Thank God for Chinese bureaucracy
13 days wasn't enough, in fact after my all too brief tour of southern Vietnam all I want to do is have at least as long again to do the north then on to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand then India, Nepal, Tibet .... you get the idea! But I can't, I'm as good as bankrupt so I'll have to work but thankfully my Hong Kong work visa is still being processed so at least for the next week I'm free to keep exploring.
After my last last e-mailed I took a night bus down the coast to Nha Trang (beach and bar capital of southern Vietnam so took advantage and had a drink or two and went scuba diving - loved it) then into the hills and the cool airs of Dalat (the first place in months I could walk down the road and still resemble someone that could pass as even slightly civilized). To end the trip it was down into the Mekong Delta for a not quiet Apocalypse Now style boat trip (couldn't organize napalm style light show unfortunately) then back to to Saigon (cheep central bit of Ho Chi Minh City still carrying original name) for a final night out on Bia Hoi.
Bia Hoi, the cheapest beer in the world - happy happy days! Picture the scene, I'm sat on the side of a road on a Fisher Price kids table and chairs chatting to random locals and drinking great home brew (bia hoi, served in refillable plastic bottles) and being challenged to taste interesting locals cuisine (they didn't speak English so didn't ask what it was) and when you come to pay up it works out at under 15p per pint, brilliant!
Talking of cuisine, I can now happily add cobra (v. good cross between chicken and squid), stingray (bit of an accident but quiet like shark) and deep fried frog (might not try that on again!) but though I found turtle and dog decided to save that for when I head to hanoi where I'm told the connoisseurs dine!
And that was the trip, gutted it's all over. I almost planned the exchange of cash perfectly, unfortunately I forgot about Vietnam's 192,000Dong departure tax departure tax, d'oh! fortunately I had 20,000Dong, $7US and about $40HK which with their calculations worked out as "just enough", funny that but wasn't about to complain so really did come back penniless.
So I'm back to Sean and Bev's in Hong Kong to introduce Sonny (the dog) to a few recipes I found in Vietnam..... I should be working next time so prepare for the the somewhat more depressed e-mail in a few weeks time!
Jonathan
O Pui Village
HK
After my last last e-mailed I took a night bus down the coast to Nha Trang (beach and bar capital of southern Vietnam so took advantage and had a drink or two and went scuba diving - loved it) then into the hills and the cool airs of Dalat (the first place in months I could walk down the road and still resemble someone that could pass as even slightly civilized). To end the trip it was down into the Mekong Delta for a not quiet Apocalypse Now style boat trip (couldn't organize napalm style light show unfortunately) then back to to Saigon (cheep central bit of Ho Chi Minh City still carrying original name) for a final night out on Bia Hoi.
Bia Hoi, the cheapest beer in the world - happy happy days! Picture the scene, I'm sat on the side of a road on a Fisher Price kids table and chairs chatting to random locals and drinking great home brew (bia hoi, served in refillable plastic bottles) and being challenged to taste interesting locals cuisine (they didn't speak English so didn't ask what it was) and when you come to pay up it works out at under 15p per pint, brilliant!
Talking of cuisine, I can now happily add cobra (v. good cross between chicken and squid), stingray (bit of an accident but quiet like shark) and deep fried frog (might not try that on again!) but though I found turtle and dog decided to save that for when I head to hanoi where I'm told the connoisseurs dine!
And that was the trip, gutted it's all over. I almost planned the exchange of cash perfectly, unfortunately I forgot about Vietnam's 192,000Dong departure tax departure tax, d'oh! fortunately I had 20,000Dong, $7US and about $40HK which with their calculations worked out as "just enough", funny that but wasn't about to complain so really did come back penniless.
So I'm back to Sean and Bev's in Hong Kong to introduce Sonny (the dog) to a few recipes I found in Vietnam..... I should be working next time so prepare for the the somewhat more depressed e-mail in a few weeks time!
Jonathan
O Pui Village
HK
posted by JP at 3:12 am
<< Home