Day 100 Hanoi to Perth

It’s actually coming to an end! I am sitting here staring out at the lights of Hanoi writing my very last blog post. Who knew that 100 days in South East Asia would fly by so quickly, show us more than we ever thought possible and teach us to view the world in a completely different light. I vow to love harder, work harder, smile more often, and appreciate every small and big thing that I already have in my life. I will always be thankful when I am able sit down on a toilet (instead of squatting), and grateful that I don’t have to carry hand sanitizer everywhere. I’m looking forward to a real cup of tea with my mum, hugging my dad, talking to my sisters, meeting our niece, planning our wedding, and spending time with family and friends. Fresh air, water straight from the tap, a cold breeze, and a wardrobe will never be taken for granted again. So many things to look forward to and yet so many things I’m not ready to farewell…the people, the children, the spiritually, the landscape, the food, the colours, and the adrenaline of not knowing what to expect next. All things must come to an end and the next adventure will start soon enough…Goodbye South East Asia.       

Day 96 - 99 Hanoi

Hanoi is like being on a furious motorbike at high speed, chaotic and colourful, street life carrying on frantically. The footpath isn’t for walking, it’s for motorbikes, its for trading, its for food stands, its for locals to sit on tiny chairs eating Bun Cha while sipping iced coffee. However amongst the fury of the cities roaring engine, the old quarter and lake area awaits. History, narrow streets, great restaurants, little boutique shops, and large trees blocking the burning sun all join the local footpath mall to create an authentic yet pleasant experience of Hanoi. Mike and I stayed in a great hotel called Golden Ledged right in the heart of the old quarter. We spent nights watching the most intense lightening storms we have ever seen while rolling grilled pork spring rolls and eating banana flower salad. During the day we weaved our way through the maze (taking small steps and almost closing my eyes everytime I crossed the road), perspired a couple of rivers and visited many of the museums including Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Being our last stop we also decided to invest in some R&R and experience the perfectionism of Hanoi’s day spas for a next to nothing price. Hanoi will definitely be a stop in the near future.    

Day 90 - 95 Sapa

Sapa…where do I begin? The places on this trip that really reach down and tug at my soul are always the hardest to write about. I’m afraid that mere words can’t do any justice, paint the landscape, and illustrate the beauty of the people and their daily lives. Mikes photos are a very good start; hopefully his pictures accompanied by my words can begin to tell the story of some very amazing people and their home. Their names were Shu, Su and Ge. They stood at about 5ft tall with beautiful open faces, high cheekbones sprinkled with freckles and intricately wrapped long hair. Their ages were hard to depict but their deep brown eyes suggested knowledge and wisdom far greater than I will ever achieve. They approached us with hoards of other women as soon as we stepped out of our van onto the streets of misty Sapa. Dressed in bright and detailed clothing, hand made and died with indigo grown in their village. Large heavy jewelry dangled from their ears and covered their necks. The ladies squabbled for our attention following us through the streets practicing their English with enthusiasm and introducing us to their crafts. A young girl smiled up at me and asked if I had any children. Slightly confused by my answer she proudly confessed that she was 20 and had a baby girl at home. “I need to have a boy soon though” she said anxiously. As we came nearer to our hotel our fan group had depleted to a few and that’s when Shu timidly approached me. She had a desirously happy baby tied to her back, barley noticeable as she sheltered him from drizzle with her umbrella. She was refreshingly shy compared to the other ladies but was keen to know everything about us. As Mike checked into the hotel I was reluctant to leave Shu and her friends Su and Ge, it was a once in a lifetime experience chatting to women whose lives couldn’t be more opposite to my own. A few minutes later as Mike emerged from the hotel I had somewhat anxiously agreed to accompany them to their village the following day, a 4 hour trek over 1000 year old buffalo tracks. We agreed to meet them at 9.30 as they tied bracelets around our wrists (a way of remembering us). Then as quickly as they appeared they vanished around the corner as a dominant looking police man came down the street. We later learned that it’s illegal for the hill tribes to sell or converse with the tourists outside of the designated marketplace and this had us a little worried. That night sitting on our balcony staring out over the hazy mountains covered in a patchwork quilt of rice fields we thought about all the things that could go wrong on our trek. We would be taken deep into the forest where the men would shoot us with bows and arrows and take the clothes off our backs…we would be taken hours out of Sapa then forced to pay ridiculous amounts of money to get back…we would be fed chicken that had been sitting in the sun for days resulting in life threatening food poising. If South East Asia had taught us anything it certainly had made us more cautious and maybe a little less trusting of people. As the morning of our trek approached we packed our bags put shoes on for the first time in nearly 4 months and went off to meet our “friends”. They were very happy to see us that morning, it was almost as though they hadn’t expected us to turn up but their lives would be that much better if we did. We followed Shu, Su, and Ge out of town, a 4 hour journey that they made twice a day. We learnt about their families, their children, their rituals, and their daily lives as they tried to comprehend ours. Language barriers had us in fits of laughter, as we tried to respond to their many questions. They scaled the hills at an amazing pace, steady legs and Shu even had her 4 month old baby on her back. We passed over hills, muddy steep trials, and hugged shady bamboo paths overlooking the valley. The view was amazing, vivid green rice paddies, and indigo fields speckled with huts. Old bridges took us over the gushing river that fed the surrounding land. Village ladies walked by greeting us with wide smiles. Young boys rode buffalo and dusty bare bummed children followed their older siblings. We were headed for the village of Lao Chai, home of the Mong people. There are several hill tribes in Sapa each with their own language, traditional clothing and way of life. The Red Dao people wear red head cloths and shave off their eyebrows. Shu, Su and Ge took us away from the main village, buying fruit and tofu on the way through and up a steep climb to an area they said was never visited by tourists. Their community was made up of around 40 people (mostly children) 2 buffalos, 1 chicken, 3 dogs, 4 puppies, a kitten, a rice field, 2 industrial threading machines and about 8 very basic bamboo homes. Their dark homes (most without electricity) consisted of the dining area with a hole in the dirt floor for cooking, a food preparation area with running water from the stream and sleeping quarters. We sat on small stools as their shy children came to greet their mothers and marvel at these tall and strange looking foreigners. I will never forget the sound of laughter and amazement on their faces when Mike took their photos and they saw themselves on the camera. We brought crayons and paper as they happily drew lines and gazed at all the colours. The children stay in the village but the men go into the forest every day to hunt and bring back bamboo for the homes. We were very lucky that 2 men had stayed at home in preparation of arrival. They had tidied, cleared and were ready waiting to help the ladies prepare us a welcome feast of rice, fried tofu, tomato, cucumber and noodles. We drank rice wine and herbed home brew feeling extremely lucky to meet these wonderful people (and not to have been shot with bows and arrows)  We sat with some of the most wonderful women that lunch time, women who walked 8 hours every day, had arranged marriages and moved out of their family homes at 18, gave birth to their babies on the dirt floors of their homes without medical help, made the most exquisite jewelry, clothing and home wares, had blue stained hands from indigo dye, worked in the rice fields, cooked amazing meals, chatted to strangers all day to learn English and earn a living for their families, and ran from policeman who banned them from certain areas of Sapa. They would take the clothes of their backs for their families in the cold winter and eat the family pets to survive but the beauty of their tribe’s existence, the spark of life in their eyes, and the incomprehension of our way of life meant they were pretty happy with their hand in the card game of life. We brought handmade pillowcases off Shu, Su and Ge to remind us of them, and handed over $700,000 dong. (3 pillow cases and $35 seemed measly for what we had just experienced) They appeared more than happy with our contribution and gave us departing gifts especially for our brothers and sisters. After a short walk the men took us back to Sapa by motorbike as we promised to return again one day with our family. We left them waving on the side of the road and felt like we were saying goodbye to old friends. The rest of our stay in Sapa was spent sheltering from the chilly breeze, drinking hot chocolate, and dreaming of our unforgettable trek. Shu, Su and Ge left such an impact on us that we got 3 sets of photos printed that Mike took in their village, hired a motorbike, brought a map and found our way to their village again to give them a tangible memory. Something they may be able to show other tourists to make persuade them to do a trek with these amazing ladies, and  feel a little safer about accompanying them to their homes…not a bow and arrow in sight.                                 

Day 84 - 89 Halong Bay

With heavy packs we left Hoi An and flew to Hanoi in Northern Vietnam. Hanoi was where we were based for the next couple of days as we arranged our Halong Bay tour. There are over 400 tour boats on the Halong harbour ranging from 5star to a small junk boat not quite afloat. We learned about the boat that sunk in the harbour in 2010 claiming 11 lives, and other stories of people booking through travel agents only to find themselves on a completely different boat. After what felt like a stab in the dark, even after Mike’s hours of research we found ourselves on the Paloma cruise. A 4 hour bus ride took us to the harbour where we stepped aboard the ornate wooden junk boat for 2 nights on top of the green waters of Halong bay. From the French windows of our small pretty cabin we gazed in amazement…it was like being on the set of pirates of the Caribbean, surreal but somewhat daunting. As we sailed further from the harbour into Ba Tu bay we left the community of house boats, grinning toothless sailors and the rubbish which plagues this pretty place and entered serenity.  Wedges of jungle laden limestone had been littered throughout the bay, creating a maze of ocean and rock, coves and caves, and a small collection of pretty wooden boats also exploring the area. It was low season in the bay, HOT but luckily for us clear skies and not a drop of rain. We were joined by 12 other great people on a boat that would usually take 55 in the high season; it was fantastic to have such a small group.  We spent our days eating, eating, and ah eating, kayaking, swimming (in the clean spots), learning to cook the Vietnamese way, cave exploring and lounging on the top deck getting lost in the view. One of the highlights was our trip through a floating fishing village. 300 people who have created a community on the water, who basically never step on land and earn a living selling fresh seafood to tour boats. Families pack into small fishing boats for up to 3 weeks at a time, leaving angry looking German Sheppard’s to guard their floating bungalow. How do the guard dogs survive on their own you ask? (well I certainly did) They have evolved into sleek swimming, fish catching canines that even drink salt water. People living on the water their entire lives amazes me but salt water drinking dogs…this trip has made my head ache.

Day 79 - 83 Hoi An

We left too prematurely for our liking. Sun kissed skin, a belly full with the Vietnamese cuisine and bags filled to the brim with our very own personalised fashion boutiques. It definitely wasn't goodbye Hoi An, it was see you again next year (and every year after that, funds permitting). We had heard fantastic things about this beautiful heritage town in central Vietnam, but it still went above and beyond. Nestled on the banks of the river Hoi An is a timeless classic. A mixture of French architecture with a strong ancient Vietnamese influence. The narrow streets are filled with colourful shop fronts, lanterns, vines, and old fashioned bicycles. But one of the major draw cards of this stunning town is the 400+ tailors and shoe makers. You are able to design all of your own clothes, chose your fabrics, and have a perfectly made garment exactly as you requested ready for you the next day. Imagine finding a dream designer dress worth over $1000. You take the picture of the dress to a tailor who takes your measurements and recommends the type of fabric which would work best. You chose the fabric from the millions of samples on the shop floor and come back the next day for a fitting to find an exact replica the has been tailored made for your body. The final touches are made, and you take away your perfectly made personalised dress for $80. Its not only women who become totally addicted to the experience, Mike was a man on a mission and couldn't stop...resulting in 30 items. We spent 5 days there and in between fittings we lounged on the pristine beach ( yes Hoi An is even home to one of the best beaches in Vietnam). We ate some of the best Vietnamese food we have had on the trip, walked through the bustling markets, spent hours on shoe street, explored the surrounding countryside on motorbike, and even had the opportunity to catch up with old friends. Its not only our amazing experience and memories of Hoi An that we hold close it's 11 pairs of hand made leather shoes, 2 suits, 1 wedding suit, 3 pairs of groomsman pants, 4 ties, 4 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 3 dresses, 4 shirts, 3 winter coats...and an extra suitcase. Whoops, we just couldn't stop!!!! (If you ever go to Hoi An and struggle with a choice of tailor, don't miss A Dong Silk) 

Day 78 Night train to Danang (Hoi An)

There were hundreds of people carrying everything but the kitchen sink on the train tracks that night. As the slow old train pulled in at 10pm we were a little anxious to find out who else would be in our 4 berth cabin. Cramped dark corridors illuminated by street light lead us to the locked door of cabin number 7 where we waited. It only took a few minutes until we realised that we had been locked out by our cabin partners who had boarded the train in Ho Chi Minh City. It took another few minutes for our knocks to be answered by stifled groans and the doors opened...I immediately felt terrible as the old lady hobbled back into her bed, at her feet curled a little girl wrapped in a bumble bee towel. On the opposite bed lay another frail little  lady with wispy white hair holding her hand up to block the light that flooded in when we opened the door. We quickly and quietly settled on the top bunks and I could sense that Mike was secretly relieved that the people below us would prove to be no threat in the night. It was pretty chilly on our top bunks as we were close to the air con unit. After we managed to put on almost every item of clothing sleep came quite quickly...we would wake up in the morning and be in Danang a few hours later (or so we thought). It was 4.30am when they started and Vietnamese are not quiet communicators...I know my Nana wakes up at this time, but she lays in bed and listens to News talk ZB, QUIETLY!! It was half an hour of what seemed liked heated discussion until the curtains were violently drawn at first light. Then it was food preparation, the kitchen pantry was reviled and breakfast was served consisting of noodles, soup and fruit. Mike and I stared in disbelief as the little bumble bee girl woke for food then fell back into a deep sleep. It was 5.30am and there was no way we were getting any more sleep. The loud conversation continued throughout the morning, music was played, train staff pushed carts of chicken soup through the carriage as we watched central Vietnam unfold. Thats when I truly saw green for the first time.  Not one natural thing is ever exactly the same, and that goes for colours. I doubt that any man could ever recreate the colour of a Vietnamese rice paddy boarded by the bluest sky on a hot summers morning, it's simply breathtaking. After admiring the countryside it didn't take much to realize we were running late, we just didn't know it was 7 hours late. That's when the nightmare set in, it was truly frustrating being stuck in that cabin. Bumble bee girl was our inspiration, quiet and well behaved, finding small things to amuse herself, staring patiently out the window. If she could do it so could we...and we did. At 4.30pm that afternoon, 18 hours later we arrived. 

Day 74 - 77 Nha Trang

Our winding bus ride from Dalat to the costal city of Nha Trang was hideous to say the least. Send me on a boat on rough sea any day and I will just fall asleep but put me on a bus with 40 other people, smelly food, loud vietnamese music and a crazy horn honking erratic driver contending with narrow, winding roads....my tolerance and the state of my stomach decreases rapidly!!!! We were so happy when we arrived in sunny Nha Trang, welcomed by the sudden increase of heat, and tropical white sand that wrapped around the coast. Even though this beach paradise was a busy tourist hub it hadn't developed one ounce of tackiness, it was beautiful. We stayed in the night life area, down the end of a small alleyway which was shared by hundreds of locals. At night all the children  would spill out onto the street and play soccer, while their mothers and grandmothers sat on small chairs outside crusing garlic, and drying seafood. Many of the homes that joined the family run restaurants were rooms with fold up beds, and most of the food preparation was done on the street or in the restuarant kitchen, with meal time huddled on the floor. This communal living is typical of South East Asia, they basically live on top of each other and i get the feeling that even if they had more space they wouldn't have it any other way. We were spoilt by so many choices of food, and bars. To our surprise we found a superb Indian restaurant named Ganesh (Mike had one taste of the meaty lamb tika masala and it was our dinner for 2 nights in a row). One night before our Ganesh indulgence we also discovered a rowdy bar (as well as all the other tourists). Mike settled down and watched the Warriors as I managed to somehow stumble upon an opportunity to get unbelievably cheap music on my iPod. I watched in fascination as one of the owners downloaded 100 new albums for me for $20! As I was happily scrolling through my new music Mike got chatting to a two brothers from New Zealand and suddenly the world became a very small place. Mike basically had a job interview and I was grilled about PR & Marketing and what kind of career direction I will go in when we return home. One of the brothers owned a construction company and the other brother was a very experienced marketing director. It just proves you never know who you going to run into and what opportunities await...even in a seedy bar in Vietnam. With an exchange of emails and promise to contact them upon our return we left that night feeling slightly elated and more hopeful about our job prospects in New Zealand. However the elation was short lived as we prepared for what turned out to be a very unique experience both unforgettable and painful on our night train to Danang.

Day 70 - 73 Dalat

High in the hills of Vietnam is "the sound of music" film set, or a Austrian/Vietnamese atmospheric town. 17 degrees during the day was a refreshing relief even quite cold compared to the high 30's we had been experiencing every day. Dalat is responsible for producing most of the country's fresh produce, flowers, wine, and diary products...it's a patchwork quilt of vegetable patches, roses, strawberry fields, trees, and colourful  houses perched on climbing narrow streets. The lake is at the centre of the action complete with swan peddle boats. Horse and carriages roam the surrounding gardens helping this place live up to its name "romantic city". Mike and I stayed at a little guest house in town called Thien An with one of the best provided breakfasts we have had on this trip...avocados, peanut butter, vegemite, and marmite were an awesome surprise. The marmite/Vegemite (Asian brand) cost the owner $160,000 dong per jar which works out to be $8US (a lot in Vietnam) but he had worked out that these jars were key to bringing New Zealanders & Australians to his guest house. We had an action packed 3 days in Dalat, tobogganing to waterfalls, gondola rides, garden walks, market visits and hooning around the picturesque countryside on our motorbike. On one of our favourite days we visited "crazy house" a house created to look like the roots of trees, and hollows in logs. It was an amazing feat for architecture with rooms in every nook and cranny. Our crazy visit was topped off with a hot drink and cupcake at our favourite cafe Windmills. This became a regular indulgence every afternoon to escape the rain and "cold" (I don't think we are going to adjust too well to the NZ winter).

Day 68 - 69 Ho Chi Minh/Saigon

Flying through the clouds over Ho Chi Minh revealed a ginormous Asian city, that was clearly recovering remarkably well from the war. On the ground we were surprised further, it was prosperous, on the surface it was a booming. A very loud, very busy, overwhelming place. There is 85 million people in Vietnam if that gives you an idea how crazy one of the biggest city's is. Beeping and honking of horns filled the air 24/7 and we had to learn to fall asleep with the sounds of the city beneath us. It rained the majority of the time and we learned in the wet season it pours all afternoon, every afternoon for 3 months straight. Buckets, plastic bags, anything slightly waterproof became DIY raincoats as all motorbike drivers pulled off the roads and occupied any sheltered space along the streets.Ho Chi Minh was the first time we were able to really get into Vietnamese Cuisine...crab and shrimp spring rolls, fresh spring rolls, beef and ginger, chicken and lemongrass, caramelised pork, and Vietnamese fried rice YUM!!!!  A few less authentic items snuck in there...you have to love big cities in Asia as its easier to find food thats a little more reliable for travellers stomachs, western bakeries, fast food chains, but surprisingly or maybe not so surprising for controlled Vietnam...no McDonalds in sight. 

Day 65 - 67 Phu Quoc Island (Vietnam)

Crossing into Vietnam from Cambodia was relatively easy (apart from the guy demanding $2 US per person before we could pass, just because he could) after being slightly intimidated we entered Vietnam. I was filled with anticipation and excitement as Vietnam had been on my must list for a long time...the streets instantly changed from bamboo stilt houses of the Cambodian countryside to brick and plaster painted in pastels, a larger degree of wealth was clearly evident. There were so many more people walking the streets each donning a cone shaped bamboo hat and studying us inquisitively. We made our way to Ha Tien where we boarded the ferry to Phu Quoc Island. The boat ride hurled us into culture shock where we quickly learnt that their where going to be a few differences from quiet and chilled back Cambodia/Laos. It was Loud, they where so loud, it was obviously not rude to stare for very long periods of time, there was no such thing as personal space, the young children were confident and chubby and loved to annoy mike by hitting him on the head and taking his sunglasses (I couldn't stop laughing which didn't help the situation). Once arriving on Phu Quoc we were greeted by what seemed like hundreds of screaming motorbike drivers wanting to take us to our hotel...it all happened so quickly and all of a sudden I was on the back of a motorbike with my 15kg pack slung over my drivers lap watching Mike disappear in the distance.  Wow...it was adrenalin, fear, and a feeling of "this is crazy fun" mixed all into one as we zoomed over bumpy roads to catch up with Mikes driver (who was happily chatting away to Mike in Vietnamese). Our introduction to Phu Quoc, shaped the rest of our stay which resulted in some very memorable motorbike experiences. Phu Quoc was a large beautiful island with a long stretch of beach and paradise coves. Some of the island is slowly becoming a package tourists dream but SLOWLY enough to share the beach with the local kids and dogs still ensuring an authentic experience. On other parts of the island there was dense jungle, and thriving towns, colourful markets with everything from half dead chickens, to cabbage to dogs in cages (soon to be on the table...which I plead ignorance too). We hired a motorbike for 3 days and Mike found it a true rush driving through this crowded marketplace with thousands of honking Vietnamese, while in between cursing I held my breath. One day we set out across the island in search of "Sai Bao" which is described as the most pristine beach in Vietnam. We had had a huge thunderstorm the night before so the roads were quite muddy so the journey took longer than expected but once there it was worth it. The sand was white and the ocean clear as we sat in the warm water watching the dark clouds in the distance roll in. We were quiet happy to be swimming when the rain and mist settled in, the beach transformed into a lord of the rings movie set. Once the salt started to sting our eyes, skin wrinkle, and hair stand up on our arms we ran for shelter as the rain pelted down and wind roared. We had heard about these soaking monsoon rains but our entire trip it had only ever rained for 30 minutes or so each day. This time it was different, cold and threatening. We decided to wait it out and ordered soup to warm us up, there was no way were going to dry out in a hurry. The soup arrived on our table...the consistency of uncooked egg whites with meat, with a stench of fish that had been sitting in the sun. Mike told me it was dog in vomit and that was that, there was no way we could eat it and there was no way Mike was paying $200000 dong for it...all of a sudden I was following Mike, trying to keep up  in the stinging rain and wind, weaving behind palm trees hiding from the staff. As soon as we got to our motorbike we knew we were in trouble, it had flooded and we were knee deep in muddy water. Somehow we managed to get the motorbike out and skidded as fast as we could away from that place. 1km down the road we realised that we had successfully "done a runner" from dog in vomit in the torrential monsoon rain on a flooded back street in Vietnam and it was hallirious. It wasn't entirely over though, it poured for 5 hours straight, some roads were impassable, we were drenched,freezing and muddy, and Mike had to pull out some serious motocross skills to get us home in one piece.  After warming up back at our hotel I realised that was one of the most adventured packed, adrenaline filled afternoons I had ever had.