When in Nam

Good Morning Vietnam!!!! I feel GOOD today. I thought I would be hung-over or sick from that nasty shot but I feel like a million bucks...Canadian. Could be that Chelsea and I had a great sleeps in a real bed again (we stayed at the same hotel in Hanoi as before) or maybe there is something to this, drink the blood and absorb the snakes power thing after all.

We got up around 7am and had some breakfast, packed and flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc Island with Vietnam Airlines. The flight only took an hour leaving at 10:20am and arriving at 11:20am and the RETURN trip cost 3300000 Dong (VND) including taxes, which was about $238 CAD. As soon as we arrived we knew we had made the right choice. What a beautiful island. I had been to Thailand before and was stunned by the beauty of the beaches but the crowds always put a damper on the experience. Being in Phu Quoc made me feel like I was in one of the last areas still not overrun by tourists...as if we were in Thailand 15 years ago.

We had read a little about the island in our guide book and on the tourist website:

http://www.phuquoc.info/

We flew from Ho Chi Minh City, but you can also fly from Ha Tien or Rach Gia

There were only a couple accommodation choices, but since we had just lived a boat for a few days, we decided the spa was the way to go and booked 4 nights at the Saigon Phuquoc Resort and Spa, which; along with the national park takes up half the island. The place was the best. It cost us about $100 (50 each) for a really nice room in 4 star luxuries. The hotel even has its own private beach area!


Our Star Cruise Bungalow room

Private Beaches!

We spent the next couple of days relaxing on the beach and enjoying some of the island highlights. I swear they have everything here! Parasailing (which was awesome, thanks for convincing me to do it Chelsea), massages on the beach, snorkeling and scuba diving (we went snorkeling for Chelsea because she doesn’t have her PADI yet and didn’t want to get it here, although you can) fishing,... the options were endless. I wish that Vietnam wasn't so far away from Canada and I could come here for 2 week vacations all the time.

Chelsea getting ready to Parasail

I can't say enough about how much fun we had here. I would recommend it to any of my friends and hope to come back some day. I can't believe our trip is ending already. Tomorrow we fly back to Ho Chi Minh and then overnight before flying home to Canada. Goodbye Vietnam! We love you! We will always have Phu Quoc!

As we wrapped up our adventures in Saigon...I mean, Ho Chi Minh City... we thought "what would a trip to Vietnam be like without a cruise on the Mekong Delta?" That’s like going to Egypt and skipping the Nile! It was difficult to figure out where to start. Our short time in an internet cafe didn’t seem to produce many answers as to where to go, but we did learn some history.

The Mekong Delta is the name of the Southern region of Vietnam and also of the chaos of rivers The rivers weave their way through villages, floating markets and mangroves and find their way through 9 outpours (called the 9 dragons) into the South China Sea. There are so many options for overnight boats, jcruises, unk boats etc. that we didn’t know where to start. We found a company called Vietnam Easy Travel and found a tour that would take us to and from Ho Chi Minh City, making it easy for us to fly to our next destination.

Our Boat

The trip cost $265.00USD and encompassed a nice return tour from Ho Chi Minh to Can Tho, through My Tho, Tra On and Mang Thit onto Cai Be. The whole thing took us 2 days and involved a bit of tanning, some shopping from the places we floated by and staying overnight on our boat. The children were floating near our boat in small wooden (unstable looking) rafts selling hand woven baskets made of bamboo. They were pretty but I had no idea how we would carry them or what I would use it for so we talked to they a bit but did not buy anything. I threw cold water on Chelsea to wake her up from her tanning insomnia (which she wasn't to happy about, espicially after the mud incident) to see the hundreds of storks as we passed through the Stork Sanctuary. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in the wilderness so far.

That night we had dinner on the boat and drank some more Tiger beer while we watched the sun set. Then it was off to bed for both of us. I think Chels might have got a bit of sun stroke because she passed right out, red as a lobster and snored her heart out.

My Tho Canals

The next morning we floated through narrow canals on our way to Cai Be. We had some delicious breakfast with lots of fresh fruit on the upper decks of the boat while watching the world float by. I had to keep reminding myself where I was, it was all just too surreal. Hello...we are floating down the Mekong Delta, eating breakfast and waving to the fisherman...awesome. We both thought that Cai Be was the best and most authentic floating market we had been to so far.

Cai Be Floating Market

When our amazing tour finally ended in Cai Be, we had a driver waiting to take us by car back to Hanoi. I don't even remember the drive; I slept through the whole thing. See what all this excitement can do! We had some adventurous dinner of street meat (chicken for Chelsea and dog for me) and found a sketchy little pub selling shots of vodka and snake blood. Chelsea refused but I was excited...until I puked. They just don’t make blood shots as scrumptious as they sound. Uuugghhhh my stomach hurts just thinking about it. I hope I'm not hung over for the flight!

After another trying 6 hours bus ride we made it to Ho Chi Minh City. Somewhere along the way I decided that even though the bus rides have been awful, you cannot beat $4USD especially when you can get all the information of a tour if you can find a local that speaks English. We were fortunate enough to meet one who told us that Ho Chi Minh was once known as Saigon, and was the capital of South Vietnam, before the north and south joined together and become one country. He also told us that it was also known as Prey Nokor when it was part of Cambodia before the 17th century when it became part of Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City

We were overwhelmed when we got in, the city was huge and unlike anything we had seen anywhere else in Vietnam. With over 9 million people, we were forced to adjust quickly to the noise and busyness. We drove past the Saigon River and countless high-rises on the way in and were very excited to get out and explore.

We decided to get some lunch first as it had been hours since breakfast. Although I wanted to stick with the always safe and always cheap Bun (rice vermicelli), Sheena wanted to try something new and exciting. We ended up at a street vendor that had a huge variety of food. I enjoyed rice paper peanut brittle and pork stuffed bread sticks while Sheena ate more locally….a scorpion to be exact. She said it tasted like crispy bacon although I can’t imagine it could taste very good or be very sanitary!

Vendor we ate from!

After lunch we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. Although we were both a little claustrophobic we had to see the amazing tunnel system that runs under most of the country. Originally used by military during the Vietnam War, the tunnels were used as hiding spots and supply routes used to transport food, weapons and general supplies. We learned that there are 75 miles of tunnels in the Cu Chi area and have been turned into a war memorial with above ground attractions such as monkeys, a shooting range and many souvenir vendors. Some of the tunnels have been widened to accommodate tourists so we both took a try at crawling through them. They started to get really narrow and Sheena was getting worried but all of a sudden we came to an open room which was once used as a command centre. Walking around on top we came across many camouflaged doors that led down to the tunnels and were amazed that just meters under where we were standing there were miles of tunnels.

Door into tunnels

Inside tunnels

After so much excitement in one day, we decided to call it a night and prepare for our city tour the following day.

Our tour started at 8am with a visit to the Reunification Palace, one of the best known attractions of Ho Chi Minh City. Designed by Ngo Viet Thu, the palace (then known as Independence Palace) was built as the home for the President of South Vietnam during World War One. The palace represents the fall of Saigon in 1975 and has had to be partly rebuilt from the attacks made on it. Inside we were amazed by the number of empty rooms and the large conference room which is still used for national events such as the signing of the WTO accord. The basement had several rooms which showed clips from wartimes in four different languages. It was really amazing to see such an important part of Ho Chi Minh City’s history.

At the Reunification Palace

After the Reunification Palace we went to the War Remnants Museum which showcases the American phase of the Vietnam War. It opened and 1975 under the name Museum of American War Crimes and then in 1993 changed names to the War Crimes Museum. It was a very educational experience although it is apparent that the government has a lot of say at what is showcased in it.

We also viewed the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral which are both largely influenced by French architecture. Lunch was served at Pho 2000, a well known restaurant with amazing pho which is well known due to Bill Clintons visit. We decided that we could not leave the country without trying its popular drink so we enjoyed a few shots of Vietnamese Whiskey. We were surprised to learn that it is proper ettiquette to finish all the food on your plate because in most other Asian countries, leaving food on your plate shows your enjoyment and that you have had enough. The food was so good it certainly lived up to expectation. Located right across the street was the Ben Thanh market, our next stop. The market was very busy and colorful, with countless vendors. Sheena and I bartered quite a bit and got some really good deals on some more wooden handicrafts, I loved my wooden representation of the Giac Lam pagoda and Sheena bought some amazing paintings.

The last stop on our tour was the Giac Lam Pagoda, a very recognizable symbol of Ho Chi Minh City. This Buddhist temple was built in 1744 and is surrounded by beautiful gardens. The temple is made up of three rooms, the meal hall, the dharma preaching hall and the main ceremonial hall. It was incredible to tour and really provided an image of the Buddhist religion. I enjoyed visiting the pagoda the most while Sheena enjoyed the Reunification Palace the best.

Giac Lam Pagoda

We were exhausted after our tour and thought it was well worth the $53USD we paid with Viator.
http://www.viator.com/tours/Ho-Chi-Minh-City/Private-Tour-Ho-Chi-Minh-City-Full-Day-Tour/d352-2514SGN_ESCT

Ho Chi Minh City was the perfect way to learn about the history of Vietnam and we are sad to be leaving tomorrow! We are getting to close to the end of our trip and are looking forward to some more relaxation in the next few days.

We have arrived in Dalat…finally! What a process to get us here. From China beach we took a very short/cheap cab ride into Da Nang where we searched endlessly for a way to get to Dalat. We originally wanted to take the bus although after hearing that it is a difficult 16 hours, we decided to fly. There were no direct flights to Dalat from Da Nang so we took an hour long flight with Vietnam Airlines (http://www.vietnamairlines.com/wps/portal/vn/welcome/) to Nha Trang. The flight only cost 680 000 VND which is just under $50CAD. Since we still had to take a bus for five hours to Dalat (only $5USD) we decided to spend some time in Nha Trang.

Sheena spent the whole flight consulting her Lonely Planet book to search for activities in Nha Trang. We also entertained ourselves with drinks although were a little upset that they were $5CAD when just an hour later on ground they were less than a dollar. We decided to visit the large Buddha statue as well as have a mud bath.

Nha Trang was absolutely stunning, the beaches were almost better than China Beach. We started out by heading to the Buddha. It was right behind the Long Son Pagoda which we did stop to look at, although we were started to get pagoda-ed out. Although it was amazing, the Buddha is what really caught our attention. The Buddha sits on a lotus flower and has breathtaking views. There were so many people trying to take pictures of it and pose beside it so we actually had to wait quite a while before we could get a good shot but it was well worth it.

Buddha

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the Mineral Mud Baths. Although the idea seemed gross at first, it is a must when in Nha Trang. I fell asleep for a little while in the bath and Sheena kindly woke me up by throwing mud at me. When we were finished in the mud, we scrubbed it off in the hot thermal pools. We felt totally fresh and relaxed (well worth the $15USD) and were ready to continue on with our five hour bus ride to Dalat.

The bus ride was pretty standard for an Asian country, not very comfortable and very few amenities. We arrived in Dalat at night so we couldn’t explore much of the city although we mainly wanted to get to our hotel, Hang Nga Guesthouse and Gallery, best known as the “crazy house”. This was definitely the most unique type of accommodation either of us had stayed in. From the outside, it looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie. All the rooms were in little caves which you had to get to on little bridges and there were little inlets and themed rooms everywhere! Our room was very basic (we only paid $19 for it) which had pretty much just a “bed”, no tv, and a small bathroom. The cool part about it though was the tiger theme! There was a large tiger coming down the wall and was neatly decorated. Being late, we decided to call it a night and good thing we did. As soon as the sun came up in the morning the hotel was swarmed with tourists. It was too loud to sleep so we figured we might as well get up and explore Dalat.

Crazy House

Inside the Crazy House!

Our room

We learned that Dalat is actually on a plateau that is 5000 feet above sea level and is known as “the city of eternal spring” with its mild temperatures year round. Much like Hoi An, Dalat has a strong French inspired feeling with many villas and colonial structures. We spent the day walking around exploring the city while admiring the architecture and landmarks.

We visited the Lam Dong Museum, which houses archeological artifacts from the 7th to 10th centuries. The museum itself was really unique and interesting and even had marble for the flooring brought in from Italy. The rest of the day was spent exploring waterfalls and lakes surrounding Dalat. The most memorable was definitely Prenn Waterfall which holds a crocodile pool and oddly….couples dressed up like bunny rabbits… We were unaware that it is known for the dressed up couples and were speechless when we got there. Sheena kept cracking jokes so we had to snap a couple of pictures and get out of there.

Prenn Waterfall

Dalat has proven to be a town of beauty and a lot of question marks! We are excited to keep moving and are heading to Ho Chi Minh City next.

Thank god we are off the bus! Although I love travelling, the actual transportation aspect of it is demanding to say the least but so far each stop has been worth it!

We originally planned to get in and out of Hoi An, using it more as a quick stop before heading to China Beach although when we arrived we decided to spend some time exploring it! This is definitely a tourist spot with a ton of backpackers. It is located on the Thu Bon River and has an area called the “Old Town” another UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a definite French influence in this town with many French style colonial buildings.

Hoi An

I needed some serious convincing, but we ended up renting bikes to tour around the Old Town as it is closed to cars so we figured it was the quickest and easiest way to see it. We saw so many temples and pagodas throughout the city and countless tailors. Apparently Hoi An is known for having some of the best tailors in the country but unfortunately we did not have the time to get anything made! The shopping however was uncontrollable. We had to barter for everything, but ended up with some great deals including more scarves (cashmere this time), some pottery, wood carvings and Chinese lanterns. We were not sure how they would fit in our bags although the vendors packed them up amazingly! At least we are at the halfway point and don’t have to carry them through the entire country!

Our last stop in Hoi An was to Miss Vy’s School of Cooking. We thought it would be fun to take cooking lessons and heard this was one of the best schools. We only spent the day there but we made a few traditional Vietnamese dishes, specific to Hoi An. My favorite was the Snow Peas and Braised Pork Ribs with a Lemongrass and Tomato Sauce and Sheena’s favorite was the Crispy Tuna with Tamarind Sauce.

After Hoi An we travelled about 20km north to China Beach which was once a war site made popular by the TV show “China Beach”. Since it wasn’t very far away we hired a cab to take us there. We were looking very forward to some beach time and were excited to see the most popular beach in Vietnam.

China Beach

We stayed at Hoa’s Place, a budget (and I do mean budget) hotel on the beach. We decided that since most of the time would be spent out of the hotel we would get a cheap hotel. At $9USD a night, the hotel room was very basic with a bad bed and questionable sheets (a good opportunity to use or hostel sheets) but had great access to the beach. There was a communal dinner at night, which was a great way to meet other travelers and exchange stories.

The beach was incredible! We mostly worked on our tans but enjoyed the vendors walking up and down the beach and ate some great food from stations along the beach. We spent a few nights here and now are planning on heading further south and exploring a place called Da Lat where we have heard of some very unique accomodations available.