MERRY CHRISTMAS

FROM VIETNAM

Vietnam

Vietnam

Country number 3 on my travels; I left Bangkok / Thailand behind on a very early morning but already warm and the sun was coming out just before I took off.

The Ryanair of Asia is Airasia, but with much better service, planes, stylish uniform and staff. After a smooth 1,45hr flight I arrived in a foggy and slightly chilli (warm for European standards) Hanoi.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a visa – incl at least 50 others- so we had to queque and fill in some forms and hand over a photo but half an hour later I had my ‘stamp’ in my passport and could collect my bag at the conveyer belt. So far so good, I’m now getting used to the taxi drivers trying to get your service for and overpriced ride into town so I ignored them and headed to the shuttle bus which is only us$2 for an hours commute to the buzzing centre of Hanoi. I was the first to get in and I was told that the bus would leave in 15 min. I know now that also this is never true but after half an hour I got annoyed as the bus was almost full and no movement. It felt more if I was at a crowded market square with screaming people and yes there we go again the tv with a very bad Vietnamese soap on volume 10. So with my shuffle on 10 I was patiently waiting to leave. It also didn’t help that I had a friendly lady next to me who wanted to chat but communication was a bit difficult due to the language barrier. Her phone went off every 10 minutes which was in her trouser pocket and to get it out she had to lean over to me to get it out. After 3 times I clearly wasn’t happy so I gave her ‘the look’ but not sure it helped. After many stops the bus ride almost reached its destination, a thirty something, smart looking guy came and sat next to me and started a conversation (earphones out, earphones in for me…). His English was quite good and we talked about Vietnam, his work in HCMC and my visit to Hanoi. He wanted to know where I was going so I could hear some alarm bells in the back of my head but I told him the area and the road and he said oh but that’s a coincidence as that is a couple of roads from my family home (ring ring ring). He offered to help me with a taxi which I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea but I just went with it. So we ended up in taxi together, I had my map in my hand and was trying to keep up with the route while he was chatting away….  Suddenly we stopped and he said this is your road and your hotel should be an the end of it. I looked at the meter and it was just 53.000 dong (£1.50) for the ride, so I gave him my money and got the correct change back. Then my ‘friend’ said well do you have a couple of hundred dongs left for me to get home (RING RING RING). So I said: well thank you for your assistance to find my hotel but I already paid for the ride so far so the rest is up to you, have a nice day! In fairness he helped me and he thought I can always try, only I don’t understand that someone working for a bank in HCMC still wants a lady to pay for his taxi ride home!

The Hoan Kiem Lake

The rest of my time in Hanoi went all smoothly, the hotel is great with friendly people, and is situated in a Soho style area. There are many food stalls or little local eateries with locals which produces lovely food. I have lunch and dinner there to try the local Pho or bun bo hue (noodle soup), nem (springrolls) and bai hoi (draft beer for £0.25). People are friendly but reserved and don’t speak much of English so I’m trying to learn some basic Vietnamese. The city has a nice vibe but is swamped with scooters so crossing the road is sometimes a kamikaze run for your life.

To top it all up this morning my dear friend Paul arrived to join me for the next month through Vietnam and Cambodia! It’s really nice to see a familiar face (no offence Michel) and catch up with London life, friends and most of all to enjoy this adventure together.

We’ve booked today our trips to Sapa  (mountains) and Halong Bay for the next 5 days. After that we’re making our way South (warmer, sunnier weather) for Christmas and New Year.

Next time more from the ‘new Brangelina’!

Bun bo hue

Pho Tien

NIGHTBUS TO BANGKOK

With my PADI in my backpack I took the night bus from Krabi to Bangkok to have a couple of days of city life before entering a new country; Vietnam.

The VIP bus had a similar outlook as the one in Burma, you do get used to the loud music or movie till midnight so usually I play my own music or I put my earplugs in.

It feels a bit as a contradiction about the noise they want you to go to sleep asap (dim the lights and music) but the aircon is so low that if feels if you’re in a fridge. The blankets provided aren’t enough so a jumper and socks are needed to keep warm and to catch some sleep. The toilet/food stop is usually in the middle of nowhere with a place which we call in Holland a ‘vreetschuur’ it’s like a big area with very bright lighting which is buzzing with staff and people who only have 15 minutes time to eat. This place had many concrete tables laid with cutlery and was surrounded with little stalls which each offered another dish. So it was just deciding which dish (Pad Thai, noodle soup, stir fried vegetable with tofu etc) and go to the stall and get your plate. After that it was scoffing your food down as your bus was about to leave in 15 min time. After a couple of hours sleep I was abruptly woken up by bus host as we arrived at Bangkok South bus station at 4.20am! After ignoring the taxi drivers I tried to find out if the 156 bus was running to Khao San Road as this was near my hostel. Later on I found out that the 155 was the night bus to my destination and I was lucky that it left after 5 minutes. So I took the 1^st available seat in the bus with all my bags,  after 1 minute a very old Monk showed up and points out that he wants to sit in my seat. I pointed at him that he could take the seat on the other side of the bus but he ignored that and pointed at a sign on the window and then to him. Of course it was in Thais but I did understand that it would say along the lines of “seat for elderly, pregnant women and in this case also monks” So I did move and apologized to the friendly monk and he gave me a big toothless smile in return!

So when my stop came, prompted in time (courtesy of the friendly female bus conductor) so I could hop off, I found my self at a fairly busy road but no idea where to go. So I went to a couple of ‘ladyboys’ who were having a late night or after work snack in one of the outdoor stalls and asked them how to get to my hostel. The next 5 minutes they were very busy talking or more bitching with each other and I could make up from the conversation that they weren’t sure where it exactly was. Then one of them asked me if I could take a tuk-tuk? When I said yes two of them put me in one before discussing directions and tariff with the driver. The tuk-tuk drivers here are famous for their cons (take you everywhere then your destination and asking a lot more money) so when we arrived at the hostel the guy tried to keep an extra 10 bath as a ‘tip’ but I had none of it as I was already charged the tourist, late night and rip off tariff for this short trip.

So now I’m in Bangkok which is very busy and warm. So far I’ve explored The Royal Palace, many temples and Buddha’s, enjoyed the River Phraya, enjoyed two cycle tours and now I’m getting ready for Vietnam on Friday.

Dutch Brangelina’s journey comes to an end in Thailand

The last Brangelina days we spend pendling between the Islands near Ao Nang, we arranged a long tail boat for the day who would take us to Hong and some smaller Island which looked in the brochure amazing and later we found out that this wasn’t a lie. We had an amazing day visiting bounty like islands, snorkelling, swimming in a laguna, eating our lunch at a small beach and finish it all off at a very remote island. Judge by the pictures but these were the most stunning islands I’ve seen for a long time.

The next day we went back to Railay as we wanted tick off the sea kayaking of our to do list. It was the hottest day so far as there wasn’t a cloud in the sky so it was baking in the sun and in the kayak.

A lovely swim in the laguna

Hong Island

After traveling together for 4 weeks in Burma and Thailand the Dutch Brangelina parted in Thailand as ‘Brads’ 3 month journey came to an end and went back to cold Holland. He’s looking after the adopted brood from Burma and Thailand so he will be busy and Angel(ina) will continue her journey as she just started. It’s been a great trip with many memorable experiences and stories which could be a start for more ‘Brangelina’ trips in the future. I will  miss my travel companion but I know that traveling alone will give me other opportunities and I will meet fellow travelers along the way.

We had fun...

The 'Dutch Brangelina'

Diving

I went a day diving to Kho Phi Phi Leh which was my first experience outside Turkey so I was totally surprised how much you can see in the water! It was like swimming in an aquarium but then a very big one. It was amazing what I’ve seen but the total cast of Nimo passed me on my visit down there and many colourful fish from which I will remember the name at the end of my trip and many many dives.

I met another Dutch girl on the boat called Marieke ( I told you that the Dutch are everywhere) who was doing her first day of her Open Water Diver course. After my two dives is was clear that it only would take 2 days to do mine too so I agreed to join her the next day to have our practical part together.  After a long day with first a swimming pool session with tricks like, taking off your mask and blow with your nose the water out of it, take your BCD off and put it on again, swim with a snorkel and balance in a Buddha position in the water. After a quick break we went with a long tail boat to the local Islands in the sea. There more exercises to show what we can or what we need to know to receive the certificate. It was exhausting and when I thought it was over my German teacher Julia said ok girls now you swim to that rock and back! I was hoping to have my lunch now but she came up with more tricks for us to do. Finally after our second dive and a last exercise that I had to swim with my ‘tired diver Marieke’ to the boat we could pack up our gear and have that long and needed portion of sweet and sour chicken with rice.

It was a long day but worth it was it was a successful one the only thing left for me is to study my manual and watch the 2 DVD’s provided and then do my 50 questions exam to receive my certificate. I’m planning to do that in the next couple of days with hopefully a successful result.

I can’t wait to have more aquarium experiences and see more Nimo’s on my journey as I will be visiting more top 10 Diving destinations along the way.

A successful practice day with Maria and Julia

Diving with Michel, Marika and Julia

THAILAND

Thailand

So now I’m in Thailand to have some sun, civilazation, nice food and beautiful scenery. After Burma, Thailand is a culture shock for me as here is a Tesco supermarket, people speak English, you can have English breakfast, buy almost everything you need and there are Seven – Elevens (Tesco Express) on every street corner. It’s difficult for the Thai population to win a place in my heart at the moment after my Burma experience. Here they are used to tourists and know how to make money out of them so that’s a big difference with the Burmese population.

After a couple of nights in Ao Nang Beach a kind of Lloret the Mar on the Thai Westcoast I’m now staying in a more Bohemian, Backpackers style Island called Tonsai Beach. Only access is by long-tail boats so it’s very quiet here and the island is a place for climbers and divers. Later this week I will do my Open Water Diving course here too.

Also later this week the Dutch Brangelina will finish their joint journey as Brad is going back to The Netherlands and Angelina?? Well you will hear a lot more from here if you keep on reading her blog.

Ao Nang Beach

Ao Nang Beach by sunset

view from Ao Nang beach

Bye bye Burma

Bagan, is a dusty bohemian like place in the North-West of Burma. While I was there it was very warm (30 degrees) which means you get up early to explore the thousands of temples and stupas till midday, then hide in the shade or indoors and start exploring more temples from 4pm onwards. As true Dutchies we were pleased that the suggested transportation for the tourist are bikes. You rent one for the duration of your stay and peddle around Bagan to see all these beautiful temples.  We did this for two days with sunsets, sunrises and finding out the best places / temples to see she sun come up or go down.

As I’ve mentioned before the bikes are a great way to explore the area only the bikes were fitted for Myanmar size people so my travel companion who’s nearer to 2 metres was spotted many times on his bike with his knees nearly hitting the steering wheel. On the Sunday after our attempt to see the sunrise and started another round of Temple visiting we were the focus point for a large group of school kids. As it was Sunday they were on a school trip and were more intrigued by Dutch Brangelina then Buddha so at some point we had to pose for many pictures with the kids in front of the temple. They left in their busses but during the rest of the day we were cheered or waved by them while cycling through Bagan.

Business class night bus to Yangon

To travel to my next destination Thailand I had a 24 hrs bus-plane-plane itinerary planned which started on a Wednesday evening at 8pm.  I’ve booked a motorbike who would take me plus my backpack to the bus station. I was told this would be a 30 min drive and no problem for the motorbike and the driver. However at 7.55pm there was no motorbike in front of my hotel….. (my friend Natalie would raise her eyebrow now as I didn’t confirm this with the guy or even had his name or number). People said not to worry as the driver would show up but I wasn’t convinced anymore as it was also the Full Moon festival which means people have a reason to get drunk from early afternoon… So I asked another motorbike waiting outside if he could take me and he said OF COURSE! He tried to get my backpack on the bike and had to admit that this wasn’t going to work.  I could hit myself not being organized for having booked a taxi instead of a motorbike.  My travel companion saw the desperation in my eyes and went inside into the hotel and returned with 3 people who said that they’ve called someone to take me to the bus station….. This other person was a 14 year old boy with his little scooter. The staff were shouting and pointing out to him that my bus was leaving at 9pm so that there was some pressure for him to get me there.

After a daredevil half an hour drive on this little scooter with my backpack and the two of us we arrived at a very busy place which was the bus station! I can’t believe that the boy drove the scooter with my backpack between his legs and constantly checking his phone and making small talk with me (“how old are you”, How long have you been in Myanmar?) while navigating through the busy night traffic. Another story for the books and a big thank you to Saint Christopher again.

So back to the busy ‘bus station’ which was a very dusty sand pit with many little outdoor tea rooms, people trying to sell their produce and of course many busses. First I thought we were at the wrong place so I was asking the boy with desperation if we were at the correct place. He said: don’t worry Miss, just wait here! In the end he was trying to find out where my bus was so he could drop me off in front of it. And so he did and I thanked him with a very big tip and said to spend it on fireworks for the festival tonight!

After this hectic trip I entered my bus and to my surprise this was nothing like my other bus journeys. Apparently I was booked on the GI Capital business class bus (for a very economy price) so a leather window seat was waiting for me with a cushion, blanket, water and bus hostess.  This was a pleasant surprise and well needed after the start of this trip. The bus had silk looking curtains draped in front of the windows and not one but three tv screens with some award ceremony showing till midnight. The bus hostess had a welcome/health and safety talk (well at least that’s what I assumed as it was in Burmese) and they handed out tea and snacks before we left.  There was one service station break and tooth brushes and flannels were handed out when leaving the bus so I assumed they wanted us back washed and fresh for the rest of the night!

At these services stations people have little stands with drinks and snacks like roasted peanuts or have on the back of their bike a little bbq to roast some corn. They live in their little bamboo huts there too as the busses keep on coming during the night and they don’t want to lose out of business.

I did manage to get some sleep in my comfortable seat to arrive at Yangon bus station at 6.30am. A taxi driver took me to the airport via Lucky Seven which is a place to eat as he assumed that I hadn’t had breakfast yet! That’s what I mean with Myanmar people they are friendly and thoughtful so you hardly have to ask for something as they already spotted what you need.

The business class bus

My seat

Bus hostess

Bye bye Burma / Myanmar

After exactly 3 weeks I’ve left the UK to start my trip I’m saying goodbye to my first destination on this long trip, Myanmar which now will continue in tourist terms as Burma, has been a great host to me and in the end a good to choice to start.

The country but mostly the people are very pleased that the country opened its borders so they can show the rest of the word what a beautiful country they been keeping  a secret to us.  But luckily not anymore and boy are they pleased so show us around and make us feel welcome in their country.  The people made the trip for me a success as they are so welcoming, friendly, open minded, inquisitive, keen to learn, positive and beautiful from the inside and outside.  I’ve been invited into their houses, temples, pagoda’s, restaurants, lives and it never seemed an effort for them to help me in finding my way around in their country or city.

However, they have a lot to learn to deal with tourist and build their infrastructure for all these many who like to follow my footsteps. I’ve seen potential but I’m also afraid that it can go a direction that I prefer this country won’t take. There are too many countries knocking on their doors and willing to invest so I do hope that the government takes the correct steps and accepts the needed advice to make this country a top destination and not a tourist attraction.

I’m looking forward to follow the progression and maybe will visit again and see the places which weren’t available for me yet or to the spots I’ve missed.

I warmly can recommend Burma but suggest you visit it sooner than later……

Thwà- me- naw from Burma

Sunset at the Shwesandaw Paya