Hanoi: A Flashpackers Journey to the Opera House

Tim and I couldn't wait to post these photos because our evening last night was such a contradiction in terms. Our hotel gives us free internet access so we are taking advantage - the hotel staff are annoyed because they cannot play their online solitare but they will have to wait!

So, dinner. We needed a quick dinner so we took to the streets. We saddled up to the kiddie table and pointed at the noodle soup. We safely chose eggs as our protein source rather than the delightful array of "meat" offered. I believe in France, brain, liver and sweetbread are considered a delicacy. God bless the French. This display almost put me off dinner (apologies is it has put you off yours) but this was such a great photo opp. Sweeeeet.





After our fine culinary experience, we popped onto a motorscooter taxi (yes, 2 of us + driver, sorry Mom) down to the Opera House.

We had a special evening with Vu Ngoc Linh, the famous pianist. He started his piano training in Moscow (former Soviet Union, I might add) and won a university scholarship to Rowan University in New Joyzee, USA (that's New Jersey for those who don't get the humour). He was a madman on that ivory - we loved him. And he had a posse of groupees running on stage to give him huge flower bouquets - quite a lovah, lovah, I'd expect.

For those who are interested in what we heard, he played Beethoven: Sonate No. 23 "Appasionata" op.57. He played Scriabin: Etude in C sharp minor op.42. He played Debussy: Estampes. And finally Liszt: Sonate in B minor. For his encore, he played the theme to Sonic, the Hedgehog - an old Nintendo videogame - it added a bit of geeky humour for the audience. I'm sure the song was famous before the videogame, but I couldn't tell you what it was - perhaps Gershwin (the American composer)? Eek.

Ok, finally, as a nightcap, we went back to our neighbourhood and had a final beer on one of the busy corner. Locals and tourists alike gather around on kiddie chairs and have people bring us beer from a keg.

In summary:
Two noodle soups and two beers on the street: $3
Two tickets to the opera house: $20
Two glasses of wine at the opera house: $10
Two beers after the show: 25 cents
Spending two hours with Hanoi's elite and ending up "back in our box" with the other travel w*nkers: PRICELESS

First Day in Hanoi

We love Hanoi! The streets are definitely influenced by the French. They have a beautiful, atmospheric lake in the middle of town, architecture francais, cafes everywhere - and the strongest coffee known to man - 6 hours later, Tim and I are still shaking.

Last night, we walked around the lake, stopping at every al fresco cafe there was having a cocktail, beer or fresh coconut juice.

Today, we went to the Vietnamese Women's Museum. There were photos of the brave women who supported the resistance troops in South Vietnam (meaning the Vietcong). Though they were the "enemy" to the US at the time, it was amazing to see the active participation they took in digging tunnels, schooling children, feeding the soldiers on the front lines, delivering messages, etc. It's interesting seeing the "American War" from another perspective.

I wanted to include this designer vespa - a Louis Vuitton scooter dedicated to Kellie Nicol in London.

An alternative way to see the city is to take a cyclo - these are the recliner chairs we have been describing. Never before have we enjoyed so many new modes of transport. Coming back from the Myanmar Embassy, we decided to take the bus. That was quite a feat considering we had no idea where we were on the map in the first place! It was crowded and hot - very similiar to the public transport in London. We felt right at home.

People tend to use the ground or child size chairs to take lunch breaks. Apparently these "drivers" are having a nice vodka drink on their break. After experiencing the roads here, I guess everyone needs a little Dutch Courage.

We have seen the darndest things here. The relics they seem to worship are hilarious. Seeing images of tigers with big moustashes really inspires me to burn some incense and pay homage to Tom Selleck.

Ho Chi Minh City - Tunnels, Scooters and Aerobics

It has been a vibrant start to our visit to Vietnam- from legacies of the past to experiencing the modern Vietnam. They have their version of Notre Dame. We were lucky to see the Sunday service in action - people attended the service by sitting inside or al fresco, on their scooters.

The city is undoubtedly living in the shaddow of 'Imperialist' conflicts with both France and the US in the last 40 years.

Visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Museum provide a different perspective of the wars that have scarred the countries history. Victory over the imperialist forces remains the overwhelming message to the visitors. A focus seems to be on some of the atrocities that occurred during the war- the blame being attributed to US influence. Early in Vietnam's struggle however some of the acts were by the Vietnamese on their own countryman. Unfortunately, at both the Museum and the Tunnels, the sense of human loss- by each side- seems to be lost amist the focus on the victory over the US.

Shannon made it through the tunnel to experience the narrow passage ways that the VC lived in to avoid US detection. The tunnel complex runs come 250km through Vietnam with several levels going down to 8 meters deep. They should host a ultramarathon here - now, that would be interesting!

Looking to the future- HCMC has amazing energy. The roads are covered with scooters weaving in between both cars and pedestrians. There are no allocated times to cross the road- rather- step out, pick a line and go for it. It strangely works.

We love the scooter experience. As previously mentioned, they are everywhere. People carry EVERYTHING on it - from 4 person families to full sized air conditioning units to up to 10 live pigs stacked up. We even saw a "drive thru-Vietnamese style" with people selling dinner on the streets.

Randomly walking home last night we stopped in a park to see aerobics, Vietnamese style. With a stereo and three instructors about 70 women were lined up following the instructors as best they could- from 15 to 70 the ladies were put through their paces. With no inhabitions the ladies, in their work clothes, just joined in and left, as and when they wanted.

The Mekong Delta- Overpowered by Music & Bikes

Known as the 'rice bowl' of Vietnam, the Delta is a great place to taste a bit of rural Vietnam and experience some interesting road building.

The Vietnamese will never win any road building competitions. There seems to be either an inability or lack of desire to join the road & bridge evenly. Sitting near the back of the bus Shannon and I were tossed into the ceiling frequently. Alternatively- perhaps the bumps are designed to slow down the drivers.......

Anyway- back to the delta-

Having seen a number of floating markets & villages on our travels we wanted the chance to see a bit more. Similarly- the traditional music performance made the some of Eurovision Song contest entries sound like beautiful ballards. Apparently there is a lovely story to explain the sound of some of the instruments however there is still no excuse. Remember 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' at Christmas by the grade 2 violinist and add a crying shrill whilst sitting in 38 degree heat.

Having taken a day trip to Vinh Long we decided to stay a night to see a bit more. After an hour of searching Shannon and I found some bikes to rent for the evening and next day. We cycled down bumpy paths, dodging small children, barking dogs and chickens. We saw kids of all ages doing Vietnamese karate at dusk - the coordination was woeful - no Bruce Lee's coming out of Vinh Long, that's for sure!

The next morning, we took the bikes back onto the delta islands and were able to really explore. Weaving along the pathways we passed villa style homes and shacks almost next to each other. We were surrounded by fruit trees: Coconuts, spiney melons, limes, bananas (see photo) and pineapples. Bridges crossing the riverways ranged from concrete structures to fallen trees to clamber across. As we rode our bikes, we could feel the fresh breeze blowing through our hair (no helmets available, sorry Mum/Mom) and the quiet pathways, it was truly a heavenly experience. Living the dream.

Phnom Penh - Tough History of Cambodia

We knew the day would come that we'd arrive in Phnom Penh and need to visit S-21 and the Killing Fields. We did not take any photos for obvious reasons. We could not believe what we saw: S-21 used to be a school in the middle on Phnom Penh that Pol Pot's horrid, paranoid wannabe Communist regime turned into a prison between 1974 - 1979. People were interrogated and forced to confess crimes they didn't commit then sent off to the Choeukh Eh (the Killing Fields) as their final destination point. Out of the several thousand going into S-21, only 7 survived to recount the details. In total, 1-2 million lives were lost as there were many places like this scattered all over the country. And the population was only 7 million to begin with - the equivalent to London's current population! We were upset for many reasons but mainly because this happened in our lifetime AND it's still happening in other countries today. (Do we sound like travel w*nkers, yet? World peace for all!)

On a happier note, we stayed in the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club) along the river. Check out their photo gallery - so cool - http://www.fcccambodia.com/phnom_penh/phnom_penh_photos.php ! Our room was the same square footage as our flat. Stylish rooms, ambient lighting, large wooden furniture and white linens gave the room a very comfortable feel. And the bar restaurant, on 2 levels, overlooked the river - great for sunset drinks. The guidebook describes it as "a Southeast Asian version of Bogart's bar in the film Casablanca" - we actually didn't want to leave the hotel.... bar!

Other fun things we did was jump onto a "cyclo" which is essentially a recliner chair with a guy pushing you on a bike. Tim and I shared one - not comfortable or relaxing as the traffic here is more chaotic that one could ever imagine - the scooters dominate the roads and resemble a swarm of angry bees. Nobody adheres to traffic lights or crossings so you take your own life at every road crossing. However, it's all exhilarating and great fun.

We have never seen more markets than in SE Asia. It's a fashionista's dream with the amazing clothes, shoes, handbags and inexpensive silk/linen tailors. We have never had as many massages as we have had in SE Asia (when they cost less than a latte, why not?). When returning to London, I doubt we will ever need to visit another market or get another massage again but each time, it is another funny experience!

Cambodia: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

We started off our evening with a traditional Cambodian show. The show was at a restaurant with great atmosphere - dark wood, open air. The show was about an hour (perfect for my attention span) and full of colour. The dance moves could have been performed by Tim, Laurie or myself, but those colourful skirts would have never suited Tim as nicely as the petite Cambodian girls.

The temples around Siem Reap were fantastic. Essentially there are are dozens of temples that are dotted around the countryside- hidden by the jungle until they were found again in the late 1800's. It's amazing that the temples could have been 'lost' for so long bearing in mind just how much land they cover.

Angkor Wat is the most iconic of temples- surrounded by a 100m moat and with only 4 causeways entering into the temple. For the best views of the temple and the surrounding jungle it's best to literally climb up to the 3rd floor. Steep steps with uneven, narrow ledges made for an interesting ascent and descent. At one point 4 monks looked quite perplexed- if ever there was time for some levitation it would have been this.

When in inhabitied in the 12th Centurary Angkor Thom had almost 1million residents. Covering a huge area the temples are spread throughout the jungle. Most memorable was the Bagan Temple with faces carved into the walls & pillars.

Lastly is the temple left to the jungle, and where parts of Tomb Raider was filmed.

The Simlian Islands

The reason for coming to Koh Lhak was to enjoy the coastline and get into the water. In our short stay here we have managed a one day snorkelling trip at the Similan Islands. Renowned for it's diving internationally, the snorkelling was fantastic and certainly the best coral we have seen in our limited diving experience. If we were to have more time, or when we visit again in the future, we will certainly do a live aboard.

I am now getting worried that everywhere we go we have a longer list of things to do than when we arrive.

Stopping in between the 8 islands we found some idyllic beaches to chill out on and relax (not that the day's events were particularly stressful). In particular the bright blue coral was eye catching as were the shoals of fishes being swept along in the tidal movements.

We are hardly roughing it at our hotel: spacious rooms, white fluffy duvets, massages in a small hut on our private beach, pina colada's... our YHA card now sits firmly at the back of our wallet (long live the British pound)...

Koh Lak with the Magentie's

A little bit of France has come to life over that last few days as we have enjoyed the company of the Magenties in Koh Lak (Laurie/Lol, Valerie and Luc). Closing our eyes and listening it would have been easy to think we were in France with the Magentie's switching between English and French. Obviously Shannon and my participation when speaking French was more limited earlier in the evening than late.

We celebrated Thai New Year (it's 2511 rather than 2007) at a great fish restaurant owned by a very camp Thai guy. He and his staff were running around the restaurant smothering us with white powder. They also like to splash water on you which is quite refreshing in this 1000 degree heat.

Hiring vespas to explore some of the coast proved an interesting adventure. Heading off to see the Tsunami Memorial the heavens opened, leaving us stranded in a gas station for an hour playing card games with minature cards. Importantly, the hiring of vespas gave me the opportunity to rid myself of the demons from our honeymoon. Unfortunately however, I am still particularly slow on the vespa and not very good at taking corners. I became the co driver as Shannon took the stering wheel......

Koh Lak was one of the most affected areas of the coastline in Thailand. Over 8000 people died as a result of the Tsunami in Thailand- circa 3000 were tourists. Arriving in the town it is striking to see the areas that were hit. There are literally no houses pre dating the tsunami. All the new developments have taken a relatively standard design with subtle tweaks. In one way it is a shame as the Thai / local identity seems to have been lost in the redevelopment.

The shear force of the tsunami is made apparent as a Police boat (cira 60 foot) has been left beached almost 2 km in land in the middle of a field. It remains as a monument to those that died. Unfortunately the official memorial is less impressive- there seems to be no explanation of why the memorial is located there, or any tributes to those affected and the subsequent work done to recover from the event. Having said that, you can not visit an area so devestated by one single event without visiting the memorial.

Thailand: Kanchanaburi and Koh Pha Nagn

Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is really known because of the Death Railway where over 100,000 men lost their lives building a railway to Burma. The town is now a bustling tourist destination because of this- though some of the tours seem to neglect the reason for visiting.

Combining visits to several of the museums, cemetry and of course the bridges was certainly poignant.

On the lighter side of things we had our first elephant trek and 'rafting' experience. The jury is still out as to which wild animal is the more uncomfortable to ride - though I think the camel just about wins it. Shannon particularly enjoyed feeding the elephants after our trek- she must have an affinity with animals with larger than average noses.

We are supposed to be in the hot season at the moment. Returning to the hotel for a sundowner we were greated with torrential rain. Myself and a German traveller valantly tried to finish our drinks before moving on. As a tree branched crashed through the roof we finally decided to beat a hasty retreat to the only solid looking part of the building. Standing in the kitchen did not seem such a good idea having noticed the fine selection of sharp implements hanging on the wall.

Koh Pha Nagn

Our first long distance travelling by public transport- to be honest it was not bad- but I think 10 hours overnight in a train is a good start. (Shannon's edit: Travel path was 2 hours on wood seats on slow train. Tim treated me to a lovely street vendor dinner with mystery bits. Then the 10 hour upright journey to the South. They gave us fresh white blankets which helped. Let's see: Train station transfer to port 1 hr. 4 hour ferry ride. 30 min songtheaw ride to another area of island. And finally a wooden pirate boat to our secluded beach! Hurrah!).

Thai timekeeping is interesting. The 2 hour ferry actually took 4 hours in perfect conditions. Not to worry- a chance to catch up on sleep missed the previous night and to get some valuable sun bathing in. Again, too much time in the sun and I have been working on turning rouge to brown.

We are staying in The Sanctuary on the island http://www.thesanctuary-kpg.com/. Accessible by boat or a 5km jungle walk it's perfect to relax and chill out. Shannon has attended a number of yoga & meditation sessions which seem to be really good. We tried a meditation session that required dancing and shaking for 30 minutes (SP: VERY strange). I've not danced sober for almost 20 years so am sure it would have been a sight to behold. Unfortunately there are no photos! We may try another session tonight (SP: Well, Tim might as he really liked the shamanic spacey meditation teacher who walks around fanning himself with a red feminine paper fan).

The hotel also offers fasting courses up to 7 days. Due to time we are only fasting for one day. So far it's going well though I am a little apprehensive about the end of the day. (SP: The day consists of 2 psyllium husk and volcanic clay shakes, a bunch of strange herb capsules, coconut mik - that was nice, veggie broth - tonights dinner, and other odd bits. 1 day will be enough.) Colonic irrigation should be an interesting experience - DIY style.

On a separate note- we must be getting old as we opted not to go the 'half moon' party last night. If you ask me it sounds like another way to get people onto the island on a more regular basis......a cynic as well as getting old.

Bangkok with Laurie

Our first couple of days have been filled doing admin - travel agents, visa's and final vaccinations but we have done a few fun things as well: Riding the touk touks, sundowners on the river at the Oriental, 2 great dinners sitting in outdoor gardens. Tonight, we had a massage after dinner. Duration 1 hour at 11pm for 5GBP. We love the hot nights and Tim seems to have adopted an interesting way of dress to cope with the heat (see photo below). Luc is arriving tomorrow and we have plans to meet up in the island area near Phuket.

Singapore Visit: Marc, Zoe, Sasha, Mia PLUS Bov

We had 4 days in Singapore and had a superb visit with the Leaver family. All were on great form - especially Sasha and Mia, our little friends under the age of 2. We went to the Botanical Gardens, the Zoo and Santosa Island. The photos below are: us at the trendy "IndoChine" restaurant by the river and a journey with Bov into the SE Asian Ibiza-influenced "Cafe del Mar" beach bar - we had one cocktail and really enjoyed the people watching. Singapore is super clean and such a diverse national population however they need to stop building so many shopping malls - how many Prada bags can one gaze upon in every shop window?

New Zealand: Waitangi/Bay of Islands with David & Ali Keys

Behold, Tim and the goatee. After travelling the south island, we wanted to spend a few days north of Auckland near the Bay of Islands. David and Ali Keys were incredible hosts and arranged an official Maori welcome on their Marae. This is probably one of the most historical places because this is where the Maori and British signed the agreement in 1840 to "share" the land (this is all subject to interpretation, of course!). It was a great time- the incredible views, fresh fish and chips, fabulous wine, visiting charming little ports, throwing the ball for Doris (the golden lab hostess) and warding off ghosts...
There is a photo of the "jandal" (flop-flop to non-Kiwi's) fence. The goal for Shannon is to have such deep flop flop tanlines on the feet that I will look back at my feet at the end of summer and remember this great trip! We even hiked to the top of a steep hill in them.