Gibbons Experience Video

This is from when I did the Gibbons Experience in Laos in December. I have been wanting to post this for awhile now but keep forgetting or don't have a good internet connection to do it. Hope you enjoy it cause I had lots of fun ziplining it!

Down the coast and into Cambodia

When I last left you it was pouring rain in Hue.  Well I am please to say that the weather improved slightly when I was in Hoi An for a couple of days.  It is the place to get clothes and shoes tailored made so I own a tailored wool coat for fall weather, a black dress and leather sandals. Hoi An also has the cheapest beer I have ever had at 3000 dong a glass (1 CDN = 18000 dong so basically 10cent beer). 

Hoi An at night

After Hoi An, I travelled down the coast via my open ticket night sleeper bus to Nha Trang. I was able to meet up with Sieske and Sanne, two Dutch gals, that I have been hanging out with on a off since our trek in Chiang Mai. It was finally sunny so a day at the beach was in the cards. It was lovely to finally sun tan on beach and I look forward to doing more of it the more south I travel.  I also went to the mud baths and they were awesome. You sit in this tub of mud for 20 minutes followed by showering and than sitting in a tub of hot mineral water. It was very relaxing! 

The next day we did the floating bar snorkel cruise but the wind was up and the waves were too high to snorkel at the snorkel spot. It was still a fun tour though as chatting with cool people and went swimming.  The snorkel crew met up for dinner and we went out on the town and dance the night away at the Sailing Club on the beach. Sieske and Sanne left for Saigon but Hannah, an English gal we met on snorkel crew, hung out all day and then caught separate night buses to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) or also know as Saigon. Hannah and I meet up off our buses and booked into a hotel. I went exploring and visited the Independance Palace and the War Remnants Museum.  The Independence Palace is where the Viet Con claimed victory over the South Vietnamese and the Americans. It is still left in its 1975 splendour. The War Remnants Museum has a detailed photo history of the war and the affects of the war (Agent Orange being the main one) and it very sad and humbling to walk around.  War is definitely very a horrible thing. Even the next day, it was proven more to me when we went to the Cu Chi tunnels.  The people of Cu Chi, who were part of the Viet Con, built 200km in 20 years to fight and live in. The tunnels are tiny and so dark to crawl around. Our guide was really informative and on the tour we show lots of different part of the tunnels from the kitchen, to the trenches, to booby traps.

 

Entrance to a tunnel

There is also a rifle range where you can shot a variety of guns. Hannah and I split 10 bullets from an AK 47 and it was a bit of a rush.  Later that night we went to the Water Puppets which is originally started in the 11^th century in the north. Very cool show. 

After HCMC,  I flew to the Phu Quoc Island to relax for a couple of days.  It took me a while to find accommodation but eventually found a bungalow about 100m up from the beach. Spent a few says sun tanning and walking along Long Beach, which is a yellow sand beach.  Long Beach is the main beach and there are lots of resorts on it but the island is still very much in development and it is so chilled out. I rented a scooter one day and went around the south part of the island and there was only a dirt road to drive on. I went to a beautiful white sand beach called Sao Beach for the afternoon. The night market had cheap bbq food and real pearl earrings from $2.50 a pair.  

Beach chairs at the resort I stayed on Phu Quoc

 From Phu Quoc, I ferried and than bussed into Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  Spent the day today at the beach and it is definitely very developed here compared to Phu Quoc. Still a lovely beach though. I went to Cambodia Children's Painting Project (http://www.letuscreate.org/) to see all about the great project that they have getting street/beach kids into a safe environment by teaching to them to the paintings that they make and providing them with education, medical and a safe place to hang out.  It is a really great project that supports 200 kids. From Sihanoukville, I took a 2 hour boat ride to Monkey Island resort on Koh Rong Island. This is the Southeast Asia Island of my dreams!! If you had island paradise in a picture dictionary it would look like this.  White sand beaches, turquoise green/blue water, and only a limited number of people. I had originally planned on staying one night but ended up staying three. It helped that my accommodation was free as Monkey Island was only opened a month ago and the dorms are still under construction. The whole vibe of Monkey Island was so chill and days were spent relaxing by going for a swim in the clear water and wander around the beaches.  I went exploring with some other travellers to the beach on the other side of the island and after an hour hike, we emerged on a 5km white sand beach.  It was amazing! Koh Rong is definitely a highlight of the trip thus far and a recommended place to go.  Love, love, loved it there!  

Got back from the island today and spend the afternoon in Sihanoukville before getting bus to Phom Penh. I should be here for a couple of days and lots of sights to see. Hope all is well with everyone at home and abroad xoxox

Good Morning Vietnam

Well a belated Christmas and New Years to everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. I had a great time and will have lots of memories spending Christmas dancing alongside a river and celebrating New Years on an island. I mentioned that Christmas Eve dinner was being cooked by Oh and it was delicious. About 15 from all over the world had dinner and drinks together and it was such a great time.  On Christmas day, we took a tuk tuk to the river and partied in our Santa hats and with our Christmas tree with a couple hundred other people. Great fun! On Boxing Day, I took a bus to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars. There are these jars that are 2000 plus years old in the middle of fields and no one really knows exactly what their purpose is.  One theory is that they were used for burials as skeletons were found in some and the other theory is that they were used for storage. I think they were used for both but then again I am no expert. Phonsavan was one of the most heavily bombed areas in Lao during the war with the US so MAG (Mines Advisor Group) had to clear the sites of the jars and has an office in town. It is so interesting and yet so scary that the effects of a war 40 years ago are still being felt by the people today. I learned from MAG that there are millions and millions of unexploded  bombs in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and everyday people fear for their lives as they can’t safely harvest land and walk in the forest to gather food. It is so sad and I really support the work MAG does in clearing the bombs.

From Phonsavan, I caught a bus into Vihn, Vietnam and than a sleeper night bus up to Hanoi. I spent a day and night wandering around and getting lost in Hanoi while trying to dodge the crazy traffic. With a population of over 4 million Hanoi is a big city and for every two people there is one motorbike, which means lots and lots of traffic. The key to crossing the street is not to look both ways but just go and walk slowly so the motorbikes and cars can predict your movements. It is really quite scary at first but you get used to it.

On the 30^th of Dec, I took a bus up to Halong Bay with 30 other backpackers and we hopped aboard the Jolly Roger for a New Years boat cruise of Halong Bay. Halong Bay is about 4 hours north of Hanoi and it is a world heritage/UNESCO site due to its beautiful limestone cliffs that rise out of the ocean. It is just beautiful and I loved sailing around all the islands. I was on the Jolly Roger with Amy (who I meet in Chiang Mai) and Mark, who had to cab it from Hanoi to the boat dock due to a late bus and just made the boat thankfully. On the first day, we jumped off the boat and swam in the water before going kayaking.  Drinking games followed dinner as we were on a party boat.  The next day we got up early as we transferred to a smaller boat to take us to Castaway Island in Cat Ba National Park.  I just sat at the front of the boat with my legs hanging over watching the scenery as it was spectacular.  We lucked out on the weather as it was a hot sunny day so everyone napped and sun tanned on the beach before doing a water sport. I went banana boating and it was really fun but rough. There are 8 on you on the banana and when all 8 of you get tossed off you typically slam into someone else in the water or they slam into you.  Drinking games started the night off after dinner and flowed into New Years Day as we counted down the clock. It was a great time and a great crew of people to celebrate the end of decade and the start 2011. The boat picked us up early for our journey back to Hanoi and goodbyes were said at the hostel as everyone went their own way. Mark, Amy and I went out for hot pot for dinner and it was amazing! They just put a pot plate on your table with a pot of broth on it and you add ingredients (chicken, tofu, veggies, and noodles) to it as it cooks along. Very tasty!

Amy and I Swimming off Castaway Island

The next couple of days were busy as Amy, Mark and I went on a tour of the Perfume Pagoda which is about 70km outside of Hanoi. It is a place where Vietnamese go to pray and therefore burn lots of incense creating a perfume. To access the pagoda, you are rowed up and down a river for about an hour and then have to take a gondola up or hike up to the cave where the pagoda is.  That same night, I caught the night train to Sapa as Amy and Mark flew to Saigon. Sapa is northwest of Hanoi in the mountains and is famous for rice terraces and treks to the hill tribes. I did a 2 day trek with a home stay.  Sapa is a very built up touristy town but it also very beautiful as it is built on the side of a hill a surrounded by rice paddies.  The Vietnamese go there in the summertime to escape the heat of Hanoi so it is busy all year round and no exception when I was there. The scenery is supposed to be amazing and I can imagine it to be that way but the weather was less than ideal for us and it was very very foggy so you couldn't see much. When it did break at times there were rice paddies terraced all up and down the mountains into the valleys. All the tours follow the same road into the villages in the valley as the road is being constructed to make a hydro dam. Would have like to have separated from the masses and walk along the rice paddies but seems that is not the case unless you book a private tour. Our guide was named Co and she was fantastic. She really opened up about her life as a Hmong and life in the village and shared lots of information with us. Best guide in Asia thus far! Little but very strong Hmong ladies followed us and chatted with us as we walked along, hoping we would by from them. We stayed overnight in a house that has a large loft area for lots of bed to house all the homesteaders. There was about 3 groups staying at this house so not a very close knit thing where you eat with the whole family but I still enjoyed it as we all sat by the cooking fire and watched the ladies make dinner and chatted with them. The ladies ate with us too and we drank rice wine. It poured rain all night so the trail the next day was full of mud. I had two Hmong ladies holding me up for a good portion of the trail as it was so slippery.  Everyone else had 2 ladies holding them up too. Other than not being able to see the full scale of the scenery, Sapa was nice. It was definitely chilly as had to wear layers to stay warm but then again it is winter in Vietnam too.

 

Co, Sa and I

I am currently Hue after spending one more day in Hanoi and getting the night sleeper bus here. It is pouring rain and has been all day. Managed to get on an afternoon tour of the old Forbidden City and citadel and take a boat tour of the river. Tomorrow I will see the emperors’ tomb and then catch a bus to Hoi An.  Well now you are updated on my adventured and I hope you are having great adventures of you own. Much love xoxoxo