Friday 27 December 2013

Brit's Abroad (22 - 27 December 2013)

The run up to Xmas was relaxed as usual, my main job was Xmas Eve shopping. Off to the big Tesco for supplies, a bottle of the sparkling stuff and a large box of why why. None of this of course is actually for me, it's mainly in case of a world shortage and I need to have supplies in for Carole's arrival.... I really must complain though, the contents of the wine box appear to be evaporating at an alarming rate, must be the heat... Tesco is in Samui is equivalent to Bluewater with a multi screen cinema, little stalls and shops and a variety of food stalls. But you can see from this why the Thai's as a nation have expanding waistlines, it was all the stuff that tastes really good, Dunkin' Donuts, KFC, McD's, no Thai food in sight, and it appears to be the fashionable place to go, lots of young Thai's meeting up with their friends. But the supermarket trip was easy, apart from the check out operators sporting Santa hats, there were none of the queues there would have been at home.



I'm not sure if world economists have cottoned on to this one yet, but for me a sign that the British economy is recovering is the numbers of "Brit's Abroad" - this year in the hotel a much larger proportion is from the UK. For the last few years here, mine has been the only UK voice in a sea of German, Scandy and Russian. This really became noticeable on Xmas Day when every Brit in the resort attended the Xmas Day lunch and we filled a huge table. The hotel put on a buffet lunch, albeit Thai food, but there was Chocolate cake for pudding. No real substitute for Xmas pud but better than a slice of watermelon! There was a band (the same one as the returning guest party band and I think we will see them again New Year's Eve...). We Brit's of course were the first to arrive and last to leave, but a good time was had by all as we belted out a series of Xmas carols over a glass or two. I am still trying to work out what it says about us as a nation - the invite said from 12 midday and all the Brit's obediently turned up at 5 past 12 latest. Every other nationality drifted in much later... Maybe it was the pull of a pre lunch drink... Most of the other guests from Europe had, as is usual for them, celebrated the night before. The French of course nibbled on a bit of fruit, sipped a glass of water and left as soon as they decently could...
I am enjoying being in one of the lovely new rooms here with just a couple of downsides. There is still a lot of drilling and hammering going on as they finish and also fix some of the things that were originally finished to a "Thai" standard.... And as the rooms here are bigger than the others with a sofa that converts into an extra bed there are a few more kids around... I've never been that keen on the pool/kids combination... But no problem really, the water's still a bit cold for me. Unusually it's stayed really windy with high seas virtually all the time I've been here and the restaurant they have on the beach remains resolutely closed. And whilst it is lovely and warm it's not been the wall to wall sunshine I have become used to.
But despite being a long way from home I have still managed to keep up with some of the traditions, watching Downton Abbey whilst nibbling on a mince pie (brought from home - I have finally accepted there are none to be had here) with a glass of why why to go with it being one of the more enjoyable.



There are also an interesting mix of people here, families, couples and groups of friends. But one group of ten comprising of one Brit plus Germans and French has been the object of some discussion between the Brit's here. They meet every other day around a table in the shade and have deep discussions. Turns out they are two psychotherapists and their eight clients. Here for a month of treatment... Nice work if you can get it. Now, how do you feel that went?......


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Location:แม่น้ำ,Thailand

Sunday 22 December 2013

More Southend than Samui (15 - 21 December 2013)







Well the settled dry season hasn't arrived yet as the wind continues to batter the beach. For the last few days the see through plastic shutters have been rolled down on the beachfront and the charming beach restaurant packed away. The sea looks grey green and the beach virtually disappears as the wind pushes the surf up to the sea wall. But don't feel too sorry for me, whilst I have to have a wrap on my shoulders in the evenings if I am near the beach, everywhere else it's business as usual and I'm keeping toasty.
But not the same elsewhere here in Thailand. I stumbled upon the headline of "Cold weather kills two" and discover that the temperature in the North had fallen to the "extreme low" of 9 degrees C resulting in these deaths. Take care out there...
The Florist Resort where I am staying is owned by a Thai family and their two children came back a couple of days ago for a holiday, they are students in Melbourne. This coincided with them putting on a "returning guests" party with drinks, snacks and a band. That too felt a bit like a party in Southend - the band playing a selection of soul and Abba, the Dad sitting having a few whiseys with what looked liked the close relations including Granny, slightly inebriated Germans dancing in the corner and a few French looking with very pursed lips at the selection of snacks on offer - but they did look a bit like "Mum's been to Iceland"... But the family fight was narrowly averted. The French had spent the afternoon with the same pursed lips by the pool as an Indian child, the only boy of over indulgent parents had rereatedly jumped in and out of the water splashing all including various iPads and phones whilst the parents just looked on adoringly. As said Indian family arrived at the party they were guided towards the table with the French, only a last minute swerve to a different place saved the day!
But what is so not Southend is my lovely new room. When I was here last the area in which I am now sleeping was a run down coconut grove and the sleeping place of the local rather scary water buffalo. In a very short time it's been transformed into a rather swish 12 roomed wing all with my fave pool access rooms. Everything is new, the beds, the linen, the kettles and each room has it's own sunbeds so no fear of a German nicking it in the night. And joy of joys decent wifi, they are still messing with cables, but so far so good...
The pool looks lovely but one slight issue for me. The are little steps to get in but I still can't work out how to get out. Whichever way I look at it, it's never going to be elegant. Perhaps I'll try tonight under cover of darkness!






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Location:แม่น้ำ,Thailand

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Settling in... (11 December - 15 December 2013)





One of the benefits of a cold November in the UK is wearing nice cosy slippers. The downside to that is that your flip flop toes become unused to flip flopping and get to the point where even feets full of blister plasters don't stop you walking like an old woman - well more than usual that is... Two choices, don't walk anywhere (tempting...) or find temporary comfy shoes. So sad to report, I now look like a provincial German on a bad day in my fetching Crocs. So not a good look and Carole I promise to toughen the feet up before you arrive! Apparently, what I should have done according to Thai culture is to bite all new shoes before wearing for the first time. Biting them makes them not new, therefore unable to give you blisters..... Wish I'd tried that!
But all else here is as expected. Good old Bangkok Airways got me on an earlier flight with no extra charges so I got here mid afternoon. All here's much the same, some businesses closed down some new ones open. The hotel also has a new wing built, due to be finished early December, but true to Thai time it's still not ready. I am due to move there as soon as it is finished just before Xmas. I hope they do actually finish, apparently it's fully booked and don't fancy doubling up!
So time to settle in for a while. Sunday morning on a quiet Mae Nam beach watching a fisherman throw his net into the shallows and immediately bring out a net full of small fish. Fascinating to watch, he walks along the shore looking intently at the sea'a surface, choosing where to cast his net. No idea what he sees, it all looks exactly the same to me. I was never very keen on going into the sea anyway and now the realisation that there are quite a lot of decent sized fish so near the edge has put me off even more!
But pleased it's that blog time of the year again. Not planning any huge adventures but hope to report on sunny days, good food and the odd why why....




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Location:แม่น้ำ,Thailand

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Another Songkran Soaking (13 April 2013)

Where does the time go, Songkran, the Thai water festival is upon us again. Celebrating the Thai New Year, it's timing is as the heat is building up to the wet season, so that may be the reason it's developed into a huge water fight from what originally was the gentle pouring of water on Buddha's and elderly people in return for his blessing. At least it cools you down. Unlike a couple of days ago, the sun was shining so it didn't look like we were in for an early weather soaking - that at least was a good start.



The hotel put on a small traditional Songkran festival ceremony at the beach where an altar with flowers and a Buddah were set up. We were shown how to put jasmine soaked water over the Buddah's lower half (never the head), and make our "wish", followed by a wai (the prayer like gesture and bowing of the head). I wonder whether it was a language issue, being told we could make a "wish" rather than the traditional blessing that is usually asked for the family? Perhaps they think that's what Westerner's want, but the word "wish" made it feel more of a selfish sort of a ceremony than I think is meant. But we Westerner's all did our bit and looked faintly ridiculous in what David would describe as "bad leisure wear" although at least most people had dressed appropriately in as much as they had (just) covered up their swimwear...


But tradition and religious intent notwithstanding, the commercial and fun aspects of Songkran were evident the minute you stepped out on to the main road. I had prepared better this year than last and wore a top that didn't go transparent as the first deluge of water.... No repeat of last year's Miss Wet T shirt I'm pleased to say.
On the short walk towards the busier part of town there are groups of people lining the road with huge vats of water, hosepipes and buckets. Additionally, pickup trucks with huge vats of water drive by and throw it at anyone innocently walking, or indeed driving, by. I get quite a dousing as I get as far as Walker's Inn, a Brit owned bar restaurant where I have eaten a lot (their why why why is cheap, maybe a contributing factor...). They were just setting up their pickup truck with a huge vat of iced water to drive up and down and dump it on any passers by, dry people were the main target. But of course if you throw, you get soaked in return so I was pleased to take up the offer of sitting safely inside the cab as we drove along to deliver our water cargo. It was good fun watching from the dry inside and we had to take on water refills at a couple of places with hosepipes who were cashing in and charging a few baht for the service.


The couple who own Walker's are an interesting pair, Andy the Brit and his Thai wife, Joo, had a place on Phi Phi island for a few years before the tsunami. Luckily for them, they were in the UK when it struck, but they lost everything. A while later they decide to open up here and go back to Phi Phi to find their staff and bring them back. They are all still working together today. But their place now, quite a way back from the beach and higher up, really brings home the extent of the tsunami damage here. When they took on this place it was just a shell, the water having virtually destroyed it. But they rebuilt and now have a thriving backpacker hotel, bar and restaurant. Good luck to them, they are nice people.
So, soaking wet, it was time to go back to the relative dry safety of the hotel only to be assailed by really loud music where the Songkran Pool Party was happening at the main pool - there are four pools here as well as the big one, the Andaman Sea! In for a penny I thought... It was happy afternoon rather than just happy hour and after all the trouble the hotel had gone to to celebrate Songkran, it seemed rude not to give them at least some business, so I ordered my 100 baht caiparinha and whilst there was a lot of madness happening, I got away with a slight pouring of water on me. But I didn't stay long. Feeling in danger of being thrown in, I took my drink back to my pool access room and celebrated in my own way by taking a dip in the lovely warm pool.
But Songkran has a darker side here, all over the papers are the warnings of the "seven dangerous days", the three each side of Songkran itself, where traffic accidents soar. It's a holiday rivalling Xmas at home and many people move about to stay away for the holiday or visit relatives. The papers print the accident stats each day and most are due to drink driving.
But I stay safe as I wander into the town for dinner. But not much to be found, many of the restaurants are closed as their Thai owners enjoy some well earned holiday time.

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Location:ถนนเพชรเกษม,Takua Pa,Thailand

Thursday 11 April 2013

Now Norman No Mates in Thailand (3 - 9 April 2013)

After such a great time in Vietnam it's now time for the three musketeers to travel our own way again for a while, Ant and David in jetsetter style, off to Berlin via one night in London, and me, less glamorously, backpacker style, via Air Asia to Khao Lak in Thailand. My flights took me through the new Air Asia hub, the old Don Mueang airport in Bangkok. I was disappointed when they moved their hub from the more convenient newer airport, Suvarnabhumi, and this airport looked old and tired when I arrived. But fewer people mean no queues for immigration, a real plus! But actually the departure area is much nicer than domestic at the other airport and I discover a regular shuttle bus between the two so it looks like back to more Air Asia flights for me.
I've been to Khao Lak before and like it as it's a lot quieter than Phuket but only 45 minutes or so from the airport, less time than it takes to get to some of the beaches on Phuket itself. All low rise, local regs don't allow any buildings higher than a coconut palm and there are no girly bars. Most of the hotels are directly on the beach with the road and loads of little shops, markets and restaurants in a long strip behind but far enough away so you can't hear the traffic noise from the main road going north with lorries and buses. This place was the hardest hit in Thailand in the tsunami, but this hotel has a bIg hill behind and after the efficient way the Thai's handled the tsunami alert and evacuation when I was in Ao Nang last year, I, not wishing to speak too soon, have confidence in their early warning systems and organisation. I have a few films on my iPad I have yet to watch, The Impossible, all about Khao Lak in the wake of the tsunami, is one. Can't yet decide if it would be good to watch whilst I am here or not...
The hotel I am in, the Sensimar Beachfront, is "new", rebuilt from the shell of one almost flattened in the tsunami, only been open a few months. Great place and a great rate, whilst still 10% more expensive than anticipated when I booked due to the unlucky combination of a strong baht and an even weaker pound... But no matter, I am in my fave type of room, a pool access, and only over 18's allowed so I feel it's safe to go into the pool...






Breakfast on the deck overlooking the blue sea, proper bread, what more could a girl aak for? Oh yes, why why! I wasn't disappointed on this one on my birthday. As I sat drinking my coffee, catching up with a bit of candy crush, out the corner of my eye I spotted a candle, two glasses of wine and a cake being borne ceremoniously towards me. I decided quickly it couldn't be for me, I hadn't flagged this when I checked in. But that was no match for Sensimar's customer service, obviously they had noted it from my passport when I checked in. I noticed a bit of a conflab as they were not sure whether to deliver both glasses of wine to this lone breakfaster, sadly, the decision went against me and it was a single glass that arrived with the cake, a card and a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday". Hard to be gracious when you are so embarrassed as the whole restaurant looked on but I did my best... What people arriving after this little ceremony and seeing me knocking back wine at nine in the morning, I dread to think!


The weather has been really hot too now we are in the slow build up to the wet season. Temperatures in the mid thirties, going down to a cool thirty at night... Ah, the pleasures of a pool access room, but getting wet in the pool is good practice for Songkran coming up in a few days...

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Location:ถนนเพชรเกษม,Takua Pa,Thailand

Friday 5 April 2013

So Long Halong and Hello Hanoi - again (2 -3 April 2013)

We woke up sadly to our last morning on Halong Bay. We had been so lucky with the relatively warm and clear weather that we were not too disppointed to see some fog and mist around. It was great to see the multitude of islands everywhere looming through the mist.



Not wanting us to get off our boat hungry, were treated to a big breakfast, followed at 10.30 am by a big lunch, God forbid we would have to drive back to Hanoi not having eaten! We spent the few minutes in between meals doing as instructed by Sunny, our guide to "relax on boat" - always obedient, we did just that. We drifted on through the mist and finally reached the harbour to be transferred back to dry land, strange, a potentially much safer trip than last night, but everyone in their lifejackets... But well done to Indochina Sails and Dragon Pearl 2, a wonderful trip,
On the way back to Hanoi we had decided to stop at a typical Vietnamese agricultural village, Yen Duc. Again, Gill had neglected the detail on this one and we were surprised to find an old Vietnamese guy meeting us along with our driver. He shook our hands and introduced himself, at least we think he did that, his accent was quite hard to understand. He was to drive with us the 65kms to the village. Bang goes our Candy Crush time we thought, but it was Ant who failed on the strategic seating plan. Gill in the back, David behind the guide and Ant in his direct line of information....
He was full of facts and figures but the language difficulty produced some really funny misunderstandings of the Two Ronnie's fork handles/four candles variety. Driving past a pile of brown stuff in the distance we were informed that the area is big on ships. "Oh yes, shipbuilding", Ant replied, feigning interest. "No, ships", said the guide. Thinking then that the brown things must be potatoes, Ant's next riposte, less successfully feigning interest this time was "Ah, potatoes for chips, french fries". "NO" said the old man, losing patience, "SHIPS, wood ships for making paper for the Korean's". It seems the Korean's like their woodchip paper...
David's and my giggling from beyond his line of vision didn't help matters and I think Ant still has the scar from biting his lip.
The language difficulties and four candles moments continued as we arrived in the village of Yen Duc. This was billed as a two and a half hour stop, but we had assumed we would be wandering about on our own so could do the usual speed sightsee and get back to Hanoi in time for an early bia hoi, frankly seen one emerald green rice paddy, seen 'em all... The guide looked quite crestfallen at the news he had exactly one hour to get it done. We were speeded through the gardens like a movie on fast forward, past a (luckily) dead snake and various plants and birds were dutifully pointed out as we were marched through the green fields and muddy paddies. The "stok" was the most difficult to identify, as the guide excitedly pointed and shouted "stok, stok". Stock of rice, we asked, stock of veggies... "No, STOK" he replied and then threw a stone at a rather beautiful stork...



We speed threshed some rice with ancient wooden things and thought we had avoided the dreaded water puppet show. This is a famed attraction in Hanoi, but last time at the Hanoi theatre Ant and I left after a few minutes, puppets splashing about in a puddle on the stage didn't float our culture boat, not enough water to do that... But here they were again, splashing about in a muddy pool in a field. We were surprised to see the rest of the people who had been on our boat and who had taken the Indochina Sails bus back all sitting dutifully looking bored witless as they had to sit through the full half hour... But like the celeb's we think we are, after a couple of minutes, more than enough, we were whisked off in an electric golf cart (speed was of the essence, they must have thought we had some really pressing business back in town), for the final visit to the ancient home of Mr Le. A lovely old house, mostly taken up with the huge altar with offerings of champagne, Choc o' Pies and various other delights left for their ancestors. All his ancestors were displayed on a family tree with some pictures. He was 72 but looked good on it... Then the offering of tea, ginger rice pudding and sweet potato. Not having expected this, David and Gill had not pre planned the old "gyppy tummy" excuse, and David, who is obviously more polite than Gill, gamely ate it all...



But finally time to face the further three hours back to Hanoi, Candy Crush helping the time go by quite nicely, for the well deserved bia hoi, still in the gutter, still on tiny stools. Back to Au Lac for dinner and ready for our last day together this trip.



Our last day was predictable, a frenzy of shopping during a wend through the specialised areas of the Old Quarter, lunch at 6 on Sixteen, sister place to the Sapa rooms, a last pilgrimage to Highland's Coffee and another early bia hoi. David was leaving for the airport mid evening so we had a really good dinner at Pots and Pans, the restaurant where the street kids from KOTO work when they have been fully trained. As with our sightseeing, it was a bit of a speed eat as we were determined to get back for a final bia hoi. David finally gave in to the offerings of a shoe polishing service and whilst his shoes were being buffed up, he was provided with these rather nice blue plastic ones, but they did at least match his socks...


We sat there in the evening chaos and took in the sights of locals and a few Westerner's enjoying the evening and decided that if we were ever to buy a baby, the one belonging to the bia hoi place we frequented would be the one. What a cutie.






After our emotional bye bye to David, Ant and I got talking to a couple of young guys, one of whom was a finance officer for the police. They were so nice they even offered us some of their food, luckily we had the excuse of just having eaten as we turned down a local delicacy of minced pig's ears on a banana leaf... The last evening on the streets of Hanoi finished the way of the first, the police raids started and everyone and their motorbikes were moved out of the gutter, strange, our new policeman friend's motorbike was the only one left standing...
But Hanoi was as sad to see us go the next morning as we were to leave, the sky had a huge, wet, tearful goodbye to us in the form of yet another monumental thunderstorm, almost flooding the airport road - it really didn't want us to leave...

What a fab trip, and here are our best and not so best bits:
Best lunch: first one at Au Lac
Best hotel: Topas Eco lodge for location and Essence Hanoi for efficiency
Worst night's sleep: the two overnight trains - well for David and Gill anyway...
Best drink: bia hoi at 15p, but the good cold why why at a reasonable price was also very welcome!
Smallest chairs: bia hoi corner
Best Museum: Fine Arts
Best mausoleum: Dear Old Uncle Ho
Nicest people we met: Simjeet and Nimrath on the boat
Scariest moment: late night on Halong Bay in a tender, pitch dark, no lifejacket
Hardest moment: keeping a straight face through the language misunderstandings in Yen Duc village
Best coffee: Highlands Coffee, Hanoi
Biggest dong moment: apart from when David said he was long on dong - still not sure to what he was referring... missing the the first "1" off the 15 million price tags in Louis Vuitton
Nicest Vietnamese person we met: Kuhn, the chef/guide who took us around the mountains
Most jaw dropping moment: two tie for first place, first sightings of the rice terraces near Sa Pa and the first sighting of Halong Bay
Most inelegant pastime: Ant and David kayaking
Best company: we three musketeers, A bientot....



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Thursday 4 April 2013

Hello Halong Bay - Gill faces her demons (30 March - 1 April 2013)




Hello Halong, its been a long time coming. When Ant and I were here five years ago we decided as time was short that we wouldn't do a rush job but come back one day and do it properly. Today was that day. So now we three we set off on the long journey from Hanoi. Five hours, rather too many near misses with trucks and buses and one shopping opportunity later, we see in the distant mist the shapes of the karst landscape appear. OK, the rain wasn't ideal, but we weren't seeing the mist and fog that we had thought may blight our view of this place.




After a short walk to the tender (having been instructed we were to go the 100 metres to get there by "walking by feet"), we board our junk, the Dragon Pearl 2 eyeing up the other 16 passengers, a mix of Brits, Aussies and Americans. But they looked ok... This wasn't a soapdodger's boat to David's great relief, with cosy cabins and decent bathrooms with a modern looking shower. We assemble in the dining area where we go through the safety briefing, told where the hammers are to break any necessary windows and where the lifejackets are. That was Gill's first demon to be faced, actually being on a boat... David's suggestion of borrowing his iPad to watch the Posieson adventure didn't go down well... but as long as the boat doesn't either... As we sailed away, we took in the hard to describe breathtaking beauty of Halong Bay. Small grey and green islands dotted everywhere rising out of the green sea and once we were out of the main harbour, contrary to our expectations, there were no other boats around as we glided soundlessy amongst the islands.
We pal up with two great Brit's from London and Brum, Simerjeet and Nimrath and chat away over lunch. The small (!) ten course lunch was surprisingly good, but some rather odd things on their Veggie menu - chocolate pancakes appearing in between savoury dishes was an odd one... We three were the only people having a bottle of wine with lunch, oh dear, Brit's abroad!


After lunch, Sunny, our guide organises the afternoon entertainment, kayaking into a cave, out again and then a quick spin around one of the karst islands before coming back to the boat for a swim. Gill was really unselfish and said she would stay back on the boat as photographer, although really, she would have loved to have gone... Ant and David did a sterling job, although perhaps their techniques could do with something of a polish. From a distance they resembled a rather frantic mosquito as the oars in their two man craft failed to co ordinate. The cave was pitch dark, and too late to realise their flashlight didn't work, their kayak became a maritime dodgem car. But arriving back at the boat safe and sound after travelling more nautical miles than most, a zig zag course always adds a bit of distance!



This is Ant's version of events:
Oh, what fun, a group kayak session!!!! Two to a kayak which involved a perilous lowering of ourselves into the boat off the side and off we went. Feeling like Olympic champions, we headed for a cave. About 5m wide, 100m long and 1.5m tall! We were the last to get to the cave, our technique needing some fine tuning. Everyone else had already gone through what we now realised wasn't so much a cave but a tunnel. It wasn't too long before the tunnel walls got in the way and at this time, the torch, that we had carefully placed in its waterproof bag, ran out of steam. So in the pitch black, our bottom scraping along the submerged rocks, heads being struck by stalactites, we used our paddles to destroy millions of years worth of geology. It was with very little dignity we popped out the other side to the obvious relief our waiting shipmates. Phew, the views in this large caldera like opening were awesome, towering vertiginous cliffs, smothered in trees, hanging on for their lives. Hang on? caldera like means no exit? we had to go back the way we came, 100m more in the dark!!! Grrr...
Eventually, back on the open sea, it was time to explore and led by Sunny our guide, we followed like ducklings. The only problem was that we very quickly became the duckling with the dodgy leg. We couldn't go in a straight line! We drifted further and further behind as we zigzagged inelegantly around the karst towers. Left, left, left, one us us would shout, whilst the other was determined to go right, right, right. Gill had stayed on the motherhsip and was amused to see us finally appear, in a somewhat disorderly fashion, looking like a floating mosquito trying to take off. We declined further offers of kayaking! In reality, we think that the kayak was faulty :-)



Soon time for food again, yet another very good ten course job, oh and a bottle of why why of course, mainly local seafood. We were gathered in a sheltered area for the night, and were joined by the twinkling lights of other boats as they settled in for the night too, apparently there is safety in numbers, always a good thing, and it was virtually the only time we saw any other boats. Having avoided her second demon of kayaking in open sea, it was soon to be replaced with a bang - literally! The rain and wind had been threatening all evening but just as dinner finished, it let loose. The thunderstorm was especially loud when it was directly overhead the thundercracks and lightening coming in together along with monsoonal rain. And there was Gill, in a small boat in the pitch dark.... More why why please.....
Day two begins with a leisurely breakfast, a pho for Ant, egg and bread for Gill and a lie in for David as we continued to marvel at the views outside. We have been amazed by how few boats we have seen, given the reports of it being crowded, but we seemed to have the place to ourselves, I think our decision of doing 3days/2 nights has made the difference, we have had time to get away from the madding crowd.


But before we tuck into our next abstemious ten course meal at least some exercise was called for. Donning the regulation life jackets, (mind you regulation or not, Gill was definitley wearing hers and did think about sleeping in it...) we use the tender to go to Vong Vieng, a small floating fishing village.



On arrival we are transferred to small bamboo boats to take a look around, so Gill's demons continue to be faced. Spread out around an island, the small colourful houses are set on their individual floating pontoons, each with a fish enclosure at the front. Keeping the fish alive for sale doubles the price, so I guess it makes sense. Then for David, his busman's holiday continues as we see another small school. Most kids here finish school after this small primary and go on to be fishermen. Any secondary education means a move to Halong City. We are rowed by local young people and our poor boatmen drew the short straw with three of us in it, all the others just had two's... Of course any outing has to have a shopping opportunity and after inelegantly climbing out of our bamboo boats, this was a floating pearl shop, flogging the jewellery made from the cultured pearls that we had been shown. You have to feel sorry for these guys though, they set up their shop out in the middle of a bay, we all have a look round and no one buys... Then back onto the tender to climb back into the junk.



But the whole issue of Halong Bay and it's relatively recent UNESCO World Heritage status is changing the lives of these people, who, until the mid nineties, and for 200 years, lived in the many caves around here. They were relocated to these floating villages by the Government so at least they can have warning of the deadly typhoons that come in the summer months and some education. But as their settlements increase, the whole issue around managing waste as they gradually become more a part of the consumer society in a World Heritage site comes to the fore. Garbage is now gathered and collected and the locals fish out any loose stuff they see in the water, but the sewage issue is yet to be resolved. Ant reports seeing various unsavoury items floating past when kayaking, nappies were the least objectionable sights. The plan now is to relocate these villages to the mainland in a year or so, but however near the sea those settlements will be, will irrevocably change thieir whole way of life.
An interesting conundrum, do we move the local people out so we as tourists can have a clean environment or do we leave people who have lived there for years to their traditional way of life? And having seen the soapy shower water come out of the boat into the sea (we didn't ask what happened to the loo water...) I'm not sure who is most at fault, the locals or we visitors.
But too late now to take off our tourist goggles, so we sit back and enjoy the astonishing view again and again wonder how soon our next ten course meal will be coming along... We take it all in from the loungers on the top deck as the sun had decided to make an appearance, helping ourselves to good tea and coffee as we sail along. And yes, another ten courses plus the bottle of why why is consumed, and delightfully it's on starched white tablecloths out on deck in the slightly warmer weather.





The only thing to do now is a bit of Candy Crush and a rest before the big night tonight.



Gill obviously neglected some of the background detail to this part of the trip, as we learned we were to have our ten course seafood barbecue that night in a cave, high up on one of the karst islands. All Gill's demon's, boats, climbing hills and caves were coming together now in one big package, (bit like a three in Candy Crush...) especially as there was yet another monumental thunderstorm directly overhead about half an hour before we were due to leave... But buoyed by the thought of the two bottles of wine we had ordered to have in said cave, we set out. Picture this. One junk, 18 people getting off said junk into a small tender, pointy karst islands sticking up like icebergs everywhere you look, pitch dark and no lifejackets to be seen. Airily we are told, no problem, we don't need them tonight, it's dark, so no police..... I didn't realise lifejackets in the dark open sea were just for show... But a ten course bbq awaited and across from the boat a small island was lit up like something from a fairy tale, jutting out of the inky sea, lights climbing up the path to show us our way.



We all clamber out onto the slippery beach and climb up the uneven steps carved into the hillside. We were expecting a dark dripping cave, but this was a perfect, dry beautifully lit, cosily warm series of caverns with stalagtites and stalagmites providing a dramatic decoration. We make our way further and further in through a number of chambers and the cave opens up. We walk along a pathway marked with tealights and hearts to see an impeccably laid table, complete with candles, scattered rose petals and starched white tablecloths.









What a fantastic evening. The crew had been over earlier and set it all up and now the food sizzled away and course after course was served, and of course, we dug into the why why... And no special Vietnamese meal is complete without the Royal vegetable sculpture and a series of amazing vegetable models were brought out for our admiration.



Not wanting such a magical evening to end, after arriving back to the junk, slightly more unsteady on our feet than when we had started out and still lifejacketless, we all had a go at squid fishing off the back of the boat, and yes we did have another glass or two but we were not drunk on a junk... Nor did we catch any squid!




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Wednesday 3 April 2013

Hello again Hanoi, another 24 hours (29 March 2013)

Arriving in Hanoi in the early morning on yet another overnight train from Sa Pa was a real attack on the senses after the mountains. The city was steamy and muddy after a torrential downpour as we made our way back to the sanctuary of the Essence Hotel. Hanoi station is a great place to be at that time in the morning, heaving and noisy with shouting taxi drivers. The dark, wet streets glistening where early morning businesses flashed their neon strip lights and the city woke up, which I think is more than we did...



Despite being awake since 4am, a long leisurely breakfast and some serious Candy Crushing, and David announcing he has "three nuts" - serious Candy Crushers will understand that, others, I'm not so sure, resulted in us not leaving the hotel till gone 10am. No worries though, as by now Hanoi was familiar territory and we had no exacting plans for the day. The morning was taken up with coffee stops, running errands and collecting some specially commissioned cufflinks for Ant and David and some dresses that had been altered for Gill. (Gill insists it was to make them smaller!) Our wending brought us to the exclusive few streets around the Sofitel Metropole Hotel, any idea of a designer bargain was quickly crushed by the exorbitant prices at Hermes, LV and the like, the pound is in a bit of a state, even compared to the Vietnamese Dong... We nearly made a significant dong error, by incorrectly reading the prices on LV sunglasses. We failed to see the "1" in front of the 5,600,000 dong on the label, just a small miscalculation of over £300. Luckily we spotted it before the credit cards were out of the wallets! The Metropole Hotel is an "grande dame" hotel with interesting history but overly stuffy and the only place in Hanoi not to offer free Wifi. We lingered only for a quick and exorbitantly priced drink at the roadside terrace cafe. On past the Hanoi Opera House and off to the Vietnamese museum of women. Not an obvious choice, but it has good reviews and we spent an entertaining hour, bitching about random traditions and clothing styles.
Of course our day had to be punctuated with lunch, and we jumped in a cab, not an extravagance here, most places cost about only a pound or two on the meter, to La Badiane, an old French villa serving a bargain three course set lunch, and the obligatory lunch time bottle of white. A very pleasant lunching spot indeed. Lunch was walked off as we headed back to the hotel, down the now very familiar streets of the Old Quarter to catch a mid afternoon nod. We are getting much better at crossing the roads, we just step purposefully into the stream of cars, taxi's and motorbikes, and hope that the traffic parts around you. We think we are getting quite professional at it. This was indeed a lazy chilled out day.
A cheeky bia hoi to kick off the evening at bia hoi corner. This pic shows 45 pence worth of beer, and yes that's for all of it not just one, a real bargain.


A lot less pestering now, we have clearly made it to the old hand category, and we were left alone to enjoy our cheap beers, sitting on tiny plastic stools in the gutter.
David, who always thinks the best restaurant is just around the corner had read about an expat and up and coming area called Tay Ho, about 6 km north of the city, around the large West Lake. Without any specific restaurant in mind, we ended up touring around in a cab, past large hotels and expat flats. We ended up at Bobby Chinn's, a draped, mirrored, North African themed Vietnamese restaurant, quite a combination! We felt that we deserved a few cocktails, so we invited Mr Negroni, Mr Pineapple Margarita and Ms G & T to join us! A fun evening to round off a thoroughly unplanned and delightful day. Then time for bed in readiness for an early start for Halong Bay tomorrow.




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Tuesday 2 April 2013

Play Misty For Me - Sa Pa (27 - 28 March 2013)

We woke up to a completely different view - the Topas ecolodge and surrounding countryside were shrouded in an ethereal mist, that although atmospheric, would have ruined any prospects of a trek. Fortunately we were due to leave the ecolodge and head for Sa Pa town for an overnight stay before taking the train back to Hanoi. First we had to endure the rutted road that led from our hilltop location to the nearest decent road. The thrill of this stage of the journey were the precipitous drops and vertiginous views as our minibus inched along what seemed to be the very edge of a precipice. Even though no such views were to be had today, Gill is not a lover of heights, and chose to get through the journey by adopting her "Princess Di at the Taj Mahal" look - scarf strategically placed around her head, and head bowed to avoid looking out of the window. Quite a hard look to pull off in a minibus, but she did it magnificently, and for a few minutes at least we were in the presence of royalty.
When we got to Sa Pa the fog had worsened, and as we drove through town, we were reminded of how ski resorts look on days when the weather closes in - there were quite a few disgruntled looking tourists mooching around the streets, going from cafe to cafe and browsing in the shops. We were soon to join their ranks.
The Victoria hotel, despite being the best hotel in Sa Pa, was something of a disappointment. We were expecting faded colonial elegance, but instead, the Victoria, although being well appointed, could easily have graced any ring road back at home, and felt like the most touristy place that we had stayed so far. But Sapa had an ethereal, almost spooky feel to it, completely covered in mist and low cloud that recalled newsreels of London pea soupers from the 1950's (so Gill and Ant reminded us youngsters in the group...). Today was going to be a day of mooching, and we started at Sapa Rooms, in their cafe, where we lingered for a few hours over lunch and their excellent muffins. Trekking or any kind of sortie out of town was not an option so we sought solace and tried to assuage our hiraeth (longing for home) at the Red Dragon pub. We could easily have been in Tenby in high season - the weather was being typically Welsh, and the 80's power ballads blaring from the stereo reminded us that the 80's have never really gone away. In the evening after dinner at The Noshery, the fog seemed to be getting worse by the minute. As night fell the town was almost deserted and we seemed to be the only tourists on the street. Passers by emerged as apparitions out of the mist and darkness and after dinner we walked home through murky and deserted streets. We hoped that tomorrow we would get a glimpse of the surrounding landscapes for which Sa Pa is famous. To be continued...



Ok, we'll spoil the suspense: the next day we awoke to sunshine and scattered cloud, and we were treated to views of the valley and surrounding mountains that make Sapa so famous. Ant declared the breakfast pho to be the best that he had sampled so far. Meanwhile David was busy trying to rebook flights as Asiana had changed his flight time back to London. We had planned to spend the day wandering around town, and that is exactly what we did. We could not resist the lure of the pedaloes on the man made lake in the centre of town. Ant and David messed about on the water while Gill, in her official photographer capacity, recorded the event for posterity. Or should that read for austerity?


Pedicures, haircut (Gill declined a Farrah flick), and a very long lunch at Sapa Rooms. Where did the day go?


We ended our time in Sa Pa with a trip through the market. Tourists are advised not to buy handicrafts from itinerant sellers in town, despite their entreaties to buy at every corner. These can prove hard to resist, but Anthony's riposte ("No dong! I don't like it!) was surprisingly effective. We succumbed finally to the lure of handicrafts at the market, and we marvelled at the work that went into the blankets made by the local minorities. David and Anthony were hard pressed to choose a blanket to take back to Pimlico - the work is incredibly fine and detailed and the prices, for Westerner's, do not reflect the painstaking work needed to make these blankets. The town square became a market for the day and the Black H'Mong ladies displayed their wares on the ground. It's a pity they are so persistent, if they let you just take a relaxed look without the harrass, we may have actually bought something.



All too soon it was time for our pickup to take us back to Lao Cai, from where we would take the sleeper train back to Hanoi. The 36km journey takes over an hour, due to the hairpin bends and mountainous terrain that defines this part of northern Vietnam. Having been so sleepy on the 5am journey when we arrived, this time as we were more awake, we noticed that every one of the 36kms of mountain side and valley floor were taken up with terraced paddy and vegetable fields, clinging to the hills like green contour lines on a map. We arrived back in Lao Cai, which is only 3km from the frontier with China - already we were back in the real world, a lifetime away from the bucolic charms of Sa Pa. Lao Cai had all the trappings of a frontier town, and an edginess that we liked.
"This train is for Hanoi", said the Tannoy (albeit in Vietnamese). We do like an alliterative train trip. We were back on the Ratraco (an unfortunate name) (not) express and soon bouncing along headed back to the capital. There was a festive air in our compartment, aided by picnic boxes from the hotel, and cold Hanoi beers. We would be arriving in Hanoi at 4am, so we tried to get our heads down early. This is no mean feat, given the quality of the track between Sa Pa and Hanoi. Emergency stops are common, and we jolted along at almost Burmese proportions (see earlier blog entry). If the train and the track were people, then they would not have been on speaking terms, or might not even have been introduced! You get the picture about how we spent the night not sleeping (Anthony excepted, of course). We arrived bleary eyed to the awakening city at 4am. Hanoi was still sleeping for the most part in the darkness of pre dawn. We had enjoyed getting away from the 21st century in Sapa, but the moment that we stepped down from the train, we were once again infected by the energy and buzz of Vietnam's capital city.





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Thursday 28 March 2013

Trekking in the Tonkinese Alps (25 -26 March 2013)

After the craziness of Hanoi, two days trekking in the Tonkinese Alps, through indigenous, ethnic minority villages and paddy fields clinging to impossibly steep hills was our reward for the schlep to north west Vietnam, within a 3km stones throw of the Chinese border.



Our adventure started the night before at Ga Ha Noi, or Hanoi railway station to those of us unfamiliar with the Vietnamese tonal system. We were escorted rather frantically to our berths, on the unfortunately named Ratraco carriage, on the 21.10 express train to Lao Cai. 350 km in ten hours never passed so slowly, think we must have missed the "express" bit... We lurched through the night, Anthony got a great nights sleep, Gill and David tried to sleep amidst the cacophony of locals selling food and drink and the emergency stops of which the train seemed particularly fond. Having said that, it took a while for us to look out under the window blind at dawn and realise that this wasn't just another stop, we were here!
Our destination for the next two days was to be Topas ecolodge in Tan Kim, a two hour drive from the railway station. The usual dilapidated wooden houses, kids, dogs, mopeds, pot holes and road diggers lined our route as we climbed ever upwards into the dusty hills. The road became increasingly rough as we made our way along the precipitous road to the lodge. The lodge is only 18kms out of Sapa in distance, but years away in time... Life around us here looks like it it hasn't changed in hundreds of years.



We were greeted by screeching Red Dao ladies, in their red embroidered hats, all desperate to sell their wares. After a sleepless night and a rough road journey, the last thing on our mind was a piece of grubby sewing, however ethnic!
Topas ecolodge has some seriously poor Tripadvisor reviews and we were really pleasantly surprised by how charming and cool it is. A number of thatched cottages perched atop a mountain, high the valley, reminiscent of a Tuscan hill village. The valley was a complex pattern of beautiful rice terraces. We will be happy here. The views of towering mountains, chain upon chain of paddy fields, distant villages with smoke rising from their hearths completed this bucolic scene. We were really lucky to be able to see all this so clearly, often up here it's cold and misty.



Our first foray, accompanied by the lodge chef, Kuhn, was a three hour round trip hike to some local villages and school. The first half hour was accompanied by the determined Red Dao ladies, but our sticking power was greater than theirs, as they ran out of enthusiasm a few miles in and we still hadn't been persuaded to part with any Dongs! One or two of them had a mobile glued to their ears! Initially following the mid level rough road, we soon turned off and descended on soil paths through small farms and paddy fields. Ducks, pigs, water buffalo, children and people working in the small fields all showed an interest as we passed. We crossed the river on a seriously dodgy looking suspension bridge and then a climb back up the other side to Ban Moi village, school and government house. Kids were practising for some festival and we enjoyed a few minutes in the shade watching them parade flags and do a spot of marching. Cigarette toting teachers watched over this motley group.



We were invited into a local woman's home, it would be impolite to comment on the house, but it was a lovely gesture but not somewhere you'd want to stay for dinner. She was dressed in her traditional clothes and had a tiny baby similarly attired strapped to her back. We surprised ourselves refusing the offer of rice wine...
Child care here general appears a little lacksadasical for Western tastes. The kids, including the very young, run around without an adult in sight, carrying their big knives and walking very close to the edge of the steep drop into the valley. Younger kids are in charge of the very young, take a look at this picture where the older kids were loading this tiny child onto a white sack and letting it slide down the dusty hill as if on a toboggan. The tiny child appeared puzzled, the older kids thought it a hoot!



But the heat was building as we walked back and so a few G and T's were very welcome as we slumped into some rather comfy armchairs overlooking the valley. A perfect day.
Day two was a much more strenuous outing, about 15km over rough terrain from the mountain top to the main valley floor to Ban Ho village. We were joined by a great South African couple, Mandy and Stefan, so it was the five of us who faced the onslaught of the Red Dao ladies this morning. David made a new friend...



Kuhn was our guide again, and we were taken to his Tay village for lunch. It was a long, long steep descent through farms and paddy fields. The was sun baking the hard clay soil as well as us... Some of the descents were almost vertical so some rather undignified sliding on one's bum was called for!
Ban Ho village is a charming village on the valley floor, a series of simple wooden houses, open living downstairs and enclosed bedrooms. It was with some bemusement that we heard that the dogs around the village were all for food. David asked what happens if someone gets attached to a dog and doesn't want to eat it. the answer was simple, then we sell it to someone else and they eat it!' Fair play. But what we have liked is that yes, there are a few Westerner up here, but life carries on around us. Unlike some places, the people are not dressed in national costume for our benefit, this is their daily dress.



David and Gill were not looking forward to lunch, feigning tummy ache from mid morning in case they had to refuse! We lunched at a lovely little house, with a few pigs, cats and dogs, veg growing the garden, The beef noodles and beers were lovely. The last stretch was to some cooling waterfalls just outside the village. Our feet needed a bathe in the cool waters.


An added benefit here is that unlike on the Tripadvisor reviews the only wildlife we saw was friendly, Ant now wants a goat to take home.



What a lovely place this is, tucked away, worlds away from anywhere, a perfect two days.


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