Can two weeks have passed since we last wrote? I'm sure we're
not still meant to be having this much fun but the good times keep on
coming. We have just touched down in Cambodia after travelling in a
cross border bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, the country's
capital. After spending 7 hours inside with blue sky and sunshine
outside, at disembarkation time the heavens opened to add another
dimension to our Apprentice style tuk tuk challenge. Rather than
trying to organise the group into nine tuk tuks on a busy street,
everyone was handed a piece of paper with the hotel address and a
dollar bill and set the task of getting themselves there. There was
sabotage aboard the bus, hooking bag straps onto chairs, aisle
blocking, things got even dirtier outside, pushing drinks carts into
the way to prevent rival tuk tuks from getting off the pavement,
urging the drivers to go faster with extra dollars, who eventually
got wind of the competition and joined in heartily, full throttle and
adopting the tuck position. Nick & Ryan somehow managed to get
streets ahead and by the time second placed Hels & Rogs arrived
they were sitting on the verandah beer in hand!
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| The victorious Ryan & Nick |
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| Tuk tuk challenge |
Back to where we have been hiding for the last couple of weeks. The
Imperial city of Hue was our first stop in Vietnam, set on the banks
of the Perfume River, named after the tropical scent it used to bring
down from the mountains, before the days of dredging sand to make
concrete and being cleared of houseboats, meaning it has lost much of
the colour and life that made it famous. On the North side of the
river stands the Citadel, a large walled area with a previously
forbidden city inside, access granted only to emperors, concubines
and those close to them, the penalty for trespassing was death!
Thankfully nowadays one can pay to enter and see inside. There was
also an option to head out of town and visit the demilitarized zone,
the dividing line between North and South Vietnam and an important
battleground.
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| Cindy, Mikkel, G Rod & Ryan |
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| Making traditional conical hats |
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| Dragon boat on the Perfume River |
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| Mikkel taking off with a rickshaw |
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| Nick taking Di for a ride |
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| Perfume River flower |
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| Intricate and beautiful roof |
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| Shrimp spring rolls |
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| Statue in Hue |
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| My, that's a lot of incense |
On to Hoi An via a short stop at China beach where American GIs used
to hang out and a chance to throw an unsuspecting Gareth into the
sea. Hoi An, which translates as “peaceful meeting place”, apart
from being in a prime position with the Mekong river on one side and
the South China Sea on the other, our first sight of the ocean since
Greece, the old trading port is now probably better known for its
tailors. No sooner had the backpacks been delivered to our
delightful rooms by the hotel porters (are we in the right place?) we
were out being measured up for dresses, shirts and three-piece suits.
Hoi An Ancient Town dating from the 15th to 19th
century and a UNESCO world heritage site was also a lovely place to
wander and admire the mix of architecture.
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| China Beach |
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| G Rod gets dunked |
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| But gets his own back on Nick |
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| Fun and games in the South China Sea |
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| Hoi An hotel |
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| Beautiful windows and a lovely balcony at the hotel |
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| Rog's monkey impression |
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| Japanese covered bridge in Hoi An |
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| Ryan & G Rod - guess who's been hitting the beach... |
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| Taking a rest |
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| Traditional Vietnamese hat |
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| What's this? Overland crew wearing a three-piece suit? Surely a first? |
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| Betsy & Cher don their new dresses for the girl's night out |
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| Hoi An girl's night out |
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| Shelagh in her tailored number |
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| Shelagh, Rowan, John, Jeff & Laura |
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| Pick your shirt - endless choice in the tailors |
All
suited and booted with bags bulging from our new tailored wardrobes
we once again boarded a hired bus to take us further down Vietnam's
snaking coast line to Nha Trang. The undisputed beach capital of the
country. We must admit some of us had visions of a sleepy beach town with
small collections of guest houses and hotels nestled on the beach. To
our surprise we drove into a skyscraper laden bustling city spread
out along 11 km of pristine white sand with the waves lapping the
shores of this metropolis on the sea.
Our
hotel, set back a street from the beach, afforded us views of the
palm tree lined coast. A nice surprise was the vast roof top balcony
which we took full advantage of to have a private Odyssey sunset
rooftop party. Tables overflowing with snacks and various beverages
set us up for a night checking out some of the town's buzzing bars
and clubs.
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| Sunset enroute to Nha Trang |
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| Roof top party |
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| Pip & Laura |
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| Talk to the hand... Rowan & Jim |
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| Cindy, Jim, John, Julia and Shelagh out for a curry |
A lot of the group ventured out the next morning on our own private boat for a snorkelling trip enjoying some stunning reef marine life boasting every colour of the rainbow, starfish and the poisonous but flamboyant lion fish. Unfortunately Laura suffered from a touch of sea sickness and returned early but in glamorous style on a speed boat to seek terra firma. For some folk on the trip it was their first ever sub aqua experience and it was a great day out. Lunch included, we were spoiled with a massive buffet spread prepared and served on the boat, not even 14 hungry snorkellers managed to finish the smorgasbord of delights ranging from seafood to morning glory. Tans and flip flop lines returning up we are all rapidly getting into the swing of the relaxed beach life.
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| John taking the leap |
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| Nick's first time snorkelling |
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| Pip's first ever snorkel too |
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| Rogs pursuading Hels to jump |
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| Rowan |
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| Jeff |
After
three days enjoying Nha Trang the group were excited and surprised to
find we'd hired a private sleeper bus for the long day's drive down to Ho
Chi Minh City, still referred to by most as Saigon. The thinking was
that a lot of us can't help but enjoy a bit of shut eye whilst on the
road so why not have a near fully reclining seat to make it a little
easier. With 40 beds to choose from bed hopping was rife from the
upper deck to the lower and window to aisle.
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| Ryan sleeping like a baby |
Saigon
with a population of at least 7 million was our first real taste of a
capital in South East Asia with hundreds of motorbikes and scooters
taking pole position at all traffic lights. A sight to behold is to
watch the way in which so many bikes carrying all manner of cargo
from entire families to full on mobile shops can interweave with
buses, trucks and cars seemingly pulling out without as much as a
glance and coming off unscathed, amazing really and quite skilled. To
fully experience how it works whilst in town some of us jumped on the
back of the bikes using them as unregistered taxis, always a relief
to reach your destination!
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| Saigon traffic |
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| Are we there yet? |
Our accommodation for the four night stop was the wonderfully friendly Madame Cuc's where we were treated to not only breakfast but also a simple dinner of noodles and spring rolls, not to mention unlimited bananas, tea and coffee. Plenty of sights and activities to keep us busy from visiting temples, war museums, underground Vietnamese war tunnels, water puppetry shows and boat trips on the Mekong Delta. We also celebrated our biggest birthday to date, Pip's 30th! Starting off with all piling into her room for present opening and ending up with some competitive bowling and drinks out. It seems the smaller the plastic chair the cheaper the beer. Makeshift bars open up in the evening along a narrow street, chairs creeping further and further into the road until vehicles struggle to squeeze through. Pip was last seen around 2am with a bucket of roses, borrowed from a street vendor, attempting to sell them to the revellers.
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| Worshippers in the Cao Dai Temple |
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| Cao Dai Temple |
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| Hels |
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| Left eye at Cao Dai Temple |
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| Cao Dai worshippers |
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| Jody appreciating the local crafts |
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| "Don't touch" signs always seem to have the opposite effect... Laura, Pip, G Rod & Ryan |
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| Mekong Delta |
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| Floating markets on the Delta |
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| Ladies who tea? |
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| Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon |
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| Trap door, Cu Chi tunnels |
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| Visiting the Cu Chi tunnels |
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| Shells on display at the Cu Chi tunnels, a reminder of Vietnam's troubled past |
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| Birthday girl Pip |
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| Rowan, Betsy & Jody, circle of friends |
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| What else could you want for your 30th birthday? |
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| Celebrating |
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| Rather snazzy bowling shoes |
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| Cindy showing her pro technique |
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| Busy street side bars |
Now
in Cambodia, our first stop is the country's capital Phnom Penh where
we have three nights to venture out and visit the more sombre sights
of the Killing Fields and S21 Museum as well as take in another new
country, our 22nd of the trip, and enjoy what can only be
described as a boutique hotel complete with jacuzzi on the roof
terrace, far too smart for our liking!
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