Tag: swimming

Vietnam: Part 1 – The North

Robin 2 Comments Around the World , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Vietnam: Part 1 – The North

Mar 8 – 15, 2019

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi via air and the visa’s we had worked like a dream. I was a bit suspect only because Vietnam is not the easiest country to get into given that if you get a visa at the airport I believe they will turn you around.

We bought a couple of SIM cards, called a GRAB and we were able to get a GRAB from the airport which is a little crazy because usually you can’t. They aren’t allowed.

First impressions of Vietnam: CRAZY traffic. There are motorbikes and scooters everywhere. And EVERYONE honks. It’s excessively loud and sort of in your face all the time. Of all the places, Vietnam has the most scooters and people honk the most.

The taxi dropped us off at our 2nd fancy hotel. Probably one of the most beautiful hotels that I have ever seen – and we were staying at it FOR FREE!

We headed out to the street to find food and I was completely out of my element. It was starting to get dark, the traffic was insane and we needed to cross the road. Cross walks and lights were not a thing where we were (they never really showed up in Hanoi) so you just have to wait for a semi break on one side of the road, walk to the middle and wait for the next break so your essentially standing in the middle of the road with traffic on either side of you. It’s unnerving. Then people are honking, you’re wondering if you’re wearing brightly enough coloured clothing (Be Safe! Be Seen!). It’s a shit show crossing the street.

We wandered and wandered and I just didn’t have my Vietnamese food legs established yet so I was wary. Finally we ended at a place that had Pho (pronounced Fa). There were words written on the wall and we figured they meant Chicken, Pork or Beef but they actually meant well done, medium and rare. The guys didn’t talk hardly any English so we broke out our Google translate that totally let us down. We were so hungry we just didn’t care (ok I cared a little).

Back to the hotel where Luc and Vivi went swimming and I had some much needed alone time in the pub with a delicious IPA and then a soak in the bath tub. Wonderful. I was feeling a lot of stress from the travel and traffic and honking and food choices, I just really wanted a drink and the IPA hit the spot after missing out on good beer for so long.

The next day was a delicious breakfast, and Luc and I walked around the hotel. We then all went for a dip in the pool and enjoyed a late check out (4pm) where we moved into the centre of Hanoi to our Airbnb. But not before going to drop off Luc’s GoPro at UPS to be shipped to the company and hope that we get another GoPro when we got to Ho Chi Minh City. It was totally acting up and causing a lot of frustration.

Something I haven’t mentioned is how much cooler it is here up North. We were enjoying 25 degrees now so it’s much more pleasant and less intense.

Our Airbnb, we’d read, was a craphole on the outside but once you get inside it’s clean and unique. Not wrong. I thought we were walking into a getto apartment when we walked inside, around the bend, up some stairs… it was DINGE. But then upstairs and it all cleaned up nicely. We had separate rooms which I think was a nice treat for all of us. Living in one room night after night gets to be a little much for everyone in the family.

We explored to go get some dinner and totally just happened upon the railroad that goes right through Hanoi. So cute and quaint and we didn’t miss the train passing by either! Second train we’ve seen go right through a market area on our trip.

We decided to walk to the lake and check it out the next day. I think it was a holiday or just the weekend because it was blocked and there were a ton of people walking around. The lake is man-made but really beautiful. We said goodbye and thank you to our much loved and fixed over and over again Reebok backpack. It’s kinda amazing how attached you get to things that have served you well for so long. We bought a fake North Face backpack who’s zipper has since let us down but all in all is doing ok.

Vivi bought a North Face puffy jacket and I think we looked for more stuff but couldn’t find anything we liked. Then we took off for Egg Coffee at Giang Coffee! My cousin, Kelly had mentioned that Egg coffee was something we HAD to try once and it didn’t disappoint at all. Back in the day when milk wasn’t a thing or it was too expensive or not available they used egg to make it creamy. Here is where we tried it. Supposed to be the place where it all began. Then we took in a water theatre which was really unique.

More exploring the next day by foot. A park, a bridge, a Cuban restaurant for drinks, trying to find a free water refill station, and then we had a free food tour of Hanoi with a couple of guys. They were awesome but we had already tried so much food that there wasn’t really anything new they could show us but they did take us to the most famous Pho resto in Hanoi and it didn’t disappoint. That’s how we learned about well done, medium and rare!

Something I’m forgetting to mention is that the air quality is really hit and miss and in Hanoi it was pretty terrible if I remember correctly. I’m surprised about how terrible the air is in a lot of South East Asia. I didn’t realize that it would impact me so much.

One thing that deserves mentioning is the fish that we saw still alive flapping on the street.

Cat Ba

We said goodbye to Hanoi and set off for Cat Ba. Last impressions of Hanoi: super busy and just a little too over the top for me. It reminded me of Bangkok where I really couldn’t wait to get to something a little less fast pace. It changed my mind about how long to stay in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon. Much less. I’m learning that big cities are just not for me (I actually learned this on the Camino but I’m reminded time and time again).

A short bus trip with an excellent guide, a quick boat trip, another bus trip and we were on Cat Ba Island. Those of you who have heard of Halong Bay really need to see Cat Ba because I’ve heard it’s just like Halong only less tourists and more peaceful.

We arrived and set off for the beach. It had been sooooo long since I’d seen the ocean and my heart and soul was yearning for it. We got there and it was sooooo beautiful. We frolicked in the water and I was in heaven. I remember taking deep breathes and feeling the water on my skin. Getting really present to what I was feeling and I remember distinctly it was bliss. We walked to another beach and enjoyed the beach there before the clouds rolled in.

The next day we set off on a boat adventure. It started off pretty rough. The bus pulled up and the driver got off. I thought I saw the bus roll back a bit but wasn’t sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. Vivi got on and went straight to the back. Then I got on and the bus definitely rolled back (the road was super hilly and we would have rolled back directly into the ocean after about a 600 meter drop). Then it rolled again. I yelled to Vivi to get to me and we were going to get off the bus. Everyone was looking at me and maybe they didn’t realize what was happening. I was yelling to the people outside to get the driver to stop the bus in case it rolled again and it rolled again! I was just about off with Vivi and the driver got on and put his foot on the break. I heard after that Luc (on the outside) said that the hotel owner was yelling at the driver (who was on his phone) that the bus was rolling but he wasn’t caring. Finally the bus driver saw it for himself so he hurried on. It all happened so fast but I was pissed and scared!

After we got on the boat we trolled through a fishing village that was on the water that was incredible to look at. Then out into the beautiful karsts. Immense and gorgeous. This for me was a bucket list item. I’ve wanted to see these beauties for a while now and was in absolute heaven when I got to be amongst them.

Of course, there was kayaking and Luc and I and Vivi got put into a double kayak with Vivi on my lap so I couldn’t really paddle. This is the last time I will EVER kayak with Luc together with Luc in the back. Ever. Lunch. Then a little swim in the turquoise water – I was the only female that went and there were about 25 females on the boat!

Then to Monkey Island. I’ve realized monkeys aren’t really my thing. The thing I hate about cats is they are too mischievous…well monkey are WORSE! Way worse. We arrived and I asked I could stay on the boat instead of going on the island. The guide said sure but you’re stuck on the boat for 1.5 hours… ok, I’ll go. We get off the boat and the guide is telling us about what and where we should go and I can see over his shoulder a little ways a way, a woman was being attacked by a monkey. She was screaming and he was chasing her. OMG.

I thought that I would be safe in the covered area with seats and tables but a woman who was right beside me had her entire package of Pringles stolen after eating only 3. It happened in about 1.4 seconds. I heard that they monkeys were put on that island only for tourists. Wonderful. They stole someone’s drink and finished it off. Animals!

The day ended with another float through the fishing village.

Tam Coc

We left the next day for Tam Coc. Another recommendations from cousin Kelly that was gorgeous. It was inland but we took to bicycles when we got there and explored a beautiful temple. It was nice to see Vivi on her own bicycle finally and cruising beside the rice fields.

We were still really enjoying the cool weather. We took to the bikes the next day again to cruise down the river but we took a short cut through the rice paddies and Vivi ended up falling off her bike and into the ditch and getting super muddy. We went home, cleaned up and then just walked to the other shorter river cruise. The guides paddle with their feet! We went through 3 caves and it was really peaceful and tranquil. Even a bit too cold as we hadn’t brought our jackets and it was a bit windy and rainy! But still so beautiful to see the karsts on land and also float right beside the rice paddies.

We came back to the homestay and hung out there for the rest of the afternoon with 3 Danish fellows and we played cards with them. It was exactly what Vivi wanted after her epic bail.

I’m going to save the overnight train ride for the next blog. It was a shit show.

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Laos

Robin 4 Comments Around the World , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Laos

Feb 25-Mar 8, 2019

Leaving

We left Chiang Rai EARLY in the morning. I think it was 5:30am. It was an early wake up call for my birthday. For my birthday I wanted to get over the border into Laos with just one company that brought us there. We could have saved money and did it ourselves but it would have required us taking a bus to the border (2 hours away), a tuk tuk to the “checkout” of Thailand and then another tuk tuk to the Laos border to get our Visa, then another tuk tuk into town… Way too much “figuring out” on my birthday. So I pulled the birthday card and I got what I wanted which was for it to just be EASY. One company that herds us along.

We got into the van that was going to take us and the driver immediately wanted to know which passports we had so he could know how much American cash we would need to get a visa. I don’t think he was very happy that Luc and Vivi had Swiss passports because he couldn’t do a crazy ass exchange rate on them – visas are free for Swiss going into Laos. For me, I already had the USD I needed for my British Passport. Canadian passports are the most expensive Visa around to pass into Laos.

Next stop we picked up a couple from France. They didn’t have any USD so the driver said that he could sell them some (for a terrible exchange). Luc said in French to them that we had some extra USD so we could spot them the cash until they could get to a bank to pay us back. Well I guess the driver didn’t know that this had gone on because he stopped at an ATM. We explained to him that we didn’t need to stop because we were going to lend them the cash and he was PISSED!!! He slammed the door and zoomed off. I guess his side business of ripping off tourists wasn’t going to work today.

A couple of times I tried to talk to him but he completely ignored me. Finally Luc made him listen when we all had to go to the bathroom. Nice start to my birthday – piss off a local.

We got to the border and stamped out of Thailand and into Laos. It was pretty easy. Forms to fill, photos to give (I had brought some extras for times like this so I patted myself on the back). We had made fast friends with the French since our little incident which we would continue to hang out with them for a while and meet up with them again in Siem Reap.

We got into the back of a truck and headed off to the boat. But not before we had a stop at the tour guides restaurant where he told us that the beer is cheaper here and such. Total scam. He also told us that he would be with us for the two day tour but we never saw him again.

Down the Mekong

Onto the boat, our assigned seating was basically bullshit and we ended up sitting closer to the back of the boat where the engine is. We were off and heading down the Mekong. The Mekong is stunning. The river is brown but you float past jungle, water buffalo, mountains, small hill tribes… we made about 10 stops that day floating into different places where people would get on or things would be delivered. Then a 360 degree turn in the river to get back on course. At some point some young fellas got on and the drinking began. They were trying to put beer in everyone’s hands. It was really crazy. They kept buying and buying beer and giving it away. It was all a bit suspect to me. There were two girls with them and one of them had about a 6 month old baby. It was kinda crazy.

Oh and Luc and Vivi tried to get the whole boat to sing me Happy Birthday which was really special. We ate instant noodles on the boat for lunch.

We got off the boat after about 8 hours at Pak Beng and about 20 of us piled into a van that was being held in place by a rock on a steep hill. I was sure that I was going to end up in the Mekong and I would leave this world the same day, 44 years later. We survived. The crew was a buch of Canadians from BC so after we got to the restaurant, we ate, I drank a few Gin and Tonics, watched the sun set over the Mekong and then us and the French went to the bar. Annnddd…. We were all alone at the bar. All for us. Vivi had a great time playing beer pong and dancing. My birthday had a wonderful ending.

The next morning I made the mistake of somehow getting onto a website about the exact same boat hitting a rock and sinking in a matter of seconds. People died. I shouldn’t have read that article because after that I was so freaked out. I’m not sure why I was so scared still but I sure lived in fear when I think back to that time.

The 2nd day of the trip down the river was another day of beauty. Not too hot given the breeze from the boat and just gorgeous. We sat at the front this time (away from the Engine). We made friends with Lola and Josh and sat close to Julienne and Roman (our French friends). These two adored Vivi and she loved them right back.

Luang Prabang

We arrived in Luang Prabang in the evening. We hopped into the back of a truck again and got dropped in the middle of the town to find our hotel.

Luang Prabang is a beautiful town with French architecture and flowers everywhere. It was strange to have this French feel in an Asian country. We even ate at a French bakery a couple of times while we were there.

That next morning, we found a place just down the road to fill up our water bottles for free. And we set off to check out the town by foot. We walked all over and then up the hill and down. I was stupid hot as usual. We met up with the French to get the money back that we loaned them and headed to the market for dinner. There we had a fill your plate to the brim with as much food as possible for like $2. Mine was heavy on the noodles.

We decided to get a van all together and with Lola and Josh to go to the Kuang Si waterfall to cut down on the cost the next day. The waterfall was the most amazing turquoise blue you’ve ever seen. We hiked around and then swam with the tourists. They also rescue bears there so that poachers can’t take the bile that’s in their stomachs to sell. Magical because of the colour of the water.

The next day we met with the French and went to Big Brother Mouse to volunteer. Big Brother Mouse and Big Sister Mouse is an organization that helps Laos children read and speak in English. We all jumped in the back of a truck again and headed to the school where there were a bunch of kids aged 4-12 awaiting us to teach them. We had a bit of a run down from the woman who worked there as to what was going to happen. We chatted with older kids on a mat and we played games with them too. Then we went into the rooms with the kids, sang songs and used flash cards that were a little strange to say the least. We had a delicious lunch of very Laos flavoured and prepared foods at the school and then we moved to the school up the hill to do more flash cards and watch them dance. There was this one little boy who was a dance machine. So cute. It was a long day and now I understand why I’m not cut out to be a teacher. LOL! It did feel so incredible to be able to give back to this organization though and for Vivi to be able to also volunteer was really moving for me.

We took it easy the next day and headed to the pool. It was fairly filthy because of all the people (grand reopening). The day after that we rented bikes and toodled around again. Luc got a flat but we still managed to get out to the shop that weaves silk. Another scorcher. Vivi was just sitting on the back of his bike on the little seat.  

If there’s a place you should visit in Laos, it’s Luang Prabang. It’s so beautiful and really quaint. The French colonial architecture really sets it apart.

Vang Vieng

We booked a van ride to Vang Vieng and I didn’t realize how twisty and turny it was going to be. Vivi and I both got car sick and she puked. There was a Mexican couple behind us that was super nice and gave us some meds for car sickness. The driver was driving like a maniac and I was sure that Laos was where we would meet our demise. At the top of this crazy ass hill where he was passing people constantly, we switched drivers to go down. This guy seemed to be marginally better and more safe.

I started to not feel so good in Vang Vieng after dinner. Must have been something I ate. My stomach was not feeling well which essentially took me out for the next day. It’s a little humorous because I was just asking the universe for some alone time (traveling and living with your family 24/7 becomes a bit much for this only child at times) and I got sick. So I guess I got what I asked for!

They headed out for the day on a bike to some caves and swimming holes and I got to stay in the hotel room for the day. I did venture out at one point to mail some postcards, buy some charcoal and I happened upon a Mexican restaurant and I couldn’t pass up tacos. By the time I got home I needed a rest.

Vang Vieng is nice, but you don’t need to stay there long. There’s not a lot in the centre. You need to go out a bit to take in the sports. I also didn’t see much of it due to illness but I don’t really feel that I missed out.

Lotus Flower
Lotus Flower

Vientiane

The next day we bussed to Vientiane. Vientiane is a BIG city. We had about 4 days here before jumping on a plane to Vietnam.

We got up early in the morning, had breakfast and tried to beat the heat. We took a tuk tuk to the COPE Visitor Centre that is dedicated to how Laos was affected by the war. Laos was the most heavily bombed place in world war II. There are still thousands and thousands of bombies still in the ground and people continue to die and get hurt daily. It is getting better though. It was a real eye opener that this little country was such a casualty of a war that they really didn’t even participate in. And the shocking thing is that generations later, that weren’t even around at that time, continue to be killed because of it. And I’m sorry if this offends, but it’s the States that dropped these bombs (because they weren’t allowed to come back with bombs in their planes) and they are doing next to nothing to help clean up the mess they made. It’s a little disgusting.

We met up for dinner again with the French and had a wonderful time. I just adore watching Vivi play with the two of them. The genuinely care about her and give her space for her to be a kid with. It’s adorable.

The next morning we walked to a park and around to a big arch. Then we decided to take in a movie: Captain Marvel (in English)! What a great way to spend an afternoon to beat the heat. Have I mentioned how hot it is in Laos yet?

The next day we hopped on a tuk tuk and jetted off to the airport to catch out flight to Hanoi. We were pretty excited because Hanoi was supposed to be about 7-9 degrees cooler than Laos and Vivi and I really couldn’t wait for it to get a bit cooler.

Reflections

  • While I thought I might finish in Laos, it really is incredibly beautiful. The people, the scenery, everything is stunning, especially the Mekong and Luang Prabang. I would consider coming back one day.
  • I was nervous going into this country. I had heard that it’s less touristy then Thailand (more than Myanmar) so I was a bit concerned about getting around and being understood. I think it worked out just perfect to come here.
  • There continued to be a lot of garbage on the side of the road.
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Cheese, wine, Switzerland

Robin 2 Comments Around the World, writing , , , , ,
Cheese, wine, Switzerland

It’s good to be back in Switzerland, even if it was just for 3 days.

The idea was for us to come back here, rearrange our stuff, celebrate the 1st of August (Swiss national holiday) and spend some time with friends and family. Exactly what we accomplished.

We arrived by train at the train station where Guy, my father-in-law picked us up. I’ll spare you the broken record: it was hot, morning, day and night.

We dropped our bags, had a wonderful dinner with Luc’s parents, and then Luc, Vivi and Guy headed to the fireworks and I retired to my bed – I thought I was fighting a cold.

The next day was the 1st. We hunted for a box we left in the attic 6 years ago when we lived there for 6 months. After some brou ha ha, Guy found it tucked in a far reaching corner of the attic. It held so many treasures that I had forgotten about: towels, tampons, Christmas cookie cutters, Christmas wrapping, a pair of shoes, a curling iron, books, slippers… it was like a time capsule we got to reopen.

A neighbour to Guy and Camille invited us over to their pool for a swim. This neighbour has a daughter about Vivi’s age who we hope will become great friends with her. Unfortunately she was on holidays still but the pool was incredible to cool off.

Later that night we headed to Jouxtens for sausages, wine, bread, lentils, wine, and lots of friends and connecting – it was the 1st of August and the Swiss national holiday. Vivi made a friend on the play ground. It rained like crazy and thunder and lightening. So cool.

After that, we headed down to the field where there was a MASSIVE bonfire and fireworks. I’ve never been one to really dig fireworks and I find it interesting that it seems like the Swiss (and now I’ve witnessed the French – more on that later) really do enjoy watching the night time spectacle. They light up the sky for what seems like a half an hour. All I can think is “wow this must be so expensive”.

The next day was the 2nd. Time to look at everything we brought: store winter stuff, pack for the Cote D’azure for 3 weeks and the Camino for 40 days. Try not to forget anything. We downsized to a backpack each and one big backpack. Not too bad. Much fighting and arguing ensued for Luc and me.

After that, we headed to a friend’s house for a wonderful lunch. Let me paint the picture: first the lunch was about 4 hours (and I left early to catch up with a friend, my mom, and my daughter). We had some aperitifs under the tree in their backyard: baby tomatoes, crackers, wine. So lovely. Then we moved to the table in their yard where we had a pasta salad and tomatoes with mozzarella and basil as a starter. Then sausages  and green beans – more wine. So delicious and so spoiled. It was beautiful. We moved back to the table under the tree to have bread and 2 different kinds of cheese. I think more wine. Then we had a Turkish drink called Raki that tastes like Ouzo. Then a little tiny delicious coffee. I was a little drunk by the end of that meal to be sure.

It was such a wonderful time catching up with our friends and getting to connect with Luc’s longtime friend’s wife who speaks English. She’s a new friend of mine but I’m so happy to meet her and her two wonderful children.

Since Luc and I have been fighting like cats and dogs, I suggested that we take the opportunity, while we have babysitters, to go out that night on a date and try to reconnect. I wanted to go to Vevey where we lived for 6 months, 6 years ago.

We grabbed his parents car and headed out around 8:30pm taking the lakeside route from Jouxtens to Vevey. Just like how I remembered it.

We got to Vevey as the sun was setting over the lake. I immediately felt like I was home. There is something so special about Vevey for me. I had only been there for about 10 mins when I told Luc I could absolutely move back here in a heart beat.

We ate at our old stomping ground, Pizza Taxi over looking the lake. It was pristine. I couldn’t have asked to be in a better place at that time. It filled up my heart and spirit to soak it all in.

We slowly walked back to the car, I remembered the times we spent here, the different seasons, the snow, the Uno competition, the walks beside the lake pushing Violette in the pousette, visiting the town when it was Christmas, watching the leaves change as I walked Jaedyn to school…it was heaven.

The next morning we woke up and headed to the airport to take off for Antibes. It was weird thinking I wouldn’t be back in Switzerland until October. I’ll come back and the leaves will have started to change, it will be cooler (hopefully), Vivi will have been in school for over a month and things will be different again.

 

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