Northern Nam: Hanoi & Ha Long Bay

Julie, a friend of mine who I had met in Phnom Penh in March, gave us plenty of suggestions for our time in Vietnam.  It was in Ha Noi when we realized exactly how amazing those suggestions were going to be for our northern Vietnam experience. 

Caroline, Jennifer and I caught a flight from Saigon to Hanoi and were excited to spend the last few days that Caroline was with us exploring the famous Ha Long Bay.  We had no idea what to expect, and what we found was the perfect ending to our month together.

Enter: Julie’s amazing suggestions. 

At the hostel’s Happy Hour that night, we were informed that we would receive free shots all evening if we had our faces painted...  

This service was available for about $3 USD from a professional make up artist, but why pay someone when you have your sister and cousin to draw hideous and frightening designs on your face for free?! My thoughts exactly…

Lovely sister picture

 We took turns creating new looks for one another, and intermittently enjoying our free beverages.  After a few drinks we decided review Julie’s message, and after immediately speaking with the hostel management regarding our options around these suggestions, we realized that the only option we would have to go on the infamous Castaway Island Tour of Ha Long Bay was the following morning…at 6 AM.  Not a problem.   A few more rounds of beer pong with guys at our hostel and we were ready for dinner, and then bed. 

The next morning I was in shock that so many partiers made it to the early morning round up, and with everyone cringing as we passed the hostel bar towards our bus, we were off.

We arrived at the port a few hours later, and were shuttled somewhat randomly on small boats until the entire group was aboard our ship for the night.  Reese, our “guide”, introduced us to the mandatory rules of the Castaway Tour as well as the commencement shotgun with the group.

Shotgunning in the morning, always a great choice!

The day was spent enjoying the fantastic views, kayaking through the islands, jumping off of our three-story boat, drinking games, eating the delicious cuisine of a woman who went by Mama (who fondled Jennifer at multiple points of the trip) and making new friends with the 40 other travelers who were in attendance.

Pictures can never capture the beauty of Ha Long Bay - it was stunning!

The next morning we had to wake up quite early, around 7 AM, and shortly thereafter we were taken to another boat and had to say goodbye to Caroline.  The only thing as sad as parting was realizing that she would be on her own in quite a hung over state for the next few hours on her way back to Hanoi.

Jennifer and I continued to Castaway Island with our new friends to spend the day relaxing on our private island and getting to know our Castaway mates better.  

Amy and I off the coast of Castaway

There was rock climbing, volleyball, kayaks, tubing, and of course Reese’s drinking games.  The day came and went way too quickly, but the friend’s that we made there were some of our favorites of our travels together! That night we all swam in the water with the phytoplankton, which glows neon green when it is disturbed.  40 intoxicated twenty somethings splashing around in the water under a full moon off the coast of a private island in Ha Long Bay - pretty epic experience.

So much fun with our new island friends 

After the cruise, we returning to Hanoi Backpackers and practically crawled into bed despite the never ending-rave occurring one floor beneath us in the hostel.  The next few days we enjoyed exploring Hanoi and relaxing, while Jennifer fretted over finally publishing her own travel blog – check it out!

We had very little idea of what Vietnam had to offer when we arrived, but after few days of rest post-Castaway we were off to see what we could find!

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Good Morning, Vietnam!

Vietnam Statue in Hanoi (Playing with the settings on my amazing camera - Thank you Damian!!)

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, still known locally as Saigon, early on May 20^th and shortly thereafter we made it to our hostel, the Vietnam Inn Saigon.  The night bus from Phnom Penh and border crossing didn’t do anything to rejuvenate our tired bodies, but regardless of our sleep deprivation we were in a new city and it was time to explore!  Brad was set on finding a tailor to have a custom suit created so after briefly resting and unpacking, we were off.

The city as a whole is similar to the South East Asian cities I have visited before, but the traffic in Saigon is wholly unlike anything I have ever seen…in my life.  In Vietnam there are 90 million citizens and about 40 million motorbikes.  The traffic flow, devoid of many traffic lights, signs, or utilized lanes puts “Rush Hour in Saigon” on my list of most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed.  I will never understand it.

I am not one to marvel at traffic flows or inter-commuter communication, but my jaw was on the ground when we were driving down the road in our taxi in the “wrong” direction while being approached head on by no less than 30 motorbikes all simultaneously politely exchanging beeps in some dialect of street-Vietnamese and nonchalantly shifting to allow for the girth of our taxi to pass.   

After I got my jaw off the ground from this cultural experience, we ate lunch and then began our quest for the perfect tailor.  A few minutes of attempted communication with our first tailor shop, we continued on and ended up on a mini-walking tour of the city.  The workmanship is impressive at all of the shops, and I do not think there is any piece of clothing you could show them that would stump these tailors.  (Hoi An is known for their famous tailors and bargain priced custom made clothing…but we hadn’t made it that far yet!)  Because of his time restraints in the city, Brad did not want to order a suit without having a second fitting and ended up passing up on the suits for this trip.  Once that was decided, we were off to see a few sights.

Stringing their own pearls in the Saigon Market

We visited the infamous War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the Museum of Chinese and American War Crimes, and spent a few hours reading, wondering and trying to make sense of what we were seeing and hearing.  The afternoon, like those when visiting sites like S21 or The Killing Fields in Cambodia, was somber and thought provoking.  It introduced a very different story from what I remember learning in school regarding our involvement in the Vietnam War.   The museum held nothing back, and if anything, freely criticized the details of the "War of American Aggression" and introduced the widespread international opposition to the war.  It was chilling to see the impact of the weapons used, especially chemical ones, during this war.  The museum was four levels, and after touring each floor we found ourselves needing a break before venturing to the following level.  The images were alarming, but the overall experience was a very educational one.

After such a heavy afternoon, Caroline had the genius idea for us to attend the AO Show Saigon, which was a combination of a Vietnamese cultural show and Cirque Du Soeilei.  The show was clever and enchanting, and helped to lift our moods greatly from earlier in the day. 

The following day we booked a tour through our hostel to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels about 2 hours outside of Saigon.  When we arrived at the tunnels, our guide who called himself John Wayne gave us a brief history of the village and the people who lived in the region during the war. 

Entering the tunnels

The tunnels, which ranged in sizes from large (100 cm round) to small (60 cm round) were tunneled out in the 1940s and used for safety and hiding from the American troops.  The entire community rebuilt their lives underground – houses, communal areas, and tunnels to function for movement between places.  The entire tunnel system was extensive, but with a personal history of claustrophobia, I was not the first one to jump at the opportunity to scuttle through the caves and experience life underground.

Though my family can attest to the endless years of stairs instead of elevators, I told myself (and Jennifer who found herself in a similar state of fright) that of all of the visitors over all of the years, not to mention those who were confined to these tunnels during a war, I was not special enough to be the only one to die in the caves.  I was going to be fine.  Right?

After waiting until we were the last ones from our group, Jennifer and I descended and crawled through the dark, dirt tunnels.  When I say dark, it was not casually lit for tourist’s comfort, or just dim.  It was a black hole.  Another frightening note: there were three mazes that ran from 10 meters to 50 meters in the portion of tunnels we were allowed to visit, and we weren’t sure exactly how to get out of any of them.  Plot Twist: There were also dead ends. 

About thirty seconds into the crawl, the people in front and behind me were stopped and my anxiety levels rose to record highs.  A deep breath, a nervous laugh, and a quick personal reminder that I wasn’t going to die, and we were moving again – at least feeling around for the best way to go.   After what seemed like forever, but was well under three minutes on a standard non-anxious person’s watch, I was relieved to see the light of day and the start of dirt stairs to my right.  After brushing off my pants and telling myself and whoever was around that “Yeah, it definitely wasn’t that bad” we were off to finish our tour.

The following day, which was Brad’s last day with us, we decided to do a tour of the Mekong River Delta.  The group from the hostel headed out in the early morning and stopped by an artisan workshop for disabled citizens who had been harmed, maimed or blinded in the events of the war.  The items were impressive, but unfortunately carrying a thirty-kilogram statue was not going to easily fit into my pack so we left empty handed.

On our Mekong River Tour

The tour consisted of a ride across the Mekong River, a visit to an island and fresh green tea and honey followed (naturally) by snake handling (who thought these were adjunct activities?!), a small boat trip through their narrow river paths, lunch and biking on another small island, and finished with music from local musicians and traditional Vietnamese dancing.  When we got back to the hostel, we immediately showered because of the excessive perspiration we had participated in throughout the day, and relaxed at the hostel’s happy hour before Brad had to leave us for the airport (which would ultimately be taking him to Japan, China, and then Uganda…)

Caroline had read about the Botanical Gardens and Vietnam History Museum in Saigon, and we decided to check it out.  The museum was interesting and helped to give us a perspective of the natural history of the region, although Jennifer did not find it to be as captivating as Caroline and I did. 

Jennifer was captivated by the history of the country...both she and the guard are asleep in this picture.

I should note that the Botanical Garden in Saigon is also combined with the zoo (if you have ever been to a zoo in a third world country, then you understand our experience a bit).   At the Zoo/Garden we got to wander amongst elephants and bears being fed by young children and yours truly, feed rabid monkeys that almost attacked Caroline, and wonder why none of the potted plants were actually planted in the ground.  The day was absolutely beautiful, and it was nice change of pace to walk around the city instead of touring the countryside like we had the previous days.

We followed our Garden experience with a visit to the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, which is adjacent to the Saigon Central Post Office, which was designed by Gustav Eiffel.  

Notre-Dame Basilica, Saigon

We took advantage of the post office to send a few notes home to friends and family.  The French colonial influence is evident throughout the city and country, obviously these being two obvious examples.

The following day marked the end of our time in southern Vietnam, at least for the time being, and the following day we took a flight to Hanoi, the national capital located in the north.

Inside the Post Office

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Fast Forward: Cambodia, Round Two

We landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia, passed through immigrations, purchased SIM cards, met our hostel-provided tuk tuk and arrived at The Siem Reap Hostel all in a blur. 

With heads still spinning from the Full Moon Party, we barely made it to our beds before we were all in a deep sleep.  

One of our multiple napping locations that day...

I spent this past March in Cambodia, and although during this portion of our travels I would be playing tour guide I felt that it would be a shame for Caroline, Brad and Jennifer to visit the region and miss the breathtaking Temples of Angkor Wat or the emotional Killing Fields of Phnom Penh.  

Shirt in the Old City market

This trip, I spent less than a week in the country, but was very glad that our movement from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and then onto Saigon, Vietnam was without major interruptions or delays, though we did have some interesting modes of transportation.  

I was lucky enough to use the time during their touring to catch up with my dear friends Caitlin and Laura, and spend the downtime updating my blog and journal.  

Paintings in the Old Market

On our first day in Siem Reap we slept until late morning, walked around the city in the blistering heat, visited the local market in the Old City, and decided around happy hour that it was time to get happy.  Our adventure lead us to Happy Special Pizza and after a few beers and two very happy pizzas, we were on the express route to extreme happiness.  The night ended in an attempt to be social at the hostel's infamous Happy Hour, but after realizing we were contented with one another as company we headed upstairs to our dorm style accommodations, laughed about life, and headed to sleep.  

The next morning our little group was off to watch the sunrise at the Angkor Wat Temple compound, which left me with the arduous task of sleeping in and finding coffee on my own.  

Hostel Wall Art

That night we took the night bus to Phnom Penh and arrived at The Mad Monkey Hostel around 8 AM. Our tuk tuk driver from the bus stop waited for us to eat breakfast at Brown Cafe and get some morning caffeine before he swept my travel companions away to visit the infamous and heartbreaking Killing Fields.  

As previously stated, this left me with time to myself which I initially thought would be spent at the Vietnamese embassy applying for our visas, but The Mad Monkey staff handled all of our visas for us for the price of $2 each, a fee we were grateful to pay to avoid any communication issues.  

The rest of the day was spent, as was the following one, exploring Phnom Penh and tasting as many Cambodian dishes as we could.  It was fun to re-visit the city and be able to share some information and insight with my friends, while also exploring new areas of town and learning from their observations and findings.  

Playing dress up in Phnom Penh

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Park Bench for Four, Please

After a short bus ride across the tail of Thailand, we arrived at Surat Thani ready for our next island adventure.  Our options to get tickets for a ferry that afternoon to Koh Tao were somewhat limited, but we decided to test our Irish luck and head for the pier about an hour away.  We knew the time was tight, and with the help of the world's slowest taxi, we absolutely missed the final "Speed Ferry" departure of the day.

On the Ferry to Koh Pha Ngan

I was insistent that we arrive in Koh Tao by early morning the following day since we would be meeting up with our friend Brad, who is a fellow Yellow Jacket currently on the road.  Unfortunately that made our only remaining choice a night ferry.  This experience was another unique one that South East Asia had in store for us, and to save everyone my 1,000 words, please see my sister's face as we got settled on our ferry that evening...

Jennifer, overjoyed at our evening's accommodations

I would like to interject here that the "Overnight Ferry" and "Speed Ferry" take an identical route to arrive at each of the islands; during the day this constitutes an almost 2 hour trip, but transforms into a daunting 7 hour voyage after the sun sets.  We weren't sure if the tickets were cheaper due to someone actually rowing us towards our island destination, but we realized the reason for the budget pricing when we boarded the ferry.  We were corralled into sleeping quarters with about 70 other people and directed towards mats that reminded me of the last yoga class I attended.  Being the eldest, Caroline and I slept with Jennifer between us, effectively "protecting" our youngest (and most appalled) group member from the strangers who surrounded us.  Snuggled next to me was a full grown Thai man whose arm was over mine when I woke up in the middle of the night.  Lucky me!  Around 6 AM, we found ourselves waking up as we pulled into Koh Tao & were all too ready to get off the ferry.

We found a small cafe to recharge, both our bodies and devices, and begin our search for somewhere to stay on the island.  Within a few hours, Brad arrived and we celebrated with more "Koh Tao Guesthouse" Googling.

Seasoned Travelers after our Ferry

Brad was interested in getting his PADI Scuba certification during our time on the island so we went with him as he researched.  He chose Easy Divers, and luckily for us their staff graciously assisted us with finding accommodation for our time in Koh Tao.  We headed towards Happy Bungalows to drop our packs, and then immediately for the beach.

Like most islands in Thailand, the atmosphere on Koh Tao was very laid back.  We spent our days there basking in the sun, snorkeling in the Japanese Gardens, reading endlessly, and enjoying our new island home and the delicious food cooked fresh for us by Ping Pong, our guesthouse manager.

Our next move after Koh Tao was to Koh Pha Ngan, a backpacker's Mecca and the infamous party island home to the "Full Moon Parties."  Thanks to Brad, we headed on a ferry there on Wednesday afternoon unsure of what we would find.  Because our ferry was at 7:15 AM the following morning, we decided to find somewhere to store our backpacks, but opted against getting a place to crash after the party - Full Moon Parties continue well into the sun rising the following morning...

After a delicious dinner and relaxing at the restaurant for a while, we headed to a nearby park that we decided would be a suitable location for a nap before the party - it was only about 8:00 PM.

The options for lounging included two straight cement benches and a circular cement bench.  I wasn't tired so instead I entertained myself with watching Jennifer try and remain curled around the circular park bench without falling off...

After a few hours we were off in a taxi truck to the other side of the island to join the thousands of others who had made this pilgrimage to dance for hours under the full moon.  

Once we arrived, we immediately joined the festivities and decorated ourselves with neon body paint, purchased a bucket for J and some Chang for the rest of us, and headed for the beach entrance nearest us to find the best DJs and get the night started.

All I can say for the next 7 hours:  It.Was.Awesome.   

As for the rest of that day, post-6 AM: We.Were.Dead.  We almost missed one of our two flights to Cambodia, despite all being present (physically, at least) in the gatehouse over two hours before departure.  Luckily, a gate agent saw our still-painted, lifeless bodies and woke us up as they made the "final, final, final" boarding call.  

All in all, it was the epic experience we all thought it would be.  Honestly, it was one of the craziest parties I have ever seen, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone crazy enough to wait in Thailand until the moon is full and then willing to voyage to a remote island for some serious international raging.   

Chang! Cousins on Koh Pha Ngan

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Three's a Party: Ayutthaya & Koh Pu

Sunday night, just like the Wednesday before, I arrived to the Bangkok international airport to pick up another member of our travel crew: my youngest sister, Jennifer.   Caroline and I were still exhausted from our previous night’s adventure on Khao San Road with friends from our hostel, and were unfortunately not enthusiastic Bangkok liaisons when Jennifer arrived.  We were thrilled to see her, but also excited for an early bedtime of 2 AM.  

We had already decided that we would wake up early Monday morning, and take a Bangkok triple threat of transportation - SkyTrain, metro, and bus - to visit the kingdom’s old capital, Ayutthaya, which is about an hour outside of the city.  Afterwards we planned to return to the hostel, shower, pack our belongings and catch an overnight train to southern Thailand to begin our beach portion of the trip. 

That was the plan.  

Enter: South East Asian Shenanigans.

We woke up “on time” at 7 AM, and after a quick group census we decided that “a few more minutes” of sleep would be fine.  After getting dressed, eating breakfast, and finally getting out the door the clock read 10 AM, a much more humane hour for such adventures.  We got to Ayutthaya around 12:15 PM and promptly began haggling the nearest driver for a two-hour tour of the ancient ruins.   After settling on a price, we were off. 

We visited Ayutthaya Historical Park, Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol (The Temple of Auspicious Victory), and Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Phra Mahthat that were important locations when the capitol resided here many generations ago.  Although they were all impressive, they ranged in levels of preservation which made appreiciating them difficult at times.  At one point we were staring at a small boulder that they said used to be shaped like a meditating Buddha…hmm, okay…?

Touring the city for two hours in the scorching sun quickly exhausted us, and we were ready to leave and catch our minibus back to Bangkok.  Our driver dropped us off at a train station in Ayutthaya where we realized that the only train was not going to leave there for another hour and a half – that definitely was not part of our plan.  We quickly ran out and found our driver enjoying an ice cold Coke with his new earnings still warm from our purses, and asked him to take us to the minibuses – a crisis was closely averted. 

After what seemed like forever in the minibus, presumably because the airflow was minimal to non-existent, we arrived at Victory Monument in Bangkok.  We then headed to our hostel where we showered, packed, and ate dinner.  Our train wasn’t going to leave for another two hours, so we relaxed and leisurely prepared for our departure.  We should have known better.

When we arrived at the train station we learned that there were “no tickets for train”, “today bus gone”, and “only tomorrow” – there was no way to get to Surat Thani tonight.  Great!  This was definitely not part of our plan. 

Thankfully, all of the buddhas we paid tribute to earlier in the day came through for us and got us the last three tickets on a bus for farangs (always a good sign…) and we arrived in Krabi Province in no time.  From there, we got a boat to Koh Pu since Koh Phi Phi sounded too touristy for the post-Bangkok bliss we were searching for on the Andaman Sea.  To be honest, there are too many islands to choose from & I'm sure we could have found paradise amongst many of them!

Like my time in Koh Ta Kiev back in March, the perfect days in our island paradise melted together.  Each morning we would wake up and trade the comfort of our bungalow for the comfort of our hammocks where we could listen to the waves crashing against the sand.  

Our days at Luboahut were spent alternating between lounging on the beach and passing endless hours swinging under the shaded trees, which afforded us a magnificent view of the open water.   Luckily for us, the entire side of the island was in “low season”, which meant we only had to share it with two other individuals…not too shabby!

It was an incredible few days, and our biggest concern was when we should leave for our next island adventure.  We opted to leave early Saturday morning and catch a bus, taxi, and overnight ferry to Koh Tao, which is a famous island located on the opposite side of the country in the Gulf of Thailand and known for their scuba diving and party scene.  Let the festivities begin!   

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We "Run BKK"...Sorta

Last Wednesday, April 30, I woke up at 4:00 AM and headed for the train station in Chiang Mai fully prepared to start the next chapter of my journey.  I was sad to say goodbye to Lolly for the third time, but I was beyond excited for her and her new apartment that we had moved her into the day before. 

Although I rode on a train in Ukraine a few years ago, I had never spent an entire day, or 15 hours to be exact, riding on one.  My destination was Bangkok to meet my cousin, Caroline, who was landing at 11:45 PM that night by way of Japan. 

 The train ride was uneventful with the exception of one unanticipated stop on the way.  For South East Asian transportation, this was miraculous.  I spent most of the morning reading, and when the batteries of my electronic reader were exhausted, I busied myself with staring out the window and trying to make new friends.  Given that there were only a handful of Thais scattered throughout my train car, staring out the window became the preferred activity of choice.  

The views were quite impressive, and I got to see parts of the countryside that most night buses do not afford their riders.  If you have 15 hours and find yourself in Chiang Mai trying to get to Bangkok for next to nothing, I would actually recommend the train - check out Seat 61's amazing guide to transportation and pricing options. If you have $65, and you don’t want to sweat on a train and stare out of the window, then you can take the 1.5 hour flight…whatever works.

            When we arrived at the Don Mueng airport in Bangkok at 9 PM, I used a little bit of the street smarts that I have acquired in Thailand along with a pinch of luck, and got myself on the exclusive tram that runs between the two international airports.  This free mode of transportation being reserved for paying passengers only, a rule that was enforced by a very strict, yet equally as disgruntled Thai guard, I felt quite proud of my sneaky accomplishment AKA creating a fake reservation.

          Around 11:30 PM I arrived at the proper airport and waited for Caroline to walk out from behind the international arrivals partition.  After holding my breath while watching hundreds of Chinese tourists with guides holding colored flags, countless backpackers, and more than a few businessmen, I was starting to worry that she didn’t make her connecting flight leaving Japan.  I had no wifi to check one way or the other. Thankfully, she walked out at about 12:15 AM, and our Bangkok adventure official began!

            For those of you who have spent time in Bangkok, you know that our first stop had to be the infamous Khao San Road.  We soaked up the night life, and caught up over a liter of Chang while watching the craziness that was unfolding in the street – you can find a little bit of everything in Bangkok… We met some characters, but around 5 AM we were exhausted, so we took our backpacks, left the party scene, and headed to find a place to crash. 

            This trip marked Caroline’s first time in Thailand and my first experience spending time exclusively in Bangkok.  Suffice to say, we both learned a lot.  We adventured on foot, tuk tuk, metro, private boat (we accidentally chartered our own tour boat…seriously), and taxi and after three days reflected that each part of the city we had seen was truly unique from the rest of the city.  

Bangkok is enormous, busy, HOT, and at all hours of the day and night, teeming with activity. 

 

            In just a few short days we had visited the Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, The Pavilion of Regalia, the Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit Wittayaram, seen The Grand Swing, stayed in three hostels, partied on Kao San Road twice, tasted the best Pad Thai ever, accidentally walked through a protest (seriously), drank out of a coconut, ate scorpion and some fried grub in hopes of getting a free night at our hostel, toured the city on the Chao Phraya River, visited a floating market, saw Soi Cowboy (if you don’t know what this is, you’re better off), and smelled more scents that I knew existed. 

            Best of all, we got to catch up with one another.  It was so much fun getting lost with Caroline in Bangkok, and when it was time for Jennifer to arrive on Sunday night, we were both ready to say goodbye to the City of Angels and hit the beaches of southern Thailand!

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