so here's me, in the final hours, being the small early morning ones waiting for my *lovely* 20 hour, change 2x flight back over the pacific. Guess I am stuck waiting in these hours cos I booked the cheapest ticket and you get what you pay for!
so, summing up - here goes, something I've never been good at, and am even worse at when in this moment of being on the verge of a big change AGAIN, etc, etc, but I try..
(Thailand) post new year carnage arrival in Bangkok, free tuk tuk ride followed by invite to tuk tuk party (um, no..), reuniting with Next in Khao Lak, Tsunami museum, Similan islands, beaches, crab-hunt, perfect meditation spot, singing Japanese song live at the bar, dancing latin dance on stage with random Mexican, Happy Snapper, Thai rock star, Finnish porn star, 'my precious' bucket, 'Boris and Natasha', mad Aussie boys, Lady boys (which were Thai, not aussie), gastroenteritis, Wat Po Massage massacre (err..school..), Cambodia border run rip off, Sheesha on the beach with the Swedes, Treehouse sunsets, being chatted up by various randoms, 'the other side', French connection 'Fry ink' Dutchman, crazy singing kayaking, beer for breakfast, chasing buses in Chonburi, One night in Bangkok, night train, diving with sea fishes, eating same at beach bbq after, mopeds and dodgy island roads, boats, boats, boats, dive, dive, dive, bbq, bbq, bbq, flaming skipping ropes
(Laos) 'are you going to Vientiane to shop for a husband? (first interaction with locals; asked by a Lao woman in tuk tuk from border as she used my THAI/English phrasebook...), Beerlao, deep red Mekong sunsets, lecherous local men (surely not the ones from the husband market, hah!), job offers - arrange contract signing - um, no don't want job (je ne veux pas travailler...) - arrange Vietnam visa and bus to Luang Prabang instead, Monk chat, horror night bus with kid puking and tarzan swinging to get into seat, Mekong cruise, buddha cave, 'Lao Lao', 'the other side of Luang Prabang', Moto-taxi driver/stalker 'do you want Lao boyfriend', the wish to head north, but..
(Vietnam) Motorbike madness, squirmy fish and chunky frogs, hyperactive temple minders/lost in translation, 'stylish' cafes, cyclos, elusive 'bia hoi', conical hats, Hoi An tailor made clothes addiction (contagious!), tomato roses and cucumber fans, random Mr. Trung tour, Vietnam boy band sings 'La Bamba', round boats, night bus, night bus, night bus, War remnants museum, Reunification Palace, Mekong Delta and Coconut candy, yum!
I won't miss:
- mozzies
- being an involuntary smoker (ie, inhaling all that of others)
- recurring gastroenteritis
- potentially being ripped off at every turn
- night transport
I will miss:
-coconuts
-the gorgeous weather
-sage-robed monks walking the street being a common, everyday occurrence
-temples and buddhas
-the sea
-the fish (seeing and eating, bad bad bad)
-fresh fruit, fresh fruit shakes, dragonfruit, starfruit, sapodilla, mango, oh the list goes on..
-not needing shoes
-bamboo
-coconut trees
-the absolute freedoms a solo traveler has at times
-beaches
-night transport
-sunlight
-the buzz of Bangkok and Saigon
-the peace of Vientiane
-the people!!!!!! including, but not limited to:
-'Next': although not someone new on this trip but rather from a trip many years ago. Thanks for all the travel arranging in Khao Lak and all the fun times!!! Though maybe next time no 7.30 boat trips the morning after that many big Singhas, ok? ok! hee hee
-Stefan and Christoph : the 2 people on the similans trip who actually socialized with me, and then bore witness to my stellar Japanese number in Khao Lak after. good times, good times!
-Malin: simply put, you just rock. One could not find a cooler chick to travel with
-'Boris and Natasha' (don't worry guys, I do know your real names, but I'm just uh..protecting your identity, hah!): shame my stomach had other plans and didn't allow me to meet you all in Phuket, but nonetheless nice to see you Khao Lak!
-Magnus: the victim of mine and Next's nationality guessing game. Good so, great meeting you in Khao Lak and sharing a shisha on Koh Chang!
-Nyi Nyi: totally spelled wrong, the great Burmese guy working at my place in Khao Lak. just an all round lovely person (see earlier entry) who went out of his way to help me, especially in times of gastro-crises and ensuring I caught my bus to Surat Thani.
- Wat Po Massage Crew!: Marco, sexy-italian-police-gogo boy, 'I almost failed for having too sexy hair' Yuko, Mushroom mama Yukiko, Hardcore drinking Hiroki, Ana, Otto..couldn't have asked for a better group
-Toom: good to see you after all those years, and thanks so much for all the travel arranging on the Bangkok side of things! hope to see you again soon too!
- Jenn: sooo glad to meet a non-Calgarian..Calgarian. great convo on that Cambodia bound bus, and lets keep each other sane in the homeland
-Obi wan Timobi! for keeping the force on ko Chang, on land, in the water, in the kayak..and being my first paying massage customer!
-Byron and Sarah, for the introductory evening in Vientiane
- Marnie, the great yoga teacher in Vientiane who not only brought me some inner peace, but job hunt tips which helped me make the informed decision I did
- Kheum, the monk I was priveleged to meet at the monk chat. 2 of the best hours spent on the entire trip
- Matt: could a more STYLISH person exist? I highly doubt it. Hopefully we can stylishly own another exotic city one day (um, ya, maybe Chicago counts for me?)
- Irene: who else would be so kind as to buy a random Vietnamese old man an ice cream, just cos she was eating one and he was standing there?
- Marcia: although she only joined us for one dinner in Hoi An, an exceptional lady in her 50's who'd come to Vietnam on her own to search for teaching work (hmm, sound familiar? hopefully she lacks my commitment phobicity though..)
- Cooking (with) Class! Terry, Lisa and again Irene, I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the fact your roses and fans were all better than mine
- Uri & Daniel: Para bailar La Bamba, Se necessita una poca de gracia! Thanks for the great spirit on that boat trip despite the rubbish weather! Of course with that great band, how could we not smile..
- Roberto: grazie, grazie mille per tutto (including that story about the americans on the NY - Dublin flight who thought they were part of the EU..)
- Tiffany: for the short but fulfilling convo in Ko Tao...
- Carmen: dive buddy number one! what a great day..
- Dan and Becca: more divers!
- Rosie, Annabel and Kieran: great to meet such a down to earth group of people where one might not otherwise find them (ie, the haad rin beach area). Made the 'munchies' day and fish bbq that night so much more enjoyable. we still should have commandeered that boat though..
and one side note on someone I actually did not have the fortune of meeting, but was rather told about by a girl who was on a Surin islands trip with this person: a lady, in her 70's called Betty. She is American, and retired from the foreign service, now living in Nepal. Never married, never had kids. why? 'no commitment'. kudos to her for living how she wanted. by the account I was given, she lives quite happily (and healthily) trekking the mountains of middle asia. I saw a photo of her and she looked about 10 years younger, at least..coincidence? I think not. I mention it only, because I always like to hear about those who zig while others zag. Even nowadays being so independent can be met with resistance, so I cannot imagine how it would have been for her.
Happy travels to all of you, and should you land in..well, wherever I may land, I welcome you!
all in all, this trip has been...a trip. I left Vienna last year running on empty, but I now return to the homeland, by choice (for now!) with fully charged batteries. I'm incredibly, incredibly blessed and lucky to have had this experience, and in the iconic words of Ahhhnold...'I'll be back'!
29 March, 2009
The Final Countdown: Blowing it all out in Thai Paradise
Return to bangkok, ko tao, ko phangan, dive dive dive, boats boats and more boats but no bloody sharks. only snappers. in the sea and on the grill...
Miss Saigon (and Mekong Delta)
So being on the local bus from Ninh Hoa meant that I would arrive a proper bus station, rather than setting down straight in the centre of the backpacker ghetto. Coming from a northerly direction that meant arriving at Mien Dong bus station (Ben Xe Mien Dong), which isn't the most conveniently located place, but nothing too horrific. Although admittedly, I must say it was not my favourite activity, arriving at 4am, knowing public transport won't run until around 6, and even if it did..the guesthouse receptions were likely not open anyway. Sit in the terminal on a proper seat, or on the street. tough call....
So I watched the comings and goings of people under the glaring fluorescents and was soon approached for conversation by a local man. Of course, being tired, hungry and dehydrated (yup, when traveling that many hours on a bus with no toilet, best not be emptying the giant water bottles I reckon), it amplified my paranoia that this was a distraction to rob me. Must have picked up paranoia by osmosis from my friend Davina, for whom it has been a major life feature since being interrogated by both Japanese and American immigration officials. anyway, totally irrelevant tangent.
In the end the paranoia was all for nought. The man came from Da Lat. Told me it was a good romantic place to visit for couples, and I thought, but did not say, thank god I gave that a miss - I prefer social environments, generally given rise to with groups and solo travelers. And really the only thing he wanted was to practice speaking English. Fair play, I know that lessons don't come cheap and that I'm more than willing to offer. He also showed me which bus to take (number 26 if memory serves to go to the Ben Tranh Market in the centre), told me the cost (3000 Dong), and he actually walked with me out to it to show me, verified cost and destination with the driver and saw me off. So yeah, at times it can be difficult to find the balance between letting your guard down and being open to experiences and exercising a certain degree of caution.
Be aware though; some people still try to get money any which way they can, and in this case it was charging me an extra full fare for my luggage, despite the bus never became anywhere near being full. after this they also insisted that i not store it on a seat. Well, as far as I was concerned, the bag had paid for a seat so it was getting one (just made it easier for me to make a quick exit when the time came). Then I'm reasonably certain I overpaid a xe om driver, judging only from the fact he was too nice. well, and it wasn't that far but arguing over a few thousand Dong at that point..not worth it.
I'd booked myself for the following night into a place called Phan Lan Guesthouse, which was right in the Pham Ngu area (aka Backpackers ghetto, Saigon's own Khao San road!). The reason I had done that was, well, well-intentioned. I had a plan to, rock up there in the morningon the day before, hope they would let me store my luggage, head back to the bus station, get a bus to any town on the Mekong Delta, and then search for an overnight homestay. However, as I grew more and more weary on my nightbus, I realised this was probably not a good idea; as I also know, I do'nt sleep well on them and usually the first thing I need is a few more hours in bed to top up to the night's sleep quota. and how would i enjoy the Delta if the one thign I wanted to do was sleep? so I figured a day trip would be a better option, and that would give me time in Saigon to suss one out, as well as take my requisite nap. Good plan.
Thankfully Phan Lan (which actually has 2 locations in the area) had a room for me that night as well. though the poor chap had just woken (it was around 6:30 am!) and was confused about what I wanted, he managed it in the end, and said I would be staying at their second location, which I was happy about as it was hidden in an alleyway, ie, quiet. He rung them up and they were waiting for me, also groggy eyed, and if I thought Vienna was bad...I had a room here on the 5th floor. No lift. Well worth it though, there was a pretty little terrace up there that afforded some nice views over Saigon..sunset, or sunrise. The staff here were generally quite friendly as well and take notice of you (note for all those who end up staying out all night, as yes, they will worry..)...I crashed for 3 hours and then went off on the hunt for a good day tour to the Mekong. Most were in the $10 - 20 range, though I hadn't wante to go with the absolute cheapeast. After all, you get what you pay for. I did find one that was perfect and had everything I wanted, but at $55 was a bit steep. And, once I justified it to myself, ended up being unable to go anyway as there were no other takers. minimum of 2. uff.
No worries however; saved myself a bit of cash and booked through my guesthouse for $20. they were off at the beginning - late pickup, seeming totally disorganized - then i was most unimpressed at being made to sit in a minivan for other people's pickups..ie, an old bickering Australian couple who stuck me in the middle of it..only to have minivan one hour later pull up to leave us at bus - 2 blocks from my hotel! grr. grr. That could have been an extra hour of sleep.
Anyway, once the bus left it was all rectified. Still I was stuck by the bickering couple, but popped my sunnies on and feigned (well, and a bit for real) sleep. Seriously, I cannot understand why even go on the holiday if all you area going to do is fight and complain, and congratulated myself on being single. It continued for the rest of the day, but thankfully I found solace with Roberto, another solo traveler from Italy and 2 Austrian lasses and had a fantastic day. For whatever disorganization they had off the start, they made up for it brilliantly. the guide was hilarious, and the rest of the day was streamline smooth. We took in things like fresh honey, banana schnapps (well, they called it wine, but..that was questionable with the appearance of the shot glasses) and locally made coconut candy in Ben Tre. We took bikes through the village and had numerous school children calling out 'hello!' to us. We also took a boat back to Saigon, which was much more peaceful, and one of those perfect moments sailing along outside, observing water life and for me, conversing in French with a family from France. Things could not have been any better!!! But..total bonus...I saw durian trees for the first time! Who would have thought durians could grow on trees? they are so big!
and maybe that planted the idea that, en route 'home' with Roberto, and running randomly into Irene of Hoi An fame on the street, we should go for ice cream! Of course to the place that was meant to have good durian flavour ice cream. It's called 'Fanny's'. Roberto went with a safe option, whereas Irene and I took the more exotic flavours of durian and chilli chocolate. We organized to meet for dinner later as well (a bit backwards, which I trust was my influence) and at Robertos suggestion, hit up a bbq place where they cook the food in front of you - Fab night. One could not have asked for a better day.
Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of the tour company I went through - sometimes you book through one place, but its another operating it, etc, etc....but if you go to Phan Lan Guesthouse and book through them it ought to be the same one ($20US).
The next day was a short one owing to my scheduled flight back to Bangkok. Having been entranced by the rooftop pool at the Rennaissance Riverside, I'd decided to go there and have a bit of fitness, followed by lounging out at the pool. a slight bit of luxury ;-). To refill my stomach though, I returned to backpacker ghetto and hit up Pho 24 for one last quick noodle soup (yum!) and Sozo, the bakery cafe on Bui Vien - who make great cookies, cakes and coffee and have a program to train and employ those from disadvantaged backgrounds. They do a damn good job of it; the service was fantastic. Despite being served the wrong coffee they changed it immediately. The fellow who waited on me was deaf and wrote his apologies on a note, in English. I replied that it was not necessary, and his English was excellent. He was very thankful in the end. Highly recommended.
And with that I paid my final $9 US in Vietnam to a taxi and followed the signs 'Back to the Beginning' (as in, flew to my original landing point, Bangkok).
Saigon and Mekong Delta - 2 thumbs up (well, 3 if i had that many).
So I watched the comings and goings of people under the glaring fluorescents and was soon approached for conversation by a local man. Of course, being tired, hungry and dehydrated (yup, when traveling that many hours on a bus with no toilet, best not be emptying the giant water bottles I reckon), it amplified my paranoia that this was a distraction to rob me. Must have picked up paranoia by osmosis from my friend Davina, for whom it has been a major life feature since being interrogated by both Japanese and American immigration officials. anyway, totally irrelevant tangent.
In the end the paranoia was all for nought. The man came from Da Lat. Told me it was a good romantic place to visit for couples, and I thought, but did not say, thank god I gave that a miss - I prefer social environments, generally given rise to with groups and solo travelers. And really the only thing he wanted was to practice speaking English. Fair play, I know that lessons don't come cheap and that I'm more than willing to offer. He also showed me which bus to take (number 26 if memory serves to go to the Ben Tranh Market in the centre), told me the cost (3000 Dong), and he actually walked with me out to it to show me, verified cost and destination with the driver and saw me off. So yeah, at times it can be difficult to find the balance between letting your guard down and being open to experiences and exercising a certain degree of caution.
Be aware though; some people still try to get money any which way they can, and in this case it was charging me an extra full fare for my luggage, despite the bus never became anywhere near being full. after this they also insisted that i not store it on a seat. Well, as far as I was concerned, the bag had paid for a seat so it was getting one (just made it easier for me to make a quick exit when the time came). Then I'm reasonably certain I overpaid a xe om driver, judging only from the fact he was too nice. well, and it wasn't that far but arguing over a few thousand Dong at that point..not worth it.
I'd booked myself for the following night into a place called Phan Lan Guesthouse, which was right in the Pham Ngu area (aka Backpackers ghetto, Saigon's own Khao San road!). The reason I had done that was, well, well-intentioned. I had a plan to, rock up there in the morningon the day before, hope they would let me store my luggage, head back to the bus station, get a bus to any town on the Mekong Delta, and then search for an overnight homestay. However, as I grew more and more weary on my nightbus, I realised this was probably not a good idea; as I also know, I do'nt sleep well on them and usually the first thing I need is a few more hours in bed to top up to the night's sleep quota. and how would i enjoy the Delta if the one thign I wanted to do was sleep? so I figured a day trip would be a better option, and that would give me time in Saigon to suss one out, as well as take my requisite nap. Good plan.
Thankfully Phan Lan (which actually has 2 locations in the area) had a room for me that night as well. though the poor chap had just woken (it was around 6:30 am!) and was confused about what I wanted, he managed it in the end, and said I would be staying at their second location, which I was happy about as it was hidden in an alleyway, ie, quiet. He rung them up and they were waiting for me, also groggy eyed, and if I thought Vienna was bad...I had a room here on the 5th floor. No lift. Well worth it though, there was a pretty little terrace up there that afforded some nice views over Saigon..sunset, or sunrise. The staff here were generally quite friendly as well and take notice of you (note for all those who end up staying out all night, as yes, they will worry..)...I crashed for 3 hours and then went off on the hunt for a good day tour to the Mekong. Most were in the $10 - 20 range, though I hadn't wante to go with the absolute cheapeast. After all, you get what you pay for. I did find one that was perfect and had everything I wanted, but at $55 was a bit steep. And, once I justified it to myself, ended up being unable to go anyway as there were no other takers. minimum of 2. uff.
No worries however; saved myself a bit of cash and booked through my guesthouse for $20. they were off at the beginning - late pickup, seeming totally disorganized - then i was most unimpressed at being made to sit in a minivan for other people's pickups..ie, an old bickering Australian couple who stuck me in the middle of it..only to have minivan one hour later pull up to leave us at bus - 2 blocks from my hotel! grr. grr. That could have been an extra hour of sleep.
Anyway, once the bus left it was all rectified. Still I was stuck by the bickering couple, but popped my sunnies on and feigned (well, and a bit for real) sleep. Seriously, I cannot understand why even go on the holiday if all you area going to do is fight and complain, and congratulated myself on being single. It continued for the rest of the day, but thankfully I found solace with Roberto, another solo traveler from Italy and 2 Austrian lasses and had a fantastic day. For whatever disorganization they had off the start, they made up for it brilliantly. the guide was hilarious, and the rest of the day was streamline smooth. We took in things like fresh honey, banana schnapps (well, they called it wine, but..that was questionable with the appearance of the shot glasses) and locally made coconut candy in Ben Tre. We took bikes through the village and had numerous school children calling out 'hello!' to us. We also took a boat back to Saigon, which was much more peaceful, and one of those perfect moments sailing along outside, observing water life and for me, conversing in French with a family from France. Things could not have been any better!!! But..total bonus...I saw durian trees for the first time! Who would have thought durians could grow on trees? they are so big!
and maybe that planted the idea that, en route 'home' with Roberto, and running randomly into Irene of Hoi An fame on the street, we should go for ice cream! Of course to the place that was meant to have good durian flavour ice cream. It's called 'Fanny's'. Roberto went with a safe option, whereas Irene and I took the more exotic flavours of durian and chilli chocolate. We organized to meet for dinner later as well (a bit backwards, which I trust was my influence) and at Robertos suggestion, hit up a bbq place where they cook the food in front of you - Fab night. One could not have asked for a better day.
Unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of the tour company I went through - sometimes you book through one place, but its another operating it, etc, etc....but if you go to Phan Lan Guesthouse and book through them it ought to be the same one ($20US).
The next day was a short one owing to my scheduled flight back to Bangkok. Having been entranced by the rooftop pool at the Rennaissance Riverside, I'd decided to go there and have a bit of fitness, followed by lounging out at the pool. a slight bit of luxury ;-). To refill my stomach though, I returned to backpacker ghetto and hit up Pho 24 for one last quick noodle soup (yum!) and Sozo, the bakery cafe on Bui Vien - who make great cookies, cakes and coffee and have a program to train and employ those from disadvantaged backgrounds. They do a damn good job of it; the service was fantastic. Despite being served the wrong coffee they changed it immediately. The fellow who waited on me was deaf and wrote his apologies on a note, in English. I replied that it was not necessary, and his English was excellent. He was very thankful in the end. Highly recommended.
And with that I paid my final $9 US in Vietnam to a taxi and followed the signs 'Back to the Beginning' (as in, flew to my original landing point, Bangkok).
Saigon and Mekong Delta - 2 thumbs up (well, 3 if i had that many).
Nha Trang, No Thanks...But Doc Let, No Problem!
The sleeper bus (this was unlike any bus I'd seen before; 3 rows of 'bunk' beds occupied the body of the bus, in a scene akin to a Japanese capsule hotel) pulled into Nha Trang in the early twilight hours, but it could have been pulling into anywhere. Or more specifically, fill in the blank with whatever over-touristed beach resort you like. The only reason I knew I was still in Vietnam was the constant harassing from xe om (moto taxi ) drivers and the fact that yeah, some places will still accept Vietnamese Dong.
Now, I don't want to be too hard on the place, cos after all, there must have been a reason for going there, other than the fact it was a perfectly placed stop between Hoi An and Saigon? But really..it did seem more like a plastic Miami beach type resort.
OK, OK, some pluses - I did get some of the cheapest accom of the trip here, and from what I gatehered, quite possibly the cheapest room in the city. It was a small guesthouse called 'Sao Mai' located on Nguyen Thien Thuat, a few blocks up from the beach. nothing special about the room really, it was your basic twin but had hot water and wasn't too noisy at night. The people running it were a friendly enough lot as well, and the location is good, you have many restaurants and whatnot around.
The beach was, well, a city beach; from any angle one could have a view of building developments, or the hollywood-esque 'Vin Pearl' sign, marking the entertainment complex on an 'island' - connected by cable car to the mainland. It did suffice however for wiling away an afternoon when one feels lazy from a night bus ride. And if its cocktails by the sea in one of the beach bars you're after, you'll probably take to the place a bit more. I will also say, there is some nice food to be had there at what are still fairly reasonable prices. One night I was out a with a group and we did splurge on a buffet (100,000 Dong), but knowing that part it would go to a good cause helped. This was at Crazy Kim's bar on Biet Thu, and the good cause was the program the owner runs for street and/or otherwise compromised children called 'Hands off the Kids!' , and included a classroom at the back of her establishment. Volunteering to teach English there would be my only motivation for going back to this Nha Trang, should I land in the area there. On another note, she also owns a gym..just a few metres down from the bar, which I took advantage of and was quite happy to do that. The gym is small, but spacious and modern at the same time with a balcony. They have various fees, from one time drop in to one year. They'll even supply the soap and shampoo (thank god, as i'd forgotten mine at the guesthouse!)
One thing that many people do here are boat tours around the islands. There are a great many of them on offer, Mama Linh's being the most famous. So I decided, not. I ended up on a slightly cheaper one, but I can't recall the name. something brother's cafe, i'd booked it through Sao Mai. and really, for $6 US, there's no risk there. However, I will say, not to have great expectations for the other islands and scenery, be it above land or below sea. the beaches were rocky, the marine life almost non-existent, and most corals bleached or dead. So if you go, go with intent to have a good time, and meet people. The tour leader was pretty funny, they did their own boy band rendition, which included 'La Bamba', something most entertaining for the 2 Chileans, Daniel and Uri. Lunch was fantastic (that alone was worth the $6, we got a lot of food), and the floating bar is pretty hilarious too, I won't spoil it though by giving away details ;-). We also had crap weather, but managed to have a good time nonetheless. And it was Uri and Daniel who ended up being good company in the evening along with their friends at Crazy Kim's and the Sailing Club, so it was overall a worthwhile endeavor for me.
However, after 2 nights I was ready to leave. And I don't know, but something about the nightlife..the vibe was just off. The sailing club is as nice as place as any, stylish even, making me wish Matt had been there, but the crowd...maybe pretentious is a word to use. So I was glad to head on out the next day. My initial intention had been anyway to find a more remote beach, or to spend at least a small amount of time in a place that people might ask 'where?'. ie, somewhere not Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Dalat or Saigon (ie, the tourist bus stops). Feeling a little burnt out from always worrying about rip offs - one side note, Nha Trang is notorious for pickpocketing and theft. So I was more than wary, and well, I was fine. However stories I'd heard also stemmed from people taking heaps of cash on a big night out - and thats just failing to use a little common sense. Taking a gangsta wad of cash with you to get totally wasted in a town notorious for theft...one shouldn't expect to hang on to it.
Of course anyone can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, regardless of how careful you are, but practicing a bit of caution could save you a lot of trouble. I left my valuables in the hotel safe; not entirely failsafe, but they are then responsible for it. If you leave it in the room, not so. When going out, I took only what I intended to spend that evening, and my room key, leaving all else in the safe. I had no problems there at all.
However, this burnout also lead me to suspicion about my transport to Doc Let - one of the people there insisted on me using their friend's moto taxi to get there, cos well, they all have friends in something don't they? hahah. However the price was right, so I agreed to it, confirming it on more than one occasion. And was pleasantly surprised. The driver expected no more, and did extra things such as checking if i needed to use the toilet, giving a break for stretching, giving me some information about the surrounding area, and then not realising I had a reservation at Doc Let resort, waited to shuttle me elsehwere in case there was a problem, but did not want any extra money. So once again, this is another service I suggest using if staying at Sao Mai.
So yes, where I ended up - Doc Let (pronounced 'Yop Lek'). At a resort frequented by mainly domestic tourists called 'Doc Let Resort', oddly enough, along a very pretty stretch of beach about 45 kms north of Nha Trang, but in feeling, about 1000kms from there. I had a nice little bungalow, though the rest of the place..could use a decorator. Or at least a non-soviet era one. However, if one avoids that area..which I would advise doing anyway during the day as there are heaps of tourists, and at night its eerily quiet..it can be quite nice. Wander down the beach in either direction, and expect a stretch of it to yourself. The only person I saw during my time in
'my spot' was a local fisherman with his bike, who seemed to think it of the utmost importance to immediately wrap the bike in cling film...(despite it being clear blue skies)? I had long stopped asking questions by this point. the food was also good and very cheap. I was in shock about prices once I reached Saigon!!
It was nice having a full lenght pool to myself for sport purposes, but after later discovering the Paradise Resort - run by a Frenchman and his family - 2kms down the beach, I reckon that might have been the nicer choice. They had some old school style bungalows in a very pretty setting right along the beach. also, meals are included, and likely taken with a group which would have been nice. It also gave access to a nearby town called Dom Ha, which seems quite underexplored by foreigners...I am not joking when I had people literally stop their activity as I walked by, or in some cases, laughing. ok, well, so the latter one should be nothing new for me actually.
The other place I didn't make it to but heard rave reviews about was called Jungle Beach Resort. This one needs to be booked far ahead though I think, as its quite small and popular. I was mistaken about the price on the internet, and later informed by a friend that she had paid just $22 US a night (not the $54 i saw advertised), including full board, and free tea and water all day. And she loved it. Ahhh, had I more time...It's about 60kms out of Nha Trang. If you stay at Sao Mai in Nha Trang, they have the contact details there for you.
Getting away...being off the tourist route meant also being off the fancy sleeper bus route. Since I was collected in the nearby village of Ninh Hoa, I was on the local bus and was the only whitie. So my bus wasn't quite as nice for the stretch down to Saigon, but for half the price (it was $10 US for a 10 hr journey), I coudln't complain. Realising this of course, after I'd tried telling them it was the wrong bus (!).
Now, I don't want to be too hard on the place, cos after all, there must have been a reason for going there, other than the fact it was a perfectly placed stop between Hoi An and Saigon? But really..it did seem more like a plastic Miami beach type resort.
OK, OK, some pluses - I did get some of the cheapest accom of the trip here, and from what I gatehered, quite possibly the cheapest room in the city. It was a small guesthouse called 'Sao Mai' located on Nguyen Thien Thuat, a few blocks up from the beach. nothing special about the room really, it was your basic twin but had hot water and wasn't too noisy at night. The people running it were a friendly enough lot as well, and the location is good, you have many restaurants and whatnot around.
The beach was, well, a city beach; from any angle one could have a view of building developments, or the hollywood-esque 'Vin Pearl' sign, marking the entertainment complex on an 'island' - connected by cable car to the mainland. It did suffice however for wiling away an afternoon when one feels lazy from a night bus ride. And if its cocktails by the sea in one of the beach bars you're after, you'll probably take to the place a bit more. I will also say, there is some nice food to be had there at what are still fairly reasonable prices. One night I was out a with a group and we did splurge on a buffet (100,000 Dong), but knowing that part it would go to a good cause helped. This was at Crazy Kim's bar on Biet Thu, and the good cause was the program the owner runs for street and/or otherwise compromised children called 'Hands off the Kids!' , and included a classroom at the back of her establishment. Volunteering to teach English there would be my only motivation for going back to this Nha Trang, should I land in the area there. On another note, she also owns a gym..just a few metres down from the bar, which I took advantage of and was quite happy to do that. The gym is small, but spacious and modern at the same time with a balcony. They have various fees, from one time drop in to one year. They'll even supply the soap and shampoo (thank god, as i'd forgotten mine at the guesthouse!)
One thing that many people do here are boat tours around the islands. There are a great many of them on offer, Mama Linh's being the most famous. So I decided, not. I ended up on a slightly cheaper one, but I can't recall the name. something brother's cafe, i'd booked it through Sao Mai. and really, for $6 US, there's no risk there. However, I will say, not to have great expectations for the other islands and scenery, be it above land or below sea. the beaches were rocky, the marine life almost non-existent, and most corals bleached or dead. So if you go, go with intent to have a good time, and meet people. The tour leader was pretty funny, they did their own boy band rendition, which included 'La Bamba', something most entertaining for the 2 Chileans, Daniel and Uri. Lunch was fantastic (that alone was worth the $6, we got a lot of food), and the floating bar is pretty hilarious too, I won't spoil it though by giving away details ;-). We also had crap weather, but managed to have a good time nonetheless. And it was Uri and Daniel who ended up being good company in the evening along with their friends at Crazy Kim's and the Sailing Club, so it was overall a worthwhile endeavor for me.
However, after 2 nights I was ready to leave. And I don't know, but something about the nightlife..the vibe was just off. The sailing club is as nice as place as any, stylish even, making me wish Matt had been there, but the crowd...maybe pretentious is a word to use. So I was glad to head on out the next day. My initial intention had been anyway to find a more remote beach, or to spend at least a small amount of time in a place that people might ask 'where?'. ie, somewhere not Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Dalat or Saigon (ie, the tourist bus stops). Feeling a little burnt out from always worrying about rip offs - one side note, Nha Trang is notorious for pickpocketing and theft. So I was more than wary, and well, I was fine. However stories I'd heard also stemmed from people taking heaps of cash on a big night out - and thats just failing to use a little common sense. Taking a gangsta wad of cash with you to get totally wasted in a town notorious for theft...one shouldn't expect to hang on to it.
Of course anyone can be in the wrong place at the wrong time, regardless of how careful you are, but practicing a bit of caution could save you a lot of trouble. I left my valuables in the hotel safe; not entirely failsafe, but they are then responsible for it. If you leave it in the room, not so. When going out, I took only what I intended to spend that evening, and my room key, leaving all else in the safe. I had no problems there at all.
However, this burnout also lead me to suspicion about my transport to Doc Let - one of the people there insisted on me using their friend's moto taxi to get there, cos well, they all have friends in something don't they? hahah. However the price was right, so I agreed to it, confirming it on more than one occasion. And was pleasantly surprised. The driver expected no more, and did extra things such as checking if i needed to use the toilet, giving a break for stretching, giving me some information about the surrounding area, and then not realising I had a reservation at Doc Let resort, waited to shuttle me elsehwere in case there was a problem, but did not want any extra money. So once again, this is another service I suggest using if staying at Sao Mai.
So yes, where I ended up - Doc Let (pronounced 'Yop Lek'). At a resort frequented by mainly domestic tourists called 'Doc Let Resort', oddly enough, along a very pretty stretch of beach about 45 kms north of Nha Trang, but in feeling, about 1000kms from there. I had a nice little bungalow, though the rest of the place..could use a decorator. Or at least a non-soviet era one. However, if one avoids that area..which I would advise doing anyway during the day as there are heaps of tourists, and at night its eerily quiet..it can be quite nice. Wander down the beach in either direction, and expect a stretch of it to yourself. The only person I saw during my time in
'my spot' was a local fisherman with his bike, who seemed to think it of the utmost importance to immediately wrap the bike in cling film...(despite it being clear blue skies)? I had long stopped asking questions by this point. the food was also good and very cheap. I was in shock about prices once I reached Saigon!!
It was nice having a full lenght pool to myself for sport purposes, but after later discovering the Paradise Resort - run by a Frenchman and his family - 2kms down the beach, I reckon that might have been the nicer choice. They had some old school style bungalows in a very pretty setting right along the beach. also, meals are included, and likely taken with a group which would have been nice. It also gave access to a nearby town called Dom Ha, which seems quite underexplored by foreigners...I am not joking when I had people literally stop their activity as I walked by, or in some cases, laughing. ok, well, so the latter one should be nothing new for me actually.
The other place I didn't make it to but heard rave reviews about was called Jungle Beach Resort. This one needs to be booked far ahead though I think, as its quite small and popular. I was mistaken about the price on the internet, and later informed by a friend that she had paid just $22 US a night (not the $54 i saw advertised), including full board, and free tea and water all day. And she loved it. Ahhh, had I more time...It's about 60kms out of Nha Trang. If you stay at Sao Mai in Nha Trang, they have the contact details there for you.
Getting away...being off the tourist route meant also being off the fancy sleeper bus route. Since I was collected in the nearby village of Ninh Hoa, I was on the local bus and was the only whitie. So my bus wasn't quite as nice for the stretch down to Saigon, but for half the price (it was $10 US for a 10 hr journey), I coudln't complain. Realising this of course, after I'd tried telling them it was the wrong bus (!).
12 March, 2009
In Stitches: Hoi An
Perhaps, subconsciously, I knew that this was going to be my favourite place in Vietnam. And that would be my excuse for once again flying to it. :-). Actually, initially I had intended to do the 16 hour train journey from Hanoi, since it would be an overnight train and thus not cost me my precious remaining time which I wished to maximize seeing places rather than sat on ridiculously long bus rides. However, when realising that the cost of the train was $40 US, and the Vietnam airlines website, which I had checked just for a lark, had a flight from Hanoi to Danang (Hoi An does not have its own airport, but this one is 30 minutes away by car) for $35..the temptation of saving both time AND money was more than enough to have me clicking 'confirm booking' without a second thought.
And thankfully so; after meeting Matt in Hanoi he had decided to ditch on his Ha Long bay trip to join me in Hoi An, but unfortunately for him that flight had sold out. So he took the train. And we had mutually eaten something that gave us a separate destination: gastroenteritis-land. However whilst I, having secured us great lodgings, was able to suffer in comfort, dear ol' Matt was stuck with those train toilets, cursing me and my $35 flight the whole way ;-). Thankfully my issue was sorted out at the clinic the next day and I could go off and enjoy my time in this pretty little town!
So, the small practical bit out of the way first; that being, yes, if one wants to fly here, book the flight to Danang. from here taxis will service the route to Hoi An, and the price, well, once again will depend on the number in your party. Try to find people to share with...hahaha..I always find this to be quite funny advice, as finding people to share with is not always a viable option - its not like you can rock up at your local 7-11 and purchase them. As the only people who could have potentially shared with me decided to keep to their own little group, I parted with a whopping 260,000 Dong for the trip - they between 6 paid 290,000 and I can't quite believe one of them was about to complain over it! so yeah, once again, if you're doing the solo traveler thing, have the cash prepared. They won't take a credit card, but there is a cashpoint at the Danang airport.
That said, I did find agreeance with Lonely Planet on the point that Hoi An has some of the best value accomodation going in Vietnam. Not necessarily the cheapest, but still incredible value for the price. So I booked Matt and I into a place called Thanh Binh III, which was just a few minutes away from the Riverfront action, but nice and quiet. We each paid $17/night - not the advertised rate but for once solo travelers get a break! hurrah! for this price though, I had an incredibly large room and a bed big enough for about 4 people, bathtub, hot water, my own terrace with palm trees, breakfast, swimming pool and free internet. For some comparison, in Saigon I had to pay $16 for a simple twin room with none of the above amenities. One thing to note though - I found this out later on, and therefore might have gone a bit cheaper, is that many hotels have a second, or third version, and the higher the number, the more amenities, and the more expensive.
The other reason I was glad I ended up flying was it gave me an extra evening in Hoi An, and after grabbing some great cheap food at the central market stalls, I met Irene from Switzerland who was absolutely lovely and we had a great evening going to the Cargo club for tea and sweets and being 'stylish', getting ready for Matt's arrival! haha. She also decided to join me for the cooking course.
We went with Red Bridge, which is far and away the msot expensive option, but included much more than learning a couple Vietnamese dishes in the back of a restaurant. I would definitely recommend splurging for this, as we got a tour of the market, along with an education of what is used for what. Then they took us by boat down the river, taking the sights before arriving at 'the school', where we got another tour of their herb garden, before we learned how to make 4 dishes, with a hilarious chef before sitting down to lunch to enjoy our spoils. They also threw in steamed ocean fish and had no issue taking out onions for me as well. And if one wants, you can stay and hang out by the pool afterwards. however, it wasn't exactly swimmy weather to I headed back on the boat with the others. Great group for that, including more solo travelers Lisa from Australia who was doing a buzz tour of Vietnam and Terry from USA - who works half the year as a lifeguard and goes off on adventures for the other half. He was definitely the most adventurous of us in terms of trying food and will eat pretty much anything on offer abroad - monkey brains anyone?
And finally we arrive at the reason for my title; one thing that either brings a lot of visitors to Hoi An, or captures them after they've arrived is Tailor Made clothes. You needn't be in Hoi An more than a few seconds to take notice of the many shops abounding offering anything from winter coats to suits and dresses, or even a copy of your favourite shoes. In the beginning I was taking the piss a bit on Irene, but soon found myself equally hooked and trying to remember which appointments were at which shops, and even one time ended up in a shop frantically searching their catalogue for a 'must-have' skirt i'd seen the day before..only to realise, I'd seen it somewhere else before sneaking out sheepishly (!). I had about 7 different things made in about 7 different places, and there are 2 of them i'd recommend: One is Impressions boutique, which has a few branches throughout the city, but I had luck at the one on 166 Tran Phu Street. For me the fact they were constantly busy and one of the few who didn't try to solicit your business when you walked past was a good indicator. And the one who had the skirt I was after and did an excellent job of it was 'Hai Pho' at 663 Hai Ba Trung str. They will usually make most things inside a day, but allow a bit more time for fittings and tweaking, if need be.
Then you could wear your new outfits and go be 'stylish' - something Matt and Irene and I continued to do, and on the last night Matt and I hit up a place called 'White Marble' on Le Loi Street. The reason I chose it was, that funny chef who taught our cooking course also worked there. This is a good choice if you want to have a nice night out, and suiting for Matt's last night in Hoi An. The food was excellent, if in small portions (its one of THOSE places) and the upstairs has sofas and affords a view of the shops below. It's also a wine bar. For those in search of cheaper eats, they can be found at the central market, but watch the ice and green veggies...the doctor figured this was what catapulted me back into a state of gastroenteritis. There are also numerous great restaurants along the river, in Hoi An you are also spoiled for food choice!
In one of the restaurants, we were approached by a man called 'Mr. Trung' who will do tours of his fishing and pottery village for $10 US per person, including a homemade lunch by his wife, served in his home. Matt and I were meant to do this, and after Matt left on an earlier flight and I had to reschedule by one day, I was still charged the same amount, nothing extra. It was good value and I definitely recommend it.
And thankfully so; after meeting Matt in Hanoi he had decided to ditch on his Ha Long bay trip to join me in Hoi An, but unfortunately for him that flight had sold out. So he took the train. And we had mutually eaten something that gave us a separate destination: gastroenteritis-land. However whilst I, having secured us great lodgings, was able to suffer in comfort, dear ol' Matt was stuck with those train toilets, cursing me and my $35 flight the whole way ;-). Thankfully my issue was sorted out at the clinic the next day and I could go off and enjoy my time in this pretty little town!
So, the small practical bit out of the way first; that being, yes, if one wants to fly here, book the flight to Danang. from here taxis will service the route to Hoi An, and the price, well, once again will depend on the number in your party. Try to find people to share with...hahaha..I always find this to be quite funny advice, as finding people to share with is not always a viable option - its not like you can rock up at your local 7-11 and purchase them. As the only people who could have potentially shared with me decided to keep to their own little group, I parted with a whopping 260,000 Dong for the trip - they between 6 paid 290,000 and I can't quite believe one of them was about to complain over it! so yeah, once again, if you're doing the solo traveler thing, have the cash prepared. They won't take a credit card, but there is a cashpoint at the Danang airport.
That said, I did find agreeance with Lonely Planet on the point that Hoi An has some of the best value accomodation going in Vietnam. Not necessarily the cheapest, but still incredible value for the price. So I booked Matt and I into a place called Thanh Binh III, which was just a few minutes away from the Riverfront action, but nice and quiet. We each paid $17/night - not the advertised rate but for once solo travelers get a break! hurrah! for this price though, I had an incredibly large room and a bed big enough for about 4 people, bathtub, hot water, my own terrace with palm trees, breakfast, swimming pool and free internet. For some comparison, in Saigon I had to pay $16 for a simple twin room with none of the above amenities. One thing to note though - I found this out later on, and therefore might have gone a bit cheaper, is that many hotels have a second, or third version, and the higher the number, the more amenities, and the more expensive.
The other reason I was glad I ended up flying was it gave me an extra evening in Hoi An, and after grabbing some great cheap food at the central market stalls, I met Irene from Switzerland who was absolutely lovely and we had a great evening going to the Cargo club for tea and sweets and being 'stylish', getting ready for Matt's arrival! haha. She also decided to join me for the cooking course.
We went with Red Bridge, which is far and away the msot expensive option, but included much more than learning a couple Vietnamese dishes in the back of a restaurant. I would definitely recommend splurging for this, as we got a tour of the market, along with an education of what is used for what. Then they took us by boat down the river, taking the sights before arriving at 'the school', where we got another tour of their herb garden, before we learned how to make 4 dishes, with a hilarious chef before sitting down to lunch to enjoy our spoils. They also threw in steamed ocean fish and had no issue taking out onions for me as well. And if one wants, you can stay and hang out by the pool afterwards. however, it wasn't exactly swimmy weather to I headed back on the boat with the others. Great group for that, including more solo travelers Lisa from Australia who was doing a buzz tour of Vietnam and Terry from USA - who works half the year as a lifeguard and goes off on adventures for the other half. He was definitely the most adventurous of us in terms of trying food and will eat pretty much anything on offer abroad - monkey brains anyone?
And finally we arrive at the reason for my title; one thing that either brings a lot of visitors to Hoi An, or captures them after they've arrived is Tailor Made clothes. You needn't be in Hoi An more than a few seconds to take notice of the many shops abounding offering anything from winter coats to suits and dresses, or even a copy of your favourite shoes. In the beginning I was taking the piss a bit on Irene, but soon found myself equally hooked and trying to remember which appointments were at which shops, and even one time ended up in a shop frantically searching their catalogue for a 'must-have' skirt i'd seen the day before..only to realise, I'd seen it somewhere else before sneaking out sheepishly (!). I had about 7 different things made in about 7 different places, and there are 2 of them i'd recommend: One is Impressions boutique, which has a few branches throughout the city, but I had luck at the one on 166 Tran Phu Street. For me the fact they were constantly busy and one of the few who didn't try to solicit your business when you walked past was a good indicator. And the one who had the skirt I was after and did an excellent job of it was 'Hai Pho' at 663 Hai Ba Trung str. They will usually make most things inside a day, but allow a bit more time for fittings and tweaking, if need be.
Then you could wear your new outfits and go be 'stylish' - something Matt and Irene and I continued to do, and on the last night Matt and I hit up a place called 'White Marble' on Le Loi Street. The reason I chose it was, that funny chef who taught our cooking course also worked there. This is a good choice if you want to have a nice night out, and suiting for Matt's last night in Hoi An. The food was excellent, if in small portions (its one of THOSE places) and the upstairs has sofas and affords a view of the shops below. It's also a wine bar. For those in search of cheaper eats, they can be found at the central market, but watch the ice and green veggies...the doctor figured this was what catapulted me back into a state of gastroenteritis. There are also numerous great restaurants along the river, in Hoi An you are also spoiled for food choice!
In one of the restaurants, we were approached by a man called 'Mr. Trung' who will do tours of his fishing and pottery village for $10 US per person, including a homemade lunch by his wife, served in his home. Matt and I were meant to do this, and after Matt left on an earlier flight and I had to reschedule by one day, I was still charged the same amount, nothing extra. It was good value and I definitely recommend it.
08 March, 2009
Holy Motorbikes Batman, Welcome to Hanoi!
a little 60 minute flight was all it took to go 180 degrees from peaceful, chilled out Luang Prabang back into the full on glaring and blaring Asian big city, with myself prepared for everything I'd been told - hotel scams, rude people ripping you off and so on and so forth. A for effort on their part though. I decided on the Vietnam airlines shuttle into the city - at $2 per person this is the cheapest transport one will get from the airport to the city, my intention to get off at their office and continue on to my pre booked accom..tangent here...as you see, the scam centres around taxis and shuttles telling you things like the place you want to stay has moved, is full, etc, etc...having something reserved prevents this, and really all it took was a few minutes online and voila. the shuttle is hard to find, but a key is the people running it are in uniform and have vietnam airlines ID hanging on their neck. the uniform is a navy blue suit. there are many other shuttles who will actually lie to you and tell that is the one, but they are not. One said first they go 1km from the vietnam airlines office, and quickly said after, no we go there. They others will also list prices in Dong; as far as i could tell vietnam airlines shuttle was the only one that listed it in dollars ($2 to their office).
However the place the shuttle dropped me off did not match up with my ghetto map (more the problem of the map than the shuttle), and I was initially mobbed by loads of..i'm not sure, motorbike taxis, accomodation touts, who will try to take your luggage out of the bus, and continue grabbing it while you are walking. something I stopped only by turning and giving a firm 'back off!', but it was then i realised i had no idea where i was going. Was approached by more motorbike taxis and when one offered to take me and my 20kg luggage for $1, i took him up on it. good so, i'd have never found the place on my own in the dark with my screwy map.
So Hanoi backpackers it was; after having been rather antisocial in Laos i thought time to suck it up, stay in a dorm and meet other peeps. Also save a bit of cash. Dorm beds go for $7.50. They are pretty organized there, and I was shown to my room in the annex (well, mine and 7 others). If you would like a quiet reprieve both from the full volume Hanoi noise and the alcoholic 12 year olds, i'd request to be placed in this building. I suppose second best from that would be their third property (they are all within mere metres of each other) called 'The Other Side'. The dorms are new, clean, smart and the bunks are some of the best I've ever come across. very sturdy. You're also given a large locker, reading light and little shelf. The free breakfast is from 6.30 til 10 - bananas, baguettes, tea/coffee. upgrade to things with eggs or pancakes for another 30,000 Dong or so.
And yup, you'll likely meet people. Hang about the hostel bar and someone or other will chat you up. In my case it was a few minutes before a fellow Canadian did this, and I continued on with the group to the Irish pub as was standard. Was an ok evening, but lecherous men abounded (this time unlike Laos, it was all foreigners) so I made my excuses and ran out in Cinderella time (ie, before midnight). Its also a young crowd, and one with all the peer pressure to drink, which I am just so over.
thankfully the next morning at breakfast I joined forces with Matt of Chicago, who was a bit more on the same wavelength as myself. We did a walking tour of Hanoi and looked like the worst kinds of tourists holding out our map, haha. We also read about getting some 'squirmy fish' and 'chunky frogs' down one market street and psyched ourselves up to eat some but bailed in the end. Fine 'Fear Factor' candidates we would have made. Another entertaining point of the walk was nipping into a temple - which is more like someone's house, 102 i believe it was called, to have the artisan there who was evidently (and rightly) proud of his work pointing out everything, including how fascinating it was that he turned the light on. Of course we were served the obligatory tea, all parties being lost in translation as this guy spoke not a word of English.
Halfway through upon reaching the Dong Xuan market (which i called the 'Don Juan' Market for memory's sake) we called defeat and headed off for food in a cyclo taxi. we had quite an interesting time of it with them - our initial price paid was 70,000 dong and the last one was an easily bargained 40,000..we just wondered if we were losing weight. price was for the ride, not per person thankfully. The rest of the afternoon was gleefully spent mooching around in cafes around the cathedral, eventually dinner and a futile hunt for the famous 'Bia Hoi', and of course not to mention risque street crossings that could easily rival those in Bangkok. If you haven't been on the verge of being driven over by a bus or one of many honking motorbikes, you haven't been to Hanoi...
I headed on out the next day by plane to Da Nang - a steal at $35 for the one way ticket on the 75 minute flight, considering the 16 hour train journey starts at $40! bookable on the vietnam airlines website, domestic flights in vietnam are clearly a deal, as the flight was as normal as any, no delays and luggage showing up on time.
Hanoi was great, but a bit too buzzy for my liking so i'm glad now to be in peaceful Hoi An and looking forward to heading south to a beach again!
However the place the shuttle dropped me off did not match up with my ghetto map (more the problem of the map than the shuttle), and I was initially mobbed by loads of..i'm not sure, motorbike taxis, accomodation touts, who will try to take your luggage out of the bus, and continue grabbing it while you are walking. something I stopped only by turning and giving a firm 'back off!', but it was then i realised i had no idea where i was going. Was approached by more motorbike taxis and when one offered to take me and my 20kg luggage for $1, i took him up on it. good so, i'd have never found the place on my own in the dark with my screwy map.
So Hanoi backpackers it was; after having been rather antisocial in Laos i thought time to suck it up, stay in a dorm and meet other peeps. Also save a bit of cash. Dorm beds go for $7.50. They are pretty organized there, and I was shown to my room in the annex (well, mine and 7 others). If you would like a quiet reprieve both from the full volume Hanoi noise and the alcoholic 12 year olds, i'd request to be placed in this building. I suppose second best from that would be their third property (they are all within mere metres of each other) called 'The Other Side'. The dorms are new, clean, smart and the bunks are some of the best I've ever come across. very sturdy. You're also given a large locker, reading light and little shelf. The free breakfast is from 6.30 til 10 - bananas, baguettes, tea/coffee. upgrade to things with eggs or pancakes for another 30,000 Dong or so.
And yup, you'll likely meet people. Hang about the hostel bar and someone or other will chat you up. In my case it was a few minutes before a fellow Canadian did this, and I continued on with the group to the Irish pub as was standard. Was an ok evening, but lecherous men abounded (this time unlike Laos, it was all foreigners) so I made my excuses and ran out in Cinderella time (ie, before midnight). Its also a young crowd, and one with all the peer pressure to drink, which I am just so over.
thankfully the next morning at breakfast I joined forces with Matt of Chicago, who was a bit more on the same wavelength as myself. We did a walking tour of Hanoi and looked like the worst kinds of tourists holding out our map, haha. We also read about getting some 'squirmy fish' and 'chunky frogs' down one market street and psyched ourselves up to eat some but bailed in the end. Fine 'Fear Factor' candidates we would have made. Another entertaining point of the walk was nipping into a temple - which is more like someone's house, 102 i believe it was called, to have the artisan there who was evidently (and rightly) proud of his work pointing out everything, including how fascinating it was that he turned the light on. Of course we were served the obligatory tea, all parties being lost in translation as this guy spoke not a word of English.
Halfway through upon reaching the Dong Xuan market (which i called the 'Don Juan' Market for memory's sake) we called defeat and headed off for food in a cyclo taxi. we had quite an interesting time of it with them - our initial price paid was 70,000 dong and the last one was an easily bargained 40,000..we just wondered if we were losing weight. price was for the ride, not per person thankfully. The rest of the afternoon was gleefully spent mooching around in cafes around the cathedral, eventually dinner and a futile hunt for the famous 'Bia Hoi', and of course not to mention risque street crossings that could easily rival those in Bangkok. If you haven't been on the verge of being driven over by a bus or one of many honking motorbikes, you haven't been to Hanoi...
I headed on out the next day by plane to Da Nang - a steal at $35 for the one way ticket on the 75 minute flight, considering the 16 hour train journey starts at $40! bookable on the vietnam airlines website, domestic flights in vietnam are clearly a deal, as the flight was as normal as any, no delays and luggage showing up on time.
Hanoi was great, but a bit too buzzy for my liking so i'm glad now to be in peaceful Hoi An and looking forward to heading south to a beach again!
07 March, 2009
Living Peacefully - Luang Prabang
It all begins with a night bus from Vientiane...something that seemed like a good idea at the time, although in all honesty I am not sure the day one would differ all that much. Apart from the fact you could take in the scenery, and perhaps potentially being left on the side of the road, alone, would not be as scary a prospect. Thankfully this did not happen to me, but read on to see how it was avoided...hee hee.
so of course, pickup at 18:00 means 19:30, no worries, and then i arrive to the mammoth bus and i'm hunting for a viable seat only to realise they are assigned seats. there was this couple to be separated by an aisle (oh my god, 9 hours with a 50cm aisle between us how will we survive) and Andrea being patron saint it seems agrees to trade. And am due some good karma i reckon..
so first i was sat next to a local girl and her lad comes up and starts saing 'this is my little darling' and i'm thinking here we go again...so i was like ok dude wheres your seat..and this being SE Asia i was starting to think I'd only be changing again for a sizeable sum of kip...but he actually isn't on the bus at all, so no trade necessary. He just, you know, needed to make sure she was taken care of...odd, surely, as she WAS (or at least appeared to be) an adult, and local..thereby I am not entirely sure what myself the foreigner who's Lao language consisted of 'hello' and 'thank you' was meant to do...suppose make sure she wasn't left at the side of the road toilet stop maybe?
then it turns out she is in the wrong seat anyway so all that for nothing really. Though I had wished she stayed since I then got stuck next to a woman with a small child. One who was kicking constantly, intermittent with screaming. or self being used as nappy changing table, and oh, have i mentioned the puke? kid puked. all over the aisle thankfully not on self. required recall of junior high gymnastics team skills to remove self from seat and not get flip flop covered in it. all to the setting of bad lao karaoke blasted on the TV, and when the finally shut that off the girl behind me was blaring the same stuff from her mobile whilst kicking my seat. i got it from mboth ends!! ahh!!!
one of the best bits was going to the toilet..i tried to do this during our pitstop..in the bus of course was a bush in the dark. not that i've never done that, but considering the bus left with no warning and no one's missing me if i dont get back on..can't risk it. so i used the bus one. but bus left, tossing self to and fro with toilet water, and then i had to get over the people who were sat on stools and boxes in the aisles, which required swinging from the overhead storage bins like tarzan, or cirque du soleil acrobat to get back into my seat. also avoiding the puke.
that couple slept rather soundly in MY seat. I repeated to myself, it could be worse; I could be going all the way to Vietnam, or be in one of those aisle seats, and remembered how lucky I was the next journey would be done by plane.
However, if Luang Prabang was the reward, it was well worth it. I was wondering how it would be, and worried that since everyone had hyped it up so much the power of expectation might cause disappointment, but not so. After finding a suitable guesthouse, in which I had a nice terrace, garden and a view of a few points of the city, I recovered and set off to explore. The concentration of temples is astounding, and the atmosphere is just taking life slowly. I wandered up the hill to the gold stupa I'd seen from my guesthouse room and had a fantastic view of the entire city from up there. And there were surprisingly few tourists. Wandered back down through another temple, where the buddha statues were labelled by days of the week (ie, Saturday's buddha), and there was a buddha footprint. I decided on dinner down by the river at one of the cheaper foodstall/restaurant hybrid things - not quite so casual as the riverside in Vientiane, but great food and service nonetheless!
The following day I took the advice of a few other travelers and decided to hit up the waterfalls, combining with a boat trip down the river to the buddha cave and a village that produces 'Lao Lao' (Lao whiskey). For anyone else wanting to do this or any other trip, I'd recommend allowing the time to shop around; the prices I was quoted varied wildly from 150,000 to 100,000 kip for pretty much the same thing. They of course will want you to book straight away as well...of course, you could also get a tuk tuk to drive you to the waterfalls, or take a motorbike out. However those options work better when you are in a group; for myself, it was cheaper to join the group in the minivan. The waterfall is quite nice, and very refreshing in the heat! You can also see Asiatic black bears that have been rescued from poachers.
The next day was not going to be a full one as I had my flight to Hanoi, but I think I did alright in terms of fitting stuff in! Starting the day off with yoga and then a great little breakfast in Joma (yes, there is a branch in LP so I hadn't had to give up my Joma habit when I left Vientiane!) and then went down to make a deal with the Mekong riverboat drivers to take me to 'the other side'. Again, this is always a problem for solo travelers - the high price paid for complete independence...though I did get him down to 20,000 kips from 50,000 which was alright considering he took me there, dropped me off away from the regular tourist boat stop and waited as long as I wanted which could have been all day had I not had my flight. Well, that was part of my bargaining power I guess, saying he would be back in time to pick up another fare for the day...hee hee.
The other side was less developed, with a paved road for only part of the way (albeit lest we forget the satellite TV!), and very very peaceful. There is a simple temple one can wander up to (of course they will want a nominal amount of money for this from the foreigners) but it was well worth it and the only other people I saw up there were a couple of chatty Australians and the children who are following you trying to get money for flowers. They ask for other things too, such as pens and tissues and can be rather persistent so if you head to the other side be prepared...however it is worth it.
My last activity was of course one of my favourite..haggling with the tuk tuks for transport to the airport. Again I was prepared to part with larger sums than most owing to the solo traveler thing, and when the Aussies from the other side told me it would be 50,000 kip I was prepared for this gouge..so was pleasantly surprised when I began shopping around the tuk tuks and their initial prices were half that. It did make me laugh a bit, how I was just enquiring and their immediate response was 'you go NOW!'. I just thought, I only wish I were able to travel with a small handbag as my only luggage! Anyway, I ended up being stalked by a moto taxi driver (as in he kept following me down the street asking 'have boyfriend? have boyfriend? want Lao boyfriend?'. He asked 40,000 at first, but we agreed on 25,000 for a later guesthouse pickup with luggage and the whole sidecar thing just cracked me up so I thought I can put up with one last lecherous local before hopping the flight to Hanoi.
Oh, and don't arrive at the Luang Prabang airport too early. It's really a very very small airport.
so of course, pickup at 18:00 means 19:30, no worries, and then i arrive to the mammoth bus and i'm hunting for a viable seat only to realise they are assigned seats. there was this couple to be separated by an aisle (oh my god, 9 hours with a 50cm aisle between us how will we survive) and Andrea being patron saint it seems agrees to trade. And am due some good karma i reckon..
so first i was sat next to a local girl and her lad comes up and starts saing 'this is my little darling' and i'm thinking here we go again...so i was like ok dude wheres your seat..and this being SE Asia i was starting to think I'd only be changing again for a sizeable sum of kip...but he actually isn't on the bus at all, so no trade necessary. He just, you know, needed to make sure she was taken care of...odd, surely, as she WAS (or at least appeared to be) an adult, and local..thereby I am not entirely sure what myself the foreigner who's Lao language consisted of 'hello' and 'thank you' was meant to do...suppose make sure she wasn't left at the side of the road toilet stop maybe?
then it turns out she is in the wrong seat anyway so all that for nothing really. Though I had wished she stayed since I then got stuck next to a woman with a small child. One who was kicking constantly, intermittent with screaming. or self being used as nappy changing table, and oh, have i mentioned the puke? kid puked. all over the aisle thankfully not on self. required recall of junior high gymnastics team skills to remove self from seat and not get flip flop covered in it. all to the setting of bad lao karaoke blasted on the TV, and when the finally shut that off the girl behind me was blaring the same stuff from her mobile whilst kicking my seat. i got it from mboth ends!! ahh!!!
one of the best bits was going to the toilet..i tried to do this during our pitstop..in the bus of course was a bush in the dark. not that i've never done that, but considering the bus left with no warning and no one's missing me if i dont get back on..can't risk it. so i used the bus one. but bus left, tossing self to and fro with toilet water, and then i had to get over the people who were sat on stools and boxes in the aisles, which required swinging from the overhead storage bins like tarzan, or cirque du soleil acrobat to get back into my seat. also avoiding the puke.
that couple slept rather soundly in MY seat. I repeated to myself, it could be worse; I could be going all the way to Vietnam, or be in one of those aisle seats, and remembered how lucky I was the next journey would be done by plane.
However, if Luang Prabang was the reward, it was well worth it. I was wondering how it would be, and worried that since everyone had hyped it up so much the power of expectation might cause disappointment, but not so. After finding a suitable guesthouse, in which I had a nice terrace, garden and a view of a few points of the city, I recovered and set off to explore. The concentration of temples is astounding, and the atmosphere is just taking life slowly. I wandered up the hill to the gold stupa I'd seen from my guesthouse room and had a fantastic view of the entire city from up there. And there were surprisingly few tourists. Wandered back down through another temple, where the buddha statues were labelled by days of the week (ie, Saturday's buddha), and there was a buddha footprint. I decided on dinner down by the river at one of the cheaper foodstall/restaurant hybrid things - not quite so casual as the riverside in Vientiane, but great food and service nonetheless!
The following day I took the advice of a few other travelers and decided to hit up the waterfalls, combining with a boat trip down the river to the buddha cave and a village that produces 'Lao Lao' (Lao whiskey). For anyone else wanting to do this or any other trip, I'd recommend allowing the time to shop around; the prices I was quoted varied wildly from 150,000 to 100,000 kip for pretty much the same thing. They of course will want you to book straight away as well...of course, you could also get a tuk tuk to drive you to the waterfalls, or take a motorbike out. However those options work better when you are in a group; for myself, it was cheaper to join the group in the minivan. The waterfall is quite nice, and very refreshing in the heat! You can also see Asiatic black bears that have been rescued from poachers.
The next day was not going to be a full one as I had my flight to Hanoi, but I think I did alright in terms of fitting stuff in! Starting the day off with yoga and then a great little breakfast in Joma (yes, there is a branch in LP so I hadn't had to give up my Joma habit when I left Vientiane!) and then went down to make a deal with the Mekong riverboat drivers to take me to 'the other side'. Again, this is always a problem for solo travelers - the high price paid for complete independence...though I did get him down to 20,000 kips from 50,000 which was alright considering he took me there, dropped me off away from the regular tourist boat stop and waited as long as I wanted which could have been all day had I not had my flight. Well, that was part of my bargaining power I guess, saying he would be back in time to pick up another fare for the day...hee hee.
The other side was less developed, with a paved road for only part of the way (albeit lest we forget the satellite TV!), and very very peaceful. There is a simple temple one can wander up to (of course they will want a nominal amount of money for this from the foreigners) but it was well worth it and the only other people I saw up there were a couple of chatty Australians and the children who are following you trying to get money for flowers. They ask for other things too, such as pens and tissues and can be rather persistent so if you head to the other side be prepared...however it is worth it.
My last activity was of course one of my favourite..haggling with the tuk tuks for transport to the airport. Again I was prepared to part with larger sums than most owing to the solo traveler thing, and when the Aussies from the other side told me it would be 50,000 kip I was prepared for this gouge..so was pleasantly surprised when I began shopping around the tuk tuks and their initial prices were half that. It did make me laugh a bit, how I was just enquiring and their immediate response was 'you go NOW!'. I just thought, I only wish I were able to travel with a small handbag as my only luggage! Anyway, I ended up being stalked by a moto taxi driver (as in he kept following me down the street asking 'have boyfriend? have boyfriend? want Lao boyfriend?'. He asked 40,000 at first, but we agreed on 25,000 for a later guesthouse pickup with luggage and the whole sidecar thing just cracked me up so I thought I can put up with one last lecherous local before hopping the flight to Hanoi.
Oh, and don't arrive at the Luang Prabang airport too early. It's really a very very small airport.
Vientiane 101
During my short 2 week 'sejour' in this city, through the course of my job hunting, I managed to also gather information on staying, eating, and various diversions - and thus, here are the fruits of labour from a once upon a time would be expat (hybrid traveler ;-)):
*note: prices quoted in kip, and current from February 2009. The exchange rate at that time was 8400 kip for $1 US.
Staying:
first off, a NON-recommendation - phone phaseuth guesthouse, on Pangkham Road near Nam Phu square. I never stayed there, but did check it, and the room offered for the price was poor value. I met others who stayed, and were charged upwards of 200,000 kip, which is quite a lot for what they got.
Places I did actually stay - and liked include MOIC guesthouse, which is a few blocks from the Nam Phu square on rue Mantathourat. walk down Rue Settathirat, past khop chai Deu, until you reach the 'True' Coffee place - its very shiny and new, with a red sign. Turn right into the road before it. MOIC is very unassuming - look up to see the balconies, as well as their small blue sign. Its a basic place, but the rooms are large, with balconies, A/C and fan, hot water and TV for 100,000 kip a night. Its in a good location, but note to solo ladies out there - the male staff can be a bit amourous (tho not aggressive) so if this is an issue for you perhaps pass this by....in which case you may want to consider..
Laos Heritage Hotel - an absolutely lovely place (with friendly female staff) set in, as one might guess, a heritage style house. singles go for 125,000 and doubles for 165,000 including breakfast (tea, toasts, marmalade, fruit). they have 2 locations, but the reception for both is Baan Champa, 125 Phnom Penh Road, near the national stadium and tennis courts. the rooms are very cosy and its a quiet place to stay. breakfast is taken outside in the garden, and at the second location (Baan Champi) there is also a large terrace. I really liked it here and felt at home so it was worth the small splurge!
For those who are really on a budget, Sabaidee Guesthouse on rue Settathirat (just next to the 'True' coffee place) is in an excellent location and offers dorms at 20,000 kip per night, singles for 50,000.
Eating:
oh, one of my great joys in life! Especially with all the lovely cafes and bakeries in this town...
For some good, cheap Laos eats and the obligatory beerlao whilst watching the deep red sunset on the Mekong, simply head down to the riverfront; there are innumerable places that are basically simple bamboo huts where you can sit on the floor with cushions and the family running the place will wait on you with smiles. one can get the usual noodle and fried rice dishes for around 15,000 kip, and lovely fruit shakes in the neighborhood of 5,000 - 8,000 kip. If you hit it right, and are on your own, you may find some people to chat with, local and foreign. on a few nights I chatted with a Lao man working in California, but comes back when he can to see his wife.
Bakeries: Joma was far and away my favourite. Located on Rue Settathirat just down from Nam Phu, across the street from the well-known Khop Chai Deu and next to the Pimphone supermarket, they have great hot and iced coffees, light meals such as sandwiches with a variety of breads, chilli in a bread bowl and a nice greek salad. Not to mention the chocolate chip and ginger snap biscuits, which became a daily staple for me along with the fruit shakes and coffees. another popular one was the Swedish bakery, owned by an award winning Swedish pastry chef who chucked all in back home to start up in Vientiane. Outdoor and upstairs seating available at both places, the Swedish bakery is located directly in the Nam Phu square and thus affords a view of the fountain
Breakfast: I was a fan of the simple cafes on Rue Samsenethai, across from the Asia Pavillion hotel. Not far from the black stupa, they all have fruit shake stands out front and offer reasonably prices breakfasts with baguettes, fruit plates or muesli fruit and yogurt. They will also rent bicycles for 10,000 kip a day, but you will need to leave either a passport or $20 US for a deposit.
Fruitshakes - try Noy's Fruit Heaven on Rue Hengboun, not even a block from the cultural centre.
French Restaurants: for great whole wheat crepes, and as they advertise, a charming balcony, head to Ty Na restaurant at 68 Pangkham Road (Nam Phu Square). Prices around 50,000 kip for those, so it's good for a nicer night out or so. Friendly service as well. Closed Sundays. I also ate at 'La Cave des Chateaux' right in the Fountain square, which is also a charming place. I took the steak dinner menu for 67,000 kip which was great and although expensive for Laos, still excellent value by Western standards.
Expat Hangout: Sticky Fingers on Rue Francois Ngin (across from the Hotel Tai pan) is THE place, specifically Wednesday and Friday nights. Food and drink available, and include lemon lime bitters..a treat for me as I've not seen it since Australia, although not surprising given the owner is Australian! For those looking for work or other things with regards to residing there, there is a comprehensive information board located on the main floor.
I had a good pizza at 'La Terrace', which, has a nice terrace and apparently is also recommended for its other dishes.
The Pimphone Supermarket, located on Rue Settathirat right next to the Joma bakery is expat food haven if you are craving something from home, be that europe, N. America or Australia. Of course the price tag for such luxuries is attached, but I did allow it for myself once or twice whilst there. It's also got an information board for expats, similar to sticky fingers and it seems one can get anything in Vientiane..if memory serves I believe I saw a posting there for dog training...
Internet: after hitting a few slow ghetto cafes in the centre, I was pleased to find the cafe at Green Discovery, which is just a few blocks down from the cultural centre on Rue Hengboun. They are also a travel agent and do adventure tours, so one stop shopping if you're after both. They had a decent connection, and appeared to also have wireless, with headphones for skype. they are also open from 8:00 until 23:00, daily, and there was a friendly younger guy there who always greeted you with a smile and 'sabaidee'! It's also a cozy atmosphere.
Laundry: many viable options also exist on Rue Hengboun - often it's next day service for around 10,000 kips a kilo. don't expect ironing like in Thailand though; that will be extra, thank you!
Late night convenience: later fruit shake and snack stands can also be found at the other end of rue Hengboun, as well as a block away at Rue Samsenethai. many shops and thigns shut around 20:00 or 21:00, but at the end of Rue Hengboun (and a few other locations dotted throughout Vientiane) one will find the red-signed 'M Point Market' which is open until midnight and is a sort of hybrid convenience/grocery store.
Cash Machine: Many of these abound in Vientiane, but take note, not all cash machines are created equal. For example, the ones outside the M Point Market have a limit of 700,000 kip on one withdrawal. For those requiring extra cash, and also for a fairly reliable machine, the ANZ bank on Rue Lane Xang will allow up to 2 million kip per withdrawal. It saved me when a few other machines were down that day...
and now for some more fun stuff!!!
Massage: almost about as common as in Thailand finding massage parlours/spas in Vientiane! there are 2 I found that I liked; one was the white lotus, on rue Phangkham, about 50 up from the fountain. the prices are reasonable, in the lower range for Vientiane, and the setting is very conducive for relaxing. The other one, which was probably one of the best value places (cheaper than white lotus, but just as good) is called 'Dao' massage, and is located on Rue Francois Ngin, slightly further up from sticky fingers. It is located above a medical clinic in a charming colonial style area and Dao often leaves his sign out with the prices during the day. If Dao himself is there, allow a few extra minutes to chat with him; he likes the opportunity to practice his English, but said people rarely had the time. It's a pity for them, as I had an enjoyable conversation with him and got some insight into how the local people live and he's a courteous enough fellow.
Swimming: If its sport swimming you are after, you are in luck. there are a few outdoor pools in Vientiane for this, which didn't ever seem to be at all busy. At times I ahd the entire thing to myself to do lanes. One is located in the city centre, just a few blocks behind the large Lao plaza hotel. I believe it is just called 'Vientiane pool', and is a proper 25 meter pool. there are also smaller children's pools..not the most atmospheric place to hang out by the pool, but at 10,000 kip for entry....its still great for those who want a bit of exercise. it's open from 8:00 until 20:00 each day. a bit further out is the sokpuluang pool, which is the same size, but surrounded by greenery...a better option if you want to hang around and sunbathe after. For those wnating to just hang out by a pool, Hotel Lane Xang (at the river end of the road of its namesake) will allow non guests usage for 30,000 kips for one day. I have to say though, they are not all that attentive, so you could probably just try to wander on in and act like you stay there. I'm too honest for this though ;-). A more expensive, but nice option is the hotel Tai Pan.
Gym: speaking of which, they also have a small fitness facility. As I generally only used this, I only know that they charge $6.50 US for entry for both the fitness and the pool which includes towels and drinking water. I was also told of, at the end of my time there, another large fitness facility on DongPalan road, which included a free 1 hr massage!
Yoga: Vientiane Yoga (www.vientianeyoga.com) is a great little studio run by the same lady responsible for sticky fingers, Marnie. the schedule and the map are all on her website. For those staying a longer time, after 6 classes, you get one free. the cost is 50,000 kip and the class lasts 90 minutes. you may want to check the map on the website against a larger vientiane one; if you are in the centre you will need a bike or a taxi - i tried to walk it once and didn't even make it halfway (!).
Sightseeing: not something I really did a lot of, apart from the obligatory Patouxy and That Luang, which are withing walkign distance of each other.
I did however check out a couple of other things that might not be on the usual tourist radar. The first was monk chat; the one I went to was the first ever done in Laos, but if you are lucky they will have subsequent ones. This one took place at Vat Ong Tue, located in the centre just off rue Settathirat. its noted on all the maps. Basically, what it was, was a group of expats bringing monks together with foreigners interested in buddhism. It was a sort of exchange, as the monks wished to practice speaking English, and the foreigners in turn could learn about buddhism from them. At first the monks were a bit shy..well, save for Kheum, who was very chatty with me and keen to practice his English. It was a wonderful 2 hours. Watch for posters in the centre of Vientiane; or closer to the time groups of people will walk around handing out flyers advertising the event. It was pretty low key, and free of charge.
the other thing I decided to go see..as I'd seen many posters in Vientiane, as well as from riding past it on my way to the yoga studio, was something called 'COPE', which stands for 'cooperative orthotic and prosthetic enterprise'. For more information, check their website: http://www.copelaos.org . Basically they provide orthotic and prosthetic limbs, medical care, surgery and rehabilitation to those who are in need and cannot otherwise afford it, quite often the victims of UXO (unexploded ordnance). They have set up a small, very well organized and informative museum, including a variety of documentaries to watch. For me it was a real eye opener and worthwhile to check out and leave a small donation for the great work they do.
Shopping: Vientiane's biggest shopping centre is Talat Sao, which can be accessed easily from Rue Lane Xang, and is also conveniently located across the street from the main post office. Here one can purchase everything from a multitude of 'laos skirts' to mobile phones and Laos SIM cards. next to it is also a H'mong tribe market, and on the other side, the morning market.
*note: prices quoted in kip, and current from February 2009. The exchange rate at that time was 8400 kip for $1 US.
Staying:
first off, a NON-recommendation - phone phaseuth guesthouse, on Pangkham Road near Nam Phu square. I never stayed there, but did check it, and the room offered for the price was poor value. I met others who stayed, and were charged upwards of 200,000 kip, which is quite a lot for what they got.
Places I did actually stay - and liked include MOIC guesthouse, which is a few blocks from the Nam Phu square on rue Mantathourat. walk down Rue Settathirat, past khop chai Deu, until you reach the 'True' Coffee place - its very shiny and new, with a red sign. Turn right into the road before it. MOIC is very unassuming - look up to see the balconies, as well as their small blue sign. Its a basic place, but the rooms are large, with balconies, A/C and fan, hot water and TV for 100,000 kip a night. Its in a good location, but note to solo ladies out there - the male staff can be a bit amourous (tho not aggressive) so if this is an issue for you perhaps pass this by....in which case you may want to consider..
Laos Heritage Hotel - an absolutely lovely place (with friendly female staff) set in, as one might guess, a heritage style house. singles go for 125,000 and doubles for 165,000 including breakfast (tea, toasts, marmalade, fruit). they have 2 locations, but the reception for both is Baan Champa, 125 Phnom Penh Road, near the national stadium and tennis courts. the rooms are very cosy and its a quiet place to stay. breakfast is taken outside in the garden, and at the second location (Baan Champi) there is also a large terrace. I really liked it here and felt at home so it was worth the small splurge!
For those who are really on a budget, Sabaidee Guesthouse on rue Settathirat (just next to the 'True' coffee place) is in an excellent location and offers dorms at 20,000 kip per night, singles for 50,000.
Eating:
oh, one of my great joys in life! Especially with all the lovely cafes and bakeries in this town...
For some good, cheap Laos eats and the obligatory beerlao whilst watching the deep red sunset on the Mekong, simply head down to the riverfront; there are innumerable places that are basically simple bamboo huts where you can sit on the floor with cushions and the family running the place will wait on you with smiles. one can get the usual noodle and fried rice dishes for around 15,000 kip, and lovely fruit shakes in the neighborhood of 5,000 - 8,000 kip. If you hit it right, and are on your own, you may find some people to chat with, local and foreign. on a few nights I chatted with a Lao man working in California, but comes back when he can to see his wife.
Bakeries: Joma was far and away my favourite. Located on Rue Settathirat just down from Nam Phu, across the street from the well-known Khop Chai Deu and next to the Pimphone supermarket, they have great hot and iced coffees, light meals such as sandwiches with a variety of breads, chilli in a bread bowl and a nice greek salad. Not to mention the chocolate chip and ginger snap biscuits, which became a daily staple for me along with the fruit shakes and coffees. another popular one was the Swedish bakery, owned by an award winning Swedish pastry chef who chucked all in back home to start up in Vientiane. Outdoor and upstairs seating available at both places, the Swedish bakery is located directly in the Nam Phu square and thus affords a view of the fountain
Breakfast: I was a fan of the simple cafes on Rue Samsenethai, across from the Asia Pavillion hotel. Not far from the black stupa, they all have fruit shake stands out front and offer reasonably prices breakfasts with baguettes, fruit plates or muesli fruit and yogurt. They will also rent bicycles for 10,000 kip a day, but you will need to leave either a passport or $20 US for a deposit.
Fruitshakes - try Noy's Fruit Heaven on Rue Hengboun, not even a block from the cultural centre.
French Restaurants: for great whole wheat crepes, and as they advertise, a charming balcony, head to Ty Na restaurant at 68 Pangkham Road (Nam Phu Square). Prices around 50,000 kip for those, so it's good for a nicer night out or so. Friendly service as well. Closed Sundays. I also ate at 'La Cave des Chateaux' right in the Fountain square, which is also a charming place. I took the steak dinner menu for 67,000 kip which was great and although expensive for Laos, still excellent value by Western standards.
Expat Hangout: Sticky Fingers on Rue Francois Ngin (across from the Hotel Tai pan) is THE place, specifically Wednesday and Friday nights. Food and drink available, and include lemon lime bitters..a treat for me as I've not seen it since Australia, although not surprising given the owner is Australian! For those looking for work or other things with regards to residing there, there is a comprehensive information board located on the main floor.
I had a good pizza at 'La Terrace', which, has a nice terrace and apparently is also recommended for its other dishes.
The Pimphone Supermarket, located on Rue Settathirat right next to the Joma bakery is expat food haven if you are craving something from home, be that europe, N. America or Australia. Of course the price tag for such luxuries is attached, but I did allow it for myself once or twice whilst there. It's also got an information board for expats, similar to sticky fingers and it seems one can get anything in Vientiane..if memory serves I believe I saw a posting there for dog training...
Internet: after hitting a few slow ghetto cafes in the centre, I was pleased to find the cafe at Green Discovery, which is just a few blocks down from the cultural centre on Rue Hengboun. They are also a travel agent and do adventure tours, so one stop shopping if you're after both. They had a decent connection, and appeared to also have wireless, with headphones for skype. they are also open from 8:00 until 23:00, daily, and there was a friendly younger guy there who always greeted you with a smile and 'sabaidee'! It's also a cozy atmosphere.
Laundry: many viable options also exist on Rue Hengboun - often it's next day service for around 10,000 kips a kilo. don't expect ironing like in Thailand though; that will be extra, thank you!
Late night convenience: later fruit shake and snack stands can also be found at the other end of rue Hengboun, as well as a block away at Rue Samsenethai. many shops and thigns shut around 20:00 or 21:00, but at the end of Rue Hengboun (and a few other locations dotted throughout Vientiane) one will find the red-signed 'M Point Market' which is open until midnight and is a sort of hybrid convenience/grocery store.
Cash Machine: Many of these abound in Vientiane, but take note, not all cash machines are created equal. For example, the ones outside the M Point Market have a limit of 700,000 kip on one withdrawal. For those requiring extra cash, and also for a fairly reliable machine, the ANZ bank on Rue Lane Xang will allow up to 2 million kip per withdrawal. It saved me when a few other machines were down that day...
and now for some more fun stuff!!!
Massage: almost about as common as in Thailand finding massage parlours/spas in Vientiane! there are 2 I found that I liked; one was the white lotus, on rue Phangkham, about 50 up from the fountain. the prices are reasonable, in the lower range for Vientiane, and the setting is very conducive for relaxing. The other one, which was probably one of the best value places (cheaper than white lotus, but just as good) is called 'Dao' massage, and is located on Rue Francois Ngin, slightly further up from sticky fingers. It is located above a medical clinic in a charming colonial style area and Dao often leaves his sign out with the prices during the day. If Dao himself is there, allow a few extra minutes to chat with him; he likes the opportunity to practice his English, but said people rarely had the time. It's a pity for them, as I had an enjoyable conversation with him and got some insight into how the local people live and he's a courteous enough fellow.
Swimming: If its sport swimming you are after, you are in luck. there are a few outdoor pools in Vientiane for this, which didn't ever seem to be at all busy. At times I ahd the entire thing to myself to do lanes. One is located in the city centre, just a few blocks behind the large Lao plaza hotel. I believe it is just called 'Vientiane pool', and is a proper 25 meter pool. there are also smaller children's pools..not the most atmospheric place to hang out by the pool, but at 10,000 kip for entry....its still great for those who want a bit of exercise. it's open from 8:00 until 20:00 each day. a bit further out is the sokpuluang pool, which is the same size, but surrounded by greenery...a better option if you want to hang around and sunbathe after. For those wnating to just hang out by a pool, Hotel Lane Xang (at the river end of the road of its namesake) will allow non guests usage for 30,000 kips for one day. I have to say though, they are not all that attentive, so you could probably just try to wander on in and act like you stay there. I'm too honest for this though ;-). A more expensive, but nice option is the hotel Tai Pan.
Gym: speaking of which, they also have a small fitness facility. As I generally only used this, I only know that they charge $6.50 US for entry for both the fitness and the pool which includes towels and drinking water. I was also told of, at the end of my time there, another large fitness facility on DongPalan road, which included a free 1 hr massage!
Yoga: Vientiane Yoga (www.vientianeyoga.com) is a great little studio run by the same lady responsible for sticky fingers, Marnie. the schedule and the map are all on her website. For those staying a longer time, after 6 classes, you get one free. the cost is 50,000 kip and the class lasts 90 minutes. you may want to check the map on the website against a larger vientiane one; if you are in the centre you will need a bike or a taxi - i tried to walk it once and didn't even make it halfway (!).
Sightseeing: not something I really did a lot of, apart from the obligatory Patouxy and That Luang, which are withing walkign distance of each other.
I did however check out a couple of other things that might not be on the usual tourist radar. The first was monk chat; the one I went to was the first ever done in Laos, but if you are lucky they will have subsequent ones. This one took place at Vat Ong Tue, located in the centre just off rue Settathirat. its noted on all the maps. Basically, what it was, was a group of expats bringing monks together with foreigners interested in buddhism. It was a sort of exchange, as the monks wished to practice speaking English, and the foreigners in turn could learn about buddhism from them. At first the monks were a bit shy..well, save for Kheum, who was very chatty with me and keen to practice his English. It was a wonderful 2 hours. Watch for posters in the centre of Vientiane; or closer to the time groups of people will walk around handing out flyers advertising the event. It was pretty low key, and free of charge.
the other thing I decided to go see..as I'd seen many posters in Vientiane, as well as from riding past it on my way to the yoga studio, was something called 'COPE', which stands for 'cooperative orthotic and prosthetic enterprise'. For more information, check their website: http://www.copelaos.org . Basically they provide orthotic and prosthetic limbs, medical care, surgery and rehabilitation to those who are in need and cannot otherwise afford it, quite often the victims of UXO (unexploded ordnance). They have set up a small, very well organized and informative museum, including a variety of documentaries to watch. For me it was a real eye opener and worthwhile to check out and leave a small donation for the great work they do.
Shopping: Vientiane's biggest shopping centre is Talat Sao, which can be accessed easily from Rue Lane Xang, and is also conveniently located across the street from the main post office. Here one can purchase everything from a multitude of 'laos skirts' to mobile phones and Laos SIM cards. next to it is also a H'mong tribe market, and on the other side, the morning market.
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