration of a slaughtering the previous day of a buffalo. Inside the shop where we parked our bikes, a young girl was weaving on a traditional loom, to make the beautiful material and goods for sale.
Back on our cruising machines we made a stop for ice coffee / tea and watch the world go by, before heading back to town for lunch. After charging our camera and filling up we hit the road again. Well, for a few hundred metres anyway - as it was then that we realised that our back tyre was flat.
We stopped to have it repaired and headed off in the direction of the Datanla Waterfall. Not long into the ride our tyre failed us again on the dodgy downhill slope so Adam set off for a sketchy ride, while Quinn gave Liv a ride back to a new fix-it man, where we decided to get an entire new tube! We were soon on our way to the waterfall again!
When we got there we descended a rather steep path down through a pine forest, listening to birds chirp as we went, all the time thinking about how we had to walk all the way back up again!!
The waterfall itself was pretty, and we got a great view from above when we climbed the muddy path, where we also managed to find a couple of fishermen as they fished from a secluded fishing hole nestled in the bush.
Back in Dalat the three of us had dinner on a table on the street, after which Adam and Quinn enjoyed several beers from Quinn's balcony and watched local families prepare for the Tet festival by cleaning every inch of their house!
Adlibing the highland roads of Dalat.
From above we had views of valleys and over farms that looked so organised and manicured that the crops could have been planted using a ruler and they still wouldn't be straighter. Another striking feature of the fields was the amazing irrigation system, that utilises hollow bamboo stalks as pipes.Back in the village we wandered around and checked out the wooden church, complete with stained glass windows. Afterwards we were invited into a party in celebration of a slaughtering the previous day of a buffalo. Inside the shop where we parked our bikes, a young girl was weaving on a traditional loom, to make the beautiful material and goods for sale.Back on our cruising machines we made a stop for ice coffee / tea and watch the world go by, before heading back to town for lunch. After charging our camera and filling up we hit the road again. Well, for a few hundred metres anyway - as it was then that we realised that our back tyre was flat.We stopped to have it repaired and headed off in the direction of the Datanla Waterfall. Not long into the ride our tyre failed us again on the dodgy downhill slope so Adam set off for a sketchy ride, while Quinn gave Liv a ride back to a new fix-it man, where we decided to get an entire new tube! We were soon on our way to the waterfall again!
When we got there we descended a rather steep path down through a pine forest, listening to birds chirp as we went, all the time thinking about how we had to walk all the way back up again!!
The waterfall itself was pretty, and we got a great view from above when we climbed the muddy path, where we also managed to find a couple of fishermen as they fished from a secluded fishing hole nestled in the bush.Back in Dalat the three of us had dinner on a table on the street, after which Adam and Quinn enjoyed several beers from Quinn's balcony and watched local families prepare for the Tet festival by cleaning every inch of their house!
Adlibing the highland roads of Dalat.
Day 242 - An eye-opening bus trip to Dalat
While Liv dined on breakfast, Adam had to pass, and before long we arrived for our bus as instructed at 7.45am. Almost an hour later a small mini-bus arrived and we started circling around town picking up passengers, until we had more passengers than seats. We thought this mini-van was only taking us to the bigger bus so we didn't mind squeezing in, but after a couple of hours on the road it became clear that there was no bigger bus!
A journey was made a little more stressful than normal (anyone who has been to Asia will understand the mahem of the roads and drivers) because we had a newbie driver probably because the normal driver had gone on holiday for the week of Tet. Our driver was apparently unaware of the use of gears, refusing to change down from 3rd gear until we had almost stopped - this was even more frustrating as we were making ourway to the Highlands and therefore the majority of our trip was going up and around mountain passes.
As we were making our final uphill drive into Dalat we came across 2 accidents. The first involved a tour bus and a truck and the mountain, and the second 2 motorbike drivers who are now part of the stastistics that arise when there are millions of motorbikers in Vietnam. Hmmm, shall we still hire a motorbike tomorrow to explore the region?
We finally arrived in Dalat (a little somber, needless to say) which is set in a mountainous region neraly 1500m above sealevel - this means that the temperature here is a pleasant 5-10 degrees lower than in Saigon and a hell of a lot less polluted. The Highlands around Dalat was once a hunters paradise, but unfortunately there were too many hunters that the hunted are no longer around. The highlands area also fell victim to Agent Orange during the war but Dalat itself seemed to be spared the effects, and we found ourselves surrounded by pine forests (not unlike those back in NZ) and valleys filled with farms and fields.
In the evening we wandered the fruit and vege markets and bought ourselves some bananas and mangoes before going to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner - Liv was spoilt for choice and we dined on Sweet 'n Sour "beef" ribs and braised "chicken"!
Adlibing it to the Highlands.
A journey was made a little more stressful than normal (anyone who has been to Asia will understand the mahem of the roads and drivers) because we had a newbie driver probably because the normal driver had gone on holiday for the week of Tet. Our driver was apparently unaware of the use of gears, refusing to change down from 3rd gear until we had almost stopped - this was even more frustrating as we were making ourway to the Highlands and therefore the majority of our trip was going up and around mountain passes.
As we were making our final uphill drive into Dalat we came across 2 accidents. The first involved a tour bus and a truck and the mountain, and the second 2 motorbike drivers who are now part of the stastistics that arise when there are millions of motorbikers in Vietnam. Hmmm, shall we still hire a motorbike tomorrow to explore the region?
We finally arrived in Dalat (a little somber, needless to say) which is set in a mountainous region neraly 1500m above sealevel - this means that the temperature here is a pleasant 5-10 degrees lower than in Saigon and a hell of a lot less polluted. The Highlands around Dalat was once a hunters paradise, but unfortunately there were too many hunters that the hunted are no longer around. The highlands area also fell victim to Agent Orange during the war but Dalat itself seemed to be spared the effects, and we found ourselves surrounded by pine forests (not unlike those back in NZ) and valleys filled with farms and fields.
In the evening we wandered the fruit and vege markets and bought ourselves some bananas and mangoes before going to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner - Liv was spoilt for choice and we dined on Sweet 'n Sour "beef" ribs and braised "chicken"!Adlibing it to the Highlands.
Day 241 - A slow trip back to Saigon
We got up with the intention of going to the bus station and finding a bus back to Saigon, but after a French couple eating breakfast at the same place as us found out a tourist bus was leaving at lunch time right outside the hotel to the place they wanted to go to, so we decided to try our luck and see if it was going back to Saigon. After some bargaining by Adam we had 2 seats on the bus that would drop us almost directly outside our hotel in Saigon where our packs were waiting for us for only a couple of dollars more than it would have cost us on a local bus. Even though we usually prefer taking local buses, the Saigon bus station is so far away from where we're staying at would have taken us 2 bus changes to get close - so we took the easy way out!!
The bus trip was everything you'd expect from a bus trip in Asia. We spent an hour waiting for our bus to break through all the traffic and make the ferry journey across the Mekong, and after hours in the Tet holiday traffic we stopped to pick up more passengers to make the bus packed to capacity, and then after a number of hours on the road only 30km from Saigon our bus lost its gear box so we stood on the side of the road while our driver / mechanic fixed the bus enough to get us back on the road - minus a few gears! This meant we had to take a round-a-bout route into town so he could avoid having to change gears, and running more than a few red lights on the way so we didn't stop!
Back in Saigon we went for Indian with some other travellers we met on the bus who provided us with great company. After dinner Adam joined a group of travelling drinkers sitting outside the hotel.
The hotel owner had generously given them a very stong bottle of rice-vodka, which once empty prompted the group to journey down the road to find more wine and beer to drink the night away. One of the cyclo drivers that had taken Aussie Adam and Abbey round town that day stopped to say hello and let us try his banana whisky and in the wee small hours Adam finally retired to bed to get at least some sleep before our 8am bus in the morning to Dalat.
Eventually adlibing it back to Saigon.
The bus trip was everything you'd expect from a bus trip in Asia. We spent an hour waiting for our bus to break through all the traffic and make the ferry journey across the Mekong, and after hours in the Tet holiday traffic we stopped to pick up more passengers to make the bus packed to capacity, and then after a number of hours on the road only 30km from Saigon our bus lost its gear box so we stood on the side of the road while our driver / mechanic fixed the bus enough to get us back on the road - minus a few gears! This meant we had to take a round-a-bout route into town so he could avoid having to change gears, and running more than a few red lights on the way so we didn't stop!
Back in Saigon we went for Indian with some other travellers we met on the bus who provided us with great company. After dinner Adam joined a group of travelling drinkers sitting outside the hotel.
The hotel owner had generously given them a very stong bottle of rice-vodka, which once empty prompted the group to journey down the road to find more wine and beer to drink the night away. One of the cyclo drivers that had taken Aussie Adam and Abbey round town that day stopped to say hello and let us try his banana whisky and in the wee small hours Adam finally retired to bed to get at least some sleep before our 8am bus in the morning to Dalat.Eventually adlibing it back to Saigon.
Day 240 - Cruising on the Mekong Delta
Oh my goodness, it's 5am - though waking even hour stressed that our alarm wouldn't wake us, had prepared us well for it! We hurried downstairs to be greeted by our boatman for the day, who wasted no time in thrusting a bag of bread and bananas in our hands and whisking us off to the wharf. The bananas were so tiny and cute, we almost felt bad eating them! But we needed breakfast and gobbled them up as we waited for the sun to cast its light over the river. 
We were treated to a fusion of colours that appeared with the sun as it pierced its way through the clouds. After an hour floating along the river we arrived at Cai Rang - the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta. 
The reason we had to leave so early is that the markets are at their best between 6-9am and we didn't want to miss all the action. Daily life here centres around the rivers where everybody sells, buys, and exchanges their fruit, veges and flowers all while drifting atop the river. There is no apparent organisation to this commotion, but it all seems to work out as larger boats seem to anchor themselves in one place while an army of smaller boats putt or row their way to where they need to go - banging into each other along the way.
After being right in the middle of the chaotic and exciting atmosphere of people enjoying their daily work, we zipped down a small canal to a ricepaper / noodle-making factory. Here we wandered around almost unnoticed by the workers who were focused on their individuals tasks involved in making the noodles.
We continued up the mighty Mekong, our small boat (only 6m long and 1.5 wide) rocking each time a bigger boat passed by - but our master driver managed to steer us in the right way each time to avoid capsizing into the murky brown waters. We passed houses along the way, built in the traditional manner of using any available material and built up on stilts to keep the rising waters away - flooding is growing problem in the area, partly due to deforestation. If this was anywhere else in the world, and the river was cleaner, people would pay big bucks to have the chance to build their houses along the riverfront!
We made our way to Phong Dien floating market, more than 20km from our starting destination, in time to catch the commerce going on there as well. The Phong Dien market is not as big as the Cai Rang market, but was impressive and interesting in its own right, and was more pleasant to cruise around in because of the lack of big boats.
From here we headed back down stream and turned off into a shady, winding canal lined with mangrove forests. Here we stopped at a fruit orchid for a drink and some longan fruit before getting back on the boat for our return trip. We continued down the canal until we hit the point where it was too shallow for us to continue, so headed back the way we came through Cai Rang - the water was so calm along the canal, that when we made it back onto the made river again we noticed more and more river spray reaching us as the wind and waves picked up.
Along the way Adam settled in for a beer he had brought along, which he finished by the time we made it to Cai Rang, so we set about finding a floating bar to restock and bargained for a pineapple from one of the many fruit boats still hanging around.
Sitting back with pineapple and beer in hand, we continued our cruise towards the finish line. Our trip back was slowed down when Adam needed to jump into the bush for natures calling - and in the process lost his hat overboard again!! Luckily on this slow boat (our engine was a small lawnmower engine with a pole and a prop connected to it) we could make a pick-up!
Back on dry land we went back to our Mekong regular eating spot before picking up some icecreams and beers to people watch the night away on the waterfront - including an 85 year old woman making flax swans and though we are unlikely to give money to beggars the smile on this woman's face was enough to convince us to buy one.
Adlibing the mighty Mekong waterways.
We were treated to a fusion of colours that appeared with the sun as it pierced its way through the clouds. After an hour floating along the river we arrived at Cai Rang - the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta. The reason we had to leave so early is that the markets are at their best between 6-9am and we didn't want to miss all the action. Daily life here centres around the rivers where everybody sells, buys, and exchanges their fruit, veges and flowers all while drifting atop the river. There is no apparent organisation to this commotion, but it all seems to work out as larger boats seem to anchor themselves in one place while an army of smaller boats putt or row their way to where they need to go - banging into each other along the way.After being right in the middle of the chaotic and exciting atmosphere of people enjoying their daily work, we zipped down a small canal to a ricepaper / noodle-making factory. Here we wandered around almost unnoticed by the workers who were focused on their individuals tasks involved in making the noodles.We continued up the mighty Mekong, our small boat (only 6m long and 1.5 wide) rocking each time a bigger boat passed by - but our master driver managed to steer us in the right way each time to avoid capsizing into the murky brown waters. We passed houses along the way, built in the traditional manner of using any available material and built up on stilts to keep the rising waters away - flooding is growing problem in the area, partly due to deforestation. If this was anywhere else in the world, and the river was cleaner, people would pay big bucks to have the chance to build their houses along the riverfront!We made our way to Phong Dien floating market, more than 20km from our starting destination, in time to catch the commerce going on there as well. The Phong Dien market is not as big as the Cai Rang market, but was impressive and interesting in its own right, and was more pleasant to cruise around in because of the lack of big boats.
From here we headed back down stream and turned off into a shady, winding canal lined with mangrove forests. Here we stopped at a fruit orchid for a drink and some longan fruit before getting back on the boat for our return trip. We continued down the canal until we hit the point where it was too shallow for us to continue, so headed back the way we came through Cai Rang - the water was so calm along the canal, that when we made it back onto the made river again we noticed more and more river spray reaching us as the wind and waves picked up.Along the way Adam settled in for a beer he had brought along, which he finished by the time we made it to Cai Rang, so we set about finding a floating bar to restock and bargained for a pineapple from one of the many fruit boats still hanging around.
Sitting back with pineapple and beer in hand, we continued our cruise towards the finish line. Our trip back was slowed down when Adam needed to jump into the bush for natures calling - and in the process lost his hat overboard again!! Luckily on this slow boat (our engine was a small lawnmower engine with a pole and a prop connected to it) we could make a pick-up!Back on dry land we went back to our Mekong regular eating spot before picking up some icecreams and beers to people watch the night away on the waterfront - including an 85 year old woman making flax swans and though we are unlikely to give money to beggars the smile on this woman's face was enough to convince us to buy one.
Adlibing the mighty Mekong waterways.
Day 239 - Transporting ourselves into the Mekong Delta
Having decided to pass on an all inclusive tour of the Mekong Delta region, we made our way to Can Tho by ourselves in order to be able to explore the region at our own pace rather than at the pace of the tour guide and 30 other people!!
The Mekong Delta is the area South of Saigon that surrounds the famous Mekong river (the Vietnamese name for the river is Song Cuu Long meaning "River of Nine Dragons")- which flows 4,500km from Tibet through to Vietnam, via China, Burma, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. The region produces the majority of the country's rice and is famous for its variety of tropical fruit grown here, which we're looking forward to sampling. The people here are regarded as the friendliest of the country!
A long day on the bus was made worse by an hour of almost standstill traffic leaving the city, but we made it to Can Tho the largest city in the Mekong Delta without too much trouble! We were even dropped off outside the hotel we were going to look at by the free taxi service offered by the bus company we went with - which saved an otherwise inevitable of aimless wandering in the southern heat.
After checking out a few hotels, we settled on a nice cheap one (made even cheaper by choosing to forego aircon: a decision we hope we don't regret later), and went out to explore the bustling backstreets and waterfront of the town.
We took some time wandering the markets and people watching while sitting by the river. It was interesting seeing women row passengers in their boats across the life sustaining river.
After dinner we retired for an early night as we have to meet our boat driver at 5.30am tomorrow morning for our adventure on the river.
Adlibing it to Can Tho.
The Mekong Delta is the area South of Saigon that surrounds the famous Mekong river (the Vietnamese name for the river is Song Cuu Long meaning "River of Nine Dragons")- which flows 4,500km from Tibet through to Vietnam, via China, Burma, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. The region produces the majority of the country's rice and is famous for its variety of tropical fruit grown here, which we're looking forward to sampling. The people here are regarded as the friendliest of the country!
A long day on the bus was made worse by an hour of almost standstill traffic leaving the city, but we made it to Can Tho the largest city in the Mekong Delta without too much trouble! We were even dropped off outside the hotel we were going to look at by the free taxi service offered by the bus company we went with - which saved an otherwise inevitable of aimless wandering in the southern heat.
After checking out a few hotels, we settled on a nice cheap one (made even cheaper by choosing to forego aircon: a decision we hope we don't regret later), and went out to explore the bustling backstreets and waterfront of the town.
We took some time wandering the markets and people watching while sitting by the river. It was interesting seeing women row passengers in their boats across the life sustaining river.After dinner we retired for an early night as we have to meet our boat driver at 5.30am tomorrow morning for our adventure on the river.Adlibing it to Can Tho.
Day 238 - Exploring Ho Chi Minh City
We had a huge day today exploring the major sites within Saigon city - all by foot power!!!
Our day started off in Pham Ngu Lao district where our hotel is located in the bustling backpacker area, where we had breakfast and set off to the Ben Thanh Market. By the time we arrived here, we realised we were in for a long, hot day, as the temperature outside continued to rise! Inside the market, the temperature followed the same pattern as outside, and was jammed-packed full of tourists trying to buy stuff from the locals trying to sell it. We walked away empty handed for 3 main reasons: we have to carry what we buy on our backs all day; our budget is very tight; and the markets at home in China sell similar products and are seemily cheaper than what was for sale here. Nevertheless we enjoyed wandering and having a look around.
Across the street (which is not an easy thing to achieve) we stopped for a few minutes at the Tran Nguyen Hai statue - one of many statues we would come across during the day. The statues here usually depict a war scene or heroes, and are important to the locals, but after a while they kind of start to look the same: like it is when you go to temple after temple and hit saturation point.
Our third stop of the day was at the Fine Arts Museum, housed in a stunning French Colonial era building that served to amplify the atmosphere of the gallery itself. Inside we wandered around the halls filled with ceramics, carvings, and most interesting to us the numerous paintings born out of the war.
From here we wandered across to the street market where meat, veges, clothes, and souveniers were on sale, which led us on a zig-zagging route towards the restored Municipal Theatre - which we're sure would have been totally gorgeous were it not for the huge stage and banners that covered the front of the theatre in preparation for Tet celebrations (Lunar New Year).
On the way to the Musuem of Ho Chi Minh City we passed by the old Hotel de Ville (now the People's Committee Building and closed to the public), similar in style to the theatre. At the museum we had the opportunity to watch part of a music video clip be filmed in the beautiful surroundings of the museum - though they seemed to stay away from the army tanks and planes outside!
The interesting exhibits at the museum included photos showing old and new Saigon; a traditional wedding scene; and a entire floor devoted to the American War including pictures of worldwide protests including one in Auckland.
Our feet and bodies in desperate need for a break, we stopped in at a cafe for lunch. It was here that we had one of our best meals in Vietnam - what made it so great however were the delicious desserts: Liv had a Mango, icecream and baileys smoothie and Adam indulged in a coffee icecream sundae!
After lunch we made our way to the extremely somber reminder of what brings at the War Remnants Museum. The museum that opened in 1975 has many different rooms all dedicated to different aspects of the war. One of the most interesting rooms was one that showcases photos from 134 war reporters killed during the war. The War Crimes rooms blasted our eyes open to the realities of war and included some extremely graphic photos that won't be forgotten any time soon. In the Tiger Cages we got a glance at the imprisonment systems during the war, before ending with the room that celebrates international support for ending the war - a nice ending to the tour to recognise that millions of people worldwide were against it.
Needless to say we left here in a not so cherry mood, and walked slowly to our next destination.
After struggling to find the entrance to the Reunification Palace we finally asked, only to be told that it was closed for the day - most likely in connection with the up and coming new year. Our last stops at the day were the Notre Dame Cathedral (we timed our visit here perfectly for a wander inside the church) and the Post Office - both beautiful French-style buildings with high ceilings and openly displayed structural beams. 
Exhausted we made our way home, rested, ate, drank, and slept.
Adlibing around and around the streets of Saigon
Our day started off in Pham Ngu Lao district where our hotel is located in the bustling backpacker area, where we had breakfast and set off to the Ben Thanh Market. By the time we arrived here, we realised we were in for a long, hot day, as the temperature outside continued to rise! Inside the market, the temperature followed the same pattern as outside, and was jammed-packed full of tourists trying to buy stuff from the locals trying to sell it. We walked away empty handed for 3 main reasons: we have to carry what we buy on our backs all day; our budget is very tight; and the markets at home in China sell similar products and are seemily cheaper than what was for sale here. Nevertheless we enjoyed wandering and having a look around.
Across the street (which is not an easy thing to achieve) we stopped for a few minutes at the Tran Nguyen Hai statue - one of many statues we would come across during the day. The statues here usually depict a war scene or heroes, and are important to the locals, but after a while they kind of start to look the same: like it is when you go to temple after temple and hit saturation point.
Our third stop of the day was at the Fine Arts Museum, housed in a stunning French Colonial era building that served to amplify the atmosphere of the gallery itself. Inside we wandered around the halls filled with ceramics, carvings, and most interesting to us the numerous paintings born out of the war.From here we wandered across to the street market where meat, veges, clothes, and souveniers were on sale, which led us on a zig-zagging route towards the restored Municipal Theatre - which we're sure would have been totally gorgeous were it not for the huge stage and banners that covered the front of the theatre in preparation for Tet celebrations (Lunar New Year).
On the way to the Musuem of Ho Chi Minh City we passed by the old Hotel de Ville (now the People's Committee Building and closed to the public), similar in style to the theatre. At the museum we had the opportunity to watch part of a music video clip be filmed in the beautiful surroundings of the museum - though they seemed to stay away from the army tanks and planes outside!
The interesting exhibits at the museum included photos showing old and new Saigon; a traditional wedding scene; and a entire floor devoted to the American War including pictures of worldwide protests including one in Auckland.Our feet and bodies in desperate need for a break, we stopped in at a cafe for lunch. It was here that we had one of our best meals in Vietnam - what made it so great however were the delicious desserts: Liv had a Mango, icecream and baileys smoothie and Adam indulged in a coffee icecream sundae!After lunch we made our way to the extremely somber reminder of what brings at the War Remnants Museum. The museum that opened in 1975 has many different rooms all dedicated to different aspects of the war. One of the most interesting rooms was one that showcases photos from 134 war reporters killed during the war. The War Crimes rooms blasted our eyes open to the realities of war and included some extremely graphic photos that won't be forgotten any time soon. In the Tiger Cages we got a glance at the imprisonment systems during the war, before ending with the room that celebrates international support for ending the war - a nice ending to the tour to recognise that millions of people worldwide were against it.
Needless to say we left here in a not so cherry mood, and walked slowly to our next destination.
After struggling to find the entrance to the Reunification Palace we finally asked, only to be told that it was closed for the day - most likely in connection with the up and coming new year. Our last stops at the day were the Notre Dame Cathedral (we timed our visit here perfectly for a wander inside the church) and the Post Office - both beautiful French-style buildings with high ceilings and openly displayed structural beams. Exhausted we made our way home, rested, ate, drank, and slept.Adlibing around and around the streets of Saigon
Day 237 - Crusing down the shoreline to Saigon
We woke to the blue, cloudless sky and calm water and an echo saying "stay, relax, don't go" and we wished we hadn't already purchased our onward tickets to Saigon - but before we could be tempted to stay our bus arrived and whisked us down the coast to the largest metropolis in Vietnam.
After 6 hours or so we arrived in Saigon - now officially named Ho Chi Minh City, but still called Saigon by most people. The Lonely Planet had prepared us to enter a chaotic mess of traffic and people, but we almost instantly felt relaxed and started enjoying being here - not even the 3 million motorbikes got in our way: we guess we have our 8 months in China to thank for that!
We found a room relatively quickly, thank goodness because it is blimmin hot here, and after finding some nourishment we went out for an adlibed exploration of our surroundings, turning this way and that without any reason for the directionn and accidentally stumbling across a bus stop we would need in a couple of days: bonus!
We finally sampled an ice cold sugar cane drink from a street vendor, and while it lived up to its refreshing reputation it didn't totally suit our tastes - but we enjoyed watching her crush the water soaked canes through the squashing machine.
We headed up a tight alleyway that led from one traffic-laden street to another, walking past the houses of the locals who work in the area and smelling the smells drifting from the kitchens.
In the evening the smells from our walk were still fresh in our minds so we wandered off to find some food to match the smells and returned satisfied, before crashing out!!
Adlibing it up in the city.
After 6 hours or so we arrived in Saigon - now officially named Ho Chi Minh City, but still called Saigon by most people. The Lonely Planet had prepared us to enter a chaotic mess of traffic and people, but we almost instantly felt relaxed and started enjoying being here - not even the 3 million motorbikes got in our way: we guess we have our 8 months in China to thank for that!
We found a room relatively quickly, thank goodness because it is blimmin hot here, and after finding some nourishment we went out for an adlibed exploration of our surroundings, turning this way and that without any reason for the directionn and accidentally stumbling across a bus stop we would need in a couple of days: bonus!
We finally sampled an ice cold sugar cane drink from a street vendor, and while it lived up to its refreshing reputation it didn't totally suit our tastes - but we enjoyed watching her crush the water soaked canes through the squashing machine.
We headed up a tight alleyway that led from one traffic-laden street to another, walking past the houses of the locals who work in the area and smelling the smells drifting from the kitchens.In the evening the smells from our walk were still fresh in our minds so we wandered off to find some food to match the smells and returned satisfied, before crashing out!!Adlibing it up in the city.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 236 - Milling around Mui Ne
Our morning today was very similar to the days we spent at Sanya a couple of weeks ago - after exchanging a book so Liv had something to read, we found a spot on the beach which is actually more difficult than it sounds as the section of beach where we're staying is a victim of the tides meaning we have no 'beach' as such for the majority of the day.
The part of beach we decided to relax on only consisted of a couple of metres of sand, but if you venture an extra 3km into town you'll find more sand to play on - and much more expensive accommodation to go with it!
After swimming and reading the morning away we walked along the beach with the sea lapping at our feet, and made our way back to the hotel for lunch and drinks before we departed for our afternoon adventure.
Our adventure would take us on a 4 hour jeep-journey around the sights of Mui Ne. Our first stop of the day was Fairy Spring, which is a stream that zig-zags its way through sand dunes and varies in depth from just at your toes to halfway up your calves.
It was absolutely stunning walking through the stream looking at all the different colours of sand: white, yellow, and bright red. Not so thrilling, well for Liv at least, was the hundreds of what looked like spiders that float on water! While Liv could handle a few floating here and there, when at one stage they were covering an entire patch on water, Liv freaked and we took the mud path from there on!!
Our next stop was at the Fishing Village where hundreds of boats are occupied with the daily struggle of finding fish in the ever depleting fishing zones.
The large variety of boats ranged from the small circular weaved boats, to larger rowing boats, gradually getting larger and larger depending on how far out into the ocean the boats will venture - actually when Adam was swimming today he was nearly taken out by one!
We then stopped at the not so impressive "Red Canyon", which was good for a 5 minute wander while we let all the other jeeps doing the same route as us zip past - not to worry though because we seemed to have one of the fastest drivers! The highlight of this stop was watching a bright blue swallow playing in the air currents created by the wind floating through the canyon.
The majoirty of our afternoon was spent at the White Sand Dunes that stretch for miles to nowhere in particular, but made for some fun - especially Adam enjoyed seeing how far he could jump off the peak of the steep sand dunes. Perched next to the White Sand Dunes is the Desert Lake, which is also a primo sight.
We departed this sandy playground covered in sand - not only from the jumping but also the fierce wind that seemed determined to make sure sand reached every part of our bodies.
Leaving the white dunes our jeep got stuck in the only part of the trip that actually required the use of a jeep - but we managed to continue our journey a few minutes later and made it to the red dunes in time for the sunset and some more sand spray!
Unfortunately the cloud cover meant we didn't get much of a sunset, it was pretty nonetheless.
Our night was spent eating drinking and once again preparing all too soon for our trip tomorrow to Saigon.
Adlibing the dunes.
The part of beach we decided to relax on only consisted of a couple of metres of sand, but if you venture an extra 3km into town you'll find more sand to play on - and much more expensive accommodation to go with it!After swimming and reading the morning away we walked along the beach with the sea lapping at our feet, and made our way back to the hotel for lunch and drinks before we departed for our afternoon adventure.
Our adventure would take us on a 4 hour jeep-journey around the sights of Mui Ne. Our first stop of the day was Fairy Spring, which is a stream that zig-zags its way through sand dunes and varies in depth from just at your toes to halfway up your calves.
It was absolutely stunning walking through the stream looking at all the different colours of sand: white, yellow, and bright red. Not so thrilling, well for Liv at least, was the hundreds of what looked like spiders that float on water! While Liv could handle a few floating here and there, when at one stage they were covering an entire patch on water, Liv freaked and we took the mud path from there on!!Our next stop was at the Fishing Village where hundreds of boats are occupied with the daily struggle of finding fish in the ever depleting fishing zones.
The large variety of boats ranged from the small circular weaved boats, to larger rowing boats, gradually getting larger and larger depending on how far out into the ocean the boats will venture - actually when Adam was swimming today he was nearly taken out by one!We then stopped at the not so impressive "Red Canyon", which was good for a 5 minute wander while we let all the other jeeps doing the same route as us zip past - not to worry though because we seemed to have one of the fastest drivers! The highlight of this stop was watching a bright blue swallow playing in the air currents created by the wind floating through the canyon.
The majoirty of our afternoon was spent at the White Sand Dunes that stretch for miles to nowhere in particular, but made for some fun - especially Adam enjoyed seeing how far he could jump off the peak of the steep sand dunes. Perched next to the White Sand Dunes is the Desert Lake, which is also a primo sight.
We departed this sandy playground covered in sand - not only from the jumping but also the fierce wind that seemed determined to make sure sand reached every part of our bodies.Leaving the white dunes our jeep got stuck in the only part of the trip that actually required the use of a jeep - but we managed to continue our journey a few minutes later and made it to the red dunes in time for the sunset and some more sand spray!
Unfortunately the cloud cover meant we didn't get much of a sunset, it was pretty nonetheless.Our night was spent eating drinking and once again preparing all too soon for our trip tomorrow to Saigon.
Adlibing the dunes.
Day 235 - Leaving one beach paradise for another
After a quick breakfast at our bakery next door, we said our goodbyes to Nha Trang and hopped on our bus headed for Mui Ne. We arrived and set about the task of finding a bed, which we found a couple of hundred metres down the road that stretched out onto the beach (like the majority of places in Mui Ne) so we had lunch at set about lazing in the deck chairs and hammocks in the sunshine, overlooking the beach, with Adam indulging in some much deserved beers! 
While Liv rested Adam enjoyed many more beers, before eventually waking Liv to come and enjoy the sun setting on the horizon, casting a rainbow of colours onto the ocean and the fishing boats that grace its surface. 
In the evening we went for a stroll along the shoreline in the search of food, peering through the palm trees to catch gilmpses of the beach. In the end we returned for dinner at our hotel and then collapsed into bed, in preparation for our busy day at the beach tomorrow.
Adlibing it to another one of Vietnam's beautiful beaches.
While Liv rested Adam enjoyed many more beers, before eventually waking Liv to come and enjoy the sun setting on the horizon, casting a rainbow of colours onto the ocean and the fishing boats that grace its surface. In the evening we went for a stroll along the shoreline in the search of food, peering through the palm trees to catch gilmpses of the beach. In the end we returned for dinner at our hotel and then collapsed into bed, in preparation for our busy day at the beach tomorrow.Adlibing it to another one of Vietnam's beautiful beaches.
Day 234 - Into the depths
The alarm went off at 6am this morning on cue for Liv to look at the weather and make her decision about joining Adam's diving trip and go snorkelling. Perhaps it was the light layer of cloud that made her decision not to, but more likely it was the thought of a sleep in and the day on the beach that sealed the deal that Adam would be going alone.
After a well deserved sleep in (having none since arriving in Vietnam) Liv took the advantage and didn't go out for breakfast until 9.30ish. Breakfast of omlette and fruit smoothie provided the perfect energy needed for lying on the beach in the sun and reading the morning away until Adam's return at 1pm.
Now for Adam's narrative of his Vietnam scuba diving adventure:
I arrived at CocoDive at 7.20am after previously being convinced by a fellow kiwi that it was the best choice of the many dive companies in Nha Trang, and was soon stocked with my choice and a quick trip to the harbour revealed that we would soon be departing on the biggest and best boat of the area. After not diving for at least 6 years, I was a little nervous about this upcoming adventure, but my nerves were soon put to rest by my dive master taking me through the rigging and what would happen once we hit the blue beneath the boat.
A 40 minute cruise led us alongside one of the many islands that Nha Trang offers as a playground for divers.
My first dive of the day was a refresher dive but after 5 minutes under the water it was clear that scuba diving was just like riding a bike and so the testing was over and the exploration began.
Having it one-on-one with a dive master around the coral reefs was like having an author of a book tell you about it and soon we were lost in a maze of multi-coloured coral that looked so unreal even an abstract painter would struggle to reproduce them. The brain hardly had a chance to stop, and I couldn't decide which way to turn my head in this crazy new world that I have never become close to experiencing in NZ - I felt like a child in a toy store! The thing that intrigued me was how close I could get to the coral and sealife - it was like I was merging into the scene itself. The fish and other sea life that surrounded me came in seemingly millions of varieties, shapes, sizes and colours that words couldn't do justice to if I tried.
We surfaced and dined on baguettes and coffee while lazing on the deck in the sun, and our boat headed for dive site number 2.
Arriving at dive site number 2 I was informed that I had just been diving in the training area and that I was about to experience coral diving at its greatest. With visability around 10m and the temperature in the water at about 24 degrees it was set to be a great dive and as we descended into a new playground I was astonished at how dense the coral forest that we had entered was: the varieties of coral grew exponentially and the same goes for the fish. Moments that stood out include when we unexpectedly came across a giant clam sporting a rainbow coloured body and coming across a squid that changed colours in front of me like a chameleon - one moment mimicking the sea anenome and next the coral beside it. The final moment was when I found Nemo sitting right in the palm of my hand.
After the second lot of 45 minutes under water it was time to join the surface dweller. While we were anchored in this unreal bay of the picturesque island, I needed no coaxing into jumping off the roof of our boat into the mixture of blue and green the boat was resting on below.
Me & my dive instructer kicking it up on the top deck:
For the trip back to the mainland I sunned myself on the roof and chatted with the rest of the crew.
Back together as the adlibers again, we got lunch, found another book for Liv to read, and lay the afternoon away in the sun on the beach.
The only decision left to make is whether to leave this beach paradise for another tomorrow morning or stay here another day instead ... ah the life ...
Adlibing the beach and the Vietnamese underwaterworld.
After a well deserved sleep in (having none since arriving in Vietnam) Liv took the advantage and didn't go out for breakfast until 9.30ish. Breakfast of omlette and fruit smoothie provided the perfect energy needed for lying on the beach in the sun and reading the morning away until Adam's return at 1pm.
Now for Adam's narrative of his Vietnam scuba diving adventure:
I arrived at CocoDive at 7.20am after previously being convinced by a fellow kiwi that it was the best choice of the many dive companies in Nha Trang, and was soon stocked with my choice and a quick trip to the harbour revealed that we would soon be departing on the biggest and best boat of the area. After not diving for at least 6 years, I was a little nervous about this upcoming adventure, but my nerves were soon put to rest by my dive master taking me through the rigging and what would happen once we hit the blue beneath the boat.
A 40 minute cruise led us alongside one of the many islands that Nha Trang offers as a playground for divers.
My first dive of the day was a refresher dive but after 5 minutes under the water it was clear that scuba diving was just like riding a bike and so the testing was over and the exploration began.Having it one-on-one with a dive master around the coral reefs was like having an author of a book tell you about it and soon we were lost in a maze of multi-coloured coral that looked so unreal even an abstract painter would struggle to reproduce them. The brain hardly had a chance to stop, and I couldn't decide which way to turn my head in this crazy new world that I have never become close to experiencing in NZ - I felt like a child in a toy store! The thing that intrigued me was how close I could get to the coral and sealife - it was like I was merging into the scene itself. The fish and other sea life that surrounded me came in seemingly millions of varieties, shapes, sizes and colours that words couldn't do justice to if I tried.
We surfaced and dined on baguettes and coffee while lazing on the deck in the sun, and our boat headed for dive site number 2.
Arriving at dive site number 2 I was informed that I had just been diving in the training area and that I was about to experience coral diving at its greatest. With visability around 10m and the temperature in the water at about 24 degrees it was set to be a great dive and as we descended into a new playground I was astonished at how dense the coral forest that we had entered was: the varieties of coral grew exponentially and the same goes for the fish. Moments that stood out include when we unexpectedly came across a giant clam sporting a rainbow coloured body and coming across a squid that changed colours in front of me like a chameleon - one moment mimicking the sea anenome and next the coral beside it. The final moment was when I found Nemo sitting right in the palm of my hand.After the second lot of 45 minutes under water it was time to join the surface dweller. While we were anchored in this unreal bay of the picturesque island, I needed no coaxing into jumping off the roof of our boat into the mixture of blue and green the boat was resting on below.
Me & my dive instructer kicking it up on the top deck:For the trip back to the mainland I sunned myself on the roof and chatted with the rest of the crew.Back together as the adlibers again, we got lunch, found another book for Liv to read, and lay the afternoon away in the sun on the beach.
The only decision left to make is whether to leave this beach paradise for another tomorrow morning or stay here another day instead ... ah the life ...Adlibing the beach and the Vietnamese underwaterworld.
Day 233 - An uncomfortable arrival in Nha Trang
After an extremely restless night on our seats, we arrived in beautiful Nha Trang at 6.30am to the sun trying to break through the clouds. Nha Trang is a medium sized Vietnamese city on a pretty beach that arcs around the coastline that is dotted with tiny, rocky islands. One thing that is catching our attention is that Vietnam seems to be made up of many small towns, that could almost be classified as villages in China, and yet depsite the small population (by small we mean a town the size of Wellington) we seem to be constantly surrounded by the echoes of "hellos" and hunted by motorbikes at every step.
We spent our usual hour or so finding a room we were happy with at a price we were happy with, and while Adam rested Liv went out in search of pastries she had spotted on our walk around town! She returned only minutes later, after finding a delicious pastry shop next door with chocolate croissant and apple pie in hand! Adam's trying to pretend like our location is not a good thing, but really he's as chuffed about it as Liv is - well almost!
After a quick breakfast (the pastries were an entree), we headed by foot to Long Son Pagoda a couple of kilometres away. It was on this walk that the reality that we were actually still in Asia sunk in. Long gone were the nicely paved footpaths of Hoi An, today we were competing for room with the thousands of trucks, motorbikes and cyclists on the dirty, broken roads.
The Long Son Pagoda was nice enough, but it was the newly constructed White Stone Buddha perched at the top of the hill behind the pagoda that we found the most interesting. At the base of the Buddha are the bronze busts of Thich Quang Duc and 6 other monks who died of self immolations in protest of the politics of the South Vietnam leader that caught the attention of the world in 1963.
This majestic looking Buddha looks out over the city, and we would later use it as a navigation tool to find our way home.
Our next stop was Po Nagar Cham Towers that were built between the 7th-12th centuries on the site that has been used for worship since the 2nd century. These towers have been semi-reconstructed, so although the temples were similar to those we saw at My Son, here we got some idea of what they looked like hundreds of years ago.
These towers are the first of their kind, their predecessors were made of wood, but after being burnt down by Javanese invaders, were rebuilt in brick. There are only 4 of 8 of these towers still remaining, so it didn't take long to look around, and soon we were back on our feet walking along the beach to find lunch.
In the late afternoon we relaxed on the beach with our books and Adam booked his scuba-diving trip for tomorrow morning. Liv's still deciding if she'll go along and snorkel / sunbathe on the boat!
Adlibing a real Asian Nha Trang.
We spent our usual hour or so finding a room we were happy with at a price we were happy with, and while Adam rested Liv went out in search of pastries she had spotted on our walk around town! She returned only minutes later, after finding a delicious pastry shop next door with chocolate croissant and apple pie in hand! Adam's trying to pretend like our location is not a good thing, but really he's as chuffed about it as Liv is - well almost!
After a quick breakfast (the pastries were an entree), we headed by foot to Long Son Pagoda a couple of kilometres away. It was on this walk that the reality that we were actually still in Asia sunk in. Long gone were the nicely paved footpaths of Hoi An, today we were competing for room with the thousands of trucks, motorbikes and cyclists on the dirty, broken roads.
The Long Son Pagoda was nice enough, but it was the newly constructed White Stone Buddha perched at the top of the hill behind the pagoda that we found the most interesting. At the base of the Buddha are the bronze busts of Thich Quang Duc and 6 other monks who died of self immolations in protest of the politics of the South Vietnam leader that caught the attention of the world in 1963.
This majestic looking Buddha looks out over the city, and we would later use it as a navigation tool to find our way home.Our next stop was Po Nagar Cham Towers that were built between the 7th-12th centuries on the site that has been used for worship since the 2nd century. These towers have been semi-reconstructed, so although the temples were similar to those we saw at My Son, here we got some idea of what they looked like hundreds of years ago.
These towers are the first of their kind, their predecessors were made of wood, but after being burnt down by Javanese invaders, were rebuilt in brick. There are only 4 of 8 of these towers still remaining, so it didn't take long to look around, and soon we were back on our feet walking along the beach to find lunch.In the late afternoon we relaxed on the beach with our books and Adam booked his scuba-diving trip for tomorrow morning. Liv's still deciding if she'll go along and snorkel / sunbathe on the boat!
Adlibing a real Asian Nha Trang.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Day 232 - Hanging in Hoi An's Old Town
It was still drizzling when we woke up, and we thought "here we go again" so we put on our wet clothes from yesterday, and set off to explore anyway - one thing's for sure: you can't control the weather, so you might as well adlib it anyway.
Hoi An is a World Heritage Site and is most famous for its old town that managed to escape destruction during the war, and has therefore managed to retain its old town character. When you glance at black and white photos from decades ago, it looks much the same as today - perhaps minus a couple of coats of paint - and this is surely the reason why it's so popular.
The Hoi An Old Town is off-limits to cars (but this prohibition clearly doesn't apply to motorbikes), which makes wandering it a little less stressfree than other places in Vietnam. Though in Vietnam, all you have to do is make eye contact with the drivers and walk really slow as they tend to just weave around you.
The old town is full of museums, old family homes, assembly halls, bridges and temples. If you buy a ticket you get entrance into one of each, and we followed the Lonely Planet's reccommendations and spent the better part of the day wandering amongst the history - we checked out the delightful Japanese Covered Bridge, Quan Cong's Temple, the Tran Family Chaple, the Museum of Trade Ceramics (it was more the building that interested us, not the ceramics: most of them were from places we'd been to in China anyway!), and a musical performance at the Handicraft Workshop. The sun even began to shine! 
One interesting thing about this town is that there are influences from several different cultures in existence - the majority of the temples and old houses are Chinese in origin and style, but they also have some distinct Vietnamese architecture, and even some Japanese style thrown in there for good measure.
We enjoyed walking along the river and through the street fruit markets, as well as making some purchases of a hat and sunglasses to replace the ones he lost over the side of the boat on our frist day in Vietnam!
For lunch we both dined on some local delicacies - Adam had White Rose (shrimp wrapped in thin rice paper), shrimp wrapped over sugar can, and Cau Lau (pork, noodles, herbs, and crispsy rice paper) and Liv had the vege version.
At the end of the day we spent a couple of hours waiting for the night to come at a riverside restaurant where Adam finally got to partake in Bia Hoi - a Vietnamese tradition of drinking cheap beer by the pint-load. Adam also ordered grilled fish wrapped in banana leaf - another specialty of this region - for dinner.
All too soon, it was time for us to leave Hoi An and head further south. 12 hours on a sitting bus, here we come!!
Adlibing a real old town.
Hoi An is a World Heritage Site and is most famous for its old town that managed to escape destruction during the war, and has therefore managed to retain its old town character. When you glance at black and white photos from decades ago, it looks much the same as today - perhaps minus a couple of coats of paint - and this is surely the reason why it's so popular.
The Hoi An Old Town is off-limits to cars (but this prohibition clearly doesn't apply to motorbikes), which makes wandering it a little less stressfree than other places in Vietnam. Though in Vietnam, all you have to do is make eye contact with the drivers and walk really slow as they tend to just weave around you.The old town is full of museums, old family homes, assembly halls, bridges and temples. If you buy a ticket you get entrance into one of each, and we followed the Lonely Planet's reccommendations and spent the better part of the day wandering amongst the history - we checked out the delightful Japanese Covered Bridge, Quan Cong's Temple, the Tran Family Chaple, the Museum of Trade Ceramics (it was more the building that interested us, not the ceramics: most of them were from places we'd been to in China anyway!), and a musical performance at the Handicraft Workshop. The sun even began to shine! One interesting thing about this town is that there are influences from several different cultures in existence - the majority of the temples and old houses are Chinese in origin and style, but they also have some distinct Vietnamese architecture, and even some Japanese style thrown in there for good measure.We enjoyed walking along the river and through the street fruit markets, as well as making some purchases of a hat and sunglasses to replace the ones he lost over the side of the boat on our frist day in Vietnam!For lunch we both dined on some local delicacies - Adam had White Rose (shrimp wrapped in thin rice paper), shrimp wrapped over sugar can, and Cau Lau (pork, noodles, herbs, and crispsy rice paper) and Liv had the vege version.
At the end of the day we spent a couple of hours waiting for the night to come at a riverside restaurant where Adam finally got to partake in Bia Hoi - a Vietnamese tradition of drinking cheap beer by the pint-load. Adam also ordered grilled fish wrapped in banana leaf - another specialty of this region - for dinner.
All too soon, it was time for us to leave Hoi An and head further south. 12 hours on a sitting bus, here we come!!Adlibing a real old town.
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