Enjoy!

Vietnam:

Martin had never been to Vietnam but I’d been one time before. A week after I met him in 2004 (en route from Bangkok to Cambodia) I tried to convince him to join me on my two week tour of Vietnam. He foolishly refused, though it wasn’t a deal breaker, obviously.

As payback I took him to every place I’d been on the two week tour that he forced me to do without him. Come to think of it, it wasn’t much of a punishment as I was seeing everything a second time while he was enjoying all new experiences.

Hm. Hindsight is truly 20-20.

Anyway, we spent a month in Vietnam touring northward from Saigon, through the central highlands, and into the northern mountains around Sapa. The country is staggeringly long. It was a rushed trip, but  filled with beauty and one really great trek.

Check out the best that Vietnam offered us by clicking the photos below:

The Reunification Palace in Saigon

The Cong Trinh Tai Thiet pagoda in Pleiku

Halong Bay

Sapa, Vietnam

Mt Fansipan, Vietnam

HCM Museum

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Vietnam, circa two months ago:

Hmong woman: “Hello! You buy from me! I give you good price! You have beautiful nose!”

Indonesia, two weeks ago:

Random Indonesian man: “Hello! Where you from? You have a beautiful nose!”

Indonesia, two days ago:

Ikat weaving sales lady: Points to her nose (she’s didn’t speak English), then points at us and gives us a thumbs up.

Strange, but true. Southeast Asia gets pumped about the Engstrom nose.

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The two main brands of beer in Vietnam are called Saigon and Hanoi. Unsurprisingly, Hanoi is the popular brand in the north, while Saigon is the flagship of the south. There are a bunch of smaller breweries that have their own brands, but they are generally a bit rougher than the established beers.

Saigon, or 333 as it is called if it is served in a can (the nickname became the name – it contains 333 milliliters of beer), is a pleasant but unimposing lager. Being very light, it works well with the local food. It is also a nice refresher on a hot day – and Vietnam has plenty of those. I was totally OK with this beer, especially since bars sell it for about 50 US cents.

So, how about Hanoi, the other Vietnamese beer? I think it definitely holds its own, but I have to give the edge to Saigon. Hanoi is another light and drinkable lager, different from Saigon in the way that it has a hoppier edge. It is also pretty dry, and with some sort of bitter remnant that I think may be due to quality issues, or perhaps just storage issues.

This one is called LaRue – it’s the new and upcoming beer around these parts. The label purports it to be brewed with the original recipe from way back when – see, there was a LaRue beer back when the French ruled the country, but it was discontinued for all the obvious reasons. The present brewers just resumed production, they say. What about the beer itself? It is nice and very, very light. Almost not a beer at all. While this works well with the climate, I felt that there were better choices almost everywhere (except at the Mui Ne happy hour!).

In the end, we found this guy to be the winner: Saigon special. It’s the Saigon brewery’s premium beer, and it is the only one I found that I felt I would buy if I was outside Vietnam. A light yet tasty beer, well balanced and well executed. Yum! Start exporting it, please!

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The thing that really stands out is its diversity – both geographically and people wise. Our travels took us from Saigon in the south to Mt Fansipan in the north. In between, we enjoyed sights and wonders of a great variety. It’s safe to say that it was never boring.

We liked Saigon – it’s a pretty intense city with surprisingly large, well-kept parks. Spending only two days there, we never really saw much outside the central districts. It’s definitely a place that could take a bit more exploration. Oh and the food is great.

From Saigon we moved up to Mui Ne. This could possibly have been the least interesting part of the trip, but again the glorious Vietnamese cuisine came through. If nothing else, Mui Ne is worth a visit for its fantastic seafood restaurants. Had we been interested in water sports such as kite surfing and windsurfing, we would probably have loved the place.

In stark contrast, and this was a personal favorite of ours, Dalat provided us with cool mountain climate and beautiful scenery. It was also the starting point for our Easy Ride – one of the most exciting parts of our whole round the world trip so far. Riding on the back of vintage motorbikes for six days, our excellent guides saw to it that we experienced more than can be seen without spending far more money and effort. The Central Highlands are an interesting destination in its own right, but our gut feeling is that it may have been less gratifying without a proper guide.

After a short stop in Hoi An for tailor made clothing and banana pancakes, we took a long and tedious train ride to Hanoi: our base for exploring some of the delights of northern Vietnam.

Hanoi is nice. Friends have told me it was pretty bleak and dreary ten or fifteen years ago, but we found it to be a pretty cool and promising city. Too hot, at the time of our visit, but with a handful of interesting sights and decent shopping (if you like cheap copies, that is). We’re still a bit miffed that we missed out on Ho Chi Minh’s mummy. Next time, mummy! Grr!

Halong Bay is one of those must-see places that every country seems to have. In this case, it truly is a must-see. However, you want to do it right: spend a few bucks extra to avoid the crowds! We had a ball, just four tourists splashing around with a junk on the bay for a couple of days. Most tours there seem to follow the most trafficked routes, and we heard more than one disappointed voice complaining about overcrowding.

We loved Sapa and the mountains surrounding it. Again, we thought we’d be traveling through heavily touristed areas, but while we saw lots of domestic Vietnamese tourists, local tribespeople never failed to make us feel like we were curiosities. I have specifically fond memories of the hike up to Mt Fansipan – I can’t wait to do more of those merry little expeditions.

All in all I have to say that I would probably go back to Vietnam if I had the chance. However, I would try to focus on one area only: it is a huge, long country with the population size of Germany. You just can’t take it all in – concentrate on one area and you will come away happy and eager to go back.

Next up: a few more weeks here in Sweden, and then on to Singapore. We’re looking into various options on Sumatra after that. Stay tuned!

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So…I think it’s absolutely natural for the ol’ biological clock to be ticking at my age. And, not only that, but the clock wants to stock up on cute ethnic baby clothes while we’re traveling. We won’t be back here until after the (future) baby is born, so why not be proactive about it?

Well, this theory has been met with strong resistance from the hussie. Seeing me squeal happily over little hand-stitched baby shoes (which made their way to you, Bridget) makes Martin head to the nearest bar to slug back a few glasses of rice wine. He’s not resistant to the future babies; he’s just resistant to buying clothing for unborn children.

Well, I’m happy to say that I made my first baby clothing purchase today – but not without a compromise.

You see, I forbade Martin to wear wrap-around athletic sunglasses once I realized that he was into that sort of thing. Though they may be great for outdoor activities, they’re just not ok.

Well, today I got my baby jacket and he got his g*d damn sporty sunglasses. Marriage is about compromise, I guess.

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We’ve seen a number of these caravan cyclo tours slowly making their way down the street and are inevitably met with sheepish, bored looks by their passengers.

But, if you do accept, don’t be offended by the 90 year old ladies who overtake you, snickering.

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Oh. Great.  Sweet.

Well to our great surprise, it was actually kind of sweet, but not for its subject matter, which was of course not ground breaking.  Heaping spoonfuls of propaganda were fed to us on the first floor.  Yes, yes, yes. Ho Chi Minh was ab fab.

The happy surprise met us on the second floor. Being a museum nerd –  I’ve visited a fair share of them (I’ve even studied museology in school – but don’t tell anyone, it’s embarrassing). The exhibits we walked through on the second floor of the museum were very different from any I’ve seen to date. Unlike the hang-on-a-wall-with-a-plaque-next-to-it approach (yes, that’s a technical term), the exhibition designer executed his job with artistic flare. Ideas were expressed in 3-D interactive exhibits which were works of art themselves. Though I couldn’t agree with some of the ideas expressed, their execution was worth the visit.

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If any of our readers care to find out, the international dialing code for Vietnam is + 84 (make sure to exclude the zero).

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It’s a pity – I’ve always wanted to see one of the Communist leader mummies. There are a few of them around the world: Lenin in Moscow, Mao Zedong in Beijing and Kim Il Sung in North Korea. They did the same thing to Stalin but changed their minds after a while. He’s now dug down underneath the Kremlin wall.

We’re going to miss out on the mummy, since we’re en route to Hong Kong very shortly. Ah well, next time Uncle Ho!

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Originally, we signed on for a three day excursion. Halfway through the first day we decided that we felt strong enough to do it all in two days – a good decision, as it turned out. We did the trek together with a guide and one porter. The porter carried most of the supplies, excluding personal items and water. He also cooked our meals. The guide walked with us, pointing out a few niceties along the route as well as handling the permits and paperwork. I guess that we could have done without a guide, but he did make our lives easier. He also scared away a few snakes that were sunning themselves on the trail, so maybe he did earn his keep after all.

Fitness Level

You have to be reasonably fit to do it in three days. To do it in two days takes a bit more, but it is within range for most people with the desire to do it. We encountered three guys in their late sixties doing the trek – granted they were tough as guts though. We also met a young guy doing it in one day, but that might take a pretty athletic person. Us? Jaime runs a marathon in 4:20. I’m not as fit, but my body is pretty much built for hiking, since I’m tall and skinny and stubborn (built for hiking and darts. That’s all I’m afraid).

What to Bring

You’ll need a raincoat, as the upper part of the hike is very wet. Much of the trail is muddy, and there are a few streams to cross, so bring good footwear too. Unless you plan on doing the whole hike in one day, you’ll need warm clothes for the night. Don’t underestimate how cold it gets up there: even though your guide may set you up with a sleeping bag, you still want to have thermal underwear, a thick fleece and socks, at least. We brought 1.5 liters of water each, which was enough for the first day. The second day we refilled our bottles at a stream at base camp, using iodine purification tablets to make sure we didn’t pick up anything nasty. It’s also nice to bring a chocolate bar and some fruit to snack on during breathers.

Day One

The hike begins at a national park office building – your last chance to use a WC facility for a while. The first part of the hike is relatively easy, taking you on a path through fairly open rain forest. You have to cross a few small streams and rivulets. After approximately two hours on this trail you will reach the first camp – a tarp-covered hut that sells water and a few other basic necessities. The prices are high but not unreasonable. We had our lunch here: bread, cheese, fruit and eggs.

After the meal, the hike continues along the same path. Parts of the trail follow a small dried-out stream, while other parts are far more wet and muddy. After a little while, you will notice that the forest clears up a bit. We were told that the forest burned down in 1986. You will continue through this type of landscape for a fair while, going up and down along a brushy ridge.

The trail gets a bit rougher here, as it climbs steadily upwards. A concrete handrail has been set up to help you along, as well as a few strategically placed metal ladders. Some moderate scrambling can be necessary, as you go up and down a few gorges. It’s not difficult, but it does sap your strength.

By now, the brush will give way to dense rain forest. The trail goes up and down, and low-hanging vines and bamboo will give you something to grab onto as you climb further on. Gradually, the trees are replaced by bamboo groves. At times, you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding areas, unless of course the clouds makes it impossible to see anything. After a while, you will reach base camp, which sits at an altitude of 2800 meters.

We started our hike at ten o’clock in the morning and ended at base camp at three thirty, with a one hour break for lunch. The facilities at base camp are very basic: you sleep on bamboo platforms inside a corrugated iron hut. Some ways off, a hole in the ground surrounded by tarp provides a ‘restroom’. Our porter did a fantastic job for us that night, cooking up a six-course dinner that we washed down with a few shots of rice wine.

Day Two

It got very cold at night, and we did not catch much sleep. We rose at five thirty, and had a basic breakfast of instant noodles and coffee. We set out for the summit at seven o clock.

The next part of the hike looks very much like the end of day one – a muddy, rocky trail surrounded by dense bamboo groves. The trail goes up and down along the mountainside, and after about an hour you reach the beginning of the last push. If you are lucky, you can see Sapa town below you. However, the upper parts of Fansipan is more often than not sitting inside a cloud bank. The last thirty minutes you hike steadily upwards towards the peak.

We summited at 9:35 am. The clouds around us were dense, but luck had it that they cleared up for a while in each direction. We got a good view of Sapa town on one side, and far-away China on the other. Needless to say, it was very rewarding to sit there and share a chocolate bar, take a few pictures and chat about the hike.

The Descent

Save some energy for the way down, since it does have some pretty exhausting parts. We began our descent at ten o’clock, and reached the finish at three fifteen. Sore, but happy. All in all it was a great experience. It comes with our wholehearted recommendations!

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