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Well, that's a relief; we've made it through the floods and into Vietnam. Our last night in China was one of those necessary but very dull stops that you sometimes have to make when travelling. Necessary because there was not a bus leaving for Hanoi from this city, Nanning, until the next morning. Dull because there was nothing to do here except try and find a restaurant that has an English menu.
Finally on our way to Vietnam and just when we thought Chinese officiousness was overrated, we were hauled into a room ('Closer Examination Room'; never before has there been a more ominour door sign) at the border whilst they examined our passports more closely. 10 minutes later we were hustled through passport control with no explanation given. Fine by us; so long as we get there eventually we don't really mind what they have to do (see Best Bits of China, below).
Truly in the tropics now. Hot, thick and humid air that has you crying out in gratitude when you enter an air-conditioned building. Luckily we discovered that the Old Quarter of Hanoi was quite a small area. Unfortunately all journey's on foot require an encounter with Hanoi 'drivers'. 4 million people, 2 million motorbikes and an apparent disregard for traffic lights make crossing roads here a bit like one of those computer games where you have to dodge oncoming asteroids. The trick; walk slowly in the vague direction of where the traffic is coming from. Suprisingly this works; the bikes steadily steer around you and it actually makes for an exciting adrenaline-fuelled adventure.
Evidence that this city was once part of the French empire is obvious from the tree-lined streets to the proliferation of bakeries. Thank God for the bakeries. There can't be many places in the world where you can get a rich pastry tart filled with creamy chocolate for about 10 pence. Some of the old architecture has survived too; grand balconied houses jostle with modern concrete reproductions. The Vietnam (American) War had a devastating affect here and this is perhaps the reason why the buildings grow so higgeldy-piggeldy from the ground. Some seem to have been built in the space of very narrow alleyways; no more than 6 feet wide yet 5 stories high. Thick webs of wiring string the chaotic streets together.
As far as sightseeing goes, there's Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum (closed on the day we went), the Ho Chi Minh museum (closed on the day we went) and Ho Chi Minh's old mansion (yep, closed on the day we went - we should really read that guide more carefully). However, we did get to see the early 19thC tower atop which had been plonked the national flag and besides which was a museum full of war trophies including a crashed B52 bomber, a helicopter and various other weapons of war.
The good majority of internet cafes we have been to so far have been in dank basements filled with those who shun daylight. Right now I'm listening to waves lapping the shore of Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay. Our first day in the bay was spent cruising in a junk to an enormous cave dripping with stalgtites and tastefully lit in yellow, blue and green. I haven't had the Fraggle Rock theme tune out of my head since. The scenery here is similar to that around Yanghuo except those crododile teeth mountains rise out of a clear blue sea and number almost 2000.
This is one of Vietnam's most popular tourism spots, evidenced by the hundreds of cruise junks that litter the potentially peaceful World Heritage site. Fortunately the little bit extra we paid to go with a decent operator seems to have resulted in us finding ourselves in secluded spots where we throw caution to the wind and ourselves off the boat into the bath-water warm water. Floating around in this glorious sea amidst such a dreamy landscape is about as good as it gets. A full moon rising above the darkened peaks perfectly rounded off a memorable day.
Feeling a little sunburned, today we took to kayaks and glided over the water weaving amidst the islands and into long, dark caves only navigable with torchlight (anyone with a fear of bats kindly requested to wait outside). A bounty of beaches meant that it wasn't hard to find one all to ourselves and a good deal of lounging was enjoyed before we were taken to the Sunrise Hotel on Cat Ba. Boasting it's own beach upon which crash aformentioned waves, we can also enjoy a large pool and a balcony looking out to sea. Sometimes paying that little bit extra makes things a whole lot more enjoyable.
Best Bits of China
- The people
- The food
- Having the Great Wall to ourselves
- Gazing on Shanghai's skyscrapers at night
- Conquering the too-precarious-to-be-comroftable peak on Mt Huangshan
- The ancient village of Xiao Likeng
- Gulang Yu's faded charm
- Hong Kong (well it's more or less China's now, right?)
- Cycling through Yangshuo's countryside
How did we get here?
To get where we are right now from the UK* we have needed to travel on 11 coaches/buses 10 trains and 2 boats;
*Excluding any travel for sightseeing
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Posted by ollyoverlandandsea on 2008-06-22 10:33:51 | Rating: | Views: 43
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great and interesting. Viet Nam nice. China more nicer as this is where I make my home today. I understand the bureaucracy of the Chinese. I did have a small problem once but with the right contacts made it through and today have no problem with my yearly visas. Good Luck
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Posted by norm4u2
on 2008-06-22 18:42:53
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