Dan's Travel Log

« October 2004 | Main | January 2005 »

November 18, 2004

October 9-17 - Vietnam Holiday

Lydia and I decided to make the most of one of the Khmer holidays, Pchum Ben, which was a Tuesday-Thursday holiday, by taking off both weekends and the entire week, and heading to Vietnam (I’d been told that no students would turn up on the Monday or Friday).

Sat 9th October – We started our trip with a bus to Neak Luong. We were wrongly informed by the travel agent that we would be getting a boat ‘from’ Phnom Penh. There is a $15 fast boat that goes directly from Phnom Penh, but the ‘el cheapo’ boat only goes from Neak Luong. While we waited for the bus, we realised that our friends Inga (German) and Alfonso (Mexican) would be doing the same trip as us – the more the merrier, hey! After the 20 minute ordeal of getting out of Phnom Penh (normality to us), it took us another 80 minutes to get to the boat.

The boat is the same type that goes from Sihanoukville to Koh Kong, yet I think that it’s better designed for the relatively easy trip down the Mekong than the Sihanoukville-Koh Kong oceanic journey… The boat ride was very relaxing, sitting around, soaking up the sun, cruising down the river… We even rode on top for most of the trip :)

(Inga and Alfonso) - (Alfonso and I)

We had to disembark at the border, get stamped out of Cambodia, then stamped (and bags x-rayed) into Vietnam. Once ‘in’ Vietnam, we then got another boat, with a different crew who then took us the rest of the way to Chau Doc.

(Small boat from border to Chau Doc)

The second boat trip was very exciting, as our first taste of Vietnam became obvious… the residences, structures, boats and people along the Mekong River distinctly different from anything seen in Cambodia.

Most of the travellers decided to head to the recommended guest house, located a few Kms from Chau Doc, on Sam Mountain. After dropping a few passengers at Chau Doc, we got to enjoy even more boating sights to Sam Mountain. The trip by boat to Sam Mountain was probably the most interesting because we saw the ‘back’ of a large number of Vietnamese houses, watching people cooking, cleaning, kids fighting, water being collected, etc. Unfortunately for you, poor reader, we were too engaged in watching to be bothered taking photos!

A few minutes before docking, the rain hit… Yes, its rainy season, so we had to expect it, but this was the first of it for the entire journey. We ran to the tuk tuk, dumped our bags inside, managing to squeeze about 8 bodies and bags in!

The tuk tuk was not powerful enough to make the last 100m climb to the guest house, so we had to get out and make a run for it! After the physical exertion, it was very pleasant to uncloak and chill out on the terrace, watching the rain. Once the rain stopped, we were amazed by the beauty of the scene in front of us… A spectacular view of river, land, crops and sky.

Although our boat lady had called forward to the guesthouse, there weren’t enough rooms for all of us. Some of the people with us went off to find another place to stay, but we were enjoying the view and wanted to stay, so we waited to see if a current guest would be leaving…

We did finally get a room to ourselves, which was very lucky and appreciated. That night, we ate there, watched TV and talked before taking ourselves to bed.

It’s very strange in Vietnam, most people stare, smile and wave at ‘the funny tourists’ that we are, something that doesn’t really happen in Cambodia (that I’ve found). In Cambodia, you are either someone to attempt to retrieve money from (in cities), not worthy of their time (Cambodians with money) or something to be scared of (in provinces – kids mainly)

Sunday – Pretty lazy day. We got up relatively late (Hey, it’s a holiday isn’t it?) We walked up the mountain with Inga and Alfonso. On the way, we found a couple of local women splashing around in a stream that was running down the road. They were very friendly, and we enjoyed a few minutes of frolicking, even though we couldn’t really verbally communicate. Half way up, we left Inga and Alfonso to theur own devices, as they were looking for rocks to climb (they’d brought climbing gear). The pinnacle offered stunning views, overpriced drinks and souvenirs, and a few caged monkeys. We’d decided to catch a 2pm bus, and as time was running away, we got motos back down the hill to the guesthouse.

We really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of the guesthouse, and Sam Mountain in general. We would have liked to spend more time there, but we did also want to see more of Vietnam.

We had lunch at guesthouse then get on motos to bus station in Chau Doc. We got a relatively clean and new minibus to Cantho - a 3-3.5 hour trip. This was our first major road trip in Vietnam, and even in these more provincial areas, it’s so developed – the infrastructure is like ‘real’ countries – and it’s not so dusty/dirty like Cambodia. It’s hard not to keep comparing to Cambodia, Vietnam usually being lightyears ahead in terms of infrastructure and development, making it seemingly more livable and comfortable.

We arrived after dark in Cantho at some random bus station/parking area. No-one was really very helpful, and so it took us a long time to find a taxi to get us to the guesthouse we’d picked. Interestingly, Vietnam isn’t full of motodops vying for business. We got to the guesthouse – small, relatively dingy, but it did the job. Probably should have looked at the Guesthouse II place… Note for next time. Checked in and got some info on the canal tours. We went for dinner on Riverside of Cantho – We ate downstairs at a reasonably high class restaurant – Nam Bu. The food was excellent, as was the service, and with a couple of courses and beer the total was still only $10. We bought some snacks on the way home (beef jerky, nuts, bikkies) for the following day. We also ordered the 8 hr option of boat trip from proprietors of guesthouse.

Monday 11th – Had to wake up early for the boat trip, although we possibly weren’t early enough (for sunrise). We spent the day being guided around the canals of Cantho. We saw 2 floating markets, stopped at a waterfront café for morning-tea (same place as the other tourists, so much like other places, there are ‘tourist routes’), then headed into the throng of canal city…

(Actualisation of Lydia’a Gypsie roots!)

We found the trip to be entirely luxurious, sitting in a boat, eating and drinking when we wanted to, buying freshly cut pineapples at the floating markets, and even being able to fall asleep if the urge arose (what a holiday life!!)

Again, on the tourist route, the boat man dropped us where the other tourists were, but we knew the prices to be inflated, so only had a drink there. We finished around 2pm, utterly exhausted – maybe too much sun – but relaxed after an enjoyable day.

After an chilled out afternoon nap in a different room (we moved upstairs, and had a couple of rooms to ourselves, plus a balcony!)… We went walking around the riverside again, then out to dinner – this time at a ‘local’ restaurant – ate Pho Bo (mmmm), and fresh spring rolls (and I repeat, mmmm). After dinner we went walking and found ourselves having a drink at The (5 star) Golf Hotel – very swish.

(Uncle Ho Statue - Cantho – looking like The Tinman!)

Drinks weren’t too expensive, all things considered, at $2-$3 each. Lydia wanted to go for another drink – at a local Karaoke bar, so we went on bigass Karaoke cruise boat. We sat on the top deck, ordered some beer, and listened to some ‘not bad’ Karaoke. We didn’t think the boat was actually boat-worthy, let alone thinking that it would actually GO somewhere whilst we were aboard!! We therefore had 90 minutes of Karaoke, conversation and Saigon beer while the BFB (Big – floating - Boat) took us on a tour around the bay of Cantho. On exit we were charged a nominal boat ticket fee, it was an amazing experience (not to be missed!) We had another drink and dessert at Nam Bu before going to bed.

(Dan in concentration mode – doing the daily finances :P)

Tuesday – Went by bus to Saigon. Slept a little on the bus. Arrived at an outer HCMC bus depot, then put on a free minibus toward the city. We got motos to Miss Liu’s Guesthouse, which is located south of the ‘backpacker area – Pham Ngu Lao’. Miss Liu’s is a charming minihotel - friendly service, elegant wooden spiral staircase, room with all the amenities we need (TV, fridge, bathroom). Went for a little walk around Pham Ngu Lao area – including delicious pizza and pasta dinner (Yes, we know, not very Vietnamese, but Pizza is significantly more expensive in Cambodia!). We then went by cyclo to AQ Café – The Lonely Planet labelled it a groovy jazz café in Saigon. It was very nice, with a very funky atmosphere, live pianist, very ‘civilised’, unfortunately quite expensive. If I didn’t remind myself I was in Saigon, I could have sworn I was in Crows Nest, or some Eastern Suburb café.

Wednesday – Exploring Saigon. Saw the square (re: Quiet American), some boat making shops, etc. Wandered all over the city, shopping at various markets. Afternoon drink (Try the custard apple shake!) at a café in middle of small park – nice and relaxing. I bought a heap of snack foods, some suit pants and some shirts (for work). Lydia bought a handbag, some pants and a couple of pairs of shoes. We bought some spring rolls and beer on the way home – had an in-house dinner and movie night.

Thursday – Lydia went to a tailor to make a suit – interesting process, watching the measuring and fitting... We drove around some other areas of HCMC, including some outlying market somewhere, not even sure which one it was… We also drove around Cholon (the Chinese area, re: The Lover), had lunch there (some fried fish and rice, plus beer of course). We also visited a few wats/temples – some of which were quite impressive (some of which were impressively touristy!)… It was a long, slightly frustrating day (driving too much, not organised, and not very focussed). Had coffee at a Trung Nguyen café to chill out…

We explored the War Remnants Museum in the early afternoon – very interesting – after which we got the peak hour traffic clips.
Download Saigon Traffic.wmv
(This is how well the traffic works in peak hour… Will have to make some Phnom Penh clips for comparison)

We had a beer at GO2, a ‘groovy’ new bar in backpacker area. Dinner at the Lotus Restaurant (near corner) – full hotpot – awesome! We also invested in an incredible coconut/rum cocktail, which had fresh coconut :)

Lydia had her jacket fitting after dinner, after which we bought apple pie for dessert. We went home for another easy night in watching TV and some incredibly fast and incredibly cheap internet…

Friday – Went back to shopping centre near Cholon as Lydia wanted to buy some pearls. We found the shop, and then had an amazing shopping experience – the owners were German-Vietnamese who had come back to Vietnam due to lack of work – so she was able to communicate very clearly in German and bought a complete set of pearls (for next to nothing!)

We also went to a supermarket and bought a whole bunch of cool things… food, drinks, etc. Vietnam is so cheap!!

Dinner at Ben Tanh market – Pho and Bun – delicious… We then spent the evening shopping around Ben Tanh. After a couple of days of deliberation, I finally decided to buy the shoes I liked (They’re black, semi-formal, semi-casual) – 550,000 dong, approx US$35. Quite a lot for me for Asia, but they are nice, I couldn’t find them anywhere else and I probably would have regretted it if I hadn’t.

That night we went to Underground (bar/club). I saw Brandon (teacher from Regent, just moved to Saigon), but before I had the opportunity to say hi he was gone! Oh well. Didn’t enjoy underground too much – quite exxy, and not the right ‘feel’. We went for a walk around the block then went to a Vietnamese nightclub which had beel blaring at us the whole time we were outside. It was incredible – 2 real DJs, 4 decks, an MC, strobes and everything!!! It was just like being in a Sydney club! (I say again, Saigon is a ‘real’ city!) We didn’t stay too long, as we weren’t really in a clubbing mood, but it was definitely good to see. We then went to Saigon Restaurant for a last drink, but quickly followed some new friends to ‘Lost in Saigon’ round the corner.

Lost in Saigon is a pretty dark, loud, happening club in Pham Ngu Lao area (apparently the best place to be after 12pm). After some time we realised that it had become male oriented…. In both the fact that it was a pick up joint where local pro’s work, as well as a male-male pickup joint! We shared a very nice vegetarian burger (midnight munchies) before heading home.

Saturday – Another fitting for Lydia – more adjustments on the pants (had to push this through as we were leaving the next day!). Went to see the Cathedral, for Lydia’s confessional (hehe), but it was closed for a private wedding. We drove around and had coffee and cake at the Windsor Hotel (nice and relaxing). Lunch was again at the Lotus – quickly becoming a favourite. Lydia then did some shopping while I had a seeing-hands massage ($3!). In the evening Lydia picked up her suit and we had dinner at Pho 2000 (the presidential Pho shop…). Service could have been better, but at least the pho was good (special beef, which had various types and cuts, very tender…)

Then an early night in, ready for the trip home the next day.

Sunday 17th – Early AM motos to travel agent, then the 2-3 hr bus trip to border. Same routine at the border as when Dad and I did it (realised we should have asked about the $9 direct bus – no stopping at border!), waiting, walking, waiting…

Got home about 5pm, glad, yet not glad to be home. Cambodia really is backwards in many ways… Very difficult to ‘take’ if you’ve just seen the brilliance of Vietnam and Saigon.

All up, we spent $300 (not including shopping expenses) together for the 8 days. Not bad :)

Summary of Vietnam/ Our Trip:
It was an amazing week away from home (Phnom Penh), and we were absolutely blown away by the beauty and comparative development of Vietnam. We got ‘stuck’ in Saigon/HCMC for about 5 days, but that wasn’t a problem, we really enjoyed being in a real city again – Cambodia just doesn’t cut it in that regard. For some, HCMC is possibly ‘too much’ like a real city, heading towards Bangkok, Sydney, Berlin, London, and therefore many people don’t like it (and therefore DO like Phnom Penh). But for Lydia and I, it had been 4-6 months since being in a real city, and it was bliss!

Definitely want to spend more time in the Delta next time, but theres also so much more of Vietnam to see, all the way up the coast from Saigon, Na Trang (hoped to get there this time, but no), all the way to Hanoi and the entire northern region. Maybe the next trip will be through Laos into the north of Vietnam :)

Posted by Dan at 03:09 AM | Comments (3)