Hue-Hanoi, Vietnam: 6May07

Eyes opening train ride!

Today was a transportation day. The train was in the afternoon so i got the whole morning to shop around. But it happened that i met a Spainish guy while having breakfast, so i ended up did not have time to shop. We talked for hours!

By the way, i like the pancake in Vietnam. It was so delicious and it just wasn't the kind of pancake we eat in Singapore or Malaysia. Every city in Vietnam cook it in a slightly different way, but it just tastes equally good!

Well, this Spainish guy planned for his round the world trip 2 years ago and saved for 3 years. He quited his job and started to travel around Asia. This was his 6.5 months already. The interesting thing about him (which was making our conversation lasted so long) was that, he does mediation. He stared with doing yoga and then read a bit about meditation and started to do it himself. He actually practising meditation every morning and night. He was kind of became my inspiration then. i should really continue with my daily mediation eventhough i am travelling. In the other way, if i really wanted to make it to Europe, then i really need to be more thrifty when i finished my 'great tour'. But the different between me and him is, he doesn't has a family to think of while no matter what, supporting or meeting the expectaions of family is kind of life my 'life time mission'.

During lunch, i saw a Chinese solo girl. i was about to leave the restaurant then. i basically just went to her table and said, "Hey, i guess you are traveling alone too." Then bla bla bla. The normal usual kind of questions. i found it really interesting in the sense that, i think female solo traveler tends to hook up to each other than male solo travelers. Traveling solo for woman is still kind of like not as easy or even common than solo male, or else, there won't be a branch or session for woamn solo in Lonely Planet. So women tend to encourage and sharing tips among each other.

i also started to realise that, English is really important to know new friends. Many folks especially those Japanese were very shy to talk to others because normally they don't have good command of English. In the other way, i don't feel arkward to talk to others because i speak relatively good English (despite my grammar errors, people do understand me well enough).

Well, about the train trip to Hanoi. The first moment i stepped into the coach, i thought "Oh, My God!" i knew why the ticket seller was so surprised when i told her that i wanted a hard seat ticket. Basically i saw people picnic in the coach! People were eating and attending to kids by sitting on the floor (with their own map). Some were even slept on the floor. i have never been to a train like this before, neither do i ever take an overnight train before. The hardseats were made from wood at a 90 Degree angle and they expected 3 people to sit on the bennch which is only probably 1 meter long!

Since i was there already, so there was nothing i could do. People in the coach spoke little or basically no English at all. We kind of used body language and sign language to communicate. They were just some common Vietnamese folks, kind and may be leading not as easy life. Interaction with the local (if there were any at all) was probably the only good point of taking this train. i swore that, i wouldn't take a hardseat for Sapa night train!

There were 5 of us to share this 2 rows of hard bench facing to each other. The Vietnamese people was really kind. 3 of them actually slept on the floor, so that the other guy and me got to sleep on the hard bench.

The other thing about the train was, everyone throw rubbish from the window of the train. Consider how many trains are working everyday, then the amount of rubbish was really huge. With the kind of toilet system as well, i think everyone of use contribute our waste to the railway too.



Vietnamese train, cabin. Probably a third class, hard seat!



Train toilet. Whatver one releases will go on to the track without process!



One of the many kinds of banana pancake. i prefer the banana pancake to have the banana cooked together with the pancake and not topped on the pancake.
Well, anyway, the kind of pancake in Vietnam is not the kind of pancake i took in Singapore.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Transportation: 16000 D (From Hotel to Train Station)
2.) Food: 80000 D
3.) Others: Post card 6000 D + Stamp 8000 D

Hue (DMZ, Dong Ha), Vietnam - 5May07

DMZ= Demiliterized Zone during American (Vietnamese) War

The tour was 6am, so woke up really early for that. Like usual, the bus got a delayed of 40 minutes. i was seated beside of a Vietnamese old lady. Surprisingly, she spoke really good English (later the China guy i met said he over heard that, the lady was stayed in Australia for a few years). People in her generation normally speak French rather than English.

The old lady started to told me the story of one Vietnamese TV drama. i got quite sleepy then, but she would wake me up to listen to her story. So i kind of heard on/off. Basically the story worked like the Iranian awards winning movie, "Little Shoes". The Vietnamese version got the shoes changed to the school uniform.

Well, it was always me who started to talk first. So i paired up with this Shanghainese guy. He said it was the five one golden week in China, so many chinese are travling abroad. We talked some about traveling stories and even talked some about the political conditions of China and Taiwan. We had a dinner together too.

There was this Australian couple in the tour too. They have been marrief for 40 years. It was just kind of " Wow!" to me. i hope when i was sixty years old and married, my husband would travel together with me and hold my hand when we are crossing the road! i found many old western couples travling together were normally so fun loving and this really make me envious of them.

The DMZ tour had nothing much left to see. However it was very educational on the history of American War, of course, in regards on the stories that the Vietnamese government wanted people to know or believe. i met some travellers who told me the different version of stories. Instead of Viet Cong getting much supports from the tribe people, it was actually some tribes were trained by the American to fight Viet Cong. The North Vietnamese army actually killed many South Veitnamese people when they got to the South.

We went into this Vinh Muok Tunnel. As this was where people lived, so the size of tunnel was basically at least 4 tims bigger than Chu Chi Tunnel. Many big sized westerners were still saying that, this was small. i told them that, then don't even think of to go into Chu Chi Tunnel near Saigon then.



Inside Vinh Moc Tunnel. This 2.8km tunnels is by the sea and larger and taller than the tunnels at Cu Chi, Saigon.



Some 'momuments' inside the small memorial museum at Khe Sanh combat base.



Khe Sanh Combat Base sit silently on a barren plateau, surrounded by vegetation-covered hills that are often obscured by mist and fog.



War Monument at Dong Ha area, should be some where near Highway 1. Dong Ha served as a US Marine Corps command and logistics centre from 1968-69.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Accommodation: USD 5
2.) Food: 79000 D

Hue, Vietnam - 4May07

Royal Tombs and Vietnamese Forbidden City

Bad planning. i ended up wil stay 4 days in Hue. So i kind of lost one day for Hanoi. Never mind, nothing during the trip was bad.

The good thing for the day was i met with Rachel. She is an exchange student at Hong Kong Baptist University, originally from USA. This was their study week before examination and she used her study week to travel! It was really good to have her as a companion. We (or I) dragging her to take photos at every sights. She is one of the rare American young girls that i think i kind of 'clicked' with.

At one of the royal tombs, we both refused to pay the 55000 D of entrance fees. Since the tour guide said the design was similar to the first one that we visited, so we just skipped it and caught a drink some where.

There was a Japanese guy in the tour too. So i tried to be friend with him too. i chatted a bit with a Shanghainese girl as well. I felt so good to speak in Mandarin after so long of not using this language! Too bad that she was only having a half day tour. We shared our funny barganing experiences.

The both tombs that i visited were magnificiant.Probably the scale of the tombs were not like those in China, but the design and geometrical art (feng shui) were the same concepts as those in China. The harmony of Yin and Yang, mountain and water. i especially like the tomb which the remain of the king was found to be 18meter below of his statue. The French tried to invade to the tomb last time but found that, any force in would destroyed the foundation of the whole tomb. So the ancient knowledge was really brilliant!

The Citideal (imperial palace) looked great in the model. but the actual compound for visit was very much smaller. The guide said, may structures were destroyed during the world and due to lack of conservation. The Vietnamese government has started to do something and it is likely to take 30 years for the whole restoration efforts. This place was the smaller version of China Purple Forbidden City. But it was still very hard to imagine that, for such a big area, the amount of resources needed to maintain it during the old good days.

The last tour was the temple and the river cruise. After Mekong and Hoi An, i seriously wouldn't get impress by any more river cruise. i basically slept during half of the cruise.



Tomb of Ming Manh. Renowned for its architechure, which harmoniously blends into the natural surroundings.



The Ming Manh Tomb was said to be designed in the way that, the lake, hill and others formed a human shape. It was brilliant!



Trung Minh Ho (Lake of Impeccable Clarity) near to Sung An Temple, which was dedicated to Minh Mang and his empress.



This is my favourite royal tomb, Tomb of Khai Dinh. The tomb is a synthesis of Vietnamese and European elements.



Khai Dinh was said to be burried 18m under his golden statue. The story goes by the French tried to open up his tomb but was found that, any force open would cause the whole tomb structure to collapse. That is the reason that the emperor's remains are left untouched!



The 37m-high flat tower of the Cititel.



Forbidden Purple City. It was the miniature of the version in China, so as in China, it was reserved solely for the personal use of the emperor and only eunuchs were allowed into this.



This looks a bit like some view in China. :) View from a temple on a hill, 灵姥寺.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Accommodation: USD 5
2.) Food: 32000 D
3.) Sights: Citidel 55000 D + 2 Royal Tombs 110000 D + DMZ tour USD 10

[Cashed USD 50 into Dong. 1 USD = 16000 D]

Hoi An - Hue, Vietnam: 3May07

When i got to Hue, i was tired. i basically just went with the tout to the hotel that he mentioned even without bargaining of price. USD 5 would be one of the cheapest room i ever got in Vietnam. i went to train station to buy my train ticket to Hanoi then. It was 40 minutes and i did not know that it would be as far. Luckily i got my lunch on the way, so kind of regained a bit with my energy and sense.

i passed by Ho Chih Minh Museum by the street. So i just went inside. There was a group of student obviously with the teacher. i could tell that they were really curious about me, but none of them dared to talk to me first. i wasn't really in the right mood to make friend too, so i just acted cool and ignored them.

It has been almost 3 weeks for my trip. i am getting very tan now and besides from i am from Korea, Japan and China, people started to say i am a Thai or Vietnamese. Well, i hope they really thought i am a Vietnamese so that i would not need to pay for the double charge of foreigner rate!

i walked along Perfume River and got to the market. The river was called "perfume" because: Legend 1.) The source of river passed through some kind of very fragrance flowers and making the river smell good. Legend 2.) The people stay by the river liked the river so much that they actually 'showered' the river with flowers everyday. Of course, nowadays, the river is just another murky river of Vietnam.

I started to like the market in Veitnam. Cleanliness is an issue, but the market is really convenience that basically you could get everything you wanted over there. From REA: goldto hardware to clothes to any kind of good. For foreigner, bargaining at market is really tiring. But as long so you don't mind to pay a little bit more (foreigner rate is always 4 or 5 times higher), then it was really fun and convenience to shop in the market. Of course heat is a problem, but i have get used to it long ago.

Interesting. On the street, i met with the Italian and Finland girls i hang out with in Hoi An. Such a small world. Someone said, "If you are using Lonely Planet, then you would never get lonely!" Yes, everyone is using this small magic book.

i even met Viet Ha for the third time just on the street! She invited me to join her and the German couple (yes, they met on the street again!) to the bar at night. i told her that, if i was there, then i was there, or else, don't wait for me. i was tired, so it ended up that, i did not show up. i don't think they mind too. :)



Scenery from Hue to Hoi An.



Uncle Ho Musuem. On displays are photographs and documents related to his life and achievements.



This is actually a school. Historically, Hue has been the heartbeat of Vietnam, including a centre of educational excellence.



The city of Hue lies along either side of the Perfume River.



Hue street scene.


MONEY MATTER:
1.) Accommodation: USD 5
2.) Food: 99000 D
3.) Transport: 6000 D (Hoi An GH to Sinh Cafe) + Train to Hanoi 177000 D (slow train, hard seat)
4.) Sights: Museum 10000 D + Hoi An City Tour (including Royal Tombs) USD 7
5.) Others: Skirt - 50000 D (found the skirt to have no linen. So it basically see through under the sun. Need to do a double work on it when i got back then.)