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Vietnam – Hue & Hoi An

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

I caught the 11pm train from Ga Ha Noi to Hue. These trains, I don’t think, are as backpacker friendly as the night trains you get in Thailand. I remember walking up and down the carriages, meeting and chatting to people randomly, it was an open affair and easy to do so. The Reunification Express is similar in that it has a class system with seats, and sleepers, but you’re very much contained within a 4-person berth. Unless you know the people you’re travelling with, it can be a bit trying because there’s nowhere else to go, nowhere to sit. And the corridors are pretty narrow so not ideal for wandering around to meet other travellers.

A local got into my cabin. He smelt strongly of booze and climbed on the top bunk opposite my bunk (I had one on the bottom). Oh god, I thought, I’ve got some alky who’s going to end up being dodge. But instead he greeted me and explained he’d been at work and had drunk too much with his friends and was going to sleep and with that he ducked under his duvet and passed out. Cool. Then 2 other Vietnamese guys got in my cabin, old guys. This was not going to be a backpacker party experience. The guy who had the bunk above mine was pretty old and for a moment I considered offering him my bunk. Hey, lets not go too far, it was just a moment. I needn’t have worried. Throughout the night he was leaping up and down between the bunk and the floor, going off for a natter with other locals and god knows what else. He was a proper little grand-dad monkey. I pretty much passed out for the entire journey, waking up only when the two old guys were laughing about something and grand-dad monkey was jumping about. The bunks were comfortable and clean.

I could hear a western girl next door being questioned by locals about what she was up to. Couldnt make out her accent. I felt fairly safe though, didnt for a second worry about horror stories of old where entire backpacks apparently used to get nicked off trains.

The drunky got off the train about 4am.

When I woke up in the morning, about 7 or so, it was light but overcast. Just having no luck finding that sunshine again. The scenery was amazing. Green all the way and the train went through several tunnels dug out of the limestone pillars so prevalent in the north. Several cemeteries also lined the track. I fell asleep again about an hour before arriving in Hue but before doing so, the Brazilian couple who’d been on the return bit of the Halong Bay tour popped their heads round the door! They said they’s noticed me whilst I was asleep and had come back to see if I was OK.  When we arrived in Hue around 11am, we got a taxi together into town. They told me they were worried about me sharing a cabin with the locals and said they’d come across a girl who’d also shared a cabin with 3 other men but she’d been so freaked out by it she’d stayed up all night reading. She should have stuffed her valuables down her pants and just gone to sleep!

Hue had no sunshine either. Which is a real shame because everything would have looked amazing and really pretty if it had. Hue has a nice-looking river, the Perfume River. Parks line the riverbanks. And as a former Imperial capital,  the Citadel and Forbidden City should have looked amazing. They were interesting but held little fascination for me. I was almost scammed for 90,000 VND when I was given 10,000 instead of 100,000 in change upon entry (you gotta wake up earlier than me, love) and on my own it just wasnt what it could have been I suppose. But they did have an elephant! So that was OK.

Despite being almost short-changed, I felt people in Hue were definitely more chilled out. I felt able to ask locals what they were cooking and to have a bit of a stop-and-stare and ask questions about things.  I didnt feel forced into giving my money to anyone, so that was cool.  I ended up at a cafe run by deaf people. I had a laugh signing to them (the most useful actions were pinned up on a board) and wandering around the backpacker district around Pham Ngu Lao but glad I was staying in a less in-your-face area a couple of blocks away (think Sukhumvit Road to Bangkok’s Khao San Rd) cos it was a lot like Spain with loads of older fat blokes sitting in all the bars. Mmn.

By the end of the  day I felt that one day in Hue was enough and I wasnt really interested in visiting the demilitiarised zone or any tombs.

I ate loads for dinner and on my way back was simply offered drugs by someone. No pretext, no lead up, just a sinister-sounding, “marijuaaaaana?” coming out of the dark.

I met a couple of nice lads from York back at the hotel. The staff had decided they weren’t going to do any work and were going to lie out on a mattress in reception and watch football. Jordan and Brad were watching too but we started chatting anyway. I was heading south and they were going north so we swapped advice. They were very open and had already been around India and were going to try and find work in Australia. I enjoyed talking to them. They were excited by everything and enjoying everything they experienced. They really reminded me of when I first went travelling and I went to sleep inspired and looking forward to the next stop.

The next day I got breakfast for 60p and said goodbye to Jordan. He’d got up to chat to someone on the net. I’ve seen so many people skyping and so on on this trip. I havent spoken to anyone and it feels like only yesterday I left. I think having a mobile phone with internet has changed what it feels like to get away from it all. 7 years ago, finding high-speed internet was an effort. Phoning home was also an effort so when you went to check your emails, you phoned home too. Now, with the technology at your fingertips whenever you want, it doesnt feel like its a big deal to call home. You can check facebook to see how people are and its so easy to walk into a cafe, restaurant or hotel with wifi, so your emails ping up all the time. Home doesnt feel so far away.

I gave Jordan a hearty handshake and we wished each other luck. The crazy staff at the hotel also gave me a fond farewell and then I was off!

The bus to Hoi An was a sleeper coming from Hanoi. It was full of grumpy people, people who had little patience for the Vietnamese chaos and style of doing things and of not letting us know what they were doing or why. I wanted to whack the stupid woman in front of me who was just huffing and puffing her way into trying to get a seat with her friend (she wont die if you cant hold her hand) and the 3 girls at the service stop who couldnt understand why they couldnt get the food they wanted. Maybe the tiredness of the people who were having a long journey was just feeding into everyone. Maybe the lack of sunshine was making people a bit narky. I dont know, I just put my ipod on and enjoyed the view as we drove along the coast and up and down hills. We drove through this tunnel that was really long. I listened to 3 songs before we came out the other end.

We passed through Danang. I had decided I wasnt interested in staying there but thought I could do a little trip there as it was only 45 minutes from Hoi An. It was very modern and a calmer version of Saigon. I saw all I needed to in all respects and fell asleep.

Arrival in Hoi An was chaotic, premature and not nice. We were shouted at to get off the bus with no explanation of where to go and no taxis to pick us up. For the first time on this entire trip I just felt… lost! I was just harrassed by guys offering motorbike rides. I kept saying no over and over and they said no taxis would come. I had hastily booked into a homestay just outside Hoi An as a quick look at hotels the night before revealed a huge number of them to be full! An Israeli girl looked over at me, concerned. She was going to a hotel that a tout had offered with 2 other people. She told me to get in the tout’s taxi with her so I did. I had the mispleasure of sitting next to her companion though who just grunted at me and kept elbowing me like I was invisible, resentment for taking his space. Whatever, dickhead. But I was too fed up to elbow back. We got to the hotel, which was actually about 3 or 4 blocks north of town, and I later found out, big blocks at that. The girl got out of the taxi and smiled at me. She didnt speak much English but I sensed that she felt she’d tried to help me and I was grateful. Otherwise Id still be standing at that bloody bus stop getting annoyed with the motorbike men. I got the hotel to call me a cab and off I went to the homestay.

I was greeted by a friendly Vietnamese family and their houseguest, Matt. Matt was very young and teaching English. I was surprised to find that I wasnt staying with them and was taken round the corner to a family who spoke no English at all. They seemed very nice and had 2 young children, one still a baby. And very cute. I was imagining that the homestay would be like staying in someones house but like a hotel; not a fully integrated way into their home. I was given my own room at the front of the house downstairs but had to share their bathroom. I was also expected to be home by 10pm and have breakfast at 7.30am. Yikes. I took this in my stride though and told myself I wouldnt need to be out late. Would I? I was given a bike to use and set off to explore. It was a pleasant bike ride and was only about 10 minutes into the old town. I wasnt worried by the traffic and anytime I hesitated at a junction I just stopped and behaved as a pedestrian would.

The Old Town of Hoi An was very pretty and very busy. I stopped for a late lunch and encountered my only bad meal in Vietnam so far: chicken and rice. The rice was burnt and the chicken cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. Pointless. I then cycled round and round taking in all the sights such as the Japanese Bridge – full of tourists! I cycled over to the An Hoi Pensisula and promised the local street resaturant traders that id be back later. It was all charming but I wasnt in the mood to fully appreciate it all. Bad journey, bad people, wrong choices and burnt rice.

As darkness fell and lanterns lit up Hoi An, I worried about getting back to my homestay at a reasonable hour and wondered how I would enjoy the town and find time to meet Cam Ha and Radenko from the Halong Bay trip and who were due here tomorrow. I ate some cake.

I later went back to the local street restaurant on An Hoi for my dinner. I was served up some yummy noodles but with some suspect crispy topping. I threw this to the dog. The dog wasnt interested either.

I have little understanding of Vietnamese. I have learnt to say a few words but I can’t decipher anything when I listen. This did not stop me enjoying the banter between the chef, Mr Ba, and his wife. He was clearly upset by something and was having a good moan about it for ages. His wife and another man just kept laughing behind his back. They tried to explain what was going on to me in their language. It didnt matter. Language was no barrier in understanding the sentiments.

Just as town was getting into the swing of things, I got on my bike and rode home.

The next day I decided to leave the homestay and check into a hotel on An Hoi. I had however, spent the morning “talking” to Phoang, the mum. In the space of a couple of hours we had struck up a bizarre friendship, using dictionaries to communicate. It turned out she was just a year older than me and we tried to compare and explain our lives. She was giving Hu, her 10 month old baby a graphic novella for a much older child to keep him entertained. Though they had a nice house, I noticed they were lacking in basic things. I said I would get back to England and send Hu a colourful picture book or 2. I said Id go back to visit again before I left Hoi An, and I did.

Back in the old town, I checked in. I felt a bit bad about the sitauation Id created. I think a homestay can be a wonderful experience, but perhaps better suited to someone who’s working and trying to learn the language. For a backpacker who’s spending a few days in the area and wants to see lots of things and meets lots of people, maybe not.

I was sitting having a coffee by the river when Cam Ha and Radenko showed up! We spent the whole day together eating, drinking and catching up and ended up going to a tailor Aurore had recommended to make us some clothes! I ended up getting 2 dresses that fit perfectly and the other 2 spent about $250 on a variety of shirts and dresses for them both. It was a great experience and I recommend everyone visiting Hoi An get something made – it’s great fun picking out something you like the look of (I just pointed at dresses off the Get Cutie and Emily & Fin websites!) and picking the material and finally getting it just so so that there are no baggy bits where your back curves or tightness where your hips pull out under your tiny waist. Fab.

It was really nice spending time with some friends. Unfortunately Id just missed my cousin’s friends somewhere between Hoi An and Hue but they recommended I pop in on a mutual friend’s friend who runs the Before and Now bar so we spent a lot of time in there together people -watching, trying different coffees, enjoying happy hour and practising our languages!

One night we had dinner on the riverside and had fresh beer for 4000 vnd. Thats just 12 pence. 12 PENCE for a mug of beer. I dont drink beer but I tasted it and it was pretty good! We sat there with beer and watched a rat as big as a cat being chased by a dog. I had chicken and rice. The rice was burnt. I decided not to have rice again in Hoi An.

Outside of the old town, I cycled to the beach (gorgeous beach but still no sun!),  and made a visit to My Son,  an ancient temple civilisation like Angkor Wat, created by the Cham people . Can you imagine some French dude back in the day going for a wander in the jungle (maybe with his dog?) when he comes across all these temples. How bloody exciting would that have been?? Thats how My Son was rediscovered. I enjoyed the walk through the jungle and back but feel it was overrun with a bunch of National Trust-worshipping old folk who should keep their English ways at home and get their bloody selves OUT of my pictures! I ended up talking to a lovely Canadian girl called Bri and we made plans to go out that evening.

I could have spent days just relaxing in Hoi An. The cake and the coffee is great. Cycling is a joy. Had the sun bothered to come out, the beach would have been the cherry on top.

Vietnam – Hanoi & Halong Bay

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

… And back to Vietnam. All along the way, people had warned me that Hanoi was cold and that I’d have to dig out my jeans and hoodie from the bottom of my backpack. They weren’t lying. I think it was 20 degrees, which is warm by London standards at the moment but when you’ve been used to sweating in 34 degree heat its not so good. It was also overcast. No more sun. It made me appreciate how laidback and cool Luang Prabang had been when I tried to cross the road for the first time in Hanoi. Back to the motorcycle craziness. I got a great room in a place recommended by my friend Ruth smack bang in the middle of the Old Quarter. Felt quite safe there – people sat on the  pavements eating and drinking til really late. I had Bun Bo Nam Bo for dinner with the locals! I sat down at this street restaurant and was like, OK what do I do now? My hotel receptionist helpfully wrote this for me to show anyone giving me food “Tôi không ăn thịt heo”. I showed this to the waitress and she came back with a big bowl of noodles with lettuce, coriander and vietnamese basil leaves at the bottom,  some beansprouts, small tender slices of beef, crushed peanuts, and sweet sauce over the top of the lot. It was good! It cost me 50,000 dong. About £1.50. In my time in Hanoi I did a lot of wandering.  I was approached by a lot of people who didnt just straightforward offer a moto ride or something, a lot were after your money. I didnt like being seen as a chi-ching! But the people in my hotel had been really good, warning me how to handle people who did this and so on. I had an amusing time at Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. A group of Vietnamese students said hello to me. They were curious of me and wanted to practise their English. One of the boys who had been quiet for some time eventually came out with “I love you. Do you love me?” Everyone laughed. He was bemused by everyone’s reaction. I said I was married. Easiest way out of any situation like this. It seems that presence or not of a wedding ring in Asia makes no difference, you always have to explain you have a husband somewhere. And whenever this is given as an answer, the next question will be “Do you have children?” They were great fun and took turns having their picture taken with me. I probably value the short time spent with them more that I would the time I would have spent at the Museum if it had been open.

Went to the Museum of Literature because apparently it was a “must-see”. Tip: take a guide so you know what you’re looking at. I didnt. Epic fail. I found the Hanoi Hilton, aka Hoa Lo Prison far more interesting. Again, a place of learning, this time about the revolutionaries imprisoned during French Occupation. It made me a bit mad; why were these people who wanted their country back being jailed for expressing that right?

I tried to find the infamous BBQ chicken street for dinner – a long line of dirty chicken sold on the street. Oh yes. But what a dummy, I forgot to pencil the exact location and later that evening back at the hotel, I discovered I had been just a block away when I gave up looking. Blah. I was also going to try some ‘chon’ coffee, apparently the highest grade of coffee, its been through a weasel’s bum. Nice. I had a sniff. It was way too strong to be drinking at 10pm. Next time. Hanoi was also the first place I got Vietnamese coffee with cow milk, not the condensed stuff they love overhere. And you know? It still tasted really good despite no longer tasting like chocolate.

When you travel to Asia you have to take your life in your hands and run with it. This is how I feel everytime Im on a local bus, boarding an internal flight or sitting in a car with no seatbelt. I was anxious about which cruise to pick for Halong Bay. But you know what? I pretty much stuck a pin in and picked one. I had gone to the backpackers the night before to suss out the crowd. A girl I met in Laos said the backpackers cruise was the best thing she had ever done. I dont know if it was lack of sun, tiredness (couldnt remember the last time I got 8 hrs sleep) or the suicide Tuesday effect of suddenly being alone again but I just didnt fancy it. So I went with what my hotel recommended. I just hoped it was full of like-minded people…

The next morning I was picked up nice and early. There was a young Aussie couple on the bus already. Score! It took about an hour to get everyone and we had a nice mixed group of ages and nationalities. I got talking to Hugh from Swansea, a nice bloke a bit older than me who’d been living in Leamington Spa for ages. I was NOT liking the weather. Thunderstorms. Rain. Grey. Got to the port at Halong and they said we wouldnt be able to set sail because of poor visibility. I hadnt seen a risk assessment (haha) so was more than happy with this outcome although everyone else was itching to get going. We had lunch on the boat in the harbour and halfway through we started to move! We sailed for ages past big lumps of limestone. Despite it being a not very nice day, the sight was still amazing. I know different trips do different things but on this one we went to visit a big cave, Sung Sot Cave, and did some kayaking. We had dinner on the boat and watched the sunset. Well, what we could of the sunset given the crappy cloud cover. There were so many other boats around us, it was cool just to sit on the top deck and watch their lights come on. A couple of the guys went for a swim. They came back and said it was cold. The evening was spent doing karaoke. I sneaked up stairs to sit on the top of the boat. It was just nice up there and I went back downstairs, everyone was going to bed, even the young ones! Whaaaa?! It was only about 10pm but we had had an early start and we were due an early morning the next day. I sat down to have a drink and do some writing. Hugh managed to wander back from wherever (its a boat, theres not so many places to wander) and also came to get a drink and then an English guy, Steve, who was 25, came back too, & we sat out drinking til about 1am. We could hear one boat still had their party music on. Steve and I talked about getting in the landing junk attached to our boat and sailing across to to the party but when we looked the junk had gone! Steve suggested swimming across. Hugh said this was not a good idea. So we went to bed.

My room was great – very big and clean and a nice bathroom. Score again!

The next day, just me, the Aussie couple (who turned out to be very quiet), a German couple and a French couple stayed with the boat. Everyone else was only spending a night in Halong Bay; we were going to go to Cat Ba Island and stay there. We said our goodbyes to everyone and transferred to a smaller boat. We stopped at Lan Ha Bay which had a good beach. We talked about swimming and though the water was not too cold, the sun still didnt want to come out so we just climbed up a cliff. I got attacked by monkeys, the little buggers. Our guide had to chase them away. I didnt get bitten or anything so it was OK. They just came running at me and were jumping on me, one of them was pulling at my skirt, raaah!

We got to Cat Ba and this is where I experienced my favourite bit of the whole trip – a cycle ride. We cycled past very blue turquoise waters, whizzed down hills, through cave tunnels and jungle and alongside buffalo and cows in the paddy fields. We stopped at a bungalow resort (where I was staying that night with the Aussies) and went on a short jungle trek. Everyone laughed at me because I was the only one who got bitten by mosquitoes. Rubbish. But I saw loads of different butterflies – orange ones, white ones, yellow, black, blue, so that was cool.

Aurore and Thibeau, the French couple, and Radenko and Cam-Ha, the German guys, were staying at a hotel in Cat Ba town so when we got back, they left me and the Aussies at the bungalow site. I went for a nap under my mosquito net and slept for 3 hours, getting up only for dinner. Dinner was nice and the Aussies went back to their room straight after. Luckily, a large group of Dutch and German travellers were also spending their 2nd night there and when they saw me alone, they beckoned me over and we stayed up chatting for a good couple of hours.

The next morning after breakfast (and the best pancakes I’ve had this entire trip), we rode back to the harbour. Thibeau, Aurore, Radenko and Cam-Ha were already on the boat with our guide coming to pick us up. It was good to see them and we sat on the top deck swapping stories even though it was really cold. We were the chattiest group on the boat and I felt that we were forming a special bond which I havent had since Siem Reap. People trying to read disappeared below deck one by one. It was getting colder. We transferred back to our big boat to sail back to Halong. The trip to Halong was not nice. It started to pelt down with rain. I could hardly see any of the rocks, it was that bad. We were distracted by a cooking lesson. I had a go at making decorative vegetables. I was rubbish.

Still, we got back safe. Despite the weather Id been pleased with the trip.

We had lunch in Halong with people who had started their trip the day after us but who had stayed on the boat for just one night. I pitied the people who would be having their 2nd day today on Cat Ba. Not a nice day. Using the toilet after lunch was an experience. Cam-Ha and Radenko had already been during lunch and they just kept laughing when they came back. We kept asking them why but they werent really letting on. Aurore and I went. First we were hit by the stench. It was BAD. And like, really bad. I stood there covering my face waiting in the queue. Somebody came out and said there was more than one toilet inside so Aurore and I went in and then realised why a queue had formed; there was only one toilet with a door at the end by itself. Alongside there were 4 or 5 cubicles with a raised squat toilet. And no doors. I looked at Aurore. She looked at me. We both looked at a middle-aged woman behind us. When she realised what we were going to do she screwed her nose up at us and backed away. We gotta do what we gotta do so we went for it. We sat down to relieve ourselves and realised the toilets had been built so small that we could actually lean forward and have a conversation with each other. That was interesting. Perhaps not something Ill do again but we were laughing all the way to the bus. Even the Aussies joined in with the joke.

I fell asleep on the bus, completely knackered, completely out of it. I woke up only when our crazy driver was honking at someone or swerving past someone. Later on, Aurore challenged our guide, Ken , and the guide from the 2nd tour to a sing-off. That was good fun and kept us going all the way to Hanoi. I now know the words to Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh! It really was something like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad6S8JwkVz8

Back in Hanoi I arranged to meet the 2 couples later. I hadnt planned to go to the Water Puppet Show but I figured in a group it could be fun. We got to the theatre but all shows were fully booked so we went to get some ice cream instead. This was followed by some dinner and drinks with my new friends. I was sad when I had to leave to get the night train down south. But not for long; this was the start of another Vietnamese adventure…

Laos – Luang Prabang

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

The bus to Luang Prabang from Vang Vieng is meant to take 6 or 7 hours. We set off at about 11 and bingo, I got a window seat. I spent a lot of the journey reading a story my friend had written off my phone. I read quite far down and then realised the rest of it hadnt downloaded and with no wifi to help me carry on, I fell asleep. Just as well. When I woke up I looked out of the window. The view was magnificent. Green hills and mountains for as far as the eye could see. One problem: sheer drops with not a lot in the way of a barrier. And if the wheels skidded, we weren’t going to have much of a hope of staying alive. I tried not to think about this too much; the drivers here do this journey frequently and I have lived to tell the tale. To be fair, our driver went very slowly until we ended up getting stuck behind some construction guys building the road ahead. To make up for the hour or so lost, the driver went really fast around bends and corners. It was OK though, I’ve had worse journeys.

We stopped for food twice and arrived at the bus station just before 7. We had to get a tuk tuk into town. Again, I hadnt booked but managed to get myself to the best part of town for backpackers – Ban Ho Xiang. I was really happy to find a little alley way lined with well-lit and pretty guesthouses. I went to the Xayana Guesthouse. Dorm beds were 3500 kip. They were full but had a single for 10000. I took it, this place looked cool.

I dumped my stuff and went for a little wander. The Night Market was right on my doorstep which was great. There seemed to be cliques of people together as well as the compulsory couples. I started to feel a bit out of it and tried to work out the best strategy to get talking to people.

I got some dinner and headed back to the hostel courtyard. There was a group of people sat in a corner laughing and drinking. I sat across from them to do some writing. They beckoned me over to sit with them. Yeah!! They were from Korea and spoke some good English. Turned out 2 of them also work in TV. I didn’t have to tell them I baked bread for a living.  People always think telly is glamorous and want to know more. Its been fun inventing new personas instead…

A couple of Japanese guys Id seen on the bus came by – they were staying across the way. And then we were joined by an Aussie, a couple of people from California and a really cool German guy (also in media!) who invited me to go to the waterfalls on a motorbike. Yikes. That would have been good but you know me and motorbikes… We partied on way past curfew and long after the front door was closed. It was only when we saw people stumbling back from the bowling alley (the only place in town you can get a drink after hours) that we realised how late it was. The Koreans had gone to bed (guess what..? They were leaving tomorrow) but the rest of the guys recognised these new drunkies and decided to join them for some drinks at their hostel. My new German friend asked me to come along but I was pretty knackered by now so I went to bed. All good.

I thought Id woken up pretty late the next day. Even the lads from last night were already having breakfast. We said morning and I headed off to do some wandering. I sat in a bakery and got a coffee. A guy sat down near me. I didnt pay him too much attention but it’s always interesting to people-watch and work out which other travellers might also be alone. I sat there for a long time just doing a bit of reading.

When I was ready to leave, I took my time walking down the main road, taking everything in. Id attempted to do this last night but most things start to close around 10pm, leaving just darkness. I saw the boy from earlier again in another cafe reading his book. I walked to the end of the peninsula,  where the Mekong converges with the Mae Kok River. Locals were swimming, saw some tourists sunbathing. Pretty idyllic.

The riverside was clearly where the older folk with dollar stayed. It was quiet. In fact the whole town was quiet. Where was everyone? I walked alongside the river and discovered that this breed of Lao man (touting for boat rides) was clearly not intimidated by western females. I think at one point I was followed for a few hundred metres but it was all pretty harmless.

It was too hot to do much so I wandered back into town and got an iced coffee and read.  I later went to visit the Traditional Arts and Ethnology Centre to learn about the different Lao people and their courtship rituals. It was very amusing!

I then made my way to an organisation called Big Brother Mouse which has been set up to help Laotians improve their English. They accept volunteers so I decided to give it a go! I was walking over when this American girl, Monica from NYC, stopped me to ask where the university was. Didnt have a clue but we got chatting anyway and she sounded interested in BBM so came with me.

I was expecting to read to a group of children but the group was mainly made up of young men. I listened to a 17 year old called Sivan read to me about dinosaurs. Mate, there were words, even I couldnt pronounce! Sivan came from a province 6hrs drive away but was working in a hotel to fund his way through college. He wants to return to his village as an English teacher. Monica was having a great time teaching a small group of lads how to say names of fruit and veg!

A monk turned up too. Monica and I weren’t sure if we were even allowed to look at him let alone talk to him but Sivan said we just weren’t allowed to touch him. He was a lovely chap and spoke English very well – he’d been learning for 2 years. He told me how he wanted to go to Thailand to see a doctor as he kept getting stomach cramps and had been for about 3 years every day. I really wanted to give him some buscopan but probably best not play doctor!

Monica left with another girl to take one of the boys to anotherEnglish class 20 minutes away. I decided to stay on at BBM, I was really enjoying finding out about these boys’ lives. It was really interesting learning why they wanted to speak English and also what their lives were like.

AT 7pm we finished and I found a great little place for dinner; I had noodles and a drink for 20,000 kip – just over £1.50!

I wandered a bit more and felt a bit more in place; Id met a great group of people yesterday and had had more interactions today. I decided to head back to the hostel to see if anyone was about. I passed the post office and heard some music coming from behind it so I decided to find out what was going on. I had to pass a security guard but he was asleep with 2 big empty bottles of Beer Lao next to him – don’t think he’d be a problem. I peered behind a wall and was excited to see a Lao party in full swing! People were drinking beerand dancing and they all looked happy. A couple of people noticed me and smiled. A man beckoned me over to dance. I wanted to but I had bags with me and I really wanted to share this with someone. I watched for  a few more moments and then headed round the  corner to the hostel.

There was an open air showing of Avatar in the courtyard. Quite a few people had gathered. This was good. I would sit down and watch too and then maybe find someone to come back to the Lao party. I decided to just go pick up some laundry Id left across the road that morning and come back. Then someone caught my eye. Sat at the back in a corner; the boy Id seen twice already today! So he was staying here too! Anyways I went over to pick up my clothes and mistakenly assumed a man sat outside to be an employee. Turned out he was a Japanese tourist. I invited him over to watch the film!

I got back and the bloody film had finished! A few older women started chatting. They included the boy in their conversation. In the meantime, the Japanese dude who’d been on my bus and had sat with us yesterday turned up so I got chatting to him. I told him about the Lao party but he didnt seem up for it. In fact it was already getting late – maybe about 11 by now. It was St Paddy’s night. Id clearly missed the party people somewhere. The women and the boy had gone to bed within half an hour. I sat outside and read. A couple of people Id met the night previous came back looking worn out. Didnt look like anyone was going to come Lao dancing with me. (I did ‘gatecrash’ a lunchtime performance at a school on my last day with Jiang. They were doing it outside and we stopped to watch, got asked to join in so we did. Everyone clapped haha)

The next day I went to play with elephants! I went for an elephant ride and fed my elephant sugar cane. She was cool. And very hungry. She kept pointing her trunk at me. I just wanted to give her a big hug. But probably not a good idea. Such long eyelashes. I wonder what they think about.

The two Aussie girls Id met at Vientiane airport were on this trip with me. We talked about where we’d gone and what we were doing. They had got lost in a National Park near Vientiane and they’d ended up phoning their parents who then phoned the Australian Embassy who then got “3 men in thongs (in hindsight not sure if they meant flipflops or pants) to come out with torches” to rescue them. I asked if they weren’t worried about snakes. “Snakes??” they asked…

Later on we went to visit Kuang Si waterfall which means Big Waterfall. It was beyooootiful! Turquoise water! But it was cold. I had a nice swim anyway. I didnt like the fish trying to eat my scabs. I also saw some really cool sun bears. Dont know much about their plight, Ill look it up when I get home, but I do remember seeing a bear being chained up as a pet from my first but brief visit to Laos many years ago. On the way back to town we stopped by a Hmong  tribal village. They were selling things I just didnt want to buy. It was difficult. I dont understand at what point  contentment with a a simple life ends and poverty starts. That put a bit of a downer on things.

Back at the hostel I got a visitor; Jiang! She’d made it to Luang Prabang but my place was full so she’d gone to stay by the river. We were going to go to the Night Market to meet her friend and get some dinner. But first there was something I had to do. Sat alone in a cafe across the road was the boy. He was reading his book. Maybe he just didnt enjoy company. Or maybe he was shy. Well, I just went over, introduced myself and invited him (Nick) out for some drinks later. I left it completely open and said MAYBE Ill see you later. Cool.

The food at the night market was fab. For 10000 kip (about 80p!!) you can eat whatever you like at the buffet – BBQ fish, chicken heads, eggs, salad, rice, noodles. Bargain! We ate it all up and then Jiang and I and Jiang’s friend, Natalia (from Spain) headed through a series of dark alleys to a very cool bar called Utopia – you need to see this – http://www.utopialuangprabang.com/ – and we got some loungers on a bamboo deck over the river to chill out on.

Quite a way into the evening I saw Nick. He did look like he was looking for us but he was with a girl. I later saw them sat very quietly at the front of the bar. I didnt want to go over and pester him, it had been a totally open invite.

Jiang and Natalia wanted to leave at a good hour. I wanted to stay and watch some breakdancing. So I did. I was a bit worried about navigating the dark alleys back to the main road but I had seen several people from my hostel so wasnt worried about getting back. However, soon it was moving on to midnight and nobody showed signs of leaving. I was tired so I left. I didnt talk to Nick so didnt ask if he’d walk back with me, haha. I got as far as the front and 2 older guys were leaving on a motorbike. I asked if they’d mind riding along side me as I walked. “Why, you are scared?” asked the passenger. “well… yeah” I said. When they found out I was from London they laughed at me. Apparently London is way scarier than a series of dark alleys in a foreign country. They took me a different route to the way we’d come. They turned left instead of right and took me across a bridge. And the road was right at the end! What?! It had taken us ages to get there when there’d been a simpler route all along.

The guys left me there and went in the opposite direction. All I had to do was walk up this road and Id be on the main thoroughfare. At that point a man appeared out of the shadows and asked if I wanted a tuktuk, No thanks. OK… you want opium…? marijuana..? WHAT?? Really?? You think Im gonna buy off you? Me, a lone woman and you a dodgy Lao. No way man! My image of Lao men as intimidated rather than intimidating was fast being washed away by the men of Luang Praband. I wasnt worried in terms of safety – there were loads of people ahead walking around. I was a just bit shocked as I heard of boys being asked constantly, especially in Siem Reap. But this was new for me.

The next morning I went to get breakfast at a bakery up the road. Guess who was sitting alone in that very place reading his book…?

Laos – Vientiane and Vang Vieng

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Vientiane

And on to Laos! I was a bit dubious about the safety record of Lao Airlines but apparently they haven’t had a crash since 2000. So that’s OK then. Siem Reap airport was very modern and kind of hi-tec, a stark contrast to the rest of the country. I discussed this with Simon, a guy Id met on my 2nd trip to Angkor and who happened to be getting a flight the same time as me but to Vietnam. I had thought about getting a long distance bus to Pakse and to go exploring the 4000 islands and coo at Irrawaddy dolphins but that wouldn’t really leave me enough time to see the rest of Vietnam. No. Flight straight to Vientiane would be more convenient.

And it was, it was very pleasant. We didn’t have to fly up too high so I got a great overhead view of Cambodian rice paddies and rivers. They gave us food. A ham and cheese sandwich and a doughnuts filled with green cream. I chucked the ham. The green cream was good. I like the sugary bread here but boy oh boy I am going to suffer. Wheat+sugar=VERY BAD TUMMY!

We landed in Pakse after an hour. Here, we’d pick up more passengers and go on to Vientiane. I like the name Vientiane. It looks nice written down but you say it veen-chan.

Upon landing,  Japanese guys bounded off the plane and as they ran down the stairs onto the concourse, they shouted really excitedly, “Ohhh LAOS!”. They were funny. Then this guy at the bottom was checking if we were stopping at Pakse or going to Vientiane. They didnt understand what he was after so I explained to them “Oh. This isnt Vientiane? Where are we?” Funny boys.

I had to get a visa on arrival which cost $35. Aussies get it for $30 as 2 Aussie girls pointed out to me. Damn it, I was 4 dollars short. One of the girls offered it to me (the milk of traveller kindness) but turned out you can pay by card so I did. On the last leg to Vientiane, they gave us food. A ham and cheese sandwich and a doughnuts filled with green cream. I chucked the ham. The green cream was good. Yes.

Arrival in Vientiane was OK. You pay 55000 kip for a taxi to the city centre. Apparently if you walk 500m to the airport gate you can flag down a tuk tuk but I couldnt be bothered with my big backpack so I paid the equivalent of $7 (and probably the most Id ever pay for a ride that wasnt long-distance) and got in with the nice taxi man. Now here’s something: I didnt book accommodation!! I just asked the taxi to take me to the best spot. And he did. He dropped me outside quite a smart guesthouse which I later found on tripadvisor had 4 or maybe even 5 out of 5 and was smack bang in the middle of cafes and bars and between the Mekong River and the main drag. Result. Well worth paying that 55000 kip. I got  a great night’s sleep there and bed bugs became a worry of the past.

Had a nice wander around the city and eventually made it to the river for sunset. It made me happy being at the Mekong; it made me feel not so far away from Cambodia. Oh and they have daily displays of dance exercise!! It’s brilliant! I saw a couple of westerners at the back. Great stuff. People would buy snacks from the adjoining night market and sit on the grass and watch. I felt a bit bleurgggh after all that sugary bread so had a really simple supper of a rice fritter and some barbecued prawns on a stick for under £1. Bargain! Later on, I sat at a cafe round the corner from my guesthouse and got talking to a really nice English couple who’d been teaching English in Korea. They were having a quick holiday before flying to Madrid to teach English there. We chatted until we were thrown out – at 10.30pm! Vientiane, as many other Laos towns apparently, has a curfew. Everything shuts down by midnight and a lot of guesthouses lock their doors. Rah!

On my second day in Laos I started to experience some weird feelings in my tummy. Not sick or cramping. Like butterflies. Except every wave of butterflies was making me dash to the toilet! Oh god, oh god, it was really bad. Maybe the malarone was kicking in? Maybe it was the sugary bread? It wasnt nice. I visited the national monument and climbed Laos’ equivalent of the Arc de Triomphe, the Patuxai. I really hoped the views would be fab but the city’s quite flat so the view wasnt that interesting. I also read about UXOs in Laos. Apparently Laos is the world’s most bombed country. The Cope Centre rehabilitates those who have been maimed by cluster bombs. I wanted to check it out. I walked for ages and was quite far out of the city but really couldnt tell where I was going. I stopped with some locals and through mime and pointing they worked out where I wanted to go. A nice man offered to take me on his motorbike. I was hesitant. He was able to tell me it was only another 500m up the road. Oh yeah, OK, why not, so got on the back of the bike and off we went. The ride was OK but Im still pretty nervous after that accident so many years ago now. Never will be my preferred method of transport again but there you go.

The Cope Centre is housed in a pretty courtyard and some of the staff are English. Its really informative and there are loads of films you can watch about people who’ve had legs and arms blown off but who, thanks to this place, have learnt to walk and rebuild their lives. I met a young boy there called Peter Kim. He had lost his hands and was partially blinded too. He was really chatty and told me he wanted a girlfriend. When I told him how old I was to his 20 years, he asked me to have children quick, a daughter that he might be able to date, haha. The thing that struck me about this place was how upbeat everything and peoples’ stories were. A big contrast to S21. I guess those Cambodians have lost their lives. These Laotians can still make a go of things. I liked it and I felt privileged to talk to Peter and also privileged that I live in a country without the daily fear of running into a bomb.

Vang Vieng

OK… so Vang Vieng… I’d be warned off going because it’s touristy and has no culture and is full of kids getting drunk. Looking at my trip so far, I guess it’s been rich in learning about these countries. It hasnt exactly been a party. But as I said to Simon at Siem Reap airport, I think it might be time for a bit of fun! I got picked up at my guesthouse and chucked in the back of an already packed songthaew. We went round the streets and packed a couple of more people in and then we stopped in a car park by the river. The driver got out, came round the back to us and said quite simply, “Get out!”. So we did. We stood in the car park, bemused, all looking puzzled at each other surrounded by our bags and the songthaew drove off! He came back about 10 minutes later with another load of people. We hoped that the main bus would pick us all up from here. About 20 minutes later, it did. It was already full of people though and the crew offered plastic chairs to 2 unfortunates who didnt get a seat (WHAT!) until a nice couple offered to seat their 2 youngsters on their laps. For 4 hours. Fab.

I slept for a lot of the journey and firmly plugged my wobbly tummy up with buscopan. Apparently this is a secret weapon against stomach cramping although its sold to relieve IBS. Had I known about this years ago I might never have suffered another bad period. I was given it to counteract any cramping I might get from the malarone (which Im on for at least another fortnight). Side effects: constipation. Perfect for a long bus journey where I might need to make a dash for it.

What I saw of the countryside looked pretty. Not sure, I didnt get a window seat and the windows were tinted. Shame because I hear Vientiane to Vang Vieng is a pretty drive. What I did notice was that suddenly I was surrounded by mountains. Huges karsts. Amazing! We arrived and were given vague directions to our hotels. I had booked beforehand this time as I had heard of a really cute hostel with puppies and I really wanted to stay there. A girl who had been on my songthaew in the morning ran up behind me and asked if she could come with me. Sure, I said and off we went.

Champa Lao did not disappoint. It’s set on a road just off the main drag and just a little set back from the river. Again, a perfect location. I had booked a really cool bamboo hut. It was basic but it was brilliant. Luckily my new friend bagged the last room! And the puppies? yeah, they were there and sooooo cute. I cuddled them but they were more interested in sleeping.

I had decided that unless something major happened I only wanted to spend a night in Vang Vieng. I was most keen on going tubing and wasnt really that up for kayaking or caving here although you can do those things if you don’t want to get loaded. It’s a pretty enough town without having to “do teh touristy thing” if you dont want to. And if you’re lucky enough to stay in a cool place then all the better. My new friend, Jiang, from Shanghai, decided to stay a few days purely based on our hostel and she’s definitely not up for getting wrecked.

So I sorted myself out and dragged Jiang off to go tubing! We didnt get going til 4.30pm or so and we hadnt even got in the water before we were being encouraged to down shots of whisky! Basically you have bars set all along the river and you just tube down and get pulled in to drink at each one. We set our tubes down in the river and Jiang managed to let go of hers. Id already floated off. I managed to get people drinking at the next bar to stop her ring from floating downriver and I got out to wait at the next stop which wasnt too far. I was greeted by an Aussie who then tried to pur whiskey down me. Some Lao guys were encouraging him! Definitely a change from the demure. Jiang caught up with me and we set off again. Except, I floated off and Jiang just sort of… sat there.

I floated off and watched cows drinking from the river, Lao girls going crazy dancing on platforms and our very own stumbling drunk onto decks to try the aerial slides; 2 Aussies have died here very recently. Just saying innit…

Stopped at the Fluid bar which was quite a way down to get some food. I hadnt actually eaten all day out of fear for needing the toilet on the bus, haha. They had a fire roaring outside and though it wasnt cold and teh river wasnt cold, it was really nice to stand next to it for a bit. I finished my sandwich and Jiang showed up! She’d made it, but she’d had enough and was going to find a tuk tuk home.

I continued to float on my tube. Sunset came but the river was still busy. About 2km from the end point, people started to get out and jump in tuktuks back to town. I wanted to keep going. It was still not that dark and I could see a couple of people ahead so I kept going.

About half an hour later, I realised that everything was very still. Lizard chirping was very loud. It was dark. It had just suddenly happened. I called out, “Hello..” but no reply. I called again and the 2 girls who’d been ahead called back. OK they were still there. They shouted back to keep going, it was only as far as teh lights in teh distance. Hmmn, that didnt seems so bad. So about 10 minutes later I got there and realsied it wasnt the end. The girls were on the banks negotiating a ride back with some tuktuk drivers. I joined them. Water is weird in the dark.

When I returned my tube I was surprised to be asked where “my Chinese friend” was. Where was Jiang? I wasnt too worried given that she was always somewhere behind me. It turned out that she had got a tuk tuk but refused to pay the fare as she thought it was too much and had got a ride with an Italian guy on a bike. She didnt want to carry her tube so had let it go and in doing so, lost her deposit so she’d thought, sod it and gone for a drink with the Italian. Funny girl!

We met the Italian, Giovanni, for dinner after playing with the puppies for a bit. After dinner we went to check out the parties that Vang Vieng is “famed” for. The main town observes curfew; all the partying goes on on the island in the middle of the river. On the way there, we watched people stumbling back to town drunk; bit like Croydon on a Friday night. Yep.

The parties were full of buckets. It was like Full Moon Party on Koh Pha Ngan except nobody seemed to be over 25. It didnt feel as inclusive as the Full Moon Party. Drunkies jumped through a hoop of fire, the Lao boys kept dousing it in alcohol so the flames got higher and higher each time. An old guy tried it and hit the rope. Everyone cheered him anyway.

I had a good sleep under my mosquito net. I didn’t mind that I could hear music drifting across from the island as I fell asleep. I also had a good breakfast overlooking the river to look forward to in the morning.

Cambodia – Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

Friday, March 16th, 2012

My time in Phnom Penh ended on a bit of a downer – I woke up to find my right arm and shoulder covered in about 50 red blotches. On closer inspection I then found bites all over my body. It was horrid. It looked horrid. And the more I thought about it, the more horrid it seemed. I put on a sleeved t-shirt and tried to forget about it.

The bus journey to Siem Reap cost $11 and took 6 hours. Not bad considering the distance covered and the views of the lush green coutryside that came with it. Rural Cambodians seem to live in homes on stilts with big ditches built out the front; I expect during wet season these fill up and provide a ready-made pool. Or maybe just a watering hole.

My first impression of Siem Reap didnt excite me. The bus station was on a new road with new buildings. But once my tuk tuk drove through a park and over an old bridge and past colonial style buildings I knew I would like it. My guesthouse was just slightly off the main drag and down an undeveloped but busy road. It was bright and spacious and I hoped that whatever had attacked me last night hadnt travelled with me to finish the job 🙁

I went for a wander around town. Although there were still the same offers of rides as in Phnom Penh, it seemed less urgent here in Siem Reap. A bit more laid back. I got some ice cream and walked up to the National Museum across the Royal Gardens.

It’s always when you’re a bit under the weather that you feel a bit lonely. You dont have a friend to check in on you and ask if you’re OK. I hadnt met anyone at my guesthouse and all I seemed to see in the way of travellers in Siem Reap was couples! A bit fed up, I went and sat in a really expensive restaurant. Had I been feeling a bit more up to it I might have braved the market and sat with another solo traveller but at that moment I felt the only way to stop my arm and shoulder itching was to splurge on food. And good Khmer food it was; catfish amok – catfish, oooh I ate one of those cute moustachioed fish! – eel – I tried to enjoy it but the thought of slimy and slippery kept coming into my head, and for afters, sweet mungbean. Slimy but very tasty. I went back to my room and watched some telly. I had a big day the next day.

I was going to see Angkor Wat.

It was a hot, hot morning. A mini bus full of people in the heat with several bottles of water. We climbed all over crumbling temples in the Angkor complex and oohed and ahhed at ancient carvings. I made some friends which was nice; 2 Dutch guys (of course), an Austrian, a couple of Germans and a fellow English person. Oh and some Aussies and an ex-pat American. But guess what? They were all leaving the next day!!! WHATTTTTT!? Anyways, we enjoyed the day, we learnt some history, we got to see the bas relief that told teh story of the churning of the milk (ha haa Rob!) but it wasnt until we climbed a big hill, Phnom Bakheng, for sunset that I fully appreciated how amazing Angkor would have been in its day and of course now. The crazy thing is, about a million people lived in this city when at the time, only 50000 people lived in London. I think the city was deserted when all the resources got used up.

That evening me and my new friends arranged to have dinner and have some drinks on Pub Street which was great fun. The guys got beer. At 50 cents a bottle it was a good deal. My dinner cost $1. Last night it cost me $20.We laughed and laughed and laughed and left in the early hours of the morning.

I spent a couple of more days exploring the ancient ruins and more temples.  I went to watch the sunrise too over Angkor Wat which was just amazing.  I ended up doing a much smaller tour with just 2 other people which was fun too but we just didnt gel like our other group. But a lasting memory Ill have that makes me laugh every time I think about it happened at one of the temples. An old priest if you will, was blessing 2 French girls, tying flowers around their wrists and dabbing them with water that he was blessing. They were like “oooh this is like really cosmic man” and they were really getting into it (funny in itself) and then they asked him if he was at the temple evryday to which he grinned a toothless grin and said in English “No I go home every day”. It had me and everyone else pissing ourselves laughing. Maybe you had to be there..!

I slept with the lights on the rest of the time in Siem Reap. Apparently bed bugs dont like it. I didnt see any more bites. At least I dont think so. But being alone gave me more time than necessary to worry about these things. I was paranoid that they’s dome to Siem Reap with me from Phnom Penh. Sometimes they looked like they were fading. Other times they were super itchy. Getting a mosquito bite was a relief in a strange way. As for the anti malarials, so far so good. No cramping and havent had to use the Buscopan either.

Maybe another reason I was feeling weird was that I was going to miss Cambodia. I had been really affected by the history in Phnom Penh and just so touched by the generosity, friendliness and kindness of the Cambodians. Moving on was always going to happen. I had got comfortable at my guesthouse and liked my little walk into town every day. One evening a woman had asked me to help her feed her baby. She needed milk. Formula milk. It cost $8! $8!! Really??? Does it cost that much at home?! She was so grateful. But it didnt feel good. It just made me feel sad.

Cambodia – Phnom Penh

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

So far, Saigon, so good
I enjoyed my last day in HCMC for now walking around before setting off to explore new territory. I woke up pretty late. So late in fact that the girl working at the hotel commented “I can’t believe you woke up at midday… And missed breakfast!” Well those who know me know that lazy lie-ins are not unusual for me, but I did feel embarrased having a stranger comment on it…!

I tried my first Vietnamese coffee. Yeah, OK, not from a street seller; from a posh hotel cafe, Lanmien, haha. It was nice. Strong black coffee, bit ‘spicy’ if that doesn’t sound weird, and drunk with condensed milk, which actually made they whole drink taste like chocolate. Yum but must try not to have too many…

And on to my 2nd visit to the War Remnants Museum. I was really enjoying my walk and bought a coconut from a man on the street for about 50p. I was enjoying drinking it and enjoying the sun. I thought about having some lunch pretty soon as I missed breakfast before going to the museum, so dug out my Lonely Planet. It said there were a couple of nice lunch places just up the road from there, so I reached  the museum and carried on walking, enjoying my coconut. I finished it and almost immediately my stomach gurgled. A strange hot feeling and a pressure below. Damn it! I needed a toilet. Fast! I rushed to the restaurant as highlighted by Lonely Planet. Damn it! No longer there!! So scurried into a local bar where lots of local men were smoking…not the best choice but a necessary choice.

I never used to use a Lonely Planet. I did my solo RTW trip without a map or a book. OK, maybe local maps once I got there. Why am I now depending on guide books when I used to be a real pro at turning up somewhere with no accommodation booked and no idea who I would meet or where I would eat? Sad that naive me has gone into hiding.

So… disaster averted. Decided to have some noodles at this bar and went to the museum. Fascinating to discover the upper floor was exhibiting photographs as taken by war photo journalists, one a Brit called Larry Burrows (who became a casualty of war in Laos). Great stuff.

The next day I was no longer running for the loo and was ready to move on to Cambodia! Ill return to HCMC at the end of my trip to fly home. As I walked to the bus station, I felt worried.. sad.. but why? I think I’ve become complacent, stuck. I’d been here 4 days and there’s so much to see. Why did I feel anxious about moving on? Getting too comfortable in old skin; need to force oneself to push off and discover!

And once I felt able to being open, I started to enjoy the ride. While waiting for the bus, a strange man started to hover. I looked at him. He looked at me. I thought about asking if he was OK (I would have started jabbering without hesitation on many other trips) and then he asked me if I had seen his friend? He was looking to say goodbye to his friend with “long hair and a beard”. He was having a bit of trouble conversing. I asked him where he was from. “France” he replied. So I told him I spoke French & we started jabbering! He told me he played the violin and that he had originally come to Asia because he had a Chinese girlfriend, and in English, added “She was a bit crazy” (keep running this over in my mind for a giggle – the way he said it hahaha) and he told me that he used to wander into Angkor Wat after hours and play his violin and security would wander the grounds trying to work out where the sound was coming from. He told me to remember this when I visit. I shall.

Soon, I was asked to get on the bus. Sure enough, Monsieur Violin’s friend was already on the bus and sat across from me. We didnt talk though. I was still tired – dunno why – heat? still jetlagged? – and slept all the way to the border.

Phnom Penh – Good enough to eat?!

So, border controls and visas were not an issue. I have a multiple entry Vietnam visa bought over the internet and paid for on arrival (US $50 + $25 online) and also paid for my Cambodia visa online for $25. Could still pay at immigration if needed to. Just queue up, they stamp you on exit at Moc Bai and then you go a little way into Bavet in Cambodia and they stamp you again. My immigration officer asked me where I was going.

“Phnom Penh”

“And then?”

“Siem Reap. To see Angkor Wat”.

“And then?”

“Maybe Laos. Then back to Vietnam”

“And then you come to see me again, OK!”

It was a cute little moment.

Once through the controls we went a tiny way again and we stopped for lunch. Thanks to Madame Cuc’s breakfast I didnt feel the need for a cooked lunch. Neither did the French hippy dude. I never got his name but he told me he was a lorry driver in France and he would work for 4 months of the year and then bum around Asia the rest of the time. He had tried to open a bookshop in China but said it was too complicated to work out. He was cool. He paid for a coke for me and he had a coffee. We were rather hurried by the bus crew. I thought about having an emergency wee but so rushed were we I just thought, no probs, there’s a toilet on board.

So on the bus, I finished my coke. After about 20 minutes I knew I needed the loo. So I went to the back of the bus and to my shock, horror, the door was well and truly blocked. By piles and piles of packages of rice! I sighed and went down to the front of the bus. The crew were asleep (obv not driver!). I tried to wake them but they were well and truly out of it. I sat back down and tried to enjoy the lush and green countryside. I told the hippy dude and he shrugged in a French kind of way. 20 minutes later I knew I would really need the toilet so I walked back to the back and tried to move some of the packs myself. They weren’t heavy but the pile went deep down and I just thought maybe we would stop again soon. I couldnt be the only person needing a wee? I went to wake one of the crew up again. He woke up and I told him I needed the loo. He came to the back and saw what my problem was. He gestured to me that it would be OK and he walked back down, sat down and fell asleep again! This time, hippy dude became concerned for me and walked to the back of the bus to see the problem for himself. He now understood what a problem this was and together we lifted the packs together and chucked them on the empty back seats. A woman, I think she may have been Vietnamese, her husband, certainly could communicate with the crew, came to help and then her husband came to say the crew had said we’d be stopping in 5 minutes. Well, we continued to unload and deblock anyway. We came down to the final pack blocking the door from opening. I felt so excited. Hippy dude tried to open the door. It was locked on the outside but the lock wouldnt slide. Oh no! But then I shook it a little, it gave, slid away, Hippy Dude opened the door and… found more stuff inside!!! NOOOOOOOOOO! “Ah… non plus!” said Hippy, rather dejected. We both went and sat down. I didnt even have a pot to piss in.

Crewman finally came up to see what exactly was going on because maybe-Vietnamese woman alerted him that 5 mins had passed and I still needed the loo (she may have too but perhaps too ladylike to admit). I saw crewman go to the back and start to empty the toilet of all these packs. Yes oh yes oh yes!!!! He came down about 5 minutes later and said I could go to the loo. Oh boyyyyyy!! Never been so happy! I ran to the back, sat down, didnt even shut the door and let go! I didnt even mind that the seat was scorching hot! Happy, I went back to my seat and fell asleep. And in all… my bladder was waiting almost 100 minutes for relief.

At least I didn’t drink a coconut today.

So… Phnom Penh. At first glanced looked like Chiang Mai in Thailand. But not as pretty. HCMC had a lot of French influence. It reminded me a lot of Port Louis on my island. I wasnt sure if I was going to like PP. A tuk tuk driver took me to my hotel – www.bluetonguecafe.com

I’d been told to get a room by the lake but after trying to work out where to stay around the lake and reading bad review after bad review regarding bed bugs, uncleanliness and being hassled to buy drugs I just thought bugger it, spend a bit more and stay somewhere nice. So I have! But what I made up for by not staying at the lake I lost elsewhere; constant requests to take bike rides, moto rides, tuk tuks… ahhhh! It would have been OK if it wasnt so relentless! I got pretty tired of it all to be honest. I wandered around the riverside where it seems life is abuzz, stopped by a cafe for some ice cream, and thought about calling it a day. I got talking to a waitress. Her English was very good. She told me she too had travelled around SE Asia (she didnt like Thailand). We talked about Cambodia’s history and she told me foreigners knew more than her own people. She also advised against walking around at night alone and gave me a good well-lit route back to my hotel (and a safer way than I had planned originally), which worked. Bonne nuite, Farrah!

Finally I get it

I tried to wake up at 7am to get a good headstart on seeing things today. I failed miserably and got up at 9am instead. Wanted to get breakfast pretty quick so went downstairs without doing my hair or putting any make up on. It’s about time I left my western face at home. I got chatting to the waiter. He paid me a compliment and said I looked very young. Well that was enough for me. Buh-bye Monsieur Dior and off out I went.

There were 2 things I wanted to visit in Phnom Penh; S21 and the Killing Fields. S21 was the concentration camp during Pol Pots regime. It was exactly as they left it. Old beds upon which they tortured prisoners. The gallows. The barbed wire. I read a lot about its history, the Khmer Rouge, and looked at every photo of those who died. They deserved to be given attention; every man, woman and child. I spent a good, maybe 2hrs, reading and digesting everything and though it was sad, terrifying and made me angry, I felt somehow as if I had seen so much horror already, maybe from what we see on the news daily, that I felt largely unaffected. Towards the end of touring the former prison, a young girl approached me and introduced me to an old man. This man was one of only 7 survivors. I immediately burst into tears and then wouldn’t stop. I’m sad now as I write.

I had some lunch across the road at a beautiful cafe, the Boddhi Tree and arranged with the owner for his friend to take me to the killing fields in his tuk tuk, a good 35 minute ride. At first I was scared of riding all that way in a tuk tuk but I soon sat back, remembered how to be carefree, and enjoyed the ride.

The killing fields is where prisoners came to be executed. It’s strange that in Buddhist thought you must be buried for your soul to rest, but there are thousands of skulls and bone parts on display. I treated the whole site as a graveyard and with respect. I saw several teeth and even part of a jaw in the ground off the path; as time goes by and rains come and go, body parts and clothing emerges from the ground. The best I could do as I walked around was ask god to bless these poor, poor people. When I went to meet my driver at the end I spoke to his friend (cambodians speak more English than their Vietnamese counterparts I find). I said I was very sorry for him, his family and his country. He said it was a very long time ago but I was very lucky to come from England. Indeed, I am.

Back in town, I felt a new warmth for Phnom Penh. I smiled at everyone asking if I wanted a ride. I even joked with a couple of the drivers I came across. And I really noticed how many old white men really reckoned themselves for having a fine young Cambodian filly on their arm.

Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City

Monday, March 5th, 2012

Ho Chi Minh City is hot! Like, really hot. Today we hit 34 degrees! And Im not going to complain, even though I have felt a bit faint and exhausted through the day. So, my first adventure in over 3 years. Loving it! Got here on Saturday evening after a pleasant 18 hr journey via Hong Kong on Cathay. Already arranged hotel from home via email; didnt know what to expect – would the taxi driver turn up? Would I be shown some dodgy cellar room? But Im pleased that word-of-mouth didnt lead me astray. Im staying at the very pleasant Madame Cuc184, just off the busy Khao San Road-like Bui Vien Street. Im up on the 6th floor and there’s no lift but I get a comfy sleep for $16 a night with brek and dinner of spring rolls and noodles included so can’t complain. Area very quiet after midnight though, not keen on walking back alone at that time. Staff fab. House doggie cute. But havent had rabies shots so dont dare play with it.

Sorted self out on Saturday and then went to find Minna, who was staying in the more upscale Dong Khoi area. My phone tells me it should only take 20 minutes to reach her but as its my first experience of crossing the roadin Vietnam, I take an hour to find her. Sheer motorcycle madness. Fearless. As are the locals who confidently stride out into the road. Bikes and cars either slow down or swerve around them. I stand at the kerb and look on aghast. I have tried to do as the locals do but end up getting beeped at. Im sure thats not whats supposed to happen.

I find Minna and feel safe. We go for some drinks at a very cool open courtyard dressed up in fairy lights. Cheap. 15 quid for a round of 6 drinks. She walks me back to my hotel and I fall asleep in the heat. Did not sleep so good on the plane so Im hoping that jetlag will pass me by.

Minna headed up north on the train towards Hue after that; I stayed in Saigon to explore! We both spent some time being a bit ill in our first 24 hrs. I think its just about getting used to the heat and cuisine rather than eating/doing anything dodgy. I woke up the next day at10.30am. Perfect. I missed breakfast at the hotel so made for the nearest ‘safe’ place to get a coffee and you’ll call me a cop-out for this but I went to Gloria Jeans and got a cappuccino rather than brave a local stall for some civet coffee. The reason for this is Im just not feeling fearless enough yet to communicate with the locals. Give me a bit of time and Ill be eating beef noodle soup off the streets but 3 days in and I feel like I need someone to show me the ropes… I dont feel like the crazy backpacker I used to be. Yet.

So coffee and warm banana muffin downed (for 115000 vnd, about £3.50, would have been far cheaper at a street stall) I ventured off to see the Reunification Palace. Been asked a lot if I want a motorcycle ride. Since coming off a bike in Cuba I dont think so. Im sure these guys are way way too experienced to get clumsy but I just cant risk going to a foreign hospital again. I have seen people carrying TVs on the back of bikes and seen girls riding in heels but … oh I might get on one..

Anyway, the Palace… so it was the President’s Palace and it was very much like a less sumptuous, less ostentatious Grand Pavillion. It has the same rooms for the same function as Brighton’s very own but just.. less showy. I was interested to learn about Vietnam’s history there as I actually didnt know so much before I came here. I learnt a great deal about the Vietnam War at the War Remnants Museum. Very sad and I felt really angry to see that the US government dont really learn do they? And we dont know why the US came to Vietnam. They just like to meddle. Anyways, I was just learning about Agent Orange when I had to leave as the Museum was closing. Id like to go back and learn some more. The Lonely Planet warns that the Museum uses a lot of propaganda. I dont really understand how you explain away a bunch of nutters murdering children and the elderly and then reading that one Senator (or ex?) Bob Kerry stood down after admitting he was involved in such atrocities. I mean… Spoke to a Vietnamese guy who says Vietnam has a history of war so he wasnt going to point blame; he’d be happy to welcome an American here, just as he would anyone else.

I stopped at a cafe near Notre Dame Cathedral for beef noodles. They were yum! I watched the world go by for a bit, then went for a wander. I found the local mosque! Its in a cluster of halal restaurants – actually, I see a few halal restaurants in and around Saigon and a few men here and there with their bonnets and also some women in the hijab so there’s definitely an Islamic presence here. I ate some ice cream and went off back to my hotel to chill.

Today I went on a little trip! I met some nice girls at my hotel who informed me they were leaving after 3 weeks touring the country. I had a good breakfast of bread (oops), eggs and banana and then I got on a little bus to the Cu Chi Tunnels. It was probably a 2hrdrive away from the city? I hung out with a Norwegian girl who told me she was leaving. I learnt a lot about the Viet Cong. I tried to get in the tunnel but had to backtrack – them were small!! Some Japanese lads from the bus did it and they came out looking like they were gonna die! Some other people went further than me but came back out again! Those who managed it said it was pitch black and they were crawling on their hands and knees. Eeek! Had some manioc, just like the Viet Cong. Have had it before but never with sugar and peanuts. Was good! Got on the bus and fell asleep.

Got back to town and had a bit of a wander. A girl who sidled up to me to cross the road revealed herself to be from Crystal Palace and touring Vietnam because she too, had missed it out on her RTW trip! She told me that she was leaving tomorrow.

Have had a couple of mosquito bites and I fancy an ice cream before bed. My writings not what it was, Hopefully next account will be better. If you want to pretend that you are here, just walk on the pavement outside Heals on Tottenham Court Road and close your eys. Smells the same, I kid you not! Will write some more soon…