Tag: Hue

Hue, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur

March 26, 2016 / terry

Hue, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur 14-24 March 2016

The second week of the PVI project in Hue provided more work than the first. Enough progress had been made at the Hope Centre to allow a painting team to get started. It proved to be hard work. Many of the walls were newly rendered and the cement was still wet. The builder supplied some very cheap, thin white paint but no sealer so the paint simply soaked into the walls as fast as it was applied. Three and even four coats were still not enough to give a good finish. Still, we did the best we could and worked hard to try to complete as much as possible. Past projects have always been completed on time, or at worst, a few bits of painting remained for a skeleton crew to finish off after hand-over. This time, the time-line has been set by the local builder and the job will not be complete. Our contribution has been considerable but the main responsibility lies with the Vietnamese team, who would not be as concerned as us if the work is finished a few days late.

Work on the Hope Centre

Members of the team came and went, some took a trip over the mountains to Hoi An to scope out some possible work for 2017 and others took overnight trips to various locations. The dreaded illness also seemed to strike some down, not the usual tummy wog experienced in these parts but more of a cold/virus thing. We seem to have avoided it so far.

It seems as though we have been in Hue for months rather than a bit more than a week. Negotiating the hustle and bustle of the city streets is second nature to us now. Food wise, we have explored most of the tastes and places on offer around our area and have even given in and had pizza and a few chips. It is amazing how good mundane western food tastes after a diet of noodles and rice. One thing we will miss when we get home is the coffee. Vietnamese coffee does not suit everyone’s taste but we love it, either cold or hot, along with a good dose of sweet condensed milk. It is strong with a heavy mocha flavour. Our attempts to replicate the taste back in Australia, using the same equipment and imported Vietnamese beans, never seem to work for some reason.

It will be a wrench tearing ourselves away from the amazing breakfasts every morning. We have had daily access to all kinds of yummy pastries and tiny sweets, as well as pancakes. The egg chef has been kept busy and the home made yoghurt is the best ever. Despite all the walking and hard work, there seems to be a kilo or so added to the frame so it will be cold porridge and thin gruel for the next few weeks.

Friday was the deadline day and when it finally arrived, it was surprising just how well everything had gone. The Hope Centre was ready for occupation, with the painting not finished to our standards but certainly good enough. The Lotus Centre looked terrific and the changes that have been made, with increased sheltered areas, are certainly appreciated by the group of disabled folk who rely on the centre for support.

Handover Ceremony

The handover ceremony consisted of an inspection of the completed work and the usual speeches, along with a spread of food and drinks at the Lotus Centre. It was quite a large crowd by the time the clients of the centre, the local workers and the remaining PVI members all joined together. With a few beers down, it occurred to us that the whole job may have gone better if we had started out with a party to get to know each other. It was one of the better after work parties we have been to in Vietnam and it was satisfying to see just how pleased the users of the facility were with their new buildings.

We said our farewells to all the other PVI workers, most of who would have departed Hue by Sunday, and made our way back to the hotel to pack ready to move on.

We caught the Friday night train out of Hue at 9pm with a 15 hour trip to Hanoi ahead of us. Our four berth compartment was already occupied by a young British guy travelling on his own. By coincidence, he had just come from WA for a friend’s wedding in Yallingup. We chatted for a while and learnt that he was a vegetarian, which is definitely not a problem in Vietnam, but also allergic to nuts. I’m not sure how one would cope backpacking with a nut intolerance, especially in a country where people will answer “yes” to any question they don’t understand. Around 11:30pm, the train stopped in Dong Hoi and a local girl joined us to complete the set.

Dawn saw an overcast sky with a lot of mist and light drizzle, typical for this time of year. We have done quite a few train trips through the northern parts of Vietnam and enjoy them. The never ending rice paddies are broken up now and then with small villages and the occasional provincial town. Having worked in similar surroundings, the scenery is familiar. We relaxed, read and dozed until the train neared Hanoi. We had a moment of nostalgia when we stopped at Phu Ly station. Everything looked so familiar, even though it has been a couple of years since we were last there. The town looked much the same, with a few new buildings going up, although we heard from our friend Van later that the big market had burnt down, causing quite a few problems for those who relied on it for business.

As we left the station in Hanoi, the usual taxi tout rushed over and bullied us about taking a cab. Looking around, there did not seem to be a well organised rank like in Danang and Hue. He assured us that he had a metered taxi, and led us to an unmarked four wheel drive. We refused that and insisted on a meter so he took us to marked cab, which did sport a meter on the dash. There was no sign of the driver but the tout bundled our bags into the passenger seat, covering the meter up and shouted over the crowd for the driver. The driver eventually turned up, grabbed the offending bag and put it in the boot, but then moved another bag to cover up the meter again and we took off. When we got to the hotel, the final bill was 376,000dong, about $22 for what should have been a $4 trip. I was quick to get the bags out of the car before we refused to pay. He opted for 200,000d but we stood firm and gave him 100,000d, still generous but enough to shut him up without a brawl in the street. Gotta love Hanoi!

An easy re-wiring job

The Old Quarter of Hanoi has undergone a few changes in the last few years but mostly for the better. On weekends, the Ma May area and surrounding streets are now closed to traffic from 7pm onwards. In practice, this means the traffic eases between 7 and 8pm before the streets become totally clear. Lights have been strung above all the streets and the atmosphere is fabulous, buoyed up by the presence of a few market stalls and some street performers. Fortunately, the el cheapo fresh beer (Bia Hoi) and the street food vendors remain. There were a few other PVI people in Hanoi so we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ together, cooking little strips of chicken and vegetables over hot plates with a beautifully spiced marinade. The weather warmed, we ate, we drank, we walked, all as one should do when in Hanoi.

With Van in Hanoi

Our main reason for coming north to Hanoi was to catch up with Van, the lovely young girl from the Rice Restaurant in Phu Ly. Although we had not seen her for nearly three years, we had kept in touch via email and Facebook. We brought her a wedding present of an Australia themed table cloth, about two years late, but better late than never, and spent a fabulous morning with her wandering the Old Quarter. Van did not know this part of Hanoi well so together we worked out where we were with a map and found our way to the markets. Having a local with you in the markets cuts out all the hard work of settling on a good price of being forced to buy things you don’t want. We had loads of fun wandering the markets and buying bits and pieces for the grandkids. Then we went to a restaurant and shared lunch before saying our farewells, with Van facing an hour’s drive home to Phu Ly. She is still studying and commutes to Hanoi on weekends for study. On weekdays, she teaches accounting at the University in Phu Ly. It was wonderful to catch up with her and see how she has grown into a very sophisticated young woman.

Our friend Quyng

On our final night in Hanoi, we headed down to Bia Hoi corner to have a drink with Quyng (the shoeshine man). He is a very likeable guy who always greets us warmly and asks after other members of the PVI team. He lives in a village about 100km out of Hanoi and returns home for a few days every couple of weeks. The rest of the time is spent finding ways of earning a living on the streets of the Old Quarter. He could be so much more, with his obvious intelligence and good levels of English. We always enjoy catching up.

We have noticed that the various small eateries have really expanded around the Bia Hoi corner. Where once there was two or three kerbside beer kegs going, now most places run a Bia Hoi, selling draught fresh beer at prices as low as 16 cents a glass. It must be having an impact on the larger restaurants and bars because the security patrols now turn up at regular intervals and throw everyone off the streets. Quyng told us that they were not police but security, employed by the Government. They will stand around and do little for a while then suddenly order all stools and tables removed from the roadside areas. Sometimes, they will confiscate the stools and tables, later selling them back or selling to the larger establishments. While we were having a meal later on, they came through and we had to scamper for cover as the eateries rearranged the furniture, meals and all. The whole process is mystifying but fun to watch. I guess I can see the larger restaurant owners’ point of view but one feels for the little guys too.

Bia Hoi

An early morning flight out of Hanoi bound for Kuala Lumpur brought our Vietnam trip to an end, a welcome return after missing a few years. We will be back.

Yummies in KL

Kuala Lumpur was unchanged, not surprising considering we were here only two weeks ago. We made our way back to the Hotel 99 and checked in. This time, we had given ourselves an extra day in KL and needed an activity to fill in the time. Despite the fact that we have been to KL many times, we have never fully explored the city, tending to just wander the markets and eat wonderful food. We stopped in at the travel desk in the hotel lobby and booked a half day tour of the main sights of the city, then went out to wander the markets and eat wonderful food. After a plate of Bee Hoon, some excellent crispy squid and six pairs of sox, it was back to the hotel to watch a Jackie Chan movie (appalling).

The next morning, we had a rare sleep-in, followed by a lazy morning, before setting off in the afternoon for our city tour. There were only ten on the tour, yet they still took us around in a large tour coach, quite a feat of driving in the congested roads of Kuala Lumpur. The driver new all the short-cuts and work-arounds to avoid the many traffic jams. The tour was excellent and we certainly saw a lot of sights that we otherwise would never see. The National Museum was very well presented and we would have liked to have more time there, exploring the excellent exhibits portraying Malaysia’s colourful past. The chocolate factory was the usual selling stop but at least they gave plenty of tasting samples and we did end up buying some for family anyway. Batik is a craft form we both admire. The Batik Centre had some fine examples and we could watch people at work on some amazing creations. There were photo stops at the famous twin towers, a war memorial, the King’s Palace and other points of interest. It was after 7pm by the time we got back to the hotel, somehow managing to be the last drop-off.

Petronas Towers

The King’s Palace – KL

The Batik Centre

Our last night in KL was spent having a beer (surprise) and searching out some Murtabak, our favourite straits food. We have sampled this delight in Singapore, Melacca, Langkawi and Penang and always try to experience it when in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the Murtabak we found in Jalan Pudu was acceptable but not up to our exacting standards. Christine can do better. The pancake was thin and the filling too thick. Oh well, we’ll just have to try again another time.

The 7am Star Shuttle Bus had us heading back to the airport the next morning on our way home again. It was great to catch up with old friends, make some new ones and touch base again with our beloved Vietnam.

Phong Nha Caves

March 15, 2016 / terry

Phong Nha Caves 12-13 March 2016

The weather in Hue turned bad at the end of the first week of our PVI project and prevented our work team from completing the outside work. A small crew could still work on the electrics and ceilings at the Hope Centre but with so many of us looking for work, we decided to head off on a sight seeing trip for the weekend. One group headed off on Friday afternoon to Phong Nha, a bus trip of around 200kms. We were too tired to face a four hour mini-bus trip so we elected to go on our own on Saturday morning.

We had an early breakfast to be ready for the mini-bus, which arrived half an hour late anyway. We squeezed ourselves into the back seat, where the bumps are magnified but the leg space is better. I hate mini-bus trips. It wouldn’t be so bad if one couldn’t see ahead. I favour painting over the windscreen. It wouldn’t make any difference to the driver because they don’t seem to worry about other vehicles anyway. They are incredibly skilful but still terrifying. We shared the back seat with a Belgian couple who were only travelling as far as Dong Hoi. They were good company and I managed to understand 80% of the conversation.

Our cosy little mini-bus

The bus followed Highway 1 as far as Dong Hoi then turned inland to the mountains. The countryside south of Dong Hoi is very different to other parts of Vietnam being largely sand dune country with low-lying sparse scrub. Except for the difference in plant species, one could mistake the scenery for parts of Australia. Once in the mountain foothills, the rice fields returned, and later, fields of corn and peanuts dominated. The bus we were on was actually part of a tour which would normally depart Hue and return in the same day. That makes for 400km of travel in a mini-bus, a very unexciting lunch at Phong Nha and a one hour tour of Paradise Cave. One hour of touring one cave hardly seems worth the effort and risk to life and limb but plenty of people do it. The guide did convince us to join their tour of the cave for a small fee and it made sense to agree. Following that, they would drop us off at our hotel in Phong Nha.

Along the way to Paradise Cave, a group of four back backers were dropped off at the Dark Cave, where they could engage in a series of adventure activities, including sailing a flying fox across a gorge, cavorting in a mud pile and falling into rivers. We thought we had fared much better when we got out of the bus at the Paradise Cave to be transported in electric buggies the 1km to the entrance. Then the truth came out. It was a further 520 steps up a mountain to the cave entrance. It was a hard slog.

The Paradise Cave

The cave itself was staggeringly beautiful. The Paradise Cave is the final 1km of a 31km long cave system through the mountains, the longest cave system in the World and discovered as recently as 2005. In places, the cave ceiling is more than 80metres above the floor and yet stalactites seem to nearly reach the floor from the top. These are caves that put the others we’ve visited to shame.

The walk down the 520 steps from the cave was probably harder than the climb up, certainly for Christine who’s knees appreciate stepping up far more than a downward motion. Once back in the bus, we stopped again at the Dark Cave to pick up the backpackers. A young German couple joined us on the back seat and immediately became entwined like a couple of snakes. The girl must have assumed I liked her because she had no issues about spreading herself evenly between her friend and me. She just had ways of taking over space with her body. Fortunately, it was only twenty minutes or so back to Phong Nha and we surrendered the whole back seat to the Germans.

Our hotel, the Mountain View, was a small family run business and very good value at $14 a night. The room was basic but spacious and clean. A highlight was the way the network cable ran in through the bathroom window, disappeared into the wall for a metre or so then emerged again to cut through into the bedroom. The view from the windows was wonderful, with a single row of buildings across the road backed by the sheer rise of a line of limestone mountains. In the morning, the mist pouring down the mountains created a picture postcard view. We wandered down through the small town and found some food, washed down with a glass each of Vietnamese Dalat wine. Either the Dalat Wine has improved or our tastes have deteriorated because we have not been able to drink it before. Now it is passable without being great.

The wonderful morning view from our hotel window

In the morning, we endured the hotel breakfast of flat omelette and baguette. Once we had figured out that the butter was rancid and scraped it all off the baguette, we at least managed to eat something. A banana was the highlight.

A short walk took us down to the dragon boat area where we could purchase tickets to tour the Phong Nha Cave and Tien Son Cave. The price of the cave entrance was cheap enough but to get to them meant hiring a dragon boat at 400,000 dong ($23). The boat took up to 14 people so it meant forming our own group. A few more people came along and Christine went into tour guide mode, gathering money from four young Spanish guys and a father and son French pair. Sharing costs between eight brought things back to a good price and together we made a cheerful group, especially since the others had a standard of English far surpassing our French or Spanish.

Entrance to Phong Nhu Cave

The boat trip was a noisy half hour affair down a river full of life and activity. Many small boats were engaged in raking the river boat for weed, which was piled up on the boats. The final purpose of this venture is to provide food for fish farming and fertilizer. Eventually, our boat turned into a smaller stream and deposited us on the bank near the point that the stream disappeared into the cliff face. We followed the signs to Tien Son Cave. Mostly, the signs pointed upward and we followed a tortuous set of steps worse than the climb up to Paradise Cave. Reaching the top was an achievement in itself. The cave was glorious, far smaller in scale than the Paradise Cave but even more spectacular for its amazing formations.

The Tien Son Cave

We explored the interior of the Tien Son Cave for a while then made our way down the steps. The Spanish guys stopped halfway for a beer but we didn’t trust ourselves to make the bottom in one piece so resisted and opted for an icecream at the bottom instead.

When the whole group was at the bottom, we got on board the boat again and entered the Phong Nhu Cave with the engine off and the two crew paddling using long flat oars with rope rowlocks. The girl at the bow weighed about the same as one of my legs but still managed to labour on the oar for the next hour or so as we glided through the beautiful cave. It was so restful that at one stage the soft creaking of the oar and gentle surging of the wooden craft lulled me off to sleep.

Rowing the boat into Phong Nhu Cave

Eventually, we were dropped off on a sandy shore within the cave and we followed the well-made walkways back to the entrance and daylight. By Vietnamese standards, entrance fees to the caves are quite high but they reflect the effort and money that has gone into providing safe and secure infrastructure. The walkways are superb and can cater for the large crowds they get. The lighting in the cave is excellent and is aimed at providing a natural looking enhancement of the features rather than a gaudy light show. Work is underway to open up more of the 31km of the Paradise Cave system and the people of the area can only benefit from the increased employment opportunities that such a wonderful natural feature provides.

The morning cave tour had taken up four hours and we didn’t have a lot of time to spare getting back to the hotel to pack, check out, have lunch and catch the mini-bus for the return to Hue. The drive back was a little worse than the outward trip because the last hour or so was in rain and darkness, which made it appear certain that many motor bike riders would die because of us. Somehow, the driver managed to avoid them all and we arrived back in Hue around 8pm, tired and stiff in the legs from all the climbing but well satisfied with our trip.

Hue, Vietnam for PVI Project

March 10, 2016 / terry

3^rd March to 5^th March 2016 – After a couple of years of missing the PVI Project in Vietnam, the stars have aligned for us again and we are off to complete another two week job. This time, the project has relocated to Hue, on the Central Coast. The job is a continuation of the one started last year, working with the Office of Genetic Counselling and Disabled Children, to upgrade and convert some old buildings into working facilities.

We left Perth for Kuala Lumpur, faced with two days of planes, busses, trains and seemingly endless hours of airport waiting. As every year progresses, the airports get classier, bigger and sometimes more efficient but somehow, the experience remains largely unchanged. In a way I suppose it has changed because when we were poor and untravelled, it was exciting and wonderful to walk around the duty free shops and have a poorly made and overly expensive coffee while filling out immigration forms. Now it is just a bloody awful time to endure.

Our previous entries into Malaysia have been quick and efficient. Things have changed. The areas between disembarkation and immigration are now heavily populated with people of Middle Eastern origins. There are masses of people just sitting in large groups, watched over by officials. I guess that a lot of immigration workers are tied up with refugees because the lines for tourist entry were very long. Getting through took an hour. Back in Australia, we think we have a boat people problem but we sometimes forget that we are relatively shielded compared to Indonesia and Malaysia, who are currently being swamped with refugees. Europe too gets a lot of publicity but perhaps we need to help our neighbours out a bit more and take the pressure off us that way.

We bussed from KL Airport to the Pudu Bus Station which left only a short walk to Hotel 99 in Jalan Pudu. We were thown for a bit until we realised that the bus station had relocated down the road a short distance since our last visit and we soon found our lodgings, not flash but good enough for a one night stand and cheap enough for us. After settling in and having a coffee, we headed off to wander around China Town and brave the cramped markets of Petaling Street. Asian markets are another thing that has lost their appeal, not only because we have been in so many but also because they seem to have popped up everywhere in Australia as well. The difference with the markets in Asia is now mostly down to clothes sizes. I just hate the thought of fitting into XXXL underpants.

The busy intersection near our hotel in KL

We settled down in a grotty looking food area that sold cheap beer and excellent street food, knocking off some of the best crispy squid (Fried Squit on the menu) and some equally delicious Thai Fish Cakes. Later, we stopped for another snack at a much more glamorous looking place and the food wasn’t a patch on the first. It is so often the way in Asia. If you can overcome the aversion to somewhat less than clean conditions, the food outlets that cater to locals will beat the tourist haunts every time.

With full bellies and another early start ahead of us, we headed home to bed,.

Kuala Lumpur is definitely in the wrong time zone. We rose at 6am but there was not even a hint of daylight and the first cracks of dawn did not appear until we were on the 7am bus and headed out towards the airport. An hour of driving through heavy traffic brought us to KLIA2, Kuala Lumpur’s second airport terminal. This huge structure is so enormous you need to factor walking times into your travel plans. Being unsure of how long processing would take, we checked our bags, got through immigration and finally settled down to breakfast at a Toast Box. This is fast food that we love, two barely boiled eggs, soy sauce, kaya toast made with thick sliced butter and honey all washed down with ultra sweet strong kopi (coffee). Bring on Toast Box Oz!

Toast Box at KL Airport. We need one in Perth.

The flight to Danang in Vietnam was only a couple of hours and went without a hitch. Amazingly, we left the airport at Danang and had to actually look for a taxi. There were no touts attacking us or trying to wrestle the luggage from our control. Everything was very orderly. Before we left, we organised a couple of local SIM cards for the phones. $12 bought us a card with unlimited 3G data for a month. I wish I had that in Australia. I could have bought 300Mb of Telstra roaming data for a mere $80.

With a five hour wait ahead of us in Danang, we settled in at a cafe opposite the railway station (Ga Da Nang) and watched the passing parade. It is impossible to tire of watching a busy intersection anywhere in Vietnam, with buses turning front of oncoming traffic, trucks travelling on the wrong side of the road and thousands of scooters acting like a school of bait fish. Unfortunately, you also don’t have to wait long to hear the wail of an ambulance siren as it heads towards the scene of yet another road accident, usually involving a motorbike.

Danang Railway Station

We had a delicious bowl of a local delicacy called Cao Lau, a rich broth filled with thick and thin noodles, slices of roast pork and topped with crispy pork crackling. A couple of Ba Ba Bas (333 Beer) rounded the meal off. Who needs to get on a train?

This was our first train trip in Vietnam in anything other than a sleeper compartment. It will be our last time. The seat in our “soft seat” carriage was comfortable enough but lacked leg room for an average sized westerner. The biggest problem is that every seat was taken and there was little opportunity to get up and move around. Fortunately, the trip was only two and a half hours so we emerged at Hue stiff and sore but not too shaken. The good news is that we had not been so cheap that we had booked the “hard seat” carriage.

Hue is a small city by Asian standards with a population of only 340,000 but it is rather modern and organised, with a bustling tourism industry supporting eateries and even some nightlife. As the Imperial Capital from 1804 to 1945, it boasts a number of UNESCO World Heritage buildings, mostly within the fortified old city (Citadel) or inner Forbidden City. What remains today is what managed to survive the Vietnam War, with heavy destruction resulting from a big battle during the Tet Offensive.

The Cherish Hotel, Hue

Once again, we found things had changed since our last visit. Back in 2011, we got off the train to have our bags whisked away by a taxi tout, before being forced into a dirty little cab that tried very hard to take us to the hotel of their choice, saying ours was no good. This time, a group of uniformed taxi men showed us politely to a waiting metered cab and drove us straight to the Cherish Hotel. The Cherish is certainly a cut above our last PVI lodgings in Phu Ly, with restaurants, bars, a gym and swimming pool. We were soon settled in for the night, safely arrived at last.

Saturday was a lazy day, exploring the immediate surrounds of the hotel and identifying good eateries, a laundry and various other useful spots. Over the course of the day, more and more PVI team members arrived and we had a great time catching up with what looks like a great crew. This year, there are a few new comers, some even new to Vietnam itself. Thinking back to our first visits here, it is easy for us to forget just how much of a cultural shock there can be, although living in the middle of a city like Hue softens the blow somewhat. As always, traffic negotiation is difficult for beginners. The congestion in Hue is nothing like Hanoi or the pace of frenetic Saigon but one still needs to vigilant for the rogue scooter going the wrong way or cutting across footpaths. Wandering around, we did find that we missed the simple experiences of our annual returns to provincial Phu Ly in earlier years, where the sight of a westerner is a rarity and greetings are often shy but warm and genuine.

By Sunday, the crew was assembled and we had all had time to catch up with those we already knew and meet those we didn’t. We helped a few of the newcomers find their way around and work out the tricks behind managing day to day in a foreign environment. We rely a lot on the iPhone. We find that bringing up a picture of what you are looking for helps communication. We have tried phrase books and translator apps but difficulty with the actual pronunciation defeats us every time.

In the evening, we showed a group of newcomers the way to the Hanh Restaurant for a meal. It specialises in “Hue Breads” which seems to refer to a variety of dishes incorporating little packages of a glutinous rice starch with various flavourings. All are delicious and beautifully served in tiny ceramic bowls or wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. Another dish consisted of a crispy pancake creation filled with a paste, mushrooms and other unknown ingredients. We broke off pieces into a bowl, covered with fresh and pickled salad then spooned over a brown peanut sauce. It worked! After trying a lot of different dishes, including crème caramels, and drinking our share of cold beer, the bill came to 60,000 dong a head ($3.80). With full bellies, we headed for home to rest up for the start of work the next day.

Central Coast – Vietnam 19-30 March 2011

March 30, 2011 / terry

We spent a week and a half on the Central and South Central Coast, taking in Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Dong Ha and the Demilitarized Zone. The travelling was done by a mixture of train and bus, the former being very pleasant and the latter at least bearable.

Train Trip Phu Ly to Hue

We rose early, settling up the last of the hotel check-out and catching a taxi to the “Ga Phu Ly” for the train to Hue. The train was on time and we boarded without hassle. At first, we shared the compartment with a young girl and her small child but when the ticket collector came along, she was moved down the corridor a few spots and given a top bunk for both of them to use. We felt sorry for her but after we could still hear the child screaming after 15 minutes our sympathy evaporated. We had the whole compartment to our selves right up until Noon, when we reached Vinh, and a young mum with two boys (aged 2 and 5) boarded. She was great company, with reasonable English and a sweet personality. The younger boy was a bit of a terror, but spent a lot of time asleep. The 5 year old was very bright, and spent hours drawing, trying to write numbers, cutting shapes or trying to match the simple origami shapes we showed him. He and Christine had lengthy conversation that neither could understand but it all seemed to work out.

At 12 hours, the trip was just long enough. The scenery was great and the weather clear by Vietnamese standards. We were amazed by the large number of towering cathedrals scattered throughout the rural areas. At most times, a spire or dome can be seen in the distance. Not all are a legacy of French rule because we saw some huge cathedrals currently under construction. The train itself is very comfortable and the line in excellent condition, reducing the rocking to a minimum. We did experience the occasional jarring jolt that trains seem to do, which usually set the Dutch kid next door into a protracted wailing session. People who travel with small children deserve a medal.

We brought some bread rolls, boiled eggs, cheese and jam with us as sustenance but there was plenty of other food available via the regular carts that went through the carriages. We had a meal of rice, pork on a stick, chicken leg, a sausage-like substance and spring rolls. Of course, we also managed a couple of beers.

On arrival at Hue, we had the usual fight with a taxi driver, who wanted 150,000VN to take us to our hotel when the local Mum from the train said it should be about 40,000VN. We finally settled on 60,000VN. Throughout the trip, he told us that our hotel was a long way out of town and that he could get us one for $US10 a night. We pointed out that we had already paid but it didn’t stop him. He showed us one that he claimed was really good, not like ours that was very far from the central area. We got huffy so he drove the extra 50 metres down the road to where our hotel was. Good try.

Hue
Hue is a bit of a surprise, bigger than I expected and the “old city” is less in evidence than I had imagined from the reading. It is the ancient capital of the Nguyen Emperors and is filled with some wonderful ancient buildings. It was also badly damaged during the war and some areas are still in poor condition.

Arriving at night, we were surprised by the dazzle of neon lights and large numbers of people out and about for al-fresco dining or drinks. After the drab and dreary Phu Ly, Hue was at the other end of the tourism scale and things were hopping.

However, along with the tourism comes the hard sell and street annoyances can be a little heavy for a while until you become a familiar face and the cyclo drivers and river boat sellers start to ease off. The old buildings of the fortress and the citadel are indeed awesome, but we have never been very much into temples and ruins so this aspect is largely wasted. We did succumb to booking a tour of the Palace and some tombs but Christine got sick the night before so we cancelled out. Oh well, another time perhaps.

Hoi An
We caught a bus to Hoi An for a few days, travelling through Danang. The bus trip itself was good, mainly because I insisted on sitting near the back so we couldn’t see the road ahead. Christine always enjoys the scenery but I don’t think much of the idea of watching motor bikes disappearing under the front of the bus or pedestrians being flung off into the road verge. The bus itself was plain and simple, with vinyl seats that at least reclined. The road was generally good, with even a dual carriage-way in places. The scenery was quite spectacular, although we did not go over the famous Hai Van Pass,(also the scene of many terrible accidents). Instead, the bus took the new Hai Van Tunnel, a 6.5km long tunnel straight through the mountain range. The Hai Van Tunnel took 5 years to complete and is currently the longest tunnel in South East Asia.

At a road-side stop at the top of one mountain pass, a US couple declared that they would travel back to Hue on the train, this bus trip being too terrifying. It wasn’t that bad, but then they were sitting up front.

On arrival at Hoi An, the bus dropped us at a location only a short walk to the Greenfield Hotel, where we had booked. We stayed there last year, and when we walked in, a couple of staff greeted us warmly. “You remember me from last year?”. We were amazed that they would pick us from the thousands of tourists that they see every year but they could even remember things that we had done. While not the cheapest hotel around, this place has a lot of charm and is extremely friendly. We love it.

We hired bicycles and ambled around the old town, enjoying the relative safety of the traffic and the freedom of mobility. While Hoi An is unmistakably “touristy”, is totally retains the charm of the old town. It is said to be the best preserved example of an old Chinese trading port in existence. While all others have been rapidly overcome with modern structures, the gaining of World Heritage Status and the influx of foreign preservation dollars has ensured the old ways are retained. The Government enforces strict controls over the street touts and so one can wander around with little harassment and lots of friendly “hellos”. This is the only place in Asia that has cyclo drivers who wait for you to come to them and don’t annoy you for business.

We had a wonderful lunch down at the dock area. The food here is unique. Most dishes will have their own Hoi An variation, some, such as the ubiquitous “fried wonton” is so different to any other that it has to be experienced. Rather than the usual deep fried little parcels, these are oval shaped and flat, then heaped with finely diced vegetables and shrimps. A real treat. A local specialty is Lau Cao, a noodle dish with a delicious sauce and vegetables. Once again, it is unlike anything else and defies accurate description. It is said to require the noodles to be cooked in rice water, the original water to have been drawn from a well in a local village. However, there are so many restaurants selling this dish that the well would have run dry years ago.

Hoi An is famous for its ultra-cheap tailors and shoe-makers. They can produce anything you want in only a few hours. The quality of the materials and workmanship is universally good and the bargaining itself is very entertaining. I wanted a good pair of sandals while Christine was chasing another pair of evening shoes. She drove a very hard bargain, walking out twice (but never quite making it to the bikes) until we got mine for $15 and hers for $20. Both were full leather inner and outer and custom made for our feet. We ordered them around 1pm and organised to return at 6pm to pick them up. Can’t beat it.

Hoi An remains one of our favourite places anywhere. We will definitely be back.

Train Hue to Nha Trang
The 12 hour trip from Hue to Nha Trang was during the day, leaving Hue at a respectable 8am and arriving at 8:30pm. We did the trip from Danang to Hue last year and the Hai Van pass by rail was a highlight. This time, poor weather obscured much of the view but with a huge swell running, the sections where we hugged the coast were spectacular. We enjoyed the company of a young English couple, James and Jodie, who we seem to keep catching up with, and from Quang Nghai to Nha Trang shared a cabin with an engaged couple who are living and working in Saigon. The girl was born in Quang Nghai but moved to Texas at age 12. With the great company and the fact that we can both sleep well on the trains, the trip passed quickly.

Nha Trang
By Nha Trang the rain had stopped, but the terrible wind persists and it was very overcast. The promotional literature for Nha Trang boasts of over 300 days a year of sunshine but we didn’t see one. The weather ruled out excursions to the islands or the waterfalls and National Parks of the nearby mountains. We did spend some time just sitting down near the beach watching the huge surf crash along the shore. The beautiful white beach was being badly eroded by the surf and the beach was officially closed.

We spent a quiet relaxing day, with some long walks through the beach-side parks. Here the dominant tree is a tamarisk-like tree that the locals shape into all manner of interesting shapes. Some of the parks are quite comical. The rest of Nha Trang can be summed up in two ways; more than a block back from the beach its just another provincial city. On the beach front road it’s a typical Asian beach resort, quieter than Patong or Kuta, but more upmarket and active than Langkawi. With the weather situation, a full comparison is unfair but I lean towards Langkawi over Nha Trang.

One day was spent at Vinpearl, a theme park type development on an off shore island. It is very much like Sentosa in Singapore. Vinpearl is reached by means of a 3.5km long cable car. With the wind gusting to over 40km per hour, it was rocking and swaying a bit but the trip was certainly smoother than if the ferry had been running.

At the amusement park, we acted like little kids, even spending time in the video game arcade playing Rambo, driving cars on race tracks and watching 3D movies. It is one of those “Entry Ticket Buys All” situations so we just went for it. There is also an ultra exclusive resort on the far side of the island. They were hosting a beauty pageant so everywhere there we saw young girls running around being photographed in high heels. It was really hard to take. By the end of the day, many were limping and most were carrying their shoes. Christine went on the “Elevator”, a terrible spinning ride that carried a huge wheel up and around, at one stage spinning the occupants around while totally upside down. I really wanted to go but someone had to stay down and take photos. At the top of the ride, her screams were audible and she was using a universal language. People on the ground were in hysterics.

We enjoyed the huge Underwater World, similar to the one at Hillarys. With the weather so bad, crowds were right down and we were able to enjoy all the facilities in a relaxed manner without joining big queues. The complete package for a day’s fun and two way ride on the cable car is $14. Amazing.

Leaving Vietnam
We leave Vietnam for Kuala Lumpur today, flying via Ho Chi Minh City. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time and will definitely be back next year for Project Vietnam again. The weather has been a huge problem though and, although everyone says it is unseasonal, we’ll probably head across the mountains in Laos and Cambodia, chasing warmer weather next year.

Tag: Hue

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Central Coast – Vietnam 19-30 March 2011

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Hue, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur

Phong Nha Caves

Hue, Vietnam for PVI Project

Central Coast – Vietnam 19-30 March 2011

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