Sapa

Up in the north-west of Vietnam is a small town called Sapa. Surrounding the main town are stunning views and 5 minority (the Vietnamese term) peoples. For two days Claire & I trekked through the valley and had some interaction with them - though it was predicated upon commercial interests (we now have more souvenirs than we want). The scenery was spectacular, with high cliffs along to our left and right, and villages and rice paddies spread along the cliff faces.

The H'Mong people in particular seemed to take a liking to Claire, making her presents of grass horses and a fern tiara.

Another Claire

Back home in Melbourne there are multiple Claire's, such as "At Home Claire", "In the Studio Claire" or "Attending an Exhibition Opening Claire", each with their own set of accessories and activities and . Since coming away I've discovered another I didn't know existed - "Adventure Claire".

Adventure Claire treks through rainforests and flies over their canopies, fords rivers, kayaks, scales waterfalls, feeds bears, rides elephants, enjoyes motorbikes and always manages to maintain her smile.

For a morning walking with the H'Mong people in northern Vietnam she even managed to become Princess Adventure Claire, being crowned with a fern tiara.

How Long Bay

From Hanoi Claire & I spent three very relaxing days floating through Ha Long Bay. In a renovated junk boat we gently cruised in amongst the islands, stopping for swimming and kayaking along the way. On the first afternoon we were able to take the kayak under a small cave in one of the limestone islands into an internal bay, entirely surrounded by sheer cliff faces.

On our final day we (Claire, I and two friends met on the trip) ate at the only free table in a restaurant full of a group of very drunk Vietnamese. Rice wine, beer flowed and the group got into their party tricks, one singing Vietnamese opera and another drinking beer through his nose. One of the group, a lady, came over to practice her English and explained that the group were army and government officials celebrating the conclusion of a training course.

During our discussion, the singer came over and our translator explained he was a high ranking military official, and that he'd like to toast with us. Glasses and a bottle of rice wine quickly appeared. Our host drank a shot to each of ours, then broke into a tune each verse of which was interspersed with another round of shots. After he'd proved he was a big man by downing 7 shots in 5 minutes with the foreigners we made a polite exit before the second ranked man decided to do the same.

Hanoi

Hanoi's proven to be my favourite city in Vietnam so far. Once out of the peak tourist area, it's possible to see life 100 years ago. The French colonial era buildings stand out unlike most cities, and unlike Hoi An it's a living city rather than a museum (Claire's analysis). Life goes on on the small streets much more clearly than elsewhere and walking around gives the impression of participating.

The central lake in Hanoi has a particularly mystical fell, with its deep green colour, pagodas built on small islands, willows hanging over the edge and completed with mist. It's integrated into the city and you can see Hanoians really use it as part of their daily life - to meet, play chess, or hold hands.

After Hanoi we're going to Ha Long Bay for a few days, then Sapa in northern Viet Nam, after which we cross into Yunan province in China. It might be quite a while before the next post.

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh

Claire & I have just spent a week in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon and the surrounding area.

I, and I believe most visitors, was struck first by the traffic. Crossing the street's a hair-raising experience, in which hesitation is even more costly than when running between the wickets. Everyone says "just keep walking, don't look", but I don't think it's as straight forward as that.

Being back in a big, big city reminded me of my time in Bangkok, and I've a feeling Saigon will look more like Bangkok in the next 5-10 years (more high-rise buildings, more cars). I really enjoyed pulling up a seat at a cafe or street restaurant and watching the world go by, though the touts could get a bit much.

From Saigon we did a trip out to the Cu Chi tunnels - the underground complex dug by the Viet Cong during the American war for defense, attack, and living. Though I tried I didn't manage to crawl down the tunnels as claustrophobia got the best of me. A glance down their dark, tight confines was enough to give me an idea of what the living conditions would have been like.

After that we took a tour through the Mekong Delta, the highlight of which was the floating market. From a collection of boats farmers sold their goods to locals each day, the produce for sale on each boat indicated by tying an example to a bamboo pole on the boat's prow. Though there were plenty of tour boats taking in the market, it felt good to see something that's naturally a part of Vietnamese life and not adulterated for the tourist market.

Get Your Motor Runnin'

So to get off the conveyor belt Claire & I joined a three-day motorbike trek travelling from Nha Trang our destination was Dalat via Vietnam's central highlands. Even though we were only passengers, there were still many renditions of 'Born to be Wild' abounding.

This was my first time on a motorbike - not counting a few rides on scooter-taxis in Bangkok. Initially trepidation reigned, but I quickly settled in and by the last day was taking photos as we rode along. That said, there were a few nervous (as I unsubtly but evocatively describe them as 'arse-clenching') moments when the gap in the traffic looked just a little too small for our bike. The trip certainly gave me an understanding of how people drive in Vietnam, which seems to involve weighing up the speed of all vehicles, size of the vehicles and space on the road when determining if you should back off or go ahead. At one point we overtook a truck and two motorcycles into an oncoming motorcycles so my driver had gauged 5 vehicles speed and the available space. Just.

The countryside provided a rolling background of hills (with winding roads) and rice paddies (with straight roads) that we alternatively crawled and raced along. On the first day we repeatedly passed hills still deforested by agent orange 40 years later.

The region had been flooded by a typhoon a week ago (hence the 36 hours of rain in Hue/Hoi An) which had left the rivers swollen and waterfalls we visited barely a 'fall' at all, rather a lunge off the cliff edge.

The trip also provided the opportunity to spend time with our guides, likely one of our few opportunities to spend a concentrated amount of time with a Vietnamese person on the trip. It was good to get a glimpse into how they see the world. It's also been interesting to compare the industrious, prosperous Vietnamese (a capitalist wet-dream in a communist country) against the passive, impoverished Laos.

Tourism Conveyor Belt

After Lao's dishevelled systems, Vietnam's tourism machine came as a bit of a shock. A week and three cities showed how easy travel is here, and how easy it is to just be moved along. You wake at the guesthouse (located in a tourist area: guesthouses, food, beer, internet), get on the prearranged bus, get dropped off in the tourist centre of the next city, go on the organised day tour, spend money on the arranged objects and then get on the next bus.

On a similar note, the selling of 'Asian-esque' products is one that worries me. Shops here (and throughout South-East Asia) are filled with factory made products with Asian motifs. I just hope that in producing these mock-Asian products, the skills, reasons, traditions and creation involved in the development of the original models isn't lost.

Nha Trang

Nha Trang was our first beach experience in a while, and was suitably rewarding. Blue waters, golden sands, palm trees and more cliches than you can point a stick at made for a relaxing break. On our second day in Nha Trang we took a day trip around several islands, which was worth every cent of the $6 we paid for it.

Hue and Hoi An

Our first two stops in Vietnam were Hue and Hoi An.

Hue's a former capital, home to the no longer forbidden, Forbidden City. Though much of the former palace complex was ruined in the American war several key buildings still stand and occupied a morning for us. After Lao's quietness, Hue was a nice transition into Vietnam - more bikes, more people, excellent food and much to spend money on. It took Claire 4 hours in the country to purchase a new blouse - not quite beating her 3 hour record set in Bangkok.

Hoi An, a UNESCO protectorate, and home to a thousand tailors operating in the former colonial town. The old town's protected and technically doesn't allow motorised transport within its precincts. Strolling around town is a look back 150 years (nearly). One evening we sat on the porch of a large bar and pretended to be French colonialists retreating to a place of safety, a reminder of home, amongst the incomprehensible orient.

We also took the opportunity to have some clothes made. It only took three extra skirts to realise the correct answer to the question "Just one more?" is not to purchase just one more, but rather to back out of the store quietly.

Out of Lao

A couple of bus trips took us out Lao and into Vietnam. The Lao immigration office was a poor cement building, the Vietnam office and welcome arch large, expensive and a touch tacky.

Here's my final reflections on Lao:

1. The countryside, national parks and natural attractions are beautiful and unspoilt. This might be more to do with poor economic development, but for now there's lush forests, jagged limestone hills, and stunning waterfalls. Hopefully these things are protected.

2. The people in each town seem to have a different attitude, swinging from delightful to recalcitrant depending on the city.

3. There's not much in the cities.

4. The food is really, really plain.

5. Travelling in a developing country's let me see a different side of life, which I really appreciate.

Waterfall of the Mind

Down in Southern Lao Claire & I found one of the most beautiful spots in South-East Asia. Waterfall Tad Fein comprises two rivers meeting the edge of a cliff a few metres apart and plunging 120ms to the valley floor. We stayed in the resort overlooking the falls for two nights, the sounds of crashing water lulling us to sleep and views of the waterfall available from our balcony. It was cold to the point that we had jumpers on, and mist rolled in and out of the valley and surrounding forest through the two days we were there.

Our first afternoon provided full views of the waterfalls, we just watched quietly for a while, and then tried feebly to put our response into words to each other. Claire has brought a book with her entitled Mountains of the Mind, which explores peoples' reaction to mountains specifically and landscapes generally. In short, it proposes that our interpretation of a lanscape is dependent upon our personal and cultural backgrounds. Watching the water plummet I fit firmly into the modern category - awe at the sublime, sublime being an inarticulate-able combination of the beautiful and terror.

Biggest Dump in Lao

Savanakhet occupied (unfortunately) 3 nights on two transits of our time. If you can avoid it, don't come here. The guest houses are terrible, food worse (can food be 'extra' bland?), and the people unpleasant - it feels like you're a burden when you want to purchase food in their restaurant.

It was interesting, however, to be in a town that appears to be dying. It was formerly a French colonial trading point, and as such contains many French built buildings, and in it seems too many for the population. The Lao population feels lost in the town, unable to afford any upkeep, the same money seems to go around from one shop to another, neither increase nor improving the town. It feels stagnant, barely clinging on.