I'm waiting for my flight out of Hanoi to Siem Reap and I can honestly say I'm looking forward to going back home (Siem Reap seriously does feel like home; it's where my heart is). It's not that I didn't have a good time in Vietnam but it's just that I now find myself comparing every city to the laid back and friendly Siem Reap. I did have a great time in Vietnam though. The adventure began in Ho Chi Minh City where I spent the first day walking around and getting to and from far distances via moto taxi which is basically just a motorcycle although the bikes here a bit wider and the streets more narrow, go figure. My sight seeing began at the Reunification Palace which is the former government of the South Vietnamese government until of course the Viet Cong crashed the iron gates and over took the Palace on April 30th, 1975 declaring victory.
The picture I took of the entrance of the Reunification palace on Dec. 17th, 2011
A picture taken of the Reunification Palace on April 30, 1975
The coolest part by far was the basement where there are a network of tunnels and a war room and even a room where the President used to sleep during times of war or unrest. You could almost get a sense of the top secret work that was done down in those small rooms. Walking through a building and taking a picture of the entrance where exactly 36 years before tanks came crashing into the front entrance, was quite surreal especially seeing that I had shot an almost exact replica of the front entrance that was posted on the wall minus the tanks and soldiers. After taking my time examining every room in the building, I made the short walk to War Remnants Museum which is an ode to the sacrifices and lives lost during the Vietnam war as well as all the countries against the war except, well...the U.S. By the fourth floor I couldn't stomach another picture of yet another disfigured body due the after affects of the war. But walking out of there was really an extremely educational and humbling experience: From then on, whenever I really 'looked' at a local, I could see the years of suppression and war in the years behind their eyes. It's a tragedy that really shouldn't have happened. And so they move on as did I.
One of the many large rooms in the Palace
The next day I traveled up to Cu chi to explore the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet Cong had built hidden and complex underground tunnels to escape and launch an offensive war against the Americans and the South Vietnamese Army. I got to physically experience the tunnels by actually going through a make-shift one which I was assured by our guide, was big enough for 'large' foreigners to go through. Well lets just say that even though the tunnel was only about 500 metres long and wide enough for two average sized bodies to squat next to one another, I still felt claustrophobic and a little anxious. It was hard to imagine what the soldiers had to go through especially with bombs going off all around them. I also got to shoot a machine gun. This trip really was my time to experience many things for the first time.
The makeshift tunnel we went through
In the tunnel before I began going through
Firing a M60
View of Ho Chi Minh city from the rooftop at Sheraton
After exhausting myself with loads of walking, I feasted on Pho. I enjoyed my first Pho Ga on a busy street in the backpackers quarters. It was great. The next day I booked a day trip to the Mekong Delta where I got to see the My Tho and Ben Tre and some islands around the area. I got to see a honey plant and taste some honey tea. They had some huge snakes as well, not sure what kind, and I surprised myself when I showed enough guts to put the snake around my neck. Mind you I was still shaking 10 minutes after the fact.
Freaking out
We canoed along the river for a while which was nice except for the loads of tourists which caused a traffic jam along the Mekong! So local!
We also stopped by a coconut candy factory. Then it was lunch on the Island where we were served a full fish (eyes and all) along with rice and veggies. Once again I surprised myself when I dug into the fish and picked off the meat like everyone else. We made our own rice paper spring rolls with the fish and it was delicious.
Nicely decorated fish
Eating the fish rice spring roll I made!
Then we enjoyed some tea and fruit listening to some traditional Vietnamese songs being sung by local singers. Our very own guide joined in for a love song as well, it was cute. I ended up meeting some nice folks on the tour which was great and one who I've exchanged emails with. I was pooped when I got back to my hotel but still had to make a few calls to arrange for a hotel in Hanoi before I hit the sack. It was a success or so I thought. I showed up in Hanoi early in the afternoon. When I showed up at the the hotel where I had supposedly reserved a room I was told there were no rooms left but that the 'sister hotel' which was charging double the price had a room available. I was not impressed. I mean it's not like even paying double was expensive; the room would cost me $14, it was just the way the situation was handled that had annoyed. So I obliged and settled into my new room however it wasn't long that I realized even though I was paying double the price I was getting a dirty room. I decided to hit the streets in search of a new place and to book my tour to Halong Bay. I think I walked for about 2 minutes when I came upon a street lined with similar shops dedicated to booking tours and seconded as guesthouses. It didn't take long to book my one night two day stay in Halong Bay. I also managed to find an alternative hotel; Hanoi Memory Hotel. This place would cost me $14/night including breakfast. It was much cleaner than the previous place. When I got back while I was using the Internet the girl sitting next I think asked how long I'd been in Hanoi and from then we began chatting. I told her I booked my Halong Bay trip through this company that seemed legit and she was looking for the same so I took her to the tour company and we decided to go together. I could tell right away she was cool. We sort of just hit it off. I told her I wanted to check out the museum of Literature so we did that and then went for a drink in the evening at this place called City View on the top floor of a 4 floor building. Sook decided to order a 'speciality drink' and so she got the 'city view six coloured drink'. It was definitely a cool drink but with the six different types of alcohol in the little glass, it was hard to take down. But the picture of our drink on fire was well worth it.
Sook and I - clearly very amused about our drink being on fire
The trip to Halong Bay was 3 hours by bus and then an additional hour by boat I think. Can't exactly remember. I slept part of the way. There were 11 of us on the boat; 6 french guys, a couple, an American and Sook and I. Cool group, just wish I could have chatted with the french boys as they were easy on the eyes;) We had lunch on the boat and then got to the caves. We saw two caves which I thought were really cool. After the caves we hit the boat again and were off explore the beauty of Halong Bay by kayaking. Sook and I paddled away from our boat and through a small cave. We didn't realize how shallow the water was and managed to get stuck in the rocks for a bit and I contemplated getting out into the water and pushing our boat. We had a good laugh and managed to get the boat moving again. Other than too many other tourists for my liking, the view was amazing and in the silence it was nothing I had experienced before; truly breathtaking.
The beautiful Halong Bay
After getting back on our boat we road along the water, sitting on the rooftop staring out into the sea sipping wine. It was a perfect way to spend an evening. It was cool and a bit foggy but that was expected. After dinner, the drinking and chatting continued on the rooftop. I had to bring a blanket up with me, I was so cold. I did manage to communicate for a bit with one of the french guys. One of them reminded me of Joaquin Phoenix - easy on the eyes! The trip was one of many firsts. It was the first time I had ever slept on a boat. Not the best sleep but a cool experience none the less. The next day was a bit of a waste as we were forced to wait more than hour while we dropped off the french guys at Cat Ba Island and waited for some other tourists to join our boat to head back to Hanoi. The bus ride back to Hanoi was packed and not comfortable. I was happy to get back to my hotel room after that long trip home. That evening, Sook and I did our own thing. I found a cute little restaurant near my hotel and it was just what I needed; a night listening to Adele eating a nice meal and writing. The next morning Sook and I checked out the women's museum which was interesting a worth a stop and then I was off to the airport to catch my flight back to Siem Reap. Vietnam was a fun trip and I'm really glad I got to see the country even though I was exhausted by the time I got back. Of course with exhaustion, I fell ill the day after. I can never go too long without good sleep. I got back to Globalteer on Christmas eve and I spent the night with Gemma drinking wine, ordering in food and listening to Christmas songs on youtube. Oh and we also opened up our presents from our secret Santa. It was the perfect way to spend the Christmas away from home. I think the second best part of travelling other than the travelling itself is making new friends along the way:)
Smoking watermelon flavoured sheesha in Hanoi
The busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City - people watching as I wait for my Pho Ga
Making my way through the tunnel- a little scary
