The Longest 12 Hrs of My Life

So I needed to get the heck out of Hanoi. Great place, and I had a good time, but it was finally time to start heading south. However, because of Tet this wasn't as easy as it seems. The train was booked solid until tomorrow, so the only option was the bus. Big mistake. It was more like a meat wagon then anything else. Honestly they were 12 horrible hours, and I'm so glad its done. Unfortunately I'm now in Hue for my Birthday, and, this place kind of sucks. It's nice enough I guess, but really not much to see or do. I can now take pictures of all this excitement though, as I did buy a new camera before leaving Hanoi. Anyway more on the excitement that is Hue later. This computers space bar sucks, and I'm getting sick of re-spacing everything.

Haircut in Hanoi

So my hair was getting a bit shaggy, and with time to kill in Hanoi, I figured it was time for a cut. I was asked if I wanted a cut and wash or just a cut. What the hell, I could use a shower, so why not. Then everything turned weird. They sat me in the chair and put on the shampoo. Now at this point my hair was bone dry, so I didn't know what was going on. She started working the shampoo into my head while squirting water over my head at the same time. After I was all lathered up, she then took me to the sink to wash it all off. That's when things got good. She started giving me a scalp massage, and then spent 10 minutes washing and massaging my face. After that it was back to the hair which she washed again, well actually violently assaulted my hair would be a better way of putting it. She washed scrubbed and then vigorously scrubbed my hair, and used her fingers as Q-tips. After that it was another wash, and that was that. Honestly my hair has never been cleaner...like ever.

after that she gave me a pretty spiffy new haircut, and not I don't feel like such a shlub. The massage itself was worth the $5 it cost me. I almost wish I needed another haircut just to do that again. It was a great way to end my visit to Hanoi.

FUCK!!!!!!!

So my camera got stolen. Or I lost it on the train....Either way FUCK!!!!!!!! GOD MOTHERFUCKING DAMN IT!!!!!!


FUCK!!!!!!!!

The Train to Sapa

After getting off the bus in Hano from Halong bay, it was time to try and book a trip the Northern Mountains of Vietnam, mainly Sapa and the surrounding villages that are home to the numerous hill tribes of Vietnam. I was hoping to leave that night on a over-night train, as that would give me time for three days of hiking, and still allow me to make it back to Hanoi for Tet. The first place walked into told me there was no way they could get me on a train until the 1st of February. Well Fuck, there goes that schedule. It doubly sucked, as with Tet approaching, the train to Hue or Hoi An would also be pretty full. So it looked like I was stuck in Hanoi for another week, which wasn't good considering I had pretty much seen everything I wanted to see.

Dejected I walked back to the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, and told Barry at the desk my plight. He was quickly on the phone with the train station checking availability. Turns out he could book me a trip leaving the next night and returning the mourning of Tet eve. Perfect. It also turned out that there was another backpacker heading to Sapa on a two-day trek, and I could join him if I wished. So perfect. Not only would I get the trip to Sapa that I wanted, but I'd also have company. It seemed almost too good....

The next day as the time for departure drew closer, there was still no sign of the other guy.He had been on a tour of Halong Bay, but was scheduled to return around 4pm, and it was almost 8pm. By 9pm, there was still no sign of him, and I had to get to the train station, so it looked like I was going to Sapa alone. This also put the Hostel in a awkward position as, normally the trip would be more expensive singly, and they had already got the other guys train ticket. Luckily, since it was not my fault, the hostel decided not to charge me extra, and I was soon motoring to the train station. I was booked on a hard sleeper as opposed to a soft sleeper which meant the mattress was thinner and there were two more people (6 in total) in the cabin with you. I eventually found my cabin, and saw 4 pair of Asian eyes staring at me. Damn, I thought, this is going to be one long quiet train ride. Once again my fears were proved to be pointless, as one of the ladies spoke English. It turned out her and her friend were from Singapore, and while her friend only spoke mandarin, she could speak both. The other two people were young Vietnamese boys returning home to Sapa for Tet. The Boys left to go walking around the train, and me and the Singapore ladies started chatting and we shared a few beers. The lady had just had a few bad experiences dealing with the Vietnamese, so she was a little bitter and was glad I was there as she was a little leary of staying in the cabin with the boys.

Eventually the boys came back and we soon found out that one of the kids was studying in China, and knew Mandarin, so it turns out we could all communicate pretty well. With mandarin being the main language, and the boy translating for his friend, and Helen Translating for me. It actually turned out to be quite fun, although I did feel bad for the boys since Helen and Lois spent a lot of the time teasing the boys about studying hard and avoiding the ladies, so as not to waste the parents money. I tried to tell them to go for the girls, but then I think you all know where my priorities lie.

So all and all it was quite the fun train ride, and I met some interesting people that I wouldn't normally have met. Helen even offered to let me stay at her place in Singapore!

Ha Long Bay

Sitting in the minibus waiting for the other passengers to be picked up, I started to feel a little nervous. The fist people picked up were an American family with a kid, and then an older couple who turned out to be from Darwin. This tour group wasn't looking to be the funnest group of people I've ever seen. The last people picked up were a young couple, so my concern was at least dissipated a bit. It turns out I couldn't have been more wrong, the people on the tour were awesome, and some of the nicest I've met while traveling, and even as I type this I still feel bad that I even had a moments bad thought about the tour.

The trip up to Halong City was long, but everyone was in a good mood, and the time passed pretty quick. The weather was the only sour point, as the haze that clung to Hanoi seemed to be even stronger in Halong Bay, and it was also joined with a cold wind that made enjoying the boat deck a little hard. The view though, made freezing worth it. I don't think any pictures can do justice to Halong bay, and its just something that has to be seen. The karst system is spectacular, and it just seems to strech forever. After a great lunch on the boat, Binh (our tourguide), took us for tour of Surprising Cave, which was an expansive system of caves with spectacular rock formations (including penis rock), and stalactites.


We then got to go kayaking in some secluding coves so that we could investigate the rocks a little closer. The water was as calm as a lake, which was just weird for the ocean, but I wasn't going complain. It made the Kayaking easier, and kept the sea sickness at bay. We paddled to one of the mountains so we hike to the top and get a view of the bay, but the fog made the view somewhat limited (but nothing like in Hong Kong).We then went back to the boat for another great dinner, and lamented the fact that it was such an overcast night, and would therefore see no stars.

The next day we unfortunately had to say goodbye to Emily, Lea, and Jane, and the rest of continued on to Cat Ba Island to do some hiking. The hike wasn't that hard, but the rocks were sharp, and since I'm a total Klutz, I managed to scrap up my leg and cut my hard. Everyone else managed to make it through relatively unscathed. As we ate lunch just off of Cat Ba anchored to a small fishing shack, the sun finally came out, and we decided that it was time for a swim. The water was ass cold, but it was great to be able to finally swim. We then kayaked a little more before heading to Cat Ba town for our final night of the tour. We checked into the hotel, and had a nice hot shower (well everyone but me, my water for some reason was luke warm, the bastards). Feeling a little beat, and needing a drink Mark, Kate and I headed to the nearest Bia Hoi bar, for some of the best 15 cent beer you'll ever find. After dinner we headed to another bar after a fruitless quest to find a good bottle of rice wine that Binh wanted to treat us to. I guess none of the bottles passed the mustard, because we had to wait until the next day when we returned to Halong Bay to try some.

After a night in Cat Ba, we again boarded a boat to take us back to Halong Bay. It turned a bit cold again so we all sat in the cabin and Binh taught us some Vietnamese card games. Again Halong bay is stunning, but it was really the people that made the trip. The group was diverse, but all had great respect for the country, and I was able to learn a lot, not only about other places in Vietnam, but also about a group of people I wouldn't have had the opportunity to normally meet. I think one of the greatest things to see was how Evan, who was 10 years old, handled everything. He had been traveling with his parents for a few months, and he's just the best kid I've ever met. I remember how I was when I was 10, and there is no way I could have handled a trip like this. My parents would have had to have packed a suitcase just filled with peanut butter, because I never would have eaten most of this stuff back then. There are many hotels that strech from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, that owe Evan a percentage of their profits because anytime we asked about a place to stay in certain city, he would produce a card or brochure from great place.

So then it was back to Hanoi. The next destination was to be Sapa...but that's a whole other story.

Breakfast in Hanoi

There are really two ways to eat breakfast in Vietnam. There's the Vietnamese way, which is usually Pho Bo(A noodle soup with beef and vegetables to which you add chilies, herbs, lime or whatever), and then there is the Western way. Eating Pho usually means grabbing a little stool on the street sitting down and just digging in with the locals.The French presence in Vietnam history has left an mark on the cuisine, and you can get some really good baked goods and pastries anywhere you go here. Usually I choose the Vietnamese way, since the Pho is amazing, and really gets you going in the morning. Plus, a big bowl costs around a dollar, so it really can't be beat.

That being said there is something special about sitting in a cafe in Vietnam sipping coffee, and eating some french toast and a bagette. You can't help but feel a little colonial, like you're a french gentlemen coming to Vietnam to teach the savages how to be civilized, despite the fact that anyone who has been to France can tell you who really needs to teach who some civility. After a 9 hour train from Lao Cai in a cockroach inhabited sleeper, it was a nice to feel a little bourgeois. So I sat in the cafe read some Marquez, and tried to regain a little bit of calm amongst the hustle and bustle of pre-Tet Hanoi. It was a welcome feeling, and not one I really thought I'd need on this trip. The feeling was short-lived however, as 10 minutes later I was seated on the street corner eating a bowl of Pho Bo amidst the constant honking of the motorbikes

Indecision 2006

It was time to leave Hanoi, and head over to Ha Long Bay. This would normally be an easy thing to do. You either take a bus, or book a tour at the countless number of travel agents throughout Hanoi. This however, didn't keep me from taking over two days to make a decision. You have to watch out about some of the tour groups you see, since due to the non-existent copyright laws in Vietnam, new places can open out and steal the name of more established and legitimate places. This was easy enough to get past though, as the ever-handy Lonely Planet makes find the legit ones easy. The problem I was having was with what tour to actually book. It's really the people that can make a tour, and traveling alone, who wants to spend three days at sea with 10 60 year old German tourists? So the hunt was on to find a tour not only that I liked the schedule of, but also that had the right mix of people.

Asking around the Hostel made the choice even harder as three girls who were planning on going, were postponing a day to wait for their friend to recover from the Laotian "Happy Shakes". So I could delay a day, but that would have thrown things off a bit with Tet fast approaching. There were two people going the same day, but they were taking a luxury tour, which was a little out of my price range, I was starting to panic. Luckily as the zero hour approached I ran into three awesome Kiwi girls who were going on a two-day tour with the travel company I like the best, so off we went to see if the first day of both tours were the same, and that way I would of least have a few nice people for the first day. Luckily it all worked out, and the tour was booked.

I never really thought that I would mind traveling on my own, but this day really highlighted one of the problems I might have in the future. I really have to make my own choices, and if I make a mistake, I've got only myself to blame. And those choices can seriously affect the enjoyment of my trip. That being said, a bad day in Vietnam is still better than Canadian winters.

What's the ONE thing to do with one day in Hong Kong?

That's what I asked the guy working the desk at the shit-hole of a hostel I was staying in. I had just flown into Hong Kong the night before and had a few hours to kill before catching my flight to Hanoi. I had already walked the streets of Causeway bay and eaten some octopus on a stick, and now that it was morning I was looking for the essential thing to do with a day in Hong Kong.

The answer was "The Peak"

The Peak is a mountain top look out, from which you can see the whole city of Hong Kong laid out before you. Excellent, seems like a great choice. I took the ubber clean and efficient MTR to central station (they even have TV's in the station on the walls of the tracks so you can watch while waiting for the train). I then took the Funicular (how Swiss!) up to the top of the mountain. This was the view I saw from the top.



Hong Kong it appears is all grey even the buildings. Honestly you couldn't see 6 feet in front of you due to the fog. It was actually really fun just out the the complete absurdity of it all. So in the end I went back down and checked out the Botanical gardens and Zoo. That was actually kind of neat, and I even got to see some Flamingos which reminded me of Miri and my Ultimate team.

A Driver Named Doan

So after a morning running around trying to find out information on tours to Ha Long Bay and Sapa, I made , my way over to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum...which was closed, but the museum was opening again at 2pm, so I figured why not walk around The Temple of Literature, and then grab a bite while I'm waiting. The Temple was really cool, and was a nice calm place in the heart of Hanoi. Back at Uncle Ho's I found out the museum was open, but the mausoleum was closed for the day. I figured I would just come back tomorrow, since if you're going to see a museum about Ho Chi Minh, you might as well pay a visit to the man himself, right?

So as I stood there looking in my Lonely Planet for something to do, a xe om driver approached and offered to drive me around. Now these drivers are everywhere, and normally I would have just brushed him off and head on my way. There was something about the guy though, plus he spoke perfect english, and had the worst breath, so I was intrigued. He offered to take me to a few spots including the Museum of Ethnology and the Hanoi Hilton, which I wanted to see anyway, so I figured why not. Plus he said he'd be my tour guide, so again, why the hell not. Now the museum was great, but it turns out the guys version of 'guide' was pointing to the english signs, and then making some random comment. Now this wasn't really a bad thing, because again..worst breath in the world. He then took me to this little back alley pond which had the remains of a B-52, shot down in the American war, sitting in it. It got a little weird when he got me to take a picture of the crash, with a school in the background. "So the new generation can lean" he said. O....K.... Then he took me to a Bonsai garden/old weapons park, so it was just getting weirder. Then it got truly strange.

"Have you ever eaten Snake?" Now I've eaten a bunch of weird shit in my day. Bear, Moose, Horse, Frog, Snails, Alligator...but snake, that might be too much. That being said, I did call this blog what I did, so could I really back out? So we drove out of Hanoi so I could eat snake, and my Driver could snake a free meal so to say. Now the thing I didn't quite realize was that they kill, gut and drain the thing in front of you...which was actually kind of cool. And then I did something I didn't think I'd ever do.


I ate the still beating heart of a fucking snake.


Mixed with its bile and alcohol of course. It ...wasn't so tasty, but not so bad either. They then proceeded to bring out 10 different courses, all containing my snake. Most of these dishes were pretty tasty to tell you the truth, some were awesome in fact. There was only one that really made me kind of gag, but that also could have just been from the shots of snake wine Doan kept pouring. To tell you the truth it tasted a lot like chicken. I came on this trip for experiences, and I have to say sitting in Hanoi eating snake while chatting for hours with this Vietnamese man definitely was an experience. Then he mentioned a friend of his that ran a brothel, "Nice and clean and safe!" Yeah...no.

So Why Are You Going to South-East Asia?

I never got asked that question in Kingston. The States though, that's another story. I think I've been asked it too many times to count right now. I'm not sure if it's a USA thing or just an age thing, as the people asking were usually guests at the inn. It seems like the Vietnam war still lingers strong in their minds, and totally erases everything else about this area. Like 10 years out of thousands should ruin it forever. I got asked this question enough, that I came up with the trite answer "I'm just going for the food", it was simple enough, and not actually too far from the truth. But honestly, why do people ask this? Is it really that weird? I mean why go to Italy...the architecture? SE Asia's, got that. The culture?...got that too. The food?...maybe Kingston spoiled me, but I eat at Cambodian Village and Wok-In a heck of a lot more than I eat Italian. If should be noted though, that Vietnam Airs idea of Beef with noodles, was spaghetti with meat sauce, so maybe the two countries are somehow linked. Right now I just landed in Hanoi, so there isn't much to say. Although I have been approached by a few prostitutes, so there is that I guess.