The Wright Family: September 2008

Ha Long Bay was made a UNESCO Heritage Site in the early 1990's and since then it has become an important part of the tourist trail in North Vietnam. There are 3000+ small limestone islands, just offshore Halong City. None of the photos we have does it justice.

We were picked up at 8am on Tuesday 8th September in Hanoi, after checking out from the hotel, for the 3.5 hour drive to Halong City. Heck, the driving is bad in Vietnam! Also interesting sites on bikes - pigs for instance (see later blog!). Had a break at a disabled factory where the young folks were either sewing or painting for the tourist market. Arrived at 12 noon at the Ha Long City pier with 500+ hundreds of boats (all junk lookalikes and all pretty cumbersome beasts) apparently waiting to take people on board. However this is the low season so our 44 berth boat (called The Victory!) had just 10 people on board.

Our fellow companions were a mixture of French, English and Australian. A really good bunch of people and we all mixed in together well. We were all pleased that there wasn’t 34 others on board though! After we'd checked into the cabin - complete with ensuite shower room, we had a sea food lunch and we began our cruise out into the bay.

We cruised on through the afternoon amongst these amazing islands and finally we stopped to visit a floating village. We took the tender, landed at what seemed to be the (floating) community hall and were tranferred into 2 small reed boats rowed by the local girls.

The sound on this video is coming from one of the houses - a lovely haunting sound in the lagoon.

We then were rowed into this beautiful lagoon area to see the rest of the village and the floating school. (As an aside - one unfortunate gentleman was busy hacksawing off a piece of pipe on his boat as we came past – disturbed from his task by our greeting his piece of pipe promptly fell off into the 9 metre deep water! He viewed the whole situation with just a wry smile!)

This is the local school and one of the houses.

Standing on the back of this boat is our guide plus a photographer.

This is one of several shop boats..

Another brief stop at another lagoon accessed by a low cave - we were again taken in by boat and simply sat in slience inside this large lagoon surrounded on all sides by high cliffs..Then sunset drinks on the top deck.....

....then down to our cabin to change for dinner - another seafood meal but very nice of course (if possibly a little over the top....)

Wednesday 9th
An early frugal breakfast at 7 to have time to visit the Amazing Cave – the usual limestone stalagmites and stalactites...

.....and then back on board for Brunch at 10! More seafood (it was starting to get funny!) but also some pork, ham and chicken curry. And pudding! Sailed back into harbour at 11 with farewells to everyone and the promise to email our photos, to be met by Phuong (who had taken the bus back to Hanoi to celebrate his son's 1 month birthday with family – and had left at 4.30am to get back to us!) and Long who had stayed the night in Halong City with the main bulk of our luggage.
Back on the road again, returning to Hanoi for an afternoon flight. But more to see on the way.....These are brick factories, on the banks of the Red River. It was like something out of a ealry 19th century Industrial Revolution painting.

These are farmers working their fields by hand. Ox- and buffalo-drawn carts and ploughs were not an uniusal sight.

We drove deeper into the countryside to see a very old pagoda with the Gods of Good and Evil. The pagoda itself was old and dusty and was well off the beaten track in a small village. Peaceful and remote, surrounded by paddy fields.

The only concern was that we were so far off the beaten track we might not get to the airport in time - but we did. Farewells (and tips of course) to both Phuong and Long and then on to the plane for Ho Chi Minh City.

Saturday 6th
We left Miri on the 6.15am flight to KL and we arrived early Saturday afternoon (1 hr time difference from here). We were met by guide Phuong (meaning “bright destination”) and driver Long (meaning “dragon”) at the airport. They would be with us for our 5 days in the North. We were immediately taken to the Melia Hotel and an arrangement was made to meet us at 9am the next day. We checked in (and moved ourselves to a non-smoking room - smoking is a Big Thing in Asia) and then set off to explore the city. This is the view from our hotel window. Not the most stunning city skyline but remember this city was carpet-bombed by the Americans in the Vietnam war (called the American War in Vietnam of course)

Hanoi is actually a lovely old city with a strong French influence – beautiful buildings and wide boulevards, lakes and parks. Our first Vietnamese beer (actually a Carlsberg!) was at a café overlooking the lake, along with some very nice Vietnamese spring rolls. We had arrived!

Strolling through the shopping streets of the Old Quarter we were amazed to find a complete range of things to buy - from fancy dresses to rebuilt (or the rebuilding of) motor coils!

The first photo below is actually 2 shops side by side, both only as wide as a corridor. The tradition in Hanoi is to build high and narrower, because - guess what? - some ruler decided that he would tax people on the width of their buildings. Thus there is a strong traditon of high, narrow buildings - and you don't bother to paint the SIDE of your house, or put windows in it as somebody may well build right next door!

Our first and only purchase in Hanoi was a table cloth and napkins from a narrow shop in the old quarter. The shop, also only the width of a corridor was run by a young mother with her (gorgeous) baby son, but all the embroidery was done by her mother. When, at first, I couldn’t find what I wanted her sister was dispatched on her push bike to go home to get some more. How could I not buy then? A beautiful white tablecloth (300 x 180 cm) with 12 napkins for 25 US dollars.

For dinner we took a taxi to Le Ton Kin restaurant and had a beautiful meal sitting on the veranda of a lovely old French villa. Walked home through the still busy streets. Scooters are the main form of transport and they wash over the streets in waves. To cross a street you must simply walk, slowly and calmly, neither stopping or hesitating and the waves of scooters simply wash round you. Hesitate and you are lost! No-one STOPS at a crossing. Scary stuff!

Sunday 7th
Pick up at 9 for our tour of Hanoi (bit early – who said this was a holiday – lots to see!). First stop the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (only open in the morning) to file past his body – which was looking remarkably good! He is revered by the people of Vietnam – the Father of the Revolution. He did not want to be embalmed so but wanted a simple cremation – but the government insisted that this be done after his death. In the queue I was told to by the guards to 1) shush (finger to his lips) and 2) move a bit faster (pushed by the arm!)

The mausoleum will be closed soon for 2 months for restoration (an annual process). Phuong told us that the body is sent to Moscow - where Ho Chi Minh has his holidays with his old pal Lenin!

The photo below is taken of some primary school children who were on a visit to the Mausoleum. They were so keen to say hello, practice theri English AND have their photo taken I couldn't resist. In another instance I was led away by the arm by a young lady who wanted her picture taken with me by one of the professional photographers floating around the square. Phuong tells me this photo will then be proudly shown to everyone back home to show the exotic tourist this lady had befriended!!!

A walk around the grounds showed Ho Chi Minh to be a very humble man living in very humble circumstances. He refused to live in the big Presidential Place........

but rather in a simple house - orgianlly staff quarters. Later his staff built him a house on stilts for his birthday – a house stile he had come to love when he lived in the mountains near the Laos border (when he and his government fled when the French came back to reclaim Vietnam after the war). Below is a video of the band playing in the Mausoleum tourist shop!

After the Mausoleum a visit to the History Museum – a bit disappointing – not enough about the recent history of Vietnam and lots about pre- and ancient history. Lunch follwed in yet another beautiful old Villa. Then a succession of pagodas and temples before finally going to the Temple of Literature – the oldest university in Vietnam. Even today the school children visit this temple on the first day of the school term to pray for a good study year. The turtle is a symbol of longevity and learning and these stone tablets on their back (on which Phuong is leaning) has the exam results of students over the last thousand years!

The Opera House

We also went to the "Hanoi Hilton" Hanoi's prison, where the French kept their Vietnamese prisoners in horrendous conditions. All very difficult to take I must say.

The bit that wasn't nearly so disturbing was the section where they kept American GI prisoners of war. They were relatively well looked after (for propoganda purposes). Strangley enough John McCain was held there after parachuting out of his plane which was shot down over Hanoi. There is even a statue put up on the side of the lake he and his co pilot landed in..erected long before the current presidential election...He visited Hanoi and the prison last year.

Then the spectacular Water Puppets – such artistry and comedy. The puppeteers stand in water up to their waist behind the screen in this darkened theatre with this huge water tank, making these puppets do the most amazing actions. All very funny and highly entertaining. First is a video of the orchestra.

And finally a tremendous trip in a rickshaw around the old quarter – a way of viewing life on the streets in all its colour and diversity, without feeling we were intruding. The motorcycles in the 2 videos clips appear instrusive but they weren't. And even more interesting was the lives being lived by people on the pavement. Hairdressers washing hair, families having dinner, sales transactions on every corner and so it went on.