Barbara's Travel Blog

Halong Bay's Revenge

Many years ago, while traveling on the west coast of Costa Rica, I thought it apropos (though of course still frustrating) when I came down with a case of Montezuma's Revenge in the actual town of Montezuma. You play with fire, you get burned, right? So you can imagine my dismay when a similar fate beset me in Halong Bay, Vietnam. Who's ever heard of Halong Bay's Revenge?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning…

A few days ago I departed (along with Hans, a friend from the hostel in Hanoi) for a three-day tour of Halong Bay, which is known by some as the eighth wonder of the world. The area is famous for its thousands of towering limestone mini-islands, which rise spectacularly from the ocean.

The tour involved spending one day and night puttering around the harbor on a junk boat, followed by one day and night on Cat Ba island. I was pleased to find that both our tour guide and everyone in the tour group seemed like nice and interesting people - rather important when you're going to be trapped together for a few days.

Our first view of the striking limestone cliffs was over lunch, which most of us quickly abandoned to rush outside and start oohing, ahhing and snapping photos. It's difficult to capture how breathtaking Halong Bay is in photos, but the closest I came to doing it justice was when I discovered a feature on my camera that allows me to take a series of photos and "stitch" them together into a panoramic shot.

After a lovely time on the boat, we disembarked on Cat Ba island for a ride on a traditional (read, rickety) fishing boat, to go see a cave. (You'll note that there are few cave photos in my albums. I'm a little caved out at the moment.) For me, the best parts were observing the boat captain, who sported a combination of bare feet and suit jacket, and seeing the tiny, stilted fishermen's houses along the side of the river.

Now, regarding the aforementioned "revenge" - it's unclear where it all began, since no one else on the trip got sick. But I have some suspicions about the lunch on Cat Ba island, which have resulted in my warm feelings about the Barbie spoon over lunch turning a bit sour in hindsight.

After lunch, we commenced with another boat ride, during which I started to feel ill. In case you've been living in a cave (again, not my favorite place at the moment), you can probably recognize that on a boat is not the best place for food/bacterial poisoning to commence. I was in agony for the next few hours, though I believe that the good photos I snapped during those few hours demonstrate that art is truly derived from suffering. Oh, the suffering.

The next 15 hours passed in blur, as my body performed an exorcism on itself, attempting to expel everything inside it in every way possible. Thankfully, the travel gods put a stop to the madness in time for the two-hour boat ride and four-hour bus ride back to Hanoi. I was nauseous and spacey, but it could have been much worse.

Now I'm back on solid ground and feeling much better after a night's rest. Today is New Year's Eve though and there's a big party at the hostel tonight, so I imagine tomorrow I'll be feeling less than stellar again. But at least this time it's for a good cause.

As always, there are more photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/.

Merry Christmas to me

It’s Christmas day, and I’m celebrating by myself in Sapa, Vietnam. I was worried that I might feel lonely and sad today, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find that I’m genuinely happy. Don’t get me wrong – I miss my family – but there’s something empowering about choosing to be alone. I could have stayed home, or I could have stayed in Hanoi with my newfound friends… but I chose to venture further into the unknown, by myself. Maybe there are people for whom these kinds of choices are simple and easy, but I think for many of us it’s hard, and I’m proud of myself for overcoming my fears and challenging myself.

Sapa is absolutely gorgeous – it reminds me a lot of being in the Alps. In the daytime the temperatures get up to about 75 degrees, but at night it drops below freezing. The hotel has no heating system, so I was grateful for the fireplace and electric blanket in my room – and for the thermal underwear I remembered to pack.

Today I signed up to take a guided trek to two villages near Sapa, where the Black Hmong and Zay minority tribes live. There are 52 different minority tribes in Vietnam, most of which have distinctly different styles of dress and customs.

I was supposed to have my own tour guide today, but in the lobby I met Jeff, Linda and their daughter Kate, from Canada, who adopted me and got the hotel to group us together. It was nice to have a pseudo-family for the day, and it was amusing to watch the three of them banter and especially to watch Linda interact with the locals.

We had a great time with our guide, La-in, who is a 15-year-old from the Black Hmong tribe. Fifteen is the typical age when young women marry in Sapa, but she said she has no interest in getting married right now. She spoke amazingly good English, and was as giggly and funny as any typical teenage girl. She cracked us up in a discussion about drinking ages – in her tribe you can start drinking at 10. She was shocked to hear it’s 21 in America, and shouted out, “You can’t have asshole until you’re 21?!” She immediately realized her mistake, which we of course teased her about the rest of the day.

I also loved interacting with the kids along the hike. There were a handful of girls that joined us at the beginning and walked with us most of the day. They all were learning English and asked us many questions and seemed to simply enjoy our company. I was especially impressed with their ability to quickly navigate the rice paddies (which is harder than you’d think) in cheap plastic sandals.

The adults, on the other hand, were less interested in us and more intent on selling their wares – hand-woven purses, belts, blankets and silver earrings. Jeff, Kate and I resisted, but I’m pretty sure Linda broke the bank today.

Of course, we also saw plenty of animals along the way, and I’m sure the locals must think we tourists are crazy, taking photos of what are to them just ordinary farm animals.

It goes without saying that the scenery was gorgeous - the photos speak for themselves:

There are many more photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/.

Tomorrow I’ll be taking a motorbike tour, since I twisted my ankle toward the end of the five-hour hike today (which, I’m disappointed to say, is feeling worse the longer I type). Then I’m on another overnight train back to Hanoi tomorrow evening.

Hope everyone back home had a wonderful Christmas!

Coming up for air, literally

Those of you who read my blog regularly may have noticed my absence over the last few days. My apologies for neglecting my blogging duties, but I’ve been having too much fun to stop and write about it.

As mentioned in my last entry, there are many other cool travelers staying at my hostel, and several of them have been helping to keep me entertained.

On Thursday morning a Dutch guy named Hans and I decided to explore Hanoi on foot, and spent the next six or seven hours wandering random streets and alleys. We discovered that Hanoi has many “themed” streets, where virtually all of the stores sell one type of product, such as the large coils of wire street, the coffin and headstone street, and the air conditioner street. Over the course of the day we learned how to navigate Hanoi’s traffic, walking straight into the throngs of motorbikes and taxis without even looking, just as the locals do.

We also became experts at rebuffing (or negotiating with) aggressive street vendors, though I did cave to the persistent women with the sweet smile who gets tourists to pay for photos wearing her hat and basket getup. I was walking by and she had the whole getup on me before I even stopped walking, but she was so cute about it, I couldn’t help but laugh.

That evening as we were in search of dinner, we heard voices calling from above us on a random street, which turned out to be Luke and Nick*, two crazy Australian guys from the hostel. They taught us about the wonders of Bia Hoi (“bia” is Vietnamese for “beer”), and after “just one more round” about six times, we finally peeled ourselves out of our chairs and tracked down a street kitchen serving a spicy noodle soup for dinner.

That was my first of many soups in random street kitchens and food stalls. I’ve had three different noodle soups, of which Pho Bo is my favorite. That one is noodles with beef, mint, basil, lime juice, garlic and chilies, and is a traditional breakfast option. Yum! I’ve also had Com (which is sort of like Vietnamese tapas), a deep-fried pocket snack that’s like an empanada, and a hard-to-describe but tasty dish of rice, broth, various vegis and pork meatballs. The best part is that these meals typically cost less than a dollar, maybe two with a beer.

In between eating and drinking, a group of us also visited the ethnological museum, where we learned about the various minority ethnic groups around Vietnam, and saw reproductions of typical minority houses (which these groups still live in today in remote areas of the country), including one surrounded by phallic and pregnant wooden statues. Aside from the museums official displays, I particularly enjoyed their signage (click on the images to read the signs).

Adding to the cultural exploits, I took in a water puppet theater show today with Hans. Water puppetry is an ancient Vietnamese tradition, and while it wasn't intellectually stimulating, I am glad I had the chance to see it once.

After all that activity, it was almost a relief to get on a train tonight to head up to Sapa, a town in the northeast mountains of Vietnam. I’ll have a couple nights up there to see the reportedly beautiful views, enjoy the fresh air, do some hiking, and enjoy a bit of solitude before returning to Hanoi on Wednesday.

Many more photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/.

*Note: Luke and Nick aren’t actually kissing in the above shot, but it has become known at the hostel as the kissing picture. In fact, Luke is sniffing Nick’s armpit, which is actually grosser (I imagine) than watching them kiss. I’d try to document all the other crazy things they did and said, but this is a family-friendly blog. To give you just a taste though, here’s a photo of the scratches Luke got when he paid a bike-cart guy to let him drive the cart himself, while drunk, and crashed it into a taxi that was standing still.

The agony and the drink

Last night was my first night in the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel, as the first night they were overbooked and put me up at a hotel a few doors down. The hostel has a great vibe, comfortable beds, friendly owners, and a great group of fellow travelers.

Yesterday was the second anniversary of when they opened their doors, so they threw a little shindig on the roof, with free beer and vodka, and a trivia drinking game. After a few hours, the party moved to a bar down the street, where free drinks continued to magically appear in my hand.

Given the circumstances, I don't think anyone could blame me for getting completely toasted. I was kicking myself this morning though, when I had to get up at 7am for a day-long city and countryside tour by motorbike.

My guide, Ting, was a very friendly local arranged through the hostel, and kept me laughing much of the day with silly jokes.

My favorite spot of the morning was Hanoi's oldest university (dating from the 11th century). The site itself was only moderately interesting, but the fun part was all the schoolchildren who were fascinated by me (presumably because I'm white, but I don't know for sure). The whole time I was there they kept running up to me to say hello and ask my name. I was also stopped by some military men who wanted to have their photo taken with me. It felt a bit like what I suppose celebrities feel like most days.

We also visited Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum (creepy), his lakeside houses (pretty but boring), and the Ho Chi Minh museum (tremendously boring). By this point the Advil keeping my headache at bay was wearing off, and the hordes of tourists were grating on my nerves.

After a butt-numbing ride around a huge lake (during which I did at least get some good photos), we stopped for an authentic Vietnamese lunch, which was fabulous but not enough to motivate me to get back on the bike for another four hours. I ended the tour early, and headed back to the hostel to slouch around in the common room for the afternoon.

For the sake of my liver - and my enjoyment of tomorrow - here's hoping tonight's a bit tamer.

I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love!

With whom did I fall in love in the last 48 hours, you ask? Not a person, silly – everyone knows that takes at least 72 hours. No, I’m in love with a city: Hanoi.

I arrived last night around 8pm, but even in the dark, I could see Hanoi was unlike any place I’ve been before (and yet strangely reminiscent of many places I've seen before). From the window of the taxi, I could see the open storefronts of Sri Lanka, India, Costa Rica and Belize. Above those stores towered tall, European buildings with gorgeous balconies, shuttered windows and striking peaked roofs. Then we turned a corner and I was in Beijing, in front of a Chinese gate flanked with lion statues and striking red and gold craftsmanship.

This morning I woke up early and began wandering the streets around the old-town area I’m staying. Women in pointed hats pass by walking bikes laden with flowers, or balancing large poles on their shoulders with baskets of technicolor fruit at each end.

I wandered down a side lane lined with shade trees and sidewalk cafes, and could have sworn I was in Paris. The once French occupation of Vietnam shows its face everywhere in Hanoi, from the architecture to the rich coffee served even in the most rudimentary noodle shops.

After being cornered by a street vendor insistent on something (what, I have no clue – I’m so bad at understanding the accent here, much of the time I’m not even sure if they’re speaking English), I slipped into a café and ordered a traditional French breakfast of coffee, juice, croissant, toasted bread, butter and jam. Oh, have they got food figured out here – I’ve never tasted such delicious toasted bread, nor more decadent a croissant. And don’t even get me started on the coffee!

From the window, I watched more pointy-hatted ladies pass by, indifferent to the endless stream of scooters swerving around them. Across the lane, dozens of Vietnemese men enjoyed their morning coffee, played cards, and observed me observing them.

Back on the street again, I wandered a few more blocks to the lake that sits in the middle of old Hanoi. I can picture summers, when this is surely tourist central. Right now, the weather feels like a crisp, sunny fall day back home, and most of the faces around the lake are Vietnamese. Many of them want to sell me something: a scooter ride, a Lonely Planet book, a tour.

They’d have better luck selling me safe passage across the streets – I’ve only seen one intersection so far with a stoplight. At all the others, there’s some unspoken way of navigating right of way among the drivers, none of whom appear to have any concern for people on foot. I knew traveling alone for five months would involve taking some risks, but I didn’t realize that would include something as pedestrian as, well, being a pedestrian.

More photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/.

Moving on

Today is my last full day on Ko Phangan; tomorrow I will spend the day traveling to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Although it took me a few days to ease into it, my time here has been well spent. With all the planning and stress of the last two months, I don't think I could have let go and enjoyed this trip as well if I had just jumped into traveling. (For those of you who don't get the distinction, to me a vacation is staying put in one place for the purpose of relaxing and having fun; travel is moving, exploring, seeing, doing.) I now feel very relaxed and at ease (and tan!).

In the last few days I've made an effort to check out more of Haad Rin to make sure there wasn't anything major I missed. There wasn't, but I did get some good photos in the process.

Of course, I've also met more animals since I last blogged. There are a couple puppies up at the Same-Same Lodge that are just too adorable, and a wild kitten and mother cat that have taken to hanging out on my porch. They absolutely will not let me near them (which is a form of torture to me, since the kitten is so cute), but they are quite happy to eat any food I leave out for them.

So what have I seen and done on Ko Phangan that will leave a lasting impression? There are thankfully few negatives, but the image of a guy standing in the ocean smoking a cigarette still makes me shake my head. Of the many positives, I will remember the two times of day (early morning and late evening) when the temperature and breeze are so blissfully perfect that you wish the moment would last forever. I'll also remember the amazing variety of colors of the ocean and the sky here. I took a ridiculous number of photos, but here a just a selection to show you what I mean.

Thanks to everyone who has been following my blog and especially those who have been commenting. I feel a lot more connected to home when I get those little notes from you.

Deck the halls with boughs of palm trees

My cousin Marie asked me this week where I'll be for Christmas, and whether they celebrate Christmas there. I realized I didn't know, so I did a little research.

As for where I'll be, I don't know exactly yet, but I'll be somewhere in northern Veitnam - possibly Sapa or Halong Bay. According to the Rough Guide to Vietnam, approximately 7-10 percent of the population is Christian, and "Christmas is marked as a religious event only by the faithful. For everyone else, particularly city-dwellers, it's a major consumer event, an excuse to shop and party."

Hmm. Sounds vaguely familiar.

Coincidentally, the same day I got that e-mail from Marie, a fake Christmas tree went up in the reception area of my hotel. Surprising, considering that only half of one percent of Thais are Christian.

The other theme of the last couple days has been lizards, of which I have seen two - one in an Internet café and another darting across the walkway outside my cabin.

And last but not least, at my friend Nicole's request, here is an arms-length self portrait. I'll try to do better about taking more pictures of myself from now on.

Monkeys, monkeys, monkeys!

The last couple days have been overcast with thunderstorms, so I was pleased to wake up early this morning to partly cloudy skies. I set off early to do some more exploring before the rest of the island woke up.

At the other end of the beach, I had noticed another boardwalk similar to the one I checked out earlier this week. It curves around a stretch of rocks for a while, then ends at the Lighthouse Resort. I'm impressed with anyone who treks all the way there with their backpack or suitcase, as there's no road to get there, just the beach and the boardwalk.

On the way there, a cute red dog (who I named Clifford, of course) joined me on my trek. I was glad to have him along, because about halfway down the boardwalk he stopped, stared into the jungle and growled. After a minute I realized there were monkeys in the trees! Thank goodness for Clifford - if he hadn't been with me, I would have thought those funny noises were just birds and would never have spotted them.

More photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/.

Oh happy day

Today I woke up with no plan - literally no idea what I was going to do with the day - a rarity for me, but it turned out to be the best day of the trip so far.

After taking some photos on the beach of the overcast morning and the cute puppies who make my hotel their home, I headed into town before most of the shops were even open. I found the beach where they hold the full moon parties, found a back road to circumvent one of the big hills to get to the other side of town (though it's a longer route, of course), and even tracked down a few wireless hotspots. And that was all before 10am.

After stopping for a not particularly satisfying foot massage, I had lunch at an Indian restaurant, where I was reminded that Thai food is the best food in Thailand. Go figure. Then, believe it or not, to make up for the disappointing foot massage earlier, I went to a different massage place for a head/neck/shoulder massage (which totally hit the spot). That's right - two massages in one day. This whole no plan thing rocks. Because come on, who would plan two massages in one day?

While I was out, I also picked up a water floatie (one of those rectangular ones that you lay on), which is quite possibly the best $10 I've ever spent. Swimming in the ocean here is great, but trying to find a spot on the beach amidst all the young-uns is challenging, and once you do, you have to contend with tiny ants and other assorted bugs. The floatie addresses all of these issues, creating a floating oasis of tropical joy. Am I overstating it just a bit? I think not.

After an appropriate amount of time spent bonding with my floatie, and some follow-on time spent reassuring my hammock that I still adore it too, I decided to go explore a boardwalk thingy at the end of the beach, which I've been wondering about since I got here. It starts where the beach ends, winding around some rock/cliff things and ending in stairs up to (as it turns out) another hotel. It was a bit challenging getting to it (it involved clambering over some slightly treacherous rocks), but once there the views were beautiful.

All in all, a great day. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried.

P.S. More photos at http://babas.typepad.com/photos/my_gap_year/ (sorry I haven't had time to add captions yet).
P.P.S. I find it interesting that Microsoft Word's spell checker considers "thingy" a legitimate word.

6am

It’s so beautiful and peaceful here in the mornings. The only sounds are me, the birds and the ocean waves. I hope I can keep on this early-to-bed/early-to-rise schedule, because the mornings here are by far the best time of day.

I figured out the pattern yesterday – the mornings are for the select few of us who weren’t partying the night before. At 9:30 the “trance/hiphop/club music” bar up the hill starts its music, which provides a constant thump-thump-thump background the rest of the day and evening. Around noon my hotel pool bar adds another strain of loud music to the mix, so that for the rest of the day there are two beats competing with each other Around that time, the beach, pool, restaurant, etc. start to fill up with the partiers. They laugh, shout, talk about where they puked last night, and of course, drink more.

I didn’t realize when I picked this particular location that it would be such a party scene. Oh, the hints were there in the Lonely Planet book, but since they are trying to serve all audiences, they don’t come out and say it right out: This place is filled with young hardbodies who don’t care about where they are, just that they can get easy booze, drugs and sex. I’m not sure this would have been my scene even when I was their age.

I know, I know, I’m only 31. But damn, these people make me feel old! But whatever, my cabin is prepaid for 12 days, so I’m going to enjoy the aspects of it that I can, and try to ignore the rest. Here's a rare daytime photo without any "kids" blocking the view, and another showing the reflection in my window of me relaxing in my porch hammock.

I wandered into town yesterday, which unfortunately involves tackling two big hills in tropical heat and humidity. I’m debating renting a motorbike for 200 baht a day for the rest of the trip. On the one hand, I can use the exercise – but on the other hand, if I want to take advantage of the restaurants, yoga classes, cheaper Internet access, etc. in town, I’d much rather do so without being soaked in sweat by the time I get there.

There’s a thunderstorm brewing outside now. Think I’ll go out and see if there are any good photos to be had.