It's been a while, Vietnam update

Well Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and All. I would like to say, those busy living are too busy to write about it. But in truth I have been a bit unsure what to blog and what to keep to private communications. Travel is just a private experience, it seems incongruent to be posting to the world about it.

I last posted leaving for Phu Quoc looking for the island paradise we had heard so much about from those weary of hassles in mainland Vietnam. The hassles we no less present here unfortunately with the usual hoard of moto drivers wanting to take you to best hotels, and charge well over the odds. One tries to separate the touts from the rest of the people, but there is an ever present suspicion of people created by the constant pestering and attempted scams. I am assured it is a cultural thing, that asking “where you go?” is not considered rude, though surely “where would you like to go ?” would be more profitable.

After a long ferry ride to the Island, we were not in the mood and took a cold drink at a cafe while the other tourists got onto motors. Despite telling them we were not interested, the mot drivers sat next to us, drank coffee and offered us cigarettes and hotel cards. Now armed with a map, and having enough of their pestering we were determined to walk it. The sting had gone from the day as we began the 17k to the other side of the island. The moto drivers looking at our packs, nearing 30kgs told us we would surely die on the road. We walked off, expecting to see them again soon, but pressed on defiantly. At 5, and 12ks they appeared again, but eventually left shaking their heads.

Reaching the beach, Chris bless him went to the bar for cold beers and chocolate. The barmaid assumed he must have been attacked given the stake of him, and also thought we were mad to walk. A friendly Parisian, yes they do exist!, pointed out a place to set up the hammock and bivvy. Chris who is plagued by mosquitoes had my hammock with a built in net and splashed on repellent. I crashed in the bivvy bag underneath. Chris still managed to get eaten alive, I was untouched and could not convince him to sleep out another night, especially Christmas Eve.

Christmas was a fairly quiet affair on the beach at Phu Quoc. Though I understand the technology, it still amazes me that one can skype from the beach on an Island, even during a power cut, the router had a UPS!

New Year was spent with at Mui Ne friends from Bodhi and some new ones. From the facebook pictures one can probably tell what a messy night it was. Despite my commitment to yoga, meditation and all, sometimes getting smashed is really what you need, almost cathartic.

After a while though, the palm trees lined resorts become wearisome, one longs for something authentic, that was not designed for ones entertainment, and often poorly executed. We travel as much to lose ourselves as to find them. Not easy to do when one is constantly reminded of being a tourist

Saigon was approached after a sixteen hour bus journey, helped by Valium. We were the only ones we met who managed to sleep soundly, though the cots were too short for Chris and too narrow for me.

On a wander to find a cheap hotel we bumped into friends from new year, and spent a quiet evening a bar until the TV announced Vietnam's victory against Thailand in the Asia football cup. Saigon went wild, with most of Saigon's mopeds on the streets. Two years ago there were around 5 million registered, current estimates including unregistered are nearly 8 million. Most had more than one, sometimes 4 people on board banging drums, pots or the helmets of drivers in a wild celebration.

Hoi An was a welcome relief from the business of Saigon, and is famed for its French colonial charm, cuisine and tailors. We took full advantage of all these, with photos to follow.

The tailors can copy anything here, and were able to stitch me up a pair of “Naomi Klein's” from a picture of airwalks taken from the Internet. For $30 they were able to make a matching silk lined woolen hoody, the height of luxury and cargo pants, with suitably pocket picker proof pockets.

After the most boring tour bus experience to the 17th parallel, we would only laugh about in retrospect we are back in Hue, preparing to leave for Hanoi. Sixteen hours on the bus, so I am off to find some good books.

Now up to date with the where and when, the why of travel must surely follow, but breakfast calls.

Love to all

Jim