Once again I’ve been shocking at keeping this up to date. Since the last post we have travelled the rest of the way up Vietnam taking in the monument to the atrocities committed at Son My (commonly referred to by the nearby hamlet of My Lai), the beautiful French colonial town of Hoi An, Hanoi and Halong Bay and finally the hill tribes around far northern Sapa.
The monument at Son My to the massacres perpetrated by the American GI’s in the rural hamlets was sobering as expected. What was a surprise was the prominence given to the American helicopter pilot Thomson who clashed with Lt. Calley and landed his chopper in between fleeing villages and the advancing GI’s, ordering his gunner to open fire on his countrymen if they started firing on the villages. It was a story of such bravery that if I had known, I had forgotten about. He suffered persecution and ridicule for most of the remainder of his life and died an alcoholic. Thankfully his compassion and true heroism was recognised before his death.
Further up the coast, Hoi An by night has a magical quality that only French architects and expert lantern makers can produce. It’s truly enchanting and the 4000 D beer makes you think you’ve died and gone to heaven. It’s true, the tailors are out of control and so many people leave having spent a lot more than they ever intended. As we’re relocating to London we had budgeted two heavy winter coats and we weren’t disappointed. Unfortunately, we got sucked into the idea that we also needed winter boots and they turned out not so good. In fact they were dreadful, we got ripped off, shouted at, spat at and the last night ended on a very aggressive and sour note indeed. As I don’t wish to dwell on it, I shall move right along to....
Sleeper trains! I love them! There is simply no better way to avoid paying for a hotel overnight than to be gently rocked to sleep by a train as you travel 16 hours up the country.
I won’t go on about Hanoi too much except to say that there is some fascinating architecture, millions of beeping horns, people trying to sell you stuff at every step and the embalmed communist hero, Ho Cho Minh himself. Having been to the impressive yet grammatically confusing Museum of Revolution and slowly put together the pieces of Vietnams long struggle with a multitude of aggressors, it was quite moving to see this most revered man in the flesh. Mind you, he would have been horrified at the enormous mausoleum that he now resides in. He wanted to be cremated but I guess a fragile state needed it’s hero that the people could come and pay tribute to. The idea of a single man as a symbol and what he stands for becomes more important than his own wishes for a humble cremation.
From Hanoi we made for Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island where we had a brilliant day kayaking and rock climbing around the stunning little islands and coves of Halong Bay. The weather was overcast and rainy but it was still a lot of fun. Back in Hanoi, we met up with Evan and Michael from The Lion King and had an ace time with them. Koto (in brief, a Vietnamese Jamie’s Oliver’s FIFTEEN) provided our most glutinous meal with three courses, coffee and wine costing only $15USD each. The duck on a bed of potato and mushroom cake with mango chutney was mind numbingly good! By this stage hawker fatigue and the latent aggression of most of the people we encountered had taken its toll and we went to Vietnam airlines to bring our flight to Laos forward with the intention of skipping Sapa and doing a similar trekking experience in Laos. Fortunately for us, this wasn’t possible and we went to Sapa as planned with Evan and Michael and had what was probably the highlight of our trip.
Yes, we couldn’t escape the constant demand that we part with our money for worthless trinkets and yes, the costumes the hill tribe people wear are just for show but still, the mountains were stunning and we had the best time. Our 17 yr old guide was an absolute sweetie and incredibly fit! Our legs got a real work out as we traversed impossibly steep rice terraces and meandered among the clouds, marvelling at the misty green mountains surrounding us. On the second day, we joined with 3 others as our guide joined forces with her cousin, another trekking guide. That night we had a beautiful home cooked meal and played a local card game akin to Snap where the looser had to have a shot of rice wine. It was a night of great hilarity as we got steadily more and more drunk with our old friends (you are pretty old Ev), new Canadian and Australian friends and our two brilliant guides. My hangover the next day was of a force 10 magnitude and involved the great Aussie tradition of a good technicolour yawn among the chickens.
Time to farewell Michael and Evan who have both been magnificent friends over the year and whose friendship we will make sure survives international borders and distances. Time also to farewell Vietnam. It truly was the good, the bad and the ugly and everything in between. Vietnam really is a fascinating place and there is nothing relaxed about it. It’s heady, full throttle (literally...just try crossing the road!) and is still recovering from years and years at war. Hardship is etched on the faces of those that live there from the old ladies carrying impossible loads on their shoulders, scratching a living off the city streets to the men ploughing fields with water buffalo. We met some beautiful souls who were kind and open to meeting total strangers but in all honesty, they were the exception to the masses.
We caught an overnight train from near Sapa back to Hanoi, chatted with a terrific French couple in their middle years with broken English and a little broken French (thank you CZ!) and then headed straight to the airport for a one hour flight to Luanag Prabang in Laos. Having not slept on the train, arrived at the airport at 6am, plane delayed by 2hours, we were crying tired and could have greeted Laos with grumpiness and suspicion had we arrived to the accustomed greediness and haggling of taxis at the airport. The difference one hour into another country can make! Laos is an absolute dream and the perfect antidote to the beep-beep, you buy! You buy! of Vietnam.
More on the beautiful, languid lifestyle of Luang Prabang shortly.....
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