We had decided it was time for a holiday. That may sound crazy but we have been travelling for more than 8 weeks now and we needed to put our feet up & relax so we decide to head to Phu Quoc Island, south West of Vietnam. As usual the journey there was not straight forward. I could devote a whole blog to our transit travel experiences but as Mr L says rather wisely we always get there in the end. He's right but I think my saying of ‘expect the unexpected’ is good advice to anyone travelling in Vietnam .
We told the helpful manager at the hotel in Chau Doc of our plans and he advised that we could get a local bus at about 7-15am to Ha Tien & then the ferry to Phu Quoc. Great. Except when we appeared at reception at 7am he forgot that was where we were going and put us on a mini bus to the main bus terminus to Ho Chi Min City. I couldn't understand why when I told the lady at the bus station I wanted a ticket to Ha Tien she kept telling me to wait. Then she handed me her phone and I spoke to a man who said he could get us there but we were to wait. When he arrived we ended up paying more than we had been told it would cost on the local bus but we had no choice. We were bundled onto a mini bus made for 14 but with 18 on it & we picked up 2 more passengers 2 hours later from guess where – our hotel!! Mr L had strong words with the manager as we pulled up & I think he can expect a less than rave review on booking.com.
The 2 hr journey was pretty awful. Crammed in, with our knees up under our chins as all the luggage was under our feet, it was hot and a few of the locals were smoking. However we were in good spirits & somehow I managed to zone out, with the help of ear plugs (travellers essentials) and read my book. When we arrived at the bus station the usual pandemonium of lots of people pointing, shouting instructions & then we were on the back of scooters again, whisked across town to a ticket office to pick up the tickets for the ferry, back on the scooters which took us to the ferry port (why aren't the ticket office and ferry port next to each other you might ask – so did I!) where we were told we had to wait 2 ½ hrs! It wasn't quite 12noon but it was definitely beer time!
The ferry arrived & we got onboard and promptly fell asleep. Which was Impressive given that there was music being pumped out at ear bleeding volume. An hour later and we disembarked to the usual chaos as taxi drivers, bike riders, mini bus drivers all pushed to offer Lifts at the best price. We decided on a group approach and, along with a few Germans & Czechs we had met we grabbed a mini bus, cut a deal and we were off across the island. With a few locals picked up along the way of course.
We arrived at our accommodation just before 4pm; Little Garden Bungalows- a very small group of brick built bungalows clustered around a pool surrounded by lush & well tended gardens and a small bar. Our bungalow – at the end of the block and with the terrace still in the bright sun was lovely: big double bed, huge shower room with (rather randomly) an indoor garden & most importantly no Geckos!!! We changed and got straight in the pool. Fabulous. Five days of nothing planned, apart from reassess the contents of our bags and discard anything unnecessary, getting clothes laundered & kicking back. Maybe.
Day two at the 'hostage’ homestay. At 6am we were up & off on a boat for a 6hr trip to the floating market and who knew where else – we didn't, we just went. It was lovely to watch the sunrise over the river as we headed off to the unknown.
First stop a honey farm where we declined the offer to purchase honey/tea/things made of coconut. We met another couple from the uk doing the same trip. Next the very disappointing floating market, then to a very tranquil stretch of water, spoilt only by the floating discarded rubbish. Our next stop – a business making/selling pop rice (like popcorn but made of rice obviously). We met the English couple again, as we were talked through the production process & sampled the goods! We were also shown how they make snake rice wine, which is as you imagine it to be - dead snake in alcohol- left to ferment for 7mths. If you drink it before it's poisonous but after 7mths it's fine. Obviously we tried some – it tasted a bit like sherry! We chatted to the other couple before being put back on our boats & taken back to our homestay. When we got back we collapsed in a couple of hammocks, got the guidebook out to plan our escape! At dinner in the evening we talked with fellow guests, all from France, who told us that this homestay was recommended in their guidebook. We felt relieved. Maybe we will be able to check out & leave after all!
The following day we left - transported to the ferry on the back on a scooter along the narrow pathways with our packs on our back. It was an experience I hoped not to repeat however on the mainland we were back on scooters again for a 15min sprint across town to the bus station with our backpacks almost pulling us off at times. Before we were even off the scooters our packs were being removed from our backs and loaded onto a local bus & we followed.
The journey to Chau Doc took about 3 ½ hrs with stops along the way to let people off & on, deliver & collect packages, let on street vendors, even a man with a microphone got on at one point to do a loud/hard pitch to sell something. I was looking forward to a shower and a good nights sleep so imagine how I felt when We arrived in our hotel room to find 3 geckos just hanging around on the ceiling waiting for us!
Day 2 in Chau Doc we decided to hire men on bikes again to visit the bird sanctuary and Sam mountain. I didn't find out the name of my driver but he was very sweet & encouraged me to sit closer to him!!
Tra Su Bird Sanctuary was incredible. I'm not sure what I expected but it was really special. We took boats – initially one with an outboard motor which cut through the vegetation on the water & weaved in between the forest of sunken gnarled trees growing there. We spotted several birds – I have no idea which ones – save for 2 random moorhens that could have come from the lake in St.Albans! We changed onto a smaller, bamboo boat which navigated quietly through the trees narrowly missing them, with bird sounds and occasional sightings all around us. When we got off the boat we headed up many flights of steps to an observation tower where we got to see just how big the area is - 800,000 hectares apparently & (unusually) very unspoilt. In the afternoon we headed up Sam Mountain – a sacred place for Buddhists - built into the mountain with several caves & then took a very hairy ride to the top where we were treated to the most incredible views across the plains below – much still covered in water which is normal for this time of year – just as the sun was setting. You could see for miles – it was mesmerising.
We had a fabulous day and couldn't understand why there were so few tourists but it was lovely for us we only had to share it with a few people.
We arrived in Ho Chi Min City (HCMC) about 10am and getting into the centre was relatively easy via the 109 Bus. We were staying in the backpackers area down a labyrinth of alleyways which we would never have navigated without the assistance of a local. Along the way we met a couple from Dublin (David and Suzi) also looking for the same hostel. We were booked into room 101 so I opened the door with some trepidation. Would it be full of badly hung bunting, or worse still – Fiona Bruce! Thankfully it was a clean, fresh modern room and no signs of Fiona!. When we went back to reception we met up with David & Suzi & ended up spending the rest of the day & evening with them which was very pleasant. It's been really nice spending quality time with Mr L but it's also nice to talk to other people particularly a fellow lover of the pina colada!
The next day we visited the oddly named War remnants museum. I have been keen to learn a bit more about the American/Vietnam war and hoped this would assist. As we left the rains arrived, So we waited until it subsided before heading back to eat. We had both been craving a change from noodles so decided to go to an Indian restaurant that had rave reviews. The food was fabulous but in our excitement we ordered far too much and could barely walk afterwards. This visit to HCMC was just a stop off so we could head south to the Mekong Delta, a place called Vinh Long, so the following morning we were up and packed, exchanged emails & said our goodbyes to D & S and headed to the bus station in our ‘grab’ – the Vietnamese version of uber!
We were expecting to be ‘dumped’ outside of town but something very strange happened – this bus company actually looks after their passengers! we were dropped off right at the ferry terminal. We had decided to live dangerously on this trip by not booking any accommodation in advance. It was making me (the lover of plans) quite twitchy but I was trying my best to be calm about it. Plus I had read the book so had a fair idea of what options there were. We wanted to stay to An Bhinh island rather than in the town.
At the ferry ‘terminal’ (a set of steps) we met a lady offering her homestay. I asked her the name of it & she wrote it down. It was the name of one of the homestays I had looked at in the book. What a coincidence! We got the boat across she had arranged for us & even purchased a celebratory beer for the journey. The location didn't quite match the description I had read in the book & I began to wonder if this coincidence wasn't one at all. Perhaps we had been kidnapped. When we arrived at the homestay – down a series of paths that sit between rivers & ditches which serve as the main road we arrived at the homestay – not the name of the one in the book. When I asked I was told it was the same family. Hmm. I beginning to feel a little uncomfortable but when she showed me the room I moved from uncomfortable into a heightened state of anxiety. Why? Let me explain. I believe that geckos are out to kill me. All perfectly rational thinking. So when I am presented with a room that is open to the elements from about 5ft up the wall to the roof at the top & a gap around the bottom of about four inches big enough for most animals to enter let along geckos I froze. I tried so hard to be rational when I explained to the woman I couldn't possibly stay in that room as I might be killed. Thankfully she offered us a bungalow with solid walls from top to bottom – not much to ask for. Not what I would consider a luxury but this is the Mekong Delta. This is an island. And this is a homestay. These are all things Mr L said when he was trying to assist.I Couldn't argue. Probably not the homestay we had seen in the book but It was very pretty, pleasant and quite idyllic. We put aside our fear of kidnap & relaxed.
Dinner was included in the price and it was really rather good although I was on high alert with geckos everywhere. When we went to bed Mr L was very patient when I requested the bed be moved into the centre of the room and spent most of the night in the centre of the bed shrouded in all of the sheet.
Our last day in Hoi An spent on An Bang beach was very relaxed & about 4pm we cycled back into the old town had a relaxing beer by the river & watched the sun go down before finding somewhere to eat. After dinner we were just getting ready to head back When I got a call from Ni at the homestay in a panic; Our bus to our next destination Quy Nhon was due to leave in 15mins. How could this be we asked – we thought it left at 10pm but apparently that was wrong – it left 7pm. We parked up the bikes as Ni appeared in a taxi with all our bags and we handed her the keys as the driver weaved around people/scooters/cars at breakneck speed to the bus station. We arrived at 7.01pm, thankfully the bus was still there. We threw our bags on jumped in the only 2 sleeping seats available on the upper level as the the driver pulled off. It was then we realised we still had our beachwear on, were covered in sand and didn't even have any water for the trip. Thankfully we stopped for some along the way. The drama didn't stop there. As those that have been following this blog will know the bus arrival times and stops are not as we are led to believe and this one didn't break with that tradition. Ni had told us we would arrive at 6.30am. In fact we were dropped off at 1.48am – and of course it was the other side of town! Thankfully an opportunistic taxi driver who clearly had nothing better to do was parked up & we opted to be ripped off rather than walk (it was fine as it turned out 15 min taxi trip cost about £1 thus breaking our taxi paranoia). The next challenge was getting into the hotel as all the shutters were down. We managed to raise the night receptionist we were not actually supposed to check in until 2pm – some 11 hrs away! Thankfully the place was pretty empty and we got a room.
The guide book description of Quy Nhon is a sleepy town – the sort of place affluent Vietnamese retire to – a bit like Eastbourne. No one else on our bus had got off here & I guess that was why. Nha Thang, another 5 hrs further down the coast is the real tourist hotspot but it really didn't appeal to us.
Now I know that up t’north friends B&J confirm they have already had their first snow fall and down south some areas have experienced the wrath of ‘storm Angus’ but we had rain. Torrential rain. Admittedly it was warm but it was wet all the same. I know I won't have your sympathy but after Sapa we hoped not to see the rain again. Instead our venture into town to explore the highlights was curtailed as we took shelter in a little café for nearly an hour until it subsided. We headed back to the hotel to plan our escape. Plans sorted and settled, the next day the sun came out and it was a different place altogether. Beautiful beaches, friendly locals (we were the only western people in town it seems) all practising their English on us.
In the evening as we sat having street food we were serenaded by a number of men with disabilities – one who pulled up on his scooter and out of no where produced a speaker and microphone and started to sing and another who was sat on top of a giant speaker and wheeled around the different street cafes. Both had great voices but I struggled with how I felt about it all. We moved on and found a little café with a group of young lads with guitars. We got chatting and discovered they were from the local University and were playing the next night. The treated us to the song they were rehearsing- it was really good and when I clapped at the end they were genuinely delighted.
We wished them luck and said our goodbyes to them and to the town. If you are passing this way and the sun is shining you should give it a try, if it's raining though you may want to keep driving.
Another early start the next day to get a bus to the airport and to Ho Chi Min City (HCMC) or Saigon as it was called. Hopefully it's sunny.
After an early breakfast of omelette (me) and banana pancakes (Mr L ) we were ready for the day ahead – hitting the open road on motorbikes!
Before our kids have a melt down I should say that the bikes came with riders – Long and Hue. Our bike riding experience is as follows: I once went on the back of a bike and was terrified; Mr L owned a Yamaha 50 and a Honda 90, 30 yrs ago. Neither of which qualifies us to actually ride bikes. Long, a 25yr old entrepreneur who organises such trips, had saved for 3yrs to buy his Suzuki 125 & I’m not sure he was too pleased to have me on the back but he was incredibly patient. Hue, an older man & good friend of Long, seemed very content to have Mr L as his passenger.
We had hired bikes/riders because we wanted to ride along the Hai Van pass, a road that cuts through the mountain region and was a key control point for both the French occupation of Vietnam and the Americans during the war. Also because the views promised to be spectacular and best savoured from a motor bike. Round trip our journey covered 160km over 10hrs and, despite my constant fear that I was going to fall off the back, was exhilarating and brilliant!
Our first stop was Marble Mountain near Da Nang which looks very like Halong Bay but inland with monuments and temples inside caves. Worth a visit. Next stop was a roadside café for a drink and get some circulation back in the bum. I never realised how hard bike riding is on the bottom! In the field opposite were some Water buffalo and as I went to photograph them they all came up out of the field and strolled off down the road! You see a lot of animals just strolling by the side of the road in Vietnam – cows, goats,chickens etc. All very normal. You just learn to move around them.
Then we headed to the pass. The traffic these days is mainly tourists but the hairpin bends and steep climbs, along with road signs showing cars falling off the side, remind you it's not for the novice rider – in fact we passed a bike that had crashed off the road into a gully –thankfully he was fine. I held onto Long so tightly at times I must have left him with bruises. The views across the mountains and below across the bays were incredible particularly in the bright sunlight with clear blue skies. We stopped at the top and Long told us about the French occupation and the look out towers that still remain & about how the Vietnamese moved into the mountains to evade the Americans. Back on the bikes we headed down the other side of the pass where the switch backs were even tighter, as was my grip. At the end of the pass we turned off the main road to a large lake. We rode alongside it until we came to a ramshackle looking restaurant astride a wooden jetty that served the most delicious fresh seafood and provided idyllic views across the lake.
After lunch we rode further off the main track to a secluded waterfall and water pool where Mr L and I were left alone to swim and have our own time. It wasn't quite like the film (‘The Beach’) but it was pretty cool.
On the bikes again, we went back up and over the pass, along the coast road and back to Hoi An. A fabulous day and a great experience even though my bum was really sore.
Our last two days in Hoi An were spent on the beach in the sun, a gentle 50min bicycle ride away from the homestay and a chance for us to kick back. Then it was time to say our goodbyes and move on.
The night bus from Sapa was due to drop us off “near” to Hanoi Airport about 4am, So we were a little surprised to be woken at 2.48am and told this was the stop for the airport. The driver pointed up the road and drove off (we are becoming familiar with this style of customer service!). What was described as 1-1 ½ km walk to the airport, turned out to be 4.5km! So there we were, in the middle of the night, an odd group consisting of 2 middle aged Brits (us), 2 Germans, 2 locals, 1 man of unknown origin pulling a giant pink suitcase, led by a Vietnamese lad who didn't know where he was going, but was able to ask, walking up the side of a 6 lane carriageway in the middle of the night. Still, at least if was hot!
When we arrived an hour later we tried to sleep in the chairs designed specifically to discourage people from sleeping on them without success, so when we boarded the plane we fell asleep and did not wake until we landed an hour or so later at Da Nang Aiport.
We had organised a pick up through the accommodation so our journey there was relaxed. We had booked into a homestay on the outskirts of Hoi An which had been recommended to us and we were not disappointed. The owner Ni greeted us like old friends and as we sat in the beautiful garden under the wooden gazebo in the sunshine she made us breakfast & told us she had upgraded us to a garden room – perfect! We showered and slept in the most comfortable bed/pillow combo so far.
Later on we borrowed bicycles and headed in to Hoi An to have our first glimpse of the place so many had told us about and we fell in love with it. The sun was just setting as we sat at a table for dinner overlooking the river. After dinner we walked around and discovered some of the unspoilt chinese/japanese style original buildings with bright lanterns lighting the streets to great effect. Hoi An was deemed to be a no-go zone during the American war and so remained undamaged. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
The following day we took the bikes out again to see and explore Hoi An in the bright sunshine and were returned again in the evening as we were lucky enough for our visit to coincide with the full moon festival held on 14th day of each lunar month. It also happened to be the largest moon for many years. We did the tourist thing and went out onto the river on a bamboo boat and we placed paper lanterns with candles in them out on the river.. Sounds corny but it was really lovely with all the lights floating and reflecting on the water and there was a real festival atmosphere in the town. We had dinner on a balcony overlooking the river which was lovely until I spotted a rat strolling along the balcony roof in front of us. I downed my piña colada (classy) in one and we were out of there before it had time to twitch its nose!
We headed back as we had an early start and a long day ahead. We had decided it was time to be adventurous!
We had booked our bus tickets for Sapa a few days before in downtown Hanoi. I had been very careful as I know there are a lot of tour operators who aren’t genuine. I did my research, found one recommended, wrote down the address, found it,checked it before I went in that it was the right one and then booked our bus tickets. When We came out I realised there were four tour operators on the same street all with the same name, same shopfront and all number 62! So when the driver arrived we were very relieved.
We were ushered into a mini bus which hurried through the streets of Hanoi before we were unceremoniously ‘dumped’ near to some parked buses which the driver pointed to before driving off. So much for customer service! We worked out which was ours and boarded. These buses are called sleepers. They are slightly higher than normal coaches but have three single rows of ‘lay down’ seats one above and one below. We headed for the back (on school trips the naughty kids always went to the back). it was odd at first laying down but we slept for most of the 6hr journey.
We arrived in Sapa to rain. Torrential rain. The 15 min walk to our accommodation took 30 mins as we could not find it and only then with the assistance of a local barman (we repaid his kindness by having a drink in his bar). We were soaked. Our bags, despite having rain covers were soaked. Whilst having our Arrival cup of tea we got chatting to young couple who gave us some great information on places to go in Vietnam and beyond and we ended up going for dinner & drinks together and playing blackjack. That saved the day from being a total washout (pun intended).
Next day we had a strategy – buy giant umbrella’s & have foot massage. Umbrella’s worked massage experience not as successful as it was marred by a sniffing masseuse. Sniffing is in my top five most hated things, along with white socks, swishing ponytails, badly hung bunting and people riding horses on the road. This was our only venture out. If was too wet and cold so we went back to the hotel – to our cold room.
On day 3 the rain stopped long enough to have a view from our “room with a view” & to venture out for a walk/trek to Cat-Cat village. Although now set up for tourists, it's still very pretty and gave us a real feel for local life. occasionally the clouds would part & let us glimpse the views but not for long. However we managed to clock up 14k on our steps so we felt like we had done something. Apparently the rain usually comes in blocks of 3 days then sunshine. So weren't we the lucky ones that day 4 was worse not better.
We had a new strategy. Hire a driver to take us up to see the hills,waterfalls & views - & every so often we saw a view. It was as good as it was going to get so we were grateful. Ordinarily Sapa is a beautiful town surrounded by hills and mountains including the highest – the comedically named Fanispan which is Vietnams highest peak. I know this because I read it and I also saw it for a nano-second.
It was time to leave Sapa before our skin rotted off us. At 10pm we boarded the night bus to Hanoi Airport. We assumed the laying back position and dreamt of sunshine.
We booked a cruise to Halong Bay for 3 days 2 nights. We weren't sure what to expect but we were very pleased we went. It was stunning. Day one was pretty full on starting with a 4 ½ hr bus journey from Hanoi to the bay where we were transferred to our cruiser, given lunch and straight back out to visit a floating fishing village. We went out on a bamboo boat around the village, with the imposing rocks all around us – incredible. Next we visited a small beach and went swimming – our first opportunity on our trip – before returning to the cruiser for a drinks reception followed by dinner. We spoke to some interesting people from USA – Wendel & Marie who, in her 70’s still worked, currently the for the Obama administration so plenty of discussion around the US elections. We ended up being the last to bed!
Most of the people on our cruiser were only staying 1 night so as we waved them off the the following morning, the 5 of us remaining joined up with 7 others from other boats and taken off for the day. The weather in the morning was lovely as we cruised peacefully around the rocks/islands with no other boats in sight. Then we put down anchor and climbed into kayaks and paddled for about ½ mile to a small bay. The views around us were stunning. It was so tranquil. At this point I should describe the people. From the other boats 2 Koreans who seemed to have no sense of direction and kept rowing off the wrong way; 3 Brits – our age – nice, middle class; a young brit couple on honeymoon; and from our cruiser us, Adam a twenty-something easy going Aussie and Bill and Pha. Bill – a larger than life and large 59yr old straight Aussie and his travelling companion Pha, a gay 40yr old Thai man who wore quite a bit of make up & spent the whole time taking selfies. An odd combo but they entertained us. As we neared the beach Bill & Pha’s kayak capsized leaving Bill scrambling for air and for the three beer cans he had brought along for the journey that were floating off. Comedy.
Back on the boat we had lunch on deck and relaxed. Unfortunately Mr L picked up a stomach bug slept for most of the afternoon. We returned to the main cruiser later for dinner when Bill opened the first of three bottles of vodka. Pha took a real shine to me and insisted my shot glass was kept full of vodka at all times.. Meanwhile poor Mr L was sipping water and eating small portions of plain rice. After many vodkas and with the help of a poorly Mr L we managed to escape. By the sounds of things the partying continued until late. The following morning with Mr L still unwell, we passed on the trip to the caves so he could rest. After a while we heard a lot of noise & went to investigate. Bill & Pha were back on the vodka, singing along to the Stylistics 'you make me feel brand new' and had roped in a couple of the staff as well as Adam. On seeing me Pha insisted I had one – it was 9.15am! Of course I had one – but purely out of politeness!!
Unfortunately the weather was quite overcast but the grey haze conjured up new views of the rocks which I'm sure our pictures will not do justice to.
The trip back on the bus was subdued as people slept. Thankfully the guide had some little yellow pills to aide Mr L’s recovery and they worked. Back at our hotel we were greeted with the same warmth and friendliness and another upgrade this time with a balcony! Sadly we had very little time to enjoy it as the next morning we were up at 5.45 ready to get the bus to Sapa in the north – a complete contrast to Hanoi.
Flying time from HK to Hanoi takes about 2 1/2 hrs and our plan was to sleep. As we queued at the departure gate the American man/boy in front of us was joined by a lady/girl (from Finland I think) who he had met on his travels. We know this because from that point on and for the entire flight they talked about their travels and themselves with continual reference to everything being ‘awesome’ and ‘cool’ very loudly. As we boarded the plane we'd had enough of them and couldn't believe it when they sat right behind us. Earplugs didn't help. They talked incessantly. Even before we had taken off the man in front of us asked to be moved because of the ‘loud American boy’, but they still carried on. After an hour of high speed talking he got out his Ukulele (no that's not a euphemism) & started teaching her to play – on the plane!! Next he started to read to her- out loud – a short story - for all the plane to hear. For a good 15 minutes. Everyone around was looking at each other in disbelief! He was oblivious. When he finished even she was embarrassed. He announced that he used to be an actor – of course he did! As we landed they discussed where they were staying & we were mightily relieved it was not our hotel!!
We were greeted at our hotel (our best so far) by friendly staff, an upgraded room & petals on the bed. Our first task was to get our clothes laundered, then out onto the crazy streets of Hanoi where the scooter is king & pavements are taken up by parked bikes & street vendors. There seems to be no rules on giving way so scooter, cars, people - they all move around everything else & it seems to work . A little nervous at first we soon got the hang of it. We stayed in the old quarter so were well placed to see the highlights.We visited Hanoi prison also known as the Hanoi Hilton – worth a visit although the Vietnam slant on how US troops were treated may not be fully accurate.We also visited the women’s museum which I found really interesting.
I am not a fan of puppets but I enjoyed the visit to the water puppet show. Mr L was less keen and referred to it as ‘water torture’. We walked plenty and took in many of the other sights – the lakes, Ho Chi Min Mausoleum, Hanoi’s highest Building – we even came across a statue of our good ‘friend’ Lenin.
On one occasion a man stopped his bike and offered Mr L some guidebooks which Mr L declined saying he wanted one on Laos. We carried on walking & Within minutes the man returned with a guidebook on Laos! It was obviously copied but at £4 after some haggling, we were happy & so was he.
We ate some wonderful food on the streets and in restaurants/cafes and met some nice people. We also sampled a few glasses of the locally brewed beer – Bia Hoi – without preservatives and has to be drunk straight away. V tasty. One evening we found a small street full of bars, people, music & lights – great for people watching but, pricey. The following evening we found a quieter bar where we got talking to couple of dutch lads (I mentioned the rain in Amsterdam – I had to!) & somehow ended up in a ‘lock in’. Before we knew it, it was 1.45am! Our bar bill for the evening? Less than £6! As we left the streets were a complete contrast from what the day. They were silent, dark, still & clean - almost. When we got back to the hotel we were locked out & had to wake the staff who were all settled in for the night on make shift beds in the reception. We felt awful but they were still so lovely and friendly.
We had had enough of the city so decided to book a cruise around Halong Bay. Hanoi is full on, noisy and intense. Not a place to go to relax and if you have never been to Asia it may be too much for a first experience. We cannot decide if we liked it or not but we enjoyed our stay.
How do you sum up Hong Kong? Fast pace, in your face,crowded, hot, humid, bright, noisy,multicultural, high end, low end and everything in between. And you know what? We loved it. The contrast between Mongolia and Hong Kong could not have been more extreme and the realisation of that really hit us when we walked down to the waterfront at Kowloon on our first evening. The ‘full on’ experience of all the towering buildings, lights everywhere, the brazenness of it all took our breath away. It's like London on something and I would love to have the chance to work/live here even for couple months to fully embrace the madness of it all.
Even though we used many forms of transport (taxi, bus metro, ferry) we still managed to clock up nearly 45miles walking around over 3 ½ days and we crammed as many sights in as we could but didn't really scratch the surface.
The first experience was the hostel. Looking at the reviews again I wondered why I had picked it. Budget was obviously a key factor – at less than £40 per night anyone who has ever been to HK will know that's very cheap. The entrance was through an indoor market which was very busy, loud, a lot of hassle and bustle and could feel a little intimidating. Every time you entered the building there were offers of “watches, copy handbags (at least they were honest) and hash”. To be fair they only offered hash in the evening – obviously not considered a daytime pursuit.We were on the 16th floor in a room that I can only describe as compact in the extreme and bizarrely fully tiled. But it was clean, safe and probably the most comfortable bed we had slept in so far. Little challenges like sitting on the loo side saddle were tolerable.
HK however is not a place to come if you hate queuing. with the Chinese visiting en masse, every hot spot we went to had what felt like 20,000 people ahead of us. Worth persevering though as the views from the peak and the cable car to Lantau Island were stunning.
We found some peaceful spots too- the bonsai gardens and Kowloon Park offered respite care and a chance to recharge.
The street markets were great. Friday we headed to the night market and bagged a table on the street and had some fabulous food, plenty of beer and lots of people watching. Some nervous Americans on the table next to us said they couldn't believe they were eating on the street, but it's the best place to be.
On Sunday we stumbled upon a food and wine festival – how fortunate! It cost us about £13 each to get in including drink tokens but as it was the last day, people were just giving drink away. I always advocate to others that you shouldn't mix your drinks. Sadly I broke my own rules with wine (various including fizz and kosher ) vodka, sake, beer and of course baileys. We had FaceTime later that eve with H&M and GR- hopefully they didn't notice!
Our last night in HK was hallowe'en and it seems the good people of HK love to dress up. As we walked down to the waterfront,with a couple of beers to hand the whole area was alive with street dancing zombies, bands, including a Ukelele band – all in costume & with lots of audience appreciation. A great atmosphere & a great way to say goodbye to HK.
Next stop Vietnam. This was actually where we originally planned to start our journey. We have for a long time wanted to visit Vietnam and knew that 2weeks would not do it the justice it deserved. It was only once we started to make plans that we decided to add other things on to our wish list like the tran-Siberian railway. So, technically this is really where our adventures begin.
