Saturday, August 25, 2007

Holiday ends on a shit note!

We survived dodgy food for two weeks eating in markets and watching food being prepared on dirty chopping blocks off the floor, and it was the last meal, just hours before departure that brought me unstuck!

Breakfast was simply bacon and eggs with toast, nothing different to what I had every other morning. We headed to the airport and flew from hanoi to KL. Feeling a little funny didn't make me suspiscious because its a constant feeling over there. During our stop over the stomoch cramps started and let's just say "the brown river was running"!!

For the following 10 hours or so during the stop over and flight to melbourne I was as crook as a dog, not knowing which end was going to release fluid!

Enough info, but let's just say that flight was painful! Not enough to ruin the holiday at the end of the day though!!

Gotta go, toilet break!!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Times up

Well that's about it. Last day of holiday coming to an end. Tomorrow we will walk up the street for breakfast, come back to the hotel, checkout and head off to the airport.

Today we visited the ho chi minh museum which was pretty boring but certainly draws a big crowed. Lots of photos and just a handful of artifacts about uncle ho chi, boring for an anglo I guess!! We couldn't get to the morteum. The old guy isn't buried, he sits on a concreate bed in a massive freezer so fans can go and visit him - decades after his death!! Everytime we tried to get close to the building security guards blew their whistles at us and waved us away. It doesn't open to the public everyday so I guess we just picked the wrong time to go.

All in all, vietnam has been a fun trip, highlight being the overnight junk boat on halon bay. Probably wouldn't be in a hurry to come back, unlike bali vietnam doesn't rely on the tourists so they really don't cater for you as well. There are plenty of western cafes and resteraunts, but they aren't as "friendly" or as excited to help you and get your business like in bali. I'd still recommend others to come and see it for yourself though - cheap ass beers is enough reason alone!!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Hanoi

Yesterday we checked in to the dashing hilton in hanoi. It is certainly streets ahead of the hiltons in australia! The pool however is a little too warm, yesterday the pool temp was 28 degrees, more like swimming in a spa!

We walked around the old quater of hanoi this morning. The streets are named appropriately to the goods they are selling. Spice street (in vietnamese) has shop after shop selling spices etc. Very interesting and easy to find what you're looking for - if you speak vietnamese of course.

We took a cyclo tour this afternoon and went to the art museum. Saw many old and new artifacts. Took some photos of the lake in the middle of hanoi etc.

Much the same tomorrow and then friday we pack up and head home to dreary melbourne!! Can't live in 30+ degrees and high humidity forever I guess!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

How's the serenity

While sitting here relaxing on a junk boat sailing accross halon bay I thought I'd drop a line.

Sunday night we arrived in hoian and went straight to our hotel. We caught a mini bus first thing in the morning and took a 4 hour ride to halon bay port. Hundreds of junk boats line the docks. Just looking at them made my guts start churning. They don't really look sea worthy. Much to our surprise our "VIP" room was rather spacious and very comfortable. As well as that, halon bay is surrounded with massive rock formations, so the water is very calm, no chance of sea sickness! Too many beers was going to be my only enemy!!

So we stayed onboard overnight and woke at sunrise, a little too early while on holiday if you ask me! We've climbed to the top of mountains and explored caves. Not to mention the large amounts of fresh seafood that we've consumed!!

This afternoon we jump back on the bus back to hoian and arrive at the hilton. We drove past it yesterday and it certainly looks flash!!

Halon bay has certainly been a highlight of the trip.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Beer alert!

If only I found out about this earlier, just found the local beers aren't saigon larger or 333 which cost about $1 each. The local brew is actually only sold on tap and costs just around 1500 dong. Let's just say that I can pretty much now get drunk after spending $1

Sunday, August 19, 2007

out of range

the last 4 days have been spent lazing on the beach and pool in hoi an. unfortunately there is no data services for mobile phones here so i havent been able to check messages or emails. we are off to hanoi tonight so blackberry should be up and running again. if you've left phone messages or emails for me i will check them tonight or tomorrow.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Lazy day

Today was a lazy day of doing not much. Casual stroll to the park and that's about it! We check out of the hotel tomorrow morning and take our flight to hoi an to stay at abeach resort. Swimming pool here we come!!!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Roadside bomb!!

Today we went on a hydro-foil to vung tau. The hydro-foil's are a dodgy enclosed bullet like boat that hoons across the top of the water. It kinda feals like you're in a plane from the inside. Little windows and seats 4 together with an isle down the middle and everyone facing forwards.

Vung tau is a much smaller town than ho chi minh so the blokes offering rides on their motobikes are far more persistant. One bloke actually followed us for almost an hour as we walked: "hot isn't it, want a ride", "you're going the wrong way, the good beach is 5kms the other way". Finally we gave him the slip and found a real cab, sure enough the motorbike rider was right, the good beach was about 5kms away and it was in the opposite direction to where we were walking!

In the cab ride all was well. We were driving along the coast line looking at the various sites such as the massive jesus statue on the hill when we heard an explosion and broken glass flew through the window. BANG!! We were in shock thinking someone had thrown something at the taxi (perhaps a pissed off motorbike rider that we refused to ride with) but I actually saw smoke at the drivers window. We all gathered ourselves together, counted our limbs, and realised we were in vietnam - not iraq. It turned out the silly cab driver had put his lighter on the door edge in the hot sun. It got so hot it exploded and shattered the green casing all over himself and us! All part of the $1.50 fare I guess!!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Its hot!!

I'd like to add to my previous statement: when it rains it pours, when its hot its damn #*+$! hot!!

The last 2 days has had very little rain and its probably because its been so hot. Its ok, I've kept my fluid levels right up. There is now a shortage of the locals brews in saigon!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

when it rains, it pours


one of the annoying things about melbourne is not being able to tell what the weather is going to do. vietnam on the other hand, you can almost tell whats going to happen next based on the time of the day. at around 3pm EVERY day, a massive onslaught of rain comes down on everything and everyone. people scurry for cover, and almost instantanly motorbike riders are wearing ponchos'. almost as quickly as the rain starts, it stops... much better than melbourne!

photos uploaded

hey all, just letting you know i've uploaded a few photos to the flickr account. obviously there are many more but the slow internet in vietnam means it takes too long to upload them all!

anyway, here is the link for the vietnam photos - http://flickr.com/photos/russdoig/sets/72157601314165231/

PS. i havent had time to photoshop them, they'll look better when we get back in oz!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Beer again.....
Speaking of beers while shopping, I'm sure chaddy would get heaps more blokes in store if there were a few bars.... Naaaaa

Mmmm beer

Doesn't matter where you travel to, you have to try the local brew. And my god, if I liked bintang in bali, I love saigon draught just as much. And yes, just like bali we stop off regularly for a pit stop while shopping. Ohh, here we are again, another $2 and yet another beer!!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Day 1..... Still

Day 1 is coming to a slow end. After pretty much zero sleep on the plane I've really struggled today.

We checked into our hotel, made the apparent BIG mistake of paying US$6 instead of $5. Seemed reasonable for a 20 minute taxi ride I thought!

The hotel isn't all that flash. It is however a friendly safe room and in a good area of town so its all good from that perspective.

We managed to book flights and accomodation for the remainder of the trip so that's a relief. We will be in saigon for 6 nights doing a few bits and pieces like visiting the tunnels and markets etc. We will then be flying to Hoi An and staying at a bloody nice beach resort. Then off to hanoi where we have an overnight cruise booked.

Ok, off to another $5 main meal so that will be it from me for day 1. Perhaps by day 2 I will have learnt how to say good bye in vietnamese.

The only word I've learnt so far is kaluar which means "exit" so that will have to do..

Kaluar

Ouch...

Ouch, what was that!!!?

Ohh, that was culture shock smacking me right in the face! Headache is getting worse with all the tooting horns. And from a flight full of drunk vietnam vets (aussies of course). I see resemblence between them and our blokes camping trips ie no problem what so ever drinking as the sun rises!!

Almost there

One flight down and one to go. About to board "aero-train"!! Straight out of demolition man!!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Can't even get a duty free large whopper with cheese meal. This massive bottle of vodka will have to do.

On the way.. Almost

In the car on the way to the airport. Only thing that can stop us now is if I've forgotten the passports..... Hmm, think I've got em.

Next post will be from KL or Ho Chi Minh. Or if I get board in qantas club over the next 3 or so hours!

day 0...

last day of work before we head off… this day could be the longest workday of all time…. desperately trying to squeeze the next 2 weeks of work into one day…