OCTOBER 2014 : VIETNAM : Days 11 &12 : Mai Chau (near Hoa Binh)

      

Weather : sunny, hazy and warm, 30o

We left our hotel in Hanoi about 8.30 and headed south- west of the city up into the mountains to Hoa Binh for about 3 hours. Most of the trip was passing through small towns and farmland, mainly rice growing and sugar cane. The scenery changing as we left the city.

        

We had two stops, one at a roadside cafe, where there were remedies on sale, like this lizard wine.

                                       

And the other was at a mountain pass where there were foodstalls. John shouted us to freshly cooked corn on the cob and corn broth, drunk like tea.

                                

                               

Our homestay is in a village near the little town of Mai Chau. Lonely Planet says it can be too sanitised a tourist experience and we can concur with that but I'd prefer to say it's a refined operation. We are in a village of houses on stilts, which have become like compounds as families have grown. The huts are like dormitories with eating downstairs. We are surrounded by rice paddies and a sea of green. Fortunately tonight we have the very spacious and cool hut all to ourselves, with a young French couple in the adjoining one. Huge mosquito nets to cover the beds, although insects are not a problem.

                                      

       

The villagers are of Thai descent and have interests in agriculture, hand weaving and tourism. It is certainly an idyllic place to retreat to from the hustle and bustle of the city. We had a walk through surrounding villages, perusing handiwork, rice harvesting, villagers fishing, playing badminton and volley ball. Many of the houses are built over a pond and breed fish. Pigs, cows, chooks and ducks abound - with buffalo feeding in the fields.

                                     

        

Even kangaroos...

        

         

House with own fish-breeding pond.

          

                                   

                                   

Catching small fish in the river.

         

Rice wine is very popular, distilled in these pots.

      

About 4 pm all work stopped and everyone was out playing soccer, Badminton, marbles and volleyball. Men and women, old and young.

       

       

        

Dinner included meat and rice steamed in a bamboo tube.

        

After dinner we were treated tol dancing and music of White Thai and H'mong people, performed by the locals. Very relaxed with dogs and children intermittently walking across the performance. And rice wine to sample.

      

       

John took us, with a guide from the Mai Chau Lodge, to local limestone caves, Mo Huong Caves. One chamber was huge, with dry limestone formations. It was quite warm in there. The Vietnam Minh stored ammunition there during the French and Vietnam wars. The guides spent most of the time shining their torches in all the nooks and crannies searching for the two resident pythons. A lucky day if you see them, but no, not today. A lucky day for us as I was terrified.

     

Some of the insects and plants we saw along the path.

                              

       

All in all a very pleasant experience. Some itineraries go further into the mountains where a variety of minority groups live all with their colourful culture and traditions. But no time for us, a quick night in Hanoi tonight before we head to the coast.

Dinner at the Metropole Hotel in the French Quarter with friends, Shane and Kristin.

       

M&M

9/10/2014

OCTOBER 2014 : VIETNAM : Day 10 : Hue to Hanoi

                                      

Weather : sunny, 29o

We flew to Hanoi on a 10.30 am flight. A quick one hour flight and then we were met by our guide, John, who is as enthusiastic about his city as all the other guides. Now we are hearing the Northern Vietnamese point of view. The love of Ho Chi Minh of all the people, the importance of Hanoi as the original capital that developed the country by moving south. Whereas from the Saigon's point of view the North wanted to take advantage of all the bountiful resources of the Mekong Delta and transform their democracy to a socialist state. Then we have Mr Sam's take on Vietnam - Hue, the rightful capital, safe in the heart of the country - not to mention that it is oh, so beautiful.

Lunch at a small restaurant, 5 Spice, in a narrow street, festooned by national flags as on the 10th October it is 60 years since the liberation of Vietnam from French colonial rule.

                                    

We were then taken to the Presidential Palace precinct. In the grounds are many memorials to Ho Chi Minh, who lived and worked here until his death in 1968.

     

The new palace will be opened early next year. Soldiers were practising on the parade ground for the festivities on Friday. 

   

      

They have even preserved Uncle Ho's cars. Note the ultimate in tourist paraphernalia - the camera attachment for 'selfies'.

        

The house built for Ho Chi Minh in the precinct. It is designed like a village stilt house.

      

Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum - unfortunately under annual maintenance.

        

The Temple of Literature based on the teachings of Confucius. This is Vietnam's first university, established in 1076. There are names of distinguished scholars recorded here from 1484.

                                  

At 4pm we were taken to a performance of the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. Musicians accompanied traditional stories and cultural life.

        

        

Afterwards a drink at the Metropole Hotel, a historic hotel with links to colonial French era. Recommended as a must to experience. A Greene Graham martini with obligatory raspberry sorbet.

                                    

Walking back to the Old Quarter, where we are staying, we enjoyed the ambience of a lively city. The Tirant Hotel is a good 3 star hotel, extremely convenient to local markets, restaurants and major sites.

     

We walked around the Hoam Kiem Lake, a central focus of the area.

       

          

Dinner at a small tourist restaurant, 69.

                                    

M&M

7/10/2014

OCTOBER 2014 : VIETNAM : Day 9 : Hue

                                     

Weather : overnight heavy rain with showers continuing. About 25o - very pleasant. Word on the street is that the monsoon all rains have arrived!

Today our tour of the major sites around Hue - with a bit of cooking thrown in.

Mr Sam, continues to be our trusty (incomprehensible) but thoroughly delightful guide. We walked to the port near the hotel this morning, where our dragon boat awaited.

     

Today we took a trip down the Perfume River, so-called because of the scented flowers and friction which grow along it. Our boat was owned by a family and it wasn't long before I was the target for some heavy shopping pressure by the persuasive wife. I used Mr Sam for my bargaining back up.

       

First stop was the Dong Ba Markets to look at the fresh produce being delivered. Inside the covered area all manner of clothing, produce and homewares is available but our focus today was all the activity outside - all organic, pesticide -free, Mr Sam assured us - best food in the world.

                                  

                                 

Back on the boat for some more shopping-pressure and then rescued by our next stop, the Bao Quoc Pagoda, founded in 1670 and a favourite of the emperors. It has an impressive entrance.

                                 

        

                                                                

And a magnificent garden, established by Japanese monks and now maintained by resident monks and tala trees brought from India.

                                     

Yet more pressure from my boating entrepreneur as we motored to our next stop, an agricultural village and a cooking class. At first we walked around the area admiring the tropical fruit, unusual flowers and homes.

        

Sour fruit

                                   

                            

     

                                  

Back to the river for our cooking class - shredded rice spring rolls, prawn and pork pancakes and fig stir-fried with shrimp and pork.

      

                                 

Then our driver collected us for another few hours of Vietnamese history as we visited another two sites of royal tombs or mausoleums. We have paid attention to every word that Mr Sam has spoken but despite my best efforts to remember facts, my lasting memory is that all emperors love, so love, their country and their people so much and they were the wisest of men ('it is so incredible') and every empress is beautiful, so beautiful, so that she looks like the female Buddha, Quan, and every woman wants to be like her (so much).

The emperor, Tu Doc, created another citadel (begun in 1864) away from the city when there was conflict over French rule in the mid- nineteenth century, even deviously making a secret channel to bury his remains, so that the French couldn't recover them. He built another series of palaces and set it all in peaceful gardens about 10kms from the city. (There is evidence of shelling from both the French and Vietnam wars but the site is being fully restored.)

      

        

The final mausoleum was of Emperor Khai Dinh (1916-1925), who was heavily influenced by French architecture and Art Noveau style. Cement exterior but highly decorated inside - fabulous work.

                                       

       

                                    

                                       

Well, I think that's enough culture and shopping for the day - yes, she won me over in the end and with Mr Sam's help I made a great bargain. We have to agree with him that Hue is a beautiful, oh so beautiful city.

M&M

6/10/2014