TravelStream™ news feed for member richs on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/richs en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:38:34 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/richs/1/1224662940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/richs/1/1224662940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/richs/1/1224662940/tpod.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:38:34 -0400 Asia Adventure

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Yangshuo, Guangxi Zhuang, China

22/10
In the morning we had to trek back down the mountain for about 45 mins to get to the bus stop where we caught a local bus to the place where our bags were held. The next bus that we caught from here was packed and I had to sit on the back seat with six other people which was very tight but better than sitting in the aisle on an oil drum! After another (more comfortable) bus journey we arrived in Yangshuo which is a tourist town in the centre of miles of karsk mountains.
Today I didnt have any plans so I wandered around the town which is full of tourist shops, bars and restaurants. In the evening we went to Monkey Jane's (our last local guide) roof top bar where we had a few drinks and played some drinking games.

23/10
Today we had a bike ride planned but the weather was terrible. This is the first time it has properly rained since being in China though so I cannot really complain. I decided that I wasn't going to get soaked for the sake of a bike ride but fortunately it was cancelled anyway.
Having nothing to do I had a lazy morning and an early lunch before spending a couple of hours in an internet cafe. In the afternoon I took part in a cookery class. Before it started we were taken to the market, here there was a section for dogs where there were dogs held in cages behind where other dogs were being chopped up. It wasn't very nice and has put me off eating dog (not that I wanted to eat it anyway). At the cooking class I made five dishes which were surprisingly really nice although Im not sure that I could cook them again because there were so many different steps and alot to do in a short space of time.
In the evening Simone, Me, Gavin and Anna went back to Monkey Janes. We intended to stay fro just one but one lead to a few (and a few more). We were talking to some other people and I met a girl who is good friends with someone that I was good friends with at Emory University when I was in the US, it's true that it is a small world.
The other two girls in the group really dont like the four of us who always spend our time together which is a shame because Im not entirely sure what we have done to make them dislike us that much. But its not really a problem because they are very strange anyway!

24/10
The cancelled bike ride was resheduled for the morning today and although it started spitting just as we were leaving the weather was nice the whole day which was good. Unfortunately the paths were very muddy and by the time I finished the bike ride I was totally covered in mud but I guess thats all part of the fun. You won't be surprised to hear that the cycling was great and the countryside around Yangshuo is spectacular. Half way into the journey we stopped at moon mountain where a few of us took the eight hundred step journey to the top where the views were great. It was alot quicker going down than going up! For lunch our guide took us to a random farmhouse where he cooked us lunch. He also gave us an insight about how the Chinese dating system works, although Im not sure whether what he told us is the normal way because he sounds like abit of a player!
In the afternoon we took a bus journey back to Guillin where we were catching the overnight train to Hong Kong. The trains are alot better than the ones that I experienced in Vietnam because they are really clean (you even get clean bedding).I was sharing a cabin with five other Chinese people who were all really friendly although they didnt speak any english. A few of us headed to the restaurant carriage where we played cards and had a beer before I returned to my cozy bunk for some sleep.
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Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang, China

Today we jumped on a public bus and went to Liuzhou which is a "typical" Chinese city and definitely off the tourist trail!! On the way there we went through the most modern city I have seen, every building (no exaggeration) was less than 10 years old and the amount of building work that was happening there was crazy, cranes littered the sky!
Another thing that I have learnt that is different here is that youy count with your fingers differently and you have to be really careful when you are bargaining because what you may think is a two would actually be seen as a six to the locals and ten could be seen as 55. Two of the girls are vegetarian in the group and it is turning out to be abit of a problem because China just doesnt do Vegetarians. Even the vegetarian dishes contain meat because not having meet is seen as a sign of poverty (and the Chinese like there meat alot). One of the girls doesn't eat Vegetables (which is a little wierd) and is pretty much surviving off cakes which Im sure cant be healthy (not that im an expert on food nutrition). After wandering around the town centre trying to find a western restaurant for those two we settled for a buffet style Chinese restaurant. Here you go around to all these different booths that serve different food and pick stuff and they cook it for you and bring it to the table. The food was really good.
After we went to Soho Bar which is a chain of nightclubs. You cannot order spirits by the glass so after a couple of beers we all split on a bottle of whiskey. As we were drinking away the place livened up and filled with locals. Very few people in this part of China speak English but I spoke to a couple of people who spoke a little english.
Throughout the night they had live singers, a DJ and dancers and later in the evening a few of us (with the encouragement of the dancers) in the group started a konga line around the club which was a little random. After a little more dancing (and alcohol) we headed home in the early hours. Tonight was really great and the Chinese definitely know how to party!
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Haushan, China

Today the group crossed over the border from Vietnam into China. The border crossing was incredibly simple, although I had to hide my China lonely planet because its illegal here (the government doesnt agree with some of the things written in it). We had a private bus take us through the countryside to our accommodation in Butterfly Valley. not far away from the Left River. The accommodation was wooden huts (although they had A/C and a full bathroom). The first Chinese food that I ate here was very similar to the rest of Southeast Asia and nothing like what you would find in a Chinese restaurant in the UK (but still really nice). Eating in China is culturally quite different to the western style because you dont order an individual meal, instead a number of dishes are ordered and everybody shares which even includes drinks (if you ask for a beer everyone will be given a glass)
After lunch we boarded a boat and cruised down the Left River to view some paintings on the side of a cliff that were painted about 2000 years ago. The paintings weren't anything too exciting but the mountainous scenery along the river was very impressive.
China is certainly more challenging than the rest of Southeast Asia because not many people speak english and the Chinese writing is almost impossible to translate because there are about 30000 different characters. There are even different symbols for the male and female toilets. But its great to travel off the beaten track and properly experience local life.
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Chengyang, Guangxi Zhuang, China

18/10
Having the morning in Liuzhuo I planned to to do some exploring of the city but because of the late night the night before both myself and Gavin failed to wake up. When I looked at my alarm clock it was five minutes before the time that we had to leave, oups, so I quickly got dressed and threw my stuff into my bag and made it only a few minutes late.
We had another bus journey and then another bus journey through the countryside to Chengyang. Chengyang is a rural area famous for its wind and rain bridges. Our hotel had a great view overlooking the river. After arriving we went for a short walk down to the village where there is a couple of guesthouses and restaurants before having a banquet style meal dinner and playing a Chinese game called Majong. which is a game that I seem to be quite good at!
Me, Gavin, Simone and Anna are getting along really well and the tour guide is great but the two vegetarians seem really antisocial. They really don't seem to be enjoying themselves and are struggling to adjust to the local lifestyle.

19/10
This morning we met up with our local guide, Tim, "the coolest guy in Chengyang" who gave us a tour of the local area. Firstly we walked onthe famous wind and rain bridge which is a beautiful wooden bridge over the river, constructed without any nails. From here we were given a tour of the local villages and learnt about local village life and went over a couple more small wind and rain bridges. On the way back we walked through rice fields irrigated by bamboo waterwheels to a more remote village where we shared a drink with some of the local old men in a drum tower, which is a kind of meeting place for villagers. The people here were so friendly.
In the afternoon we went to a cultural performance by some of the local villagers and Gavin and I climbed to the top of a steep hill so that we could get a good view of the sorrounding countryside.
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Longsheng, Guangxi Zhuang, China

20/10
Before arriving at the rice terraces we left our large bags at a random hotel on the way because in order to get to our hotel we had to trek for an hour up a steep path. The whole area around our hotel is covered by rice terraces cut into the mountains and although the rice has harvested, so the terraces arent at there most attractive it is still impressive to see. In the afternoon we walked up the mountain to a couple of scenic viewpoints and in the evening played cards which is something we have done alot of on this trip! Despite the beauty of the area it is changing at a rapid pace as tourism gethers pace and more guesthouses are built. I wouldn't be surprised if soon the local people stop working the fields and switch to the more profitable tourism industry which would ruin the countryside so Im glad I get to see it now.
21/10
Today we left our hotel and took a five hour trek over the mountains to another village where we would be staying for the night. Once you get out of the tourist area the scenery is beautiful. On the way we stopped at a village where they have no road connections and use horses to get supplies in and out of the village. A couple of local children about seven or eight befriended us and followed us for about thirty minutes, they were alot quicker going up and down the mountain paths than us.
Eventually (and soaking wet from the humidity) we reached our hotel in a much smaller and less commercial village village, it only had a couple of guesthouses. All the buildings here (and in Chengyang) are made out of wood so it can be very noisey at night because you can here everyone in the other rooms so my earplugs have been very useful over the last four days. Only problem is that I dont always here my alarm in the morning!
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Halong Bay, Vietnam

13/10
Today we took the four hour journey to Halong Bay where we boarded a boat that would be our nights accommodation. I was surprised by how good the accommodation was, the cabin in the little wooden boat had A/C and a full bathroom. Like on my previous trip to Halong Bay we cruised through the islands for a few hours until we arrived at a bay where the boat dropped its anchor and we all went swimming. Although the weather wasn't the greatest the water was really warm. In the evening we all played Yatze and card games and enjoyed the huge dinner that was provided to us.

14/10
In the morning we disembarked the boat and took a minibus to the hotel. After checking in we once again jumped in a minibus and headed to a hospital cave which was a cave converted into a secret hospital during the war. We were given a tour but it was just bare room and hard to imagine as a working hospital. I wonder whether the guide made up some of the functions of the rooms because there was a ping pong room and swimming pool (which was probably a water tank) but only one patient room which seemed a little strange to me.
Next we were dropped off at a national park where we would start a four hour trek to a village. It is probably one of the most challenging hikes I have ever done and was great fun. The path was very steep and for a large part of the journey we were climbing up and over rocks. At the village we had a local lunch before walking or another hour to the coast where we embarked a boat. The boat took us to an area sorrounded by karsk islands where we Kayaked to a beach and went swimming in the sea. Finally the boat docked where we were all given a lift back to the hotel on a motorbike. The day ended with dinner in a restaurant on the seafront and drinks in a backpaker bar.
These two days were without a doubt the highlight of the trip to Vietnam.
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Lang Son, Vietnam

Today was a travelling day so i dont have anything really to share. We took a three hour boat ride back to the mainland and then a long bus journey to Lang Son which took until dinner time. Lang Son is a border town and there are is absolutely nothing there for tourists. For dinner we went to the only restaurant in town with an english menu. When we got there they had only one english menu for the seven of us which made ordering a little complicated. I just had vegetable fried rice because that was the first thing that I saw on the menu that I liked.
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Hanoi, Vietnam

10/10
So in the morning I went to find a hotel that is a little cheaper than the current one, for the wo nights that I am between tours. Found one that is recommended in the lonely planet guide, it is good value and in a great location although very basic.
After lunch I went to the "Hanoi Hilton" prison that was built by the French and served as a prison for POW's during the Vietnam war. They had a couple of photos of John Mccain whilst he was held there. In the evening the group had one last dinner. We went to a restaurant that was a training school for street children. THe food was excellent and by far the best food I have had in Vietnam, plus the service is great. On the way back to the hotel there was a performance going on in the centre of the city so I watched that for a little while (I later found out that it was probably to celebate independence). At about midnight I thought that it would be a good time to get some sleep but it was incredibly loud outside (even though the hotel was down a side street). When I went down to reception to find out why I was shocked to hear that there was building work going on and they work through the night. What kind of country allows building work to go on in a residential area, Im glad I was only spending two nights there, it must be hell for the residents. Fortunately I had some ear plugs.
11/10
In the morning I went to the bookshop section of town because Im running out of reading material, unfortunately there was any good english books so I will just have to hope I dont run out before Hong Kong. In the afternoon I wen to the Ho Chi Minh mausouleum complex. The main attraction is the mausoleum where HCM body is kept, it was losed to the public today but I wasn't bothered because I didnt really fancy going in and seeing his body anyway. Here I did visit HCM's house which was very basic and small, although I guess that does make sense considering he was a communist leader and also the HCM museum which was just a bunch of propaganda about how great he was. Im sure he was a good bloke but the museum seemed to make him sound a little bit to good to be true. In one part if they change HCM for God, it would have made sense!!!
In the afternoon it absolutely chucked it down and I got caught out in the rain. The street outside the hotel was knee height in water so I almost had to swim to the hotel. After changing clothes and waiting for the water level to drop (which took about half an hour) I jumped in a taxi and headed to the cinema. I watched Love Guru with Mike Myers which was quite funny (in case you were wondering it was in English with Vietnamese subtitles). On the way back I bought a couple of cans of beer and watched the England - Kazakstan football match in my hotel room. The 5 - 1 result was a great end to the day :)

12/10
In the morning I had to change hotels again. The first taxi I took hadn't a clue where he was going and he didnt understand when I told him that he was going the wrong way so in the end I jumped into another taxi who was better at navigating the city. In the morning I headed to the army museum. Spent a couple of hours wandering around the exhibition rooms and random collection of things captured from the Americans. Before I left I decided to have an ice cream in the museum cafe where there was also a group of Vietnamese soldiers, I think new recruits, who had also been visiting the museum. The person in charge of these soldiers (commandor or sargeant or whatever he would be called) joined me on my table and was trying to speak to me in English although I couldnt understand what he was saying because he was speaking very mumbled and kept repeating the same thing. Its only when he stood up and tried to walk away that I realised that he was absolutely wasted. Im sure its comforting for Vietnamese people to know that there army is always in top form!!!
In the afternoon I headed to the temple of literature, which was the first univesity in vietnam, and then back to the hotel. This is the first day of the Hanoi to Hong Kong tour and unlike the previous ones I will be sharing a room. My room mate is a guy called Gavin from Northern Ireland and first impressions seem to indicate that we will get along well.
In the evening I met up with the rest of the group. There are only six of us, four other girls from Germany and a British tour guide. For dinner we went to the training restaurant and once again the food was delicious. Afterwards we walked into the town and Mark, the tour leader, took us to a beer hoi stand where they sell a glass of beer for about 10p, BARGAIN.
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Halong Bay, Vietnam

08/10
After a four our drive to Halong Bay from Hanoi we embarked a wooden boat with a couple of decks. The sea is really calm here but it is so smoggy, like Hanoi, that you cannot see too far out into the ocean. As we were enjoying a beautiful sea food lunch, along the horizon emerged hundreds of rocky islands. In total there are nearly 2000 limestone karsks in halong bay and the boat took us near hundreds of these rocks before we arrived in a bay. Here we jumped off the boat and took a walk up some steep steps to a huge cave.
At the end of the afternoon, and after more cruising through the bay, we arrived at Cat Ba island which is the largest island in the bay. Here we were taken to a small beach resort. Unfortnately there was no English channels on the television (something that has not happened before) so I spent a couple of hours reading because there isn't much to do in the town. The day with a dinner in a restaurant on the sea front.
09/10
In the morning I took a walk to the beach not far away from the hotel. After brunch on the beach I met up with Sam and Jane and we went for a swim in the sea. The sea is so calm here and the water is really warm that it makes it perfect for swimming!
After the beach the group joined up together and caught a hydrofoil back to the mainland and returned to Hanoi. Tonight was the last official group dinner. the food at the restaurant was nice but our tour guide totally messed up calculating each persons individual bill so it eventually took about 30 minutes to figure everything out which is ridiculous for seven people. Then after we all paid the waiter, probably trying to take advantage of the confusion, said that we still owed money when after further checking we realised that we had paid more than was required. Im sure that the smug little waiter had pocketed some of the money because everyone had definitely paid the right amount, all of the group refused to pay any extra but annoyingly the tour guide paid the difference.
Overall this tour hasn't been as good as the others, partly because I havent enjoyed Vietnam as much as the other countries I have visited. The people just arent as nice (I just dont think many of them like westerners) and I feel like they are trying to rip me off alot more than in the other countries (for a communist country they have very capitalist values) but also the tour guide was terrible compared to the others.
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Hanoi, Vietnam

07/10
In the morning we were given a walking tour of the area around the hotel which was mostly just back streets and markets. Then a few of us went for a walk around the lake in the centre of the city and found a coffee shop (with a generator because of another power cut) for a drink overlooking the lake. Back at the hotel the tour leader had really messed up arranging the rooms ( overall she hasn't been very good) but fortunately we were able to sort it out and I got a room with a great view over the tops of all the other buildings around. In the evening we all went to a water puppet show, which is puppets but controlled by sticks under water (you kinda have to see it to understand). It was really good although it went on for a little bit too long. Because I have a number of dys here after Halong Bay I didnt want to do to much today so that there would be plenty to do when I come back.
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