Yesterday we started the long and brutal trip home. We left Ho Chi Minh Airport at 8:25 pm in the midst of heavy rain and some lightning. A few hours earlier there was a wicked thunder and lightning show that made me wonder if we would ever lift off.
The Turkish Airlines flight to Bangkok was very rough and for the first time in many years I needed to know where the air-sick bag was. Fred slept through most of this 90 minute flight.
We had two hours to kill in Bangkok so we visited the Star Alliance Lounge where we could rest comfortably. Very nice airport.
We used Thai Airlines to complete the five hour flight to Seoul. It was comfortable and smooth. Both Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines are top-notch carriers, but the seats in the Turkish plane were much more comfortable.
The airport at Seoul is very hi-tech and ultra modern. They deal with long layovers like ours (10 hours) by having every imaginable convenience available. They have an intransit hotel where you can book sleep time in six hour segments, without having to go through customs.
For the well rested traveller they have a driving range, two movie theatres, fitness centres, a mini golf course and tons of restaurants and shopping.
As of yet, we haven't used any of these facilities as we are not well rested. Instead we are spending most of our time in the Business Lounge trying to sleep. However, we did use the showers and the massage chairs to revive the bodies.
It took us almost one hour to get from the plane to the Air Canada transfer booth, first we were sort of lost and secondly this place is huge.
We still have four hours to wait out in Korea.....it will be a long afternoon!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Eating in Vietnam
The Vietnamese diet is amongst some of the healthiest in the world. They live on rice, fish, fruit and vegetables. You seldom see an overweight person living and working in Vietnam.
We found there were three distinct styles of cooking. In the North the food is rather bland and does not use a lot of herbs. Central Vietnam uses the chili rather freely and the food is hotter and spicier than any other region.
The food in the South is sweeter due to fact that the people here use sugar cane in many dishes.
I didn't have a favourite region, but I did eat a lot of fresh (not fried) vegetarian spring rolls everywhere. Pho was a regular at all meals, including breakfast. Pho is a noodle soup often containing pork or chicken. You add your own flavourings when you eat your soup, things like basil or beansprouts.
We tried lots of other foods, some of which we didn't have a clue as to what we were eating. I know we didn't eat dog or rat! We tried the rat meal once in Belize and once is enough!
Fish didn't make make my list of favourites and neither did the chicken.
Rice and fruit were served everyday and in hundreds of different ways. I didn't try them all, but those I did eat were excellent. The most interesting way of cooking rice was the sticky rice ball that we saw being cooked at a roadside restaurant.
We found there were three distinct styles of cooking. In the North the food is rather bland and does not use a lot of herbs. Central Vietnam uses the chili rather freely and the food is hotter and spicier than any other region.
The food in the South is sweeter due to fact that the people here use sugar cane in many dishes.
I didn't have a favourite region, but I did eat a lot of fresh (not fried) vegetarian spring rolls everywhere. Pho was a regular at all meals, including breakfast. Pho is a noodle soup often containing pork or chicken. You add your own flavourings when you eat your soup, things like basil or beansprouts.
We tried lots of other foods, some of which we didn't have a clue as to what we were eating. I know we didn't eat dog or rat! We tried the rat meal once in Belize and once is enough!
Fish didn't make make my list of favourites and neither did the chicken.
Rice and fruit were served everyday and in hundreds of different ways. I didn't try them all, but those I did eat were excellent. The most interesting way of cooking rice was the sticky rice ball that we saw being cooked at a roadside restaurant.
Vietnamese Streets Continued
Okay, so we got lost! We walked for what seemed like hours and after a lot of nagging Fred finally asked for directions. Everyone sent us in different directions until we were completely confused.
Not even the locals knew where the street was and finally one gentleman told us "you are really lost". As if we didn' t know that already.
We were looking for the Black Cat Restaurant and finally settled on the Spotted Cow - both animals, right! So I think we did okay..... Thank God Fred was leading!!!
Not even the locals knew where the street was and finally one gentleman told us "you are really lost". As if we didn' t know that already.
We were looking for the Black Cat Restaurant and finally settled on the Spotted Cow - both animals, right! So I think we did okay..... Thank God Fred was leading!!!
Complexities of Vietnamese Streets
We are planning our strategy to find tonight's restaurant. I have marked the route on my tattered Saigon city map and have also written down the directions on a notepad. Let me know if you know any shortcuts.
From our hotel (Sanouva) on Ly Tu Trong, turn left, go one block and turn right on Truong Dinh. After one block turn left at Nguyen Du. After two blocks turn right at Cach Mang Thang Tam. In three blocks turn left at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. In four blocks (only if you are on the north side of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai) turn right at Nguyen Thuong Hien. In about 320 metres turn left into Duong So 4 alley and then in about 400 metres you will find Phan Van Dat. The Black Cat restaurant is #13.
I wonder if I have to take a map or if I have it down pat now? Thank God Colleen isn't leading!!
See you there.
Fred.
From our hotel (Sanouva) on Ly Tu Trong, turn left, go one block and turn right on Truong Dinh. After one block turn left at Nguyen Du. After two blocks turn right at Cach Mang Thang Tam. In three blocks turn left at Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. In four blocks (only if you are on the north side of Nguyen Thi Minh Khai) turn right at Nguyen Thuong Hien. In about 320 metres turn left into Duong So 4 alley and then in about 400 metres you will find Phan Van Dat. The Black Cat restaurant is #13.
I wonder if I have to take a map or if I have it down pat now? Thank God Colleen isn't leading!!
See you there.
Fred.
Modes of Transportation
We did it! Our mental list (mine, anyways) was completed when we took a cyclo back to our hotel. We thought it would be too nerve racking in the heavy traffic of Saigon, but it was an easy trip back to our hotel.
We have used taxis to get to and from the train stations, plus we have been picked up in private cars at the airports. Private cars seem to be our favourite mode of transportation for tours.
We have braved the streets of Sapa on the back of a motorcyle which was scary in itself. The weaving in and out of cars was a little much for me, but I did it! I even rode a motorcycle in the hills of Vietnam.
In Hoi An we were willing to tackle the street traffic on a peddle bike. It wasn't as bad as I thought, except for the fact that I missed our hotel and ended up right in the middle of the busy part of town. I will never lead again! We also rode bicycles through the jungles of the Mekong Delta - no traffic to speak of!
The train is a convenient method of transportation when travelling long distances, such as from Hanoi to Sapa. They aren't always the cleanest nor the most comfortable, but they are reliable.
The rivers were an interesting way of travel. We travelled on tour boats meant for 16 people. The one below was our boat on the Mekong.
The most memorable method of travelling on the river was the sampan. I loved being that close to the water
Regardless of where and how we travelled, we always came back to the best method for us - walking. We walked constantly, sometimes as much as 10 - 12 kms a day. It is the best for us as we can stop whenever we wish and do whatever we want.
We have used taxis to get to and from the train stations, plus we have been picked up in private cars at the airports. Private cars seem to be our favourite mode of transportation for tours.
We have braved the streets of Sapa on the back of a motorcyle which was scary in itself. The weaving in and out of cars was a little much for me, but I did it! I even rode a motorcycle in the hills of Vietnam.
In Hoi An we were willing to tackle the street traffic on a peddle bike. It wasn't as bad as I thought, except for the fact that I missed our hotel and ended up right in the middle of the busy part of town. I will never lead again! We also rode bicycles through the jungles of the Mekong Delta - no traffic to speak of!
The train is a convenient method of transportation when travelling long distances, such as from Hanoi to Sapa. They aren't always the cleanest nor the most comfortable, but they are reliable.
The rivers were an interesting way of travel. We travelled on tour boats meant for 16 people. The one below was our boat on the Mekong.
The most memorable method of travelling on the river was the sampan. I loved being that close to the water
Regardless of where and how we travelled, we always came back to the best method for us - walking. We walked constantly, sometimes as much as 10 - 12 kms a day. It is the best for us as we can stop whenever we wish and do whatever we want.
Weather Report
If I was as interested in the weather or weather channel as Fred, you would have received a DAILY report....but I will only give the highlights!
August is in the heart of the rainy and monsoon season so we expected daily rain and sometimes worse. We actually got the opposite of that and had a very dry and hot spell. In fact, the whole trip was stinkin' hot!
We had a few thunderstorms at night, but by morning everything was as it should be.
Not once did we get caught in rain....that is until today. We returned from the Mekong tour and after checking into our room we went for a short walk. We only walked about 100 metres when we were stalled by a sudden downfall, along with fierce thunder and lightning.
We took shelter under a store canopy and before we knew it the shopkeeper had brought chairs for us to use - Kindergarten size, of course.
On our return we were stopped again, only this time by a storm that lasted about an hour. We took refuge in a restaurant and sat in comfortable chairs watching life go on in the rain, drinking a glass of imported wine!
August is in the heart of the rainy and monsoon season so we expected daily rain and sometimes worse. We actually got the opposite of that and had a very dry and hot spell. In fact, the whole trip was stinkin' hot!
We had a few thunderstorms at night, but by morning everything was as it should be.
Not once did we get caught in rain....that is until today. We returned from the Mekong tour and after checking into our room we went for a short walk. We only walked about 100 metres when we were stalled by a sudden downfall, along with fierce thunder and lightning.
We took shelter under a store canopy and before we knew it the shopkeeper had brought chairs for us to use - Kindergarten size, of course.
On our return we were stopped again, only this time by a storm that lasted about an hour. We took refuge in a restaurant and sat in comfortable chairs watching life go on in the rain, drinking a glass of imported wine!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Day Two on the Mekong River
After a restful night we were ready to tackle the busier part of the river. Yesterday we boated and biked through canals and narrow pathways, today we toured the floating markets which showed the hustle and bustle of life on the river as Vietnam knows it.
The markets open around 5:30 am and run until 10:00 am. The seller's boats are moored on the open river for over a month or until their supplies run out. They live on these boats, but have a smaller boat that they use to go to the orchards to get their supplies.
The buyers show up in their own boats to purchase cheap fruit and vegetables for their restaurants or their own market in town.
This market is strictly for the local people and is not set up for tourists, although they do tolerate the tour boats floating through the market. The local boats don't look very sea-worthy to me, but neither did the tour boat below!
Women would wind their small sampans through this maze to sell breakfast from their boats.
We had to force ourselves to leave this exciting area to go check out the orchards and to sample many of the different fruits they sell.
The Mekong River has so many canals branching off that the only comparison I can make is that it is like 8th Street with the canals being the streets that come off there, like Preston Avenue.
The tour, even though it was just new, was awesome and our tour guide was perfect for me as he never lingered too long in one place. Today he was a little slower as he must have partied too hard last night and this morning much of his free time was spent finding a place to throw up. Did we give him a rough time? Never! I hear Ukraine tour guides do much the same thing.
We are now back in Saigon with plans to do very little this evening. Tomorrow we will try to see some of the sites of the city, buying last minute gifts and trinkets.
We head out to Bangkok on the evening of the 23rd so the time of trying to get all our things into a small backpack is getting closer.
The markets open around 5:30 am and run until 10:00 am. The seller's boats are moored on the open river for over a month or until their supplies run out. They live on these boats, but have a smaller boat that they use to go to the orchards to get their supplies.
The buyers show up in their own boats to purchase cheap fruit and vegetables for their restaurants or their own market in town.
This market is strictly for the local people and is not set up for tourists, although they do tolerate the tour boats floating through the market. The local boats don't look very sea-worthy to me, but neither did the tour boat below!
Women would wind their small sampans through this maze to sell breakfast from their boats.
We had to force ourselves to leave this exciting area to go check out the orchards and to sample many of the different fruits they sell.
The Mekong River has so many canals branching off that the only comparison I can make is that it is like 8th Street with the canals being the streets that come off there, like Preston Avenue.
The tour, even though it was just new, was awesome and our tour guide was perfect for me as he never lingered too long in one place. Today he was a little slower as he must have partied too hard last night and this morning much of his free time was spent finding a place to throw up. Did we give him a rough time? Never! I hear Ukraine tour guides do much the same thing.
We are now back in Saigon with plans to do very little this evening. Tomorrow we will try to see some of the sites of the city, buying last minute gifts and trinkets.
We head out to Bangkok on the evening of the 23rd so the time of trying to get all our things into a small backpack is getting closer.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tour of the Delta
Mr. Fred Humeny and his lovely party left for a two day tour of the Mekong Delta this morning and they both had a great time, especially the lovely party!!!!
We had the same guide and driver as yesterday and almost made it to Can Tho without an accident - it was minor but still took up some of our time.
The Mekong Delta is what I have been waiting to see, it was everything I expected and more. The river is brown from all the silt, just like the Mississippi and the Nile.
We went on a new tour that has only been in operation a short time. In fact, we were only the eighth couple to talk this particular one.
We started the day with a two hour drive to the delta and from there we hopped on a boat that was ours for the day. No problems, just a rudder that kept slipping and we would drift away. Our pilot would disappear every so often to fix it on the go.
We had a smaller boat so we could go down some of the canals that took us through the local fishing areas. It was fantastic to see life on the river
It was a full day as we stopped at a small brick factory and a coconut candy maker. Plus, we stopped to observe women making traditional mats.
We also stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. To get there we had to ride bikes on a narrow pathway through the jungle for at least 20 minutes. No sliding off the trail here or you would end up in a canal full of who knows what!
The highlight of the day was the trip back to our boat - we had to take a sampan with a local guiding the boat. I felt like we were right in the middle of the jungle! No snakes!
After another two hour drive, we are spending the night in a luxury hotel on the river. We left the booking of the tour too late and all the reasonably priced hotels were full. For a country where $3.00 rooms are possible and $60 rooms are the norm, spending $176 is unheard of. We take the blame for this one.
Tomorrow morning we are being picked up at 7:30 for a tour of the floating markets. More on that when we get back to Saigon - we learned today that the inner city is called Saigon and the outskirts is called Ho Chi Minh City. Confusing to all tourists.
We had the same guide and driver as yesterday and almost made it to Can Tho without an accident - it was minor but still took up some of our time.
The Mekong Delta is what I have been waiting to see, it was everything I expected and more. The river is brown from all the silt, just like the Mississippi and the Nile.
We went on a new tour that has only been in operation a short time. In fact, we were only the eighth couple to talk this particular one.
We started the day with a two hour drive to the delta and from there we hopped on a boat that was ours for the day. No problems, just a rudder that kept slipping and we would drift away. Our pilot would disappear every so often to fix it on the go.
We had a smaller boat so we could go down some of the canals that took us through the local fishing areas. It was fantastic to see life on the river
It was a full day as we stopped at a small brick factory and a coconut candy maker. Plus, we stopped to observe women making traditional mats.
We also stopped at a local restaurant for lunch. To get there we had to ride bikes on a narrow pathway through the jungle for at least 20 minutes. No sliding off the trail here or you would end up in a canal full of who knows what!
The highlight of the day was the trip back to our boat - we had to take a sampan with a local guiding the boat. I felt like we were right in the middle of the jungle! No snakes!
After another two hour drive, we are spending the night in a luxury hotel on the river. We left the booking of the tour too late and all the reasonably priced hotels were full. For a country where $3.00 rooms are possible and $60 rooms are the norm, spending $176 is unheard of. We take the blame for this one.
Tomorrow morning we are being picked up at 7:30 for a tour of the floating markets. More on that when we get back to Saigon - we learned today that the inner city is called Saigon and the outskirts is called Ho Chi Minh City. Confusing to all tourists.
Lazy Afternoon
What can be better than having a nice cold beer on a 'stinkin' hot day? Nothing, unless you are also getting your sandals cleaned and polished at the same time.
We got back from the tunnels around 2:00 and all we wanted to do was sit back and relax. We walked to the backpacker district (low-budget travellers) and watched the excitement as we enjoyed a bowl of Pho and a beer.
Fred got his sandals polished and then mine were cleaned thoroughly - okay, maybe there was a little odour to them after 23 days of constant wear! Poor guy! All of this for $2.00 total.
On the walk home we had to have a beer in the Baba Restaurant, but we couldn't even finish the beer as there was a guy bothering everyone who came close.
We got back from the tunnels around 2:00 and all we wanted to do was sit back and relax. We walked to the backpacker district (low-budget travellers) and watched the excitement as we enjoyed a bowl of Pho and a beer.
Fred got his sandals polished and then mine were cleaned thoroughly - okay, maybe there was a little odour to them after 23 days of constant wear! Poor guy! All of this for $2.00 total.
On the walk home we had to have a beer in the Baba Restaurant, but we couldn't even finish the beer as there was a guy bothering everyone who came close.
The Tunnels
The Cu Chi Tunnels are located approximately 60 kms north of Saigon. Tours or hiring a private car and guide are the only way to get to the tunnels so we chose the latter for $39/person.
The introductory video indicated that the tunnels were built for the War with the Americans, but they were in place before this war started. Even so, the way they were used in the Vietnam War - I mean the American War, was ingenious.
The Viet Cong and their sympathizers lived in these tunnels and used them for protection from the invading armies. There were three levels that offered protection from chemical warfare and the constant bombing, with the deepest level going to 18 metres.
The tunnels were interesting in themselves, but the booby or hidden traps on display were disturbing. I guess the movies on the American War were more realistic than I thought.
The most interesting attraction was a hidden entrance to the tunnels. As I have said before, Vietnamese people are tiny and the entrances were built for their body size. Our guide liked to say that if the Americans followed they would often get stuck.
Fred is not a big man, but even he felt closed in and uncomfortable.
We were told that the area around Cu Chi is called "White Land" by the locals because rice and fruit trees can no longer grow there. Tom, our guide, blamed it on Agent Orange because this area was one of the heaviest bombed areas in the South.
Rubber trees have been planted and they are now a thriving business around Cu Chi.
At the end of the day we tried something new, tapioca. It tastes much like a mushy potato and probably will be left on my plate from now on.
The introductory video indicated that the tunnels were built for the War with the Americans, but they were in place before this war started. Even so, the way they were used in the Vietnam War - I mean the American War, was ingenious.
The Viet Cong and their sympathizers lived in these tunnels and used them for protection from the invading armies. There were three levels that offered protection from chemical warfare and the constant bombing, with the deepest level going to 18 metres.
The tunnels were interesting in themselves, but the booby or hidden traps on display were disturbing. I guess the movies on the American War were more realistic than I thought.
The most interesting attraction was a hidden entrance to the tunnels. As I have said before, Vietnamese people are tiny and the entrances were built for their body size. Our guide liked to say that if the Americans followed they would often get stuck.
Fred is not a big man, but even he felt closed in and uncomfortable.
We were told that the area around Cu Chi is called "White Land" by the locals because rice and fruit trees can no longer grow there. Tom, our guide, blamed it on Agent Orange because this area was one of the heaviest bombed areas in the South.
Rubber trees have been planted and they are now a thriving business around Cu Chi.
At the end of the day we tried something new, tapioca. It tastes much like a mushy potato and probably will be left on my plate from now on.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Dining on the River
Our last night in Hoi An was spent in a restaurant overlooking the river that flows through the town. It had the most amazing desserts and that was the number one reason for choosing the place - Fred had the last say on this!
Vietnamese wine is not some of the best we have tasted so it was a pleasure to find a place that served foreign wines.
This morning we had an early flight to Ho Chi Minh City which was formerly called Saigon, even though the locals are hesitant to change the name.
We are staying in the heart of the city very near the market. We spent the day arranging tours to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. We do the tunnels tomorrow and then on the 20th we leave for two days on the delta.
Vietnamese beer is excellent, but sometimes we would like a glass of wine (see above statement) so today we set out to buy a bottle. That was an experience in itself! Wine stores are relatively hard to find in this country so we decided to test the local knowledge.
We stopped at the market to ask a shopkeeper if they knew where we could buy wine. What a mistake....they told us to wait one minute - we did and eventually were presented with a bottle of local wine. Not what we were looking for, but we kept our options open. She wanted 480,000 Dong and we felt good bargaining her down to 200,000 Dong.
All was well and good until we were close to the hotel and we finally found a wine store and they had our wine for 60,000 Dong! Talk about losing your glow! Plus the wine is almost undrinkable, even with hours letting it air. Love it!!!
Vietnamese wine is not some of the best we have tasted so it was a pleasure to find a place that served foreign wines.
This morning we had an early flight to Ho Chi Minh City which was formerly called Saigon, even though the locals are hesitant to change the name.
We are staying in the heart of the city very near the market. We spent the day arranging tours to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta. We do the tunnels tomorrow and then on the 20th we leave for two days on the delta.
Vietnamese beer is excellent, but sometimes we would like a glass of wine (see above statement) so today we set out to buy a bottle. That was an experience in itself! Wine stores are relatively hard to find in this country so we decided to test the local knowledge.
We stopped at the market to ask a shopkeeper if they knew where we could buy wine. What a mistake....they told us to wait one minute - we did and eventually were presented with a bottle of local wine. Not what we were looking for, but we kept our options open. She wanted 480,000 Dong and we felt good bargaining her down to 200,000 Dong.
All was well and good until we were close to the hotel and we finally found a wine store and they had our wine for 60,000 Dong! Talk about losing your glow! Plus the wine is almost undrinkable, even with hours letting it air. Love it!!!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Silk Worms
Yesterday we rented bikes ($2.00 per day) for a trip to the beach 4 kms from our hotel. The beach area is very nice and well developed, but we didn't spend too much time touring around as there were a few more things we wanted to do in town.
Once back in Hoi An, we went to a shop that has silk worms on display. They showed us the complete process from the starting worms to the actual retreiving of the silk. Our guide told us that the silkworm isn't really a worm, it is a caterpillar.
The woman on the floor is separating the worms from their waste and mixing them in with new and clean food.
As the worms get larger, they put them on a screen so they can produce the cocoons from which the silk threads are extracted.
The last stage is the spinning of the silk from the cocoons gathered the screens. Each cocoon offers as much as 600 metres of silk thread.
The store also had women working with other fabrics, making rugs and material for shirts.
Another tour completed on the recommendation of our "tour guides". Well done!
Once back in Hoi An, we went to a shop that has silk worms on display. They showed us the complete process from the starting worms to the actual retreiving of the silk. Our guide told us that the silkworm isn't really a worm, it is a caterpillar.
The woman on the floor is separating the worms from their waste and mixing them in with new and clean food.
As the worms get larger, they put them on a screen so they can produce the cocoons from which the silk threads are extracted.
The last stage is the spinning of the silk from the cocoons gathered the screens. Each cocoon offers as much as 600 metres of silk thread.
The store also had women working with other fabrics, making rugs and material for shirts.
Another tour completed on the recommendation of our "tour guides". Well done!
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