Bays and boats

If there is one place in Vietnam that is responsible for bringing the maximum tourists into the country, Halong bay could stake that claim without a shadow of a doubt. So significant is the aura of the name that almost every tour operator will look to promote a tour of Halong bay even before he promotes a tour of Hanoi being in Hanoi.
We were quite sure of wanting to maximize our time in halong bay over spending time in hanoi. Hence, we decided to make our way right away to Halong city, the gateway to Halong bay. We went to the Loung Yen bus station in hanoi which had touts hounding on us from all directions. After picking one of the buses for VND 80000, we sat in a packed mini van for close to 4 hours before we reached Halong city. On making our way to the docks, we got a picture of how popular Halong Bay really was as we saw the place packed with tourists waiting to get on the boats.
The popular tours were the 2D/1N package which included a night on the boat and the 3D/2N package which included one night on the boat and one night in Cat Ba island. We opted for the latter. After negotiating the price down from 90 USD, we struck a price of 83 USD which included a ride back to Hanoi.
We had lunch laid out on the table as soon as we got on to the boat. A bowl of rice, a soup of some sorts, spring rolls, a tofu dish, a couple of vegetable dishes, a big steamed fish and freshly cut water melon looked all too appealing as we set sail. The boat did sell overpriced water, soft drinks and beer which we stayed away from through the trip. They also imposed a heavy corkage fee if you opened alcohol purchased from outside aboard the boat.
Soon after lunch, we made our way to the top deck as we started to see the gigantic limestone karsts loom before us from the emerald waters in the gulf of Tonkin. We stopped by at halong bay national park as we entered limestone caves beautifully lit up by natural openings high above us to let rays of light pass through. There was constant dripping of water in the caves that helped create stalactites and stalagmites. After a perspiring walk through these caves for 20 minutes, we got back on board our boat and set sail again through the waters between the karsts. We then stopped by on an optional tour to a fishing village. By paying the local boatman VND 70000, he took a small bunch of us to a pool of water enclosed by cliffs on all sides. We dived into the gulf of Tonkin for the first time and enjoyed a good swim in warm waters. The afternoon was spent at leisure on board with one bunch of people disembarking on Cat Ba island to spend the night there. The rest of us onboard spent the evening diving into the water from the top level of our boat repeatedly. We had dinner laid out to us at 6 30pm which consisted of vietnamese dishes similar to what we had for lunch. With no lights anywhere close to us and silence all around us except for sounds coming from a couple of other boats that were anchored close by, we lay down on the deck chairs and set about recognizing stars, constellations and planets. We were also fortunate to see a shooting star zip across the sky. We retired early into our rooms to be able to wake up in time for the sunrise.
We managed to check sunrise at halong bay off our checklist even though the sun rose as early as 5 15 AM. After a breakfast consisting of omelette, toast and coffee, we disembarked on Cat Ba island. Our first stop was at Cat Ba national park. A grueling trek up the slopes for an hour and a half to a watch tower was something we just were not prepared for. In fact, we were so unprepared that we struggled up the mountain in flip flops and sandals. Cat Ba national park is famous for the Cat Ba langurs, an endangered species which we did not manage to spot. Three big bottles of tiger beer were a welcome relief to us when we came back down. Our sweaty and muddy bunch got back onto the bus as we made our way to check in to our hotel. Lunch again consisted of mostly the same items that we had had in our previous two meals. We had the rest of the afternoon and evening to spend time at leisure. we walked around town and had the iced coffee and a couple of pastries at a local bakery. We had dinner at our hotel and went back into the streets to see a really lively local population enjoying the night market fair. We tried squid at one of the places with our beer before again stopping by for one more iced coffee before retiring for the night. We got back onto the bus as we drove through the length of the island to get back to the boat. The boat stopped while we got into two-man kayaks to row by the karsts and Into caves. We struggled to get a sense of direction with our kayak but enjoyed it nevertheless. We got back to Halong city and were taken to one more of those meals that we had gotten so used to before finally boarding our minivan under the hot sun back to Hanoi. The experience was definitely worth it and I can vouch for no trip to Vietnam being complete without having sailed amidst the karsts in the gulf of Tonkin and waking up to the sunrise in halong bay.

Wheels of the bus go round and round

On reaching hue, we came across our first real hassle of the trip. We had booked an open bus ticket from nha trang to Hanoi via Hoi An and hue, which meant we could get off in any of those two towns and take any bus operated by our company to go towards Hanoi. On reaching hue, we were told that the bus to Hanoi for that evening was full. So we had an option of staying back in hue for that afternoon and night, and catch the next evening’s bus to Hanoi.
The whole situation looked suspicious as three other bus operators in Hue had seats on their bus.
Option one was to go by what they said and stay in one of the hotels recommended by the bus operators in hue. Option two was to demand a refund on the hue-Hanoi leg and go ahead and book tickets with the operators who had seats. We could only manage a refund of VND 100,000 and ended up buying the ticket to Hanoi again for VND 350,000. This ensured that we would still reach Hanoi as per our original plan.
We had a few other frustrated co travelers with us who experienced the same problem. We took up a room for USD 1 each to shower and keep our bags for the afternoon. A long and relaxed lunch at a cafe was very enjoyable. We had pizzas that were undone,which did not taste too bad and a portion of shrimp noodles. It was scorching hot and we were actually looking forward to a cool night on the bus.
The semi sleeper was way too cramped this time. Thirteen hours later, with a half hour stop for dinner, we entered Hanoi after having spent most parts of the previous 36 hours in buses.

Nha trang’s tastes, tyres and trails

A late afternoon lunch was a relaxed affair at a small cafe called banana split, right opposite our hotel. Chicken fried rice, fresh spring rolls, a cheese and mushroom omelette, blue cheese on toast, a selection of cold cuts with fried eggs and 2 rounds of peanut banana milkshake kept us really happy all through the evening.
The walk to the market was a disappointing affair. We did see some local Vietnamese spirits being sold. This consisted of a transparent bottle with a yellow colored liquid with a baby cobra, scorpion or lizard as the centerpiece of each bottle. It did not tempt us one bit.
We then stopped by at lonely planet recommended guavabar. A sports bar offering some really good deals on cocktail slushes. Two rounds of cocktails and a plate of spicy wings kept us entertained while watching the tennis. We then headed out to red apple club, your typical backpacker’s place with the flags of various countries plastered on the walls and graffiti covering every bit of space. Good music and a pool table blended into the scheme of things. We got back to our hotel way past midnight.
After sleeping in late, we rented out a couple of bikes at usd 4 a bike with petrol to be added based on your requirement. Topping it up with a liter and a half, we rode out to cover as much of nha trang as possible in an afternoon. We stopped by at what looked to be a popular haunt amongst locals opposite the beach on the south china sea. With a menu that included crocodile, ostrich, turtle and frog meat, we went for the more subtle special fried rice, stir fried vegetable noodles and a half kg of grilled prawns in salt and chilly which was the star of the show. The prawns had to be unshelled by us. But under the eyes, the legs and the coat of the creature was a tender, juicy, succulent piece of meat that melted in the mouth after being dipped in a local sauce.
The rest of the afternoon was spent riding around town with one more halt reserved for the famous iced coffee.
With a baguette and “chi”(cheese in Vietnamese) in hand, we got into our semi sleeper again for a 12 hour journey to Hoi An as we made our way further up the coast in our quest to reach Hanoi at the earliest. With no regulators on the air conditioning vents, we wrapped ourselves up tightly and woke up at Hoi An for a brief halt before we boarded the bus again to Hue.

Going under

After a rain soaked afternoon in HCMC,we decided to have an early dinner at lonely planet recommended Margherita. Our dinner included chicken In Ragu sauce, Vietnamese chicken curry, both of which were served with the yeast filled coffin-the French baguette.we also sampled a Thai shrimp curry with rice and Saigon beer to drench all the solids.
The bus to Nha trang departed slightly behind schedule. The promised 10 hour ride was thankfully not an optimistic estimation. We reached at 730 am right outside the hotel where we eventually ended up staying. The night on the semi sleeper was not bad at all. Sleeping at 135 degrees was something new, but much better than on a normal reclining chair.
We got a good deal at usd 12 for the room for the three of us. A queen sized double bed, a 3/4th queen sized bed, a colour tv, an air conditioner and a good bathroom came with it.
The town of nha trang has been quite high on the popularity radar for scuba diving at a cheap price and we decided to dive in right away.
We struck a deal with the Padi dive centre for usd 60 each. This included a pick up from our hotel, on board refreshments and 2 thirty minute six meter dives into the deep blue followed by lunch at the dive center’s “office”.
The three of us got into the van in our hotel right away and a 20 minute ride later, arrived at the docks. Our group included a bunch of snorkelers from outside and us three first time divers. It was a non eventful 45 minute cruise to our first dive spot. The south china sea is sparkling blue for sure, but not as serene as the waters in Thailand or as choppy as the waters in Bali.
We were given a quick demo on how to breathe through the pipe and how to avoid water going into the face mask. We were also shown how the oxygen cylinders work. We went for something called the try dive where a diver accompanies you at all times and regulates the pressure such that you either go down or come up. On having the required diving certification, these things should be familiar to one and he/she can go in unaccompanied.
We slipped into our diving suits. We had weights strapped onto us. A jacket which was inflatable/deflatable upon the turn of a knob and with an oxygen cylinder strapped onto our backs, we went in.
I have snorkeled a couple of times before. All you fellow snorkelers who have not dived, u have just not experienced the real deal! The diving experience is completely different and if I were to use a word which is an understatement, I would use Fantastic. In snorkeling, one is always under the constant pressure of going below the surface and having your breathing pipe fill up with salt water. In diving, breathing’s never a problem. You are assured a constant supply of oxygen throughout. The thing that’s hardest to get used to is the pressure that builds up in your ear as you go further down. Tightly pinching your nose and blowing out takes care of it momentarily. All in all, it’s a small price to pay for something that’s quite stunning.
For 30 minutes, I was waving my flippers in the water and moving my arms in a breast stroke as a admired the wonderful creatures below sea level. A clear water and my new pentax underwater camera(courtesy of my friends) enabled us to get some stunning shots. The fish of the day for me was the bright yellow covered angel fish although a purple starfish that I held in my hand came quite close.
As we made our way up to the surface and back onto the boats, I was quite sure of this experience being quite high up on my list of things to definitely repeat many times over. I was quite happy at opting for two dives rather than one.
In the interim, we snorkeled in the waters and decided to take a plunge into the water from the roof of our boat.
Our second dive was just as eventful and the novelty of the first dive definitely did not diminish in the latter. The second Dive spot had plenty of corals of varying sizes. The spiky sea urchins were cleverly positioned at all available nooks and crannies amidst the corals with brightly coloured fish swimming in and out of them.
Back on the boat, we changed out of our suits and helped ourselves to pineapples and water melons as we made our way back to the docks.
This was followed by lunch at the “office” which consisted of a traditional Vietnamese affair served family style. We were each given a small bowl with chopsticks and were free to fill it up with steamed rice, squid, beef/pork with really tiny boiled eggs(probably quail) and a broth with boiled vegetables. I would not repeat most items on the meal, and we were quite sure we would want a real lunch after this. But after a morning with such frenetic activity, we were quite happy to eat just about anything. In the mid afternoon sun, we made our way back to the hotel after unanimously agreeing to have had our most exciting morning in a really long time.

Pho and more

The thing I look forward to most in a new country is the local food.
Pho is the king of all foods in the Vietnamese menu. It’s a soupy concoction of thin noodles in chicken/beef broth and meat with a generous helping of sprouts, greens, chillies and lime on the side to suit one’s taste buds.
While it looks calm and bland on the outside, a spoonful of the soup while slurping the noodle mixes the flavours deliciously well in the mouth.I underestimated the power of the chilly and paid the price for it by ordering a 1.5 liter bottle of water all to myself. I must remember to go easy on it the next time.
It was never a challenge to finish off the pho to the last drop. To accompany that, we also ordered crispy fried pork spring rolls, a Vietnamese pancake that resembled a masala dosa with pork,sprouts and shrimp replacing the potato filling in a dosa and a zorok beer each.
The meal costed us 70,000 VND(usd 3.5) each. It was the perfect start to a country that swears by its dishes.
The afternoon was spent trying to strike good deals with the sellers of “original” north face, deuter and teva brands.
A Vietnamese cold coffee that did not compromise on the quantity of condensed milk was a wonderful drink to counterattack the heavy meal and the humidity.
We have experienced the south east Asian monsoon already and hoping that we can stay as far away from it as possible.

Pham ngu Lao again

Tiger airways flight from Singapore touched down in Ho chi minh city at 830 am local time. The visa for Vietnam involves a two step process.

Step 1
On myvietnamvisa.com, fill in the relevant details about a week before your trip. A letter is issued by them in upto 3 days time for a credit card payment of usd 20. Print this letter as this serves as your document for entry into the country

Step 2
Hand this letter to the passport control staff at the airport you land in, and fill in another form and submit a photo. Cough up another usd 25 and that guarantees you a visa sticker on your passport.

I Came to HCMC previously in October 2010. The city did not look like much had changed from last time. The same million two wheelers, wires bundled up and hanging dangerously low, no fully functioning traffic signals.ah! I love it.

A bus ticket to Pham ngu Lao:the backpacker area cost me 4000 Vietnamese dongs(usd 0.20).My bag occupied the seat next to me and hence I had to buy it a ticket too for the same price.

A 45 minute ride later, as I walked on familiar streets again, I ran into Anirudh who had arrived two days earlier. Not only were the streets familiar to
Me, but my face was familiar to one of the locals who said he remembered me from my last trip. Quite incredible.

A room for usd 11 a night which included an air conditioner, a non functioning refrigerator and a colour tv with star sports on it dint seem like too bad a deal.

We will be checking out of the room right now as I scout around for a delicious bowl of pho.

Looking forward to the 500km bus journey to nha trang at night.

Why did you want to climb Mount Everest

There are some things that you do because that’s how it is done and there are a few things that you do because that’s how you’d like it to be done.

I dint like the existing way, and I don’t know what the new way is. This is where I step out to know what’s out there.

Goodbye Singapore. And hello ho chi Minh city.

“Why did you want to climb Mount Everest?” This question was asked of George Leigh Mallory, who was with both expeditions toward the summit of the world’s highest mountain, in 1921 and 1922, and who is now in New York. He plans to go again in 1924, and he gave as the reason for persisting in these repeated attempts to reach the top, “Because it’s there.”

Out of my comfort zone

After having led a stable and comfortable life for 3 years, I decided to get my bum muddy by moving out of my comfortable chair at work.

-Booked tickets to India via Vietnam and Laos.
-Calling the packers to move my things back to Bangalore.
-With an open mind, empty stomach, my brother, a friend,a camera and a couple of books, I shall soon be off.

Goodbye impeccably clean city, welcome O untamed world.