Singapore Sling and Indochina Emcompassed
Trip Start
Aug 08, 2008
1
9
13
Trip End
Aug 31, 2008
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Bangkok,
Thailand
Monday, March 30, 2009
We spent the following day exploring. Singapore is billed as "a unique and dynamic city, rich in contrast and colour, where you will find a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture. Located in South East Asia, it continues to embrace tradition and modernity today." We had arranged to meet Lindsey (a friend from our trip in South America who lives and works in Singapore) at 1pm. Our time was limited, but Lindsey was the perfect guide and showed us the sights. After lunch at Clarke Quay we strolled down Orchard Road and window shopped in the fashionable shopping malls. We then visited the Botanical Gardens, which are beautiful. We saw bonsai, banana trees, and a ginger garden. It was raining, so we were given rain ponchos from a park ranger - very thoughtful. Our next destination was the Grand Raffles Hotel. A doorman in full Indian regalia opened the taxi door and welcomed us with a smile. After the customary photographs, we made our way to the Long Bar and ordered three Singapore Slings - it just had to be done! The bar was impressive - beautiful decor and the floor underfoot crunched because of the discarded peanut shells scattered on the floor. The 'slings' went down very well, so we ordered Mojitos! Legend has it that in 1902, the last wild tiger in Singapore was shot dead in the billiards room of the Raffles Hotel. We ate dinner in a tapas bar overlooking the Singapore River. It was a pretty area, made even more special by the twinkling lights of the river boats and the neighbouring towers and skyscrapers.
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2009 - DESTINATION BANGKOK - We arrived in Bangkok at 3pm and caught a taxi to the Royal Hotel. The taxi driver thought he was Lewis Hamilton. He was racing another taxi driver, weaving in and out of the traffic and using the hard shoulder and braking at the last second! At the hotel we handed over our passports and payment to the resident travel agent, so that he could arrange our visas for Vietnam. The following day we decided to be culture vultures. We visited the Grand Palace, which used to house the Royal Family. On the way to the palace we were approached by a man who told us that the Palace was closed for a ceremony, but he would arrange for a tuk-tuk to take us elsewhere. The alarm bells started ringing - this is a well known scam and luckily we had been forewarned, so didn't fall for the trip to a fake gem store and/or a tailors! The Palace is magnificent and houses the renowned temple of the Emerald Buddha. There are also some stunning structures and superbly crafted statues, e.g. a sandstone model of Angkor Wat (the famed Cambodian temple), pagodas covered in mosaic gold, beautiful spires, mythical creatures, impressive demon giants who guard the entrance gates, eight "prangs" dedicated to different Buddhist precepts, and a delightful bell tower. The statue of Goddess Kun Iam (Goddess of Mercy) sits outside the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha. We entered the Chapel barefoot and saw the Buddha enshrined on a golden traditional Thai-style throne made of gilded carved wood, known as a "Busabok". The Buddha is clad with one of three seasonal costumes (summer, winter and rainy season). His costume is changed three times a year in a ceremony presided over by the King of Thailand. The Buddha is carved from a block of green jade and was first discovered in 1434 in a stupa in Chiang Rai. At that time the image was covered with plaster and was thought to be an ordinary Buddha image. Later, however, the abbot who found it noticed that the plaster on its nose had flaked off revealing the green stone underneath. The abbot thought that the stone was emerald and thus the legend of the Emerald Buddha began.
Our second stop that day was the "Reclining Buddha" - a peaceful Buddha with large magnificent feet, i.e. they are decorated with mother of pearl motifs! Along one side of the temple stands 108 bronze bowls. Judith dropped coins into each of them for good fortune.
The following day we caught a public water taxi. It was great fun mingling with the locals as we sailed down the Chao Phraya River. We alighted at Central Pier and jumped on to the clean and efficient skytrain (an elevated metro system). We noticed the sign above a priority seat, "Give this seat to a monk"! We stopped at a shopping mall and then made our way to Lumpini Park for some peace and quiet and a place to breathe. Afterwards we strolled through the famous Patpong Market. It was early and the stallholders were just setting up, but we got the gist. We got invited to a ping-pong show, but declined the offer!
Armed with our Vietnam visas we crossed over the city to the FuramaXclusive Hotel from where we explored further. A very smart hotel with a rooftop jacuzzi and a free Happy Hour every night! We sampled this as well as the small gym. We ate dinner at "Cabbages and Condoms", a very good restaurant. It gets its name because the owner feels that birth control should be as accessible as vegetables from the market.
Jim Thompson's House is a must sight, so we hopped on a junk boat. It was certainly an experience - crammed full and standing room only. We held on tight to a kind of washing line until our stop. We took an enjoyable tour of the Thai home of Jim Thompson - an American who was born in 1906. After World War Two he was sent to Bangkok as a military officer and fell in love with Thailand. After leaving the US Army he decided to return and live in Thailand permanently. The hand weaving of silk captured his attention and he devoted himself to reviving the craft. Highly gifted as a designer and textile colourist, he contributed substantially to the industry's growth and to the worldwide recognition accorded to Thai silk. He constructed his house by combining six teak buildings, which represented the best in traditional Thai architecture. In his quest for authenticity, he adhered to the customs of the early builders in most respects. The houses are elevated a full storey above the ground - a practical precaution to avoid flooding during the rainy season. Also, the bedroom doors have high frames at the bottom to stop the bad spirits from sliding under them! On 26.03.01967 Jim Thompson disappeared while on a visit to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Not a single valid clue has turned up in the ensuing years as to what might have happened to him. His famous Thai house, however, remains as a lasting reminder of his creative ability and his deep love of Thailand. After lunch we hit the shopping mall for a pair of sunglasses and a rucksack!
In the evening we sat ringside and watched nine Thai boxing bouts in the space of four hours. The boxers were young, lean and mean, the heaviest weighing 9.5 stone! Their outfits were brightly coloured and before each bout they performed a ritual, which comprised of prayers and a dance. The first few rounds of each fight were slow, but the final two rounds were fast and furious. They threw punches, kicked using their feet and knees and elbowed. By the end, their backs were red and bruised. It was an experience. On the way back to the hotel we took a detour down Soi Cowboy, a street full of seedy bars and beautiful girls - get the gist? All of a sudden and quite unexpectedly, an elephant came trudging down the street!
MONDAY 02 March 2009 - INDOCHINA ENCOMPASSED. We met up with our new travelling companions for our Indochina Encompassed Trip. There were 15 of us, including Nicole our guide. It was a good bunch and we were in for a trip of a lifetime.
The following morning we all jumped into a longboat and sailed down the Klong Canal. It was a great tour. We passed traditional Thai houses built on stilts - the wealthier ones are built from teak. Some had rows and rows of washing strung up outside. We saw a floating market, which sold anything and everything. At Wat Po we took another boat to Wat Arun (The Temple of the Dawn), a Royal temple dedicated to the 2nd reign of the Chakki Dynasty. It has a most elegant pagoda and is one of the landmarks of Thailand located on the banks of Chao Phraya River. It was blazing hot as we climbed the steep steps up the central prang, but the view from the top was awesome.
That afternoon we headed to the station to catch the overnight train to Chiang Mai. The station was organised chaos, but we managed to board the right train. We were pleasantly surprised - it was clean and spacious and the food good. We plied the waitresses with beer, so much so that when it was time to convert our seats into beds they were too drunk and couldn't find the key to unlock the mechanism! Eventually the key was found and we managed to get some sleep.
We arrived in Chiang Mai at 7.15am and put our trucks into a red tuk-tuk and followed on behind in a minibus. The traffic was busy and our luggage bounced around in the back of the tuk-tuk! With no time to spare we dumped our bags into the Mandala Guest House (a lovely place) and then went for an elephant ride. We balanced precariously on a rickety seat on an elephant's back. We rocked to and fro as it climbed up a hill and then down the other side. We fed it bananas - it was a guzzler and kept lifting its trunk begging for more food! Our guide invited Dan to have a front seat, i.e. astride the elephant's head.
In the evening we visited a temple and got a birds eye view of Chiang Mai. It was a lovely evening and thankfully a little cooler. We had to climb over 300 steps to the temple. We saw a white elephant, the hermit doctor and huge bells inscribed with names, which people ring for good fortune. We rang one three times and made a wish. We got blessed in a small chapel where the men were allowed to approach the monk. The women, however, had to approach a "lesser" man who tied a piece of string round our left wrists for safe travels. Rumour has it that you must keep it on until it falls off! We also saw the nine statues representing the Buddhist days of the week (there are two for Wednesday and a general one). We had our fortunes told by throwing numbered sticks! At 6pm we witnessed the monks chanting in prayer. We followed them into a chapel and knelt down with our feet pointing away from the Buddha. It was very moving.
We enjoyed our second day in Chiang Mai on two wheels. We cycled through the narrow and dusty streets inhaling a mixture odd aromas (e.g. thai cooking, sticky rice and washing powder). Our guides were excellent and stopped the traffic so that we could cross the roads! We visited temples and a former leper colony, which is now used as a rehabilitation centre. We saw women and men at work making cards, ornaments and wooden nativity scenes. There was an impressive wood carving of the Last Supper. It was very intricate and detailed. After lunch we rang a giant gong at a temple - the noise was deafening. We then ended up at a dead end - a crematorium! Three stone structures were visible - a small open crematorium, a modern crematorium painted white, red and gold, and a larger crematorium within walls. People of Chiang Mai prefer to use the smallest one, i.e. two brick walls charred on the inside. The space in the middle of the walls houses the coffin. The area was full of leaves and is never cleared because it is bad luck (don't want to tempt fate). It is only cleared and cleaned when there is a customer! Moving on swiftly, we returned to our guest house and after a quick power-shower piled into minibuses and headed for Chiang Kong.
Our hotel in Chiang Kong was in a beautiful spot overlooking the Mekong River and Laos. We sampled the local food and danced the night away and got an added bonus as Jack (our friend from Colorado) sang us a song.
SLOW BOAT DOWN THE MEKONG - An early start and a tuk-tuk ride to the border. We got stamped out of Thailand and took a long boat across the Mekong River to the Laos border. There we got our visas and after another tuk-tuk ride reached our boat for our trip down the Mekong. It was a family-owned long boat. Seats were situated both at the front on a raised deck and below on the lower deck. There was also a dining area and a bar. We had to be barefoot except for when we used the toilet - we wore communal slippers! We watched the world drift by - the scenery was stunning. The sun belted down on the forested hills and the sandy banks. Fishermen were hard at work, children played on the riverbank and water buffaloes wallowed in the shallows. After a superb lunch on board the boat we moored at a small village. The sand was blistering hot underfoot. Lots of children came to greet us. They were a little shy and curious at first, but soon their big brown eyes shone and their faces lit up with great big smiles. Dao our guide) showed us round the village which has 30 houses and approximately 200 people. The wooden houses are built on stilts and only one has a TV. We took photographs of the children and they just loved looking at themselves. Dan took a video of them, which reduced them to fits of laughter. Then someone kicked a deflated football - a common denominator all over the world. We had a kick about with the children and they took delight in mimicking our actions and words. Some of the boys were very skillful. These children have nothing, but their smiles said it all - they are happy. When it was time to go they followed us down the sandbank and waved us off. It was a good experience, but somehow didn't feel right - encroaching on someones else's life, staring at them and taking photographs.
We idled away the afternoon on the boat and arrived at Pakbeng (Laos) in the early evening. Young boys scampered to the boat eager to carry our bags up the steep sand bank. ONE of Judith's bag weighs a ton, but the young boy was stronger than he looked and was delighted with his payment, i.e. the going rate of 50p! We followed the makeshift bamboo path to the top of the sand bank. It was like a scene from an Agatha Christie film "Murder on the Mekong". We booked into the Phet Sokxai Hotel and then strolled through the small village. Shops, restaurants and market stalls lined the road. A little boy on a meat stall wafted a stick with a plastic bag on the end to keep off the flies. After dinner we went to the village open-air party. Women got up one by one and stood beside a pole in the centre of the circular dance floor. Men paid for the privilege of a dance. The dancing was rather sedate, but we joined in for one dance. At the party, we also saw the young "bag boys" gambling away their bag money on a sort of slot machine made from large wooden bricks. On the way back to the hotel Dan and Rory each bought a football. Rory had a kick about in the street with some local boys.
DESTINATION LUANG PRABANG - We awoke to a beautiful sunrise. Four little "bag-boys" appeared at the hotel. We had a quick game of football with them and then gave them the ball. They were over the moon. We waved to them as we set sail once again on our long boat. In the afternoon we visited Pak Ou caves, which are set high in the cliff that housed Buddha temples. We climbed more steps to an upper cave. Small children littered the steps holding tiny cages housing tiny birds. They were selling them to people to set them free for good luck. We arrived in Luang Prabang at 5pm. Unfortunately, there were no boys to carry our bags, so we heaved them up the hill to a waiting "jumbo" (a large tuk-tuk). Our home for the next three nights was Villa Tavandens. Luang Prabang means "Great or Royal Holy Image" and is the oldest city in Laos. It is located in a basin surrounded by mountains and hills at the confluence of the Nam Khan and the Mekong River. The city is on a peninsula 250m wide and 1km long formed by a curve in the Nam Khan river. We strolled through the night market - a pretty and colourful sight with rows upon rows of stalls selling jewellery, silk scarfs, silk shirts, trousers, t-shirts and hats. Judith treated herself to a brown and blue silk scarf. At the corner of one street people tried their luck at popping balloons with darts.
We spent the next morning visiting the National Museum in Luang Prabang, which was once the Royal Palace. It was built between 1904 and 1909 during the reign of King Srisavangvong. It contains a collection of personal artefacts belonging to the Royal Family as well as gifts received from abroad - they are still awaiting gifts from the UK! There is some beautiful and ornate furniture on display. Judith took a shine to the large wooden beds and wardrobes. It's a pity that they won't fit into our one-bedroom flat in London!
Afterwards, we jumped into a jumbo for a 40 minute ride to the Kuang Si falls. On the way their Jin's hat blew off into the dusty road. Rory, however, was a gentleman and stopped the jumbo and rescued it for her. The falls were high and located in a forest. Undeterred, we hiked up the slippery and worn steps to the top to take in the view. The descent was worse than the ascent, but we eventually made it and made our way to a "swimming" pool. Dan, Rory and Jack swung from a rope attached to a tree and jumped into the pool below. We then dared each other to jump from a waterfall about 10ft high. Judith and Jack stood on the edge for an eternity. Judith kept saying "me legs, me legs, they're shaking!". Jack encouraged her by saying that she'd kick her ass if she didn't jump! Eventually on the count of three Judith leaped off - Jack followed her almost immediately. Amy and Dipna went next and made it look so easy!
In the early evening we climbed the steps to Phousi, a hill 60m high. At the top we got a panoramic view of the town and the vast mountains rising steeply out of the rivers. We also saw the footprint of Buddha and lots of Buddha images. We sat and watched the sunset, but it was hazy and the sun disappeared behind the clouds. Nevertheless, it was still a beautiful evening in a beautiful place. After dinner we joined some of the others for cocktails in the Hive Bar. Our enjoyment was curtailed - everything closes at 11pm.
The following morning we skipped breakfast at the hotel and ate in town. Feeling somewhat energetic, we hired some cycles and headed off for the old part of town. We passed shimmering temples and crossed the Nam Khan river via the old wooden bridge, used only for motorbikes and push bikes. It was single file, so we had to pedal like mad so as not to hold up the traffic. Our route took us past the airport and through small villages where people were getting on with their lives preparing their evening meals. The aromas were very tantalising. It was hard going because the sun was hot and the roads dusty and undulating. Afterwards, Judith had a Mystic Lao Massage where they use a stretching and pressure point technique to increase blood circulation and promote a feeling of well being. It certainly did the trick for Judith!
TUESDAY 10 MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION VANG VIENG - We took a private bus along the scenic Route 13 to Vang Vieng, which lies along the bank of the Nam Song river. En route we were introduced to the dramatic Lao mountains and the homes of the Hmong and Yao hill tribe groups. The Government has been encouraging the people of the mountains to relocate to the lower plains to allow for integration and better access to health and education services. We also saw all sorts of livestock careering down the middle of the road, e.g. cows, pigs and goats. The houses were built on the roadside, which doubled as the childrens playground! Hoardes of school children were cycling home, men were having their hair cut by the roadside, sat on rickety chairs, one man had a wicker basket strapped to his back and suddenly a head popped out of it. It was the head of a cute child - big round face, big brown eyes and a tuft of thick black hair. In one place plucked chickens were strung up on a line like a row of clean washing.
We arrived at Thavonsouk Resort just as the sun was setting. It was very pretty and peaceful and offered a panoramic view of the dramatic limestone mountains that fall into the Song River - it was stunning.
The next day was free to go exploring, so we opted for floating down the river on a giant inner-tube! At the start little girls were swinging across the river on high ropes and jumping off large rocks. We threw our inner-tubes into the river and hurled ourselves ungainly onto them and set off downstream. Bamboo bars lined the route. The owners hollered at us to stop and have a drink or two. We floated sedately past the first few bars, but decided on one with stone tables and seats set in the riverbed. We meandered further downstream until we came to another bar. A chap threw us a rope and hauled us in one by one. We welcomed the cold beer. Further on we passed some buffaloes wallowing in the mud, but managed to keep a safe distance. After four hours of messing about on the river we returned our inner-tubes, had dinner and retired for the evening.
THURSDAY 12 MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION VIENTIANE - We departed at 8am for Vientiane, the sleepy little capital of Laos. Vientiane means the City of the Moon whose crescent evokes the curve of the Mekong River on which the town is built. It was very hot when we reached the Mali Namphu Guest House, so we rushed to the Joma Bakery for lunch. Refuelled and refreshed, we set off to explore the city, which became the capital of Laos in 1563. It's fortunes rose until sacked by the Siamese in 1827. Fifty years later the French found it abandoned and overgrown, but because of its position on a bend in the Mekong River amidst fertile alluvial plains, they set out to rebuild it. It is a laid back city with many interesting Wats (temples) and lively markets. We strolled past the Presidential Palace and found ourselves at Wat Si Saket - the oldest and most important Wat in Vientaine. It was built in 1818 in early Siamese style and is the only wat in the city to survive the 1828 Siamese attack on the city. The central temple has a Thai style five-tiered roof and is surrounded by a square cloister whose galleries house over 300 seated and standing Buddha images. The wat is estimated to contain over 6,000 Buddhas each of which are ritually cleaned at Laos New Year and later "fed". From here, we walked up Lane Xang at the end of which stands the Patouxas, which is built out of concrete meant for an airport runway! It is "The Arc de Triomphe" of Vientiane. It is impressive from the outside and closely resembles its Parisian cousin, but is ornamental in Lao style. However, it is a disappointment on the inside - it is unfinished and is cold and bare. We climbed the steps to the top to get a good view of the city, including the Patouxas Park and its fountains. That evening we enjoyed cocktails at a bar overlooking the Mekong river. We looked across the dry riverbed and could see Thailand. After a delicious steak dinner we had more cocktails at the Martini Bar.
FRIDAY 13th MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION HANOI (VIETNAM) - We had a few hours to explore before our evening flight to Hanoi, so we shared a tuk-tuk with Dave and Diane and visited Stupa That Luang - the national symbol of Laos. It is said to contain a hair from the Buddha. It is gold in colour and each level represents different Buddhist doctrines. People walked round one level holding their hands in a prayer-like fashion and clasping incense sticks and flowers (for offerings). A small cemetery stood beside the stupa. It was a little tatty and overgrown, but the ornate stupas gave it some presence. We shopped in the market next to the stupa and Judith bought a "dressy" watch for three pounds (it is still going strong). At 4pm we boarded our flight to Hanoi and touched down in Vietnam after one hour. It was noticeably cooler, but we soon warmed up with supper at a noodle bar, before retiring to the Nhat Tien Hotel. Some of the group dined at another establishment and were joined by some furry friends (rats)!
GOOD MORNING VIETNAM! - A day to embrace the culture and street life of Vietnam. It was fascinating and chaotic. Crossing the road is a nightmare. We thought Brasilia was bad, but Hanoi is much worse. You step into the road and have to keep walking and hope that the cars and the motorbikes dodge you! Hanoi is full of history, tradition and legend and traces its origins to 1010 (the emperor Le Thai To called the city Thang Long - Soaring Dragon). We visited Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and saw his embalmed body, which is watched over by solemn and stern guards. We also saw the house-on-stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from May 1958 to August 1969. The house has been preserved as it was in his life. He declined to live in the nearby Presidential Palace claiming that it belonged to the people and it is now used for official functions.
The Temple of Literature was our next destination. It is Hanoi's best preserved ancient site and dating from the 11th century, is Vietnam's oldest institution of higher education. It is dedicated to Confucius. We strolled round the five walled courtyards and the gardens. In the afternoon we took a stroll the Old Quarter and experienced the "real" Hanoi. It was like an opening scene from a James Bond movie. The traffic was chaotic, women wearing conical hats carried fruit balanced in large silver wok-shaped bowls attached by string to either end of a horizontal bamboo pole, people sat on chairs on the pavement and chatted noisily. At one time the Old Quarter was known as the area of the 36 streets because of guild names were given to the streets of their trade, e.g. Silk Street, Paper Street, Basket Street, Medicine Street. Today the area does a flourishing trade in all manner of handicrafts and souvenirs. Emerging unscathed from the Old Quarter, we found ourselves at the Hanoi Hilton - the former prison where thousands of patriots and revolutionary fighters were imprisoned and tortured, both physically and spiritually. Many Vietnamese sacrificed their lives here to secure the independence and freedom of the nation. Between 1964 and 1973 the prison was used to detain American pilots whose aircraft had been shot down over Hanoi whilst bombing or attacking the North Vietnamese people. The Americans nicknamed the prison "The Hanoi Hilton". The prison's inmates included John McCain (US Senator). It was pretty gruesome and eerie. The cells that confined prisoners with chains and leg-irons were tiny. We saw the guillotine that "cut" many patriots and revolutionists, as well as part of the underground sewer doors through which some prisoners escaped. An impressive black and white memorial monument in honour of patriotic and revolutionary combatants stands in the memorial courtyard. In the late afternoon we saw the "Water Puppet" show - traditional Vietnamese entertainment! Not really our cup of tea - a small orchestra provided the music as gaily coloured wooden puppets emerged from underneath a makeshift pagoda into a small pool of water. They were comical looking - rather like coloured skittles. That evening we welcomed Chris and Jean our new travelling companions. At dinner we had a cake to celebrate Dipna's birthday for the following day. It was also Lindsey's last night (or so we thought), so we had a few drinks in the Dragonfly Bar.
SUNDAY 15th MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION HALONG BAY - A birthday that Dipna will not forget! We set off early for a three hour drive to Bai Chai harbour for an overnight trip on beautiful Halong Bay. At the harbour we boarded a romantic, traditional wooden junk boat named "Huong Hai". Much to our surprise, it was very plush. The ensuite cabins were comfortable and featuring wooden decor and had hot showers. The rooftop sundeck was spacious, the dining area was first-class and the food exquisite. We were treated like Kings and Queens. We feasted on fresh seafood including stuffed crab, lobster, shrimps and clams, and the food kept on coming and coming. The boat set sail and the scene before us was magnificent. More than 3000 islands and rocks rise from the waters of the Bay. Floating villages are interspersed on the water. It is said that this area is undoubtedly Vietnam's greatest natural wonder. "Halong Bay" is literally translated as "Bay of descending dragons". Legend has it that "Long ago" the Viet people were attacked by foreign aggressors. The Jade Emperor sent the mother dragon and a herd of child dragons to help the Viet fight the invaders. While the enemy vessels were launching attacks against the mainland, the dragons descended in flocks from the sky. They spat out innumerbale pearls that, in a moment, were changed into jade-stone islands linked together to form citadels that checked the enemy's advance and smashed their vessels into pieces. The Viet won and after the invaders were driven out, Mother Dragon and her child dragons did not return to heaven, but stayed on earth, right at the place where the battle occurred. The spot where the Mother Dragon landed was Ha Long and where the Child Dragons came down was Bai Tu Long.
Later we visited some awesome caves and then went kayaking. We paddled across the Bay under wonderful rock formations and had a great time.
MONDAY 16th MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION HUE - After a hearty breakfast we anchored at a small beach and climbed over 300 stone steps to a pagoda on a hilltop. The panoramic view of Halong Bay from the top was magical and idyllic. Wooden junkboats, some with billowing sails, glided gently through the still waters. It was so tranquil and picturesque - another world - a dreamworld. Halong Bay was an unforgettable experience (in more ways than one). In the afternoon we made our way back to Hanoi and then set off for our next adventure - the overnight train to Hue. The train was basic, but adequate. It was four people to a cabin and we shared with Jin and Dipna. The squat toilet took some skill - the ladies had to hold on to a pole as the train jerked and shuddered along! We whiled away the journey playing cards and doing crosswords. We managed some sleep before arriving in Hue in the early hours of 17th March. Hue, originally called Phu Xuan was built in 1687 and became the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty. During that time it was the cultural, religious and economic centre of Vietnam.
We got a warm welcome from the staff at the Asia Hotel and devoured breakfast served in the rooftop restaurant overlooking the city. In the afternoon Joe, our Vietnamese guide, took us on a boat trip down the Perfume River. Judith modelled a shirt and black silk trousers from the on-board shop, and bought the shirt! We visited the Tien Mu Pagoda (a Mahayna Buddhist temple on the banks of the Perfume river). Built in the 17th Century it is the oldest monastery in Hue. It houses the car in which the 66 year old monk, Thich Quang Duc, was driven to Saigon in the early morning of 11 June 1963. He sat down in the lotus position and meditated as fellow monks doused him in petrol and then set light to him. Onlookers prostrated themselves before him. By the next morning the grisly event had grabbed the world's headlines. More self-immolations followed. It was a protest against the Government's stance against Buddhism. We also saw young monks studying. Their heads were shaven except for the front part where their hair grew long. We then made our way to the Imperial Tombs of Minh Mang and Tu Duc. The tombs are modelled on those of the Chinese Emperors. The roofs are a golden colour (the colour of royalty) and looked like vertical rows gold coins (rather like the "penny falls" in an arcade). Minh Mang reigned from 1820 to 1840 and Tu Duc from 1847 to 1883. Tu Duc's tomb is enclosed by high walls and features pine woods and a lakeside pavillion where he fished, listened to music and wrote poetry. However, it is not known whether he is buried here. A large solid wooden gate stands at the top of 31 stone steps (the age Tu Duc was when he became Emperor) and the story goes that he is buried underground somewhere behind the gate and under the forested hill. It is a beautiful place - serene and shrouded in mystery.
WEDNESDAY 18TH MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION HOI AN - After a morning tour of the Old Citadel, modelled on the Beijing's Forbidden City, we had a 4 hour bus drive to Hoi An via the scenic Hai Van Pass. The hotel was posh, posh, posh! Wasting no time, we jumped into the free shuttle bus to town where we strolled through the Old Quarter located near the waterfront. Hoi An is an ancient port town on the Thu Bon River. Today, tourism has taken over as the town's major industry. The architecture is a mixture of French, Chginese and Vietnamese. It is such a beautiful place. The streets are lined with shops selling silks, ceramics, paintings, woodwork, stoneware and lanterns. One of the main tourist attractions is the tailors - there are about 300 tailor shops! You can design your own clothes and have them made in a couple of days. We got back to our hotel on push bikes, which we hired for a few days. It was frantic, but fun. The many cars and motorbikes honked their horns at us, but we kept our composure and soon got used to the roads! In the evening we had a romantic meal at the Mango Rooms - the food was gorgeous.
The next couple of days were "free" to relax and soak up the atmosphere. One day we cycled to Ciu Dai Beach. En route, Rory had a ride on a water buffalo through a rice field! We parked our bikes (for a fee) and then set up camp on the beach. Almost immediately, the vendors pounced - they were very sweet and sat down beside us for some time. Sara taught us some Vietnamese phrases (which now escape us) and also had a go with Rory's exercise ropes! She was selling trinkets, sweets and sun-tan lotion. Eventually we put her out of her misery and bought a bat and ball set and a small Buddha. We spent the rest of the day frolicking in the South China sea, which was warm and inviting. On the evening of 19 March we celebrated Dave's 50th birthday in style at "Cargos". Diane had kindly bought some champagne, which went down very well. The food was very good and the birthday cake awesome - chocolate and passion fruit. We ended the night in a cocktail bar.
SATURDAY 14th MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION SAIGON - We bade farewell to Dave and Diane who were returning to Canada (it was sad to see them go). We spent the morning shopping in town and then headed for the airport. We arrived in Saigon in the early evening. Officially renamed in 1975, Ho Chi Minh City remains know to most as Saigon. During the 1960s and the early 1970s, Saigon boomed and flourished under the American occupation. Today it is the largest city in Vietnam and is still growing. During the course of the Vietnam war, as refugees spilled in from a devastated countryside, the population of Saigon almost doubled from 2.4m in 1965 to around 4.5m by 1975. With reunification in 1976, the new communist authorities pursued a policy of depopulation, believing that the city had become too large and parasitic, preying on the surrounding countryside. The population of Saigon today is around 7m and rising fast as the rural poor are lured by tales of streets paved with gold. After booking into our hotel we dined in Ben Thanh Night Market where the food stalls are plentiful and cheap. We had an evening stroll to Lam son Square where the Rex Hotel stands tall. It was a pre-liberation favourite with US officers and the scene of the daily "Five O'clock Follies" where the military briefed an increasingly sceptical press corps during the Vietnam war. We also saw the impressive and grand Opera House and the yellow and white coloured City Hall now home to the People's Committee. It was all lit up and resembled a Disneyland Castle. The Continental Hotel, built in 1880, is situated near the square and is an integral part of the city's history. Graham Greene stayed here and the hotel features in the novel "The Quiet American". The old journalist haunt, "the Continental Shelf" was described as "a famous veranda where correspondents, spies, speculators, traffickers, intellectuals and soldiers used to meet during the war to glean information and pick up secret reports, half true or half disclosed."
We spent the next two days exploring Saigon with our guide, Hau. Our first stop was the Cu Chi Tunnels. Begun by the Viet Minh in 1948, these tunnels were later expanded by the Viet Cong and used for storage and refuge. The original tunnels were only 80cm high and the width of the tunnel entry at ground level was 22cm by 30cm. The tunnels are too narrow for most Westerners, but a shorter section of the 250km of tunnels has been widened to allow tourists to share the experience. Cu Chi was one of the most fervently Communist districts around Ho Chi Minh city and the tunnels were used as the base from which the Viet Cong mounted the operations of the Tet offensive in 1968. When the Americans discovered the tunnels they pumped CS gas down the tunnel openings and then set explosives. They also pumped in river water and used German Shepherd dogs to smell out air holes. The Vietnamese, however, smothered the holes in pepper and garlic to deter the dogs. We clambered down some of the tunnels. They are dark and claustraphobic. It is hard to imagine people scurrying through them with guns. Judith bought a small scarf typically worn by the Viet Cong and used for wiping the face, carrying rice and as a face mask. We were given tea and manioc (tapioca) - typical refreshments of the Viet Cong. We then saw the various booby traps that the Americans encountered and fired a M16 rifle at a firing range. We each fired two bullets and the noise was deafening. We had lunch back in Saigon, but Judith was rudely interrupted. Just as she was tucking into her noodles, a babe in her mother's arms projectile vomited across the table and into her food! It was baby creosote from Monty Python!
In the afternoon we visited the War Remnants Museum, which was pretty grim and gruesome. All of the horrors of the Vietnam war from the Vietnamese perspective are piled from floor to ceiling. The photographs are haunting and upsetting and some stick in your memory more than others. A black and white photo of a Vietnamese mother crossing a river with her four young children to flee from American bombs was graphic and shocking. The expressions on their faces was one of pure fear - just hope that they made it. Another photo is of a horror struck, burning, naked young girl running in the middle of the road, her hands in the air and her mouth agape. Fortunately, this girl survived to tell the horrific truth. The courtyard outside the museum is filled with tanks, bombs, planes and helicopters. There is also a room dedicated to war photographers and their photos. It is a requiem to those who died pursuing their craft. That evening Marilyn and Cam treated us both to dinner (to say thank you to Dan for jumping into Halong Bay after Marilyn). It was a kind gesture and we were spoiled rotten at the Temple Club - a beautifully furnished restaurant serving scrumptious food. Later we joined the rest of the group in the Saigon Saigon Bar at the Caravelle Hotel, one of Ho Chi Minh's top hotels. We sipped cocktails in the rooftop bar and enjoyed the view of the city. We also welcomed Joules our new travelling companion.
The next day we enjoyed a boat trip on the Mekong Delta. The Delta has 13 provinces and one city with an area of 40,000km and about 18m people. The weather is always warm (average 27 degrees) with two seasons - dry and wet. We sailed through the Cai Be floating market and witnessed the daily activity of buying and selling. Longboats were laden with all sorts of things including, pineapples, sweet potato, rice, melons and coconuts. You can't buy one item, you have to buy in bulk (at least ten). Each stall has a sign to advertise its wares, e.g. a melon tied to the end of a stick at the front of the boat! The children on the boats don't go to school because this is their way of life and they grow up to carry on the business. We stopped at a cottage industry village and saw how they made coconut candy and pop rice. We then jumped into small canoes - three in a boat. Local women stood at the back of the canoes and rowed us down the river. They were of slight build, but very strong. We moored at an orchard and as we disembarked the front end of our longboat, which had followed us down the river, careered into Cam and Hau and knocked them into the river! The water was shallow and thankfully they emerged unhurt although they were soaked to the skin and filthy!
TUESDAY 24TH MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION CAMBODIA - We boarded a public bus at 7.15am and headed for the border. It was all very straightforward and we found ourselves in Phnom Penh in the late afternoon. After a quick change in the hotel we jumped into cyclos for a whizz round the city. It was one person to a cyclo (a kind of tuk-tuk attached to a bike). It was quite scary joining the busy traffic and weaving in and out of lanes. Phnom Penh is Cambodia's capital and is situated at the confluence of the Mekong, Tonie Basaac and Tonie Sap rivers. In 1975 chaos tore the city apart as the Khmer Rouge forced all of the city's residents into the countryside as part of a radical social restructuring programme. Phnom Penh's recovery has been slow, but today the City is developing rapidly. After our frenetic cycling trip we recalled the days of colonial extravagance with a happy hour cocktail at the Foreign Correspondent's Club.
The next morning was harrowing and emotional - we visited "Security Office 21", one of the secret prisons used by the Khmer Rouge to torture and execute hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes. In 1975 Pol Pot was the Prime Minister and in a bid to create an agrarian utopia, all urban dwellers were forcibly evacuated to the countryside to become agricultural workers. Money became worthless, basic freedoms curtailed and religion banned. Hundreds of thousands of the educated middle-classes were tortured and executed in special centres. Others starved or died from disease and exhaustion. the total death toll over three years is estimated to be at least 1.7 million. It is a chilling place - in the cells the iron beds lay empty, but pictures on the wall tell the horrific truth. People were shackled to the beds and tortured. The toilet was a small ammunition box! Some prisoners were hung upside down on gallows which still stand in the outside compound area. Some of the cells were tiny brick cubicles built side by side. Iron shackles used for communal torture are still fastened to walls. Photographs of prisoners are on display, their faces paralysed with fear. It was very upsetting. A photograph of a small boy still haunts Judith - he was a lovely looking lad with chubby cheeks and big eyes, pure innocence, but he wore a startled expression. He could do nothing about the fate that awaited him. It is atrocious and beyond comprehension. There were seven survivors from S21. One of these was an artist and his paintings depicting the atrocities hang on the walls in S21. The stark reality literally jumps out from off of the canvas.
Our next stop was the Killing Fields - the main Khmer Rouge extermination camp containing 119 communal graves. Of these, 86 have been exhumed revealing the remains of 8,985 people, many bludgeoned or stabbed to death to avoid wasting bullets. Bone fragments and remnants of clothing are still scattered in the pits and over 8,000 skulls are arranged in a memorial stupa, erected in 1988.
We broke for lunch at "FRIENDS" - a not-for-profit tapas style restaurant run by former street youths. It was a delight to see the young people in the kitchen learning to cook and serving the food. They were very friendly and enthusiastic. Afterwards, we visited the National Museum and the Royal Palace. The museum displays over 5,000 objects including Angkorian statues and other artefacts. The Royal Palace is very grand and has been constructed twice. The first construction took place in 1434 and the second in 1866. The compound contains the Royal residence, the Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda. The buildings are characterised by many tiered roofs and topped by towers, which are symbols of prosperity. The Silver Pagoda is magnificent. It is named for its floor of over 5,000 silver tiles weighing a kilo each. About 60% of the contents were destroyed during the Khmer Rouge years, but there remain some spectacular pieces including an emerald Buddha and a lifesize 90kg gold Buddha decorated with 9,584 diamonds.
In the evening we piled into tuk-tuks and were taken to a village. We alighted at a house and climbed the wooden steps and entered a large room. The house is home for 30 people! We sat down on mats that covered the wooden floor and were treated to a sumptuous feast. Our hosts had pulled out all the stops. The dessert was a mixture of fried tarantulas and frogs -urrggghhh! The man of the house recounted tales of his life and the times under the Khmer Rouge regime. Some of his siblings had died of starvation and disease during this period. He told us that nowadays people do not seek revenge, most follow Buddhism, so accept what has happened, although they will never forgive nor forget.
THURSDAY 26TH MARCH 2009 - DESTINATION SIEM REAP - We spent the morning traipsing round the Central Market. The area was a lake until it was drained and the market constructed in 1935-39. The entrance is lined with souvenir merchants, hawking everything from t-shirts and postcards. Inside there is a dazzling display of jewels and gold. We ate lunch at a cafe whose owner supports around 23 orphans. About a year ago in December, someone left a baby boy in a box on his doorstep. He was too young to be taken into the orphanage, so the owner and his wife took him in as their own and named him December. He is a "bruiser"! In the afternoon we drove to Siem Reap - the gateway to the magnificent temples of Angkor. "Siem Reap" means "Thais defeated", in reflection of the various times the ownership of Agkor fell to Thai kingdoms and was subsequently retaken by Khmers. Most of the town's development has only occurred in the last ten years. The town and its people still retain their countryside outlook and wonderful sense of Cambodian hospitality.
We visited lots of temples. The main temples were built between 802 and 1432, a period when the Khmer Empire was consolidating its position as one of the great powers of South East Asia. Our first temple was Angkor Wat - the most popular and well known of all the temples of Angkor. It is thought that it was constructed as a funeral temple. It is the only temple in Cambodia that faces the West - the direction of setting of the sun and symbolic passing into the next life for the King. It is certainly impressive - its five towers loomed over us as we entered the temple through the back entrance. The principal structure is a three tiered pyramid topped by five towers and is a symbolic representation of Mount Meru. We exited the temple via the impressive causeway built across the 200m wide perimeter moat.
Our next stop was BAYON TEMPLE where the giant stone faces of BAYON are everywhere. Intended to embrace all the religions of the kingdom, it was consecrated as a Buddhist temple. When the state religion reverted to Hinduism the Buddha in the central sanctuary was torn down and thrown into the well below. The temple bears reliefs of life-like scenes of battles between the Khmer and the Cham including market scenes, cock-fighting, chess games and childbirth.
During a brief respite from the temples some of us donated blood at the Jayavarma VII Children's Hospital. It was an opportunity to give something.
Afterwards we visited TA PROHM TEMPLE - scenes from Tomb Raider II were filmed here. Unfortunately, Judith had forgotten her pass, so wasn't allowed in. However, in true Lara Croft style, she got in. She went for a walk round the grounds where she was allowed and stumbled upon a path, which had arrows pointing in the opposite direction. Thinking that this might be the "exit" path, she followed it and soon tracked down her fellow travellers! This quiet sprawling jungle temple is only partially cleared of undergrowth to keep it looking the way it was when it was discovered and to help keep it standing. Massive trees growing from towers are photo classics.
On our last day in Cambodia we explored more temples. We set off at 5am to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat temple. It was splendid and well worth getting up for. The sun rose from behind the majestic towers and the temple reflected in the waters of the moat.
After breakfast we went to ANGKOR TOM - a walled and moated royal city. The surrounding wall has a sanctuary tower at each corner and five gates (two on the east side). Each gate is crowned by four faces of Lokesvara and the south gate is particularly impressive, approached by a 100m causeway flanked by 54 gods and 54 demons. Elephants were plodding back and forth through the south gate carrying tourists. The elephants looked sad. We also visited NEAK POAN TEMPLE (entwined serpent), which has a number of little ornate chapels. TA SOM TEMPLE is a smaller version of TA PROHM, i.e. a jungle temple. We bought some tablecloths and a scarf from a vendor outside the temple. Last, but not least, was EAST TEMPLE where elephant statues graced the four corners.
"Templed out" we spent the afternoon in the plush Tara Hotel and had fun and games in the swimming pool. In the evening en route to dinner we saw a children's puppet parade weaving its way through the streets of Siem reap. It was colourful and there were puppets of all shapes and sizes. We ended the evening in a local bar where Jin bought two pitchers of cocktails so that she could get a free t-shirt!
SUNDAY 29TH MARCH 2009 - FINAL DAY OF THE INDOCHINA TRIP - A 7.30am start for our journey to the Cambodian/Thai border. The road was unsealed, so we had a bumpy journey. We got "stamped out" of Cambodia, walked across no man's land, and got "stamped into" Thailand. We had lunch at the border and it was "borderline"! We arrived in Bangkok at 4.30pm. We enjoyed a "last" group meal and had drinks in a bar off Ko San road.
A GREAT TRIP WITH GREAT PEOPLE
WE WILL SEE YOU LATER IN THAILAND - BANGKOK TO KOH SAMUI.
