Hello again.

Yes you know it is that time of the week.


I can hear you all now:

"Oh its Lopez' email. I'm so excited. I can't wait to read it. My week isn't worth living until I read it. Joy!"

I love you too.

Karina and I have covered a lot of ground since the last email. Close to 2000km! We are in our last month of the trip and have begun a 'whirlwind' tour of Vietnam. In the last week...

1) Phnom Penh Cambodia to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Vietnam (~500km)
2) Saigon Vietnam to Nha Trang Vietnam (~500km)
3) Nha Trang Vietnam to Hoi An Vietnam (~700km)

And tomorrow we continue travelling to Hanoi Vietnam.. another 1200km (24 hour journey grr!)

I have been looking forward to Vietnam for quite some time. The promise of inexpensive living and pho (noodle soup) in abundance was inexplicably alluring. For those who know me well.. When I enjoy something I don't just come back for seconds. I keep coming back over and over again.

My first day in Saigon. Pho.. twice.
Second day in Saigon. Twice again.
Third day. Once. But only after being refused a few times. ;)
Fourth day. Twice. The first time I had it for breakfast (Pho is a traditional breakfast meal for the Vietnamese). And not just anywhere. I had pho at a restaurant which was 'christened' and 'enriched' by the gracious chopsticks of the one and only former president of the United States, Bill Clinton.

Vietnamese food is just the way I like it. Simple.. yet tasty. It doesn't have that rich flavour that you find in Thai and Malay food. It doesn't have the spice that you find in Thai and Lao food. And it certainly isn't as greasy as Chinese food. A bowl of noodle soup and/or rice with grilled pork/chicken will do me just fine.

Saigon like Phnom Penh has turned its sour history drenched in war, bloodshed and victimisation into a tourist attraction. Whatever keeps them dollars coming in ey? Almost every tourist adds the city-based well-organised tours to their itineraries. In this city the two major attractions are the Cu-Chi tunnels and trips to the Mekong delta. We did both. Yes. I am a conformist!

The first tour on our menu was a one day tour visiting the Cu-Chi tunnels with the first stop at a town, home to the founding of the Cao Dai religion. A strangely colourful religion. It is a fusion AND combination of five religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Catholicism and Hinduism. They celebrate and worship all five religions. They don't discriminate between one or the other. As the tour guide explained this, I asked:

"How do the Cao Dai deal with the contradictions that present themself in the worship of two religions such as Buddhism and Catholicism?"

Our tour guide, Slim Jim, had surprisingly good English and loves to flex his knowledge of Australian and English slang/phrases. A funny man.. but hadn't studied the religion enough to know the answer to this question. Even after finding an Australian site dedicated to the religion I couldn't find an answer to the following curiosity:

"If Buddhists renounce the worship of God and Catholics centre their worship on God.. how can the two religions be practised simultaneously?"

Nonetheless they seem like warm-hearted people. People who are attempting to create doctrine to unite the people of the world. A colourful people. And a colourful temple. Observe...

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752670
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752671


Also!

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752672

A grandmaster. How fulfilling! An asian man with a long white beard. I am 99% sure he is also some kind of martial arts master and would be able to tear my heart out at the blink of his eye. When I am 80 I will have a long white beard. Fear me.

What really is to be feared... War. Vietnam presents another chilling reminder of the atrocities of war. The Cu Chi tunnles are the locals reminder and showcase for the war. For 20 years the local VC (Viet Cong/Vietnamese Communists) built a web of underground tunnels to resist the occupation of Southern Vietnamese and American troops. By the end of the Vietnamese civil war over 3 million people died. Countless many suffered post-war at the Americans ignorant use of bio- and environmental-warfare.

Our tour guide, Thong (pronounced Tong)/Slim Jim, was able to give us a comprehensive detail of the battles at Cu Chi. The villagers and soldiers had to be cunning to ward off the advancing American troops at their use of the latest technologies and weaponry. One such tactic involved barrell sized holes dug into the ground which were camouflaged for Vietnamese snipers to shoot at the enemy. What am I talking about? Check it out.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752674

The hole is the size of a lunch box. My hips barely fit through. Squatting into that hole was made impossible by my shoulders. Unforunately I dont have the frame of a Vietnamese man. They are a smaller people. At the Cu Chi tunnels they had widened a 100m stretch to twice its size to fit the 'white man'.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752677

I look strangely over-excited to be crawling into that hole. Hmm. Throughout the tunnels were exits so that anyone who started feeling uncomfortable could make a quick retreat back to the surface. While in the tunnels...

Some lady: I cant make it
Another lady: You can make it. Just follow my voice. Follow my voice
Some lady: Ok! I'm going to make it.
Another lady: Do it! You are doing great. You are almost there! Follow my voice.

Oh man did I hold back. The tunnels were small and noises bounced off the walls... I was very close to letting out a loud whisper.. a very chilling whisper..

"Heeeellllpppp mmeeee"

BUT. I am a nice guy. The commentary was enough to satisfy my humour.

On these kind of tours... I never let a photo opportunity to go astray.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752675
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752676

Sometimes I think I cross the line. But I assure you. The scaling of the tank was at my own risk. ;)

The other major organised tour is of the Mekong delta. One day tours of the Mekong delta do not do justice to the culture and vibrance of the people. It is a rushed tour that misses all the action. The Mekong delta is famous for its morning floating markets which run from 6am to 12pm. So on our tour we managed to see the people packing. Joy. As always.. I try to make the best of things.

Fashion trend anybody?

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752678

Our tour guide to the Mekong delta was sub-par especially in comparison to Slim Jim. I WAS going to complain about the tour until the last 5 minutes.

Tour guide: *In a broken Vietnamese English accent* I ha'e to say goo'bye
Tour guide: I will li'e to sing you a son' (song)
I's amazing..how you can spea' righ to my h'ar'
Witou' saying a wor, you can ligh' up te dar'
Try as I may..I could never explay
Wha' I hear when you don' say a ting

Te smile on your fa'e less me know tat you need me
There's a tru'h in your eyes saying you'll ne'er lea'e me
The touch of your han' says you'll catch me whene'er I fall
You say i' bes' when you say noting at al

HAHAHAHAHAHA. This sent me into hysterics. The guide was successfull. I said nothing at all. I am still undecided at whether he innocently sung this song or is a master a subliminal communication.

The trip would have not been worth it if I had not befriended a group of Vietnamese students. Ever since arriving in Vietnam I have been interested in the language and have learnt quite a few words. Thanks to these students I was able to correct parts of my accent and learnt how to say a few sentences. Our mutual interest in each others lifestyles led to a guided tour to the city of Saigon the following day! Excellente :)

We were taken to the local War museum, the local famous Pho restaurant (mentioned earlier), the reunification palace and finished up at an icecream parlour. This is the one and only way to see a city. The locals know where to go and know what to see. I was grateful and privileged to have my own chaperone/guide to Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks Vietnamese friends!

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752681
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752682

I also had the opportunity to take some footage of Saigon traffic. Here, 90% of the vehicles are motorbikes/bikes.. and surprisingly there aren't many accidents. People just weave through each other like to opposing tides of water.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752668
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752669

Mwhahahaha. Fast food report!

The Zinger burgers in Saigon are the worst I've had. The burger resembles the Thai Zinger but has the unwanted addition of an unidentified sauce. At 2USD.. it still ranks last among the Zinger burgers that I have had throughout Asia.

There are no McDonalds outlets in Laos, Cambodia and so far.. in Vietnam.
A conversation between my my driver in Cambodia and I..

Me: Lang.. is there a McDonalds in Siem Reap?
Lang: McDonalds?
Me: Yeah.
Lang: McDonalds?
Me: You know.. Big Mac.. Fillet'o'Fish?
Lang: No.
Me: Ohhhh!

He'd never heard of McDonalds before! Kinda refreshing. There were still Burger King and McDonalds rip-offs in the last few countries. Some of these included 'Lotteria' and 'Big Burger'.. both Burger King rip offs (they even ripped off the Burger King emblem. How shameless of them!). Sorry folks no photos of these for you to enjoy. ;)

..... The last four days have been fast. Lots of sight seeing and half-hearted attempts to settle in and relax. We've whirled through Nha Trang, Vietnamese most popular beach, and now reside in Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Likewise I will whirl through these places in my email.

Nha Trang. A beach side city that is overlooked by a giant seated Buddha. $6 USD per night for a room that I would enjoy living in back home in Sydney and $0.25USD for a watermelon shake. This is definitely a place that I could come back to and enjoy endless amounts of time on a non-existent budget.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752684
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752685
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752686
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752687

Hoi An. A riverside town that has persevered through time and retained its glorious heritage. The housing and buildings have preserved it's culture and so have its people. Fresh fruit and seafoods are sold daily here... not to mention Hoi An's notoriety for skilled tailors. You can tailor make anything to your heart desires provided you have a sketch. $80USD will get you a suit here in Hoi An. Next trip I might leave my bags for home and build myself a new closet at a place like this. Aside from the tailors, there are quaint cafe's like the one that I am sitting at now. According to the owner I am the first to use the wireless connection here.. and to commemorate the moment I had my photo taken. I'm a star now!

Very laid back. Just the way I like it.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752688
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752689
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752690

Sadly. I must leave you now.

I will leave you with a Vietnamese sunset, courtesy of photographer Karina Stamef.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/phnom-penh-cambodia-to-hoi-an-vietnam/1752683

I will be home soon. Most of you will suffering withdrawals will be cured.

I've thought about my travels and thought about some of the experiences that I have had. Namely the locals that I have met and the adventures that I have had through friendships with them. How has this happened to me? I have spoken to other travellers and rarely do I hear of similar adventures. So why does this happen to me. Easy. Because I wanted it to happen.

If you want something to happen. You will find it.

So what are you looking for?

Decide what you want. The looking is the easy part.

Until next time.

Love.

Lopez.