Berni On the Move

Ana hora! I'm free!

2012-02-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

A day spent relaxing by the pool was most needed as life has been quite non-stop for some time without much room to take a breather, often just reaching for the surface so I can take a deep breath before I plunge back down again. Now that I’ve been given a green card to get out and about it would be a crime not to play this very inviting card. We ventured into Zamelek in the city this time, dining on the Blue Nile (a boat with a range of restaurants and some bars, it was a seafood dinner of course) and enjoyed a few drinks too.

I was getting up early the next day. I was meeting Rania and one of her friends. We were going to an area of Cairo to give out money to those in need. I’m always up for doing a bit of volunteer and charitable work wherever I am. It’s good to give something back when you can, as you can really make a difference as it all adds up!

I wasn’t sure what the exact plan of the day was but I was happy to go with the flow and see what developed. I met Rania and then her friend, Ahmed. We then drove on the hectic roads (they remind me very much of Bangalore - no lane discipline :O)) to our destination. There is a charitable organisation which Ahmed’s Aunty and Uncle run. We were greeted by a lady who showed us around the premises. Ahmed explained that money raised is used to treat those that are sick, so they can come and receive free treatment there. They are also hoping to start teaching children on the weekend and seem to have various ideas on how to help others. We left and were now joined by two local men where we set about the real purpose of our morning.

One man drove on a motorbike with us following closely behind. He would indicate to us where to go. The other guy, travelling with us in the car, would then explain to Rania who we were giving money to and for what reason. Rania then translated for me which started to paint a picture in my head of those we were coming to help. There were different reasons, some ladies had lost their husbands and were widowed, one lady’s husband was severely disabled. As we passed a few minutes later, he had come out to thank us. I saw that he could not stand up. His knees were bent and on the floor, with his body upright and his arms supporting him. What stood out more than anything was his smiling face though, I smiled back at him and his wife. I think then it hit me what we were doing and knew that we were really making a difference. To each person we stopped, Rania handed them £50 Egyptian pounds, the equivalent of £5 sterling. I asked Rania how much does it cost for a family here to survive for the week, she replied about £200 Egyptian Pounds, which converts to £20 sterling. She also said that sometimes they mainly eat bread with tomatoes. I asked how much the bread cost, a 1/4 of one Egyptian pound. I could hear what I was being told screaming in my head.

There was another lady who I believe was widowed and has three disabled children. I think more money was given and they do so for more critical cases. The charity is going to try and provide a monthly income for her so she can support her family. It was so good to start to experience the Real Egypt and see where I could help. I was pleased as I was able to take some photos, buying something in return to help instil my new memories in my mind. Two ladies gave me some fresh bread which they were making and it really was superb! I was so grateful. One of them was laughing and covering her face when I asked if I could take a photo. You could tell she wanted me to, when I showed them the result, they liked it. This for me, is exactly what I want to be doing. You don't have to speak the same language to be able to communicate with someone, there are so many other ways and by far this is definitely one of my favourite ways. I thought to myself ‘Ana hora’, ‘I’m free’, an expression I had learnt the prior day and one associated with the Revolution. I was though and very at ease with the life surrounding me.

The Real Cairo!!

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

It's been another emotional week. Tension is running high in Cairo city still. It seemed after the anniversary of the Revolution of the downfall of President Muburak last week that life seemed to be calming for the Egyptians. There was no reported violence and demonstrations seemed to take place peacefully. My thoughts were that at last, maybe this was a sign of all the good things that are awaiting to come to Egypt.

The idea that life seemed to be settling was crushed this week. Tragically, unrest unfolded after a football match between the Port Said (north of Cairo) and Cairo teams took place in Port Said on Wednesday night. Literally, after the game finished, in the time it took me to walk from the gym, which was showing the game, to my hotel room, all seemed to break loose. Watching what was happening live was shocking. Football supporters invaded the pitch which crushed many supporters, as well as being attacked by others. There didn't appear to be a military or police presence and it evolved into something quite horrific to watch. It is believed that there were also political reasons things escalated to what they did. Fortunately, a fire which had started at the Cairo stadium, where a football match was also being played, died down and things did not escalate any further, but the trouble at Port Said blazed for some time.

I haven't had the opportunity to get to know the real Cairo as yet so you can't help but feel that life is spiralling out of control and you are unsafe. A weekend of plans were vetoed and I was told to basically stay in the hotel. It's so hard when you don't know an area so you don't know where places are and where you can actually go without feeling under threat.

Even this morning when I woke, I had started walking through the hotel's golf course when I had a guy in a caddy whizzed up behind me to say I cannot walk through the course. It can be a bit overwhelming when you're trying to do a simple thing but there are so many hurdles where you can start to feel a bit confined, especially when you are in the desert and there is not much else surrounding you!

On the (mega) plus side, I've been making contact with Salsa buddies here in Cairo and they have given me the details of various Salsa nights that are taking place, completely unaffected by the demonstrations going on, as well as re-assuring me that normal life is not affected by the demonstrations.

I asked for permission with security if I could go to the Heliopolis area and I was told it was 'safe'. FANTASTIC! After a couple of hours of shopping, I headed straight there. I will admit, I did feel a little anxious while we drove from the hotel on the dark and remote roads. When we did arrive, I was so excited! I got to meet most of the people who had been messaged me and I danced to the sweet tunes of Salsa, the first time in 2 months! Oh, it really did feel so good, how I have been itching to get out!! When Salsa is part of you, you cannot be without it.

This was my first night venturing out and to see somewhere with your own eyes really does put things in perspective! It was great to speak the locals and my driver to see what the real Egypt is all about!! The media portrays the whole of Cairo being in turmoil - IT'S NOT! Cairo looked beautiful as it stood all lit up. My driver purposely took me via a safe route. Madgy, explained..."that the trouble accounts for 300 odd people, there are 25 million people in Cairo. Normal life does not exist like that. Look for yourself, what do you see? There is no trouble here, it is just Tahrir Square, but not even all of it, the other side. Look, see how many weddings are taking place..." I saw for myself, men dancing in the street, smiling, laughing, cars beeping their horns. This is the Cairo I have longed to see - the Real Cairo!!

The Biggest Journey of my Life continued!

2010-10-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

The plan was never to be on the back of this guy’s motorbike for so long. It kind of all just happened. Today’s plan was going to take me to Hoa Binh and I would pick up another lift from there. I was very aware of things around me as we travelled. Not very long after we set off, it seemed that the distance between us and Hanoi was bearing on us. That was quite clear as the markers on the side of the road told me… 10km Hanoi, 9km Hanoi, 8km Hanoi… I pointed at them and pointed in the direction behind me, so we turned back. He didn’t have a Danny Le Rue where we were going. We stopped to ask this guy standing on the side of the road with his daughter. I used all avenues to explain what I was trying to do. I was trying to get to the border at Dien Bien Phu and cross over to Laos. I pulled out my Lonely Planet, it had been my friend for so long, and showed the map of Vietnam. I was here, pointing to near-about to where we were, and I wanted to go there, pointing to the border crossing. Our new acquaintance didn’t fill me with confidence that I would be able to find someone else to drive me. I couldn’t stop, I needed to get there before my visa expired. I’d been here before! Before I knew it I was asking my current driver how much to ‘Son La?’. My close companion seemed to start cursing again, but not before long we were on our way and so I continued on the biggest journey of my life.

I’ve said it before!! But this was it – again!! It was my journey, I didn’t want to share it, I didn’t want to flock among the crowd. I wanted to be me, doing it my way on my own, through my eyes - the best way!! I obviously had a change of clothes, but my companion didn’t. We stopped a few times to look for attire. I ended up buying him a shirt and a couple of sets of boxer shorts and he went out the back to get changed. For all his cursing, my friend?! didn’t do too badly out of me. I paid for meals, drinks, his cigarettes, hotel, petrol, clothes and even a tyre change and some repairs that needed doing to his motorbike while in transit.

I had wanted to visit Sapa in the very north of Vietnam. Though, I was put off when I was told, more than once, that the locals dress up in traditional clothes for the tourists, so I decided against it in search of my own finds! The area in which we passed posed hills that were carved into layers, I’d seen photos of Sapa like this previously, I saw some of the most incredible views. The difference was, it was just me that was here, on the back of the motorbike of course, soaking in everything around me. I saw real, traditional, locals, carry on with their daily chores and I 110% appreciated everything I was seeing with my own eyes and it was real, not some manifested ‘let’s pretend’ farce.

Considering I was unable to converse with my close companion, I felt very safe. We had a mutual understanding, in my eyes so we became buddies. It must have been another 200km of the motorbike that day. I was looking forward to reaching my destination. There was a huge sign welcoming you to Son La, which was quite unusual. We drove through the town and I saw a hotel. The hotel directed me to the bus station so I could buy my ticket in advance and and so I would know when I needed to get to the station. We returned to the hotel and my close acquaintance helped me decanter his bike. We had agreed 800,000 for 1 day. We travelled for 2, so 1600,000 was due at least. I also gave him money for another night’s hotel so he could sleep on the way back, that was 2000,000. All in all he got around 3000,000 Dong out of me. I gave him the money and I thought he was trying to give some back to me as I’d given him so much. I said ‘no, you got us here safe and sound – keep it’. It was then I realised something wasn’t right. I said ‘I didn’t understand’. He wanted more money. He tried to stop me taking my bags. I grabbed them off him and proceeded into the hotel. A group of Vietnamese tourists were by the front desk and all seemed to engage in the saga that unfolded in front of me. He moaned and argued that I should pay him more money. I was overwhelmed. He had been my only friend the last couple of days and now he had turned against me. I was so upset and in shock. The whole couple of days had been exhilarating and boundary breaking, but it had come at a cost – this was it! I was alone, singled-out and out-numbered. I became so angry. I asked for a piece of paper and pen. To get those encircling me to understand how much I had paid this fiend, I started listing all the things I had paid for: hotels x 2, food, drink, clothes, petrol...I think they were getting a clearer picture. When I totalled up the individual amounts it totalled 3000,000 Dong. The woman who had been thankfully trying to hear both sides stopped, her face dropped and I could see she had gone in my favour, based on the evidence. It was clear that she now understood how much I had paid him and without another word my fiend lowered his head and dipped out of the crowd. I was alone, more than ever. Someone who I had trusted had turned on me. I felt flat, he had ruined my happy ending.

I checked into my room and watched from my window as he drove back on the road we had arrived on. I knew he wouldn’t be back, we had travelled for 400-500km, he needed to get back. I felt a bit lost, but still found it in myself to get ready to go out. Literally, as I was leaving the hotel, I heard some English words being spoken, how I longed to speak to someone and have a conversation. I spun round and there were a group of gentleman, businessmen in fact. I asked if they could recommend anywhere, secretly hoping they would ask me to join them. One of them talked of a restaurant across the way and said they were having a work dinner at someone’s house, otherwise he would have asked me to join them. The host then turned up and promptly invited me too. There I was in a taxi with 6 men, probably not the wisest of ideas, but all was fine. It felt right and I needed some comprehendible conversation. Richard was our host for the evening, where he welcomed his other guests and I into his mansion type house – I was thrilled! The topic of conversation that night were dams!! They had come from all over to this particular one near our location, so they could mirror their structures on Richard’s dam. So that was my night.

Wow, the last couple of days had been incredible - what an action packed adventure – I had it all! I returned safely to my hotel and rose early for my last journey in Vietnam – I’d be crossing the border the day after next and leaving the some of the my most challenging, but amazing times behind me.

The Biggest Adventure of my Life!

2010-10-30T09:05:00.000-07:00

On my arrival back to Haiphong, I had missed one bus but there seemed to be another bus pick up point and in hope that there was a bus leaving later that day I hopped on the back of a local’s motorbike, along with my massive rucksack of course. There were no more buses leaving that day so I was stuck. I didn’t want to and couldn’t waste a day of travelling time as I would never reach the border before my visa was to expire. Before I really thought about it, I asked how much it would be to take me to Hoa Binh, this was by-passing Hanoi. I couldn't take any more of the cities and busy towns as it was just too hectic. I couldn't face being hassled in Hanoi and didn't see the point of going just because I was nearby, so I didn't. Anyway, my potential driver had a think and said 1 million Dong for the journey, which was about the equivalent of £50. This is a lot of money in Vietnam. I bartered with him and he agreed on 800,000 Dong. It was actually quite comical. I spoke no Vietnamese, bar a very few essential words, and he spoke no English. It appeared that the locals could not accustom themselves to my English tones. As for this guy, he seemed to complain solidly and relentlessly, all in Vietnamese of course, so I couldn’t understand a word. Eventually, he seemed to resign himself to the fact that he was now going to drive me to Hoa Binh, about 200 km west of where we were, or at least that was the plan. He needed to secure my back pack so made make shift supports, merely tying some rope around two slender planks of wood to the back of his bike. With my ruck sack at the back and my newly appointed driver in front I had no choice but to squeeze myself in between the two if I wanted to get on the bike. There was no choice, so without a second thought I slid on and off we went.

There are so many men on motorbikes offering to drive tourists around that you can be naive to think that doing a journey like mine was a common thing, or at least that was what I thought. It all seemed pretty straight forward. We would follow the signs to Hoa Binh, probably having to skim past Hanoi on route, but it should be straight forward. Being on the back on the motorbike was so much fun. It’s tantalisingly different being on a motorbike – you are part of the experience. When you’re travelling in a bus or car, you are merely spectaking, looking through the glass. Here, you are partaking, right in the thick of it. No shields, no looking glass, it was right up my street. We seemed to have been driving for such a long time. Having journeyed by various motor vehicles in Vietnam I had a feeling that this route was taking much longer than it should have done. As it turned out, my driver didn’t have a clue where he was going. Much to my dislike we were heading back down to Ninh Binh where I had been before Cat Ba. Again, I had no choice but to ride it through and hopefully we could head back up again heading west.

It was not long after passing through Ninh Binh, but there had been a turn in weather. The skies gloomed a miserable shade of grey and they rumbled in discomfort. We carried on driving and it only got worse. Now the rain had started too and we were getting wet. We passed through this small village which was positioned either side of the road we were on. All I could see in front of me was a coat of grey. I kept my eyes on it and the closer we got I knew something was wrong. I said to my driver “what the hell is that” pointing to the grey force we were drawing towards. As we got closer, I could feel us entering this storm, we were right by it, you could feel the force against you and it would have sucked you in if you let it. I quickly signalled for us to turn back and with haste we did. The storm was now on our tail as we endeavoured to make our escape. We spotted some locals under their make-shift shop, which also acted as a home, and went for cover. They had packed their goods away and we all took shelter inside waiting for the storm to take its course. I was so scared that I even text my sister, Sylvia, back in London to check the weather giving her the location where I was. I got a call about 30 minutes later, Sylvia panicking and wanting to know I was OK. Fortunately, by this time the storm had passed and had left a very different view in front of me. Whereas all I could see before what a coat of grey, now I saw blue skies and hills forming the background – wow – I really was right by the eye of the storm. That was a first!

We travelled on for some time. Dusk was starting to set. The redness in the sky glowed and spread its warmth bountifully. I was desperately trying to take photos but the sky didn't want to let me. The further we went, the more we went off the beaten track. The road hit back at us as we suffered every bump we rode over, at times nearly being flung off the back. The more we travelled, the darker it got. Before we knew it, dark was all around us, only for a dim light shining from the ramshackled bike we were on.

I was so tired, the driver must have been moreso. We had literally been travelling since the morning, it was now around 10pm. There was supposed to be a hotel coming up in the next town. We eventually got there, you couldn't miss it, it was huge. We stopped and I went in to inquire. I asked for two single rooms, which they claimed they didn't have available. By this time, I was completely exhausted and aching! They wouldn't discount the rate even though I was paying for two rooms which annoyed me. I had to pay more than the going rate and even when it came to dinner the hotel tried to charge me double the price, which they halved instantly when they saw my reaction. The TV in my room didn't even work properly and they refused to do anything about it. All I longed for was to hear some English or something I recognised. It's very stressful and isolating when you haven't been able to speak to someone properly for a long time. I had a disagreement with the hotel owner, especially as they left my passport laying around casually. I had gone to my room and took shelter, my face layered with the dirt from the road.

Later on, I had someone come to my room and bang on my door. It was now about 11:30pm. I was alone, in the middle of no where - no one was coming in. I proceeded to barricade myself in. I pushed the bed and cabinet against the door and slept with my stuff ready to go, including me! The next morning, I had to face the hotel staff so I could pay and leave. I was so pleased to be leaving, there always a select few people who are not interested in you at all, but what you can offer wherever you go, such is life. My driver and I packed us onto his bike and we were off, only to realise that we were heading in the direction of Hanoi which should have been behind us!

Fishing Fun in Cat Ba!

2010-10-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

The night before I doused myself with mosquito spray, even though I slept under a large mosquito net, big enough to catch a fish my size in! I didn't really know what to expect, was I going to be eaten alive during the night? I was sure it would be fine and it was. And as for sleeping randomly on a restaurant floor open to the whole wide world, I was absolutely fine too! There was something very liberating about this new experience. Before, when I had slept out in the open I was among a group at Ayers Rock. This time, it was just me, laying exposed to the stars and the dark blanket of sky which had covered me. I had a little lay in, well only until about 9am or so. It was much needed after all those continuous early starts, as not even I was able to slow my pace. I felt a bit restless and that I ought to be doing something, this is typical me though, I'm always buzzing around doing something, it's what makes me tick! If I stop ticking, well it's just not me then!

I wasn’t sure what to do so I spent some time with Cuong and she did everything for me. The family were so welcoming and I felt in tune with their lifestyle which I had temporarily adopted. I didn't feel an outsider with the family at all. Washing meant doing so with a large bucket of water and a ladle. There was a proper outside toilet, which was definitely a plus. Otherwise everything was very natural, relaxed and I was looking forward to the new life I was becoming accustomed to.

One of the things that really caught my eye the day before was the bamboo-made fishing rod. I thought I would try my luck for breakfast so attempted to catch myself a fish from the lake. I had tried this the day before, but had no catch. The day before, I had gone to rest my legs over the side of the restaurant - to my horror, it collapsed and the log type barrier fell in. The family had been absolutely fine, I wasn't though. I realised it must have happened before as the father soon hooked on to it with the fishing rod and towed it in. I didn't want to be doing that again!

Cuong gave me some bait and showed me how to place it on the hook. I've said it before, but I have no idea why I love fishing so much (for a female that is). Its stillness radiates peace and tranquility, with some fun mixed in. But, it also gave me a good excuse to slow down.

This guy was driving past on his motorbike and saw me fishing so he stopped by the entrance and came to sit down. We eventually got talking and then he joined me trying to fish from the lake. He said the wire was not strong enough and the hook was a bit rusty, so he started giving me a few tips. I got a pull in my rod and got so excited. It seemed like a big fish, so I got even more excited. The guy told me to keep the hooked fish low in the water to tire it by moving the rod from side to side but to make sure I keep it under. If the fish is too near the top then it will slip away as did mine. Fortunately, my new acquainted friend caught us a rather large fish which Cuong’s mother kindly prepared for us for breakfast! There were also some Vietnamese delicacies being prepared – cats which looked like they had been sliced in half and skewered. Their brains and eyeballs scooped out, which I think were eaten raw. I am a worldly eater who loves my food but these were two dishes I kindly had to pass on!

Later that day I accompanied Cuong and her mother to the local village. It was an unusual occurrence to have someone like me visit the market. I do try and support the locals by buying their produce, but I don’t take well to some slapping me with the back of their hand indicating for me to buy stuff from them. This one woman did just that, repeatedly, so in the end I returned her not so welcoming gesture. Her response to that was to push me – charming! Anyway, she left me alone after that to take up my fostered position again. I bought some fruit and vegetables from the market and then I spotted Mai from the night before. I waved and tried to speak to her, but she was too shy and didn’t respond. I then started saying in the way I knew how... ‘...A, B, C...’ – bingo, she mimicked straight away – what a high! It was and will always be one of those special times a person remembers, as I found a way to communicate. I was so proud of her and pleased with myself.

I sat with some local children and tried this concoction of a drink which surprisingly tasted nice, it was supposed to be good for you. After that I headed to the beach with Cuong and took in the beauty around me. Just after we arrived back the sky started to fall around me and it to take on shades of pink and purple – it was so beautiful – my eyes did not lie. We headed to the neighbours and I picked my dinner from the day’s latest catch! Later that night I was invited to join the local men in the restaurant for a round of karaoke. It was a really fun night, though the singing was not good at all from any of us!!

Journey to Cat Ba Island!

2010-10-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

I was given this guy’s number from the fellow tourist I met in Ninh Binh. I already contacted him the night before I left as I wanted him to come and pick me up once I arrived on Cat Ba Island. I was so tired as I’d been up watching the football and was heartbroken Germany was out of the World Cup - oh well. I jumped off the bus in Hai Phong, from there I could take a ferry to Cat Ba. It sounded fairly straight forward, I think I was forgetting I wasn't in England. I found where I needed to buy my ticket and putting my trust in the lady where I bought it, I left my large back pack there as it was too heavy to drag around.

I couldn’t find anywhere which had internet access, lots of wireless cafes, but I didn’t have a laptop! Common sense said find a hotel which I did and yes, eventually I found a hotel and it had internet access within. I was now in North Vietnam and the plan was to head out through Dien Bien Phu in the North-West to Laos. I wasn’t certain that this crossing was in use and if it was, would I be able to get across without being left in the middle of no where?! It’s not as if you could just make a phonecall (and someone pick up!) or visit an office to find out. My best bet would be to go to Hanoi and sort it out from there, but I didn't fancy Hanoi as it was a busy city. I had read in the Lonely planet that the reliable option was to cross in central Vietnam, but I didn’t have time to back track on myself, so I thought I would carry on and 'Hope' for the best!

The hotel were wonderful, they tried calling the Embassy, but no response. I have been lucky to meet some people who have really gone out of their way to help me, but for all the good things that have happened, there have also been the bad. What I mean is those people who only want you for your money, or have no time to even acknowledge you.

The ferry over to Cat Ba was not a ferry that you would expect to cross with to Calais. I boarded a rather downtrodden looking boat. The heat pounded through the gaps in the doors and the empty framed windows, there was no escape. The locals knew the ropes, they sat by the fans and some had spread themselves across the seats, I was so envious. All I wanted to do was sleep, but there was no room in our little sardine tin. I'm laughing thinking about the ferry crossing in the sea onto another ramshackle boat. Just imagine it, me with my huge back pack and my little matching one, hopping over to another boat in the middle of the waters! Eventually I got to Cat Ba, after a bus journey as well, I forgot how long I had been on the move for!

I arrived in Cat Ba and met the guy who I spoke to the night before. Cat Ba town was so touristy, it was not for me at all. Having driven through part of Cat Ba already, I saw that there were really beautiful parts and this was where I wanted to be. I had already been crystal clear about what I was looking for – somewhere remote, with no one around. The ironic thing was that this guy literally took me just off the main road to his friend’s hotel where work was going on outside and it was incredibly loud and noisy. I knew straight away we were completely mis-matched if he thought this was my idea of remoteness, he was clearly mistaken. We left my bags there in the meantime and I, again, explained what I was looking for. He took me to some beach resort with huts, OK fine, but far too touristy still. I still wanted to continue looking. I knew I wanted to find my own ‘homestay’, I wanted it to be real and not some manufactured type of holiday home I had to pay for.

We then went off into a town nearby and I didn’t take to it. I was becoming frustrated and I knew he was too. I had read up on Cat Ba so knew a little of the area. He then said he would drive me out, but it was about 25km. I was happy, absolutely fine infact, as that's where I wanted him to take me in the first place. I couldn’t see myself coming back so we went to retrieve my bags and loaded them back onto the motorbike. Off we drove for some time. We stopped by a stretch of beach. I had said I wanted to be near a beach, not that I wanted to sleep on one!

By now, it was 2 hours or so later and we were now on the west of the island and passed this restaurant in the middle of an open road, the only thing connecting it to the rest of the world. There were no immediate neighbours and I couldn't see any others in sight. It stood tall in a lake which overlooked the land around it. We stopped to refuel ourselves, not the bike, and inquired randomly. They said I could sleep on their floor for $10 a night. It was made out of bamboo canes and built on stilts. I would sleep in the front part of the restaurant. There were no doors, no windows, it was all open–plan. Mmm, what about all my belongings? Is this what I was looking for? We drove up to the next village and the only hotel, if you can call it that, wanted nearly double and it was a straight 'no'. We returned to Hoang Long restaurant which is where I resided for 3 days – I had found my own homestay!! I was simply happy to sleep on a mat, but they actually gave me a mattress and huge mosquito net which was much more than I ever hoped for. That night I feasted on the most amazing prawns I have ever had, so fresh and juicy, as well as a grilled fish out of the lake which surrounded us – what more could I ask for? I knew this was just what I was looking for!

As dusk set around me, some locals came over as the restaurant there had good facilities – electricity, TV, karaoke, food and beer!! I ended up having an English lesson with Cuong, the 17 year girl who lived there. There was also Mai, who was about 3 or 4 years old and another boy. Mai was like a sponge, she eloquently pronounced each letter of the alphabet after me, barely without error - I was so proud of her! What I loved more than anything is that I had found another way to communicate with those who couldn't speak English, in particular with Mai as she was very shy and wouldn't say anything at first, but when I started saying the alphabet, she responded instantly! The best thing you can give someone in Asia is the gift of the English language. I still remember that night so clearly and my new friends. I was so pleased with myself that I knew I would find what I was looking for if I was determined enough, it took about 2-3 hours, but now it felt like I was in paradise!

Ninh Binh - Into the Night!

2010-10-09T10:09:00.001-07:00

It was another drive through the night into the unknown, at least it was a straight journey to Hanoi (which had been the plan). My Spanish pals had mentioned a couple of other places they were going to, but they were going to head back down after Hanoi. Ninh Binh had taken my fancy, but I had little time and didn't want to back track. My head was buzzing with the thought of another adventure off the beaten path, so tout de suite I asked to be dropped off in Ninh Binh in the middle of the night. I really wasn’t sure where I was going but knew it would work itself out if I wanted it to. I set the alarm as it meant I would only get a few hours sleep, but for another adventure, it was worth it.

I departed the bus in the early hours when dawn was just breaking across the skies. I checked into a hotel nearby and after some deliberation, I decided to go out on one of their motorbike tours. I didn’t really want to, I was just so exhausted as I was ‘on the move’ so much I didn’t know if I could find what I wanted in the little time I had - it was simply the easiest option to go through the hotel. There were about 10 of us on the back on motorbikes and we weren't told much just driven. I wasn't entirely sure about where we were going, though I knew the Tam Coc Caves was one of the destinations. When we got off the bikes, the drivers just left us and immediately set themselves up playing cards. It continued like this for the rest of the day. I can't really remember the names of where we went, as it wasn't me deciding and we weren’t told anything. My driver always wanted to lead the pack and drove quite dangerously and I didn't feel safe with him at all.

We visited somes rocks first, which were pretty intense to climb in the heat. I had dropped my camera case on the way in and a local woman called after me. I was really grateful for her letting me know, but I found the fact she demanded money off me for her ‘service’ quite off putting. I’m all for giving money to those who need it and if someone does something for me, but I had seen this a few times already in Vietnam and it only has the opposite effect on me if it is demanded from me, they won’t get anything at all. Some see a Westerner coming and the '$' sign starts reeling in their eyes. Anyway, putting that aside, the views were picturesque. You could see all the farmers working in the fields below. How they did it in the heat was a real test. The plus side to this tour was that I got a fantastic close up photo of 4 farmers in a field – if it was only for that photo, it was worthwhile already!

We had lunch, then headed to the Tam Coc Caves. It was very touristy and it didn’t have the same feel as I had had about the Phong Nha Caves in Dong Hoi. Remembering how blue the waters were the day before, here they were brown and it was spoiled by the fact it was a money making venture for the locals. Again, they saw us coming and the '$' sign started rolling in their eyes. A few of us had borrowed (at a cost of course) some conical hats for our boat tour – you needed to as the sun really beat down on you. The locals never expose their skin either, they are normally dressed from head to toe, with long sleeves and full length trousers. Also, for a woman to marry, she needs to be covered up too, as pale skin is deemed as more attractive. Unlike me, I was stark in contrast, unwilling to get strap marks and donned in my combat shorts. The caves were OK, I wouldn’t recommend it. The surrounding area was very pituresque, but it's very difficult to drink sparkling wine when you've had champagne! I was still buzzing from the whole Dong Hoi experience, the Ninh Binh experience weren't even on the same scale!

When we got to our end destination after the boat ride before, I couldn’t face a trek out in the 40 degree heat, it was more probably, I didn’t know, but it was too much. It’s funny when you look back as I had a good day but at the time I knew I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was on someone else’s time. I knew from now on I wouldn’t do any more tours. You learn from experience and it’s not how I wanted to spend my time. This is one of the things I learnt about myself so far on my travels , I had much more fun when I did my own thing and ventured with my end goal in sight, but unclear about how or when I would arrive - it was the whole adventure that I found such a thrill!

I arrived back at the hotel and spent some time updating my blog and trying to figure out where to go next. There were so many tours organised by the hotel, which I guess was great, but they were not real. They organised various ‘homestays’ where you go and stay with locals for a couple of days, but how is this authentic? You’re paying someone for an experience! I’d heard of locals playing ‘let’s pretend’ up in the north, Sapa for one, which is where I was supposed to go. I didn’t want to go somewhere and see locals pretend to live a way of live, dressing up in traditional outfits pretending to welcome me into their home. So I striked them all from my list and my route changed again! So where to go?

I got talking to a guy who had been on a homestay tour with his girlfriend which they really enjoyed. I liked the idea of it, but I was against it for the reasons said, plus you were paying well over the odds for it too. Cat Ba National had been on the radar before and with help I worked out I could get there without going to Hanoi. I couldn’t face been pulled and slapped in a busy city or having to oblige to the pretence of let's play ‘dress up’ in the popular tourist areas. I hopped on a bus to Hai Phong and from there I could take a ferry to Cat Ba, it all sounded straight forward...

Dong Hoi - Anything is Possible!

2010-09-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

I was conscious I didn't want to fall asleep again on the bus. I set my alarm to make sure I was up before the bus was due in. I was lucky as one of the guys spoke a little English and told me how far we were from my destination. I got off with all my bags in tow and didn't know where to head, so I crossed over to where some locals were. Dong Hoi was only a small town, so seeing other tourists was a rarity, but that's just what I wanted. This lady said her and her husband would take me to the hotel I was looking for, but I was conscious of getting in their car. I politely declined, which is how I met Cuong. Cuong toured me around for my stay in Dong Hoi and one I will always remember - another motorbike adventure - by now I was addicted!

I was leaving the next day so I had to get it right. Once Cuong dropped me off with my bags, I said I would be back down. To help re-iterate what I meant I took his helmet with me, as he spoke no English and neither did the hotel, that way he knew I had to come back. I was down within about 10 minutes and off we went. We headed back to the main town and I looked for any travel agents or hotels to try and book a trip to see the Phong Nha Caves. It was getting dark and one of the hotels directed me to a travel agents, but when we finally found it it was closed! What to do?! I hopped off the bike and went to look to see if there were any contact details. I was incredibly lucky that the guy who ran it turned up at that very moment, who also spoke some English!

There was no motorbikes for hire, just a car. I had a brain wave - why not Cuong take me?! The other man translated for me and cutting the story short, Cuong agreed and even better I was being taken somewhere where they serve fresh seafood for dinner! Off we set again, we had a short drive to end of town and we were served a huge plate of squid and prawns, a couple of beers for him and some soft drinks for me. I'm not a beer drinker and even if I could get anything else, wine, etc, I can't drink in the heat! It was a few Fantas for me! I was definitely having a seafood feast again - fresh, delicious and plentiful!

It's the thrill of the challenge that makes something worth while! Yes, sometimes you need things to be easy, but when you work hard for it, the reward is so much greater. Cuong came to pick me up in the morning and we set off on another adventure. All I knew was that it was a 50km ride to the Phong Nha Caves, nothing else. We couldn't understand one another and there was no one to explain. Does it matter?! No! As long as it feels right and you are not putting yourself in danger, as well as being comfortable with who you are with. Smiles and watching out for each other is all you need! After all it's not about what you say, your body says a lot more!

If I thought it couldn't get any better, I was wrong! We drove out into the rural areas and must have driven for over an hour. The views were just incredible. Everything I saw seemed like impeccably printed postcard shots. The sun was beaming down. Feeling very safe, I sat back taking in the scenery as we journeyed.

We agreed a time for me to return once we arrived and then it trying to find out where to go from there. There were hundreds of Vietnamese tourists buzzing around. To get to the caves I needed to take a boat, but I wanted to split the cost with some others. I ended up splitting it with some Vietnamese tourists, but then managed to hop down the steps on to the only boat with some Westerners on. I was really grateful for them letting me join them. I stood out a mile from the top of the steps amongst the Vietnamese and they could see I was on my own. They waved me to come down so naturally I did. My four new pals were Spanish and two of them spoke some English. I must admit it was nice to speak a bit as it can be a bit isolating at times when you can't have even a basic conversation.

The views on the way to the caves had been beauteous. The contrast of the colour of blue from the water against the land was just stunning. As we sailed, I took numerous photos of locals and I was beguiled by life as I saw it through my eyes. The caves themselves were OK, but for me it was the drive, the spectacular views and scenery that floated the boat I was on.

I arrived back mid-afternoon and hit the beach. It was fun walking through as the locals were so friendly and no one hassled you. I waded through the shallow water far down the beach where there was no one around. Sunset, that night, carried me away, I took some of the most wondrous pictures. Somehow, I had managed to catch the sun light in such a way that it formed a series of red dots against the sun, which all had a green glow to them - I've never seen anything like it. Also, that the sun, as a whole, seemed to shine through the fence of trees, like it was saying to the trees "...I'm too strong for you to block me out..."! Strange, but wonderful!

I had dinner on the beach before Cuong came and took me to my bus pick up point. The bus was late by an hour or two, that was standard. I was back on my planned route to Hanoi...I never got there though!

Hustle Bustle in Hue!

2010-09-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

According to The Lonely Planet, Hue was supposed to be quite like Hoi An. I was expecting a enchanted looking city, quite relaxed. Instead, there were so many people - everywhere! So much hustle and bustle! I realised at this point I didn't want to be in the cities anymore, it was not what I was looking for. Furthermore, on the the drive into the city, I recognised a couple I had seen somewhere previously - it wasn't my journey again!

I was desperate to leave Hue as quick as I had arrived. I tried booking a bus for the next day, but it was full! I was in dismay when I realised I could be stuck there for 2 days, I just did not take to it at all. When I had met Helen and Shae back in Hoi An, I remember Helen mentioning some caves on the way up and I wanted to go and visit. Maybe I could try and tie this all in...?! I worked it out that I could pick up the bus in two days time from Dong Hoi, where the Phong Nha Caves were - this way I wouldn't lose any days! Now that was sorted it would be good to see a little of Hue now that I was there. I wasn't sure how I was going to get to Dong Hoi, but I knew it would work itself out if I wanted it to.

I went into a hotel just outside and asked for a room. There was a room available but it was on the 3rd or 4th floor, no lifts of course. This was the normal set up in Vietnam and the thought of carrying my luggage up and down again so many flights of stairs riled me. I asked if they had a room on a lower floor, they said they did but it was a few dollars more. I was absolutely disgusted. In all the places I have stayed, they have never charged people more for staying on a lower floor. I told him I would rather walk the streets with my luggage than take a room off him and so I did!

I found a nice little room down a narrow street. The hotel were really helpful and gave my some bus options. I went to have a wonder and instantly bumped into Helen and Shae again, they were just leaving for the airport - shame! Though it was lovely to see them. I found myself in a little cafe/restaurant where the food selection was very different. I love eating in places like this as they really appreciate a foreigner coming in and you get good traditional food. I had no idea what I was ordering and over ordered. I had quite a large dish of pork spring rolls to make up myself, they came on skewers and I had to pull them off, wrap them in a type of rice paper and dress it with the sauce, not forgetting to add the salad. I also had a crispy type of pancake arrive mixed with egg and something else, I can't quite remember now - that was really good. I normally photograph my food, but I was so hungry, it didn't have a chance to stay idle once put in front of me - shame!

I had a short roam through the city. There were lots of make-shift stalls selling various trinkets and gifts by the river. I was walking by the bridge and all of a sudden there was chaos, all these people started running. I spotted a couple of police men and presumed it must have been illegal for them to trade there. It was quite funny to watch, but most of the men left the poor women behind!

In the morning I went to the travel agency to see if someone could drive me around. I didn't want to join a tour, I wanted to do my own thing. They literally pulled a waiting driver off the street and I didn't like the look of him. So, I went out with one of the guys from the travel agency instead. He was OK, not as helpful and willing as Tu, plus his bike was tiny and looked knackered!

I first went to visit the Imperial City, the Citadel - it was quite impressive. Within the walls, lived royalty and humble people, I think it was erected back in 1807. New buildings were added over the years which strengthened it defences against attackers. I then left to visit some tombs, but realised I was doing this as I thought I should. Instead I asked the driver to take me through the local villages. I enjoyed this much more, the drive by the river had such an incredible view and I was much more interested in the locals and the rural areas. We drove around for a couple of hours and then we headed back to the city. I was disappointed where he took me to eat. I didn't feel like has had much effort to take me around, but I enjoyed this more than being among the rest of the ants, tourists I mean! After I went to the market, but I couldn't take the constant grabbing, pulling and slapping from the women wanting you to buy stuff from their stalls. One woman pulled my bag so hard that she broke the strap - that was it - enough, it was time to head back!

This time I was heading up to Dong Hoi on a local bus, another palava! My ruck sack got swopped onto another bus. Though the hotel had instructed the driver who picked me up which bus I should be on as he had quoted the registration number. No one spoke English, but I was lucky my driver got my ruck sack back and put me on the planned bus. The ironic thing was this was the guy from the morning who I didn't like the look off, but he was now helping me - I got it wrong!

Travelling in South East Asia is such an experience. The buses are not made for foreigners. What I mean to say is, people from South East Asia are quite small in frame, therefore the seats are smaller and leg room is tight. I was not impressed that even though I had paid for a full price ticket we were all expected to squish up next to one another to fit another person, on top of the fact the seats were small! Imagine this in 40 degree heat as well, no air con, for 3 hours or so! It was my only ticket out of there and I had no choice but to take it...another experience!!

Danang - Loving the Randomness!

2010-09-25T09:41:00.001-07:00

The next day I woke and Tu was back and waiting for me – great! How reliable! I hopped onto his bike with my back pack to drop it off at the travel company. Literally, in a second's thought, I suggested he drive me to Hue which was 100km away. I asked him how much he wanted – done – not a problem! Even better when he said he would put my luggage on the bus, which was literally leaving in minutes, I could then pick it up the other end – brilliant!

This was it! Oh the drive that morning was just amazing! The views were so picturesque. I was a bit worried about travelling that distance on a motorbike, everyone knows bikers are more at risk on the road. I knew this was just what I wanted though and thought it should all be fine! The drive over the hills by the Hai Van Pass was just what I desired, passing beaches and the natural surroundings. The sun was blazing and I was having the time of my life!

I wanted to stop at Lang Co beach. When we did stop, I think I must have had a horrified look on my face. I wasn’t the only one who was there, so were dozens of Vietnamese tourists, it was holiday season. I had done well to dodge the foreign tourists but what to do now? My bubble was burst and I slumped off down to the beach. I said to Tu I would be back in an hour or so. I didn’t realise how far the beach stretched along the waters. Within minutes I passed everyone else, my legs kept walking. I walked for at least half an hour and there was absolutely no one around. I found it quite sad though that there were bits of rubbish scattered around and washed up along the shore line, too much to pick up an dispose of.

One hour or so turned into 3 hours! I had the best time. The beach was so remote that you could do as you pleased! I was singing out loud and (I think) no one heard me! I could have stayed much longer but knew we still had a way to go. Back on the bike, I stopped off at the Elephant waterfalls. We were running a little short of time, but it seemed silly not to stop off with it being so close by. The drive to the waterfalls took us down a narrow path and upwards into the hills. I loved it as we were right off the beaten path and still no other tourists in sight! However, when I got there, it was swarming with Vietnamese tourists - far too busy for my liking! I think they must have played 'Spot the Foreigner' as I stood out like a sore thumb. They were all so welcoming though and I had no idea where to go. Some gave me directions and eventually after pigeoning my way through I found myself at the Elephant rock, a rock which has obviously been carved in the shape of an elephant's head.

It was back on the bike and off we set again, only stopping for drinks and food on the way. It was baking hot and with nothing to protect you from the rays of the sun, it was quite tiring and I got a migrane. Eventually we arrived in Hue. I was so thankful to Tu for bringing me, but also bringing me safely. I saw my luggage straight away, slumped at the entrance of the travel shop (anyone could have gone off with it), but it was there and that was the main thing. I assumed as he had dropped me at another branch of the company he worked for that he had been to Hue before, I was surprised that he hadn't. It made my adventure seem much more special as he clearly had not done that before, nor had I. I loved that it was just me doing that route the way I did it and not the rest of the whole world. It was my journey!!

Danang - The Start of my Motorbike Adventure!

2010-09-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

You know when you have an idea of something but you're not quite sure how it would work out, so in most cases you'll forget about it as you're not sure how to go about it. I had thoughts buzzing around in my head, but I still couldn’t quite pin point what was it I was looking for, or what thing which was buzzing around in my head was bugging me.

It was another bus journey up to Danang! I was truly fed up of the bus journeys. Not only because I found them tiresome, as I usually fall asleep, but they were so routine. It’s just so easy to hop and off a bus knowing where you’ll end up. It was a short journey and in that time I fell into, what must have been, a deep sleep. It's the only time my body has a chance to shut down, as I am always keeping it so busy and on the move! Unfortunately, it meant I slept through my stop and awoke mid-way between Danang and Hue. What to do? Carry on or try to get back? I spoke to the driver and he said at our next stop I could jump off and hitch back on the bus going the other way - it worked!

Wow, what a drive back! It was the first time I had seen hills in a long time! Southern Vietnam is quite flat and as much as I’ve loved the adventures so far, I knew I had missed a walk in the hills or the mountains. There were some national parks on the way up in central Vietnam which I think had some height to them, but I decided to travel up the east coast so missed out – you can’t do it all! We drove through the Hai Van Pass, a tunnel through the hills, which was 10km long. You could travel overland, which was a 36km scenic route...interesting!

I finally arrived in Danang and I jumped off the bus. Where to go? It was about 5pm and I didn’t want to waste time. I went into the travel company to speak to the guy running it and and before I knew it I was heading out on the back of his motorbike. I left my bags there to collect later, as I wanted head out before it got dark. I had read about Monkey Mountain so off we went! The town was moderately busy, not touristy at all, I seem to remember construction work taking place too. The locals just seemed to go about their day and no tourists in site – brilliant! As we headed towards Monkey Mountain, the surroundings became more sparse. We mounted the land and headed up. The higher we went opened up this incredible view. Danang was actually very beautiful to observe, I made sure we stopped so I could take pictures. On the way around, we also passed a gigantic Buddha, which over-looked Danang - wow - it's size was so impressive.

This was the change I was looking for - I just wanted to tour and drive through the hills. Oh, I loved it! It was so daring! I was lucky as my driver was a safe one and I felt very comfortable on the back of his bike. Unfortunately, we ran short of road, as it is still being laid where we were. I eventually accepted the only option was to head back so I said I would visit the Buddha. The view on the way back was even more breathtaking than it was on the way up. The sun was starting to set and the sky had a warm glow about it. I stopped to marvel for some time and decided to walk some of the path. Wow, it was one of those moments. As the sun continued to set, the colour rupturing in the sky’s centre was simply captivating.

Just before the sun set, we reached the gigantic Buddha. We parked up on the side and we would meet back there later. Off I went eager to explore as there was much more to see than I originally thought. There were temples as well as the Buddha. Many Vietnamese tourists had come to pay homage and I wanted to pay my respects as well. I lingered for a while, though I did think, how did I know if this guy was still there waiting for me?! Were my belongings safe?! If I was left here, I didn’t have the address of where I was dropped off. I pushed these thoughts aside and carried on. When I did finally return, I couldn’t see him. I placed my helmet and book on the seat of the motorbike and waited nearby, so he would be able to see I had come back when he returned. He arrived within minutes and off we went.

It was now Saturday night and I needed some help. I asked if he could take me to a hotel and then somewhere to eat, but somewhere that served seafood and where the locals ate. We drove round a few hotels before we found one that was reasonably priced. A good room cost you about $10, but sometimes you needed to negotiate to get what you wanted. I was in a great location, just by the river, the bridge connecting the two sides was all lit up and there was a real vibe about the place!

We headed just out of town and stopped at an outdoor make-shift restaurant. There was a variety of seafood to choose from and I ordered a plateful of king prawns with a sweet chilli sauce for us both. The prawns kept jumping out of the basins when they were trying to take them to cook and on to the floor. They literally had to cover them and capture them to haul them in. The football was on that night, Germany won – I was thrilled!

I was so grateful for Tu, that was his name, for driving me around. I had asked him before if he had had any plans for his Saturday and he said he hadn’t. I paid for dinner and a drinks to say thanks and we headed back. I asked him to come and get me at 8am and we would go to Lang Co beach, then head back and I would jump on the bus to go to Hue. I slept well that night. I felt like I was breaking the rules, going off into the unknown. No real plan, all off the cuff and in search of new adventures!

Last ones!

2010-09-21T17:23:00.001-07:00

And more...

2010-09-21T17:20:00.001-07:00

More photos...

2010-09-21T17:04:00.001-07:00

The Beauty of Hoi An!

2010-09-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

The day spent cycling around was quite exhausting. Our feet were a soot looking shade of black and the hunger in our stomachs was calling out. Shae, Helen and I went in search of a restaurant where they had eaten previously. It was down an alley somewhere in town and we wandered down a few before we eventually found it - 'The Secret Garden'. It had been some time since I had eaten in a flash restaurant, that's mainly because what you eat on the street or in little family run restaurants are normally much better and you pay a small fraction of the price.

I was excited as I hadn't really drunk much while in South East Asia and the thought of having a glass of decent red wine titillated me right through! I also ordered a glass of rice wine, just to try it. I'm glad I ordered just a small measure as when it came I guess I looked a little confused. It was in a small jug and it was presented with a shot glass. On taking in it's pungent aroma, I then understood - it smelt like tequila and tasted like it as well. It was such a lovely day and dinner. Helen and Shae were off to one of the Islands the next day and I wasn't sure of my plans, hopefully we would see each other again.

I know when I'm trying to tell myself something, there's something that's not quite right and when I feel like this, then feel like I'm wasting time or maybe not appreciating what is around me. I wanted to make sure I walked around the town of Hoi An, it was just so beautiful, it would be criminal not to. I love it that when you are travelling you don't know what is ahead of you and you don't know what the day will bring. I wanted to go to the beach too and was going to try and squeeze that in too before I left.

The first thing I did, after my morning swim of course, was to head down to the travel company and see what my options were. I went to inquire about a motorbike tour, but I had missed it. I also asked about stopping off at Danang, which was not part of the original plan, I had been reading up on it in the Lonely Planet. I had both options, as I could get a separate bus ticket to go to Danang then carry on all the way up to Hanoi. The guy at the travel company also offered to take me on his motorbike and tour round the nearby area. I couldn't decide and kept dithering which annoyed me! I finally decided to jump off at Danang the next day so I was now ready to go off and explore Hoi An.

As I was walking into town, I passed many dress shops, one after another, all in line. All propositioning tailor made dresses and even shoes. I stopped at one and had a nose around. There were lots of dresses and rolls of materials and the shop keepers made it all sound too easy in making the dresses to fit. There was a beautiful satin dress, but it wasn't my sort of style. What started off as a quick look turned into a day spent buzzing in between 2 shops that were making dresses for me. The dresses themselves were gorgeous, I had 3 made, but the stress that went with it was almost not worth it. I was not the only person to feel like this as some people I met said the tailors didn't fit the garments properly, so they ended up with clothes they couldn't wear! Fortunately I have 3 dresses that fit which I had plans for.

I was leaving the next day, but wanted to be up early to walk around to see the early morning sunlight waken everything below. One of my dresses was also supposed to be dropped off at 6am, but no one showed. I was longing to go into town and if it came to it would leave the dress. The walk was such a beautiful one. The town had already come to life and the sun has risen. The marvel of the sun so early in the morning was just something else, so unobtrusive as it slowly woke from it's slumber, so calmly and modestly.

There were a few last minute alterations needed to my dress then all was done! After, I spent a very lazy morning by the pool until I needed to leave. I almost felt guilty for relaxing as I knew I was on a mission, but for what I didn't know myself!

Last ones!

2010-09-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

And more!

2010-09-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

More photos!

2010-09-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Touring Hoi An!

2010-09-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

It was a long drive through the night to Hoi An and what a bus journey!! At least I was on a sleeper bus, so I made the most of it. My bed was at the back of the bus in the top section. I was grateful I was on the end so at least I was not sandwiched between others. You need to keep your wits about you when travelling. Whenever I sleep on the bus, I have my (little) ruck sack pad-locked and the straps of it wrapped around me. I don’t want to take any risks and I’d rather be cautious.

I must say the drivers here drive like maniacs, they have since I arrived in Vietnam. There is no thought for the passengers flying all over the place just behind them. At one point, we must have hit a bump, I’m not sure as I was in a half slumbered state, I just remember being flown upwards and smacking my head quite hard on the roof. I actually let out a shriek and others turned around. I found it hilarious I guess, there was no point getting annoyed, we still had hours in front of us and it was another experience.

We finally arrived in Hoi An at around 5am in the morning. The good thing about taking a bus is that it would drop you off in town or at your desired hotel so it made it easier than taking a train. The thing that was frustrating though, is the men who are there waiting for you as soon as you disembark to try and tke you to some hotel by motorbike. Ignoring them, we walked around for a bit. I was ready for a little more luxury and I really wanted a hotel with a swimming pool. We eventually arrived at a hotel with a pool, I was keen on the hotel, but not so keen on the owners. At this point, we went our separate ways and I found my way to the town centre. Wow, it was so beautiful, especially with the way the early morning sun light grazed the surroundings below. This guy on a motor bike had been following me around since I got off the bus - déjà vu - I had had enough. I was tired. I shifted myself back to the hotel with the pool and negotiated – done!

While they prepared a room for me, I hopped into the pool and swam for about an hour. I’m not quite sure where I got the energy, I think it was the fact that I was completely chilled and could relax doing one of the things I love doing the most and get some sun at the same time - what more could I ask for? Like a fish to water!

Once I checked in, I went for a tour around the city – wow – Hoi An is just stunning! It is well kept, the old town still remains, with traffic cordoned off so that the old town is not driven through. The colours of Hoi An magnifies its beauty even more so. It is vastly decorated by lanterns throughout and it is absolutely immaculate. I can’t actually recall seeing any rubbish being scattered like I did in some other areas of Vietnam.

I was debating what to do for the rest of the day. I had inquired about buying a town tour ticket to see key hotspots, but there was only one that took my fancy, the others didn’t hit my spot at all. As I was walking, I casually asked a girl if she could recommend anything. Now, this is what I adore about travelling, people are welcoming, people stop to talk to others or ask for help and no one bats an eyelid. It's like when people leave their normal lives and go away, they are also given a ticket to be more social! Getting back to it then, I ended up joining Shae and her mum, Helen, on a bike tour. We had lunch and off we went. I really appreciated the fact they asked me to join them. Though, I was a little nervous as I hadn't ridden a bike for...I can’t even remember how many years!

The sun was fierce and beating down on us as we set off. Water bottle - check, caps on - check - and off we went. I snaked a little from side to side as I tried to get my balance. It was like I was back in my school playground, at the age off 10, taking my Cycling Profiency Test all over again. We rode out to the local villages and nearby islands, crossing over to them on very unstable bridges. We visited a family who weaved rugs. For what they earned, we, back in England, could probably earn in a minute, the contrast is simply upsetting. I had a go at weaving a mat and felt it was only right to leave them a little thank you. I left them 100,000 Dong, which is about $5. They only earn 40,000 Dong between them and it's 4 hours work each for making just one mat, it speaks for itself.

It was quite funny being back on a bike. I did feel a bit shakey, I don’t think I’m quite comfortable being on something when I’m not in control of my feet! But wow, what a day! We toured around quite a vast area and saw so much of rural life. We stopped off for drinks and the men played a type of chess. We saw bricks being made and were taken through the whole process. We passed a shrimp farm, which looked like a row of seats which get rotated in the water. There was so much and I captured some amazing shots of day-to-day life, you know, those 'picture, postcard' moments. What a bike ride it was - I thought Roomie would be pleased as he is a cycling fanatic!

Last ones!

2010-09-08T01:06:00.001-07:00

Nha Trang - Living the Life!

2010-09-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

I had heard mixed things about Nha Trang and wasn't sure how long I was going to stay there. We booked ourselves into different rooms this time, as we had all been sharing before and I needed some girl space! Our rooms were just $5 each, the cheapest so far on my trip. It was quite large and had all I needed. More than anything it was just great to wander round and not worry about being covered up. It's too much when you are sleeping in such heat.

I had planned to finish of my Advanced PADI diving certification here in Nha Trang. I had already dived with one of the instructors when I was in Sipadan, so coming to Rainbow Divers, which I highly recommend, seemed like a natural choice. I had to complete 2 more dives, my navigation and then one of my choice. I chose to do my remaining dive with a DPV (diver propulsion vehicle) basically an underwater-motored device, think '007' - James Bond!

Diving in Vietnam is so cheap, everything is so cheap, so you really do get a lot for your money. This was the last time I was going to be diving, so I opted to go cruising on the speedboat instead of the main boat, paying just a little more the privilege. Fortunately there were no other like-minded divers and I ended up being taken out on my own - fantastic! I love it when I am doing something that the whole world is not doing with me - I did relish in the fact.

I first did the navigation dive which was fine. I'm getting used to using a compass now. The visibility was good and I saw a few different fish from before. The marine life is not as varied and plentiful as The Great Barrier Reef, or Sipadan, but it was pleasant diving. The second dive with the DPV was the most fun! I had a practise using it first going round the boat a few times. I must say I was excited - another experience! It was brilliant using it in the water. I was doing turns from side-to-side and then round in circles. I wanted to make the most of it and did. I was even humming the James Bond theme at times - it had to be done!!

Later on I met the boys and a girl came by selling pictures. I suspected she had been affected by the chemicals in the war and bought one of here pictures. Just before she came along, another disabled man had come by selling postcards so I bought some too, I needed some anyway.

Leaving Nha Trang by bus was another palava! I asked the bus to pick me up from the diving school. The boys were being picked up from the hotel so I thought there was no point me going down the road to get the same bus. Would they take me? No! This woman driver told me that another bus was coming and I knew she was lying as I knew the timetable, but she wouldn't take me. I flew down to the diving school and cut a long story short, one of the guys took me and my huge backpack on the back of his motorbike to the travel agents! A few minutes later I was in the same van as the boys and on the way to catch our bus. I was so annoyed, but relieved I was on the bus and not wasted a day hanging around. So as I sat back and relaxed I thought to myself...so, my luggage and I could really get on the back of a motorbike...mmm?! I think a seed was planted!

2010-09-05T08:21:00.001-07:00

And more...

2010-09-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

More photos...

2010-09-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

The Vietnam War!

2010-08-13T17:14:00.001-07:00

After leaving Father Paul, I met the boys at the War Museum. It was never on my list of things to visit, I went as the guys had suggested it. It was completely shocking and horrific in fact, but I'm so glad I went. It gave me a much better understanding of what happened during the war, of which I can say I didn't know much of. It really puts it in your face. Vietnam is still clearly feeling the effects of the war, that can be seen by amount of people who have suffered from deformaties stemming from the use of the chemical Agent Orange as well as the other destructive chemicals. Many photos are displayed of people who have been affected by the chemicals and suffered serious derformaties, as well as those taken during the war. There were even photos of civilians who have also been blown up by unexploded bombs in the last 10 years or so, sadly the tragedy is still living on.

I spent about 4 hours drudging around the museum. I said to the guys I would meet them back at the hotel. I felt I owed it to the people to try and read all the captions on the photos and pictures and I wanted to. I had tears running down my face, I know other people did too. I didn't have to see it, I could feel it. The mood in the museam was so uncanny as the visitors wafted around the displays. OKAY, I know I must remember this is a one sided story as this is the story from the Vietnamese side. There are horrific tales to tell on both sides not just one. What disturbs me though is the state of mind the soldiers were brought to on both sides. It doesn't matter who did what as both parties were guilty of dispicable things (not all people though). How terrible it is that one human being would actually want to do something so hateful to another?!

One photo showed a soldier holding something up. On a closer look, it was a head and an arm, that's all that remained of a Vietnamese soldier. Another photo showed the burned remains of a woman and her son. While the war was fought the locals still went about their daily routines opening the markets which seems strange I guess, but then again I suppose we all carry on when bombings have gone off near our home towns.

So who won? No one as we know. So many lives lost, around 3 million in Vietnam (around 2 million of those were civilians) and a country nearly blown to nothing. I've got to give it to the Vietnamese for bringing their country back to life after such fatal and destructive bombings. It really does still make me feel so sad after learning more about what happened. More so as I've seen, with my own eyes, those who have been affected by the chemicals. Even in the museum, there were disabled people making crystal ornaments to raise money, of which I bought one to support them. If I saw anyone selling goods on the streets who had clearly suffered from the bombings I would buy something off them. We have it too easy when we are able to choose whether or not to do something, some are forced to live a certain way and it's good to be able to help on the way if we can.

Last ones!

2010-08-13T17:09:00.001-07:00

Yes and more...

2010-08-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

And more...

2010-08-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

More photos...

2010-08-13T16:59:00.001-07:00

Venture to Vietnam!

2010-08-13T14:35:00.001-07:00

After an overnight bus trip from Siem Reap, I finally arrived in the southern tip of Vietnam. I missed my ferry to Phu Quoc Island as the second bus I was on had an accident and we were delayed. I had no choice but to stay in Ha Tien which I didn't take to. It was raining heavily and the skies were so grey. I can't say the bus company/agents were particularly helpful either. So here I am in another country, everything new and learning the ropes again. I was relunctant to stay where the bus company suggested so opted to try and find some lodgings myself.

In Cambodia people used a tuc-tuc to get around and some motorbikes, here it was just motor bikes and they were everywhere! This guy kept hassling me as I was wondering around with all my luggage in tow. I said 'no' I didn't want a ride. He was following me around and it even got to the point where he was waiting for me outside hotels then proceeded after me down the road. As you can imagine it was a bit frightening as I didn't know what he wanted. I eventually told him to, well I think you can imagine what I said, he then parroted back what I said. I don't think he got it and handed me a business card. I threw it on the floor and told him to go away. Seriously, I'm used to be hassled and people being persistant and wanting you to buy stuff, but stalking someone until they succumb? That crosses the line! He watched me go down the road and I felt so alone and totally freaked out. The continued heavy rain and gloominess in the air did not help either!

The weather forecast for the next week was storms and bad weather, it was monsoon! I only had just over 3 weeks left on my visa and I didn't have time to hold on for good weather so decided to skip Phu Quoc, which was a shame as it's supposed to be stunning, so I headed on up. If the weather was to continue like this, it was going to be a very quick visit in Vietnam. I bumped into a couple of guys who were on the same bus as me the day before and one of them had mentioned Can Tho as a potential stop. Can Tho it was then, I let them know that they could get a bus from the local bus station and off we went together.

It was the first time I had travelled with others, as all the other countries routes had been decided beforehand or on arrival, but here there was no plan this time. So 1 became 3 and off I went with Sergie and Lucas. Sergie was from Spain, aged 31 and Lucas from Switzerland, aged 20. He cheekily referred to Sergie and I as his parents. I told him to wait until he gets to 32 and he'll see it's no different and that I'm having a much better time than I was ever having in my 20's!

I felt a bit more settled in Can Tho. I was sharing a room with the guys which was another different experience - it was fun! We rose early and went on a boat trip along the Mekong Delta, of which Can Tho is the capital of. All sorts went on in the Mekong Delta; washing, emptying of rubbish, toilet facilities, trading, fishing and of course just travelling to wherever you needed to go. It was a fantastic trip, it was wonderful to see so much culture. The ladies wore traditional conical hats and we sailed off to the floating markets. It was so different to see people trading on wooden boats, each trying to get their spot so they don't miss out. Typically fruit and other food/drink products were being sold. We bought a type of spring roll, which was delicious, as well as some pineapples, though there was some confusion with price of them, for which the lady touring us around was clearly and unnecessarily annoyed with us and remained like this for the whole of the trip, but we made the most of it regardless! We got to see how rice noodles were made which was quite interesting. You can see how much effort goes into it, there are so many stages in the process!

We moved on up to Ho Chi Minh City - what a great city - we all felt it. It had a real buzz about it. I was a little wary as I had been warned both by a local friend of a friend and also I had read about about motorbike robberies in the Lonely Planet - we were fine - but I was cautious all the same. We were staying in the back packers district, which was a great location. Lots of bars, restaurants, shops all at our feet. We dined in an Indian restaurant a couple of nights, which was delicious and made a nice change!

I met up with Father Paul, who was a friend of dear Father Laurie from Melbourne, which was really lovely. We had breakfast together and accompanied each other on a short walk around the city. It was such a lovely morning, the sun shining and so great to see an almost familiar face. I was quite keen to see if there was a performance on at the Opera house, which we had passed earlier, so I wandered over later to see if there was. Sadly, nothing was on. I then tried to find a toilet in the building and searched with no luck. The woman who I originally saw me waved her hand at me and I thought she indicating the toilet was outside. I went outside and there was nothing. I turned back and I was shocked to realise she was 'shooing' me out of the building. What a wonderful way to treat someone, especially when I actually came in to buy a ticket for the Opera which would have set me back a decent amount at least...charming!

Things were definitely on the up, as well as us. The further we moved north, the less the rains came! Great!

Last ones!

2010-08-13T14:27:00.001-07:00

Nearly there!

2010-08-13T14:23:00.001-07:00

More, more, more!

2010-08-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

Yes and more...

2010-08-13T14:14:00.001-07:00

And more...

2010-08-13T14:12:00.002-07:00

More photos...

2010-08-13T14:12:00.001-07:00

Torn between my Heart and my Head!

2010-08-13T14:10:00.001-07:00

Tuesday was my birthday and I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd rather spend my day than at the orphanage, though the joy of taking the children out for the day was fizzling out fast. I had made sure I had done all the ground work before approaching the orphanage about the day trip. It was pretty straight forward as far as I could see, all we had to sort out was the food, I had done the rest. Later that evening, the guy who runs the orphanage presented me with a rather odd looking quote! I love to find a cause to support but I'm not prepared to hand over any money without knowing exactly how it's being spent, or if I think it will be wasted. There were items on the quote for beer and coke, those two alone costing $54! Not to mention $57 for an oil change?! I said I drive a car and don't change my oil before I go on a trip. Even the food was going to cost $140 for the day for just 70 odd people (well mostly children) and I'd been told it would just cost $80. Cutting a long story short, I was not presented with a new quote and they thought it better not to go. I replied instantly and said that was fine - it was just too complicated, I would find another way to help the children.

The other girl who I was teaching with and I had decided to get our class to decorate letters of the alphabet so we could put them up in the class. I had gone out over the weekend and bought paints and glitter glue which the childen loved using. Supplies are short so it's great to get them doing different and creative things. I then got the children to fill in the missing vowel from words using the letters they had made - wonderful - it was making learning fun!

Later that evening after the show, we had a meal for my birthday and then ventured out for a few drinks. As we were out the night before for my pre-birthday drinks, I did struggle a bit, so this night was tamer!

I decided to have a day off the next day as each day has been pretty full on and it's so hard when you are doing all of this in this heat! I am melting here everyday but I seem to have got used to it now! I really enjoyed a lay in apart from the banging at 7:30am but went back to sleep. I really missed the children that day, so made sure I went for the show in the evening, though as I gained on more and more road I felt more and more sad and just didn't know what to think anymore.

I have felt incredibly troubled the last few days. I feel like I'm falling into a rather bleak looking whirlpool of despair. I never like to give up and lose 'Hope', I don't believe it's that easy and straightforward. So what do you do?! You know the children need help, though some don't even know it. You haven't seen enough to know that money is being spent well and the kids receive the appropriate funding. I'm always digging and if I don't feel 100% or feel I haven't found out enough information I'll take a step back so my vision is not blinkered. The thing that saddens me the most, it's the children that suffer! They are all wonderful children, so happy, so playful and in need of love and affection. After this incident, I found myself breaking my ties. I had been at the orphanage every day, teaching all classes, watched all the shows and handing out leaflets to advertise the show - I handed out no more leaflets after this. People who support me need to know that I don't just get sucked into any cause. With anything you have to do the ground work, so you know hand on heart what you are doing is true. You are being true to yourself and to those around you, especially if you are trying to raise money. I can't lie to people either. I'm not going to pretend if deep down I feel that things are not as they should be.

It was Thursday and I was planning on leaving on the weekend. I knew I wanted to buy stuff for the children and I just seemed to go into auto-pilot. One of my friend's, Naomi, had also made a donation, so I put our money together to buy some needed gifts for the children. Off I went to track down this stationary shop which I had been recommended as it was a little cheaper. I bought them all their own folder and a colouring book with our money. Then a mixture of colouring pencils, pencils, pens, stencils, alphabet games, foam clocks, posters (i.e. ABC), balls, hula hoops and more! The next day there were more children than usual in the class. Some of the other class had come to join us as word had got around and they wanted their gifts too! I must say I felt a little like Santa, thank you Naomi for making this happen too.

Friday was here and I promised I would go back and try and get more colouring books. During break time, I went off to buy more books and also ended up buying medical supplies, bringing back another box of goodies. I opened it up so they could see what was inside. It was a mixture of cotton, sterilised pads, tape, iodine, bacteria cleanser, sanitary pads, shampoo, plasters, Panadol and bandages - all things I knew they needed. I made sure I took photos of them receiving the gifts on both days as they were so grateful and seeing their little faces light up was just priceless! All of what we bought totalled around $150 ( I had managed to get about 10% off too), which really wasn't that much in regards to how much was bought.

As I said, what do you do when you know if you don't go to the orphanage, that the children get less or no support? I am so addicted to them as they really are so beautiful in many aspects. They are well mannered and don't fight (well I've seen a few little disputes, which I thought were funny!). When they appreciate what is around them and you for doing what you do. If you give up 'Hope' on them because you have not found out enough information on the orphanage, what happens to them now?! Who is teaching them now?! The other girl who was teaching with me left yesterday, so who is there with them now?! This breaks my heart, they are abandoned all over again!

So, to sum it up?! Do I regret the time and effort spent at the school?! No way! There is a huge need and they need help whether the children realise it or not! What about the street kids? No, I don't regret spending money on them either. No child should be out on the streets living the life they do even if they are trying it on a bit and are cheeky, I am blessed that I didn't grow up like that. I refuse to give up 'Hope', it's not in my vocabulary, I am torn between my heart and my head!
I remember saying to one girl I felt like a mug, but NO I don't! I'm glad I am the way I am, because I know for a fact that I was able to reach out to some who really needed help!

In my last week I ended buying lunch for some of the Street Kids on different occasions, I took great pleasure in doing it. I remember Kim, who has only one leg. I assume it was blown off by a land mine, but I didn't ask. I still clearly remember how he changed and became a boy again when I said I'd buy him food. He had approached me a couple of times already asking me to buy a book, which I didn't, so this was my way of helping him. He was very intelligent, spoke good English and very funny. He is the one with my fan in one of the photos (miss you). When I saw him on another occasion he said hello to me and asked me how I was and then carried on chatting with his friend. He didn't expect anything from me and I left feeling happy as I knew he was definitely one of the ones that needed help and he didn't abuse a person's generosity.

So what about the orphanage? I have left on good terms with the orphanage. They know I love the children and and did everything I could for them. I needed to find out more and I didn't think it was possible. I bumped into a couple of girls on my last weekend and one of them is on a secondment to assess the money being spent on food for another orphanage, but not only that but to assess the quality of the food. I'm desperate to put her in touch with the orphanage where I had been as she said she could feed 500 children on just $50! I'm also passing on the details on the stationary and pharmacies which I found were cheaper in Siem Reap. I only 'Hope' that something comes from all of this. If it doesn't then all I can offer is my time, because regardless I want to go back. I miss them terribly already and wish I was still there for them. On my last day, I went in and gave them all copies of photos which I had taken. They swamped me as I gave them out. I said they could put them in their folders which Naomi and I paid for, it's wonderful to build their memories...we build ours every day and mine with them have been incredible! Until next time hopefully! Love you all and miss you very much!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Last ones...

2010-08-13T12:38:00.001-07:00

More, more, more!

2010-08-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

2010-07-23T05:50:00.000-07:00

Diving in Sipadan!

2010-07-15T08:20:00.000-07:00