Our first (and last) free day on the Exodus trip but most of us opted to be taken to the Chu Chi tunnels a few kilometres outside Saigon where the locals hid from the Americans in underground tunnels during the Vietnam war. I know they're a small-bodied race but I can't believe that anyone can and would fit into some of the tunnels that they built.
I was feeling a bit hungover after a late night and too much wine, cocktails and beer so didn't really feel like shoving myself down a hot, cramped hole. I opted out of the first one where you had to squeeze yourself into the tiniest gap in the ground. Some were worried that their chest, behind or broad shoulders might not fit but everyone who attempted it managed to mould themselves through the space. I did brave the shortest tunnel of 15 metres that had been widened a bit for tourists and that was bad enough, even though I'm not claustrophobic particularly. Amazing what the locals did to outfox the Yanks. The booby traps they set and lengths they went to to disguise the tunnels.
I also opted out of firing an AK47 at the firing range on site. To be honest I found it in rather bad taste, particularly when I then visited the war museum in Saigon this morning. I'm sure it appeals to the Americans and some of the others had a go but I'm not exactly keen on firing a gun in the first place and in such a setting it seemed all the more wrong to me. Just a personal thing.
The rest of the day seemed to fly by doing not very much in particular apart from a spot of lunch and wandering around the city a bit.
We headed out for our final group meal and last night together later that evening. Had a very nice meal at a prettily-set restaurant and said thanks to our fantastic tour guides. Wassan has been with us for the whole trip and had looked after us every step of the way and making us laugh with his little jokes. Then we've also had a local guide in each country. They printed out some photos of each of us that they'd taken on the trip which we get to keep as a memento. So sweet!
We then headed to a bar. On the way, as we were crossing the road a guy on a moped whizzed past and grabbed the little purse I'd slung over my shoulder that I'd bought in a shop in Cambodia. It was a flimsy little thing so probably a bit stupid to be using in the city but the strap snapped instantly and off he sped down the road with me shouting in hot pursuit. All happened very quickly but luckily because my camera and iPhone were in there it was quite heavy and dropped to the floor. I managed to pick it up as he disappeared, I think he was probably just as shocked as I was!
So no harm done on that front and probably a good thing to get a bit of a wake up call about being more careful. I went to the market today to get a knock off Kipling bag that's a bit more sturdy. No one, I tell you no one is going to wrestle my iPhone off me! My lifeline...
It's been really sad to say goodbye to most of the gang now the trip has ended. It feels like we've spent months together already, so intense as it is but it's been brilliant. I shall really miss everyone once I'm on my tod again after the weekend. A few people are staying behind tonight so we're hopefully meeting up later. And I'll see some of them further along on my trip: Linda, Ann and Rachel in Hong Kong and Ruth and Andrew in New Zealand. I'll really miss Natalie as we bonded instantly at the airport and have been having a good laugh taking the piss out of each other ever since. Emails and Facebook will have to suffice for now but I hope to meet up with the London crowd on my return.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Friday, 29 April 2011
Miss Saigon
The next day the cycle route took us through more towns and villages, observing local life. Vietnam is definitely a hive of activity, particularly on the Mekong delta. There's not much rest for the locals seemingly. Everywhere you go there are little cottage industries. Chopped wood, turnips, rice, chillies, watermelon. It is not surprising that they come in second as a rice exporter. There are paddy fields as far as the eye can see in the countryside, almost luminous green in colour.
Cycling really is one of the most fantastic ways to experience a country (or three). I couldn't recommend it highly enough. It beats sitting on a bus all day (even if the air con would be welcome at times) and you get all the little sights , sounds and smells that you wouldn't from any other mode of transport. You can interact with the locals so much more too.
I'm tickled by the number of women that wear the cone-shaped hat that so typifies the Vietnamese people. I thought it would be like expecting all Spanish people to wear flamenco dresses and that it would be a rarety but they are worn everywhere you look in the surrounding villages and by a lot of people in the city too.
We travelled by boat once we'd finished cycling for the day down the Mekong to an island where we were to stay in the style of the local people for the night, a homestay. It was a little guesthouse in a beautiful setting by the river and next to a small crocodile farm. We didn't really know what to expect from the homestay and had visions of somewhere perhaps a bit too basic but it was really lovely. We were sleeping dormitory style in two big rooms and then two of the couples managed to secure separate rooms.
The owners cooked us a delicious meal for the evening and we settled in to the hammocks sipping our beers while we waited for it to be ready. After dinner those of us left still awake played some cards and had to do forfeits. They sound ridiculous now but were very funny at the time (one of those 'you had to be there' moments). We had to eat a few peanuts in a particular style, introduced and commentated on by Greg who had drunk a little too much Vietnamese whisky by this point. I had to eat them peacock style and the others managed an elephant, crocodile, butterfly, kangaroo, a person going into anaphylactic shock and Pamela Anderson! We've not exactly behaved like adults all the time on this trip but we've had a lorra lorra laughs...
Didn't really sleep much that night, usual story of staying somewhere a bit different and sharing with others. It was quite noisy with the insects outside but I didn't think my earplugs would really help much. Was pretty knackered the next day as we set off for a two-hour boat trip to a floating village and local food factory.
Sampling some of the local produce at the factory, we were treated to rice wine, coconut sweets, rice cakes (nothing like you get back home), popped corn among other things - plus we observed how they made some of these delights. They really don't waste anything as the rice husks and coconut shells serve as fuel. All fascinating stuff. It was a bit of a shame that I couldn't really buy anything due to limited rucksack space and the practicalities of carrying around consumables.
Later that day we cycled our final stretch in the scorching midday heat and said farewell to the bikes. Some of the guys had a race to the finish but I was just struggling to last the remaining 16km tired, dehydrated and starving hungry. It took a bit of mental strength to keep going but we all made it.
Finally we arrived in Saigon to witness most definitely the craziest traffic I've ever seen. If my memory serves me correctly there are something like four million mopeds in the city and it's definitely worthy of a video clip on my camera just to capture the craziness.
We had our most boozy night out yet on this holiday last night (for which I've been suffering a bit today). Greg's friend who lives in Saigon took us to a great restaurant where you can sample a variety of street food but in a very posh setting. He then took us to a couple of local bars and a little place that serves locally produced beer. Definitely a different taste that one!
Cycling really is one of the most fantastic ways to experience a country (or three). I couldn't recommend it highly enough. It beats sitting on a bus all day (even if the air con would be welcome at times) and you get all the little sights , sounds and smells that you wouldn't from any other mode of transport. You can interact with the locals so much more too.
I'm tickled by the number of women that wear the cone-shaped hat that so typifies the Vietnamese people. I thought it would be like expecting all Spanish people to wear flamenco dresses and that it would be a rarety but they are worn everywhere you look in the surrounding villages and by a lot of people in the city too.
We travelled by boat once we'd finished cycling for the day down the Mekong to an island where we were to stay in the style of the local people for the night, a homestay. It was a little guesthouse in a beautiful setting by the river and next to a small crocodile farm. We didn't really know what to expect from the homestay and had visions of somewhere perhaps a bit too basic but it was really lovely. We were sleeping dormitory style in two big rooms and then two of the couples managed to secure separate rooms.
The owners cooked us a delicious meal for the evening and we settled in to the hammocks sipping our beers while we waited for it to be ready. After dinner those of us left still awake played some cards and had to do forfeits. They sound ridiculous now but were very funny at the time (one of those 'you had to be there' moments). We had to eat a few peanuts in a particular style, introduced and commentated on by Greg who had drunk a little too much Vietnamese whisky by this point. I had to eat them peacock style and the others managed an elephant, crocodile, butterfly, kangaroo, a person going into anaphylactic shock and Pamela Anderson! We've not exactly behaved like adults all the time on this trip but we've had a lorra lorra laughs...
Didn't really sleep much that night, usual story of staying somewhere a bit different and sharing with others. It was quite noisy with the insects outside but I didn't think my earplugs would really help much. Was pretty knackered the next day as we set off for a two-hour boat trip to a floating village and local food factory.
Sampling some of the local produce at the factory, we were treated to rice wine, coconut sweets, rice cakes (nothing like you get back home), popped corn among other things - plus we observed how they made some of these delights. They really don't waste anything as the rice husks and coconut shells serve as fuel. All fascinating stuff. It was a bit of a shame that I couldn't really buy anything due to limited rucksack space and the practicalities of carrying around consumables.
Later that day we cycled our final stretch in the scorching midday heat and said farewell to the bikes. Some of the guys had a race to the finish but I was just struggling to last the remaining 16km tired, dehydrated and starving hungry. It took a bit of mental strength to keep going but we all made it.
Finally we arrived in Saigon to witness most definitely the craziest traffic I've ever seen. If my memory serves me correctly there are something like four million mopeds in the city and it's definitely worthy of a video clip on my camera just to capture the craziness.
We had our most boozy night out yet on this holiday last night (for which I've been suffering a bit today). Greg's friend who lives in Saigon took us to a great restaurant where you can sample a variety of street food but in a very posh setting. He then took us to a couple of local bars and a little place that serves locally produced beer. Definitely a different taste that one!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Good morning Vietnam
We left Phnom Penh early in the morning and travelled to the place where we would start cycling to the border with Vietnam. We cycled through loads more villages and spent the day waving, shouting hello and making many a local child scream and giggle, unable to contain their excitement at seeing this strange procession of westerners pass by.
We passed through one really pretty village on a dirt track that then turned into a bit of a mountain bike trail where I was in my element whizzing through the mud to catch up with the group after stopping to take a photo or two.
We arrived at the border, a strange no-man's land with nothing else around for miles and got on with the necessary paperwork. We said farewell to our bikes (after spending so much time getting used to that damn saddle!) and greeted our new, slightly less shiny ones over the border. After a few adjustments, we carried on cycling to our hotel in Chau Doc.
It was amazing how instantly everything changed entering a new country. The strong influence of the French and Chinese on everything was evident. The people, temples, dress, food and language seem more Chinese. Some of the architecture, bread and pastries, and some names and words are contrastingly French.
The traffic is even more crazy but people don't really drive cars or vans here. Apart from a few trucks transporting goods everyone rides a motor or push bike. Andd they're everywhere.
We arrived at the hotel and despite the heat decided to play a game of tennis before dinner. It loosened up one very tight shoulder after cycling but didn't do much for the other! It was good fun though none of us on our court were particularly professional. We decided we were just the pisstakers!
After a delicious meal, the food is definitely much tastier than the slightly bland Cambodian food, we played cards and had an early night.
We passed through one really pretty village on a dirt track that then turned into a bit of a mountain bike trail where I was in my element whizzing through the mud to catch up with the group after stopping to take a photo or two.
We arrived at the border, a strange no-man's land with nothing else around for miles and got on with the necessary paperwork. We said farewell to our bikes (after spending so much time getting used to that damn saddle!) and greeted our new, slightly less shiny ones over the border. After a few adjustments, we carried on cycling to our hotel in Chau Doc.
It was amazing how instantly everything changed entering a new country. The strong influence of the French and Chinese on everything was evident. The people, temples, dress, food and language seem more Chinese. Some of the architecture, bread and pastries, and some names and words are contrastingly French.
The traffic is even more crazy but people don't really drive cars or vans here. Apart from a few trucks transporting goods everyone rides a motor or push bike. Andd they're everywhere.
We arrived at the hotel and despite the heat decided to play a game of tennis before dinner. It loosened up one very tight shoulder after cycling but didn't do much for the other! It was good fun though none of us on our court were particularly professional. We decided we were just the pisstakers!
After a delicious meal, the food is definitely much tastier than the slightly bland Cambodian food, we played cards and had an early night.
Monday, 25 April 2011
Tissues at the ready
So we've been in Phnom Penh for a couple of days now, I've been a bit behind with my blogging as we didn't have free wifi in Siem Reap so I only managed to post once. It's also hard to find the time on a group trip where you seem to have so little time to yourself to do anything. Time flies when you're having fun as they say!
We had a long bus journey from Siem Reap but it was good to have a day off the cycling and we'd all been out till the early hours at a Cambodian nightclub the night before so plenty of sleep to catch up on. Lots of podium dancing to keep the thighs in good working order for cycling too. It was a very amusing night but I must admit I felt knackered the next day.
We visited spider village on the way to Phnom Penh but I missed the whole sampling tarantulas as I was desperate for the loo after a couple of hours with no stop. We browsed but I failed to consume. According to reports I didn't miss much on the taste front.
As soon as we arrived in the city there was an obvious difference, much larger and busier being the capital city. We visited the Royal Palace in the afternoon and learnt more about how Pol Pot grew up as a young boy around the place with his two sisters being the King's concubines and his brother also working there. That's how, despite coming from a poor family, he came to be educated in France and had an influential position from a young age over the powers that be.
It was a fairly quiet night out on our first night here after the excesses of the night before. This morning we visited other local tourist attractions, the most prominent being Toul Sleng prison and the killing fields. I knew it was going to be a day for the tissues when I felt overly emotional at breakfast. I managed to last quite well at the prison until seeing all the photos of the people that were housed, tortured and slaughtered, such innocent faces staring back at you with no idea what fate lay ahead. It was a very sobering experience, as it should be, but I had to leave for a few moments to compose myself when I read some of the biographies of the seven survivors.
I bought a book and had my photo taken with one of the last remaining survivors of the prison, which at the time seemed horribly commercial but I think upon reading the book I'll feel touched that I met such a brave and gracious man. He lost his wife at the tender age of 28 at the prison and still carries a photo of her in his wallet.
Maybe I'd hardened myself by the time we reached the killing fields or maybe it was harder to relate to the mass graves dug up with only photos to really show the full horror of what lay beneath. There are still some graves left untouched to this day, which was hard to comprehend when you're just looking at the bare earth.
It's hard to understand how any human being can be so devoid of conscience and humility that they can sanction smashing babies heads against trees and think that's an acceptable way to conduct themselves and no words can really explain how you feel upon hearing that. I can't do it justice here at all, it just beggars belief but that is what happened. Duch, one of the remaining Khmer Rouge, was finally convicted of genocide in 2010 for 35 years in prison by an international court, but that doesn't even seem to begin to atone for the past.
We had another free afternoon so got dropped off at the Russian market (so-called because they sponsor it) and had one of the best lunches at L'Artisan restaurant. A delicious passion fruit juice, pineapple and pork with rice dish and rounded off with a banana, chocolate and vanilla ice cream crepe. Natalie and I then walked all the way back to the hotel which took us through some grimy back streets but gave us a real flavour of the city. It is a fascinating place!
It was our final night in Cambodia so we said farewell to our local guide, Mr T, which produced a fairly humorous moment. Greg had to give a thank you speech and give him the tip that we'd collected, which Mr T was suitably grateful for. He made a joke that Greg was looking more handsome that evening as a result. Later on he came over to our table to hurry us up with paying our bill and moving on to a local nightclub. He made a comment, as I was sitting next to Greg, that maybe he was waiting for me Greg that is) to be more beautiful before he moved on. At which point I realised that was actually a bit of an insult and chastised him for being so rude. I think he'd had a few too many beers but it was fun to make digging-himself-out-of-a-hole actions to tease him.
We move on to Vietnam tomorrow and get back on the bikes. I've quite missed it over the last couple of days...
We had a long bus journey from Siem Reap but it was good to have a day off the cycling and we'd all been out till the early hours at a Cambodian nightclub the night before so plenty of sleep to catch up on. Lots of podium dancing to keep the thighs in good working order for cycling too. It was a very amusing night but I must admit I felt knackered the next day.
We visited spider village on the way to Phnom Penh but I missed the whole sampling tarantulas as I was desperate for the loo after a couple of hours with no stop. We browsed but I failed to consume. According to reports I didn't miss much on the taste front.
As soon as we arrived in the city there was an obvious difference, much larger and busier being the capital city. We visited the Royal Palace in the afternoon and learnt more about how Pol Pot grew up as a young boy around the place with his two sisters being the King's concubines and his brother also working there. That's how, despite coming from a poor family, he came to be educated in France and had an influential position from a young age over the powers that be.
It was a fairly quiet night out on our first night here after the excesses of the night before. This morning we visited other local tourist attractions, the most prominent being Toul Sleng prison and the killing fields. I knew it was going to be a day for the tissues when I felt overly emotional at breakfast. I managed to last quite well at the prison until seeing all the photos of the people that were housed, tortured and slaughtered, such innocent faces staring back at you with no idea what fate lay ahead. It was a very sobering experience, as it should be, but I had to leave for a few moments to compose myself when I read some of the biographies of the seven survivors.
I bought a book and had my photo taken with one of the last remaining survivors of the prison, which at the time seemed horribly commercial but I think upon reading the book I'll feel touched that I met such a brave and gracious man. He lost his wife at the tender age of 28 at the prison and still carries a photo of her in his wallet.
Maybe I'd hardened myself by the time we reached the killing fields or maybe it was harder to relate to the mass graves dug up with only photos to really show the full horror of what lay beneath. There are still some graves left untouched to this day, which was hard to comprehend when you're just looking at the bare earth.
It's hard to understand how any human being can be so devoid of conscience and humility that they can sanction smashing babies heads against trees and think that's an acceptable way to conduct themselves and no words can really explain how you feel upon hearing that. I can't do it justice here at all, it just beggars belief but that is what happened. Duch, one of the remaining Khmer Rouge, was finally convicted of genocide in 2010 for 35 years in prison by an international court, but that doesn't even seem to begin to atone for the past.
We had another free afternoon so got dropped off at the Russian market (so-called because they sponsor it) and had one of the best lunches at L'Artisan restaurant. A delicious passion fruit juice, pineapple and pork with rice dish and rounded off with a banana, chocolate and vanilla ice cream crepe. Natalie and I then walked all the way back to the hotel which took us through some grimy back streets but gave us a real flavour of the city. It is a fascinating place!
It was our final night in Cambodia so we said farewell to our local guide, Mr T, which produced a fairly humorous moment. Greg had to give a thank you speech and give him the tip that we'd collected, which Mr T was suitably grateful for. He made a joke that Greg was looking more handsome that evening as a result. Later on he came over to our table to hurry us up with paying our bill and moving on to a local nightclub. He made a comment, as I was sitting next to Greg, that maybe he was waiting for me Greg that is) to be more beautiful before he moved on. At which point I realised that was actually a bit of an insult and chastised him for being so rude. I think he'd had a few too many beers but it was fun to make digging-himself-out-of-a-hole actions to tease him.
We move on to Vietnam tomorrow and get back on the bikes. I've quite missed it over the last couple of days...
Angkor Wat et al
We spent three days in Siem Reap - eating, drinking and, of course, visiting the many temples dotted around the area. Angkor Wat is the most famous and although it's impressive I much preferred the one known as 'jungle temple' where the film Tomb Raider was set. It's the one with tree branches protruding from the stone and just looks stunning. I also liked the temple of Bayon, where the photo of the three faces was taken.
The pictures on my camera phone don't really do any of it justice but I've taken hundreds on my SLR camera. You'll just have to wait a bit longer for those!
We spent the first few hours on arrival in Siem Reap as a free afternoon so Natalie and I went exploring the town. Natalie is a girl after my own heart, she's a couple of years older but has just moved back in with her parents to save some money! We've bonded really well since we've been in the group and so have been seeing the sights and going for a wander which is great. Always good to have a buddy who is keen to do the same things.
The following day we cycled to the temples of Bayon, Angkor Wat and other ruins dotted around. By this time we were getting a bit used to the kids trying to sell you tourist tat and fruit. 'You buy from me, one dollar. Why you not want?' It was a scorching hot day and we were all exhausted by the end of it so it was a fairly quiet night out wandering through the night market and buying a few souvenirs (small ones of course that pack easy!).
Day three we cycled further out to a very impressive temple called Bantay Sreay (not necessarily remembering the spellings accurately here) and then on to jungle temple. On the way we passed through villages full of little huts on stilts with stalls by the roadside selling palm oil, fruit, lots of wicker souvenirs. All a fascinating insight into the local culture. We stopped at a little house where they cultivate the local palm trees for sugar. The farmer showed us how he used his tools to cut down the fruit and they were making the round discs of palm sugar which we bought from them afterwards. It tastes delicious, really rich and sweet. We also tried the juice and jelly from the fruit.
On the cycle back the weather took a turn for the worse and we got absolutely drenched in another thunderstorm. It was great fun cycling along in the rain and before it got too heavy we were racing each other to try and outrun the rain. We then stopped at a temple where we climbed up the water-drenched steps and sheltered for a while.
We were slightly disturbed at the foot of the temple to find some chickens, which we thought were dead, hanging upside down fully plucked. But one started flapping its wings and gave us quite a shock. It didn't seem to fit with Buddhist teachings but as our guide explained not all the locals have a full understanding of what the religion means.
The pictures on my camera phone don't really do any of it justice but I've taken hundreds on my SLR camera. You'll just have to wait a bit longer for those!
We spent the first few hours on arrival in Siem Reap as a free afternoon so Natalie and I went exploring the town. Natalie is a girl after my own heart, she's a couple of years older but has just moved back in with her parents to save some money! We've bonded really well since we've been in the group and so have been seeing the sights and going for a wander which is great. Always good to have a buddy who is keen to do the same things.
The following day we cycled to the temples of Bayon, Angkor Wat and other ruins dotted around. By this time we were getting a bit used to the kids trying to sell you tourist tat and fruit. 'You buy from me, one dollar. Why you not want?' It was a scorching hot day and we were all exhausted by the end of it so it was a fairly quiet night out wandering through the night market and buying a few souvenirs (small ones of course that pack easy!).
Day three we cycled further out to a very impressive temple called Bantay Sreay (not necessarily remembering the spellings accurately here) and then on to jungle temple. On the way we passed through villages full of little huts on stilts with stalls by the roadside selling palm oil, fruit, lots of wicker souvenirs. All a fascinating insight into the local culture. We stopped at a little house where they cultivate the local palm trees for sugar. The farmer showed us how he used his tools to cut down the fruit and they were making the round discs of palm sugar which we bought from them afterwards. It tastes delicious, really rich and sweet. We also tried the juice and jelly from the fruit.
On the cycle back the weather took a turn for the worse and we got absolutely drenched in another thunderstorm. It was great fun cycling along in the rain and before it got too heavy we were racing each other to try and outrun the rain. We then stopped at a temple where we climbed up the water-drenched steps and sheltered for a while.
We were slightly disturbed at the foot of the temple to find some chickens, which we thought were dead, hanging upside down fully plucked. But one started flapping its wings and gave us quite a shock. It didn't seem to fit with Buddhist teachings but as our guide explained not all the locals have a full understanding of what the religion means.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)