Hoi An, Vietnam - Beaches, Tailors, and a UNESCO World Heritage site too

Hoi An is located along the central coast of Vietnam. It boasts 2 beaches, the "local" beach and the "tourist" beach. Despite the poor weather we hired bicycles and went to the local beach which is located about 3km from the center of town. The local beach is the more beautiful one and it lived up to the hype despite the overcast sky and rough sea. Since it had been raining everyday none of us brought our cameras in case of a downpour. The beach is lined with restaurants and small thatch roof huts for chilling out when the sun is out and the water is calm.

My custom tailored suit. Haven't worn
one for over 4 months, feels nice!

Hoi An is probably best known for its high quality tailors who can make just about any piece of clothing you desire at a very reasonable price. I couldn't resist and got myself a custom tailored suit for a 120USD. I put in the order in the late afternoon and my first fitting was the following morning. I've never worn any custom clothing before so it took a bit getting used to but I have to admit, it feels real nice! I ordered my suit and an accompanying dress shirt (20USD) from Kimmy Custom Tailor. While some people had complaints about the staff being rude I didn't experience any rudeness from them. My only worry is that I put on a lot of weight and the clothes won't fit anymore. The shirt and jacket were tight around the back and I had to go through a couple of more fittings before it felt right.

Old Town, Hoi An

Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An

The old town of Hoi An is lovingly preserved thanks to strict laws and governance. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 10 years ago. Although at street level it's lined with tourist shops, if you take a look at the buildings you'll begin to appreciate where you are and why it's a special place.

Mỹ Sơn Ruins

Another UNESCO site are the Mỹ Sơn Ruins of the Cham dynasty, about 1 hour away from Hoi An by bus. We did a half day tour of the ruins (that's really all the time you need to explore them) right before we left. While not impressive compared to the likes of Angkor Wat, they're an important cultural site and were probably far more impressive before they were bombed out during the war. The Americans bombed the site because the Viet Cong were hiding out there; there's even a large bomb crater at the site. 

Mỹ Sơn Ruins

The Red Cross Scam

A really common scam in Vietnam is someone coming up to you saying that they are a student or a teacher and presenting you with a little laminated card saying that they work for the Red Cross and are collecting donations. Or they might be selling exorbitantly expensive toothpicks for the Red Cross to raise money. Whatever they say, don't give them any money, it's a scam! In Hanoi, a girl claiming to be a student tried it on us. She had handwritten cards in multiple languages talking about raising money for the deaf and disabled. We refused to give her money and she kept saying "Why? Why?" and took on a very nasty demeanor. Earlier today in Hoi An a guy saying he was a teacher had me fill out a survey for tourism research and then tried the Red Cross laminated card thing on me. When I told him I wasn't going to give him any money he just waved me away in an irritated manner. Red Cross is a highly professional organization and they send people around with handwritten cards asking for money so I was almost insulted when these people tried to scam me with this crap. If anyone in Vietnam says they work for the Red Cross and asks you for money, maybe you should ask them "Do you think I'm stupid enough to fall for your scam?"

Uncle Ho's House

It must be a communist thing. We walked over to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum the other day to hopefully get a glimpse of the great man himself but unfortunately his body is being re-embalmed in Russia. The grounds surrounding the mausoleum feels very much like Tienanmen Square in Beijing but smaller and greener. And unsurprisingly, there were loads of Chinese tourists being herded like sheep around the complex. In addition to the mausoleum, there are the manicured grounds and traditional stilt house where Uncle Ho worked and lived. We toured the area for a couple of hours while weaving through the throngs of Chinese tourists before heading over to Lenin Park, which features a huge statue of Lenin and some well-maintained gardens. It's also a very popular place for the local kids to play football.

Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

Lenin Park

Scariest motorbike ride of my life

Our last day in Sapa we decided to hire a motorbike to visit some nearby villages. I learned how to drive a manual transmission motorbike a couple of weeks ago in Chiang Mai and did quite a bit of driving there. The roads in and around Chiang Mai are flat and straight whereas the roads in and around Sapa are hilly and in poor condition.

The ride started well as we coasted downhill out of Sapa along the windy road into the valley below. Within a few km however the road progressively got worse and worse. About 8km out we came across several areas where the mountain streams partially flooded the road but thankfully it wasn't hard to cross. Then we came across areas where the road was in poor condition and flooded. Had to go slow over these parts but again, it was no problem. But less than 1 km later, we ran into a small problem. There was a small pond covering the entire road. It was as if someone scooped out the road and filled it in with water. I drove through slowly but soon my flipflop broke and we nearly got stuck but I managed to drive through barefoot. Thankfully there were no sharp rocks. Then less than 1 km later the road was split into 2 parts. On the mountain side there was a deep mud track and on the cliff side there was an even deeper pool of water. The mud side was the safer option but once again my flipflop broke and the bike nearly fell over when this happened but thankfully (yes, I've used the word thankfully several times but there's no better way to describe it) we kept it upright. At this point my heart was pounding so hard I thought I'd have cardiac arrest. We stopped at a roadside restaurant about 1km down the road but while executing a u-turn I almost lost control of the bike for some reason and we almost ended up in a ditch on the mountain side of the road. I think my nerves were already frayed at this point which probably resulted in the poor u-turn execution. 

Yep, that's a road. And yes, my right foot is bare. 

We took lunch then walked down to the Cau May village in the valley; the track was right next to the restaurant. The drive back was slightly less stressful since I now knew what to expect. Even so, my heart was still pounding wildly and it wasn't till we dropped off the bike and got a beer that I started to calm down. My flipflops unfortunately didn't survive the ride but luckily my feet got away with no injuries. 

Scenic Sapa

When you arrive in Sapa you can’t help but wonder if you’re still in Vietnam. The first thing you notice is the cooler temperature. Sapa is at an elevation of 1650m and boasts a much more temperate climate when compared to the rest of Vietnam. The next thing you notice is the architecture of the town; it feels like you’re in the a ski town in the Alps. To add to that effect, there’s a plethora of Italian and French restaurants offering affordable fine dining at approximately 5USD per dish.

The main attractions in Sapa are the treks to nearby hill tribe villages and to the summit of Vietnam’s tallest mountain, Fansipan (3143m). Given my prior trekking experience I wanted to give Fansipan a shot so Dasha and I signed up for a 2day/1night trek. We were joined by an Austrian couple on a rock-climbing holiday through SE Asia. After I spent a few hours ridding myself of the nasty computer virus I got off someone’s memory card the previous day we then spent the first day in Sapa exploring the town and sleeping since we arrived at 05:30 via the overnight train.

The Fansipan trek started with an 08:00 pickup from our hotel followed by a 30 minute drive to the starting point (1900m). We were accompanied by an English speaking guide and 2 porters. I quickly realized that my fitness level had fallen off sharply in the last 3 months since completing the Annapurna Circuit. It was impossible for me to keep up with the Austrian couple and our guide. It wasn’t the difficult terrain or the altitude that slowed me down; it was my poor level of cardio fitness that held me back. I kept thinking to myself how I was able to trek for 2 weeks straight. The walk from the starting point to the camp site (2800m) took about 4.5 hours. We took lunch there and then headed for the summit. Once again, I quickly fell behind the Austrian couple and our guide (Dasha wasn’t feeling well and stayed at the camp). Thoughts of giving up floated through my mind but I took frequent breathers and kept going. The terrain on this stretch was very steep and involved quite a bit of rock scrambling. After nearly 2 hours I finally reached the summit and was ecstatic that I could finally rest and take in the view. The trek back down to camp took about 1.5 hrs and was by far much easier than the way up but still required quite a bit of care since the track was very muddy and steep.

Back at camp we all huddled by the fire as the sun fell and the temperature dropped. Dinner was surprisingly really good and even more surprising the portions were so massive that the 4 of us couldn’t finish it all. A glass of the local rice wine was included as well. After dinner we chatted for a bit then the entire camp went to sleep. Sleeping bags were provided however they were rectangular summer bags and were totally inadequate for the 5C weather. Everyone was freezing and in the morning no one said they got a good night’s sleep. Other groups of trekkers were also provided summer sleeping bags and shivered throughout the night as well. I think I maybe slept about 1 hour all night and feared that I might lose a toe to the cold. I also had to pee but held it all night since it was pitch black outside, freezing cold, and I would have to change back into my dirty trekking clothes and could possibly fall into the mud.

The following morning we had breakfast then made our way down the mountain, stopping for lunch at the 2200m campsite. From here it was another 2 hours to the end where our ride was waiting for us thanks to our guide who phoned ahead. Back in town we decided to stay another night to rest, shower, and launder our dirty trekking clothes. Then I treated myself to a fancy dinner at an Italian restaurant for 7USD J

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay is one of 3 places in the world where there are natural limestone formations that rise out of the water. The other 2 places are the Phi Phi islands in Thailand and Guilin, China. Halong Bay has the distinction of having the most rock formations, somewhere near 9000 such mountains. It's truly one of the most beautiful places on Earth and holds dozens (if not hundreds) of secluded beaches tucked away behind towering limestone outcrops.

I went on the tour with Hanoi Backpacker's Hostel to Halong Bay. The food was incredible, the people were great, and I mustered up the courage to do some things which I've never done before including jumping 10m off the top deck of a boat into the sea below and wake boarding. While it was more expensive than many tours offered by travel agencies, it offered up everything I expected and didn't skimp on anything. I could've done more activities but sleeping in a hammock on a private island after a long night of partying was just too inviting. 

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How to Access Blocked Facebook in Vietnam

http://www.ehow.com/how_5856840_access-blocked-facebook-vietnam.html#ixzz128kjEfV0

How to Access Blocked Facebook in Vietnamby testervn, eHow Member

no facebook no problem

How to Access Blocked Facebook in Vietnam

User-Submitted Article

These days, the famous social networks like Facebook or Twitter have been blocked by ISPs in many Asian countries (including Vietnam and China). In a recent article, I presented 7 Ways To Access Blocked Facebook. These tips helped us a lot, but there are some problems we still have to face, such as some tips are quite complex whereas some are not so efficient (in speed and other functionalities). Today I have a good news for Facebook users in Vietnam.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• No thing special

1. 1
   These are the elaborate steps to configure in Windows:
   Go the Control Panel.
2. 2
   Click Network and Internet, then Network and Sharing Center, then Manage network connections.
3. 3
   Select the connection for which you want to configure Google Public DNS. For example:
   * To change the settings for an Ethernet connection, right-click Local Area Connection, and click Properties.
   * To change the settings for a wireless connection, right-click Wireless Network Connection, and click Properties.
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
4. 4
   Select the Networking tab. Under This connection uses the following items, click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.
5. 5
   Click Advanced and select the DNS tab. If there are any DNS server IP addresses listed there, write them down for future reference, and remove them from this window.
6. 6
   Click OK.
7. 7
   Select Use the following DNS server addresses. If there are any IP addresses listed in the Preferred DNS server or Alternate DNS server, write them down for future reference.
8. 8
   Replace those addresses with the IP addresses of the Google DNS servers: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
9. 9
   Restart the connection you selected in step 3.
   All done! Have a good time with Facebook and Twitter.

Vientiane, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam

The only way to travel direct between Vientiane and Hanoi is via bus or plane. The flight costs about 130USD vs the bus which costs 40USD. We gathered more information about the bus and heard the 22 hour ride wasn't so bad so we went for the bus which also saved us a night of accommodation. We were picked up at 17:00 for the 19:00 bus but were taken to their travel agency to wait for others. We waited there for about an hour which seemed completely pointless since they could've just picked us up at 18:00 and we would've been fine. At about 18:15 a bus arrived from Vang Vieng and a load of people got into our minibus and we headed off for the bus park. There was quite a bit of confusion as to which bus to get on but eventually we found the right one and go on. Unfortunately since we were the last group to arrive we got stuck with the seats in the back of the bus, several of which were much smaller than the ones in the front. We squeezed ourselves into the sleeper seats and due to there being absolutely no space between any of us we got to know each other pretty quickly. I still can't believe how many sleeper seats they crammed into the bus. For the first time in my life I quickly located where the emergency exits were and how to open them.

We departed shortly after 19:00, stopped for dinner a few hours later, then I dozed off. At least one time in the middle of the night the bus stopped somewhere for a few hours so the driver could sleep. The only reason I figured out this was happening was because the engine and thus the aircon was shut off and it became really hot inside the bus. At about 06:45 we arrived at the border which was due to open at 07:00. In hindsight, we should have departed Vientiane at something like 23:00 with no stops. That would make a whole lot more sense. But it's Laos and usually what makes sense usually isn't what actually happens. 

It took about 2 hours total to clear immigration on both the Laos and Vietnam offices. The no man's land between the two borders was a 300m walk up a hill. The Lao side was easy to clear but the Viet side took a while, so long that the immigration officer asked us to take a seat. Also, this was the first land border I've ever crossed which charged a fee for the entry stamp. It's only 20000VND (appx 1USD) but the principle of it is still not cool. They did a cursory check of our bags and then we got back onto the bus around 09:00. At about 11:30 we stopped for food then headed off again. 

At around 16:00 we stopped in some city so that they could unload stuff including some finished wooden slabs that were behind my seat in the back of the bus. I joked that it was illegally logged Lao wood which now I'm pretty sure it was after reading some other people's accounts of the bus ride. Apparently each one of those slabs (about 80cm in length) is worth a few thousand USD. I guess I'm not surprised that there was some shady business going on. 

We arrived at the bus park in Hanoi at around 19:20 in the evening. Including the time from when we were picked up the entire journey lasted almost 26.5 hours but I was lucky enough to sleep about 20 of those hours. It was the longest bus ride of my life but altogether not a horrible ride. I was expecting far worse. And our driver was a pleasant guy and gave us accurate timings as to when we would arrive in Hanoi. However, if you have the money I recommend flying. 

My worst rides so far:

#1 - The 34 hour train ride in a hard seat from Xi'an to Lhasa (China)

#2 - The 13 hour overnight bus from Kathmandu to Sunauli (Nepal)

#3 - The 15 hour overnight bus from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang (Laos)

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Fish Massage in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Look at the little fishies go! It tickles at first but my feet have never felt so clean!

Morning Alms in Luang Prabang

Every morning at 6am in Luang Prabang the local monks walk the main street collecting alms from the locals. The alms usually come in the form of homemade sticky rice and other foods. It's a local custom that's been around for ages. Tourists are welcome to witness the alms procession however from what I've been told it's best to witness it from a distance. There are plenty of women trying to sell sticky rice to tourists but you shouldn't buy it because the food they're selling is of dubious quality and also because you didn't prepare the sticky rice yourself. The monks also know that the sticky rice that they receive from tourists is of questionable quality.  
When we walked up to the main street I was surprised to see about 100 people lined up with alms to give to the monks and loads of tourists ready with their cameras for the monks to arrive. As we walked around some more I realized that the long line of alms givers were not local Lao people; they were Chinese package tourists. There must've been about 300 of them in total who had just arrived the day before. And even worse, they all brought their cameras and were being obnoxious Chinese tourists. Some were literally putting their cameras right in monk's faces and obstructing the procession. And just when you thought it couldn't get worse another bus full of Chinese tourists arrived.  
I managed to get away from them and their incessant photo posing and took some shots from a distance using my 18-270mm lens. The alms procession is a really beautiful thing to witness and thankfully even the hoards of Chinese tourists couldn't ruin the experience. 

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