My most expensive bout of nausea ever has cost me my fine dining meal at about 3.00 in the morning so breakfast is one bread roll and jam.
Bags all packed and off to the airport for early afternoon to Kuala Lumpur.
Looking forward to the relative luxury of Kuala Lumpur but 3 hour flight from Hanoi gives us both time to think back on our Vietnam experience.
It has not been a holiday in the conventional sense. Vietnam is in some ways an assault on the senses with frequent reminders along the way that one is travelling through a third-world country. What is undeniable is the incredible energy and industry of the people and it is to be hoped that the inevitable growth in tourism will see their efforts rewarded without sacrificing the essential character of this fascinating country.
A decidely more emaciated Obese Ferret.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Hanoi 2nd January 2011
Arrive back at The Amazing Hotel at 4.30 am and they kindly allow us to use another room to have a shower while waitng for our own room to be vacated.
Suitably rested, we walk to Ho Chi Minh' s Mausoleum, only to find that it is cloed in the afternoon ( thank you Footprints Guide for the inaccurate information ). Visit instead HCM's house and Museum and keep a promise to Craig to take some photos of a B52 Bomber shot down in the Ngoc Ha Village suburb.
Walk back to hotel via alleys and laneways teeming with the incredible industrious Vietnamese going about their business. ( No weekends or penalty labour rates here! )
As a special treat we have booked dinner at reputedly Hanoi's finest hotel, the neoclassical Sofitel Metropole. Their Le Beaulieu restaurant offers fine dining at its very best and is a far cry from the $3 and $4 meals which have been our main fare during the trip.
The meal, wine and the experience are all that we could have asked for and we round off the evening with a visit to the famous Water Puppet Theatre near to the Hoan Kiem Lake.
Back to the hotel in good time to pack our bags for the departure the next day.
Leaving Hanoi with very fond memories of this attractive city. Whilst lacking the frenetic activity of Ho Chi Minh City it is in our view a more stylish city which has kept much of its character and elegance from the French colonial era.
The Obese Ferret.
Suitably rested, we walk to Ho Chi Minh' s Mausoleum, only to find that it is cloed in the afternoon ( thank you Footprints Guide for the inaccurate information ). Visit instead HCM's house and Museum and keep a promise to Craig to take some photos of a B52 Bomber shot down in the Ngoc Ha Village suburb.
Walk back to hotel via alleys and laneways teeming with the incredible industrious Vietnamese going about their business. ( No weekends or penalty labour rates here! )
As a special treat we have booked dinner at reputedly Hanoi's finest hotel, the neoclassical Sofitel Metropole. Their Le Beaulieu restaurant offers fine dining at its very best and is a far cry from the $3 and $4 meals which have been our main fare during the trip.
The meal, wine and the experience are all that we could have asked for and we round off the evening with a visit to the famous Water Puppet Theatre near to the Hoan Kiem Lake.
Back to the hotel in good time to pack our bags for the departure the next day.
Leaving Hanoi with very fond memories of this attractive city. Whilst lacking the frenetic activity of Ho Chi Minh City it is in our view a more stylish city which has kept much of its character and elegance from the French colonial era.
The Obese Ferret.
Ta Van and trek to Su Pan 1st January 2011.
I greet the New Year by bringing up all of previous night's meal at about 7.00am and decide to give a breakfast of pancakes and other goodies a miss.
Mist has lifted somewhat but still drizzly and chilly as we set off, this time accompanied by a new trio of villagers. The morning trail very slippery and demanding so Gail has no alternative other than to enlist the aid of one of the women to negotiate the more difficult sections. A real workout for my Titanium knee but it seems to be holding up remarkably well, certainly better than my gut. Such situations only serve as a reminder, if such were required, of what the soldiers had to contend with in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. Puts my temporary problems into perspective.
Gradually wend our way down to the riverbed and late morning say goodbye to the three villagers who have been tagging us. Not really a fond farewell as they are unhappy with our gesture to pay them a reasonable amount for their help on the trail but not to buy any of their very poor quality locally made items.
On arrival at Su Pan we wait for our transport back to Sa Pa in the house of some delightful villagers who made us feel very welcome, even to the point of offering me some local herbal medicine for my gastro problems. They looked and tasted pretty horrible but I felt obliged to give them a go. Long later showed me a business card which the family had had printed extolling the virtues of their herbal remedies, one of which was designed to solve erectile dysfunction! I explained to Long that given the way I was feeling nothing was further from my mind than a knee-trembler deep in the heart of the Vietnamese countryside!
Bumpy ride back to Sa Pa for quick lunch, after which we say goodbye to Long who has been an excellent guide.
As part of the tour we are able to have a quick shower at Hotel Papillon and then wait for bus to take us back to Lao Dai. The 4.30 bus finally arrives one hour late and what follows next is truly Pythonesque.
A mini bus designed to carry 15 people spends close to one hour picking up people from various hotels, dropping them off again, driving down numerous streets and then reversing back up the same streets. The increasingly harassed young driver finally managed to squeeze 18 passengers sardine-like into his vehicle and as luck would have it he proved to be a very careful driver as he negotiated the thick fog on the road from Sa Pa to Lao Cai.
All aboard the train at 7.30 pm for the usual uncomfortable trip to Hanoi. The cabin this time shared with a very friendly Kenyan/British guy and his French partner.
The Obese Ferret.
Mist has lifted somewhat but still drizzly and chilly as we set off, this time accompanied by a new trio of villagers. The morning trail very slippery and demanding so Gail has no alternative other than to enlist the aid of one of the women to negotiate the more difficult sections. A real workout for my Titanium knee but it seems to be holding up remarkably well, certainly better than my gut. Such situations only serve as a reminder, if such were required, of what the soldiers had to contend with in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and elsewhere. Puts my temporary problems into perspective.
Gradually wend our way down to the riverbed and late morning say goodbye to the three villagers who have been tagging us. Not really a fond farewell as they are unhappy with our gesture to pay them a reasonable amount for their help on the trail but not to buy any of their very poor quality locally made items.
On arrival at Su Pan we wait for our transport back to Sa Pa in the house of some delightful villagers who made us feel very welcome, even to the point of offering me some local herbal medicine for my gastro problems. They looked and tasted pretty horrible but I felt obliged to give them a go. Long later showed me a business card which the family had had printed extolling the virtues of their herbal remedies, one of which was designed to solve erectile dysfunction! I explained to Long that given the way I was feeling nothing was further from my mind than a knee-trembler deep in the heart of the Vietnamese countryside!
Bumpy ride back to Sa Pa for quick lunch, after which we say goodbye to Long who has been an excellent guide.
As part of the tour we are able to have a quick shower at Hotel Papillon and then wait for bus to take us back to Lao Dai. The 4.30 bus finally arrives one hour late and what follows next is truly Pythonesque.
A mini bus designed to carry 15 people spends close to one hour picking up people from various hotels, dropping them off again, driving down numerous streets and then reversing back up the same streets. The increasingly harassed young driver finally managed to squeeze 18 passengers sardine-like into his vehicle and as luck would have it he proved to be a very careful driver as he negotiated the thick fog on the road from Sa Pa to Lao Cai.
All aboard the train at 7.30 pm for the usual uncomfortable trip to Hanoi. The cabin this time shared with a very friendly Kenyan/British guy and his French partner.
The Obese Ferret.
Sapa 31st December.
Wake up to a valley shrouded in mist so the much-vaunted views of the valleys are non-existant.
After lovely breakfast we are met at hotel by Long, our guide for the trek into the mountains and outerlying villages. As soon as we step out of the hotel we are surrounded by villagers,mainly from thr Hmong minority ethnic group. 3 of the villagers tag onto us as we set off on our trip. After walking out of Sapa for about 500 metres we realise that Long is expecting us to do only a day trek and return to Sapa in the evening. We explainn that we are in fact booked on a two day trek with an overnight stay in one of the villages. A quick phone call to Long's office sorts all of this out, one of a number of problems which we are to encounter along the way with regard to the Sapa travel arrangements.
We leave Sapa and gradually descend into the river valley cursing our luck with the weather and accompanied by the three Hmong villagers, ranging in age from 17 to 47. the 17 year old hasa 5 month old baby and we are informed by Long that the girls in the villages get married as young as 14 and start a family very early.
Some explanation on the system in operation with regard to the omni-present 'hangers-on'.
The villagers leave their homes at about 3.00 am to walk to Sapa and tag onto a guide with tourists in tow.
They then accompany the group back to their village, helping the trekkers when necessary on the at times slippery tracks. The unstated agreement is that the tourists will than purchase from them some of their locally handcrafted items such as purses, handbags cushion covers etc, often hemp dyed. The purple dye is there for all to see on the hands of the villagers.
The quality of the items is variable and some prices charged do not really represent the best value-for-money. Nevertheless, it is a way of putting some money back into the local community.
There are ,however, some pitfalls - firstly on reaching the first village at lunchtime it is not easy to identify among the sea of faces the villagers who have in fact accompanied us along the trail. Secondly, as we leave the village a second shift of the Red Dao minority group takes over to be with us to the village where we will spend the night. Fortunately, we manage to get the message through that our budget has been spent for the day and the taggers drift off.
Arrive late afternoon at village of Ta Van ( Giay minority group ) and 'check into' our very basic homestay. This consists of a ground floor where we will eat our meals, a veranda from which to enjoy the still elusive vistas and an upstairs with up to 30 mattresses laid out on the floor.
Fortunately, we are only sharing this with 4 very pleasant Thai girls so we are each able to to use numerous quilts and pillows to keep out the the bitter cold. ( there is no heating in the place )
The New Year's Eve meal prepared by the landlord, an assistant and our guide comes as a very pleasant surprise with a huge array of superb Vietnamese food,washed down by some rice wine. Much frivolity as the wine takes effect even if by now Gail's cold has taken a real turn for the worse.
Into bed before 2011 arrives ( a sign of old age ).
The Obese Ferret.
After lovely breakfast we are met at hotel by Long, our guide for the trek into the mountains and outerlying villages. As soon as we step out of the hotel we are surrounded by villagers,mainly from thr Hmong minority ethnic group. 3 of the villagers tag onto us as we set off on our trip. After walking out of Sapa for about 500 metres we realise that Long is expecting us to do only a day trek and return to Sapa in the evening. We explainn that we are in fact booked on a two day trek with an overnight stay in one of the villages. A quick phone call to Long's office sorts all of this out, one of a number of problems which we are to encounter along the way with regard to the Sapa travel arrangements.
We leave Sapa and gradually descend into the river valley cursing our luck with the weather and accompanied by the three Hmong villagers, ranging in age from 17 to 47. the 17 year old hasa 5 month old baby and we are informed by Long that the girls in the villages get married as young as 14 and start a family very early.
Some explanation on the system in operation with regard to the omni-present 'hangers-on'.
The villagers leave their homes at about 3.00 am to walk to Sapa and tag onto a guide with tourists in tow.
They then accompany the group back to their village, helping the trekkers when necessary on the at times slippery tracks. The unstated agreement is that the tourists will than purchase from them some of their locally handcrafted items such as purses, handbags cushion covers etc, often hemp dyed. The purple dye is there for all to see on the hands of the villagers.
The quality of the items is variable and some prices charged do not really represent the best value-for-money. Nevertheless, it is a way of putting some money back into the local community.
There are ,however, some pitfalls - firstly on reaching the first village at lunchtime it is not easy to identify among the sea of faces the villagers who have in fact accompanied us along the trail. Secondly, as we leave the village a second shift of the Red Dao minority group takes over to be with us to the village where we will spend the night. Fortunately, we manage to get the message through that our budget has been spent for the day and the taggers drift off.
Arrive late afternoon at village of Ta Van ( Giay minority group ) and 'check into' our very basic homestay. This consists of a ground floor where we will eat our meals, a veranda from which to enjoy the still elusive vistas and an upstairs with up to 30 mattresses laid out on the floor.
Fortunately, we are only sharing this with 4 very pleasant Thai girls so we are each able to to use numerous quilts and pillows to keep out the the bitter cold. ( there is no heating in the place )
The New Year's Eve meal prepared by the landlord, an assistant and our guide comes as a very pleasant surprise with a huge array of superb Vietnamese food,washed down by some rice wine. Much frivolity as the wine takes effect even if by now Gail's cold has taken a real turn for the worse.
Into bed before 2011 arrives ( a sign of old age ).
The Obese Ferret.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hanoi 29th Dec( cont )
Hanoi nowhere near as frenetic as Ho Chi Minh City and it has retained much of its traditional architecture. The French Quarter in particular is a delight.
We stroll Hoam Kiem Lake and have a snack at the Paris Deli near to St. Josephs Cathedral. Generally try to soak up the atmosphere before returning to Paris Deli for dinner.
Off to the station to catch the 20.35 train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We have booked a Deluxe cabin ( 4 berth ) and find ourselves sharing with 2 New Zealanders who have only paid for a standard 4 berth cabin, much to Mrs Ireland's displeasure. However, they are a very nice young couple and the 9 hours overnight trip is as comfortable as it can be on a very hard bunk bed and a railway track which is seemingly in great need of some maintenance.
Arrive in Lao Cai at 5.00 am on 30th Dec. Usual chaos and lack of communication leads to our waiting in a mini bus for 2 other passengers who are supposed to travelling with us to Sapa. The male passenger is Juan but after I have spoken to a French-speaking guide at the station it transpires that Juan is actually Sam, the Kiwi who shared the cabin with us from Hanoi. This little incident really sums up the joys of travelling in a Vietnam still coming to come to terms with their burgeoning tourist trade.
Eventually get under way for the fairly bumpy drive to Sapa.
Sapa is a mountain retreat at 1650 metres with a vaguely alpine landscape. Although the town itself is ethnically Vietnamese its shops and markets serve the minority groups such as the Kmong and Red Dao.
More on these groups later.
Book into a very pleasant Papillon Hotel, after which we spend a fairly sunny day walking around the town. As evening draws in the mist really descends on Sapa and the temperature drop quite dramatically, apparently the norm for thid time of year. To be fairly early to prepare for our trek the next day.
The Obese Ferret
We stroll Hoam Kiem Lake and have a snack at the Paris Deli near to St. Josephs Cathedral. Generally try to soak up the atmosphere before returning to Paris Deli for dinner.
Off to the station to catch the 20.35 train from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We have booked a Deluxe cabin ( 4 berth ) and find ourselves sharing with 2 New Zealanders who have only paid for a standard 4 berth cabin, much to Mrs Ireland's displeasure. However, they are a very nice young couple and the 9 hours overnight trip is as comfortable as it can be on a very hard bunk bed and a railway track which is seemingly in great need of some maintenance.
Arrive in Lao Cai at 5.00 am on 30th Dec. Usual chaos and lack of communication leads to our waiting in a mini bus for 2 other passengers who are supposed to travelling with us to Sapa. The male passenger is Juan but after I have spoken to a French-speaking guide at the station it transpires that Juan is actually Sam, the Kiwi who shared the cabin with us from Hanoi. This little incident really sums up the joys of travelling in a Vietnam still coming to come to terms with their burgeoning tourist trade.
Eventually get under way for the fairly bumpy drive to Sapa.
Sapa is a mountain retreat at 1650 metres with a vaguely alpine landscape. Although the town itself is ethnically Vietnamese its shops and markets serve the minority groups such as the Kmong and Red Dao.
More on these groups later.
Book into a very pleasant Papillon Hotel, after which we spend a fairly sunny day walking around the town. As evening draws in the mist really descends on Sapa and the temperature drop quite dramatically, apparently the norm for thid time of year. To be fairly early to prepare for our trek the next day.
The Obese Ferret
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Craig's departure for Melbourne
Craig's books a motorbike to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum but unfortunately did not have time to visit the sight of a B52 bomber which crashed during the Vietnam War. Also visits the 'Hanoi Hilton' prison,ironically named as such by USA airmen and soldiers in reference to the brutal treatment meted out to so many during the war.Unashamedly biased from a Vietnamese point of view, the prison held John McCain when he was shot down during the war.
Craig leaves by cab to airport and we then venture out to also visit the same prison, wander round to get a feel of this attractive city.
More later as yours truly has come down with some stomach trouble and I am in 'take-off' position at the hotel computer which is not really conducive to my muse sending pearls of wisdom!
THe Obese Ferret
Craig leaves by cab to airport and we then venture out to also visit the same prison, wander round to get a feel of this attractive city.
More later as yours truly has come down with some stomach trouble and I am in 'take-off' position at the hotel computer which is not really conducive to my muse sending pearls of wisdom!
THe Obese Ferret
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