Vietnam: Hanoi to Hue - Cooling down

After our grueling 24 hour bus ride from Laos, we spent 4 days chilling out in the Vietnamese capital of  Hanoi.  We found a great guesthouse that included a computer and free internet!  unfortunately it also had a gap in the window letting in small moths every evening, leading me to prance around the room on a killing spree, leaving decapitated bodies and moth wings strewn across the room.  My mania only abated when I smashed my hand into the light shade, sending shardes of glass across the room...oops!

Two big things we immediately noticed on arriving back in Vietnam.  First, the traffic... we had almost forgotten just how crazy it was here and how much courage you need to cross the road each time!  Secondly, the weather.  After the 40°C sauna of Laos, the cool  20°C that welcomed us in Hanoi was a real relief.  Unfortunately, this temperature also bought some very drizzly very British-esque rain with it for the second two days of our stay. 

  

Hanoi being the capital of Vietnam, we made an effort to see some of the big sites, as well as taking our time wandering around the city.  The most interesting site we visited was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum.  Despite his known wish to be cremated, after his death in 1969 Ho Chi Minh was preserved and put on display in the capital city (apart from a 3 month 'vacation' each year to Russia for 'touching up'!).  Every day, thousands of visitors line up to file respectfully through the room where his body lays, surrounded by guards, with eerie lighting and the sound of shuffling feet.  It was quite a bizarre experience - his face is everywhere in this country, so to actually see his real dead body lying in the room was quite a site.

The other highlight of Hanoi was visiting the prison where US POW's were interned during the Vietnam War.  Known as the "hanoi hilton" back home, Hoa Lo Prison was previously used by the French colonialists to house revolutionaries.  It was interesting to see the part of the prison that has been preserved where the US POW's were kept, including John McCain, whose original flight suit they have on display.  The prison also included some interesting propaganda from the Vietnamese, showing pictures of the US prisoners leading 'happy' lives and notes about how well looked after they were...

From Hanoi we started our decent south through Vietnam.  First stop was Hue, about 550 km away, and we decided on a long overdue break from the buses, opting instead for the overnight sleeper train.  Splashing out for the a/c soft bunks, we boarded our train at 7pm and settled into our cosy bunks, along with two Vietnamese guys up top.  We had a little table and a good view out the window so a huge improvement on our previous experience with the sleeper bus.  Settling down for the night, we put up the table and started playing cards, until i caught something scuttling out of the corner of my eye... after a closer look, yes, there it was again, a mouse!  I guess you can't have it all... what a fun life those mice must live, traveling up and down Vietnam on the train.  Apart from being a little bit creepy, our recurrent visitor didnt cause us too many problems... although i did make sure to check inside my shoes before I put them on in the morning.  Even descending south, the weather stayed pretty wet and miserable, ruining the possibility of a beautiful sunrise from the train.  Despite the mice and the rain though, it was pretty cool to wake up on the morning of my 27th birthday in a Vietnamese sleeper train!

It's MY birthday!!!

So my birthday was spent exploring the city of Hue, which was the former imperial capital of Vietnam.  There was not a great deal to do, but being home to to the Nguyễn Dynasty (who ruled from 1802 to 1945, when the Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh's revolutionary government) we were good tourists and headed across the river to explore the remains of the palaces, which were interesting enough, especially considering they were still in use with a real Emperor as recently as 65 years ago.   After a lovely birthday dinner at the local Indian restaurant (we needed a change from Asian!) we packed up and got ready for our early start the next day to head further south, to finally get some better weather and find a beach!

 

Laos: From Waterfalls to Waterfights

Our buddy, Raffi, who we met at the Mirror Foundation joined us for our travels in Laos. The border crossing was the easiest so far - no cues, no waits, no questions. The border was on the edge of a cute little town where we spent a broiling afternoon waiting for our bus. We had heard rumors of the rugged terrain that left travel uncomfortable and slow, but we expected them to be exaggerations. They weren't.

After a grueling 17 hour journey on a bus that left even me (at 5'3") cramped like a pretzel from lack of leg room, we made it to Luang Prabang. It was well worth the wait. The town was so beautiful, still home to french-inspired architecture, and quaint cafes offering tasty baguettes and strong coffee. Thailand and Laos New Year is April 13-16th. The most obvious celebration is the throwing of water, where locals roam the streets, with buckets full of water hoping to drench mainly tourists, but also one another. The activites originated as a way to pay respect to elders - by pouring (a little bit of) water over the heads, it is supposed to cleanse and offer renewal. But these days, the tradition is used as an excuse to have country-wide waterfights. We learned the hard way that many kids cannot wait for the festivities to begin and start throwing water weeks early. Not only did we get splashed while walking the streets, we had full buckets thrown at us (the majority hitting only Raffi and me) numerous times while riding in the open air taxis!

Beyond doubt the highlight of our visit to Luang Prabang was Tat Kuang Si, a huge multi-tiered waterfall tumbling over limestone rocks, into a series of turquoise-green pools. The color of this water was even more unique than the beautiful waters we found in the islands! We made our way to the top of the falls, where we were able to swim and lean over the rocks to watch the water spill over and crash down to the pools below. As corny as it might sound, it is the first time nature has ever left me speechless.

Next stop, Spring Break 2010 in Vang Vieng! What a huge difference 6 hours of (uncomfortable) travel makes! Every restaurant played continuous episodes of Friends and offered cushions and pillows to lay back and relax on, to encourage the body to recover from its previous night's hangover and start all over again by 11am. Vang Vieng is a party town like no other, and most young backpackers come for 2 days and end up staying 2 weeks! The main attraction is tubing down the Mekong River. Along the river you'll find incredible views of of the raising and falling sun, limestone cliffs and local bamboo huts. Unfortunately many people do not make it far down the river, as the locals have set up strips of bars playing loud music, offering free shots, cheap buckets, and spray painting bodies with words like 'Slut' and 'I Love Tits.' In addition, the majority of bars offer a swing or slide that will send partyers propelling into the waters! Si and I certainly didnt last as long as the average 19 year old, but we did have fun and both braved the highest swing which sent us catapulting into the water! I, unfortunately, did the worlds biggest belly-flop that left my ears ringing for hours! The 3 of us ditched the parties early with the aim of completing the 3km tube ride down the river which would take us back to town. Although the views were incredible, the ride was slow and frustrating at times due to the extremely low water level (we're in the midst of the dry season), so we gave up halfway through and grabbed the nearest tuk-tuk back to town.

After two days in party city, Si and I had just about enough, left Raffi behind and headed to the capital, Vientiene. There wasn't much to do there, but we did visit the oldest temple in Vientiene, Wat Si Saket. It housed an astonishing 2000 small buddha images and 300 larger seated Buddhas. Many of the images date back to the 15th and 16th centuries! There was also the somewhat Arc de Triomphe replica that dominates the commercial district, a memorial for soldiers who have died in war. The Arc itself wasn't exactly spell-binding, but we did find it amusing that it was built using concrete the US donated for the construction of a new airport. The structure has been nicknamed the 'vertical runway'. We were there for only one day, which was plenty, while waiting for our fun sleeper bus adventure to Vietnam! :(

Service with a Scowl

Welcome aboard your super-VIP express sleeper bus direct from Vientiane to Hanoi!   Our journey time today will be approximately 22 hours, but could raise to 26 hours if you're lucky.  As you can see, you have been provided with a beautiful coffin-like sleeper cot, which will fit you perfectly assuming you are no taller than 5ft 2inches and have no desire to turn over during the night.

You will be joined on the bus by a number of other westerners, many of whom will have been drinking for the previous 72 hours and will be cracking open a new beer at 7am and then moving onto the gin or vodka around 10am.  We will also be joined by some local people, traveling for cheap on the back of the over-priced ticket you just purchased from the guest house.  In order to get better acquainted with the locals, we will be placing them not in the seats built into the bus, but rather on mats along the aisles, fit snuggly between you and the bunk next to you.

Only when you wake up in the middle of the night, realising it is not the a/c blowing on your neck, but instead the breath of your new BVFF (Best Vietnamese Friend Forever)  will you fully be able to say you have truly gotten to know the local people.  Concerned that the sleepers in the aisle will stop you getting to the onboard toilet?  Dont worry, the auto flush feature will be broken within 5 minutes of our departure anyway, making it abundently clear to all that a manual flush should always come as standard.

Our journey will take us east from Vientiane, through the mountains of Laos, arriving close to the border at 1.30am.  Now, of course the border does not open until 7am, but we set off from Vientiane early so you will be able to enjoy even more time aboard your luxurious sleeper bunk!   Being an environmentally conscious company, we will of course be turning off the engine, and therefore the air conditioning, for the duration of this 6 hour stop, as well as at whim throughout the journey.  Similarly, those lovely little individual reading lights above your head will also be disconnected for the duration of the journey.  We like to do our bit for the planet too.  


We trust you will enjoy your journey with us.  Should you have any problems or questions throughout the journey, please do not hesitate to contact one of our onboard representatives or your driver (during one of his regular 20 minute cigarette breaks) who will be happy to shout at you in incoherent broken Vietnamese/English with a huge scowl on his face.   "Service with a Scowl"  has been our motto for over 10 years.  

So, for now, please just lay back and enjoy the next 24 hours of sheer VIP-bliss.  That should give you plenty of time to contemplate why the hell you didnt splash out for the 3 hour flight instead.  Enjoy!

What do you mean, no kisses and cuddles for 3 weeks?!?!?!

Three weeks ago, Simon and I stepped into a microcosm of a teenage wonderland living under the umbrella of a serious and well-established organization called Mirror Art Foundation. Based in Mae Yao village, near to Chiang Rai, since 1991 Mirror has been helping local hilltribes combat many of the common struggles they face in order to maintain their unique ways of life - www.mirrorartgroup.org/web/whoarewe/index.html. This is the organization we chose to volunteer with during our travels in SE Asia.

Upon arrival at the compound, I made sure to dress in my most conservative clothing - trousers must be below the knee, shirts covering the collarbone, nothing sleeveless, and never without a bra. Since no touching, kissing, or cuddling is allowed in this strict hilltribe compound, I said my sad goodbyes to Simon with a firm handshake and a slight wink before I was immediately whisked away to my female-only dorm room. For a brief moment i felt an intense drop in my stomach as I looked around the cramped room with 15 bunkbeds; panties and bras strung all over. My first impression - an unkempt college dorm - similar to the one I swiftly escaped from after my first three months at university! The majority of the 23 volunteers here are still completing their teenage years - making us feel SO old. But on the other end of the spectrum, Janet, a 51-year old, wild and crazy San Franciscan joined us for our first 2 weeks and brought a spunky old-fashioned feel to the group.

A week after our arrival, I had a birthday! Assuming no one knew, I asked Si not to make a big deal out of it. BUT, the moment I rolled over in bed, my bunkmate, Emily gave me my first 'happy birthday' and gift of the day - coffee and cookies! Shortly after, Simon surprised me with a wonderful card, a beautiful necklace, and a baggy filled with my favorite delicious sweets! He's so wonderful! By the end of the day, i had been given a goody basket filled with essentials like cookies and toilet paper, a tasty cake - candles and all - and had a birthday bonfire where Lisa, a wonderful musician, played me a song on her violin.

As for the volunteering, we spent our first and third weeks making bricks. We have learned a new skill, no doubt - from chopping dirt from the earth to BAM BAMMING (hitting bags of lumpy dirt with wooden logs til it is smooth) to mixing the sifted dirt with concrete, sand, and water and pressing the ultra-cool concoction into solid bricks! We (our group) beat the record by making 202 bricks in one workday! The bricks are being used for a new building on the Mirror compound so we have gotten to see the bricks put to good use during our short stay.

Our second week we stayed in a Lahu Hilltribe village. This was an incredible experience! Every morning and evening, our house mothers cooked us delicious dishes and joined us for many of the meals. We joined over 30 people - men, women, and children of ALL ages - to help knockdown and rebuild a stronger bridge that connected their residential area with their farm land. Unfortunately, we had a couple of terribly disturbing accidents - a hilltribe man was knocked unconscious by a 100 pound rock. He survived, but was hospitalized and we are unsure of the outcome. A member of our team, Evan, was hoeing a wall of dirt, missed and drove the head directly into his shin, leaving a large gash that required yet another trip to the hospital and a number of stitches. He was a trooper - didn't shed a single tear! On a brighter note, every day Simon, Brandy, and I stopped by the beautiful waterfall just steps away from the work site, and bathed under the glorious falls! Back at the village, we spent our time with the children - many of whom often surprised Brandy and I early morning by sneaking into our room and snuggling beneath our covers!

During our two weekends here we took a couple of trips into Chiang Rai town, with its great market and food stalls, and also to Phu Chi Fa, near the Laos border, to watch sunset and sunrise  (through haze, unfortunately) over the Laos mountains.

Our final week of volunteering has now come to an end, and while we have had a great time, we are both very ready to get moving again and explore a new country. Next stop, Laos!!!