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Location:Saigon
Friday 31 December 2010
Somebody left something behind...
... Visiting the war remnants museum... A superbly interesting but incredibly horrifying place... The pictures around the place are disturbing but really make me want to understand the war better...
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Cross town traffic Saigon
Rush hour... And the guy in the foreground is on the pavement, a Saigon classic move to dodge traffic.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
#happynewyear
First a prelude... so I've started using that Twitter thing (@listentome23) to communicate with the world... I'm getting into it and it is quite cool and weird (last night I read messages between robbie savage, rio Ferdinand and Andrew Flintoff... one thing I've noticed is these things called hashtags... what happens is I think after a message on twitter (or a tweet, if you will) people will put words to label their message so that if someone is looking for tweets on that subject they will find your message... i.e. Henry Winter (Telegraph football correspondent) puts a # and the initials of the football club he is tweeting about in his message (e.g. #mufc)... but people have started using then as like punchlines to their tweet, putting an unusual hashtag at the end... I'll just find an e.g. ...
rioferdy5 Morning tweeps! That time again #ff aka #followferdy I'll #ff as many of u as I can who tweet #ff aka #followferdy - go go go tweeps!
That's an example from our man Rio Ferdinand... but anyway, I'm gonna use this hashtag thing in this post to help people in their search for the things I write about here... anyway, that probably didn't make sense to most so I'll just get on with the blogging... :)
So here I am in Saigon on New years eve... it really is a crazy city... we arrived by bus after the sun had fallen (#wheredoesitgo) and the city is alive with lights, like Times square or the equivalent place in London (#thenameelludesme)... noises flood the streets... women walk down the street with towers of books to sell to travellers (#enivatablephotocopies)... Waitresses holler (#holla) and clap to get your attention and get you into the bar... it has a kind of thrilling atmosphere but I can't tell if, once I've scratched the surface of this wonderment, Siagon might actually turn out to be one frustrating pool of busyness and chancers... like a child in awe of disney land until he catches a sight of goorfy with his head off, smoking a fag and leering at his mum (#justametafoenotarealexperience)... ... ... I'm now all the way down the length of Vietnam, well almost, and I still haven't decided how I feel about the country... my feelings ossicalate and flicker like a blinking phosphorous tube lamp... flickering between light and dark, between great and rubbish, but often annoying (not really often annoying but it just fit with my metafore:) ... ... Vietnam does seem to bring the worse out of my sworn enemy, the thrifty traveller (#hipocracyalert)... Those people who pinch the pennies, who congratulate themselves when they save a dollar on a price and who go crazy when they get scammed out of 5000 dong (10-20p) (#itstheprincipalofthething)... I've met some cool guys who've I've travelled with a bit recently but (#everythingbeforethebutisbollocks) they have taught me the difference between a thrifty traveller and someone who just doesn't pay their way... they congratualated themselves like heros when they got a tour for $5 when others paid $8 (to be fair, they got me the $5 price also) but then on the tour me and David paid for sledges for us to use to tobogan down a sand dune (#iprobablydidntleaduptothatlikeishouldof) and they didn't offer to pay their half... they are not thrifty, they are scabby (sorry if you're reading this guys but it's true)... the irony is that by making me so frustrated by their penny pinching I've allowed them to also get me all concerned about money... it's got to a point where I actually need to be carful that I don't start splashing round the cash too much just to spite them (#cutoffyournosetodpiteyourface)... but anyway, all I say is beware the thrifty traveller!
... One big thing I've experienced in Vietnam and maybe in asia generally is the jealousy (or more accuratly admiration) of youth (I know I'm 25, not old, but I mean children)... everywhere I go children are so happy and playing (well except for those who have to run around selling stuff to tourists... their playfulness is tinged with sadness), they wave and smile and shout "hello", in Nha Trang a little girl was playing hide-and-seek around me... hiding from me by hiding behind me... ... I'm suddenly realising what is so cool and great about kids (in small doses;), the freedom and the adventure is so cool... and also aisan kids are so cute (#notinagaryglitterway) and adorable... ... generally kids are cool little things when they are lost in play:)
I've just been in Muine, the kite-surfing capital of the world (I didn't kite surf, I just realised this place was where it's at after arriving)... I did a tour (the ill fated $5 tour;) and visited sand dunes and a river called the fairy river... ... ... ... OK, it's new years eve, 7:06pm... I meet people at 7:30 for drinks and I feel a bit disjointed now and can't write more (#calmbeforethestorm)... so I'll prick up tomorrow or the next day...
I hope you all have a superb New Year and great celebration and all your dreams come true... I'll write more soon:)
Love to all you beautiful people... I'm in my lumberjack shirt and ready to roll... and don't worry about some of my recent grumpyness, I'm coming out the other end of my mid-travel crisis (#dontrealisehowluckyiam) and perking up... life is full of ups and down and they are all relative... I'm lucky to be in this crazy city with good people to celebrate a happy time of year... I hope you are all as lucky as me:)
HAPPY NEW YEAR:))
rioferdy5 Morning tweeps! That time again #ff aka #followferdy I'll #ff as many of u as I can who tweet #ff aka #followferdy - go go go tweeps!
That's an example from our man Rio Ferdinand... but anyway, I'm gonna use this hashtag thing in this post to help people in their search for the things I write about here... anyway, that probably didn't make sense to most so I'll just get on with the blogging... :)
So here I am in Saigon on New years eve... it really is a crazy city... we arrived by bus after the sun had fallen (#wheredoesitgo) and the city is alive with lights, like Times square or the equivalent place in London (#thenameelludesme)... noises flood the streets... women walk down the street with towers of books to sell to travellers (#enivatablephotocopies)... Waitresses holler (#holla) and clap to get your attention and get you into the bar... it has a kind of thrilling atmosphere but I can't tell if, once I've scratched the surface of this wonderment, Siagon might actually turn out to be one frustrating pool of busyness and chancers... like a child in awe of disney land until he catches a sight of goorfy with his head off, smoking a fag and leering at his mum (#justametafoenotarealexperience)... ... ... I'm now all the way down the length of Vietnam, well almost, and I still haven't decided how I feel about the country... my feelings ossicalate and flicker like a blinking phosphorous tube lamp... flickering between light and dark, between great and rubbish, but often annoying (not really often annoying but it just fit with my metafore:) ... ... Vietnam does seem to bring the worse out of my sworn enemy, the thrifty traveller (#hipocracyalert)... Those people who pinch the pennies, who congratulate themselves when they save a dollar on a price and who go crazy when they get scammed out of 5000 dong (10-20p) (#itstheprincipalofthething)... I've met some cool guys who've I've travelled with a bit recently but (#everythingbeforethebutisbollocks) they have taught me the difference between a thrifty traveller and someone who just doesn't pay their way... they congratualated themselves like heros when they got a tour for $5 when others paid $8 (to be fair, they got me the $5 price also) but then on the tour me and David paid for sledges for us to use to tobogan down a sand dune (#iprobablydidntleaduptothatlikeishouldof) and they didn't offer to pay their half... they are not thrifty, they are scabby (sorry if you're reading this guys but it's true)... the irony is that by making me so frustrated by their penny pinching I've allowed them to also get me all concerned about money... it's got to a point where I actually need to be carful that I don't start splashing round the cash too much just to spite them (#cutoffyournosetodpiteyourface)... but anyway, all I say is beware the thrifty traveller!
... One big thing I've experienced in Vietnam and maybe in asia generally is the jealousy (or more accuratly admiration) of youth (I know I'm 25, not old, but I mean children)... everywhere I go children are so happy and playing (well except for those who have to run around selling stuff to tourists... their playfulness is tinged with sadness), they wave and smile and shout "hello", in Nha Trang a little girl was playing hide-and-seek around me... hiding from me by hiding behind me... ... I'm suddenly realising what is so cool and great about kids (in small doses;), the freedom and the adventure is so cool... and also aisan kids are so cute (#notinagaryglitterway) and adorable... ... generally kids are cool little things when they are lost in play:)
I've just been in Muine, the kite-surfing capital of the world (I didn't kite surf, I just realised this place was where it's at after arriving)... I did a tour (the ill fated $5 tour;) and visited sand dunes and a river called the fairy river... ... ... ... OK, it's new years eve, 7:06pm... I meet people at 7:30 for drinks and I feel a bit disjointed now and can't write more (#calmbeforethestorm)... so I'll prick up tomorrow or the next day...
I hope you all have a superb New Year and great celebration and all your dreams come true... I'll write more soon:)
Love to all you beautiful people... I'm in my lumberjack shirt and ready to roll... and don't worry about some of my recent grumpyness, I'm coming out the other end of my mid-travel crisis (#dontrealisehowluckyiam) and perking up... life is full of ups and down and they are all relative... I'm lucky to be in this crazy city with good people to celebrate a happy time of year... I hope you are all as lucky as me:)
HAPPY NEW YEAR:))
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Muine beach
... It seems to be the kite surfing capital of the world.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Muine, Vietnam
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Sunday 26 December 2010
Accepting small defeats:)
... Some times you just have to accept defeat... The last few days have included a few minor set backs but now things are returning to normal... As I wrote before, I argued my case when the travel agent we booked our open bus ticket with tried to charge extra, but in the end I had to accept defeat... I regret how I spoke in the travel agent, using phrases like, "You're cheating me.", "That's a lie", and "well now you have a nice bit of extra pocket money." (yes, I know, I was a bit of a twat!... I apoligised for going a bit over the top (I didn't swear though, I was just rude))... in the end I had to pay the extra anyway... Travelling you often here the phrase, "It's not the money, it's the principle"... it's a dangerous phrase really... the brother of the phrase, "cut off your nose to spite your face"... so I accepted defeat and moved on... I let it affect my mood which was frustrating... ... Nha Trang has been a bit of a frustrating place... when we took the night bus from Hoian to Nha Trang the actual sleeper bus (with reclined beds) got impounded by the police before it got to us (rumours went round that locals were trying to sell drugs on it and that it was massivly overloaded... the latter is more likley)... so then they weren't gonna replace the bus (meaning we would have to travel on xmas day... everyone wanted to avoid that)... at one point they said that there would be no bus, but then people power kicked in as we refused it (Vietnamese communism must be rubbing off on us)... eventually they pulled their finger out but instead of a sleeper bus it was a couple of mini buses... I didn't sleep a wink but did manage to complete a game of solitaire on my ipod (so not a complete loss;)... so we arrived on the morning of christmas eve and straight to bed I went... two power naps that day precceded a big night out (one of those night outs where you say, "Well I'll just have one or two..."... the famous last words)... Subsequently I spent all of the sunlight hours of Christmas in bed... I got up to watch 'An idiot abroad' which someone had downloaded, but then it showed a chinese man eating a chicken featus and I started to feel nautious... When I did get my ass out of bed it was worth it... Had a skype video call to home which made me feel great (Christmas is the first day I've actually regretted missing... so it was nice to be a part of it via skype, texts and pictures sent by e-mail and facebook)... so then I felt good, had a little italian (a meal... I mean a meal) ONE beer (I could stomach no more) and then too bed... ... ... so Nha Trang has involved a lot of bed time hours for various reasons... so even though it was a mission actually to sort out our bus tickets, tomorrow me and David set off to Muine, a quiet beach resort (So I've heard) which might act as the calm before the New Years storm of Saigon... ... Vietnam has been great but I'm starting to feel like I've lost my way a bit... I've wondered down the wrong path... I guess because I'm here for Christmas and New Years that place is a bit party-heavy... I look forward to a quick visit to Cambodia... you know, I never thought I'd say this but I miss the temples... I miss the monks and the Orange clothing... I miss the kind of atmosphere which surrounds them... I miss the touristic nievity (or just shambalaty (to be a shambles)) of Laos... Vietnam is a tricky place to understand... and also I'm kind of in the middle here... half way (ish) between Hanoi and Saigon... the northern and southern cities which were under quite different influences during the war etc... ... I know I haven't really understood Laos and Thailand, but I haven't even scratched the surface of Vietnam... I've just smudged the surface of the glass with my greasy nose as I try to look into the window of Vietnam... ... Yes, I'm looking forward to Cambodia and I look forward to New Years with trepidation (because I'm a bit of a boring bastered who is (usually) afraid to drink too much)... OK, so this post is getting a bit introspective which probably tells you I need to move on and start exploring places... Lord, give me a temple!
I miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas with family and friends (even though I wish to have shared christmas with my family, I am still with good people here... it's not all bad;)
Lots of love,
Matt
P.S. If you are the person from Pakistan, Slovenia, or Malasya... please drop me a comment:)
I miss you all and hope you all had a great Christmas with family and friends (even though I wish to have shared christmas with my family, I am still with good people here... it's not all bad;)
Lots of love,
Matt
P.S. If you are the person from Pakistan, Slovenia, or Malasya... please drop me a comment:)
Saturday 25 December 2010
A little thank you (I'm getting soppy in me old age;)
Well I was gonna blog to you good people but my mood is mixed.... had one of those frustrating moments when you have to argue your corner (they were trying to charge me extra for a bus I'v already paid for) and are left feeling really bad.... the whole argument and (hopefully) sucessful avoidance of extra unnessacery charge left a bitter taste and made me feel bad and like a bit of a git (I think I let frustration get to me).... but anyway, I found this blog stat thing herer at blogspot which tells me which countriesmy blog page views come from... I copied and pasted it below... this is like a summary of my all time hits but some that don't make this lists include views from as far and wide as Pakistan and Slovenia... I don't know what they were looking for but they found this.... some of the viewing numbers are probably a bit squed by me checking that my posts have gone up and probably Mum and Dad checking the thing daily;) ... but it's nice to know people are taking an interest and are following my adventures through this tour... It's really nice to feel connected to important people back home... yesterday was a prime example... I had a raging hangover and wasn't having much of a merry christmas as I was in bed listening to Ricky Gervais podcasts most of the day... but then I had a skype call home... I saw My Mum, Dad, Nan, brothers, sister-in-laws and even my lovley cat Suki (she feel.... through the ice of the pond recently, but thankfully she didn't get a cold:) it felt really great to see them and bought a lasting smile to my face.... I'm not looking for any sympathy, travelling is amazing and such an awesome oppertunity.... but it can be frustrating at times, and it's at those times it's really nice to know people at home are well and to contact them even just a little bit... so instead of being too grumpy in this post I just want to say thanks for taking an interest in my travels and thanks to all those of you who take the time to send me messages... I really appreciate them... really! ... So maybe I will write more later if the sun shines on me some more and takes my frustrated mood away... but for now THANK YOU people, have a Merry Boxing Day:) Pageviews by Countries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Merry Christmas all:)
Oh yeah, an incredibly merry Christmas too you all... I miss the Xmas spirit, dodgy tunes, and brussel sprouts!
Love to all,
Matt:)
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Love to all,
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Christmas dinner
Christmas meal in Vietnam... Apparently "...all the trimmings" means baked beans and two types of mashed potato (moderatly- and heavily-mashed)
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Nha Trang, Vietnam
Thursday 23 December 2010
Wednesday 22 December 2010
David's suit... Done
Only 24 hours for a suit post-alterations... They're pretty good here.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Lumberjack shirt... Done
Less then 24 hours after it was mere cloth, my new lumberjack shirt is born:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Listen to me when I bespeak to you!
So now I'm in Hoian, the town of Tailors, over 300 of the blighters all over the city fighting to be able to bespoke (hope I'm using this word in the right context) you a lovley little suit for around $120... they are bespoking all over the shop... I've not been bespoken to yet but after seeing David wear the preliminary cut of his suit and get correction I understand what everyone is bespeaking about... for someone with an unusual frame (no offense David), they provide a lovley cut to suit even the most lanky of individuals... so now I'm tempted to bespeak (getting annoying yet?) to them about getting a lovley lumberjack shirt to fit my unique (or, as the ladies call it, 'stunning' (in a positive sense;)) figure...
Hoian is an incredibly quite but nice place... it has been nice to chill out and not do too much... but yesterday I went a little too far... the food is lovley and the beer is only 3000 dong a glass (about 20p... I know, pretty dangerous)... I didn't get really drunk, that wasn't the problem... I was concious to eat alot to ensure I didn't get too drunk... so in the space of 4 hours I had 3 meals (crispy noodles with chicken, Chicken with cashunuts and rice, chicken burger and chips, a pack of peanut m and ms, a cream doughnut, and a couple of chicken spring rolls)... When I went to bed I didn't feel too good... for the first time in the whole trip I was sick... and all my own bloody fault... I scoffed the food down quickly like a ferrel cat who doesn't know where his next meal is coming from... like a dog who's broken into the big bag of biscuits and falls into the trap of gluttony... I couldn't believe it... I lined my stomach so much that there wasn't actually any space left for anything else... by crickey I felt foolish... I guess that's why I'm writing it down here for all you to read! ... Oh how I degrade myself for you people ... ;)
... Hue was a pretty cool place (that's the place I just came from)... it's close to the DMZ (demilitarised zone which I think previously served as the main front of the Vietnam war... we did a tour around the sites there which was pretty cool... we explored the tunnels which the local people built to hide in... they were very small tunnels with almost caveman-ish little enclaves for whole families to live in... there were even 17 babies born in the tunnels... ... the whole tour would have been fantastically interesting... we had a guide talking to us in the long coach journeys between sites of interest... it would have been fascinating if I could have made out what the dickens she was saying... Instead I had to settle with steady progress through 'Silvertorn' my book... I plan to buy a book about the war to read up... it seems really fascinating, especially when you reflect on the things that may have happened on the side such as in Laos... the only problem is I'm a bit of a walking library, I only just got rid of the 1,200 page 'Infinite Jest' I don't need to start picking up history books right away... but I need to learn about this war and the history, the basis of communism here and the US interferancethis struck me especially when I visited the old prison in Hanoi... it basically had too parts, a bit where it was used by French colonists to keep the communist activists and then when it was used to keep Americans during the Vietnam war... I've heard it mentioned that the winners of a war write the history about it... indeed, it's unavoidable to tell a story without a slight infliction of your own opinions... so looking at the exhibits of how communists were treated by the French and then reading how they profess to have looked after American prisons, it's fascinating... to have any opinions of my own I really need to read about these things... that is a key thing I've learnt from travelling, I really want to understand the history of the world and it's different regions beyound WW2 and British history (and a smattering of American history passed through that picture box)... the world seems fascinating, if only someone could bring out a 500 page book called, 'A history of the world' which is concise yet detailed (I know, that's really like asking for hot water which contained little blocks of ice)... but who would have thought it, my mind is broadening... hence why I can never find a hat which fits this unusual shaped head of mine!
OK, I'll go now... gonna read for a bit and then meet David to see his final suit presentation (although there will probably not be a ceremony) and possibly order my own lovley little lumberjack shirt:) ... all I need now is a bespoke hat for my beloody big head!
Keep well all, hugs and kisses,
Matt
P.S. Please send me your christmas love, I'm not feeling very christmassy here at the moment... I downloaded 83 christmas songs for my ipod but it aint doing the trick... xmas wishes please folks:)
Hoian is an incredibly quite but nice place... it has been nice to chill out and not do too much... but yesterday I went a little too far... the food is lovley and the beer is only 3000 dong a glass (about 20p... I know, pretty dangerous)... I didn't get really drunk, that wasn't the problem... I was concious to eat alot to ensure I didn't get too drunk... so in the space of 4 hours I had 3 meals (crispy noodles with chicken, Chicken with cashunuts and rice, chicken burger and chips, a pack of peanut m and ms, a cream doughnut, and a couple of chicken spring rolls)... When I went to bed I didn't feel too good... for the first time in the whole trip I was sick... and all my own bloody fault... I scoffed the food down quickly like a ferrel cat who doesn't know where his next meal is coming from... like a dog who's broken into the big bag of biscuits and falls into the trap of gluttony... I couldn't believe it... I lined my stomach so much that there wasn't actually any space left for anything else... by crickey I felt foolish... I guess that's why I'm writing it down here for all you to read! ... Oh how I degrade myself for you people ... ;)
... Hue was a pretty cool place (that's the place I just came from)... it's close to the DMZ (demilitarised zone which I think previously served as the main front of the Vietnam war... we did a tour around the sites there which was pretty cool... we explored the tunnels which the local people built to hide in... they were very small tunnels with almost caveman-ish little enclaves for whole families to live in... there were even 17 babies born in the tunnels... ... the whole tour would have been fantastically interesting... we had a guide talking to us in the long coach journeys between sites of interest... it would have been fascinating if I could have made out what the dickens she was saying... Instead I had to settle with steady progress through 'Silvertorn' my book... I plan to buy a book about the war to read up... it seems really fascinating, especially when you reflect on the things that may have happened on the side such as in Laos... the only problem is I'm a bit of a walking library, I only just got rid of the 1,200 page 'Infinite Jest' I don't need to start picking up history books right away... but I need to learn about this war and the history, the basis of communism here and the US interferancethis struck me especially when I visited the old prison in Hanoi... it basically had too parts, a bit where it was used by French colonists to keep the communist activists and then when it was used to keep Americans during the Vietnam war... I've heard it mentioned that the winners of a war write the history about it... indeed, it's unavoidable to tell a story without a slight infliction of your own opinions... so looking at the exhibits of how communists were treated by the French and then reading how they profess to have looked after American prisons, it's fascinating... to have any opinions of my own I really need to read about these things... that is a key thing I've learnt from travelling, I really want to understand the history of the world and it's different regions beyound WW2 and British history (and a smattering of American history passed through that picture box)... the world seems fascinating, if only someone could bring out a 500 page book called, 'A history of the world' which is concise yet detailed (I know, that's really like asking for hot water which contained little blocks of ice)... but who would have thought it, my mind is broadening... hence why I can never find a hat which fits this unusual shaped head of mine!
OK, I'll go now... gonna read for a bit and then meet David to see his final suit presentation (although there will probably not be a ceremony) and possibly order my own lovley little lumberjack shirt:) ... all I need now is a bespoke hat for my beloody big head!
Keep well all, hugs and kisses,
Matt
P.S. Please send me your christmas love, I'm not feeling very christmassy here at the moment... I downloaded 83 christmas songs for my ipod but it aint doing the trick... xmas wishes please folks:)
Monday 20 December 2010
Bespoke
My Irish mate David getting a bespoke suit... Picking out all the fabrics.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hoian, Vietnam
Sunday 19 December 2010
Saturday 18 December 2010
Hue (pronounced "Haway") in a manger (oh, how absurdly funny I am!)
Hello Bloglins (people on Twitter call the people who follow them Tweeps... so I've gone for a blogging alternative... don't worry, it won't catch on!)... So I'm in the Citadel of Hue... the 14 hour bus journey was fine (see previous picture), slept well and it flew by... off to the DMZ (DeMilitarised Zone... where much of the front of the Vietnam war was... annoyingly refered to as DeeMZee... I'm trying to promote the use of DeeMZed) there is little else to report but I have somethings I forgot to mention last time... I even made a list... I'll write the list here and then you can see me turn what seems like random phrases into blogging gold... so, to the list:
*Dog/Toiletries
*Jimmy
*USA bomb Laos
*Simon trudging up with the drinking funnel and pipe
*Girls bitching about the tour guide and then seen snogging him
*"Yer man dere"
*Self cupping
... and now for the magic which comes from the pink squishy ball I refer to as a brain... So as I said, the Halong bay tour was pretty messy... a booze festival if you will... it was awash with drinking games and a light dusting of peer pressure... we had a guide for the first day and then two more for the beach day... Our guide for both days was Simon, a somewhat weather beaten Englishman... he looked a bit like Heston Blumetal after 5 years in a POW camp (constant drinking will do that to a man... part of me dreads the thought of him reading such a blunt description... but as he enjoyed saying when ever trying to tempt people into some drinking messyness... "You're never going to see these people again"!)... He wasn't a bad guy but I feel immense pity for his liver... it's probably unrecognisable after constant drinking to the point where all other livers take it for a homeless tramp, trying to find shelter in a broken trenchcoat under the pancreas from the constant flooding of booze into his system... to Simon's credit, he did get things going and everything had a positive feeling, we all know how drink can turn things sour... everyday he drunk tonnes and is (allegidly) seen with another girl (instead of elaborating on it, at this point please refer to point 5 of the list above... the 'snogging' might not be accurate... canoodeling might be better)... he kept saying how he loved his job... boozing everyday with beautiful young western people... but yesterday as I left I saw him trudging up to the hostel bar... I'd not been to one of the hostel's pub crawls... but as I saw him trudge upto the rooftop bar with a funnel and a pipe for (I'd assume) rapid consumption of liquid, I thought to myself, 'thank Christ that's not my job!'...
... on the subject of booze, there was an Irish fellow on the trip to Halong bay (other then David, the Irish guy who is infact with me here in Hue)... I can't remember his real name but he referred to everyone as Jimmy... so we did the same for him... Jimmy was a real boozer... red faced and spoke so fast and Irishly I struggled to follow him... I never saw that las without a beer... for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, without fail a can of Tiger beer... he bought his own Vodka on the tour (he wasn't the only one) and he had it in a water bottle... one guy was very thursty and took a pull from the bottle, he was surprised... a Vietnamese guy who worked on the boat took a swig... he then immediatly ran and threw up over the side... no one can match Jimmy! ... because I've been spending alot of time with David the Irish fella, I've picked up the (probably annoying) habbit of learning and aquiring some Irishisms... my favorite of which is, 'Yer man dere' which basically refers to anyone... ... (I'm now finding it difficult to fit all these points in in a seemless manner... oh well, I'll carry on regardless (who did that song?)) ... ... When I was returning to my bed after the night drinking on the beach I saw one of the beach puppies (young dog... that is not a euphamism of any sort) running around me playfully with a tube of toothpaste in his mouth... 'What a little scally way' I thought (and probably said, due to the booze) to myself... the beach island had two young boy puppies who were cool and playful... they were thick a thieves and so cool... but the next morning when I went to clean my teeth I noticed that the little bastered (as you can see, my affection for the dogs instantly waned) had stolen not only my toothpaste, but also my toothbrush and my antiseptic cream... the little begger! ... ... (Ok so what's left? Bombing and Cupping... hummm...) ... ... I forgot to mention that in Laos I learnt a bit about the USA and Laos involvment in all that war crap back a few decades ago... it's well documented, so you can read it yourself... but apparently the USA dropped more bombs on Laos then Germany and Japan combined... that's quite a fact... maybe they didn't drop that many in WW2... but still, it's a striking fact... ... and now to self cupping... ... I kind of wish I'd just let this sleeping dog lie instead of trying to be funny... oh well, apoligies in advance for my crudeness... basically, it's a bit terrifying crossing the street in Vietnam... hundreds of bikes surge across the road and the trick to crossing is just go for it, keep vigulent, but keep a slow and steady pace, don't hesitate... it's so scary sometimes I almost feel compelled to self-cup like a man getting into a hot bath... protect the vitals and hope for the best... ... but with the grace of God I'm find and dandy... ... ... ... Vietnam is growing on me everyday but the learning curve isn't so smooth.... it's kind of like getting into a hot bath... you'll enjoy it once you're immersed... but descend into the water with caution... :)
So there we are... the list is complete:) ... I need to go now because the internet cafe is full of loud little kids who are doing my nut in... I'm off back to the hostel to get a free cup of tea and read Silverthorn by Feist... ... Love to your mother (and especially my mother)... Matt:)
P.S. Sorry for my occasional crudeness... sometimes I just can't help myself!
*Dog/Toiletries
*Jimmy
*USA bomb Laos
*Simon trudging up with the drinking funnel and pipe
*Girls bitching about the tour guide and then seen snogging him
*"Yer man dere"
*Self cupping
... and now for the magic which comes from the pink squishy ball I refer to as a brain... So as I said, the Halong bay tour was pretty messy... a booze festival if you will... it was awash with drinking games and a light dusting of peer pressure... we had a guide for the first day and then two more for the beach day... Our guide for both days was Simon, a somewhat weather beaten Englishman... he looked a bit like Heston Blumetal after 5 years in a POW camp (constant drinking will do that to a man... part of me dreads the thought of him reading such a blunt description... but as he enjoyed saying when ever trying to tempt people into some drinking messyness... "You're never going to see these people again"!)... He wasn't a bad guy but I feel immense pity for his liver... it's probably unrecognisable after constant drinking to the point where all other livers take it for a homeless tramp, trying to find shelter in a broken trenchcoat under the pancreas from the constant flooding of booze into his system... to Simon's credit, he did get things going and everything had a positive feeling, we all know how drink can turn things sour... everyday he drunk tonnes and is (allegidly) seen with another girl (instead of elaborating on it, at this point please refer to point 5 of the list above... the 'snogging' might not be accurate... canoodeling might be better)... he kept saying how he loved his job... boozing everyday with beautiful young western people... but yesterday as I left I saw him trudging up to the hostel bar... I'd not been to one of the hostel's pub crawls... but as I saw him trudge upto the rooftop bar with a funnel and a pipe for (I'd assume) rapid consumption of liquid, I thought to myself, 'thank Christ that's not my job!'...
... on the subject of booze, there was an Irish fellow on the trip to Halong bay (other then David, the Irish guy who is infact with me here in Hue)... I can't remember his real name but he referred to everyone as Jimmy... so we did the same for him... Jimmy was a real boozer... red faced and spoke so fast and Irishly I struggled to follow him... I never saw that las without a beer... for Breakfast, lunch and dinner, without fail a can of Tiger beer... he bought his own Vodka on the tour (he wasn't the only one) and he had it in a water bottle... one guy was very thursty and took a pull from the bottle, he was surprised... a Vietnamese guy who worked on the boat took a swig... he then immediatly ran and threw up over the side... no one can match Jimmy! ... because I've been spending alot of time with David the Irish fella, I've picked up the (probably annoying) habbit of learning and aquiring some Irishisms... my favorite of which is, 'Yer man dere' which basically refers to anyone... ... (I'm now finding it difficult to fit all these points in in a seemless manner... oh well, I'll carry on regardless (who did that song?)) ... ... When I was returning to my bed after the night drinking on the beach I saw one of the beach puppies (young dog... that is not a euphamism of any sort) running around me playfully with a tube of toothpaste in his mouth... 'What a little scally way' I thought (and probably said, due to the booze) to myself... the beach island had two young boy puppies who were cool and playful... they were thick a thieves and so cool... but the next morning when I went to clean my teeth I noticed that the little bastered (as you can see, my affection for the dogs instantly waned) had stolen not only my toothpaste, but also my toothbrush and my antiseptic cream... the little begger! ... ... (Ok so what's left? Bombing and Cupping... hummm...) ... ... I forgot to mention that in Laos I learnt a bit about the USA and Laos involvment in all that war crap back a few decades ago... it's well documented, so you can read it yourself... but apparently the USA dropped more bombs on Laos then Germany and Japan combined... that's quite a fact... maybe they didn't drop that many in WW2... but still, it's a striking fact... ... and now to self cupping... ... I kind of wish I'd just let this sleeping dog lie instead of trying to be funny... oh well, apoligies in advance for my crudeness... basically, it's a bit terrifying crossing the street in Vietnam... hundreds of bikes surge across the road and the trick to crossing is just go for it, keep vigulent, but keep a slow and steady pace, don't hesitate... it's so scary sometimes I almost feel compelled to self-cup like a man getting into a hot bath... protect the vitals and hope for the best... ... but with the grace of God I'm find and dandy... ... ... ... Vietnam is growing on me everyday but the learning curve isn't so smooth.... it's kind of like getting into a hot bath... you'll enjoy it once you're immersed... but descend into the water with caution... :)
So there we are... the list is complete:) ... I need to go now because the internet cafe is full of loud little kids who are doing my nut in... I'm off back to the hostel to get a free cup of tea and read Silverthorn by Feist... ... Love to your mother (and especially my mother)... Matt:)
P.S. Sorry for my occasional crudeness... sometimes I just can't help myself!
Sleeper bus:)
The view from my seat on the sleeper bus... Slept like a baby after I found a way to fit my feet in a cheese-wedge of a space:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Thursday 16 December 2010
I'm back:)
... So I've got some catching up to do:) ... and I've got 50 minutes to commit to you guys before I meet my friends to see something called Water Puppetry (no, I don't know what that is either) in Honoi... so I will try in earnest to produce something for you now...
Last time we spoke (that's 'we' as in, 'whoever is reading this thing) properly I was in Laos... well now I'm in Vietnam... the countries are really quite different, like Vietnam is a couple of rungs up the social ladder to Laos (that doesn't necessarily mean better)... My journey in highlighted the difference in bus form... my bus to Vinh in Vietnam from Phonsavan in Laos was a crappy seated number which seemed to be used both for public transport and international import/export (as soon as we arrived in the first town in Vietnam we dropped off like 1000 rugs to a shop)... the bus in Vietnam was actually approching justification for the term 'sleeper-bus'... you could lay horizontal and actually sleep:) ... but then again, Vietnam has another set-back to compensate for the comfort provided by the bus quality... the F***ing horns on the cars... you seem to honk people for everything over here... and horns are agressive... they make me feel angry... that is my new discovery... ...
... the bus journey here was a long one because an overturned truck of sweetcorn blocked the mountain road, so just a little 9 hour delay (but I think I've already mentioned that)... oh yes, I didn't mention the Plain of Jars in Laos... I went to this place because it broke up a potential 36 hour-ish bus journey between Vang Vieng (Laos) and Hanoi (Vietnam) (but it actually turned out to be about a 36 hour journey because of the sweetcorn based delay anyway (doh!))... it is just this place with loads of sites with ancient stone jars (see earlier photo)... they don't know why they are there... the legend is that Laos used to be inhabited by giants who drunk Lao-Lao (whisky) from the jars and then throw them upon the group... a far more plausible explanation is that they are old-school tomb stones as some French bird found human remains under some... but I'll let you decide... ...
... When I arrived in Phonsavan there was no rooms avaliable... I was panicing... it turned out to be some kind of ethnic new year and so the whole town was booked out... I was beginning to worry that I'd have to book to sleep on some hostel floor but then a man from what looked like a shop said, "You come with me." ... and then led me to a lovley family run guest house behind their shop which was a fifth of the price of the only other avaliable room in town (yay!) ... there I met some German totti (I'm trying to use every word I can to describe a women in this post... sorry if people find it offensive, I only mean jest)... I forget her name (as one so often does with random totti;) but she was nice and we took a tour to the jars together and shared meals in this strange kind of Ghost town (despite the place being apparently booked out because of some festival) ... When I left her and said good bye, I found it strange but didn't get her facebook contact details... I will never see her again for sure... but even so, there was something unusual about saying goodbye in such a final way... we have social networking and facebook etc almost literally (but not actually literally) dripping off our face these days... goodbyes are not so important because someone we met for two days is now a facebook friend and we see whenever they put a random update on facebook (which is especially random if the updates are in another language) ... so it was kind of nice to be like, 'it's nice to have met you, but why the pretense of random friendship' (OK, so if anyone I've met travelling who I have added after a very transient-friendship will now thing, 'well screw you then')... but anyway, it was just a (probably pointless) point...
... In Hanoi I got a tour to go for 3 days to Howlong (certianly the wrong spelling) bay... I spent one day on a boat among this bay of thosands of islands which included water villages where the people live on floating houses and never step on land (to the extent that they need floating schools and hospitals (we had to kayak to visit these villages... and very nicley my friend Matt (an actual person not me talking about myself in third person) pondered, 'Where do they go to the toilet?' as I was splashing around in the village... the second day we spent on an island owned by the tour company... just us and the staff, no-one else... I booked with a 'youthful' company and so experienced the nearest I ever had to an 18-30s holiday... needless to say, I didn't feel so rosy yesterday after it finished (I became a little worried when, during my hangover, I felt like I was going to fall off my chair... maybe I'd just spent too long on a boat?) ... I met some great people like Matt from NZ (hopefully I will visit him in Wellington when I am there), Kay, a bit of skirt (sorry) from London, Marchya, some tail-feather (even I'm cringing) from Holland, Paul from Oz... and so on and so forth... it was good but I probably wouldn't do it again... a bit too much party for me... but still good:) ... When we went swimming in the evening on the island I noticed something super-cool (yes, super-cool;)... there was some plankton or alge in the water which as a defense mechanism flashing flourescently to warm off predators... so when you run your hand through the water, they sparkeled green in the water in the wake of your hand... it's kind of like what I think it would look like if a wizard waved (... hummm...) ... also on the island we did water sports and I had a go at Ubing (like in an inflatable U behind a speed boat getting pulled about)... it was fun but a bit scary for me... you would get thrown off and into the water with some force... once, with so much force that my shorts feel off (honestly... I know that sounds more like an excuse that wouldn't stand up in court!) (Jesus... I think that 18-30's type thing has turned me into some thuggish, rough-talking scoundrel... from now on I'll only use lovely words to describe women to make up for my poor form in this post)
... so yesterday I slept and today I've enjoyed beautiful sobriety while visiting dead-Ho Chi Min (if only I'd visited Chairman Mao, then I'd have the whole set of dead people with Lenin in the mix... it was kind of surreal today getting led about by guards in white with Bayonettes to visit some dead guy) and visited the history museam for Vietnam ( a bit boring really!) ... but now I need to go to see these water puppets with Matt NZ, David (a cool Irish lad... good banter with him about English people, but I'm still pretty sure he doesn't like us!), and Kay (the lovely lady (much better:) from London)... tomorrow I get the bus down the coast to Hue... let's see what I find there:)
I miss you all... keep well... love from Matt:)
Last time we spoke (that's 'we' as in, 'whoever is reading this thing) properly I was in Laos... well now I'm in Vietnam... the countries are really quite different, like Vietnam is a couple of rungs up the social ladder to Laos (that doesn't necessarily mean better)... My journey in highlighted the difference in bus form... my bus to Vinh in Vietnam from Phonsavan in Laos was a crappy seated number which seemed to be used both for public transport and international import/export (as soon as we arrived in the first town in Vietnam we dropped off like 1000 rugs to a shop)... the bus in Vietnam was actually approching justification for the term 'sleeper-bus'... you could lay horizontal and actually sleep:) ... but then again, Vietnam has another set-back to compensate for the comfort provided by the bus quality... the F***ing horns on the cars... you seem to honk people for everything over here... and horns are agressive... they make me feel angry... that is my new discovery... ...
... the bus journey here was a long one because an overturned truck of sweetcorn blocked the mountain road, so just a little 9 hour delay (but I think I've already mentioned that)... oh yes, I didn't mention the Plain of Jars in Laos... I went to this place because it broke up a potential 36 hour-ish bus journey between Vang Vieng (Laos) and Hanoi (Vietnam) (but it actually turned out to be about a 36 hour journey because of the sweetcorn based delay anyway (doh!))... it is just this place with loads of sites with ancient stone jars (see earlier photo)... they don't know why they are there... the legend is that Laos used to be inhabited by giants who drunk Lao-Lao (whisky) from the jars and then throw them upon the group... a far more plausible explanation is that they are old-school tomb stones as some French bird found human remains under some... but I'll let you decide... ...
... When I arrived in Phonsavan there was no rooms avaliable... I was panicing... it turned out to be some kind of ethnic new year and so the whole town was booked out... I was beginning to worry that I'd have to book to sleep on some hostel floor but then a man from what looked like a shop said, "You come with me." ... and then led me to a lovley family run guest house behind their shop which was a fifth of the price of the only other avaliable room in town (yay!) ... there I met some German totti (I'm trying to use every word I can to describe a women in this post... sorry if people find it offensive, I only mean jest)... I forget her name (as one so often does with random totti;) but she was nice and we took a tour to the jars together and shared meals in this strange kind of Ghost town (despite the place being apparently booked out because of some festival) ... When I left her and said good bye, I found it strange but didn't get her facebook contact details... I will never see her again for sure... but even so, there was something unusual about saying goodbye in such a final way... we have social networking and facebook etc almost literally (but not actually literally) dripping off our face these days... goodbyes are not so important because someone we met for two days is now a facebook friend and we see whenever they put a random update on facebook (which is especially random if the updates are in another language) ... so it was kind of nice to be like, 'it's nice to have met you, but why the pretense of random friendship' (OK, so if anyone I've met travelling who I have added after a very transient-friendship will now thing, 'well screw you then')... but anyway, it was just a (probably pointless) point...
... In Hanoi I got a tour to go for 3 days to Howlong (certianly the wrong spelling) bay... I spent one day on a boat among this bay of thosands of islands which included water villages where the people live on floating houses and never step on land (to the extent that they need floating schools and hospitals (we had to kayak to visit these villages... and very nicley my friend Matt (an actual person not me talking about myself in third person) pondered, 'Where do they go to the toilet?' as I was splashing around in the village... the second day we spent on an island owned by the tour company... just us and the staff, no-one else... I booked with a 'youthful' company and so experienced the nearest I ever had to an 18-30s holiday... needless to say, I didn't feel so rosy yesterday after it finished (I became a little worried when, during my hangover, I felt like I was going to fall off my chair... maybe I'd just spent too long on a boat?) ... I met some great people like Matt from NZ (hopefully I will visit him in Wellington when I am there), Kay, a bit of skirt (sorry) from London, Marchya, some tail-feather (even I'm cringing) from Holland, Paul from Oz... and so on and so forth... it was good but I probably wouldn't do it again... a bit too much party for me... but still good:) ... When we went swimming in the evening on the island I noticed something super-cool (yes, super-cool;)... there was some plankton or alge in the water which as a defense mechanism flashing flourescently to warm off predators... so when you run your hand through the water, they sparkeled green in the water in the wake of your hand... it's kind of like what I think it would look like if a wizard waved (... hummm...) ... also on the island we did water sports and I had a go at Ubing (like in an inflatable U behind a speed boat getting pulled about)... it was fun but a bit scary for me... you would get thrown off and into the water with some force... once, with so much force that my shorts feel off (honestly... I know that sounds more like an excuse that wouldn't stand up in court!) (Jesus... I think that 18-30's type thing has turned me into some thuggish, rough-talking scoundrel... from now on I'll only use lovely words to describe women to make up for my poor form in this post)
... so yesterday I slept and today I've enjoyed beautiful sobriety while visiting dead-Ho Chi Min (if only I'd visited Chairman Mao, then I'd have the whole set of dead people with Lenin in the mix... it was kind of surreal today getting led about by guards in white with Bayonettes to visit some dead guy) and visited the history museam for Vietnam ( a bit boring really!) ... but now I need to go to see these water puppets with Matt NZ, David (a cool Irish lad... good banter with him about English people, but I'm still pretty sure he doesn't like us!), and Kay (the lovely lady (much better:) from London)... tomorrow I get the bus down the coast to Hue... let's see what I find there:)
I miss you all... keep well... love from Matt:)
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Back from another trip:)
So I'm back from a tour of Halong Bay... In bed at 9pm, completely knackered! Here is a beach we visited among the mountainous bay:)
I'll update the blog proper after Ho Chi Min's mosaleum tomorrow... In the meantime, I hope you're all well:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I'll update the blog proper after Ho Chi Min's mosaleum tomorrow... In the meantime, I hope you're all well:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Hanoi, Vietnam
Sunday 12 December 2010
Another memo:)
Ok guys, I'm off again on another tour... This time 3 days and 2 nights around Halong Bay... Private boat and island:) should be good... Have to go now because weather goes downhill from Thursday... So I'll catch up on the blog after that. I'm in that dangerous place where new experiences push old ones out of my head... So I've got a lot of writing to catch up with:)
Love you, catch you later!
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Love you, catch you later!
Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Vietnam
Saturday 11 December 2010
Jars
Some big jars from Laos.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Phonsavanh, plane of jars site 3
I'm in Vietnam:)
Ok so I'm finally here... the bus too almost twice as long as it should have as we got delayed for 9 hours at a mountain pass road just after the Laos boarder as a truck carrying what seemed like infinite amounts of dried sweetcorn went over... we had to wait for them to scrape up literally (well almost literally) every last curnel of corn (and some rocks too... stay away from the South East Asian sweetcorn for a little while if I were you) ... and then wait for them to move the truck... at least I've learnt a bit about the saying, 'waste not want not'...
... but anyway, I'm here now but totally knackered so will have a quiet night with a beer or two, maybe finish off my gargantuian book 'Infinite Jest' and catch up on some Zs... then maybe I'll find time to update more tomorrow after I've explored the old quater of Hanoi...
Love to all,
Matt
P.S. Vietnam is certianly different... it seems I've been constantly laughed at since I've come here... I think the locals are sharing some good natured hurmour while I wave away whatever it is they are trying to sell me... but in my post bus pissy mood, I have to count to 10 to stop myself telling them to fuck off! ... don't worry, sleep will be caught up with tonight and I'll be shiney eyed, butter-wouldn't-melt Matt you all know and (presumably) love;)
... but anyway, I'm here now but totally knackered so will have a quiet night with a beer or two, maybe finish off my gargantuian book 'Infinite Jest' and catch up on some Zs... then maybe I'll find time to update more tomorrow after I've explored the old quater of Hanoi...
Love to all,
Matt
P.S. Vietnam is certianly different... it seems I've been constantly laughed at since I've come here... I think the locals are sharing some good natured hurmour while I wave away whatever it is they are trying to sell me... but in my post bus pissy mood, I have to count to 10 to stop myself telling them to fuck off! ... don't worry, sleep will be caught up with tonight and I'll be shiney eyed, butter-wouldn't-melt Matt you all know and (presumably) love;)
Thursday 9 December 2010
Just a quick memorandum:)
So, today is my last day in Laos... I'm in a city called Phonesavan in the East where they've got a stone-henge-esque arrangment of giant stone urn type things called, 'the plain of jars'... it has been pretty interesting but off to Vietnam tomorrow 12 hours to the city of Vinh and then up to Hanoi the capital... lots of moving!
I'll givce you more of an update from the otherside of the boarder.
Keep well all:)
I'll givce you more of an update from the otherside of the boarder.
Keep well all:)
Monday 6 December 2010
The whole trek group (minus Pet, our guide... he's taking the photo)
Meal time in the village
... topless women, broken windows and lots of Lao-Lao... my trekking experience:)
Well here I am, back on the blog after my trek in northern Laos... I've had about a week of non-stop early starts (sorry, I'm not looking for sympathy, being saddelled with all this tiresome travelling;) so my mind is a little bit frazzelled at the moment... but I'll plough on and we'll see where we get!
I'm now in Vang Vieng in the centre of the top half of Laos... it's the party place with "tubing" which some people might be familure with (you hire an inner tube, float down a river (apparently used by locals as a depositary for human effluent (read, poo (tee hee)) and rumoured to cause pink eye and infections in cuts... (I won't be doing it!) ... and bars chuck you a rope, pull you in and you drink before potentially heading off further down the river, just a little more pissed... there are also rope swings and stuff like that... it's almost the definition of 'bad idea' and I won't be partaking) ... I've come because it is between where I was (Luang Namtha) and where I am going (Vientien, the capital) and I heard everyone goes here... I am coming to observe, much like David Attenborough might... see these species in action, watch their mating dances, and watch them generally implode in front of my beautiful eyes... I'm sure many people would summarise that whole statement by saying something like, "you boring sod" but I can live with that... it's possibly less likley they can live with floating down a river or crap pissed... but the jury is still out... ...
...it'll be interesting and I won't stay long... :)
... So anyway, trekking:) ... it was really great... As me and Venetia (wait, actually she might want to remain anonamus (some people I know are a bit shy about their name going on the internet;)... in that case I'll protect her privacy... I'll call her Miss V (she didn't do anything to merrit needing ananimity though (just to be clear))) (Blimey, I'm starting to get confused by all the parentheses I'm using in these blogs!)... anyway, as me and Miss V took the bus (10 hours) up north to Luang Namtha I started to worry... I'd chosen to go there because I wanted some trekking under my belt... I heard Hervey (English-Belgun, see Chiang Mai blogs) say he trekked in the north and he seemed a man-o-nature and knowledgable so I thought I'd go for it (if I only do one trek might as well go all out:)... so the journey was rather bumpy on the public bus... when we hit roads smooth enough to read, it was evening and too dark to read... Miss V had also been looking into trekking and she made up her mind to come to Luang Namtha after I told her I'd booked my ticket, so I felt a little responsibility... she was on limited time and so I didn't want to lead Miss V to waste 5 days of her travels, so I hoped it would be worth it... on the bus we met some cool English lads (James and Kush... Mr J and K respectivley) and we all found a gesthouse together to stay at... we managed to find a cheap tour late the night we arrived which had 4 people already signed up (prices get cheaper with more people)... so we signed up and left the next day... everything falling into place nicley like dropping jigsaw pieces out of their box and them all just falling into the correct places (ok so maybe that's an exxageration)... ... ... ... ... I'm getting bored with this chronology malark, like normal, so let's just meet the group I toured with: There was Dan (Mr D), an Ozzie who had worked in England (like English go to work in Oz) and then travelled europe and South America before (he's joined me now on the sceptical travels to Vang Vieng... we are both enjoying "quiet" internet time now), there was me, Miss V, Mr J and Mr K and then there were an American couple, Lukas and Amanda (a chef and a bus driver... Mr L and Mrs (... would it be 'Mrs L' or 'Mrs A'... ... ... ... oh sod this, I'm bored with people's privacy... normal names are back in use!) ... they were and are a cool group... (shit I forgot 'Milko' the Slovenian... a bit of a legend, he bought Schnapps (read, 'some kind of dirty spirit') for "medicine") ... we got on well despite some obvious irritations which come with the territory (I didn't enjoy Amanda suggesting to the group how much we tip the guides!) ... ... it was a really great hike but I'll get the one negative out of the way at the start... STICKY RICE... sticky rice has broken my 'gastronomic' back... the food was great really... delicious and spiciy and flavoursom... but with every meal you have sticky rice... it's like rice you ball up with your hand (there was no cutlery and just banana leaves for plates) and use to scoop up some meat or veg and eat (eating with my hands was suprisingly easy for a man of my disposition:) ... but we had sticky rice for every meal... it is basically a bit like overcooked rice... it has kind of destroyed my love of asian food... until now I couldn't get enough rice and privatley mocked those who said they've had too much rice and couldn't stomach it any more... now I can empathise... the first thing I ate after the trek... chips... mmmmmmm:)
... Anyway, we did a 3 day hike with two sleeps... one in a jungle camp after a nigth by the fire, which was cool but nothing special... the next day we hiked to a local village in the forest/jungle... a village of 11 families which had only been visited 3 or 4 times by hiking groups before.... it was quality... they stared at us almost non-stop... we sat in the hut where we were to sleep and they just sat opposite us, staring and giggling... it was really cool... in the evening the whole village seemed to come by to watch us eat and drink the local spirit (Lao-Lao)... the room was packed and glowing with yellow candle light as we ate and the shot glass (made out of bamboo) worked it's way around the room with perpetual motion... the rounds quicker and quicker... I had somewhere between 7 and 9 shots of the toxic green stuff by the end... I wasn't that drunk and didn't have a hangover the next day... but I was decidedly 'dopey' on the next days trek and tripped frequently... but I wasn't the only one surprisingly;) ... The village was a really great experience and I want to write more about it but I also want to rest my fingers soon... so I will comment breifly on local buses in Laos before I depart...
... they are an experience... you need to be patient but they are enjoyable... they come with a driver and a small crew of lackies ready to patch it up when (not if) it breaks down... the trip down south was a bit cold because the journey was so bumpy that the window by me actually fell out and smashed on the road... I was windowless and had to hide behind the chair in front for shelter from the wind... with monks all around me and even in the corridor of the bus sitting on bag of what I'm guessing was rice... the seat in front had a monk with a wolley hat on... It gleamed to me like a button with 'do not touch' written on it... (monks are sacred and to touch their head is incredibly rude... so I resisted despite the curious looking texture to the hat he was wearing)... on the way up to Luang Namtha the bus broke down by a rural roadside village... I looked at people come and go from the local well... pigs and chickens and dogs and cats were milling around... it was a cool scene... I watched as an old women went to the tap... a woman in her pensioner age still working in this little village... such a natural life, I wonder what she is doing? Still fetching water from the well at her age? ... then as I watched, she removed her top... ... ... ... ... oh christ, look away, the old dear is taking a wash next to a broken down bus from the city... oh bloody hell, don't look don't look... ... ... ... ... (N.B. I imagine that is the one and only tale re. me and naked women I will regail on this blog;) .... needless to say, I was glad when the bus moved on...
... OK, in the not so distant distance I can hear girls 'wooing' to the enivatable try hard guy downing a drink to win the fair lady's hand... the courting rituals commence... quiet time is over... time to get my Michlin, I spy drunken bahaviour book out and start observing:)
... Keep well every one and I hope I haven't bored you too much with this!
Love from Matt:)
I'm now in Vang Vieng in the centre of the top half of Laos... it's the party place with "tubing" which some people might be familure with (you hire an inner tube, float down a river (apparently used by locals as a depositary for human effluent (read, poo (tee hee)) and rumoured to cause pink eye and infections in cuts... (I won't be doing it!) ... and bars chuck you a rope, pull you in and you drink before potentially heading off further down the river, just a little more pissed... there are also rope swings and stuff like that... it's almost the definition of 'bad idea' and I won't be partaking) ... I've come because it is between where I was (Luang Namtha) and where I am going (Vientien, the capital) and I heard everyone goes here... I am coming to observe, much like David Attenborough might... see these species in action, watch their mating dances, and watch them generally implode in front of my beautiful eyes... I'm sure many people would summarise that whole statement by saying something like, "you boring sod" but I can live with that... it's possibly less likley they can live with floating down a river or crap pissed... but the jury is still out... ...
...it'll be interesting and I won't stay long... :)
... So anyway, trekking:) ... it was really great... As me and Venetia (wait, actually she might want to remain anonamus (some people I know are a bit shy about their name going on the internet;)... in that case I'll protect her privacy... I'll call her Miss V (she didn't do anything to merrit needing ananimity though (just to be clear))) (Blimey, I'm starting to get confused by all the parentheses I'm using in these blogs!)... anyway, as me and Miss V took the bus (10 hours) up north to Luang Namtha I started to worry... I'd chosen to go there because I wanted some trekking under my belt... I heard Hervey (English-Belgun, see Chiang Mai blogs) say he trekked in the north and he seemed a man-o-nature and knowledgable so I thought I'd go for it (if I only do one trek might as well go all out:)... so the journey was rather bumpy on the public bus... when we hit roads smooth enough to read, it was evening and too dark to read... Miss V had also been looking into trekking and she made up her mind to come to Luang Namtha after I told her I'd booked my ticket, so I felt a little responsibility... she was on limited time and so I didn't want to lead Miss V to waste 5 days of her travels, so I hoped it would be worth it... on the bus we met some cool English lads (James and Kush... Mr J and K respectivley) and we all found a gesthouse together to stay at... we managed to find a cheap tour late the night we arrived which had 4 people already signed up (prices get cheaper with more people)... so we signed up and left the next day... everything falling into place nicley like dropping jigsaw pieces out of their box and them all just falling into the correct places (ok so maybe that's an exxageration)... ... ... ... ... I'm getting bored with this chronology malark, like normal, so let's just meet the group I toured with: There was Dan (Mr D), an Ozzie who had worked in England (like English go to work in Oz) and then travelled europe and South America before (he's joined me now on the sceptical travels to Vang Vieng... we are both enjoying "quiet" internet time now), there was me, Miss V, Mr J and Mr K and then there were an American couple, Lukas and Amanda (a chef and a bus driver... Mr L and Mrs (... would it be 'Mrs L' or 'Mrs A'... ... ... ... oh sod this, I'm bored with people's privacy... normal names are back in use!) ... they were and are a cool group... (shit I forgot 'Milko' the Slovenian... a bit of a legend, he bought Schnapps (read, 'some kind of dirty spirit') for "medicine") ... we got on well despite some obvious irritations which come with the territory (I didn't enjoy Amanda suggesting to the group how much we tip the guides!) ... ... it was a really great hike but I'll get the one negative out of the way at the start... STICKY RICE... sticky rice has broken my 'gastronomic' back... the food was great really... delicious and spiciy and flavoursom... but with every meal you have sticky rice... it's like rice you ball up with your hand (there was no cutlery and just banana leaves for plates) and use to scoop up some meat or veg and eat (eating with my hands was suprisingly easy for a man of my disposition:) ... but we had sticky rice for every meal... it is basically a bit like overcooked rice... it has kind of destroyed my love of asian food... until now I couldn't get enough rice and privatley mocked those who said they've had too much rice and couldn't stomach it any more... now I can empathise... the first thing I ate after the trek... chips... mmmmmmm:)
... Anyway, we did a 3 day hike with two sleeps... one in a jungle camp after a nigth by the fire, which was cool but nothing special... the next day we hiked to a local village in the forest/jungle... a village of 11 families which had only been visited 3 or 4 times by hiking groups before.... it was quality... they stared at us almost non-stop... we sat in the hut where we were to sleep and they just sat opposite us, staring and giggling... it was really cool... in the evening the whole village seemed to come by to watch us eat and drink the local spirit (Lao-Lao)... the room was packed and glowing with yellow candle light as we ate and the shot glass (made out of bamboo) worked it's way around the room with perpetual motion... the rounds quicker and quicker... I had somewhere between 7 and 9 shots of the toxic green stuff by the end... I wasn't that drunk and didn't have a hangover the next day... but I was decidedly 'dopey' on the next days trek and tripped frequently... but I wasn't the only one surprisingly;) ... The village was a really great experience and I want to write more about it but I also want to rest my fingers soon... so I will comment breifly on local buses in Laos before I depart...
... they are an experience... you need to be patient but they are enjoyable... they come with a driver and a small crew of lackies ready to patch it up when (not if) it breaks down... the trip down south was a bit cold because the journey was so bumpy that the window by me actually fell out and smashed on the road... I was windowless and had to hide behind the chair in front for shelter from the wind... with monks all around me and even in the corridor of the bus sitting on bag of what I'm guessing was rice... the seat in front had a monk with a wolley hat on... It gleamed to me like a button with 'do not touch' written on it... (monks are sacred and to touch their head is incredibly rude... so I resisted despite the curious looking texture to the hat he was wearing)... on the way up to Luang Namtha the bus broke down by a rural roadside village... I looked at people come and go from the local well... pigs and chickens and dogs and cats were milling around... it was a cool scene... I watched as an old women went to the tap... a woman in her pensioner age still working in this little village... such a natural life, I wonder what she is doing? Still fetching water from the well at her age? ... then as I watched, she removed her top... ... ... ... ... oh christ, look away, the old dear is taking a wash next to a broken down bus from the city... oh bloody hell, don't look don't look... ... ... ... ... (N.B. I imagine that is the one and only tale re. me and naked women I will regail on this blog;) .... needless to say, I was glad when the bus moved on...
... OK, in the not so distant distance I can hear girls 'wooing' to the enivatable try hard guy downing a drink to win the fair lady's hand... the courting rituals commence... quiet time is over... time to get my Michlin, I spy drunken bahaviour book out and start observing:)
... Keep well every one and I hope I haven't bored you too much with this!
Love from Matt:)
Saturday 4 December 2010
Back from trekking:)
Had a great time trekking, was a really great experience with good people... I'll fill you in soon:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Luang Namtha
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Very short blogging hiatus:)
Am off trekking in Luang Namtha tomorrow for 3 days and 2 nights... So you'll hear from me after that. Keep well everyone and speak to you soon. Love, Matt:)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Laos
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