Freejan

Today was well worth the getting up early for. We left the hotel on our pink bus at 8am. The first seat i sat on collapsed on me so can only think the diet is not going too well! We travelled on the new highway which was gifted by Japan. The down side is there is a toll. The highway cuts right through the middle of the rice and fruit growing fields of the farmers and there is a fence to keep both livestock and humans safe. Unfortunately the farmers feel they need a short cut so cut into the fence to cross the highway. This has disasterous results, especially if they have been on the rice wine! Our first stop today was at the Happy Buddha temple. A beautiful oasis in the middle of workers shacks and fields. There were several Buddhas. The newest one is only 2years old and he is the sitting, smiling one. Enormous he is towering over us. Behind him was the more Indian reclining Buddha and across the road is a standing Buddha. They are all white and looked pretty impressive next to the blue sky. Just by the gate is a painted female Buddha – i didn’t know there was one so there you go! The temple and gardens were serene; full of shrubs all flowering. I took a photo of a bench which was one amongst many that were sponsored by Wrigleys doublemint. Their logo was on the bench! Other benches were sponsored by individuals or companies too. We moved on to the Mekong river where we boarded another junk type boat with rattan double seats which took us across to Coconut island. We were in for a treat – we were shown how the coconut is split open, disected, pressed, desiccated and made into sweets/fancy goods and goodness knows what. We were given samples of the sweets and then banana, coconut and snake ( eerrr!!!) Wine. The snake was still in the bottle so you can imagine the state of me with my absolute phobia of snakes! Not my favourite bit either when we were given the chance to hold a snake – i gave the whole thing a huge swerve! We then walked across the island in the searing heat until we reached a watering hole. It was a real treat. We were given samples of pineapple, jack fruit, mango, papaya and one i can’t remember that resembled a grapefruit but was plumper and milder. We were given a salt mixture to eat the unknown fruit and the pineapple with – surprisingly nice. With this we had tea with honey and kumquat squeezed into it. A bit like lemsip so good for my cold! Some local muscians and singers came to entertain us which was lovely. They sang old langsyne and then if your’e happy and you know it clap your hands!
We left there reluctantly but refreshed and headed for the coconut groves and backwaters. We were put into some small punt like boats – 4 in each boat- and were paddled along in the peace and silence until we reached the landing stage for our large boat. There was a coconut for each of us to drink the milk wow! We went back across the river, called in the happy rooms and set off for our lunch. Well i don’t know how to describe where we were taken. It was called the Mekong Rest Stop. Tables were set out under thatched roofs with open sides. The menu was: young coconut body salad with shrimps and pork, fresh salad with shrimps and pork spring rolls, fried ball of sticky rice(amazing – about 8″ across, hollow which the waitress came and cut up into strips for us to eat – a bit like a pancake), crispy fried elephant ear fish, pancakes stuffed with shrimps and pork and salad with beansprouts, fried rice with garlic and pudding was banana flamed with rhum( that’s how rum was spelt!). A veritable feast i swilled down with tiger beer! We staggered to the bus and headed back to the hotel. Most of fell asleep! I have spent the rest of the day sleeping, repacking my case, settling my bill and having a shower. What a fabulous day! It is our last in Vietnam. We go to phom pen tomorrow. Night folks! Xl

All went well with alarm at 6am and at bus ( pink now!) for 8am. We set off for the Ci Chi Tunnels and were told it would take an hour and a half – not particularly because of distance(about 65km i think) but because of the traffic in Saigon. As schools start at 6.30 here we couldn’t work out where all the traffic, mainly mopeds and scooters, were going! We got there in our cool bus , arriving about 9.30. First a happy room stop and then wevwere led into the new jungle – the old jungle had been destroyed by the Americans so the trees were only about 20 years old. This was an amazing place. We were shown traps to catch US soldiers, airholes in rocks, the hospural, the kutchen and the strategy room. Most of all was the experience of going down one of the tunnels. We went down one lot of steps and then turned into a cave like room to go down more steps into a tunnel (enlarged for westerners) no more than 2 1/2 – 3 feet high and 2 1/2 wide. They were dark and we followed each other until a man with a torch directed us the right way, about 25 metres in all, bent double. Gave me a real feeling of what it must have been like to move about down in the tunnels. These ‘resistence’ fighters liced underground for something like 20 years. The Americans had to concede they could not get them. Not that it stopped them bombing them and using the agent orange to defoliate the forest. Some of our group opted to use the firing range with rifles and machine guns – god knows why! Most of us had an ice cream and tried to talk with the firing of shots as background! Quite a bizarre situation really. We ended our visit with some tapioca, in root form, dipped in a peanut mixture. The Vietnamnese fighters lived only on tapioca for 20 years. We got a little cup of fragrant tea to drink with it. It was bland but not disgusting but i couldn’t see myself surving on it – no wonder they were skinny! We returned to Saigon with many images in our minds.
On the way back i had to hold my hand up to having forgotten my photos for my Cambodian visa so my first job was to have some done as the machine at the airport is often broken it seems! Well goodness knows what the temp was by this time but an oven comes to mibd. The guide had pointed me in a direction but after going down half a dozen streets i stood on a corner despairing! I was wet through and desperately trying to read the map i had been given. My knight in shining armour came to ask where i was going, said he could take me on his motor bike to a photography shop. After about 2 mins deliberation i agreed ti let him take me. Quite pleased with myself sitting on the back of his bike with crash helmet on weaving in and out of the crazy traffic. I had my photos done for my Cambodian Visa and we set off again for an oasis called The Lemongrass. Air conditioning – YES!. I ordered water and tiger bia hoi – draft beer in the local lingo. It was wonderful to jyst sit there but realised i was starving. I ordered chicken and cashew nuts and sticky rice. Yummy. Then banana fritters but i could only manage one and some others from my group who had just come into the restaurant helped me out. By this time it was increasingly apparent that i had a cold. I was coughing, nose running and my eyes were sore. I set off to the pharmacy. I just had time for an iced tea before catching the shuttle bus back to the horel. My plans to go to the market will have to wait until tomorrow! I mentioned about the masks and rain wear of the moped drivers but now i have noticed something else. The women wear a sort of apron/sarong skirt over their short skirt to cover their legs while driving the scooter. Also babies up to something like 10 years don’t have to wear crash helmets but adults do!
Thw prime minister’s mother lives in a house on the way to the tunnels, she is 92 and he telephones her every day. She has a casino going in her house every day. The other thing i noticed on the way to the tunnels was the shack/ shops/houses all looking rather a mess but by the side of them along the road were franjipani trees. Wonderful. Flowers are very important here and whereever we have eaten there have been flowers, orchids, roses or chrysanthemums usually. Ok had it folks! Night! X

The alarm went off at 5am which was fortunate as the wake up call didn’t come until 5.30am. As people who know me already know i spend the first half hour trying to come to terms with wakefulness so i would have been late down for breakfast which started at 6.45. Needless to say it was 6 when i got down after leaving my case outside my room as instructed. The imperial had fabulous rooms but the breakfasts, for me, were not as good. But, today there were lychees with the fresh fruit so there was a flutter of excitement from me. I cause trouble each morning asking for a pot of tea instead of letting them fill up my cup all the time but hey it’s 5* so nobody argues! Thought i was doing well getting to the bus by 6.25 but when i handed in my room card they presented me with my pyjamas and alarm clock! Soo glad they go to check the rooms! It was pouring with rain for the hours’drive to the airport and i kept myself awake by counting the colours of the plastic coverall coats they wear here on their scooters/mopeds – the passenger is covered too but cannot see anything! The airport at Hue is an international airport but has no international flights! Until recently they had to drive cars out onto the runway to chase off the water buffalo. Cute eh? I treated myself to cup of Vuetnamese coffee – yes me drinking coffee – which i am getting very fond of. The flight was just over an hour to Saigon. We landed to bright sunshine and 30° at 9.30 in the morning. Not to let us catch breath we met our new guide Kqua not sure of spelling, and our first stop was the war remnants museum. I really know now why i protested about the Vietnam war. Some of the accounts and photographs were shocking and heartbreaking. We saw how the agent orange, used by the Americans to defoliate the forests – and i might add while their own men were there too, caused atrocious birth defects and it is still affecting children today. It took until 2001 for the Americans to acknowledge what they had done. One massacre was lead by who is now a senator in America – Bob Kerry. Unbelievable! One exhibition showed the work of war photographers from both sides and were very moving. Errol Flyn’s son was one such and he was killed. This all dampened our holuday spirit somewhat but we agreed it was a must to see. We moved on to see the spectacular post office with wooden telephone booths and beautiful benches and desks to address your parcel etc. I treated myself here to a jade bracelet and earrings for sale at the end of the post office on your way out. The Notre Dame Cathedral was across the road but we didn’t go in. By this time i couldn’t concentrate on a word K was saying and was relieved when he said ‘lunch’ and ‘beer garden’! I ordered a Tiger beer( being a tiger in chinese astronomy this seemed appropriate) and a chicken and salad sandwich. Lovely jubbly! At last we were taken to the Equadorial Hotel and given our rooms. I took my shoes off and laid on the bed for the next 3hours. I decided i should rouse myself so i went down to the spa and booked a foot xare treatment, then got some more Dongs from the atm. I then went swimming in the amazing pool here – 10 lengths better than nothing! Then my foot treatment – bliss! By this time realised i was not in a fit state to get ready to go out so i ordered myself , guess what? Yes spring rolls and french fries! The spring rolls had orange and chili dipping sauce! Amazing. A couple of lovely people from Aberdeen bought me some vodka and tonic last night so i am now enjoying one or two of them. It’s a 6.30am wake up call so gad better sign off! Night all. X

I was last on the white bus this morning after a 7am wake up call to be out by 8.30am. Now don’t get me wrong, this is a wonderful tour but they will get you up in the mornings! I did sleep in my luxurious bedroom last night in the total silence – bliss! After my meal down town last night i bought some rather colourful cotton trousers. They are pink(yes true to form), teal, blue and white in a sort of paisley pattern – very gay and sooo comfortable! I wore them today with a pink top which is a sort of vest type, even though it was raining. It was still about 30° and you get wet one way or the other within minutes! We were led by Lan who turns out to be a lovely chappy with a great sense of humour. We started at the forbidden city or the Imperial City if you listen to some. Here we saw the palace of Supreme Harmony. A huge complex of buildings that have mostly survived the bombings. I loved the details on the buildings, the mosaics and scenes painted or carved on the arches and walls. We witnessed the parade of the guards all dressed in red and yellow. Yellow is the royal colour and only the king could use it for buildings – when the french invaded they painted their buildings yellow to play a one upmanship game. We then went to the Thein Mu Pagoda up some vry steep steps so a couple of us went the windy path route. It’s position by the river was stunning and as you looked out you realused how green and tropical the place is. We came down to the banks of the river and climbed aboard a double coloured dragon headed boat. We bought cold beers – bia hoi is the vietnamese for draft beer and it is very good- which was very very welcome! We sailed down the river and did more shopping! I have neither room in my case or money left and i have about 10 days to go! Any one know where i could get a job when i get back?! I have decided to buy a hand luggage bag as my case very tight now. We disembarked and made our way to the wonderful place we went for lunch which seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. We had a fig based vegetable pate which we ate in prawn crackers and dipped in a lovely dip: noodle soup with pork: prawns and spring rolls with a dip: a fish stew with fragranced rice and ended with creme caramel, banana and jasmine tea. Brill or what? We staggered out of there to go to make our last visit of the day. I was wearing my new conical hat by this time – very expensive at $1 or 70p! We arrived at Tu Duc’s mausoleum in sunshine. Another wonderful place that the Vietnamnese people are busy renovating and restoring. The steps killed me but nosy me couldn’t give it a miss. The mausoleum is there but no-one really knows where the body is as it a secret – he was buried with jewels etc and they didn’t want it to be raided. I staggered back to the boring white bus and grabbed a bottle of water – oh the small joy of cold water! Now ensconced in my lovely bed i am just about to have a badly needed shower ready to go out to the Mandarin across the road for yet more delicious food – someone has to do it! Bye for now, back tomorrow if i am awake after the 5.30 wake up call. Flight is 8.30 to Saigon or Ho Chi Minh city and the airport is about an hour away. I will be sad to leave the Imperial Hotel.

I am really tired tonight so this will be a shorter post. Last night i was kept awake by a party in a disco across the road – attended by David Beckham no less. He kept me awake until 1.15 and not in a good way! We had a relatively late departure from the Melia – 9.45, to go to the airport to fly at 12.20 to Danang which took just over an hour. Must mention the topiary around here. It is all down the middle of the road and along each side in places. Beautifully shaped little trees. Many people have bonsais on their verandas and if i was making a guess many are very old. We left Hanoi wuth a temperature of 22° and arrived in Danang with temperature of 31°. We were now being driven in a boring white bus with a new guide called Lan ( think that’s the right spelling) who is very nice. We set off along a beautiful coaatline and up and over the Cloudy mountain- there was a blue street sign on the way up saying ‘Foggy Street’!. The gods were withbus today and it was clear and sunny with amazing views. When we reached the top we got out of the bus and did a short climb up to some old bunkers which had been used by the Americans. This was the border between Danang and Hue. We had a brief stop for the happy rooms and a drink at a place right next a aw wonderfully photogenic lagoon. I took some arty farty photos before setting of for Hue which would take about another hour and a half. It was getting dark as we entered Hue which gad at one time been the capital of Vietnam. Our new hotel is the Imperial Hotel and is a rather grand colonial style place. Absolutely stunning! My ‘suite’is divided into a sitting room with sofa, chairs, desk and television, the bathroom with bath and large walk in shower with a little wooden box of ‘essentials’ wrapped in small red corrugated cardboard packets, and finally, my bedroom with amazing double bed, lamps, sofa and television. I am feeling guilty about the luxury of it all. Also feeling shattered and we have a 7am wake up call to go out at 8.30! I had food in a place called Les Garden. I had spring rolls, becoming an obsession here, followed by minced pork on lemongrass skewers, pwanut dip and salad and rice paper to wrap and eat them in. Delicious! Night all. X

Up at the crack of dawn and off at 7.30! It was a 4 hour journey, mostly because of the traffic which was rush hour. The vietnamese get up early and school starts at 7am. The school ‘day’ ends about 12/1pm. We stopped for visits to the ‘happy room’ as our guide calls the loos, and to look round an outlet where children and adults affected by the ‘agent orange’ insectaside introduced by the Americans used here. Children are still being born with deformaties. They sew by their good hand, the most amazing pictures in cottons or silks. There were other types of vietnamese fancy goods there too – silk kimonos, lacquered bowls and boxes, jewellery in precious stobes found in this coubtry like rubies and emeralds as well as jade. I looked at a pair of circular jade ( green) earrings set in silver and they were about £120 so i had to walk away! It was now about another hour to Halong Bay on this misty/cloudy day. We were not to see it at it’s very best but the 1000s of jagged islands were quite a spectacle! We had climbed aboard the flat bottomed boat to be seated for a feast as the boat left the harbour. There are 38 of us in my ‘party’from all walks of life and this was a good time to get to know a few of them. We had prawns dipped in kumquat juice and salt, crab cakes, set in the shell, chips, spring rolls with soy sauce, fish in a beautiful sauce with ginger in it and spring onion and ended with fresh mango and vietnamese coffee – as you know i am a twa drinker but the coffee here is amazing, particularly with condensed milk – yes i know sounds dreadful but the coffee is so strong it just goes with it so well. We sailed for a while spotting the islands that were shaped like different things -a horse for example, but the best was the kissing chickens!
We eventually moored up at a large cave and went inside. It was an over 100 step climb into the cave, which, once on the flat reminded me of the Inca trail with steps up and down as we crossed the centre of the huge cavern. There were stalactites and mites which were lit up with different coloured lights. Again it was a case of what does that one remind you of? The cave was discovered only in the late 1990s by a fisherman who saw bats coming in and out of the hole in the roof. We then proceeded down around 200 steps back to a mooring at the other side of the island. Ankle now letting me know about it! We set off back to our hotel around 4pm, stopping on the way back at the Project ‘agent orange’ centre for the happy rooms and to do some quick shopping. We arrived back at the hotel about 7.30pm. I went to settle my bill at the desk and then across the road to the Fresh Garden bakers across the road for a sandwich. I couldn’t face going out as shattered! I took my life in my hands and set off across the road. The bikes are very good just veer round you! The drivers all wear masks around their mouths so can only assume i am breathing in polluted air as i cross the road!
We fly to Danang tomorrow and cases have to be outside our door by 9. A lie in! Night all. X

Got up to rain today but still warm. We are at the end of the rainy season. We set off in the pink bus to the mausoleum and all followed Hieu, the pied piper, into the complex. The mausoleum was closed for renovations – ? Re-stuffing? but we walked round the grounds of the presidential palace ( now offices), seeing Ho Chi’s little house in the grounds and his house on stilts next to the carp pond. He lived very simply for a man of his stature. The banyan and many other tropical trees were amazing. We also saw 3 cars given to Ho Chi Minh – 2 from Russia and one from France. Despite the weather it was beautiful. We then climbed back aboard the pink bus and proceeded just down the road to the temple of literature. Here we were outnumbered by hundreds of students taking graduation photographs. They take the photos before they graduate from the 40 universities in Hanoi. When i asked why so many our guide said each one was a specialist in a subject. The pagoda style roofs made it seem very oriental and here people worshipped Confucious. They all prayed to make sure they past their exams – for luck basically. There were many shrines to Buddha so many photo opportunities. We were then dropped off at the hotel for our free afternoon. I had time to go for a ‘snack’ which turned out to be a huge plateful of fried chicken cooked in ginger with the obligatory sticky rice – the chicken was on bits of bone and there was skin so this meant i had to pick my way through for the lean meat. Having said that it was delicious! I then set off to the lotus water puppet show which was down by the lake i still don’t know the name of! The little theatre was a joy with purple velvet seats just for me! There were 3 musicians at either side of the ‘stage’ which was a shallow tank of water I’d say about 18 inches. The puppets came from behind or under, the bamboo curtain. It was amazing with men fishing in boats, women planting rice and it growing, while men ploughed the fields with oxen. There were brightly coloured ducks, a tortoise and some cranes in lovely colours but the most spectacular was a fire breathing dragon! This is peculiar to Vietnam and ought to be treasured. My ankle and knee were hurting so i got a bicycle rickshaw back to the hotel glutton for punishment in that traffic!
I collapsed in a heap on the bed until i felt up and got into a wonderful hot bath. I got out, got a beer from the mini bar. I felt hungry but didn’t want to go out so put a frock on and went down to the lounge and ordered some spring rolls and a plate of french fries with a vietnamese beer. Sophisticated or what! I then went shopping in the hotel shop and brought a second beer up to bed with me. Here endeth the lesson – off to Halong Bay tomorrow so up and out for 7.30! Long drive but looking forward to my boat trip. Night jim boy. X

Ok this is my third attempt to get this blog going so i am hoping it is 3rd time lucky! We landed at 6.48 local time – 23.48 time in my head. We were herded from the airport into a bright pink coach( must have known i was coming!) and whisked off to our hotel in the centre of Hanoi. It took about an hour so by this time it was around 8.30 as it had taken at least an hour to clear immigration and pick up baggage. I had splashed out on a cup of tea (2$) but they had added sugar so i had to throw it away. Now learning vietnamese for ‘no sugar’! On arrival at the Melia hotel (5*) we were given a cup of tea ( praise the lord!) but not offered a second cup – oh woe was me! We then set off on a walk to the lake – hwad all over the place so don’t know name of beautiful lake. On the way we called to book tickets for the water puppet show tomorrow afternoon at 3.30. Watch this space for an account of this truly vietnamese experience. Then we stopped at the chaotic corner with scooters and cars whizzing round, to each get into a rickshaw to go on a 45 minute tour of the old quarter. Here the street names are all named after the trade taking place in the road, eg silk road, metal working road etc. I had to clise my eyes a couple of times and pray the traffix was kind to Chan my rickshaw driver who drove fearlessly through the crowded traffic. They drive on the right here but obviously the licals only use this as a guideline as they go all over the shop! Parking seems to take priority on pavements and people are employed to help them park and then look after their vehicle.
We returned to our wonderful hotel and were given our rooms. I am in room 1808 if you want to pop in! Lucky 8s i feel. On the 18th floor. I will try when i am not as tired to put some photos up on here. My head was in the ‘i am on an all nighter’ mode so although it was only 12 noon by this time i ordered a vodka and tonic! By the time i got to my room all i could do was try on the silk dressing gown and the towelling dressing gown ( available to buy at 627,000 and 898,000 Dong respectively – $31/$44.50 – a dollar being worth 70p) and then curl up on the lively bed and sleep for 3hours. Refreshed i set out like the intrepid explorer i am to find some food ( by now it is 7pm and i had not eaten since 5am on plane). Got lost but found a lovely little restaurant called Mondo on Ba Triau, had oven baked pork ribs in tomato sauce, water spinach and garlic and rice, a ‘another day in paradise ice cream and 2 local beers for 751,000Dong – about £26! Amazing. Now in bed ready for another exciting day tomorrow! Night folks!

I fly Friday 7th November 2014 from Gatwick to Hanoi. Doing it the posh way this time but I will try to keep up to date with my blog as it sounds like an exciting trip. I am going with Riviera travel so let’s see how it goes. I go to Heathrow on Thursday, staying at the Premier Inn at Gatwick overnight before flying from Gatwick on Friday. I hope you enjoy my travels!

Very mixed feelings about going home as I’ve had a wonderful time here! It was Groundhog day here yesterday – if the groundhog sees it’s shadow Spring will come soon but if no shadow the winter will go on longer! We are going to watch the film this afternoon as I never saw it at the time. The ducks are coming and going and all the signs are there will be young ones in the Spring. The International Village next door to this apartment block is decorated already for the year of the snake – glad I’m going as can’t bear the things! It is very near China town of course and there are a lot of Chinese people living here. In fact in the apartment block there is no floor 4 as this is an unlucky number so to get to our floor (6) we go 1,2,3,5, 6! Love these quirky little things about this place! I will upload pictures when I get back as I didn’t have Jane’s computer last week when Jane went to Victoria. May have time tomorrow to do a few tomorrow – leave here at 5pm, flight 8.30pm, I land in Heathrow at 1.40pm Tuesday and meet Josh, my nephew, with a few bits and pieces, then to Manchester where I land at 5.45pm. Home!