Day 97
After the hectic day yesterday we take our time and stroll to the Temple of Heaven, stopping on the way for noodles and coffee. I am expecting another huge complex of temples and palaces but am pleasantly surprised when we arrive at a big park. It is full of really old twisty cypress and pine trees. They are magnificent. A short walk into the forest and we reach a beautiful roofed walkway where locals are playing cards and board games. We also spot a few ladies crocheting on the wall and selling their wares on the sly when the guards aren’t looking. We got some fab souvenirs from them but you will have to wait for Christmas to find out what they are (hehehe).
On to the temple. There are three areas to the temple and a big harvest ritual to go with it. They are in individual areas dedicated to each temple and with explanations of the rituals and the roles of emperor and his subjects. It is awash with people and coloured tiles. Not entirely my idea of heaven but I suppose when it was in use there wasn’t tour groups milling about in it.
We see all there is to see and then hit the pearl market across the road. This is where the hard work starts bargaining with all the retailers to get a reasonable price. Some of the starting prices are crazy! Needless to say we don’t buy pearls but silk dresses, pretty fan and chop sticks all round.
We decide to treat ourselves and get a tuk-tuk home. After a lovely drive through the little streets of the old town and back to our hotel the price we have arranged has suddenly gained another zero and a lot of angry negotiations and unfortunately a bit more money changing hands we head to the hotel very disappointed. (It was going to happen somewhere I suppose and it probably won’t be the last
time either.)
Day 98
Today we have to say goodbye to our Ukrainian hitch-hikers, Lana and Dima. We are all very disappointed to see them wave off the truck but have all promised to keep in touch with all our travel plans and stories.
We are a full truck again though with the two couples joining us again on the truck. Unfortunately for them though it isn’t a great day to re-join the trip. It is a long drive day and Will finds it impossible to get a bush camp spot and we end up sleeping on the truck in a petrol station.
Day 99
I wake to find all my sleeping things wet from dew as I slept on the roof. It doesn’t take long to dry as we get on our way. Our destination today in Xi’an: home of the terracotta warriors. We arrive late afternoon to a fabulous courtyard style hostel with replica terracotta warriors hidden everywhere. The hostel has great atmosphere with odd pictures everywhere and writing on the wall. It is one of the few places where it looks random and works.
After showers and getting settled in we hit the town in search of a rock bar that Will’s friend has advised. The directions consist of across from the Spanish night club and ring the bell. We are in luck and ring the right bell and are escorted past a terracotta warrior statue dressed in green with a St. Patricks day poster behind it. You just can’t get away from it wherever you go. It turns out to be more of a chilled Rn’B bar but there is a band on in a bit and a pool table so the guys are happy to stick about. It turns out to be a very relaxed night and we all had a few giggles when we realised that the band play three songs, take a break, play three more songs and then finished for the night. We can’t believe it.
Day 100
Feng arrives in the hostel after breakfast after her trip home (in China) to visit her family. She has had a great time and managed to squeeze in both families in the few days. We hear all about it on our trip out to the warriors on the bus.
We are all very excited when we arrive. This is one of the big highlights for everyone on the trip. After getting all the history in the museum we decide to take the pits in reverse order. Pit three the command centre, Pit two the archers ad wagons and then Pit one the main pit of foot soldiers.
They are spectacular, I’m not even going to try to describe them, and I hope my pictures do them justice. I can only imagine what they looked like when they we completed first. It must have been a scary sight for anyone who didn’t know what they were.
A few hours later and laden down with treasures for home we get off the bus back in Xi’an. We are all wrecked after a long day and head back to the hostel. We spy some roadside restaurants on the way back and decide to eat there tonight. We sit next to a small group of Chinese people who we are told are on holiday also. Their tour guide comes over to chat to Feng (she gets mistaken for our tour guide a lot in China). The group are in great spirits and we end up having a half understood conversation and lots of “cheers” over our dinner. The food is amazing, duck and chicken on sticks, stir-fry vegetables and either fried or soup noodles.
Day 101
We leave the hostel early today to make tracks for Chengdu. Not much to report on the day, the scenery is lovely and as with all of China we have seen so far every inch of land is cultivated in some way. Even in the petrol station we stayed at the little bit of land beside it had onions growing on it. It is hard to believe until you see it.
Lunch most days we are having pot noodle, not unlike the ones at home but a bigger pot, about the size of a big bowl and twice the depth. You fill it right up with water so that you have soup and the noodles. They are super cheap, really tasty (no doubt full of MSG) and every petrol station stocks them and plenty of hot water to top them up with.
We camp in a little quarry beside a river tonight, the only little bit of land we can find.
Day 102
We tick another major thing off our list today by visiting the panda sanctuary in Chengdu. It goes without saying they are SO CUTE! We spend three hours in the sanctuary but could easily spend twice that amount of time. The site is so big that you could easily miss a panda here and there. They have the pandas split up into the different age groups and each has its own space. We did get to see the younger ones from 14 days old in the incubators to the little prepubescent ones running around and tumbling over one another. Again so cute!! We simply had to buy panda hats too.
Chengdu isn’t as big as the last two cities and has a way more relaxed feel about the place. Our hostel is great with really nice staff and great facilities. A group of five girls head out all dolled up for a nice meal. Feng orders of course and it is fantastic, nothing like the take away at home, real fresh food with great herbs and spices. Nothing is too sweet or tastes of MSG. We have soup to start, then steamed fish, chicken in a sauce that makes your mouth tingle, spicy pork, spicy beef, aubergines, spinach and lots more. It is a feast for your eyes never mind the tummy. We all eat our fill and just about manage to finish all the dishes and all forunder 7euro each. Back to the hostel for cocktails to top the evening off.
Day 103
As we have seen the pandas on the way into Chengdu we are in no hurry to get out of bed. We have a bit of a lie in and then Brenda and I head for the post office and meet the girls after in a nearby park. We have tea overlooking the pond in the park where you can rent boats. I try jasmine tea for the first time (possible the last too) while the girls get cresantimum and juju berry tea which tastes great and looks cool in the glass. We then wander around the park.
There is all sorts of things happening; guys flying kites, people ballroom dancing, people doing traditional dancing, people doing some form of line dancing with onlookers joining in and others preforming in full traditional costume. It is wonderful.
The refurbished traditional street is out nest stop. It is beautiful to look at, nice to walk through and has every possible souvenir you could think of. My favourite bit was the food part. They have all sorts on sticks from octopus to insects and every type of rice sweet and savoury. I have the spicy rice wrapped in banana leaves and the pineapple rice while Brenda tries the pork on sticks and the spring rolls. When we are all full to the brim and have visited the temple at the end of the street we make our way back to the hostel for a skyping session before bed.
Day 104
Today is day 1 of antimalarial meds and we are all a little apprehensive as we have all heard the rumours and the bad stories but for the most part it goes ok. We just need to take it with food.
After a quick tyre change (we are getting pretty efficient at those) we are on the way to the giant Buda. This a massive Buda, at least 100m tall, carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting place of two rivers. The monks and local people built it to watch over the fishermen and to calm the waters. There is a beautiful temple at the top of the hill before you see the Buda. The temples are fabulous ornate and glittering places with at least twenty Budas in each worshiping room, with incense and candles burning all the time.
We have to climb down lots of steps to get to the foot of the Buda but it is well worth it. When standing beside the Buda we are barely the height of its toe. There are fabulous park lands around the Buda but we are on a tight schedule so it is back to the truck after a short wander around.
When back at the truck we find out that there has been a change of plans for tonight and we are not going to be camping, we will be staying in a monastery nearby. We are all delighted. We arrive just after dusk at the monastery and the monks are already in the middle of their evening prayer session so we end up eating dinner to the sound of the monks chanting. Our rooms are lovely, basic and clean and we get to wander about a bit in the monastery before going to bed. It is a little spooky and very
exciting.
Day 105
I wake to my alarm after five and creep out of the room and into the courtyard to hear the monks chanting. It is enchanting sitting in the dark courtyard with the pointed roofs silhouetted against the forest tree tops at dawn listening to the chanting. I am soon joined by one of the other girls. It is over by quarter to six and I am sorry I didn’t get up earlier. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.
We drive late into the evening today, whizzing by beautiful mountains and through long tunnels. We
pass lots of areas where two and three motorways criss-cross each other high above the valleys. It looks like something from a ‘90s futuristic movie with the roads on huge concrete stilts through the countryside. We camp just off the road in a small patch of land that isn’t planted. At first we all think Will is mad when the truck has trouble getting into the spot because of the mud but when we climb down we see that it isn’t so bad after all.
Day 106
We are all in much better spirits by the time we arrive in Lijang around dinner time. It promises to be a great place, being one of the biggest tourist destinations in China, and it is harvest festival time. We also plan on going to see Tiger Leaping Gorge tomorrow.
After another delicious meal, a hot pot this time (you get a pot full of broth and you add whatever you like to it and it cooks on front of you) we sample one of the many scarf shops and have to drag ourselves out before buying the whole shop.
Back in the hostel we prepare for our hike tomorrow and turn in early.
Day 107
Taxis arrive early to take us to Tiger leaping Gorge. It is a two hour drive to the gorge through magnificent mountain scenery. We stop at the main site and climb down to the water side. The river changes from a slow moving peaceful river into a ferocious rushing torrent of water at the first narrowing of the gorge. It is hard to believe the difference in such a small distance. 85 000m3/s of water pass through the gorge. It is incredible. After we climb back up to the car park an hour later we are all in awe of the river and can’t wait to do a bit of walking along the river. But lunch first.
The taxis take us as far as they can. The road has collapsed part of the way so we arrange to meet them later. We have lunch in a little hostel-style place with amazing views from their dining room but the best view is from their bathrooms. From here we make our way down to the river side again. We walk on a well beaten and a little challenging trail down to the river side again. It is pretty steep at times but we all take our time and plenty of rests and photo breaks. The colours on the mountains are spectacular and the river never loses its appeal. We make it all the way to the bottom and get to stand on the tiger leaping rock. The myth says that this is the rock that a great tiger used to cross the river. It must have been some tiger because it is at least 30m between it and the other side. We decide to rename the gorge ‘Leaping Tiger, Hidden Panda’ as we have brought our panda hats and are taking lots of photos with them on.
On the way back to the top we decide to take the adventure stairs. This is a ladder which the locals have built as a challenge and much faster way to the road again. It consists of three ladders with 80, 50 and 40 steps consecutively. We all fid them easier than the big walk back up the cliff side. We are all very impressed with Jenny, our most senior person on the trip who made it all the way down to the river and back up the stairs.
As we head back to the taxi we cross the collapsed bit in the road and are ushered in underneath the rock face by the road workers. We don’t fully understand what is going on until George our interpreter says explosive. They are blowing up the rock above the road to make it safe again. With that word out we all dash under the rock face just in time to hear the explosion and an avalanche of rocks sliding down into the gorge. It is a very exciting end to a wonderful day.
Back in Lijang dinner is a quick noodle soup and a chat with the guy serving us before heading back to bed. We are all shattered after such and active day.
Day 108
Today we are hitting the streets of Lijang and the markets to get a feel for the town. It is decorated for the harvest festival with flowers and brightly coloured fruit everywhere. The town is packed too there are people everywhere. The market is not as exciting at forst with all the usual things you find at home, tools, cheap clothes, fruit and vegetables but as we get closer to the tourist streets it get more interesting with embroidered shoe, handbags, lose linen clothes all brightly coloured and magnificent traditional dress.
The tourist streets are bustling with people all out for a good bargin. The shops, all small with big open fronts, are lit up brightly with wonderful treasures of every shape size and description, from multi-coloured key-rings to jade jewellery to leather and beaded handbags. If you cannot find all the presents you are looking for on this street you may as well give up. We spend hours browsing and buying. We eventually come out at the food end around 7pm and tuck into meat on sticks and fried rice from the street vendors.
On the way back to the hostel we walk down the bar street. There are promoters outside every bar trying to entice you in with promises of a free drink, local traditional entertainment and good service. We sit in the square for a bit to take in the carnival atmosphere and end up posing for photos with Chinese tourists.
Our skype call are short when we get back to the hostel and we head for bed satisfied that we did Lijang justice over the last few days.
Day 109 (Feng’s Birthday)
On the road again, this time for Dali another big tourist town. We don’t get very far before it becomes interesting. We pass a big white Lama fully groomed with a red dicky-bow on the side of the road. It is adorable. Its owner a young man is busy taking photos of the truck while we are busy taking photos of his Lama.
We arrive in Dali a few hours later and laundry is first on everyone’s mind, but with only two machines across the road in the sister hostel we have to take turns. While waiting Feng goes to find somewhere nice for her birthday dinner, a few sneak off the get a cake while I take some vital me time in the empty dorm and take my time to get ready for what promises to be a great night!
Dinner turns out to be another great success. Almost everyone from the truck comes along to celebrate Feng’s birthday, even George makes the effort. It is a fantastic meal with a panda birthday cake for desert. We are all in great spirits when we hit bar street, our first bar is not so successful though. Did I mention that Chinese people love Karaoke! We soon move on to a better one with a DJ and some western songs. We dance the night away and when the DJ finishes we hit another bar, The Pheonix Bar, with great dance music (Feng’s favourite). A great night was had by all as we stroll
home around 4am.
Day 110
Noone is in a rush to get up this morning and most people just have breakfast in the hostel. There are a few minor ailments among the truck so a few of us set out for the hospital to get them checked out.
After a long day of going from this test to that check and Feng doing a great job translating we get sorted with a few of us staying behind for an extra day or two in Dali for minor treatment. It is back to the hostel to get sorted for our holiday from holiday.
Day 111
Brenda, Feng and I wave off the bus the next morning and head for breakfast checking out some of the hotels along the way. We settle for a nice one in the centre of town. After an afternoon of enjoying the hotel and the TV we wander out for dinner.
The night market is nothing to talk about so we decide to go to the fun bar from Feng’s birthday night. We get chatting to a few people and guy even buys us roses. We then bump into a guy we were beside the last night. It turns out that he is the owners and lands a bottle of tequila in front of us. We all graciously decline but he insists so we concede to one shot and then he lands a bottle of rum on the table. We have great fun and soon the whole bar is up dancing including a group of guys behind us who are playing drinking games with pitchers of beer. The DJ finishes early again and we head back to the Pheonix bar but we are all shattered so we head home soon after.
Day 112
We are on the road again today, our aim is to make it to Kunming today and then on to Lo uang Prabang the next day and meet the truck there the following day but being the end of the harvest festival and holidays we have trouble carrying out these plans. We take a taxi to a surrounding town to try for a bus to Kunming and eventually after an hour waiting in the queue Feng does the impossible and manages to get the last three tickets on the extra bus leaving in thirty mins.
The bus journey is twice as long as expected but we are just happy to arrive in Kunming and get possible the last room in the city in a nice hotel. We collapse into bed and resign to spending another day in Kunming and getting the flights to Louang Prabang a day later than hoped.
Day 113
After a leisurely morning, booking our flights for the next day and relaxing in the hotel room, we venture out into Kunming city. Like most cities in China it is full of people hurrying here and there and street vendors doing their best to get your attention in the hope that you will buy their products.
We slowly make our way through the markets with all the trinkets of the other cities. We do find the
pet market that was mentioned in the guide book. All along one street there are big cages with the cutest puppies, kittens and even rabbits in them. Most of the animals are asleep but as son as you start to pet one they all crowd around your hand hoping for a bit of attention. I even spot a little kitten snuggled up in the middle of a crowd of fluffy puppies.
In a small doorway between fast food places we spy a restaurant that looks nice and head up the stairs. It turns out to be great and not too expensive either. Fully satisfied but still contemplating desert we head back out into the street for a bit more wandering. The last thing I was expecting catches Feng’s eye, an arcade. Im not sure about it but we go in and check it out. Three hours later and after a great time bashing this and hitting that, dancing and scoring baskets we are in the taxi home all supping on pepsi cans thanks to Brenda’s master arm chopping motion on the fruit salad machine.
Day 114
The hotel breakfast is delicious with a massive fruit buffet, every kind of pastry, and loads of hot food. We eat our fill before packing up and heading for the airport. It is a brand new airport and is amazing inside and out. We check in and stroll through the international duty free. There isn’t much in it really. I don’t think Kunming has many international flights by the look of things.
In no time at all we are on the flight and landing in Loas’ capital Vientiane already. We sort out our visas and check in for our next flight in the internal flight terminal (I use this word loosely, they are two small buildings side by side) and then head quickly back to the international building which has air-conditioning. We don’t have long to wait and very soon we are in the air again for our 50min flight to Louang Prabang.
Louang Prabang airport is smaller again and we are out in 5mins, bags and all and in a taxi on the way to the hostel to meet up with the truck crew again. It is like a cheesy movie reunion as the taxi pulls up outside everyone is sitting outside and it is all hugs and welcome back, even though it was only a few days. It is crazy how close we have all become on the truck, when someone leaves for a few day you notice that they are gone even if it isn’t someone you spend your day chatting to.
No time to waste, we are back on truck time again and we drop our bags off, fill out our Vietnam visas for Karen and head straight to the night market. The vendors line one of the main streets from 6pm every night and sell all their wares from hippy clothes, beautiful paintings, bed linen, baby bibs with elephants and lots more. We start with baguettes, yes French bread yum, and proper salad in it. There is a huge French influence in this country. You could spend a small fortune easily in this market but we resist, for tonight anyway.
Day 115
After a fench style breakfast we walk the main street all the way down to the Me Kong River where we relax in the cleverly positioned café and enjoy fresh juices and a few spring rolls. On the way back we take in the fabulous temple which is a feast for the eyes. Every wall is decorated with either small paintings or ornate mosaics. There is even an elephant head in mosaic on the side of one of the temples.
We book into a cooking course for tomorrow night on the way back down the street and get a good recommendation for a hairdresser from the lady taking our booking. I head off for the hairdressers straight away and the girls go next door for a massage.
In the hairdressers there is a gang of giggling girls who all gasp when I show them the picture of how I want my hair cut. I’m shown to the basin, which has a bed beside it which you lie on, and have my hair washed and then the boss man appears to cut my hair. A little sign language and a lot of negotiations later they understand that I want my hair dyed too. The boss man gets to cutting my hair and all the girls, who I assume are apprentices, are glued to his every cut and comb stroke. With my hair all gone, the dying process is the same everywhere so I won’t bore you with that.
An hour later and lots of hair gel later I’m walking back to the hostel trying to make my hair sit down. Asian people seem to be obsessed with volume when it comes to hair, but my hair doesn’t need any encouragement so when the hairdresser started to ‘style’ my hair he lifted it to give it volume only it stood a mile off my head. By the time I hear the shrieks from the girl in the hostel it has sat down a good bit.
It is another big night out tonight. Johnny is heading home in a few days so tonight is his leaving do. After booking our elephant trip for tomorrow, we all make our way to the Australian bar for a few. With not much happening there we move on to the Utopia bar which promises to be a bit livelier. It is a little mellow when we arrive but the DJ is taking requests so we stick it out and proves to be a good night out. We bump into a few guys from our hostel and chat to them for much of the night. At 11:30 the bar closes and the only place to go is the bowling alley so everyone form the bar jumps into tuk-tuks and head for there. One game of bowling and we are all set for home and bed.
Day 116 ELEPHANT DAY!!!
An early start is on the cards again today as we are going on an elephant experience this morning. We are picked up at the hostel and brought to where the elephants live. Here we climb aboard with the option of sitting on the chair on the elephant’s back or on the elephant’s neck (like the movies).
It is an amazing experience; the elephants know their names and understand the commands that the trainers are giving them. Brenda’s elephant is a little stubborn and fond of stopping for a nosey in the bush for something nice to eat. Half way through I get to swap with Feng and sit on the neck of the elephant. The trainer tries to teach me the commands but she doesn’t understand me or maybe I’m pronouncing them wrong because the elephant takes no notice of me.
After our trip out on the elephants we head for the waterfall and have a well needed dip in the pools.
They are cold at first but, like the Atlantic Ocean (but definitely not as cold), you get used to it. After a short boat ride back to the bus it is a quick spin to the hostel for some lunch and a bit of a snooze before cooking.
The cooking course is two and a half hours long where we are shown how to cook four dishes and taste them all before deciding which two to cook ourselves. Brenda and I decide on the pork salad with lemon grass and lime juice and the pork and chicken I the coconut milk sauce. Everyone’s food turns out delicious and we all tuck in on the porch after about 40mins of cooking.
Our route back to the hostel is through the night market and we find it very hard to resist the treasures this time. We come out the other end with a fab bedspread, chopsticks and some hippy trousers.
Day 117
A few of us get up at half five and head out to the main street to see the monks collecting alms, a very old tradition that they keep alive here in Louang Prabang. It is great that they keep the tradition alive but I am a little embarrassed when the monks come along and we are all standing there snapping away. It reminds of the images of the celebrities being hassled by the paparazzi. We head back to bed for a bit after.
On to our next destination Vang Vieng where we have been promised a real Irish bar beside the hostel. We are a little sceptical but when we arrive and head in for dinner we are greeted by a young Cork man taking our order and a young Kerry man serving us. We did ask them how they get along, considering the rivalry at home but they said that they have managed to get over it. The food is fantastic with possibly the best mash potato I’ve had on the trip so far with real butter, yum!
We spend the evening in the bar playing pool and learning to play darts. The owner Garry (the Kerry man) gives us the low down on what to do around Vang Vieng so we make our plans.
Day 118
After breakfast Brenda, Sandy and I head for the tubing. This is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. We rent a giant tractor tube from the locals and get a tuk-tuk up-stream to the starting point. Here we stop for a water safety photo before sitting into the tube and letting the river take us slowly back to the city. The scenery is amazing and so relaxing. Along the way we stop to buy a beer of a local guy selling them out of a bucket just for the heck of it. It is a Beer Loa too. We make it to the end and a young local boy jumps into the river to help us out with our tubes.
When we make it back to the hostel some of the others are planning on heading up into the mountains 7km away to a swimming hole called the blue lagoon so I decide to go too. A quick dash for a bite to eat and we are off to rent a few bicycles. After getting a little lost initially we find the bridge and leave the nice smooth tarmac for bumpy stone roads. It doesn’t take too long to get to the lagoon but just before it we are stopped for a ‘toll’. (I am a little annoyed that they seem to try and get every penny out of you that they can.)
The lagoon is more a bend in the river but it I beautiful and the water is very clear. We are just climbing in when Sarah spots two water buffalo down-stream enjoying the water too. We get a little closer to get a better view and take a few pictures. It is funny how the trip home never feels as long as the trip to an unknown place. It feels like no time when we are back in the hotel having showers and cleaning up for dinner.
Yes we are very predictable; it is the Irish bar again for dinner and cocktails again tonight. We even manage a bit of DJ-ing too. There are lots more people out tonight being Friday night and we even spot one or two doing poi and fire staff.
Day 119
Seven of our group have decided to scoot ahead and skip the next few bush camps for an extra day in our next destination, Hue Vietnam, so we are a little empty leaving Vang Vieng. It is a long drive day with beautiful scenery. The silhouettes of the mountains here are stunning. We set up camp jut off the road in a nice secluded spot which could have been a quarry at some stage. Almost everyone decides to sleep on the roof but Will gets fed up of the insects about half an hour in and gets down to put his tent up.
Brenda
Day 120
We were up early and on the truck and decided to stop off for breakfast along the road. We arrived at the caves a few hours later and stopped at the restaurant for breakfast before going in. It was ages before anyone got their food so we decided to do a mini truck clean while we waited. It didn’t take too long and the food when we eventually got it was really good.
After we were all packed up again we went down and booked our tour of the caves by boat. They were 3 to a boat and they were small boats with two in each boat one to steer at the front and one to operate the engine at the back. The caves were very large and gloomy with lots of stalagmites stalactites and columns. We travelled for about half an hour then walked to see some of the larger areas with spectacular of stalagmites stalactites and columns. Then we followed on through the cave for 45 minutes longer and came out into the jungle along the river where the bison were cooling off by the waterside. It was a lovely tour but I don’t think caves are for me. Yvonne on the other hand loved them.
After the boat ride we went to the next town and had lunch and then headed on a 4 hour drive to the bus station for Vietnam. We arrived at the station late and decided to stay in a hotel for the night to be there early in the morning for the bus.
Day 121
We were up early and said goodbye to Will and the truck for three weeks and got on the 7 hour bus ride to the boarder of Vietnam. The bus was your typical backpacker’s bus ride possible, it wasn’t that bad, bench seats that make your bum numb and we had large bags of rice everywhere with a full load on the roof, no live animals though. It was a bumpy ride and we eventually got to the boarder and after a short motorbike taxi ride we were up in line to get stamped out of Laos and on to the Vietnamese boarder for a thorough inspection of our passports before getting stamped into country 23. We got a mini bus to Hue which was a 4 hour drive with crazy mad drivers on the road.
We arrived in Hue at dinner time so we quickly checked into the hostel and headed out for food. It was amazing lots of fresh vegetables and good fruit juices. We then wandered the street for a while looking in the stalls and did a few internet chores before bed.
Day 122
We were up early to see a bit of Hue before we left. We had American style Banana Pancakes for breakfast before getting lost in the maze that was the market with everything from stationary to tailors work houses to huge stalls of souvenirs. It was really cramped and busy, with people always trying to sell you their wares. We wandered through and made it out and back to the hostel for lunch and got the bus from Hue to Hoi An. It was a sleeper bus during the day. It was a scenic route by the sea. It was the first sight of the sea in about 2 months it was great. We reached Hoi An at dinner time and headed straight to the tailors to order new dresses to be ready before we left and had dinner at a street stall while wandering through another market before heading back to the hotel.
Yvonne
Day 123
I eventually drag myself out of bed late today. Old habits die hard; we were up late last night watching movies on the television. (It was really nice after so long without a television) Breakfast is in a nice quiet restaurant down the road from the hotel and we hit the shops again. We are strolling through the market when we are nabbed by one of the dressmakers and order another dress. We then head back for Brenda’s fitting and meet up with the others. They have been very busy all morning ordering more clothes. It is time for food again by the time the fitting is done and we all head out together. The real damage starts after lunch, we are all talking about what everyone has ordered and soon we all want what the other had ordered so the rest of the day is spent chosing material and being measured.
With a busy schedule for the next day, fitting and collecting our purchases, we are thinking of out tummies again. Brenda and I decide that we will go for a bit of a walk first and see some of the sights here before dinner. We arrange to meet up with the rest of the crew later and head for the riverside. It is beautifully lit up and the music from the bar across the river is wafting through the air. The big highlight for me in Hoi An is the Japanese-style bridge. Folklore has it that there once was a big monster who’s head lives in Cambodia and it’s end in China, the Vietnamese people discovered it’s weakness was over the river in Hoi An and they killed the monster. Taking pity on the dead monster they built a bridge where they killed it and out a temple on the bridge to pray for the monster’s soul. The bridge is beautifully lit up with Japanese lanterns throughout.
On the way back we pass a Vietnamese hand craft shop entirely dedicated to model ships. It is amazing, some of the ships are huge. They have full replicas of all the ships throughout history from Captain Cook’s ship used to discover the pacific islands and Australia to the Titanic to Vietnamese and Chinese ships of old. It is a small shop but you could spend hours in there looking at the detail of each one. We drag ourselves away with promises of ‘when I win the lottery’ or ‘when I buy a house’ and off to dinner and then bed.
Day 124
Our morning is going to be a busy one so we are up early and checked out of our rooms by nine and off to breakfast. One by one we tick off all our appointments with our arms soon filled with our treasures. The tally ends up; Brenda: 2 dresses and one pair of shorts, Yvonne: 2 tops, one dress and one pair of shorts. This sounds like a lot but compared to the others it is a small list. A few have bought suits, winter coats, flip flops, high heels, there is even a beautiful evening gown in the list. Everyone is very happy, the clothes are beautifully made and they fit perfectly. All the girls are determined to come back some day with and empty suitcase.
Our bus leaves tonight around 6pm for our 12 hour journey to our next stop Nha Trang. We are all hoping it will be a nice sleeper bus with bunk beds in it but we don’t know, fingers crossed.
After the hectic day yesterday we take our time and stroll to the Temple of Heaven, stopping on the way for noodles and coffee. I am expecting another huge complex of temples and palaces but am pleasantly surprised when we arrive at a big park. It is full of really old twisty cypress and pine trees. They are magnificent. A short walk into the forest and we reach a beautiful roofed walkway where locals are playing cards and board games. We also spot a few ladies crocheting on the wall and selling their wares on the sly when the guards aren’t looking. We got some fab souvenirs from them but you will have to wait for Christmas to find out what they are (hehehe).
On to the temple. There are three areas to the temple and a big harvest ritual to go with it. They are in individual areas dedicated to each temple and with explanations of the rituals and the roles of emperor and his subjects. It is awash with people and coloured tiles. Not entirely my idea of heaven but I suppose when it was in use there wasn’t tour groups milling about in it.
We see all there is to see and then hit the pearl market across the road. This is where the hard work starts bargaining with all the retailers to get a reasonable price. Some of the starting prices are crazy! Needless to say we don’t buy pearls but silk dresses, pretty fan and chop sticks all round.
We decide to treat ourselves and get a tuk-tuk home. After a lovely drive through the little streets of the old town and back to our hotel the price we have arranged has suddenly gained another zero and a lot of angry negotiations and unfortunately a bit more money changing hands we head to the hotel very disappointed. (It was going to happen somewhere I suppose and it probably won’t be the last
time either.)
Day 98
Today we have to say goodbye to our Ukrainian hitch-hikers, Lana and Dima. We are all very disappointed to see them wave off the truck but have all promised to keep in touch with all our travel plans and stories.
We are a full truck again though with the two couples joining us again on the truck. Unfortunately for them though it isn’t a great day to re-join the trip. It is a long drive day and Will finds it impossible to get a bush camp spot and we end up sleeping on the truck in a petrol station.
Day 99
I wake to find all my sleeping things wet from dew as I slept on the roof. It doesn’t take long to dry as we get on our way. Our destination today in Xi’an: home of the terracotta warriors. We arrive late afternoon to a fabulous courtyard style hostel with replica terracotta warriors hidden everywhere. The hostel has great atmosphere with odd pictures everywhere and writing on the wall. It is one of the few places where it looks random and works.
After showers and getting settled in we hit the town in search of a rock bar that Will’s friend has advised. The directions consist of across from the Spanish night club and ring the bell. We are in luck and ring the right bell and are escorted past a terracotta warrior statue dressed in green with a St. Patricks day poster behind it. You just can’t get away from it wherever you go. It turns out to be more of a chilled Rn’B bar but there is a band on in a bit and a pool table so the guys are happy to stick about. It turns out to be a very relaxed night and we all had a few giggles when we realised that the band play three songs, take a break, play three more songs and then finished for the night. We can’t believe it.
Day 100
Feng arrives in the hostel after breakfast after her trip home (in China) to visit her family. She has had a great time and managed to squeeze in both families in the few days. We hear all about it on our trip out to the warriors on the bus.
We are all very excited when we arrive. This is one of the big highlights for everyone on the trip. After getting all the history in the museum we decide to take the pits in reverse order. Pit three the command centre, Pit two the archers ad wagons and then Pit one the main pit of foot soldiers.
They are spectacular, I’m not even going to try to describe them, and I hope my pictures do them justice. I can only imagine what they looked like when they we completed first. It must have been a scary sight for anyone who didn’t know what they were.
A few hours later and laden down with treasures for home we get off the bus back in Xi’an. We are all wrecked after a long day and head back to the hostel. We spy some roadside restaurants on the way back and decide to eat there tonight. We sit next to a small group of Chinese people who we are told are on holiday also. Their tour guide comes over to chat to Feng (she gets mistaken for our tour guide a lot in China). The group are in great spirits and we end up having a half understood conversation and lots of “cheers” over our dinner. The food is amazing, duck and chicken on sticks, stir-fry vegetables and either fried or soup noodles.
Day 101
We leave the hostel early today to make tracks for Chengdu. Not much to report on the day, the scenery is lovely and as with all of China we have seen so far every inch of land is cultivated in some way. Even in the petrol station we stayed at the little bit of land beside it had onions growing on it. It is hard to believe until you see it.
Lunch most days we are having pot noodle, not unlike the ones at home but a bigger pot, about the size of a big bowl and twice the depth. You fill it right up with water so that you have soup and the noodles. They are super cheap, really tasty (no doubt full of MSG) and every petrol station stocks them and plenty of hot water to top them up with.
We camp in a little quarry beside a river tonight, the only little bit of land we can find.
Day 102
We tick another major thing off our list today by visiting the panda sanctuary in Chengdu. It goes without saying they are SO CUTE! We spend three hours in the sanctuary but could easily spend twice that amount of time. The site is so big that you could easily miss a panda here and there. They have the pandas split up into the different age groups and each has its own space. We did get to see the younger ones from 14 days old in the incubators to the little prepubescent ones running around and tumbling over one another. Again so cute!! We simply had to buy panda hats too.
Chengdu isn’t as big as the last two cities and has a way more relaxed feel about the place. Our hostel is great with really nice staff and great facilities. A group of five girls head out all dolled up for a nice meal. Feng orders of course and it is fantastic, nothing like the take away at home, real fresh food with great herbs and spices. Nothing is too sweet or tastes of MSG. We have soup to start, then steamed fish, chicken in a sauce that makes your mouth tingle, spicy pork, spicy beef, aubergines, spinach and lots more. It is a feast for your eyes never mind the tummy. We all eat our fill and just about manage to finish all the dishes and all forunder 7euro each. Back to the hostel for cocktails to top the evening off.
Day 103
As we have seen the pandas on the way into Chengdu we are in no hurry to get out of bed. We have a bit of a lie in and then Brenda and I head for the post office and meet the girls after in a nearby park. We have tea overlooking the pond in the park where you can rent boats. I try jasmine tea for the first time (possible the last too) while the girls get cresantimum and juju berry tea which tastes great and looks cool in the glass. We then wander around the park.
There is all sorts of things happening; guys flying kites, people ballroom dancing, people doing traditional dancing, people doing some form of line dancing with onlookers joining in and others preforming in full traditional costume. It is wonderful.
The refurbished traditional street is out nest stop. It is beautiful to look at, nice to walk through and has every possible souvenir you could think of. My favourite bit was the food part. They have all sorts on sticks from octopus to insects and every type of rice sweet and savoury. I have the spicy rice wrapped in banana leaves and the pineapple rice while Brenda tries the pork on sticks and the spring rolls. When we are all full to the brim and have visited the temple at the end of the street we make our way back to the hostel for a skyping session before bed.
Day 104
Today is day 1 of antimalarial meds and we are all a little apprehensive as we have all heard the rumours and the bad stories but for the most part it goes ok. We just need to take it with food.
After a quick tyre change (we are getting pretty efficient at those) we are on the way to the giant Buda. This a massive Buda, at least 100m tall, carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting place of two rivers. The monks and local people built it to watch over the fishermen and to calm the waters. There is a beautiful temple at the top of the hill before you see the Buda. The temples are fabulous ornate and glittering places with at least twenty Budas in each worshiping room, with incense and candles burning all the time.
We have to climb down lots of steps to get to the foot of the Buda but it is well worth it. When standing beside the Buda we are barely the height of its toe. There are fabulous park lands around the Buda but we are on a tight schedule so it is back to the truck after a short wander around.
When back at the truck we find out that there has been a change of plans for tonight and we are not going to be camping, we will be staying in a monastery nearby. We are all delighted. We arrive just after dusk at the monastery and the monks are already in the middle of their evening prayer session so we end up eating dinner to the sound of the monks chanting. Our rooms are lovely, basic and clean and we get to wander about a bit in the monastery before going to bed. It is a little spooky and very
exciting.
Day 105
I wake to my alarm after five and creep out of the room and into the courtyard to hear the monks chanting. It is enchanting sitting in the dark courtyard with the pointed roofs silhouetted against the forest tree tops at dawn listening to the chanting. I am soon joined by one of the other girls. It is over by quarter to six and I am sorry I didn’t get up earlier. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.
We drive late into the evening today, whizzing by beautiful mountains and through long tunnels. We
pass lots of areas where two and three motorways criss-cross each other high above the valleys. It looks like something from a ‘90s futuristic movie with the roads on huge concrete stilts through the countryside. We camp just off the road in a small patch of land that isn’t planted. At first we all think Will is mad when the truck has trouble getting into the spot because of the mud but when we climb down we see that it isn’t so bad after all.
Day 106
We are all in much better spirits by the time we arrive in Lijang around dinner time. It promises to be a great place, being one of the biggest tourist destinations in China, and it is harvest festival time. We also plan on going to see Tiger Leaping Gorge tomorrow.
After another delicious meal, a hot pot this time (you get a pot full of broth and you add whatever you like to it and it cooks on front of you) we sample one of the many scarf shops and have to drag ourselves out before buying the whole shop.
Back in the hostel we prepare for our hike tomorrow and turn in early.
Day 107
Taxis arrive early to take us to Tiger leaping Gorge. It is a two hour drive to the gorge through magnificent mountain scenery. We stop at the main site and climb down to the water side. The river changes from a slow moving peaceful river into a ferocious rushing torrent of water at the first narrowing of the gorge. It is hard to believe the difference in such a small distance. 85 000m3/s of water pass through the gorge. It is incredible. After we climb back up to the car park an hour later we are all in awe of the river and can’t wait to do a bit of walking along the river. But lunch first.
The taxis take us as far as they can. The road has collapsed part of the way so we arrange to meet them later. We have lunch in a little hostel-style place with amazing views from their dining room but the best view is from their bathrooms. From here we make our way down to the river side again. We walk on a well beaten and a little challenging trail down to the river side again. It is pretty steep at times but we all take our time and plenty of rests and photo breaks. The colours on the mountains are spectacular and the river never loses its appeal. We make it all the way to the bottom and get to stand on the tiger leaping rock. The myth says that this is the rock that a great tiger used to cross the river. It must have been some tiger because it is at least 30m between it and the other side. We decide to rename the gorge ‘Leaping Tiger, Hidden Panda’ as we have brought our panda hats and are taking lots of photos with them on.
On the way back to the top we decide to take the adventure stairs. This is a ladder which the locals have built as a challenge and much faster way to the road again. It consists of three ladders with 80, 50 and 40 steps consecutively. We all fid them easier than the big walk back up the cliff side. We are all very impressed with Jenny, our most senior person on the trip who made it all the way down to the river and back up the stairs.
As we head back to the taxi we cross the collapsed bit in the road and are ushered in underneath the rock face by the road workers. We don’t fully understand what is going on until George our interpreter says explosive. They are blowing up the rock above the road to make it safe again. With that word out we all dash under the rock face just in time to hear the explosion and an avalanche of rocks sliding down into the gorge. It is a very exciting end to a wonderful day.
Back in Lijang dinner is a quick noodle soup and a chat with the guy serving us before heading back to bed. We are all shattered after such and active day.
Day 108
Today we are hitting the streets of Lijang and the markets to get a feel for the town. It is decorated for the harvest festival with flowers and brightly coloured fruit everywhere. The town is packed too there are people everywhere. The market is not as exciting at forst with all the usual things you find at home, tools, cheap clothes, fruit and vegetables but as we get closer to the tourist streets it get more interesting with embroidered shoe, handbags, lose linen clothes all brightly coloured and magnificent traditional dress.
The tourist streets are bustling with people all out for a good bargin. The shops, all small with big open fronts, are lit up brightly with wonderful treasures of every shape size and description, from multi-coloured key-rings to jade jewellery to leather and beaded handbags. If you cannot find all the presents you are looking for on this street you may as well give up. We spend hours browsing and buying. We eventually come out at the food end around 7pm and tuck into meat on sticks and fried rice from the street vendors.
On the way back to the hostel we walk down the bar street. There are promoters outside every bar trying to entice you in with promises of a free drink, local traditional entertainment and good service. We sit in the square for a bit to take in the carnival atmosphere and end up posing for photos with Chinese tourists.
Our skype call are short when we get back to the hostel and we head for bed satisfied that we did Lijang justice over the last few days.
Day 109 (Feng’s Birthday)
On the road again, this time for Dali another big tourist town. We don’t get very far before it becomes interesting. We pass a big white Lama fully groomed with a red dicky-bow on the side of the road. It is adorable. Its owner a young man is busy taking photos of the truck while we are busy taking photos of his Lama.
We arrive in Dali a few hours later and laundry is first on everyone’s mind, but with only two machines across the road in the sister hostel we have to take turns. While waiting Feng goes to find somewhere nice for her birthday dinner, a few sneak off the get a cake while I take some vital me time in the empty dorm and take my time to get ready for what promises to be a great night!
Dinner turns out to be another great success. Almost everyone from the truck comes along to celebrate Feng’s birthday, even George makes the effort. It is a fantastic meal with a panda birthday cake for desert. We are all in great spirits when we hit bar street, our first bar is not so successful though. Did I mention that Chinese people love Karaoke! We soon move on to a better one with a DJ and some western songs. We dance the night away and when the DJ finishes we hit another bar, The Pheonix Bar, with great dance music (Feng’s favourite). A great night was had by all as we stroll
home around 4am.
Day 110
Noone is in a rush to get up this morning and most people just have breakfast in the hostel. There are a few minor ailments among the truck so a few of us set out for the hospital to get them checked out.
After a long day of going from this test to that check and Feng doing a great job translating we get sorted with a few of us staying behind for an extra day or two in Dali for minor treatment. It is back to the hostel to get sorted for our holiday from holiday.
Day 111
Brenda, Feng and I wave off the bus the next morning and head for breakfast checking out some of the hotels along the way. We settle for a nice one in the centre of town. After an afternoon of enjoying the hotel and the TV we wander out for dinner.
The night market is nothing to talk about so we decide to go to the fun bar from Feng’s birthday night. We get chatting to a few people and guy even buys us roses. We then bump into a guy we were beside the last night. It turns out that he is the owners and lands a bottle of tequila in front of us. We all graciously decline but he insists so we concede to one shot and then he lands a bottle of rum on the table. We have great fun and soon the whole bar is up dancing including a group of guys behind us who are playing drinking games with pitchers of beer. The DJ finishes early again and we head back to the Pheonix bar but we are all shattered so we head home soon after.
Day 112
We are on the road again today, our aim is to make it to Kunming today and then on to Lo uang Prabang the next day and meet the truck there the following day but being the end of the harvest festival and holidays we have trouble carrying out these plans. We take a taxi to a surrounding town to try for a bus to Kunming and eventually after an hour waiting in the queue Feng does the impossible and manages to get the last three tickets on the extra bus leaving in thirty mins.
The bus journey is twice as long as expected but we are just happy to arrive in Kunming and get possible the last room in the city in a nice hotel. We collapse into bed and resign to spending another day in Kunming and getting the flights to Louang Prabang a day later than hoped.
Day 113
After a leisurely morning, booking our flights for the next day and relaxing in the hotel room, we venture out into Kunming city. Like most cities in China it is full of people hurrying here and there and street vendors doing their best to get your attention in the hope that you will buy their products.
We slowly make our way through the markets with all the trinkets of the other cities. We do find the
pet market that was mentioned in the guide book. All along one street there are big cages with the cutest puppies, kittens and even rabbits in them. Most of the animals are asleep but as son as you start to pet one they all crowd around your hand hoping for a bit of attention. I even spot a little kitten snuggled up in the middle of a crowd of fluffy puppies.
In a small doorway between fast food places we spy a restaurant that looks nice and head up the stairs. It turns out to be great and not too expensive either. Fully satisfied but still contemplating desert we head back out into the street for a bit more wandering. The last thing I was expecting catches Feng’s eye, an arcade. Im not sure about it but we go in and check it out. Three hours later and after a great time bashing this and hitting that, dancing and scoring baskets we are in the taxi home all supping on pepsi cans thanks to Brenda’s master arm chopping motion on the fruit salad machine.
Day 114
The hotel breakfast is delicious with a massive fruit buffet, every kind of pastry, and loads of hot food. We eat our fill before packing up and heading for the airport. It is a brand new airport and is amazing inside and out. We check in and stroll through the international duty free. There isn’t much in it really. I don’t think Kunming has many international flights by the look of things.
In no time at all we are on the flight and landing in Loas’ capital Vientiane already. We sort out our visas and check in for our next flight in the internal flight terminal (I use this word loosely, they are two small buildings side by side) and then head quickly back to the international building which has air-conditioning. We don’t have long to wait and very soon we are in the air again for our 50min flight to Louang Prabang.
Louang Prabang airport is smaller again and we are out in 5mins, bags and all and in a taxi on the way to the hostel to meet up with the truck crew again. It is like a cheesy movie reunion as the taxi pulls up outside everyone is sitting outside and it is all hugs and welcome back, even though it was only a few days. It is crazy how close we have all become on the truck, when someone leaves for a few day you notice that they are gone even if it isn’t someone you spend your day chatting to.
No time to waste, we are back on truck time again and we drop our bags off, fill out our Vietnam visas for Karen and head straight to the night market. The vendors line one of the main streets from 6pm every night and sell all their wares from hippy clothes, beautiful paintings, bed linen, baby bibs with elephants and lots more. We start with baguettes, yes French bread yum, and proper salad in it. There is a huge French influence in this country. You could spend a small fortune easily in this market but we resist, for tonight anyway.
Day 115
After a fench style breakfast we walk the main street all the way down to the Me Kong River where we relax in the cleverly positioned café and enjoy fresh juices and a few spring rolls. On the way back we take in the fabulous temple which is a feast for the eyes. Every wall is decorated with either small paintings or ornate mosaics. There is even an elephant head in mosaic on the side of one of the temples.
We book into a cooking course for tomorrow night on the way back down the street and get a good recommendation for a hairdresser from the lady taking our booking. I head off for the hairdressers straight away and the girls go next door for a massage.
In the hairdressers there is a gang of giggling girls who all gasp when I show them the picture of how I want my hair cut. I’m shown to the basin, which has a bed beside it which you lie on, and have my hair washed and then the boss man appears to cut my hair. A little sign language and a lot of negotiations later they understand that I want my hair dyed too. The boss man gets to cutting my hair and all the girls, who I assume are apprentices, are glued to his every cut and comb stroke. With my hair all gone, the dying process is the same everywhere so I won’t bore you with that.
An hour later and lots of hair gel later I’m walking back to the hostel trying to make my hair sit down. Asian people seem to be obsessed with volume when it comes to hair, but my hair doesn’t need any encouragement so when the hairdresser started to ‘style’ my hair he lifted it to give it volume only it stood a mile off my head. By the time I hear the shrieks from the girl in the hostel it has sat down a good bit.
It is another big night out tonight. Johnny is heading home in a few days so tonight is his leaving do. After booking our elephant trip for tomorrow, we all make our way to the Australian bar for a few. With not much happening there we move on to the Utopia bar which promises to be a bit livelier. It is a little mellow when we arrive but the DJ is taking requests so we stick it out and proves to be a good night out. We bump into a few guys from our hostel and chat to them for much of the night. At 11:30 the bar closes and the only place to go is the bowling alley so everyone form the bar jumps into tuk-tuks and head for there. One game of bowling and we are all set for home and bed.
Day 116 ELEPHANT DAY!!!
An early start is on the cards again today as we are going on an elephant experience this morning. We are picked up at the hostel and brought to where the elephants live. Here we climb aboard with the option of sitting on the chair on the elephant’s back or on the elephant’s neck (like the movies).
It is an amazing experience; the elephants know their names and understand the commands that the trainers are giving them. Brenda’s elephant is a little stubborn and fond of stopping for a nosey in the bush for something nice to eat. Half way through I get to swap with Feng and sit on the neck of the elephant. The trainer tries to teach me the commands but she doesn’t understand me or maybe I’m pronouncing them wrong because the elephant takes no notice of me.
After our trip out on the elephants we head for the waterfall and have a well needed dip in the pools.
They are cold at first but, like the Atlantic Ocean (but definitely not as cold), you get used to it. After a short boat ride back to the bus it is a quick spin to the hostel for some lunch and a bit of a snooze before cooking.
The cooking course is two and a half hours long where we are shown how to cook four dishes and taste them all before deciding which two to cook ourselves. Brenda and I decide on the pork salad with lemon grass and lime juice and the pork and chicken I the coconut milk sauce. Everyone’s food turns out delicious and we all tuck in on the porch after about 40mins of cooking.
Our route back to the hostel is through the night market and we find it very hard to resist the treasures this time. We come out the other end with a fab bedspread, chopsticks and some hippy trousers.
Day 117
A few of us get up at half five and head out to the main street to see the monks collecting alms, a very old tradition that they keep alive here in Louang Prabang. It is great that they keep the tradition alive but I am a little embarrassed when the monks come along and we are all standing there snapping away. It reminds of the images of the celebrities being hassled by the paparazzi. We head back to bed for a bit after.
On to our next destination Vang Vieng where we have been promised a real Irish bar beside the hostel. We are a little sceptical but when we arrive and head in for dinner we are greeted by a young Cork man taking our order and a young Kerry man serving us. We did ask them how they get along, considering the rivalry at home but they said that they have managed to get over it. The food is fantastic with possibly the best mash potato I’ve had on the trip so far with real butter, yum!
We spend the evening in the bar playing pool and learning to play darts. The owner Garry (the Kerry man) gives us the low down on what to do around Vang Vieng so we make our plans.
Day 118
After breakfast Brenda, Sandy and I head for the tubing. This is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do. We rent a giant tractor tube from the locals and get a tuk-tuk up-stream to the starting point. Here we stop for a water safety photo before sitting into the tube and letting the river take us slowly back to the city. The scenery is amazing and so relaxing. Along the way we stop to buy a beer of a local guy selling them out of a bucket just for the heck of it. It is a Beer Loa too. We make it to the end and a young local boy jumps into the river to help us out with our tubes.
When we make it back to the hostel some of the others are planning on heading up into the mountains 7km away to a swimming hole called the blue lagoon so I decide to go too. A quick dash for a bite to eat and we are off to rent a few bicycles. After getting a little lost initially we find the bridge and leave the nice smooth tarmac for bumpy stone roads. It doesn’t take too long to get to the lagoon but just before it we are stopped for a ‘toll’. (I am a little annoyed that they seem to try and get every penny out of you that they can.)
The lagoon is more a bend in the river but it I beautiful and the water is very clear. We are just climbing in when Sarah spots two water buffalo down-stream enjoying the water too. We get a little closer to get a better view and take a few pictures. It is funny how the trip home never feels as long as the trip to an unknown place. It feels like no time when we are back in the hotel having showers and cleaning up for dinner.
Yes we are very predictable; it is the Irish bar again for dinner and cocktails again tonight. We even manage a bit of DJ-ing too. There are lots more people out tonight being Friday night and we even spot one or two doing poi and fire staff.
Day 119
Seven of our group have decided to scoot ahead and skip the next few bush camps for an extra day in our next destination, Hue Vietnam, so we are a little empty leaving Vang Vieng. It is a long drive day with beautiful scenery. The silhouettes of the mountains here are stunning. We set up camp jut off the road in a nice secluded spot which could have been a quarry at some stage. Almost everyone decides to sleep on the roof but Will gets fed up of the insects about half an hour in and gets down to put his tent up.
Brenda
Day 120
We were up early and on the truck and decided to stop off for breakfast along the road. We arrived at the caves a few hours later and stopped at the restaurant for breakfast before going in. It was ages before anyone got their food so we decided to do a mini truck clean while we waited. It didn’t take too long and the food when we eventually got it was really good.
After we were all packed up again we went down and booked our tour of the caves by boat. They were 3 to a boat and they were small boats with two in each boat one to steer at the front and one to operate the engine at the back. The caves were very large and gloomy with lots of stalagmites stalactites and columns. We travelled for about half an hour then walked to see some of the larger areas with spectacular of stalagmites stalactites and columns. Then we followed on through the cave for 45 minutes longer and came out into the jungle along the river where the bison were cooling off by the waterside. It was a lovely tour but I don’t think caves are for me. Yvonne on the other hand loved them.
After the boat ride we went to the next town and had lunch and then headed on a 4 hour drive to the bus station for Vietnam. We arrived at the station late and decided to stay in a hotel for the night to be there early in the morning for the bus.
Day 121
We were up early and said goodbye to Will and the truck for three weeks and got on the 7 hour bus ride to the boarder of Vietnam. The bus was your typical backpacker’s bus ride possible, it wasn’t that bad, bench seats that make your bum numb and we had large bags of rice everywhere with a full load on the roof, no live animals though. It was a bumpy ride and we eventually got to the boarder and after a short motorbike taxi ride we were up in line to get stamped out of Laos and on to the Vietnamese boarder for a thorough inspection of our passports before getting stamped into country 23. We got a mini bus to Hue which was a 4 hour drive with crazy mad drivers on the road.
We arrived in Hue at dinner time so we quickly checked into the hostel and headed out for food. It was amazing lots of fresh vegetables and good fruit juices. We then wandered the street for a while looking in the stalls and did a few internet chores before bed.
Day 122
We were up early to see a bit of Hue before we left. We had American style Banana Pancakes for breakfast before getting lost in the maze that was the market with everything from stationary to tailors work houses to huge stalls of souvenirs. It was really cramped and busy, with people always trying to sell you their wares. We wandered through and made it out and back to the hostel for lunch and got the bus from Hue to Hoi An. It was a sleeper bus during the day. It was a scenic route by the sea. It was the first sight of the sea in about 2 months it was great. We reached Hoi An at dinner time and headed straight to the tailors to order new dresses to be ready before we left and had dinner at a street stall while wandering through another market before heading back to the hotel.
Yvonne
Day 123
I eventually drag myself out of bed late today. Old habits die hard; we were up late last night watching movies on the television. (It was really nice after so long without a television) Breakfast is in a nice quiet restaurant down the road from the hotel and we hit the shops again. We are strolling through the market when we are nabbed by one of the dressmakers and order another dress. We then head back for Brenda’s fitting and meet up with the others. They have been very busy all morning ordering more clothes. It is time for food again by the time the fitting is done and we all head out together. The real damage starts after lunch, we are all talking about what everyone has ordered and soon we all want what the other had ordered so the rest of the day is spent chosing material and being measured.
With a busy schedule for the next day, fitting and collecting our purchases, we are thinking of out tummies again. Brenda and I decide that we will go for a bit of a walk first and see some of the sights here before dinner. We arrange to meet up with the rest of the crew later and head for the riverside. It is beautifully lit up and the music from the bar across the river is wafting through the air. The big highlight for me in Hoi An is the Japanese-style bridge. Folklore has it that there once was a big monster who’s head lives in Cambodia and it’s end in China, the Vietnamese people discovered it’s weakness was over the river in Hoi An and they killed the monster. Taking pity on the dead monster they built a bridge where they killed it and out a temple on the bridge to pray for the monster’s soul. The bridge is beautifully lit up with Japanese lanterns throughout.
On the way back we pass a Vietnamese hand craft shop entirely dedicated to model ships. It is amazing, some of the ships are huge. They have full replicas of all the ships throughout history from Captain Cook’s ship used to discover the pacific islands and Australia to the Titanic to Vietnamese and Chinese ships of old. It is a small shop but you could spend hours in there looking at the detail of each one. We drag ourselves away with promises of ‘when I win the lottery’ or ‘when I buy a house’ and off to dinner and then bed.
Day 124
Our morning is going to be a busy one so we are up early and checked out of our rooms by nine and off to breakfast. One by one we tick off all our appointments with our arms soon filled with our treasures. The tally ends up; Brenda: 2 dresses and one pair of shorts, Yvonne: 2 tops, one dress and one pair of shorts. This sounds like a lot but compared to the others it is a small list. A few have bought suits, winter coats, flip flops, high heels, there is even a beautiful evening gown in the list. Everyone is very happy, the clothes are beautifully made and they fit perfectly. All the girls are determined to come back some day with and empty suitcase.
Our bus leaves tonight around 6pm for our 12 hour journey to our next stop Nha Trang. We are all hoping it will be a nice sleeper bus with bunk beds in it but we don’t know, fingers crossed.
