TravelStream™ news feed for member julesasia on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/julesasia en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:20:00 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1220865540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1220865540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1220865540/tpod.html Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:20:00 -0400 Jules and Nick's Asia adventures

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Siem Reap, Cambodia

After our bus from Phnom Penh, we arrived in Siem Reap, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire and home of the famous Angkor temples! We were met off the bus by Mr Samnang (Mr Lucky in Khmer - not so lucky for us! - he tried to overcharge us each time we talked money, despite the fact that we paid more than we should have anyway!) who took us around three hotels before we finally settled on the Ancient Angkor Guesthouse. He was quite difficult about taking us to where we wanted to go, insisting he knew better places where we could go, but it was always with a smile on his face and it was a free journey so there wasn't much we could do. He asked us how long we were staying in Siem Reap and managed to secure us for the next three days around the temples.

After settling into the guesthouse, we walked to the Dead Fish Tower Inn for dinner. This place was the most bizarre place we've ever been to. It was a huge building with a corrugated iron roof and numerous different levels, all accessed by small ladders that led from one level to the next. There was a live band and the food was fantastic. After dinner we went to look at the resident pets - crocodiles! It was $0.50 to feed them and we thought "why not?" so were given some raw meat to throw in. The sign next to them said "Don't play with the crocodiles - they're much faster than you!". It was a bit scary but we knew they couldn't get out of the enclosure. The restaurant said that they couldn't be released into the wild and the tourists like them and that's why they kept them...

The next day was our first day going to the temples. However, first we went to the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap lake. We went on a boat with a man who looked half asleep, had his feet up on the wheel and would pose for other tourists taking photos. He didn't, however, talk to us at all and we got rather irritated, thinking "We didn't pay $15 each for this man to ignore us." What we didn't realise, however, was that he did speak English and had understood all of our grumblings. He took us through the flooded forests and out onto the lake. We sat there for a while, expecting to see the Floating Village soon when he started up the boat and appeared to be going back where we came from. We landed at the tourist stop and he finally spoke to us, saying "You two must be very tired, you haven't asked me any questions at all!" Nick at this point was very annoyed and firmly said "But you didn't introduce yourself or tell us anything; we didn't even know that you spoke any English!" After this misunderstanding was cleared up he said his name was Sky and we had a great time asking questions, seeing more crocodiles and a fish farm, as well as a school, church and police station on the water! In the afternoon we went to the Roluos group of temples - Bakong, Preah Ko and Lolei. Our three day ticket cost $40 and the sign said that if we were caught without it we would be fined $200! We started with the smaller temples because we thought we'd see them chronologically. They reminded us of the Cham temples we had seen at My Son in Vietnam. It was amazing to see buildings that have lasted over 1000 years! That evening we went walking in the Night Market which was very pleasant and headed to bed quite early as we had a 4.30am start the next day!

The following morning we had agreed with Mr Samnang to meet him outside our hotel at 5am to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. It turned out that he wasn't very well and his brother replaced him. We left the hotel at 5am and drove straight to Angkor Wat. It was a fantastic experience arriving at 5.30am just in time to witness the sun rising over the temples and then exploring the temple that everyone has heard so much about. Angkor Wat certainly didn't disappoint - it was huge and so beautiful! It's been really interesting hearing from Nick how much things have changed since he came two years ago - then you could climb all over the temples but this time much of it is roped off for safety and restoration purposes. After Angkor Wat we moved onto Angkor Thom which is actually a walled city containing numerous temples. We saw Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas and the Terrace of the Leper King. Bayon was our favourite - with the most beautiful faces carved into the rock. The guide says that Bayon is the most architecturally inferior of the temples but I thought it was wonderful. As it was still really early it wasn't too hot and the light was perfect for us to see. The other three were also spectacular with so many intricate carvings. On most of the temples you're allowed to climb up them and explore and on many the steps are very worn and steep, meaning that we constantly worried about slipping. I also wondered what was stopping the temples falling in on top of us but Nick pointed out that they had stood for 1000 years and so why would they fall now? At the top of Baphuon, one with very high and steep steps, there was nothing to stop someone falling about 10m to the ground if a foot was put wrong. It was rather scary and we had to be constantly alert to where our feet were going.

After Angkor Thom we moved onto Ta Keo and Ta Prohm. The latter is the temple with the most photographed tree in Cambodia - the one where the roots have grown over the temples. It was absolutely stunning but also a shame that the trees are slowly destroying the temple and soon there won't be much more than a pile of rubble. Next was Banteay Kolei, Pre Rup and East Mebon. Needless to say, we have taken hundreds of photos! By the time we reached the last temple we had been looking at them for about 8 hours and were absolutely shattered. They were all so beautiful and we decided to call it a day before we stopped appreciating them. That afternoon we had lunch at Le Tigre de Papier and then went back to the hotel where Nick read and I fell asleep.

Today we saw the last five temples on our itinerary, therefore completing our tour of 17 (!) temples in three days. We visited Banteay Samre, Banteay Srey or the Lady Temple, Ta Son, Neak Pean and Preah Khan. We had booked a car with Mr Samnang as we were meant to visit two temples that were about 45km away but he was still ill and so his brother replaced him again in a tuk-tuk. Having seen a horrific accident two days ago due to stupid driving, we were unsure of whether we wanted to go 45km along big roads in a tuk-tuk. We decided not to go to the further temples, instead only seeing the ones we hadn't seen yesterday. We got to the first one and wandered around and then Nick decided that he did want to go to one of the further ones as it was said to be an absolute must if you had the time for the beautiful carvings. So we went to Banteay Srey and negotiated the price with our driver. It was well worth the journey because, despite the temple being rather small, the carvings were absolutely amazing. This is the most intricate of the temples and the guidebook said that it was known as the Lady Temple because of the intricacies of the carvings rather than having been built with any reference to women. After walking around and taking a few more photos, we visited the stalls outside the temple where I bought two temple carvings of Angkor Wat. One thing I forgot to mention about all the temples is as soon as the tuk-tuk arrives we were surrounded with young children, greeting us with "Hello ladyyyy, you want postcard? You buy postcard? Yoouu want cold drink? Maybe when you come back? If you buy, you buy from me ok?" and so on. After you come out you're greeted with "Sir, ladyyyy, you want pineeeapple?" We have been very good and always said "No thank you", remembering Richard's advice that we are guests in their country. The last temple we visited was an enormous monastic temple and we were greeted by a man asking if we wanted him to tell us the story of it. I jumped at the chance because we had, until then, only had the guidebook's information as our driver didn't speak much English. For $5 he took us the whole way around, pointing out the carvings and overgrowing trees. He told us the history, saying that it had been built by one of the Kings for his father, but when the King died and his son took over all the Buddhist carvings had been replaced with Hindu carvings. He showed us how, instead of making new carvings, the new King had simply adapted the old Buddhist carvings by moving the legs into the shape of Hindu forms. It was a great temple to end on and was really interesting to listen to the guide.

Tonight is our last night in Cambodia and our last proper night of the holiday so we're going to a restaurant called "Cambodian BBQ" to try snake, crocodile and other exciting beasties. Tomorrow morning we have a 12 hour journey to Bangkok and in the morning on Wednesday we fly home.

So thank you very much for keeping up with our travels and we can't wait to see you all soon!

Lots of love from Nick and Jules xxxx
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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Upon arriving in Phnom Penh we went straight to our hotel - the infinitely superior (compared to the last one in Phnom Penh!) Paragon Hotel. Our bags were carried up to our room for us which was fantastic; we had been debating how on earth we were going to carry them.

After establishing ourselves in the hotel we got a tuk-tuk to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, or the former Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison. As we got out we were greeted by a man who had the most horrific burns I've ever seen. Having seen many beggars in Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh missing limbs and deciding that they left their crutches at home, as they had clearly had medical treatment, we walked away. However, I kept thinking about him and decided to give him some money - 2000 riel which is $0.50 - nothing to us but hopefully enough to get him some food.

We decided to get a tour guide to take us around the museum and it turned out to be a very good decision as the lady walked us around and answered all our questions. We saw the Interrogation rooms where she said prisoners had been kept for 10 minutes a day shackled to the beds and tortured. Many could not cope with the torture and died there and those who didn't were soon moved to the Killing Fields where they were executed. There were photos of many of the people - both who had worked at the prison and the victims. As we walked around the guide explained the methods of torture and why they had been tortured - Pol Pot's regime had believed them to be CIA or KGB spies. Of 20,000 people who entered the prison, only 7 survived, three of whom are still alive today. Out of a population of 7 million in 1975, Pol Pot's forces killed 2 million in a four year period. The most horrific pictures that we saw were of a man having his fingernails removed and then alcohol being poured over them, and of babies being thrown up in the air and bayoneted as well as being smashed against trees. Our guide also told us that she had walked for three months after being forced out of Phnom Penh and went to a forced labour camp. She was 13 when Pol Pot's forces killed her father and brother. She returned to Phnom Penh in 1980 with her mother.

After this devastating museum we went to a temple called Wat Phnom. Here there were lots of monkeys all around the place and the local people feeding them. They were very sweet but I was very conscious that I haven't had a rabies injection and therefore did not want to get too close! We walked up the hill and around the temple. There were the most amazing candles which came up to my waist burning inside. It was very calming after the horror of the genocide museum.

We've got a bus to Siem Reap tomorrow afternoon so are planning to see the Royal Palace in the morning before heading to Angkor Wat!

Lots of love xxxx
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Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Hello!

We have ventured down to Sihanoukville for some R&R and found it! We were picked up at the bus stop by two motorbike drivers who took us around various guesthouses until we found one that we liked - right on the beach! For the worthy price of $18 a night we stayed in a little room next to a quiet bar and the sea. We arrived at about 3 and just relaxed on the beach, swimming and reading. We organised a boat trip to take us to the nearby islands the next day. As we were sitting on the beach we were surrounded by a group of children who were selling bracelets and other various trinkets. One of the girls said "do you want to play a game?" and made a bet with us that if she could win at noughts and crosses that we would buy a bracelet and if we won she would give us one for free. So Nick played and won and she made us a bracelet for free. It's really difficult to know what to do with these children because they say that if you buy from them it encourages them to try and sell from tourists which is effectively child slavery but at the same time they don't leave you alone unless you're REALLY firm. I quizzed them on where the money goes and they said that they have to pay for school each month but it seems that they tell different people different things as we discovered the next day from the Americans.

We got up bright and early to be at the travel agency for breakfast at 8am the next morning. We were sitting having breakfast when two American ladies who were next door to us in the guesthouse came and sat across from us. They were rather loud and outspoken, from what we had observed the day before on the beach. It turned out that they were really friendly and funny and it was only the four of us on the boat. We set out and got to an island where we could go snorkelling. The water was amazing and we saw lots of colourful fish - the underwater camera came in very useful! After this we got back on the boat and went to Bamboo Island for some beach time and swimming before a barbecue lunch on the beach - we ate barracuda! We wandered around the island and went over to the other side which was on the open sea. It was much choppier but the water was like being in a bath - it was so warm! After lunch and our explore we got back on the boat and went to the last island of our trip for some more snorkelling. By that time we had got to the last stop I had realised how strong the sun was and how burnt we had got by mistake. Of course it was too late and now Nick and I are in absolute agony. Both our backs are very burnt and my legs are also rather burnt. We've used up a whole bottle of aftersun in one evening!

This morning we got up for the bus back to Phnom Penh at 9am. Needless to say, it was a painful experience considering our backs!

Lots of love xxxx
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Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We arrived in Saigon in the late afternoon and wandered off to our hotel. We organised a trip for the next day to the Cu Chi tunnels and didn't do much else because we were pretty tired (except deal with the police about my camera). The next morning we were at the travel agent at 8.10am for a bus that left at 8.15 to go to Cu Chi. I bumped into an Australian couple who had been on the bus with us from Dalat and asked them if they'd noticed anything strange on the bus. They said that they didn't like the driver, but of course anything we say is speculation.

En route to the Cu Chi tunnels we stopped off at a factory where disabled people create handicrafts for tourists. It was interesting seeing the lacquer work but I felt a bit as though the disabled people were on show - "oooh look, they have no arms and no legs but they can still make things." Perhaps I'm being too anti-tourist.

We arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels and were with a group of about 25 people and an English-speaking guide. The guide was very informative and told us all about the Cu Chi people. The Cu Chi guerrillas had operated in the south of Vietnam during the American war and had fought against the Americans. They set booby-traps for soldiers in the forest and dressed as ordinary people so it was very difficult for the Southern soldiers to tell the difference. They also created a series of tunnels over a 200km squared area which they lived in. There were three different layers, one 3m below ground, the next level 6m below ground and the bottom level 10m below ground. We saw one of the secret entrances to the tunnels and it was tiny! Some people went in to see if they could fit and one woman got stuck as she tried to get out! We then saw the traps that the Cu Chi guerrillas set for the Americans and I began to feel rather sorry for them - the traps were absolutely horrific and designed to either kill or cause the most amount of pain possible. Finally we went through an extended original tunnel for 30m; it was rather uncomfortable and wonderful to come out into the open air at the end! We had the option of going for another 40m into the second level or going for 70m further into the third level but it was a united decision to come out!
After the Cu Chi tunnels we visited the War Remnants Museum which is one of the most famous in Vietnam. It was so so sad; the photos of the war and the accounts of the Vietnamese people were really shocking. Having felt sorry for the Americans at the Cu Chi tunnels I realised that both sides were as bad as each other. One story has stayed with me - a group of American soldiers entered a village and took two grandparents out of their house and killed them, then found the grandchildren hiding, killed two outright and disembowled the other one. They then proceeded to search the village and kill everyone they found. Only one person escaped. I just don't understand how people can do such awful things to other people, especially not to children who clearly wouldn't be old enough to understand the war. We also saw the tiger cages where suspected Viet Cong prisoners were held. The photographs of people who came out after years of imprisonment showed people that looked like they'd come out of Nazi concentration camps - again, how, after the exposure of the Nazi crimes, could people continue to treat other human beings like this?! Finally, one photo showed a man who had had both legs amputated bit by bit in an effort to get information. He revealed nothing.
We left the War Museum feeling very sad and a bit guilty for worrying about a camera when other people had been through so much.
The next day we visited the Independence Palace and had an English-speaking guide who told us all about the seizure of power by the Northern forces and the current political situation and workings. The President of Vietnam has his own private cinema and gambling room! We also went to see the Notre Dame Cathedral where mass was happening and the Post Office which looked like a rather spectacular train station. After this we went to the market which was great fun.

We finished off Saigon by watching the Mummy 3 which was my first time ever at a foreign cinema. Needless to say it was pretty rubbish but thoroughly enjoyable.

We've now arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia and set ourselves up in a small guesthouse. We've truly learnt the meaning of "you get what you pay for" - our room is $4 and is the worst we've stayed in yet, sagging floors, no door on the bathroom, no loo seat, no loo paper and so on! At least it's only for one night as we're off to Sihanoukville tomorrow morning for some beach time!

Lots of love xxxx
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Dalat, Vietnam

Dalat was simply wonderful. We got there late afternoon after a horrific 22 hour bus journey, changing in Nha Trang at 6am. We checked into a hotel and relaxed for a bit before having a wander around the town. The actual town of Dalat was not much of a muchness, it was dark and raining and after having a drink and dinner, we decided to go to bed and watch some Tudors (a dvd series we bought in Hoi An). We had met two men as we wandered around Dalat who said that they were "easy riders" who would take us on a tour around Dalat. This is the reason I had been so keen to come to Dalat as I had been told about these easy riders and so leapt at the chance to go. The next morning at 8.30am we were greeted by the two men, Mr Thai and Mr Hung, and off we went on their motorbikes! Our first stop was at a flower farm where the greenhouses were supported with bamboo rather than metal beams, very ingenious I thought. After this we stopped off at a coffee and vegetable plantation where we saw coffee beans growing on the trees and walked around. Mr Thai pointed out to us the different plants and vegetables and I took a few photos. Next was Elephant Waterfall, the second largest waterfall in Dalat. We climbed over and down a "path" which was little more than rocks to get to the bottom of this waterfall with Mr Hung. It was absolutely deafening at the bottom and really beautiful. Then, just by chance, we noticed some people coming out of what looked like a cave. They told us that we had to go into it because it took us behind the waterfall! Of course we had to go. It was very slippery but we made it and got absolutely drenched - behind the waterfall the splash from the water hitting the rocks was amazing. It was a very strange experience being behind a waterfall. Back at the top of the waterfall was a pagoda and a huge laughing Buddha which we went to look at. After drying off a bit we were on our way to a silk farm where we saw the silk worms and then towers of silk worm cocoons. Mr Thai took us around explaining the process, showing us the machines that took the silk from the cocoons and then onto the finished product. Apparently, after killing the insect inside the cocoon, they can be sold at the market to be eaten! Nick and I didn't much fancy this... Close to the silk farm was a place where we saw rice wine being made. Rice wine smells something like firewater from Romania, it is incredibly strong! We only stopped here for five minutes as Mr Hung and Mr Thai were getting hungry for lunch, as were we! Lunch was in a small restaurant at the top of a hill where the people didn't speak english, so we assumed it was only really for locals. The two easy riders ordered for us and we all ate together the most delicious food. It was traditional Vietnamese food - pork, beef, soup, rice and so on. Delicious! After lunch we went elephant riding. The whole way to it I was really excited, but having got there I started to wonder if it was in fact more of a novelty idea than practice. It was a very bizarre experience riding on the back of an elephant but the man guiding it kept kicking its ears - I felt rather sorry for it. We went for a ride for half an hour and then came back to the easy riders and back to Dalat city. Our last stop of the day was to the "Crazy House" which was one of the oddest buildings we've ever seen. It is a hotel as well as a tourist attraction and has rooms such as the "Bear Room" and the "Tiger Room". It reminded us a bit of the Gaudi buildings in Barcelona. By this time we were both pretty tired so returned to the hotel and had a bit of a relax before dinner and bed. We did all of this for $20, and a $3 tip. Such a good day!

The next morning we had a bus at 7am to take us to Saigon. We stopped off at a restaurant for lunch and stupidly I left my rucksack on the bus. Everyone else had left things and I just didn't think but I discovered when we arrived in Saigon that my camera had been stolen. Unfortunately I have been taking most of the photographs and lost about 550. I've offered a reward for the return of the memory card with the photos on it at the travel agency who organised the bus so we'll see but I'm not holding out much hope...... On a more amusing note, I had to bribe the police to give me a police report for the insurance company!

Lots of love xxxx
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Hoi An, Vietnam

Hello from Hoi An!
Firstly apologies for neglecting the blog recently. We're currently in Hoi An, having arrived on the 23rd. The bus dropped us outside a hotel and a lady asked if we wanted to look at a room. We decided to have a look as the previous hotel had been ok and we were quite tired. We ended up staying in a lovely room with a balcony and two windows, a great bathroom and two double beds for $12 a night. We stayed for three nights so to have a couple of days to relax and slow down a bit. We had previously had three out of four nights on some form of overnight transport so were feeling pretty knackered.
Our first full day here we wandered around Hoi An and visited some little shops and tailors. I've had made for me a winter coat, a (smart/casual) black dress, two skirts and a pair of linen trousers. Nick had two t-shirts made for him which he is very pleased with. The clothes are fitted exactly to us and the people who made them were so helpful to us, it was a much more pleasant (and cheaper!) experience than shopping in Oxford Street or High St Ken!
Yesterday we visited My Son in the morning, a world heritage cultural site, which had the most amazing Cham statues and temples. The guide told us that there had been significant Hindu and Indian influences on the Cham people and this was why we saw Hindu statues. There were also many phallic statues as the Cham people were very concerned with fertility. It was a really beautiful place and as we walked around the end came much too quickly! The bus back to Hoi An was rather an event in itself - the driver seemed to almost be crashing every 5 minutes, judging by how hard and often he was braking! Vietnamese driving leaves much to be desired; we've learnt that they use the horn to tell people to move out of the way as well as just to let people know that they're there. The traffic lights don't seem to apply to motorbikes so we have found that if we want to cross a busy road we just have to step out and the motorbikes avoid us. Absolutely terrifying at times!
Today we're having another relaxing day in Hoi An before our 20 hour journey onto Dalat later tonight. Last night we went to a lovely restaurant by the river where the food was delicious (as always out here!) so I think we'll head there for lunch and most of the afternoon to keep out the heat when it's hottest.
Lots of love to all,
Nick and Jules xxxx
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Hue, Vietnam

We are now in Hue, having come back from Sapa on the overnight train and then taken the overnight bus the next evening. We stopped off at a restaurant/lay by on the journey to Hue and it has to be one of the most horrible places I have ever been. The loos were at the back and as you walked towards them you were hit with the most awful smell, and the waitresses all had really long hair and played with it right next to where the food was being prepared. We were so glad to get back on the bus and leave! Part of the hazards of travelling I suppose.

Hue is incredibly hot - it feels like it's about 35 degrees at midday. We went on a motorbike tour of all the tombs of the old Emperors this morning which was really interesting and finished off, about 4 1/2 hours later, visiting one of the most famous pagodas in Vietnam. It was great being taken around on motorbikes with two guides who knew where they were going and told us some things about the tombs.

We were walking towards a cafe earlier when we were stopped by a man on a motorbike who started off with "I am not a driver, I am a teacher!" to catch our attention and then invited us for a drink. It was fascinating sitting down with a local man who was waiting for his children so he could take them home. We chatted away for about half an hour and he asked us about England and what money we had, and as I had a couple of coins on me I gave them to him so he could show his wife what British coinage looked like. We in turn asked all about where he lived and the price of petrol (which is also very expensive for them!). He lives in the country about 30 minutes drive away and had some people from Newcastle visit him a few weeks ago; he seemed really keen to tell us all about them. He also said that he hated the city because everyone asks you for money! It was a treat getting to know a local person briefly.

Tomorrow we're going to walk around the citadel and see the Forbidden Kingdom where, other than the concubines, the only people allowed in were eunuchs who posed no threat to the Emperor's women! Then it's on to Hoi An where hopefully we'll have some things tailored for us.

It's good to be moving down Vietnam finally, having spent a bit over a week in the north.

Lots of love xxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219154940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219154940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219154940/tpod.html Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:26:29 -0400 Jules and Nick's Asia adventures

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Sapa, Vietnam

This morning we arrived in Sapa after getting the overnight train from Hanoi. We were greeted immediately after getting out of the minibus by women dressed in what looked like traditional village clothes. They asked our names, where we were from and how old we were, and generally seemed very friendly. We had been dropped at a hotel and decided to walk to the actual town to try to find somewhere else to stay. On the way a lady gave us a card of a guesthouse and walked us to it. We looked at three rooms, $15, $10 and $6 respectively and decided on the $15 one as she agreed to give it to us for $12. It's at the top of the hotel and the views are absolutely stunning. I wish I could put photos up!

After settling in we headed out for lunch and then walked into a travel agency where we organised a four-wheel-drive trip to Ta Phin village. Here we were greeted by women wearing the most wonderful clothes and large red headgear. They again asked our names and how old we were, where we were from etc. As we walked around the village they spoke to us in surprisingly good english and showed us their schools and their homes. Once we sat in one of their houses Nick decided it was a good time to look at the things they wanted to sell. This resulted in absolute havoc because everyone wanted to sell something and it was more expensive than we had anticipated. Nick, ever calm, managed to decide what he wanted to buy and negotiate a good price but I got rather frustrated by everyone shouting "you buy something from me, you buy one small thing from everyone" and ended up refusing to buy anything while I was being shouted at. After this rather tricky encounter we left the lady's house and slowly walked back to the car with all the women, who were still saying "buy from me..." My new answer was "maybe" to everything and I held on to Nick's hand rather tightly. We got back to the car and I chose two scarves and a small table covering and was firm that I didn't have very much money with me and that that was all I wanted. Eventually I paid and we walked back. One of the women asked me to wait, saying that she had a present for me. She reappeared with a bracelet which she tied around my wrist and said that it would bring me luck and happiness.

The children were so sweet and seemed to run around the whole place by themselves. The women explained that they had school in the morning from 7.30am until lunchtime and then after lunch they had to work. I was allowed to take some photos of them although many were really camera shy.

The scenery in Sapa is absolutely stunning - there seem to be rice fields that just go up and up and up on the mountains; we can't understand how they are looked after. It is much cooler here, Sapa being much higher above sea level than Hanoi. This evening we had an encounter with a lady desperate to sell us a scarf - she invited me into her stall and then refused to let me out until I had bought a scarf. At first she offered it to me for 350,000 dong (about $22) but as I said I didn't want it she dropped the price again and again until it got to 60,000 dong (about $4). By this time the only way for me to leave was to physically push past her which I didn't want to do and I was so desperate for my freedom that I agreed to pay for it and finally managed to leave. After this we had a drink and dinner. I suppose that, looking at it positively, I ended up with a beautiful scarf that was rather cheap, despite the fact that I hadn't really wanted it!

Lots of love xxxx
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219001400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219001400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1219001400/tpod.html Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:43:53 -0400 Jules and Nick's Asia adventures

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Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay Part 2 - what an adventure!!

We booked a boat back to Halong City (where we'd got our original boat from) with the manager from our ant-infested hotel. So I think it's fair enough to assume that we wanted to go back to the tourist dock of Halong City. However, on the boat I noticed that it was not heading back to the place we had first got on but rather a rather long way away from it... When the boat stopped we thought, oh it must stop here first and then go back to the tourist side. But then everyone got off. I wrote down where we wanted to go and showed it to the men, who spoke no english whatsoever, and they pointed off the boat and to an office. We went to the office and the lady didn't speak any english either so I showed her the piece of paper and she murmured "no, no" before finally coming out with "taxi..." As this had already been a rather expensive few days we decided we weren't going to get a taxi and instead try to find out if there was a bus we could get on. We wandered around this little dock place and into the main city, which turned out to be the Vietnamese side of Halong City, and luckily found a travel agent who spoke a little english. We showed him the piece of paper and asked if there was a bus, he understood a bit and pointed us to a group of umbrellas, saying the bus would stop there. The only problem was that it seemed to be the other direction from where we wanted to go.

NB here, the tourist side of Halong City is described in the Lonely Planet as "the place with all the tourist lifelines, whereas Hong Gai (I think) is described as "the rather more Vietnamese side"!!

There were some Vietnamese boys waiting for a bus at the bus stop so we showed them the piece of paper and they held up three fingers, something we assumed meant bus no 3. Then a bus came and they left. Panic was close but at the same time we thought we'd be ok and so felt pretty good about saving $20 and instead taking the public bus. A lovely lady, who also spoke no english, saw where we wanted to go and indicated that she would tell us which bus to get on. Two buses came and went and she waved "no, no" before finally the number 3 came and she pointed "this one!" We were still worried because we thought we were going the wrong way but just sat on the bus and assumed it would eventually end up where we wanted to go. We bought tickets for 5000 dong each (about 15p) and journeyed along like locals. After an incredible ride which seemed to go all over the place and last for ages, we started to recognise where we were and that we needed to get off soon. By this time the bus was packed so getting off was going to be a mission. However, the bus stopped at the tourist dock and we managed to get off without it driving off and quickly found a taxi to take us back to the hotel. An epic journey but we felt really satisfied that we'd not only saved money but also that we'd managed to ride a local bus!

Once we got back to the hotel we showered and then met up with a couple that we had met in Hanoi for a few birthday drinks before having a delicious meal on the balcony of our room. The staff were so sweet and brought the food in singing happy birthday in broken english with flowers and candles! It was a lovely 21st birthday and a good end to an eventful day, or so we thought!

After we finished I went back to the bar to tell them that we had finished, but the whole place had closed and the lights were all off. There was one man walking around who didn't say anything and I got a bit freaked out and with my vivid imagination persuaded myself that he was going to kill me so ran back to the hotel room. After this little episode we settled down with a dvd rented from the hotel and, about 15 minutes in, the power went. It was pitch black and after the man in the bar I was really freaking out! It seems so ridiculous now. Nick got his torch and went to see what was going on, and soon after the lights all came back on and we finished the film. Finally an exciting end to a wonderful day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1218954840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1218954840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/julesasia/1/1218954840/tpod.html Sun, 17 Aug 2008 02:54:58 -0400 Jules and Nick's Asia adventures

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Halong Bay, Vietnam

We're in Halong Bay at the moment, managed to screw it up a bit and so it's cost a lot more money than we had anticipated but oh well, it's my birthday! We booked a hotel for two nights before we got here, and when we arrived we realised that it wasn't on the main island, Cat Ba Island, but on a little island connected to the mainland. We said to the manager that we wanted to go to Cat Ba Island and he said that we'd have to stay the night there because it takes so long to get there and back. So we decided to go to Cat Ba Island yesterday and just pay for two hotels because we had to get there. We had the most amazing boat ride, the sun was shining and the scenery is as though you've stepped into Jurassic Park. LOADS of photos. We arrived and took a motorbike for 30km to Cat Ba town where we found a hotel room with a sea view for $20. However, what we didn't realise at the time was that the hotel room was infested with ants, the air conditioning didn't work and there was unexplained water all over the floor that just came back when we wiped it away. Hmm... For dinner we went to a restaurant called Green Mango which was absolutely delicious (and rather expensive). Then back to bed as it was quite late.

Today our plan was to go kayaking in the bay and the man in the hotel rented us one of his for $8 and drove us over to the Harbour. We set out feeling positive, thinking we would find a nice beach and lounge there for the morning before coming back to get a bus and fast boat back to our hotel on Tuan Chau island. However, after a while we couldn't find any nice beaches and we didn't want to head out into open water for fear of drifting away. We went around a big rock and had dogs barking at us as we passed people's houses. I started to panic because it was getting really choppy and windy and I thought there was going to be a storm. We ultimately spent 45 minutes out of three hours in the boat and had to come back in and get a motorbike back to the hotel because I really wasn't enjoying myself.

Now we're about to catch a bus and boat back to Tuan Chau and hopefully relax for a bit before having dinner on our balcony with the most amazing view. A lovely end to my birthday.

Lots of love xxxx
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