Let's see, let's see...I can't even remember where I left off!
Cu-Chi Tunnels and MeKong Delta were pretty awesome to see! I didn't take my camera because I was warned against it. Cu-Chi tunnels were small crawl spaces and was on a little boat in the delta - didn't want to get it wet and ruin it, so no pictures! No earth-shattering stories either - except that I absolutely can not believe the Vietnamese actually LIVED in those underground tunnels! That was NUTS!
I got back a littel late from the tour and had to get to the airport to catch my flight to Bangkok. So of course, the way to go when you're in a rush, is via motorbike, NOT taxi. So off I went, on the back of another motorbike with a random guy, and TWO stuffed backpacks. I really wish I had a picture of it... Or a video. Even better.
The weight alone of those two things shifting was enough to topple the little bike (and little driver) over! But he was good. I told him I was in a hurry and would pay good for him to get me there on time. :) We both held up our end of the bargain. Traffic was just nuts, it was around rush hour, and he was literally weaving in and out of cars, making his own lane. When traffic was at a dead stand still, he jumped off the main roads and took bumpy little side dirt roads through shanty little areas of the city with big pot holes. It really is a shame I couldn't get my camera out for that trip!
We eventually got back on a main road but traffic was still really bad, so he was driving between the two lanes of stopped cars. I'm not "tall" by any standards I don't' think, but I'm certainly taller or longer-legged than those people I guess. My knees literally hit the sides of the cars numerous times. We were going slow, so it didn't hurt, so when I tried to squeeze my legs in as tight as I could to the motorbike, I burned the inside of my leg on the hot exhaust pipe. Now THAT DID hurt! Just can't win! Either way, I made it to the airport probably in record time. The driver was quite proud of himself, and I was just thankful to be OFF the motorbike! :) And to top it off, my flight - of course - was delayed. ;)
The flight to Bangkok wasn't too bad - or too long really. Couple of hours. Landed smooth, hung out at the airport for a little bit to catch my flight to Phuket (southern Thailand). From there I took a 'tuk-tuk' to the port and hopped on a boat to the Phi Phi Islands where they filmed the move "The Beach."
Sorry for the suepr short version. Just no time to write! Too much exploring to do!
More to come... but bye for now!
-TK
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I arrived in Ho Chi Mihn City (also called Saigon) in the very southern part of Vietnam late last night.
I got a taxi from my hostel in Hanoi to take me back to the airport. You absolutely would NOT believe the airport in Hanoi. Security!? Ha - WHAT security!? It kind of make me a little uneasy to fly over here! I'm not even kidding you, the 'security guard' was ASLEEP in a chair with a MACHINE GUN sitting acros his lap! I could have walked right through security with two guns and carrying an arm load of cocaine and no one would have even looked twice at me! Anyways, flight was pretty short (less than two hours). The airport here (in Saigon) was a little better, but not much.
I am getting better at this international airport thing. I managed to get a taxi to an area in town that - according to my book - had a lot of really dirt cheap hostels and restaurants and stuff. I had it written down, AND I had my trust Lonely Planet book, so I showed it to the taxi guy and he shook his head yes and drove me there. Drove for probably 20 or 30 minutes through the city - it's pretty cool. Nothing fancy, pretty run-down but not as bad as Hanoi. I really don't like traveling at night because I have a harder time getting my bearings and trying to figure out where things are - plus you just can't see as much! But anyways, he dropped me off on a pretty main road that looked good enough. I looked at some street signs and tried to figure out where I was. I eventually asked someone where this one hostel was that was the cheapest one in the book (literally $2/night). She pointed down a dark alley. Shit. Why do the good ones (aka cheap ones) always have to be in such sketchy places!? Haha... Oh well, off I went, as quickly as I could through the dark to the light at the front of one building. Bars. It was barred shut. REALLY!? I mean it was night time but it wasn't THAT late. There was a doorbell and some lady came and peeked through and then let me in. It was nice enough. I mean it was nicer than what you would expect for $2 I think. Cement walls, no window, a bed on the floor with a blanket, a little chair/table, and the grossest bathroom I've ever seen, haha!
So my new friend told me his family moved to Ho Chi Minh city from Hanoi during the "American War" - yea they call what we call the "Vietnam War" the "American War." He was a really nice guy and drove me to all the touristy spots and museums and churches and markets. He stopped at each one, took a picture of me in front of it, told me the history, and if I wanted to go walk around or shop, he sat right there and waited on me. TOTALLY wor the the $10!! Here are some of the things I saw...
One of the most disturbing and sad things I think I've ever seen was the 'American War Museum' here in Saigon. I'm not much of a history buff, and I don't know much about the war, but I guarantee you I am going to do some research on it when I get back! Of course there are two sides to the story, and here in Vietnam I am only getting there side, but holy crap we did some TERRIBLE things to the Vietnamese! :( There was a nice old lady - I'm talking like 90 years old - sitting in a chair inside the museum, and she asked me where I was from. I hesitated and couldn't decide if I should say Canada or America, or if it would matter. I told her I was American, and she took my hand in hers and smiled. Nothing else was said. I walked around the museum for quite awhile and read all about the contraptions they had, read all the captions on the terrible pictures. It was just so sad.
Well THAT certainly put a damper on my attitude - for a little bit anyways. It's just hard to believe that two humans (or countries) could do some of those things to one another.
MOVING ON...
After the museum, we rode around Ho Chi Minh some more. I told him I wanted to do more "local" stuff - off the beaten path - and less of the touristy stuff. I mean that's where you REALLY experience the city. We went to some local markets, but they weren't much different that the bigger ones, just less English and more crowded. We drove up and down local streets, which was kind of fun just to see how they live (which is NOT fancy at all). Eventually, it started to cloud up and looked like rain. And yep, sure enough, it started to POUR. Let me tell you, motorbikes aren't NEARLY as fun and cool when it's RAINING cats and dogs!! I guess we were in my new friends' area of where he lives, and we pulled up under some tent - literally - and had dinner. He knew them all and they were all talking, in Vietnamese of course, but they were nice, the food was good, and we waited out the storm.
Motorbikes still suck even AFTER the rain - haha. I just got filthy and wet on the ride back to the area of my hostel. I gave my new friend an extra $10 for being so awesome. Pretty sure I just made his day - or maybe his week, haha!
So anyways, tomorrow I am off to see the Cu-Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta! Should be interesting! :)
-TK
I got a taxi from my hostel in Hanoi to take me back to the airport. You absolutely would NOT believe the airport in Hanoi. Security!? Ha - WHAT security!? It kind of make me a little uneasy to fly over here! I'm not even kidding you, the 'security guard' was ASLEEP in a chair with a MACHINE GUN sitting acros his lap! I could have walked right through security with two guns and carrying an arm load of cocaine and no one would have even looked twice at me! Anyways, flight was pretty short (less than two hours). The airport here (in Saigon) was a little better, but not much.
I am getting better at this international airport thing. I managed to get a taxi to an area in town that - according to my book - had a lot of really dirt cheap hostels and restaurants and stuff. I had it written down, AND I had my trust Lonely Planet book, so I showed it to the taxi guy and he shook his head yes and drove me there. Drove for probably 20 or 30 minutes through the city - it's pretty cool. Nothing fancy, pretty run-down but not as bad as Hanoi. I really don't like traveling at night because I have a harder time getting my bearings and trying to figure out where things are - plus you just can't see as much! But anyways, he dropped me off on a pretty main road that looked good enough. I looked at some street signs and tried to figure out where I was. I eventually asked someone where this one hostel was that was the cheapest one in the book (literally $2/night). She pointed down a dark alley. Shit. Why do the good ones (aka cheap ones) always have to be in such sketchy places!? Haha... Oh well, off I went, as quickly as I could through the dark to the light at the front of one building. Bars. It was barred shut. REALLY!? I mean it was night time but it wasn't THAT late. There was a doorbell and some lady came and peeked through and then let me in. It was nice enough. I mean it was nicer than what you would expect for $2 I think. Cement walls, no window, a bed on the floor with a blanket, a little chair/table, and the grossest bathroom I've ever seen, haha!
 |
| Mold all over the walls/ceiling |
Once I 'checked in' and dropped off my stuff, I went out to walk around a little and find some food. The lady assured me should would let me back in if I came back before midnight. Back on the main road I didn't feel so bad - but that dark alley really sucked! I walked around for quite awhile and found a nice little Italian restaurant. Yes, as ironic as it sounds, an American ate at an authentic Italian restaurant in Vietnam. :) While I was eating several little boys - I mean 6 or 7 years old - came up to me at different times selling random little things, including cigarettes. What in the world are little kids doing on the streets selling cigareets late at night!? It was so sad. :( I read some more of my book about Saigon while I ate and then walked back to my hostel for the night.
I didn't really sleep all that bad, but when I woke up, there were ANTS all over my bag that I left on the ground. Shit. At least they weren't on the bed and on me too - just all over my BAG! I had some food in there (snacks) and they must have been able to smell them or something! No harm done. Just brushed them off and called it good. I probably got some foot disease from walking in that bathroom barefoot, but I did manage to take a shower in there. It's so weird how the bathroom is also the shower in Vietnam. I mean there is a shower head next to the toilet and you just turn it on and the whole bathroom gets soaked, towel included if you arent careful. Just weird.
Here is a picture of the "dark alley" I had to walk down last night. It doesn't look so bad in the day light, but I had no idea what was back between those tall buildings at night. The hostel is way back there, way past the second group of people standing in the picture...
So I decided that since the motorbike ride was SO awesome and such a great way to see the city in Hanoi, that I would do it again here in Ho Chi Minh. :) Safe? Probably not so much. Fun? HELL YES.
I walked around the area for awhile - I don't even know what day of the week it is anymore - but it was busy! Lots of motorbikes, that's for sure! It's very obvious that I am a tourist. I mean come on, I have long light hair and skin in a world of short (VERY short), darkVietnamese! There were a couple of guys on motorbikes sitting off the curb talking, so I decided to try and talk to them. One of them spoke pretty good English and was very excited (looking back, maybe a little TOO eager) to take me around the city for the day. We agreed that I would pay him $10 and he would take me anywhere I wanted to go all day long. That's probably WAY too much to pay him, but I didn't care. $10 is fine with me! So off we went. I hopped on the back of his bike (no helmets, of course) and we were off to see the city!! I just LOVE motorbikes over here! And apparnelty so does everyone else, because it's about all they drive! :)
I did some serious shopping at this huge market just across the street from this post office. How convenient, right!? This market had literally everything imaginble to buy - think of it like a Super Wal-Mart on crack. I bought some aweome dishes and decorations and chopsticks and...yea, lots of stuff. And then I just boxed it up and took it here to the post office and sent it home! :)
One of the most disturbing and sad things I think I've ever seen was the 'American War Museum' here in Saigon. I'm not much of a history buff, and I don't know much about the war, but I guarantee you I am going to do some research on it when I get back! Of course there are two sides to the story, and here in Vietnam I am only getting there side, but holy crap we did some TERRIBLE things to the Vietnamese! :( There was a nice old lady - I'm talking like 90 years old - sitting in a chair inside the museum, and she asked me where I was from. I hesitated and couldn't decide if I should say Canada or America, or if it would matter. I told her I was American, and she took my hand in hers and smiled. Nothing else was said. I walked around the museum for quite awhile and read all about the contraptions they had, read all the captions on the terrible pictures. It was just so sad.
Well THAT certainly put a damper on my attitude - for a little bit anyways. It's just hard to believe that two humans (or countries) could do some of those things to one another.
MOVING ON...
After the museum, we rode around Ho Chi Minh some more. I told him I wanted to do more "local" stuff - off the beaten path - and less of the touristy stuff. I mean that's where you REALLY experience the city. We went to some local markets, but they weren't much different that the bigger ones, just less English and more crowded. We drove up and down local streets, which was kind of fun just to see how they live (which is NOT fancy at all). Eventually, it started to cloud up and looked like rain. And yep, sure enough, it started to POUR. Let me tell you, motorbikes aren't NEARLY as fun and cool when it's RAINING cats and dogs!! I guess we were in my new friends' area of where he lives, and we pulled up under some tent - literally - and had dinner. He knew them all and they were all talking, in Vietnamese of course, but they were nice, the food was good, and we waited out the storm.
Motorbikes still suck even AFTER the rain - haha. I just got filthy and wet on the ride back to the area of my hostel. I gave my new friend an extra $10 for being so awesome. Pretty sure I just made his day - or maybe his week, haha!
So anyways, tomorrow I am off to see the Cu-Chi tunnels and Mekong Delta! Should be interesting! :)
-TK
Monday, October 22, 2007
Halong Bay, Vietnam
Day Two in Vietnam:
Sofie, Hans and I jumped on a little bus this morning - 3.5 hours later arrived in Halong City. Not much in the city, but we went to the port and it was just full - I mean FULL - of boats! Little boats take you out to bigger boats called "junk boats" and they take you out to Halong Bay. I had heard way too much about how bautiful this place was to miss it. I bet there were 100 boats at this little port. Anyways, we jumped on one and booked a room for the night on the junk boat (two tiny beds for Sofie and I).
Cruised through Halong Bay -- probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen -- seriously. It was pretty cloudy or hazy or something ont he way out there so those pictures aren't the best. We stopped and got off the boat and went through a huge cave and took some great pictures of it.
Sofie and I rented kayaks and went sea kayaking in the evening. Went through a little cave and found a breathtaking little cove where no boats could fit..and watched the sunset. Beautiful and peaceful don't even begin to describe it. Too bad I didn't have my camera. I was afraid to take it for fear we would flip over - Sofie hadn't ever kayaked before and she wasn't too good at it! We made it back to our boat for dinner: more fish - imagine that.
So here's a random side note: people actually LIVE on their boats out here in the bay. And they sell everything imaginable from them. It's so weird - and hard to imagine actually living on the water! But I mean if you have to live on a boat, I'd say this is the place to do it - haha! It's just gorgeous here - unlike anything I've ever seen.
Back to it: After dinner we hung out on the deck and then decided it would be a good idea to jum OFF the top deck of the boat (3 levels) into the clear turquoise water lit up by all the lights from the boat. Really really really cool!
We tried to sleep on the top deck under the stars but got too windy and cold. Up this morning for breakfast at 7:30 on the boat (I've had nothing but seafood since I got here). We went our separate ways around 10am -- Sofie is going to stay another day in Halong Bay. I cruised back to Halong City and got some WAY better pictures on the cruise back!
I wandered around the port and the little town of Halong City and had lunch...walked around for awhile and then hopped on the bus back to Hanoi where I am now (back at the hostel). Going to grab some dinner alone somewhere off the street again (see pic below - yay!) and then head to the airport. I'm flying to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon - in the south) late tonight.
All in all - it's been incredible so far. I LOVE it here and have felt so safe. I've met tons of great people -- all with awesome travel stories. Most of the locals have been very welcoming too. One young boy trying to sell me a book on the street kept hanging on to me and told me he loved me...haha...gotta love it! :)
That's all for now - I've got to get off the computer as there are people waiting. Not sure when I'll be able to write again. Miss you all but having a great time in Vietnam!!
-TK
Sofie, Hans and I jumped on a little bus this morning - 3.5 hours later arrived in Halong City. Not much in the city, but we went to the port and it was just full - I mean FULL - of boats! Little boats take you out to bigger boats called "junk boats" and they take you out to Halong Bay. I had heard way too much about how bautiful this place was to miss it. I bet there were 100 boats at this little port. Anyways, we jumped on one and booked a room for the night on the junk boat (two tiny beds for Sofie and I).
Cruised through Halong Bay -- probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen -- seriously. It was pretty cloudy or hazy or something ont he way out there so those pictures aren't the best. We stopped and got off the boat and went through a huge cave and took some great pictures of it.
Sofie and I rented kayaks and went sea kayaking in the evening. Went through a little cave and found a breathtaking little cove where no boats could fit..and watched the sunset. Beautiful and peaceful don't even begin to describe it. Too bad I didn't have my camera. I was afraid to take it for fear we would flip over - Sofie hadn't ever kayaked before and she wasn't too good at it! We made it back to our boat for dinner: more fish - imagine that.
So here's a random side note: people actually LIVE on their boats out here in the bay. And they sell everything imaginable from them. It's so weird - and hard to imagine actually living on the water! But I mean if you have to live on a boat, I'd say this is the place to do it - haha! It's just gorgeous here - unlike anything I've ever seen.
Back to it: After dinner we hung out on the deck and then decided it would be a good idea to jum OFF the top deck of the boat (3 levels) into the clear turquoise water lit up by all the lights from the boat. Really really really cool!
We tried to sleep on the top deck under the stars but got too windy and cold. Up this morning for breakfast at 7:30 on the boat (I've had nothing but seafood since I got here). We went our separate ways around 10am -- Sofie is going to stay another day in Halong Bay. I cruised back to Halong City and got some WAY better pictures on the cruise back!
I wandered around the port and the little town of Halong City and had lunch...walked around for awhile and then hopped on the bus back to Hanoi where I am now (back at the hostel). Going to grab some dinner alone somewhere off the street again (see pic below - yay!) and then head to the airport. I'm flying to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon - in the south) late tonight.
All in all - it's been incredible so far. I LOVE it here and have felt so safe. I've met tons of great people -- all with awesome travel stories. Most of the locals have been very welcoming too. One young boy trying to sell me a book on the street kept hanging on to me and told me he loved me...haha...gotta love it! :)
That's all for now - I've got to get off the computer as there are people waiting. Not sure when I'll be able to write again. Miss you all but having a great time in Vietnam!!
-TK
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