Tag Archives: south east asia

Vietnam. ‘I was there man !!’

I arrived at Hanoi airport and picked up my visa at the airport, only had to wait about 15 minutes for it and i was through customs and immigration. I travelled into Hanoi to witness the mayhem that is the Hanoi traffic chaos. Thousands of motorbikes everywhere coming to a crossroads but somehow working there way around each other. Everybody uses their horn but as so many people are doing it everybody pretty much ignores it.

I stayed in the old quarter which is heavily influenced by the French, roads very narrow but the locals still managed to spill out onto the streets with their goods and chairs. The city certainly has an energy about it and although chaotic in appearance somehow manages to operate efficiently. Renting a motorbike isn’t for the faint hearted though and something i would be doing in a hurry.

 

The biggest challenge in Hanoi is crossing the street. If you wait for a gap in the traffic then you will be waiting for the day – no question. What you have to do is swallow a brave pill and just start walking, don’t stop, don’t hesitate, don’t turn back. If you keep walking then everybody manages to work their way around you, pause for just a second or two then a motorbike is coming towards you turning left and right trying to figure out which way to avoid you. Thing is just stepping off the pavement into a mass of motorbike actually works !! Its the safest way to cross. I hung around in Hanoi watching the local hectic life for a few days, visited a few museums and monuments, had some of the Ba Hai beer ( cheapest draught beer in the world at 14p a glass !) and watched the locals some more, by far the most interesting thing to do. I had heard about the beautiful scenary up in the hills in Sapa so this was going to be my next stop. Overnight sleeper train to get me there as i had heard about the sleeper bus being just to dangerous. Too many fast drivers, too many bends, too many crashes.

Phuket Thailand and some tours

I’ve now had a few days around Phuket Thailand. One thing for sure is how very touristy it is, the amount of Russians here is unbelievable, road signs are in Russian, menus are in Russian, tour operatours display in Russian. Have moved around the island a little to stay at different beach locations, rented a scooter for the day which took me to a few beaches and view points around the coast. Went on a couple of trips the first took me out to the famous Phi Phi island, scene of ‘The Beach’ film, unfortunately the entire Russian population decided to attend on the same day that i went?

Kata and Karon Bays –

Kata and Karon Bays
Kata and Karon Bays
View from Phuket Thailand

Busy beaches Russian style –

'The Beach' Thailand
‘The Beach’ Thailand
'The Beach' Thailand
‘The Beach’ Thailand

Beautiful bays and not so crowded –

The second organised trip i went on took me up to the famous Phang Nga Bay region, a stunning place with huge limestone rocks soaring up from ths sea. I joined a trip that took you via boat and kayak around some islands and in and under some ‘hongs’. Some of the limestone formations actually have small lakes inside them that are only accessible by kayak through some caves at low tide. We had to lay flat on our backs to get under the roofs of the caves to get into the hongs –

Phang Nga Bay Phuket
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand
Phang Nga Bay Phuket
Phang Nga Bay Phuket Thailand

Me and my Kathrong, my gift to the gods of the seas which we released from the boat at sunset.

Kathrong Phuket
Me and my Kathrong