Vietnam: a wrap

So much has been happening that I'm forgetting to write it all down. Anyway here is a quick catch up from what I remember. We left Dalat, in the south of Vietnam, and travelled north by a bus that drove super fast down windy roads to Nga Trang on the coast. At least two thirds of the bus were motion sick and it was a huge relief to get to the new town. Nga Trang is a touristy beach town, but it has some of the best food we have tasted in Vietnam. We only strayed a few days there before getting depressed about all the tourists around.

Bikes waiting for riders.

Next we headed further north to Hoi An. This was also by bus, but it was a night bus that had semi-recliners to lie on. The roads around Vietnam are not the best, and it took about 14 hours to travel approximately 600km! It makes me appreciate the roads in NZ, even if I do complain about them sometimes.

Old Town, Hoi An.

Hoi An has ended up as one of our favourite places. It has a population of around 130,000 and has a well preserved old town that was once a large bustling port town known for its silks and fabrics. Today the old town is closed to traffic so it is pleasant and easy to walk around. It is still known for its material and this is the place to get clothes tailor made. Justin got a beautiful winter jacket made, which was funny watching him try it on in 34 degree heat. I also had a jacket made, as well as 2 pairs of shorts and 2 dresses.

Mmmmm noodle soup, Hoi An.

Vietnam is not well known for it's diving but Justin was having diving withdrawals, so we went on two dives in the Cu Lao Cham Marine Park. It was colder and very different to the Perhentians which is very tropical. The first dive was really great. As Justin is now a divemaster, we could dive by ourselves without lots of people around. It made such a difference to the experience and being able to see the wildlife. I even came up with the same amount of air as Justin! The second dive however was not fun. We dived at a site that has several large rock pillars rising to the surface. The current itself was ok, but the swell created by the pillars was really bad. It took a huge amount of effort to swim and we were being washed around really badly so everyone ended the dive early. The only cool thing about that dive was seeing a huge school of barracudas.

Going to float lanterns on the river, Hoi An.

That night Justin and I were covered in itchy, stinging rashes and had a horrible next few days as we continuously scratched. It was worse for Justin as he also fell sick with some sort of fever and general unwellness. Because of this we ended up staying in Hoi An an extra week in order to rest and recover.

One of many temples in Vietnam.

Dog statue in Hoi An. 

But the next part of our travels was exciting. We hired a guide and motorbikes for the next 5 days and travelled through the highlands and the Ho Chi Minh Trail, visiting ancient ruins, villages, huge caves, tunnels and the DMZ from the Vietnam War and generally having a good time. The only bad times were when it rained (which happened every afternoon), Justin's phone got wet and died (yay for insurance) and when I was sting by 2 bees. They really hurt when they hit you in the face at 40km! I had a swollen cheek for the next few days.

Riding motorbikes on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Ancient ruins, My Son.

We ended our bike trip in Hue and then caught an overnight train to Hanoi. Now this is the way to travel! It was a 4 berth sleeper train. It was much more comfortable than a bus. Hanoi is big and bustling with people, motorbikes and noise everywhere. We did an overnight trip to Halong Bay (which is amazing and has sooooo many cliffs that could be climbed.) before returning to Hanoi. And here we have settled before heading onto our next destination in two days time....which is to be South Africa!  

A few extra photos:

Tunnels in Vinh Linh. 17 babies where born in here and lived their first few years mostly in the dark.

Vietnam War cemetery.
 

Rice fields.

Village life.

Village kids. 

Taking a ride home.

Moving On

I have heaps of things to catch you all up on. Thanks to my slackness in writing (again). Our last days in the Perhentian Islands were spent doing some last minute dives, celebrating Justin's birthday and Justin and Alfie finishing the divemaster course. In celebration of them finishing, Justin and Alfie were put through the snorkel test. This is a tradition for all new divemasters and involves making fun of the newly qualified, making them play games and a lot of alcohol, which culminates in the divemasters having to drink alcohol through a snorkel without breathing.

Let the games begin. Alfie and Justin. Yes they are wearing dresses.

Here comes the beer.

The next day we left the islands and headed for 5-star luxury in Kuala Lumpur. It was such a change from our small room where the electricity would randomly turn off most days. Most of Malaysia was covered in think haze due to wind pushing smoke from fires in Indonesia where they were burning forests to give way to plantations. Everyday while in KL I ended up with a sore throat and scratchy eyes.

Kuala Lumpur, full of tall buildings.

Weekend market in KL.

Next we flew north to Vietnam. I think this has been my favourite country so far. It is cheap, the people are friendly and helpful and the food is amazing. It was also nice to get out of a conservative Muslim country and into a more liberal Buddhist one. I am no longer stared at for wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Admittedly KL was fine, but in the more rural, less cosmopolitan areas it was a bit strange.

Cyclo-man taking a break, HCMC.

In Vietnam, we flew into Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or old Saigon). We spent a few days there looking around the city, the markets and learning how to cross the road without zebra crossings or lights. Basically you step on to the road, and in a slow and steady walk you continue until you reach the other side. The traffic will go around you as long as you don't stop moving in a predictable direction. There are more motorbikes and scooters than cars on the road, and the road rules seem to consist of lots of beeping of horns and don't hit anyone in front of you.

Alleyways are everywhere, HCMC.

Many people fit on a single motorbike or scooter all at the same time.

From there we headed south to Can To and into the Mekong Delta. The Delta is known as the bread-basket of Vietnam due to the climate and the abundance of water that contains nutrients washed down from the highlands. We went on a river cruise to see the floating markets which are amazing. Most of the trade and transportation is done on the rivers as that is often easier than roads. Whole families that live on the boats, from little babies to grandparents all on the same boat.

Incense spirals in Can To.

Floating market in Can To.

From there we headed back through HCMC and onto Dalat (also known as Da Lat). This small town is in the highlands and was cold enough that I wore shoes and long-sleeve tops at night for the first time in 2 months. It was great to get out of the heat and spend a few days relaxing in the relative coolness. The hostel we were staying at arranges motorbike day tours into the surrounding countryside and villages. We found it was a great way to see the area. And yes I drove myself on a bike. It was a bit touristy but heaps of fun! Along the way we saw a cricket farm (farmed to eat), coffee plantations, a silk factory, how to make rice noodles and visited a hill tribe village where we saw traditional weaving.

I'll catch you up with the rest in the next post. Here are the last few photos from Dalat.

Black teeth from eating betel nut. Dalat Highlands.

Silk worm cocoons.

Soaking the cocoons in hot water and collecting the thin threads.

Observations

There are many great things about living on a small island. Most people are friendly and you get to know lots of people. It is easy to get around (there are no roads or vehicles on this island). It is nice and relaxed. Everyone helps each other out when they can. Unfortunately it can also mean some bad things. Such as if people don’t get on with each other it is hard to avoid them. Rumours abound everywhere, about all sorts of things. Any little accident or incident effects the whole island. Unfortunately we have had a few incidents over the last week or two such as a bungalow catching fire, luckily no one was hurt.

Sunset.

The jetty at sunset.

As for my diving, I have finally finished my open water dive course and have been going on fun dives around the local reefs. There is so much to see! Every time I go down I see something new and interesting. I have seen several sharks, moray eels and jellyfish and so many other things that I don’t know the names of. The coral itself is huge, very old and lots of different shapes and colours. The water is really warm and often the air temperature is the same as the water temperature. Sometimes the water is clear and you can see for tens of metres, other times it is murky and it feels like I’m swimming though soup. One of my favourite things to do is the backwards roll out of the boat. It is amazing to lean backwards and fall but feel like you are cushioned, to still be able to breathe and to look up and see millions of bubbles, both big and small rising upwards. Unfortunately my ear infection is playing up again so I have had a few days off while it gets better. I am very frustrated by this as there is so much great diving to do around here and we are here only for a few more days.

Nick, my instructor, and I diving.

Doing the running man underwater. Not a very good photo of coral unfortunately.

Here are some general observations I have made so far: I hate eating the same thing everyday. I hate white bread and the smallest piece of brown bread makes me happy. I miss olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I miss fresh green food, and am tired of everything being fried. I love watermelon! When there is nothing to do I get bored after a few weeks of reading and lazing in the sun. I hate sunburn.  I love diving! I hate it when two large, brown, hideous, cockroaches crawl over my head in the middle of the night. I hate large flying ants that invade our room. Unfortunately this has happened twice. I miss the birds singing. I love being able to read heaps without feeling guilty about not doing other things. I love the fact that we are not surrounded by yucky Auckland winter weather. Admittedly I do miss my family and friends there. I like that the sun shines almost constantly. I also really like the huge thunderstorms we have had. They make me feel alive!

Restaurants and boats. We eat at Mama's (the place on the left) almost every night. The food is some of the best on the island.

Another brilliant sunset.

Learning to Breathe

We have been in the Perhentian Islands for almost a month now and I am finally getting used to the heat (sort of). Or maybe it is now so common that I have given up commenting/complaining about it. Our days have settled into a routine with Justin leaving about 7.30am to go to the dive shop, help set up for the day, dive and learn the dive master skills, while I sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast and spend the day relaxing, reading, writing, and swimming or diving.

Storm coming, Perhential Islands.

I have started my open water dive course which has been fun, if a bit nerve wracking getting used to breathing through a regulator. Learning to breathe underwater is amazing. I am not enjoying learning all the emergency skills but I love the actual diving itself. I even saw a Hawksbill Turtle on my second ever dive. It was so close I could have touched it. There are many small coral reefs around here and so much sea life to see - angle fish, parrot fish, coral fish, clown fish, groupers, damsel fish, fusiliers, sergeant major fish, blue-spotted stingrays, sharks and many many others. I'm even learning the names of the different fish. The coral itself is amazing with huge fans, whip coral, barrel sponges, anemones and massive clams. Sadly I don't have photos of any of these things so you will have to look them up for yourselves if you want to know what they all are!

Justin about to go for a dive.

Still a bit young to dive yet. The dive shop owner's cute son.

Unfortunately diving at the moment is on hold for me. We had to go to the mainland for a money run, as there are no ATMs, banks or eftpos/credit cards on the island and everything is done with cash, and while there I went to a GP as my ears were hurting and it turns out I have an infection in one ear and  blood clot in the other! Until my ears are better I can't put my head under water. So for the next week or two I will be land based and learning to breathe with patience and not get frustrated. I still have one more dive to complete before I am qualified and let loose on the water by myself.

Leaf insect, about as big as my hand.

Instead I have been reading a lot. I have just finished Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and it's sequel Bring up the bodies. Both books are about Thomas Cromwell's rise to power, Henry VIII and how England became protestant. Both books are very well written and both have won the Man Booker Prize. Yay for kindles and unlimited book carrying ability.

Spotty lizard trying to get in our window.

A small monitor lizard, only about 1m long.

I have also been looking at a lot of wild life. We currently share our room with some ants that trek through our room daily and we have to be careful not to leave clothes in their way otherwise we get bitten when we put the clothes on as Justin found out. We also have at least one gecko in our room, but we don't mine that so much as it eats the mosquitoes. There are many different types of lizards on the island, most of which I can't name but one sort are monitor lizards. Most are about a metre long but there is one that is 2-3 metres long and a foot wide without including it's legs poking out. No one has measured it accurately as no one wants to get too close. And every morning there are two squirrels that run across our balcony and roof finding fruit to eat.

Here are some sunsets:

Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 3.

Finding a Home

After KK we travelled south to Kuching. Kuching used to be a colonial town which was once given to a guy named James Brooke by the Sultan of Brunei for suppressing a rebellion and quelling pirates. Brooke became the Rajah of Sarawak and it was passed down through 2 generations before it became part of the British Empire.

Room for rent, but I'm not sure how to enter the door?

Main Bazar, Kuching.

Kuching itself is a mix of colonial, Chinese, Malay and modern concrete architecture. It has a river running through it, one side has most of the town and the other side is poor housing with many of the houses on stilts.

City side of the river, Kuching.

Other side of the river, Kuching.

There are many different national parks and things to do all within an hour drive from Kuching.

One day we went to Sememggoh Wildlife Centre where they rehabilitate orang-utans back into the wild. They feed the orang-utans twice a day and you can visit during this time. The orang-utans can choose to feed themselves in the large forest or come and get extra food when they want it. We only saw one orang-utan but it was really great. He had massive arms and ate his fruit hanging from one arm while playing.

I'm coming for the food! Semenggoh Wildlife Centre.

Mmmm bananas (with medicine inside).

Just hanging out.

We also went to Bako National Park and spent the night there. The only way to get there is by boat. We went for several walks and saw heaps of butterflies, dragonflies, geckos, bats, really large spiders, macaque monkeys and proboscis monkeys. We also got to see a pit viper, a very dangerous snake. Our guide was an ex-army jungle survival specialist who showed us heaps about the plant life and pointed out carnivorous pitchers plants and other delightful things like natural viagra. Although he got us to chew it before he told us what it was!

A very venomous pit viper, Bako National Park.

It was recommended to us that we go to the Perhentian Islands to do some diving, so after a day of endless taxis, planes, buses and boats we made it to the islands. They are beautiful but really hot! Anyway Justin has just started doing his dive masters course which takes about 4-6 weeks and I want to learn to dive too so we have settled here for the next month or so.

Pitchers plant, Bako National Park.

We started off in a nice, clean, cheap bungalow away from the water that only had a fan but today we have moved to another place that has air conditioning as it is super hot during the day. The temperatures are 33-34 degrees C but with the humidity it feels like it is in the high 30s. Everything gets covered in sweat as soon as the sun is up and I am getting sunburnt even with lots of sunscreen on. This new place has a great view of the water and some islands, but the room also comes with ants and a gecko. Ah the joys of the jungle.

Geckos on the ceiling, Perhentian Islands.

The sea life here is very abundant, and sharks and turtle sightings are common. Although I haven’t seen those yet, I have seen heaps of fish while snorkelling. So many it is hard to describe. They come right up to you if you are still and peer at you trying to fight out what exactly you are. Justin also saw a snake! Not in the water, but on the path. I start my open water dive course in a few days so will update you all later.

A few more photos from Bako National Park:

The sand comes in and kills the trees.

Hermit crab.

Proboscis monkeys with their long large noses.

Macaques with a baby that is less than 4 months old (they turn grey at 4 months).