21-24 Nov 2011
Now the travel was really getting under way. I had spent the weekend in Brisbane saying goodbyes, but was utterly exhausted the whole time and coming down with a cold. I was so thankful to be on the plane leaving Darwin after a 9 hour stop over. Not the most thrilling airport to wait that long at. Bonus about the wait, was I got talking to the girl next to me on the plane (Jaine), first friend made!
Arriving at Ho Chi Minh airport was not what I had imagined. I had expected a little airport that you walk off the plane on to the tarmac, but how I was wrong! I think that I had underestimated Vietnam as a whole, and was really surprised at how big it was
I was staying at Kims Hotel, which I can highly recommend. I think the room was about $24USD a night, and was really nice, and in a good location. I had an airport transfer, and Jaine came back with me to see if they had a room, as she hadn't booked anywhere. We both settled in to the hotel for the night, as it was about 2am by this time.
As soon as I woke up I ran to the balcony to see what HCM had in store for me. Scooters. What seemed like millions and millions of scooters. Jaine and I set off to find some pho for breakfast, and made our way to the markets. The shopping didn't interest us too much, but we took a lot of photo's walking around the seafood and meat section in the markets. On walking to the markets, we got to experience crossing the road in HCM. Wow. I had read reviews that you just put your head down and walk. And that's pretty much what you do. The scooters swerve around you, but you have to keep an eye out for cars.
Jaine went and checked in to a backpackers down the road, and then we met back up and went to find a massage. The lady at Kim's had suggested a place in a hotel down the road, so off we set to indulge in the wonderful world of cheap massages. Warning bells should have started ringing when the sign outside the suggested hotel listed "Massage, Sauna, Jacuzzi". We walked very quickly out of the hotel after the lady informed that it was "man only massage". Very cautious for our next venue, we made sure that we found a "spa". Our luck was looking up as we weren't turned away from the spa, and we almost high-fived. That excitement soon disappeared as we were led in to the rooms and girls in little short red skirts walked in to the room. The massage didn't turn out to be dodgy, but the giggling from the next room and the expectation for a big tip told us we hadn't stumbled in to the most innocent of places.
Now it was time for a drink. We found a street between both of our hotels, and managed to follow the happy hours, people watching, sharing stories, and turning away street sellers. We then stumbled in to Le Pub, where we ended up meeting a Scottish couple, and joining a pub quiz team (with the most ridiculous questions ever, and went on for 4.5 hours). I bailed out after 2 and a half hours, but our team went on to win the pub quiz! I think everyone else had dropped out since it had gotten so late.
The next day we went to the Cu Chi tunnels, which had been recommended by my friend Erica. I had seen a photo of Erica while she was down in the tunnels, her face drained of colour and fear in her eyes. The tunnels were set up during the war, and the Vietnamese used the tunnels for protection, living and fighting. They went metres underground and went on for 75 miles. We walked around the site where there are examples of traps and weapons from the war, then we got to fire guns (was very rushed though), and then we hit the tunnels. Having never felt claustrophobic before, I didn't see why this would change now. I was about the 4th one to go in to the tunnels, and all started out fine. Then it started getting hotter. And hotter. And the tunnel got narrower. Here you are, crouched over in half with a 10cm each side of you in a tunnel 2 metres under ground. All of a sudden we approached a bend, and the section of the tunnel I was in didn't have any light reaching it. That's when the photo of Erica flashed back in to my head, and I knew I wouldn't be looking much better now. Luckily there were exit's around every 20metres, and I was out of there at the sight of the next one.
Another meeting at Le Pub, with our new friends, and more drinks and stories. I was off to Cambodia the next day at 7am, so it was time to say farewell for now, Vietnam.
Now the travel was really getting under way. I had spent the weekend in Brisbane saying goodbyes, but was utterly exhausted the whole time and coming down with a cold. I was so thankful to be on the plane leaving Darwin after a 9 hour stop over. Not the most thrilling airport to wait that long at. Bonus about the wait, was I got talking to the girl next to me on the plane (Jaine), first friend made!
Arriving at Ho Chi Minh airport was not what I had imagined. I had expected a little airport that you walk off the plane on to the tarmac, but how I was wrong! I think that I had underestimated Vietnam as a whole, and was really surprised at how big it was
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| Love street food |
As soon as I woke up I ran to the balcony to see what HCM had in store for me. Scooters. What seemed like millions and millions of scooters. Jaine and I set off to find some pho for breakfast, and made our way to the markets. The shopping didn't interest us too much, but we took a lot of photo's walking around the seafood and meat section in the markets. On walking to the markets, we got to experience crossing the road in HCM. Wow. I had read reviews that you just put your head down and walk. And that's pretty much what you do. The scooters swerve around you, but you have to keep an eye out for cars.
Jaine went and checked in to a backpackers down the road, and then we met back up and went to find a massage. The lady at Kim's had suggested a place in a hotel down the road, so off we set to indulge in the wonderful world of cheap massages. Warning bells should have started ringing when the sign outside the suggested hotel listed "Massage, Sauna, Jacuzzi". We walked very quickly out of the hotel after the lady informed that it was "man only massage". Very cautious for our next venue, we made sure that we found a "spa". Our luck was looking up as we weren't turned away from the spa, and we almost high-fived. That excitement soon disappeared as we were led in to the rooms and girls in little short red skirts walked in to the room. The massage didn't turn out to be dodgy, but the giggling from the next room and the expectation for a big tip told us we hadn't stumbled in to the most innocent of places.
Now it was time for a drink. We found a street between both of our hotels, and managed to follow the happy hours, people watching, sharing stories, and turning away street sellers. We then stumbled in to Le Pub, where we ended up meeting a Scottish couple, and joining a pub quiz team (with the most ridiculous questions ever, and went on for 4.5 hours). I bailed out after 2 and a half hours, but our team went on to win the pub quiz! I think everyone else had dropped out since it had gotten so late.
The next day we went to the Cu Chi tunnels, which had been recommended by my friend Erica. I had seen a photo of Erica while she was down in the tunnels, her face drained of colour and fear in her eyes. The tunnels were set up during the war, and the Vietnamese used the tunnels for protection, living and fighting. They went metres underground and went on for 75 miles. We walked around the site where there are examples of traps and weapons from the war, then we got to fire guns (was very rushed though), and then we hit the tunnels. Having never felt claustrophobic before, I didn't see why this would change now. I was about the 4th one to go in to the tunnels, and all started out fine. Then it started getting hotter. And hotter. And the tunnel got narrower. Here you are, crouched over in half with a 10cm each side of you in a tunnel 2 metres under ground. All of a sudden we approached a bend, and the section of the tunnel I was in didn't have any light reaching it. That's when the photo of Erica flashed back in to my head, and I knew I wouldn't be looking much better now. Luckily there were exit's around every 20metres, and I was out of there at the sight of the next one.
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| Watching the world go by at Le Pub |
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