Vietnam day 26 – Hoi An

Posted on Wednesday, 19 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Today it’s raining…again.  We decided yesterday that whatever the weather we would hire bikes today and go to the beach.  So after picking up our flight tickets we cycle the 4km to Cua Dai beach.  This palm-fringed beach is probably idyllic in the summer, but on this wet and blustery day the waves are up and it looks rather forlorn and desolate.  Apart from school children coming home for lunch, we are the only people about;  the few restaurants and shops are all deserted.  We park up and stop for some refreshment before heading back towards Hoi An. We spotted a picturesque restaurant on the way out – not much more than a palm-covered verandah  built out over the river,  and decide to give it a try.  The setting is perfect – palm trees swaying in the wind and several storks along the river bank.  After lunch we brave the rain again and visit the Quan Cong Temple and Museum of History and Culture both in Hoi An old town and both are options on our historic sites ticket.  These are not quite as interesting as the sites we visited yesterday.  The building housing the latter is more interesting than the content which is rather sparse and consists of a few artifacts and old, rather faded photographs.  We wander through the central market dodging the spouts of rain water than fall off the makeshift plastic canopies.  The market runs down to the river which has burst its banks and the area along the length of waterfront is flooded, cutting off many of the bars and restaurants including the one we lunched at yesterday.  The market stalls on the rivers edge are ankle-deep in water.  The stallholders seemingly unphased by this turn of events continue to trade as though nothing is amiss.  The flooding is an annual occurrence at this time of year and in late 2006, according to our trusty guide book, reached the roof beams of the houses.

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Vietnam day 25 – Hoi An

Posted on Tuesday, 18 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Today it rained.  We have reflected on the forthcoming 22-hour bus journey to Ho Chi Minh City and decided we just can’t hack it.  The first overnight leg from Hanoi to Hue was bad enough, so sod it, we’re going to splash out and spend £40 to fly!  (That’s for two tickets.)  We book the flights for Thursday and the flight time is only 1 hour 10 minutes – that’s more like it!  After sorting out our travel arrangements we have some lunch and then go for a walk around the sites of the old town.  It’s necessary to buy a ticket to visit any of the historic places here such as old houses, museums, assembly halls and temples.  For 75,000 Dong (£3) the ticket gives access  to six of the sites.  Our first choice is the Handicraft Centre which is housed in the 200-year-old trading house of a Chinese merchant and alone is worth the ticket price.  There is a fascinating cultural performance of traditional Vietnamese music which includes dancing, singing and opera and the opportunity to look round the workshops where artisans are producing pottery, silk pictures, carvings, paintings, bags, shoes and an assortment of other handicrafts.   From here we visit the Cantonese Assembly Hall and the covered Japanese bridge.  We stop in a bar for a beer and bump into the Dutch/Danish couple we met on the trip to Halong Bay!  They are leaving this evening for HCMC and onto Sydney, Tahiti and Patagonia – so I don’t think there’s much chance of our paths crossing again.

The Japanese covered bridge is a wonderful structure – a small wooden bridge spanning a tributary of the Thu Bon River.  This arched bridge was originally built by the Japanese community of Hoi An in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream. The entrances to the bridges are guarded by a pair of dogs on one side and a pair of monkeys on the other and there is a small temple on the bridge itself.

The Cantonese Assembly Hall was founded in 1746 and is typically Chinese in its decoration, with a dragon fountain, red and gold banners and lanterns and some very intricate carving on the wooden beams that support the roof in front of the main entrance.

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Vietnam day 24 – Hoi An

Posted on Monday, 17 Nov 2008 by Hattie

We leave Hue on the 8am bus to Hoi An.  At least it is advertised at the 8am bus but actually leaves at 8.30am.  We have a puncture on the way which involve and unscheduled stop to change the wheel.  The journey also involves stopping at hotel in Hoi An whilst the staff board the bus and try to persuade the passengers to take rooms.  This delays the bus for 10 or 15 minutes whilst people get off to view the rooms.  Meanwhile the rest of us have to grin and bear the delay.  This is apparently common practice and is one of the ways the bus companies keep the ticket prices low.  We are an hour late arriving and there is no sign of our pick up, only lots of xe-om (motorbike taxi) drivers touting for business.  As the crowd disperses we debate what to do – we have no idea how far we are from the hotel and whether it is walkable, but the xe-om drivers are telling us it’s 2km.  As we are about the phone the hotel, our pick up arrives – on two mopeds!  There is no way that even the most inventive Vietamese is going to manage to carry our luggage and us on a motorbike, so taxi is arranged.  The hotel is supposedly in the heart of the old town but is in a street that appears to be made up of new, if tasteful, hotels.  We are a short 5-minute walk from the river front and the heart of the Unesco World Heritage site.  It’s here we have a delicious lunch in an old Vietnamese house with a seriously distressed interior and a direct view of the river.  Our lunch is continually interrupted by the stream of street sellers offering everything from English language newspapers, to pottery whistles, jewellery and Tiger balm.  Lunch is followed by a mosey down the river in a small sampan paddled by an elderly man who has a good grasp of British geography and who lost one of his legs during the American War.  A stroll along the old streets and around the central market finish off the day.

This is definitely a tourist town – in parts the western tourists seem to out-number the Vietnamese and bars, cafes, restaurants, tailors, souvenir or clothes shop are everywhere in the old town.   Nonetheless it has a certain charm.  It escaped the American War largely unscathed so there are many historic buildings dating back to the 18th century with several well-preserved streets which make for a different perspective on Vietnamese architecture.

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Vietnam day 23 – Hue

Posted on Sunday, 16 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Today the sun is out and the weather is glorious.  We have decided to leave Hue tomorrow for Hoi An three hours further south.  We want to get to Saigon by 21st if possible as Liz and Andy are leaving for Europe on the 28th.  We hire bikes again today and our first stop is the Imperial Enclosure.  This has been on our list of places to visit since we got here and now we have the perfect day for it.  We leave our bikes with the parking attendant for the princely sum of 20p per bike and spend about 4 hours wandering the site.   Half a day is about long enough to see the main places of interest but it would be easy to spend longer if you have the inclination and brought a picnic.  Afterwards we head to a restaurant that specialises in imperial cuisine and is located in a colonial house in a quiet residential street.  The location is superb, but unfortunately there is only one fixed menu and nothing suitable for a veggie like me.  By now it is about 2.30pm as we head to another restaurant built on stilts over one of the lakes, but although they welcome us with menus, it is soon evident  that they want to close and have absolutely no intention of serving  us.  There are few restaurants in the Citadel and we end up returning to the restaurant we ate at two days ago.  After lunch we cycle around some of the quieter back streets before making our way to Dong Da market.

The hire bikes have a nifty in-built,  key-operated  locking system which immobilises the front wheel and means that you don’t have to carry a separate bike lock.  Pity they aren’t installed on all bikes, it would make life so much easier.

The Imperial Enclosure housed the Emperor’s residence and the main government buildings and is enclosed by 6m high walls, 2.5 km in circumference.  Many of the buildings were either damaged or destroyed during the French and American wars and there is considerable work ongoing to restore and in some cases completely rebuild parts of the site.  It is lovely to stroll around this enclosure, which is divided into several walled sections containing temples and residences.  These surround the Forbidden Purple City at the centre which was the preserve of the Emperor.  It was almost entirely destroyed as a result of the wars although there are several buildings in the process of reconstruction,   The number of visitors are thankfully few and it is easy to escape the other tourists and wander through the empty lanes that intersect the site.

Dong Da market is the main market in Hue.  It covers a large area along the northern bank of the  river.  It is part covered and part outdoors and everything can be bought here.  Fresh food is sold outside, and is usually displayed on rattan trays just above the floor.  The smells are pungent and the array of foods, many of which we can’t begin to identify, are mind-boggling.  How people avoid getting ill as a result of the unhygienic conditions continues to amaze us.

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Vietnam day 22 – Hue

Posted on Saturday, 15 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Rain, rain, rain and more rain!  We hire bikes today, adn despite what the weather may have in store  set off find the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc which is some 5km south of Hue.  It is not long before the ponchos are required and rain is the order of the day.  All the time spent fascinating over the driving techniques on display in Hanoi are finally paying off as we negotiate the traffic with a degree of aplomb. This is easier than it looks! We find the Temple of Nam Giao without too much difficulty as it is about 2km along on the road out of Hue.  This temple was used by the Nguyen Emperors for sacrifical ceremonies for peace and good weather and was once the most important religious site in Vietnam.   Without a decent map, no road signs and confusing instructions from local Vietnamese using a mixture of sign language and broken English, finding the Emperor’s tomb proves more of a challenge.  But that’s all part of the fun and the additional 6km is good exercise as well as an opportunity to see more of this beautiful countryside.  After stopping for  lunch we eventually find Tu Duc’s tomb and spend the remainder of the afternoon exploring the site.

During our detour we stop for lunch in a rather smart restaurant which seems incongruously situated in a small Vietnamese village.  All soon becomes clear though, this is the lunch stop for the tour buses bringing tourists to see the several tombs that are to be found in the area.  Nonetheless we decide to stop since we are wet and in need of sustenance.  We avail ourselves of the decent toilets – always a luxury here – and have a very good lunch.

Tu Duc’s tomb turns out to be much more than a mausoleum.  This complex includes a lake, gardens and the various buildings which made up the imperial residence.  The mausoleums are in a poor state of repair, the walls are black and moss-covered, although the residences are in much better condition.   There is a break in the rain and we are able to spend a pleasant a couple of hours looking around.  Apparently Tu Duc was a diminutive 1.53m and  very fussy eater.  He was also very aware of his failings and there is self-critical autobiography engraved on a large stele erected in the complex.  It is to him we owe the imperial cuisine  for which Hue is renowned.

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Vietnam day 21 – Hue

Posted on Friday, 14 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Hue sits on the north and south banks of the rather romantically-named Perfume River.  This lovely, green and tranquil city was the capital of the Nguyen Emperors from 1802 to 1945.  A delicate mist hangs in the air imbuing the light with an ethereal quality.  The main tourist district is on the south bank and this is where all the hotels, bars and restaurants frequented by westerners are.  On the north bank is the Citadel, a walled  and moated city where a sizeable proportion of the inhabitants of Hue reside.  This is the heart of Hue and has a much more local and, standing by Tinh Tam lake, a distinctly rural, feel. The lake occupies a sizeable area in the centre of the Citadel and is crossed by a pathway and bridges  and  is frequented by conical-hatted locals fishing from the bridges or wading, chest-deep,  in its waters, harvesting the water spinach that covers the surface.

The Citadel  is home to the walled Imperial Enclosure from where the Nuygen emperors ruled the country for more than 150 years up to 1945 when Bao Dai abdicated to Ho Chi Minh’s  Government.  More of the Imperial Enclosure  in a later blog.

The Citadel is a delightful area, and despite the constant drizzle, we spend an enjoyable day meandering round the empty leafy streets and the outer walls.  Along these paths and streets it is possible to escape the attentions of the cyclo drivers and soak up the tranquil atmosphere undisturbed.  We find an unusual restaurant built on silts in a quiet residential road (courtesy of Lonely Planet).  Apparently normally frequented by Vietnamese,  today it seems that others have also been consulting their LP and although empty when we arrive. we are soon joined by several other western tourists.

We round off the day with a drink (or in Andy’s case, several) in the DMZ bar close to the hotel.

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Vietnam day 20 – Hue

Posted on Thursday, 13 Nov 2008 by Hattie

We arrive in Hue just after 8am.  It’s been an uncomfortable journey, to say the least.  The bus is kitted out with bunk beds in three rows down the length of he bus and across the rear.  These beds aren’t completely flat, but recline slightly.  This design in conjunction with the motion of the bus means it’s hard to avoid sliding forward, and being squashed up against the end of the bed.  They’re hard, too.  But, surprisingly, despite the discomfort, the tinny music and the numerous stops to let people on and off which required the lights to be turned on several times, we feel quite refreshed at the end of the journey.  Arriving in Hue is pandemonium;  once again we aren’t dropped at the bus station, but outside a hotel and there are several touts trying to solicit business for taxis and other hotels.  Fortunately we don’t have to deal with all that hassle;  our hotel is arranging a pick-up and soon we and our baggage are rescued from the melee and on our way.  Initial impressions of Hue are of a much quieter and laid back city – just what we need, a bit less bustle.  Our hotel is on a side street in the ‘tourist district’ and apart from the occasional cyclo, there is no traffic – bliss!  In fact, there is a lot less traffic here generally;  hardly any cars, just bicycles, motor bikes and scooters.  Crossing the road is a much more relaxed affair.  It’s sunny and warm and we take a stroll along the river.  We have a delicious lunch on the verandah of  floating restaurant on the Perfume River, followed by a trip on a dragon boat.

A dragon boat, as the name suggests, have dragon heads and tails on the bow and stern respectively of a traditional sampan and the sides are brightly painted to give the appearance of a colourful dragon gliding through the water.   We have a boat to ourselves for 80000 Dong for an hour.  Once we  are aboard, the boatman’s wife, who waited for us outside the restaurant whilst we ate lunch, wastes no time in trying to sell to us.  One after another she produces cards, postcards,  pictures printed on silk and finally a silk Vietnamese trouser and top two-piece!   The trip takes us passed a village of fishing junks moored along the river bank.  It is hard to imagine just how basic the living conditions of these people must be.  Small canoe-like boats are the main mode of transport and even young children are skilled at manoeuvring them as they perch squatting at very tip of the stern.  Heavily-laden junks ply the river, sitting so low in the water that it seems a sneeze might see them  submerged!

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Vietnam day 19 – Hanoi

Posted on Wednesday, 12 Nov 2008 by Hattie

We are leaving Hanoi this evening on the open (sleeper) bus to Hue in central Vietnam.  The open bus ticket covers the journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city and allows us to break the journey  in Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Darlat all for £29 each – an absolute bargain.  The first leg to Hue is an overnight journey on a sleeper bus leaving a 6pm and arriving at 8am tomorrow.  We aren’t quite sure what to expect, but comfort isn’t high on the list.  Unfortunately, though, because we’ve spent far longer in Hanoi than we planned we’re not going to have quite the leisurely journey down to Ho Chi Minh City that we originally envisaged.  So we’ve decided not to stop in the seaside resort of Nha Trang and will probably double-back and go to Darlat after HCMC.  We spend the morning packing up our stuff and after pursuing the insurance claim, which American Express Travel Insurance have verbally agreed to cover to the tune of $1500,  we spend a couple of hours exploring Hanoi beyond the Old Quarter.

We have come to the conclusion that we have brought far too much stuff on this trip;  our bags are bursting and are ridiculously heavy.  We’ve managed to pare things down slightly so that we are only carrying four items of luggage rather than the six we had at one point.  But we intend to do some serious culling when we get to HCMC and send some of the non-essentials back to the UK.  According to Andy that will mainly be my clothes.

A visit to the Post Office this afternoon took care of faxing all the remaining medical documents to Amex.  I’ve been dealing with Axa Assistance in Sydney who provide the assistance line for south-east Asia.  They have been very helpful, if a tad slow in responding.  They confirmed today that they would contact the hospital to guarantee the costs which would have been great had we not had to settle the bill the day before so that Andy could be discharged!  So we will have to go through the claims process with the Amex London office.  How straightforward that will be remains to be seen.

This afternoon we took a stroll down Dien Bien Phu street which run from just west of the Old Quarter to West Lake in the north -west.  It is a large tree-lined boulevard which is home to some rather grand colonial buildings, some private residences and others housing government offices.  Here  on the uneven payments there are badminton courts marked out and people set up nets and play as the traffic streams by!

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Vietnam day 18 – Hanoi

Posted on Tuesday, 11 Nov 2008 by Hattie

Taxis,  don’t talk to me about Taxis.  Particularly taxis in Hanoi.  Over the last couple of days I’ve spent a lot of time in taxis as it’s the only practical way to get back and forth to the hospital.  All the taxis in Hanoi are metered but the fare for the journey varies widely.  The most expensive one clocked 143,000 Dong compared to the cheapest at 43,000 Dong!  We conclude that the best approach is to negotiate a fare at the outset.  Whilst this might work out slightly more expensive than the genuine metered fare, it does at least avoid Andy getting apoplectic over being ripped off for a few quid.  The good news today  is that Andy is discharged from hospital, but  in his eagerness to escape he completely forgets to reclaim his passport and by the time we realise we are back at the hotel.  Another round trip only serves to wind Andy up further as he watches the meter whizzing round at triple time.  Sun is still shining, though.

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Vietnam day 17 – Hanoi

Posted on Monday, 10 Nov 2008 by Hattie

A short blog today – Andy is still in hospital and after having another set of blood tests the doctor has decided that he should stay in one more night.  Hopefully he will be discharged tomorrow.  The irony is he was feeling so much better when we walked into A&E on Sunday and he’s sitting on his bed today for all the world looking as healthy as could be.  But apparently his blood counts are still too low.  He’s off the drip after having about four or five bags of saline pumped into him and the dreaded needle has been removed.

I meanwhile spend the day doing not very much apart from catching up on the blogging, organising laundry, doing some supermarket shopping and visiting the sick one.  The weather is glorious sunshine and no clouds!

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