Author: Jarik

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC or Saigon) is the only place where our bags got heavier – significantly heavier. The city is a shopper’s paradise. We were in the market for sporting goods as both Mariza and Eulain required new trail running shoes (again) and a quick look at the labels confirmed that the shoes that we bought in Europe and South America had their origins in Vietnam. The challenge was clear. We had to find “originals” at a bargain price in a city that is littered with knock-offs. Even our morning runs through the streets and in the large inner-city parks turned into a scouting expedition for sporting equipment stores. The city parks are very well maintained and early in the morning they are filled with hundreds of keen exercisers playing badminton, doing yoga, hopping in groups to the beat of loud music, stretching, shaking, running or walking. In our experience, this placed HCMC on par with Budapest when it came to enthusiasm for public exercise.

Our quest was filled with perils. Firstly, there was the onslaught of hard selling vendors who only relented when you turned your back and walked away, and even then some would persist. Then there was the sheer number of shops and stalls that all seem to sell very similar wares, all at very different prices. To get to the best price you have to complete the haggling process a number of times for any given item. But what finally proved to be our downfall, was the constant barrage of desirable goods at attractive prices that made us lose all sense of reason and objectivity. In the end we loaded our backpacks not only with two pairs of new shoes, but also with eleven new exercise shirts, three shorts and about fifteen meters of dress fabric!

Heaving under the much heavier load and eternally grateful that we did not buy the six hammocks we haggled down to just under $1 each, we left HCMC for a week in the Mekong Delta. We spent most of our time in the cities of Can Tho and Chau Doc. One of the highlights of Can Tho was puttering through an early morning floating market in a longboat. Water vessels of all sizes congregate to exchange wares at a particular bend in the river, identifying their produce on offer by hoisting a sample up like a flag on a long pole on the boat. Weaving between the boats and barges of fruit, vegetables, timber and other products, peddlers in little rowboats offer coffee and noodle soup to the dawn merchants and their clientele. We spent the rest of the day exploring little canals lined with stilted homes flanked by rice paddies. The way of life is so vastly different from ours.

In Chau Doc, our hotel was on the main square and only two blocks away from the Mekong River. From our fourth-floor balcony, we had the perfect view of the informal food market that sprung up every evening. Over a basic noodle soup dinner we had a delightful conversation, in very broken English, with the stall owner. We were some of the very few tourists in the city and caused quite a stir and drawing many side remarks. The city mostly functions as a local border stop-over between Vietnam and Cambodia. The next day, our morning run took us right through the centre of the large local market. No touristy souvenirs or sportswear here! We had to side-step and duck a few times to get through the malaise of baskets, buckets and tables covered by low tarpaulins, much to the amusement of everyone. One of the things that we enjoyed about our runs in every city is that it usually took us a little deeper into the neighbourhoods at a time of the day when there was still a lot of household activities going on. Chau Doc was no different and our sweat was rewarded with many colourful sights, a lot of hellos and waves from children and parents getting ready for the day.

Very fittingly, we left Vietnam on the Mekong, heading to Cambodia on board a twenty-five passenger high speed ferry. It is a surprisingly broad river with a lot of activity. A six hour trip took us (and our heavy backpacks) to Phnom Penh and the eighteenth country we arrive in during the past eight months of travel. We have been to Vietnam! (And we have a lot to show for it!)

– Jarik –

Author: Jarik

Ten thousand colourful lanterns cast little circles of enchantment all through the pedestrian lanes of the historical river side town. Their reflections dance cheerfully on the water where more lanterns float in between the rowboats that carry the couples that set the lanterns adrift to garner themselves good fortune. The aroma of sweet, strong Vietnamese coffee drifting from the dimly lit corner coffee shops intermingles with the smoky flavours from the water side food stalls, while the muffled conversations drifting from the patron filled restaurants carry warmly through the streets. The intoxicating mixture brings cheer to everyone that set their feet to the streets. We have a wonderful time exploring Hoi An, from our arrival at dusk, continuing late into the evening. Our hotel is only two blocks from the historical centre. A little oasis with a pool and tidy rooms.

Early the next morning we run 5km through rice paddies and vegetable gardens to An Bang Beach. The shoreline is dotted with palm frond umbrellas and brightly coloured beach chairs. Ordering a drink and the promise to order lunch, give us the right of use of a set of chairs for the day. The children do not let the opportunity go by to swim and bodyboard and we are equally enthusiastic to sample the cold beer. Across the bay we can see Da Nang, an up and coming tourist destination. It has probably more than twenty new high-rise seafront resorts under construction, representing all the international leisure groups. A new Gold Coast in the making. On An Bang Beach, however, there are no buildings or infrastructure other than the beach shacks, so the beach is blissfully unspoilt – true luxury!

Sun kissed, we stroll back to Ho An later the afternoon, looking forward to continue the evening under the spell of the enchanted place. It does not disappoint, rewarding us with a delightful dinner as we sit under strings of colourful lanterns floating above a terrace, overlooking the light filled river. Fortune has found us. We just smile and drink even deeper.

– Jarik –

Author: Jarik

Two facts have we learnt about Hanoi. The first is that everyday life happens on the sidewalks and the second is that every evening is a celebration.

The tree lined maze of narrow streets in the old quarter of Hanoi is an absolute feast. Toddler sized tables and stools of the roadside eateries spill into the sidewalks, crammed in between parked scooters and street vendor carts. It is easier to walk in the road than to try and weave your way through the barber chairs, plastic buckets, scooter workshops, food baskets, cooking utensils, cooking utensil manufacturers, daybeds and millions of parked scooters. Our hostel is right in the middle of the eclectic ensemble, down a narrow lane. The entrance is next to dozens of buckets of sea creatures and vegetables that are being made ready for the hungry customers of the eatery next door. The pineapples are sweet and we end up having one each, every day, from the friendly lady that sells them from the back of her scooter around the corner from our hostel. We have pho at a couple of places, mostly sitting on the toddler chairs while watching the scooters speed by carrying anything from tables to building materials.

Day gives way to night suddenly in these parts, flinging the doors wide open for everyone to take to the streets for some kind of celebration. Every little eatery has an extra row of tables and stools set out and the cooking fires burn everywhere. We discover that there is a children’s festival of some sort that night and walk mesmerised through crowded streets with lanterns dangling from the trees overhead. Toys and treats of every desire are on offer with a festive drum beat urging parents to forget all boundaries.

The next night we venture to the Hoan Kiem Lake, a landmark of the old city. There are people everywhere, taking photographs, eating ice cream, watching street performers, having coffee or just walking around the lake. The mere mass of people turns the three-lane road into a pedestrian way with vehicles barely inching through the crowd. On our return to Hanoi from trekking in Sapa a few days later (more of that below), we again run into festivities. This time dragon dancers in full costume and again a sea of people.

From Hanoi, we head to Sapa for a three day trek through the colourful mountainside rice fields of northern Vietnam. The overnight sleeper-bus is a new, surprisingly comfortable experience and we arrive early morning, ready for a couple of active days. We start the trek by waiting in a hotel lobby, drinking super sweet and super strong Vietnamese coffee for just over three hours. After that, our friendly guide and homestay host Chi, urges us and six other hikers into a mini-bus taxi and we head into the hills. The first day of hiking is an easy walk following a paved path through the hills interrupted by mad scrambles to pull our ponchos over our heads to shield us from unpredictable bouts of rain. To our disappointment, we have missed the rice harvest by about two weeks, and all the rice paddies that we hoped would be painted in different hues of yellow and gold, are only stubble filled muddy ponds. Life in the countryside is nevertheless interesting and we pass through numerous little homesteads with ducks, geese, pigs, chickens and water buffalo roaming freely. Arriving at Chi’s house, we are all assigned beds. Our family gets to sleep on floor mattresses in the loft, next to the mountain of bags containing our host’s rice harvest for the year.

The magic, however, starts an hour before dinner when Eulain asks Saum, our host’s ten year old daughter, if she can help with dinner preparations. Huge piles of morning glory get washed by the two girls, both sitting on their haunches in front of big buckets in the wet side of the kitchen. In the dry side of the dimly lit kitchen, the other five members of our family join in to help with the picking, peeling, chopping and slicing, passing vegetables to be washed to the two girls. An everyday chore becomes an intimate moment shared between the two families. After the modest feast, we all (kids included) are served a shot of home brewed rice wine. Not for the fainthearted!

The next day brings more rain, but mid-morning we and a friendly young couple from Israel, declare that a bit of water is not to be feared, and we set of for a hike to the waterfall. Both the hike and waterfall are disappointing, but the conversations are beautiful. After a leisurely lunch, Tom and Jenna leave for Hanoi and we return to Chi’s house where we have a languid afternoon. All six of us hope that the next day would be more active, but know that it is very unlikely that this tourist trap would hold any real excitement. At about eleven in the morning of the third day of the supposedly three days of scenic hiking, we get a taxi from the homestay back to the town of Sapa. It is hard to look past the disappointment of the unmet expectations. However, as we share our daily highlights with each other, we realise that finding the treasures in the people around us, even in seemingly insignificant moments, can be as beautiful as a hike in the mountains.

– Jarik –