Hoi An

8-13 Februry - Hoi An, central Vietnam

Hoi An is a charming port town, dating back several centuries when it was a trading post for Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and other vessels. From the 17th to the 19th century it was one of SE Asia's major ports....hard to imagine today - its such a quaint little place, but the olde worlde atmosphere is well preserved.
Luckily, Hoi An was unaffected by the US war hence many old buildings remain - the old town is UNESCO World Heritage listed.
Motor traffic is banned from the streets during the day - surprisingly (for a country where idiocy underpins the Highway Code) the policy is rigorously enforced - I saw a truncheon wielding "policeman" trying the take the ignition keys from a woman who persisted in trying to negotiate the barrier to get to her market stall!
Arrived on the bus from Hue just in time for the annual lantern festival (first full moon after the lunar new year) - very colourful.
Hoi An is the place to go for good value, quality tailor made clothing - suits, shirts, dresses made in 24-48 hours. Its also great for souvenirs with many art and craft shops, clothing stores etc. Most eye catching were exquisite hand-embroidered Vietnamese scenes - the better ones take months to make and retail for several thousand US dollars. Lovely mementoes if you have the money, and a place to display them at home.
All in all, Hoi An was a top stop - a great place to recuperate from the Hanoi experience, with some nice day trips to local attractions such as the Marble Mountains and My Son, which is Vietnam's equivalent of Angkor Wat (see future blog entries!).
Click here for some photos!
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HoiAn?feat=directlink

Diving in Nha Trang

15 Feb
Skipped a few days activity (lovely Hoi An will appear soon!) to report on a dive trip which exceeded expectations.
Nha Trang is touted as the "dive capital" of Vietnam - I wasn't expecting Thailand quality conditions, but a two dive trip with Rainbow Divers proved a bit of an eye opener. Its not a place to see big fish, but there are all sorts of wierd and wonderful little things in amongst the sand, coral and rocks.
7 o'clock departure from the dive shop, and short boat trip to Mun Island, and we were in the water for the first dive by 8.15am.
The sea here is a shade of turquoise .... it was so calm, like jumping into a swimming pool...a cold one...at 23-24degrees, we shivered our way through the second dive. Luckily the underwater highlights took your mind off how chilly it was.

The pictures tell the story - really healthy, colourful hard/soft corals, with some anemones and their feisty Nemos. More banded pipefish than I've ever seen in one place. A large cuttlefish, several frogfish, a dragonet, devil scorpionfish, multicoloured featherstars...the list goes on. The pics are just a taster, and prove that my old Canon Ixus 60 can cut the mustard underwater (Canon WP-DC4 housing)...any limitations are with the photographer!
Watch this space for some stonking underwater photos from the Similans!

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/NhaTrangDiveTrip?feat=directlink

Hue - the imperial capital

6-8 Feb
Hue
Capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, before the communist era, Hue has lots to offer the camera totting tourist! The Citadel, a walled city on the banks of the Perfume River, was home to 13 emperors of the Nguyen dynasty. Sadly, the American war saw a lot of fighting here and many of the grand old buildings were obliterated by US bombs. There’s a huge UNESCO restoration programme underway amongst the ruins, but the remaining buildings and their grand interiors make for a good half day’s exploration.
What was quite astonishing is that amongst the foundations of the damaged buildings there are areas of intact floor tiling and ornate stonework which are overgrown - visitors can trample all over them. Priceless historical artifacts in any other country; here, they can only do so much and what‘s not work in progress is just left as it is until someone gets round to caring for it.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/Hue?feat=directlink

Two Wheeled Tour around Hue
Whilst the emperors went about their daily business in the Citadel, they also planned for their after life, designed grand tomb complexes in the countryside surrounding Hue. One of the highlights of my trip was a half day ”motorbike tour” around some of these tombs, and other sites of interest.
On the back of a Honda 125, I was able to take plenty of photos on the move. We started off with a ride through some of the local villages - a great chance to see peasant life close up, workers in the paddy fields, tending their animals and other crops (yes, there are crops other than rice!).
Riding along dirt tracks, partly finished freeways, between the trees to a hilltop vantage point…all stuff you’re not really supposed to do on moped…it was a real adventure.
We arrived at a local temple in time to see the monks and some local Buddhist worshippers chanting their rhythmic daily prayers - I felt a bit intrusive but they don’t seem to care about onlookers.
The tomb of Emperor Tu Duc (1848-83) is a complex of buildings inside a huge walled enclosure. Really impressive, and all pretty much intact, although apparenty he wasn’t actually buried there for fear of grave robbers. The 200 servants who took him to his final resting place were all beheaded so that the secret would never get out!! Many tourists here, but plenty of opportunity to look around and get a feel for the place.

Back to the city, and we visited the Thien Mu pagoda, another splendid example of a working place of worship.
A final circuit of the Citadel for a photo in front of Ho Chi Minh's picture, and we were back to the start - a brilliant way to spend a morning in Hue!

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HueMotorbikeTour?feat=directlink

Night train from Hanoi

5-6Feb
Overnight train from Hanoi, to Hue in mid-Vietnam. A real Michael Palin moment!


On the Reunification Express, which runs from Hanoi to Saigon in 36 hours, sleeper compartments each have 4 "soft" beds. Its cheap (£25), so you can't expect the Orient Express, but the bunks are functional enough; there's aircon, a flushing loo at the end of the carriage and three stainless steel handbasins so you can brush your teeth shoulder to shoulder with your new found friends.


30 minutes before departure and the westerners are anxiously loitering around the carriage, wondering who else will turn up to occupy their precious space. Whilst the train was supposedly full, all the bottom bunks appeared to be unallocated, except in one compartment where there was a family of about 15 locals! We were expecting the same, but the train pulled away at 11pm precisely and we had the luxury of 2 people per compartment.


The train doesn't seem to run faster than around 50kph, so progress to Hue, 600km to the south was steady, if nothing else. Its a single track, so approaching trains have to wait in sidings for Reunification Express to pass! There were couple of spine jarring moments when it crossed the points but other than that, the whole experience was pretty painless.


We arrived in Hue, Vietnam's old imperial city, at 11am, refreshed and ready for an afternoon of hard tourist action!

The squatting bloke in the picture was one of several who refill the train with fresh water at major stops. They plug in their hoses, squat a while, wait for a whistle to blow, then remove the hose again before the train pulls away - there's work on the railways.....
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/ReunificationExpress?feat=directlink

Halong Bay

4-5 Feb
Halong Bay is a four hour drive to the east of Hanoi, and known for its incredible marine landscape - 3000 limestone islands jutting out of the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The local climate means that this geological wonderland is often shrouded by mist which adds to the visual impact. Some of the islands have incredible cave systems too.


I did an overnight trip to Halong Bay, organised by the Kangaroo Cafe (the only western run travel business in Hanoi). They arrange your accommodation on board a beautiful wooden junk, with great food, comfortable cabins and outdoor seating for you to enjoy the scenery. There were 17 guests in our trip, mostly Brits and Aussies so there was plenty of lively discussion and swapping of travellers' tales.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HalongBayJunk?feat=directlink


The drive from Hanoi was predictably entertaining - every possible luggage combination on little motorcycles (vegetables, animals, boxes, people etc), a truck doing a 3-point turn back onto the entry sliproad of the "motorway". On the hard shoulder you see ladies selling fresh baguettes and blokes just sitting around watching the traffic.

We also saw a coolbox fall off the back of a bike, spilling its contents of pig meat, innards and bones onto the dirty tarmac...the rider set about scooping it back into the box...yummy!


It was also a great opportunity to see people at work in the fields, planting rice and tending their crops. There was also some industry - brickworks, colieries, a power station and, near Hanoi, some more modern multi-national factories.


Once underway, we cruised past the islands of Halong Bay which are fantastic, and very similar to those I saw in southern Thailand. The thing about Halong is the sheer number of islands, and the fact that they're relatively untouristed.
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HalongBayScenery?feat=directlink


We moored off one of the islands and visited "Amazing Cave", which has 3 huge chambers. Its like a set from a Disney film. Unfortunately, most of the stalagmites and stalactites have been removed years ago by uneducated souvenir hunters, but the impact of this underground wonderland is still quite astonishing....far bigger than any of the caves I saw in Australia.
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HalongBayCaves?feat=directlink


On day two, after a peaceful night's sleep on the boat, and an early breakfast, we were off to Titop Island (named after a Russian cosmonaut who came here with Ho Chi Minh) for a hike up 400 steps to the viewpoint. The island also has a nice little sandy beach, although in February its a little chilly for bathing!
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HalongBayTitopIsland?feat=directlink

Hanoi - old and new

3 Feb
Walked to DongXuan market, also in the Old Quarter - the streets around the market are crammed with people selling and preparing all sorts of food.
The market itself has a real mix of stuff - dried foods, stationery, clothing etc etc

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/DongXuanMarket?feat=directlink


Later on, had a look around the newer parts of the city - quite a contrast, but still a million miles from Hong Kong or Taipei. Still didn't find a 7 Eleven - maybe because its an American institution?! In fact, come to think of it, the only fast food chain I noticed anywhere was KFC.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/NewHanoi?feat=directlink

Life in Hanoi

2 Jan
A few shots of real people, doing what they can to make a living, plus my visit to the ancient Temple of Literature where the scrum to get a 20p ticket would make you think Madonna was on stage. It helps to be a foot taller than the rest of the crowd!

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/LifeInHanoi?feat=directlink

Blokes in uniform

A footnote to this little tale...a regional TV article said the Thai security sector is booming - companies hiring personnel to protect their assets - interviewed one dorkish looking bloke..."I used to be a driver, but then I became a security guard...and its great" or words to that effect. Having seen the state of Thai driving, these guys are probably about as useful as traffic cones in Hanoi.
P


Not entirely unexpected, but there are blokes in something resembling military uniform all over the place here! With the exception of the guards at government installations, most of them look like they picked up their outfit at the local army surplus store - scruffy, skinny little geezers with apparently nothing to do other than hang around on street corners. Not sure if they're for real, or just extras from a local theatre production.
On the same theme I noticed a much more visible security presence in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok - police everywhere, obviously on the look out for dissenters. Pity they can't be given traffic management duties!
In Phuket, it was more a case of give a bloke a "security" uniform and a whistle and he has the power to stop the traffic whenever he pleases - drives you mad, especially when added to all the other daily irritations!

Ho Chi Minh's revenge

2 Feb
Over exuberant eating in my first few hours in Hanoi was a mistake - it was probably the crab soup - should have known better, but the outcome was more time spent in bed (and the bathroom), rather than at the other city sights.
Anyway, still made it to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, on the back of an old boy's motorbike. "Uncle Ho" lies in state for public viewing, when he's not being carefully re-embalmed in an annual trip to Russia.
After passing through security checks, you join what is probably the most orderly, respectful queue in Asia. Two by two, the people are shepherded into the mausoleum to shuffle around the glass cabinet. If you're caught with your hands in your pockets, you get a tap on the shoulder from one of the many guards...respect is the order of the moment!
HCM is very much the national hero in these parts. Liberation from French and then American interference clearly set him up for immortality.
Interestingly, many of the temples here relate to national heroes from earlier times, and they're the focus of many of the peoples' worship, with rituals which look (to me) pretty similar to those practised in Buddhist temples in Thailand.

In the area surrounding the mausoleum there are a number of other buildings of interest...difficult to interpret the meaning of much of this stuff...the English transcripts aren't always helpful but the architecture and symbolism is interesting.

Click here for some pics (cameras not allowed in the mausoleum)....

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/scuba50/HoChiMinh?feat=directlink