Third-Culture-Kid

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi & Ninh Binh

Vietnam is another country I visited twice. I first went to Ho Chi Minh City for three days in July, then visited Hanoi for six days in August and covered the famous Ha Long bay and Ninh Binh Province at the south east of the capital city.
I am extremely happy that I got to explore this wonderful place where I discovered overwhelmingly beautiful landscapes, learnt more about the country's history and got exposed to an exotic culinary experience.

Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)

During our visit to Saigon, our days were marked by numerous food breaks, to my biggest enjoyment. I went there with Khanh, a Vietnamese friend of mine who is an avid foodie, and my two other girl friends Maya and Julie from France - This time it was more of a culinary trip.

As a teaser for the remaining days in Saigon, Khanh made us have the following food within the first 24 hours of our arrival:  Pho at 2 am, a gigantic breakfast at 11 am, tea time at 1pm, seafood break at 4 pm and another pre-sleep Pho at 3 am. Only that!
Vietnam is a food heaven when you are accompanied by someone who knows what to order. It is a really diverse cuisine, that embraces a mixture of unique flavours: spicy, minty, lemony, salty etc...it was a completely new culinary discovery for me and I absolutely love it.



Vietnamese food saigon ho chi minh
Overindulgence in Vietnamese food
 
Besides filling our stomachs all day, we of course walked around the city to see the main highlights. We visited the Central Post Office and walked by the Opera house. Two beautiful constructions, built under the French occupation.
We also went to the Independence palace, a very symbolic site where took place the end of the war of Vietnam, and the reunification of the country's northern and southern parts, until then separated by ideological differences consequent to the Cold War.
 

Ho Chi Minh Saigon
"La grande place" and statue of Ho Chi Minh, affectionately called "Uncle Ho" by the Vietnamese

On many occasions Saigon reminded me of Algeria, both being previous French colonies. From the sculptures that adorn the façade of the Opera House, to the scent of bricks which occupies old structures and the design of tiles, it was interesting to see that both countries share a lot of similarities despite their enormous geographical and cultural gap.


Opera house saigon Hochiminh Vietnam
The entrance of the Opera House


Tiles that reminded me of Algeria
 It was also interesting to discover the communist side of Vietnam, the red army and the Vietnamese flags positioned side-by-side in the streets, pictures of Karl Marx and Lenin... I had the impression of being in soviet Russia as I imagined it.

For our second day in Saigon, we went for a Mekong River tour.
The latter tour usually takes 3-4 days but we managed to find a short one just to get a general feel of how it is over there.
After a three hours bus ride, we boarded a traditional boat and navigated on the Mekong to see people going on with their daily lives. Some were doing business, others selling fruits, some washing their clothes in the river or just simply taking naps on the hammocks hanging inside their boats.


Mekong Delta vietnam



As part of our tour on the Mekong, we also went to visit a village where we could try some local honey tea, as well as see how coconut candies and rice papers (which are a prominent part of the Vietnamese cuisine) were made. It was a village made for tourists but interesting to see nonetheless.
Towards the end of the tour we went to see a local vegetable market before heading back to Saigon.

Woman preparing rice paper
Local Vietnamese Market Saigon
Women selling dried fish at the market
 
Hanoi

The country in general and particularly its political capital Hanoi, is buzzing with an incredible number of scooters. Let me tell you that crossing the street is a real challenge, especially if you are new to South East Asia! We would just cross it and pray for people to avoid us. Here is a funny guide worth sharing which I got  from our Backpackers hostel (Click to enlarge) :
 
Hanoi guide backpacker
"Street Wise Hanoi"
I found Hanoi to be more exotic in a sense that it is the Vietnam as you imagine it.
I was fascinated by the city's bustling street culture. One can never get bored by simply walking around; there is always something interested that will catch your attention as a tourist. People getting their hair cut, others dinning on small chairs, some frying food, selling fruits, flip flops, or Lingerie. All of this taking place on the sidewalks.
My friend Maya sums it up perfectly by saying that in Hanoi, if you give someone a square meter, they'll open a business.
For our first day in Hanoi, we did not do much, I was still tired from my volcano trip to Indonesia and my friend Reiko had taken an early flight from Tokyo that day, so we decided to take it easy and save some energy for the coming adventures.
 
7 am the next day, a driver came to pick us up from our hostel, en route for the Ha Long Bay.
We were really excited to finally go see this nature wonder appointed as a UNESCO world heritage , and for our 2 days - 1 night cruise.

It took us about four hours to get from Hanoi to the bay, with a thirty minute stop in the middle.
After getting to the pier, we were escorted to a taxi boat that took us to the one we were spending the night at: "The Oriental Sail".
 
We got into our cabin, then went for a lunch in the common room with ten other guests as the boat was sailing away from the coastline. After having a delicious Vietnamese food, we were told that we were getting to our first destination which was the Sang Sot Caves in 30 min, so I went for a power nap, as a typical Mediterranean that I am.
 
Needless to describe the surprise and excitement I got when I opened my eyes and found myself in the middle of the bay. A wonderful view of lush green limestone islands reflecting on the calm water and a beautiful clear sky. A Few second where I felt absolute beatitude and peacefulness, where I forgot every single negative elements in my life.
 
Ha Long Bay Cabin vietnam
The cabin's view on the bay
The boat then dropped us to the cave, it was quite impressive both for it size and rock formations.
It was huge and almost untouched. The light beams that managed to sneak in, gave it a mysterious feel. It was worth visiting it despite the huge crowd, especially because the reward for climbing up many stairs in order to access it, was that we got to enjoy a panoramic view of the stunning landscape from an elevated platform.
Subsequently, we went to a small beach for a swim, then back to the boat were I experienced another mesmerizing sunset. (This blog is about my favourite trips, so brace yourself, you'll read about sunsets more than once!) the sun positioned itself in a hollow and shyly disappeared behind the stones as I was bombarding him with pictures.
 
 
Good night Ha Long!
 
Ninh Binh
 
We left the bay at noon the next day after a Kayaking session, and were dropped off at a local bus stop to go to Ninh Binh.
We were the only foreigners there, It was as smart move to ask the guide to write us a note in Vietnamese saying that we were looking for the bus to Ninh Binh because no one spoke English.
After buying our tickets we hopped on the bus for four hours, it was really comfortable and air-conditioned.

They played loud traditional Vietnamese music, which was great to discover in the beginning, but which turned to torture after hearing the same CD for the third time. Some locals seemed to really enjoy that nevertheless, they were singing along at the top of their lungs.
Three hours later, following the driver's direction, we got into another van which was quite an experience. It was packed! They made us sit on the floor at the front and let us know when we got to Ninh Binh. In truth this was for me one of the most fun part of my trip to Vietnam.
 
 
We arrived at the hotel in Ninh Binh at around 6 pm, then went for dinner.
Places to dine there are rather scarce, and ordering food can be a hassle due to the language barrier.
As we were trying to guess what was on the menu, a Vietnamese man eating at the neighbouring table showed us his dish and made us try it. This was just an example of the generosity we came across in that area of Vietnam.
 
In order to visit the province, we got two scooter drivers via our guesthouse.
Two old men in their 60s who made our visit so unique with their kindness.
We started the day with a one-hour boat ride along the Tam Coc National Park.
The view was really stunning, we floated along the Ngo Dong River passing through some caves and admired the scenic view dominated by rice fields and imposing limestone mountains.
 

Ninh binh Tam Coc National Park Vietnam
 
We then went to see the Mua Caves which required a tiring trek on the way up.
The caves themselves aren't so beautiful but the view was well worth the 500 stairs. It gets prettier as you go up, rice paddies all over the area surrounding limestone hills. Nothing compared however to the extraordinary view you get once you reach the peak.

Ninh Binh Mua Caves Vietnam
 
It was noon, the time for climbing the steps was enough for us to get sunburnt, so we decided it was time to for a break and went for lunch. As we went out of the restaurant we saw our two drivers having tea and eating longans, they called us to their table and shared their fruits with us. We were really touched by their gesture. They did it out of kind-heartedness and hospitality.
 
 
We continued visiting Pagodas and other attractions of Ninh Binh then took the train back to Hanoi the next morning, for our last two days in the country. 
 
Padoga Hua Lu Temple Vietnam
Pagoda around Hua Lu Temple
 
 
Back in Hanoi, we went to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum but we couldn't see  his embalmed body because we arrived too late. We then went to a museum on his honour which was in the same complex. We ended our day with a water puppet show which was recommended to us by our guesthouse.
 
 
Ho Chi Minh  Mausoleum Hanoi
Ho chi Minh Mausoleum


Water Puppet Show in Hanoi Vietnam
Water Puppet Show
Vietnam was truly wonderful.
We got lucky to come across very nice people everywhere we went (with a few exceptions naturally!).
I will definitely go back there to visit Sapa in the north which I couldn't cover this time. A Humongous  "cảm ơn" to my friend Khanh and his family who hosted us warmly in Saigon and who took us to places we could have never found if we went there by ourselves!

 
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Java, Indonesia - Mount Bromo & Mount Ijen

I have never thought that I would find myself climbing two active volcanos within a weekend, in a state of extreme sleep deprivation, fighting against the suffocating sulphur and  volcanic dust, all in pursuance of the "Blue Flame" and the mesmerizing sunrises.

I knew what I was getting myself into,  since I climbed the Mount Fuji in Japan in 2010, but I had forgotten the misery I experienced just like it is said that women forget the pain of childbirth once the euphoria and relief of having their healthy baby in their arms kick in.

However, I was definitely not prepared for the actual situation. The climb itself wasn't that strenuous but it was surely more challenging than my weekly 5k run around the block.

Rice Fields on the way to Ijen

 

Mount Ijen from afar
Mount Ijen from afar

MOUNT IJEN - 2,700m Elevation


The difficult parts were the abovementioned suffocating gases that heads straight to your lungs leaving you anxious to find refuge.
The two hours of sleep I managed to get the "night" before didn't make it easier at all.

My four friends and I arrived in Surabaya airport at 8 am and headed to the hotel located 8 hours bus-ride from Mount Ijen which was the first volcano to climb.
It was a long car ride; we checked-in our hotel at 6 pm, had dinner and slept from 9 to 11pm, then headed to the Mount Ijen and started climbing this 2,799m remarkable volcano.
The purpose of rising so early was to see the legendary Blue flames located at the summit, which are jets of sulphur burning into electric-blue, and which could only be seen in the dark.

Promptly after arriving to the summit, we rented out gas masks to protect ourselves from the sulphur fumes which were giving me shortness of breath, then descended to the crater and the search for the Blue flames continued.
Wearing a gas mask
Wearing the oxygen mask
 

Here they are finally! The tiny flames for which we are risking our health! The enthusiasm was there nonetheless, we took out our cameras and started the quest for the perfect picture.
The Bleu Flame
The Blue Flames
 
The blue flames were nice but not as extraordinary as the sulphur miners working there.
They carried 150lbs of sulphur on their shoulders, going back-and-forth from the crater to the blue flames  (3km upwards and 3km downwards) some of them wearing only worn out flip-flops and a light sweater.  I was astonished and felt really embarrassed for being so vain and for complaining incessantly, in my warm shoes, six-layer winter outfit, my oxygen mask and my camera that is probably worth two years of fastidious mining work. Shame!
These miners reminded me of Sisyphus, the Greek king subjected to an eternal punishment from the gods for repetitive deceitfulness by being condemned to push a huge rock up a hill and to see it roll down- reproducing his action for eternity.

It also reminded me of the essay Albert Camus made of it in one of my favourite book“TheMyth of Sisyphus” in which he alleged that Sisyphus was happy.

Minor heading back to the summit
Sulphur miner going heading back to the summit
I don't know if I agree with Camus, but I would like to believe, at the risk of sounding really naïve, that just like Sisyphus, these miners find some happiness somewhere in their work.
After having finished the picture race, we went back to the summit and waited for the sun to rise.

Mount Ijen Summit
We were rewarded by the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. The twilight made visible the beautiful blue-green lake in the middle of the crater. What a surprise!
I had no idea it was right in front of us when we were descending to the Blue Flame.
It looked very inviting but it is said to be as acidic as a car battery.

Ijen Crater Lake

MOUNT BROMO - 2,392 Elevation
2:30 am, the alarm starts squealing its salutation.
My entire body is aching, as if  I was walked over by a herd of elephants, I have second thoughs about whether I want to get out and confront the cold. “Are you serious Sissi? You were eagerly waiting for this moment to come, are you seriously going to give up now?!” I told myself.
Motivated by this upsurge of determination, I jumped out of bed and got ready in the shivering cold.

We then headed to Bromo located at about 45min from our hotel to marvel at the sunrise.
The climb was relatively easy compared to the Mount Ijen, the only difficulty I faced was the lack of air, and I had to take multiple breaks before arriving to the summit.
To my great despair, the air was very much polluted because of all the Jeeps dropping off the tourists.
Luckily we reached to the top on time and started admiring the change of colors as the sun rose in all its glory.
Mountainous Landscape around Mount BromoView from the top of the MountView from the top of the Mount
View from Mount Bromo and its crater
My trip to this part of Indonesia was without any hesitation on my Top five.
As soon as I arrived back to Singapore I started looking at what would be the next volcanoes I would like to venture myself into.
There is certainly no lack of choice, Indonesia counts 130 active volcanoes.
But first...I need to recover from this physical pain I am enduring.

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Cambodia - Phnom Penh & Siem Reap

Going to Cambodia was a long-standing dream of mine; I have always been fascinated by the country’s rich history. Before going there I had high expectations and luckily I was not disappointed.
As a matter of fact, I fell madly in love with this country filled with the nicest people I have ever encountered. I can’t recommend it enough to everyone I meet.

SOLO TRIP TO PHNOM PENH

My first solo trip was in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia located at the banks of the Mekong and Tonle Sap River.

I arrived there in the afternoon, checked-in my hotel and took a walk along the Sisowat Quay and the magnificent Royal Palace.

I couldn’t help but notice the serenity of people in the streets.
Some were doing aerobics in a group, others playing a popular “kick-volleyball” game called "Sepak Takraw" or talking with friends, children roller-skating and Buddhist monks hanging out around the quay. It differs from big cities like Tokyo where people are rather individualistic and too busy to interact with one another.

What stroke me the most was the kindness of people.
They would smile at me for no particular reason or engage into small talks probably out of curiosity. The fact that I was on my own might have made me look more approachable.
I enjoyed very much taking pictures of the locals living their daily lives.

Some kids saw me with my camera and started running and jumping towards my direction for me to take pictures of them.


Women doing Aerobics in Phnom Penh
Women doing Aerobics in Phnom Penh




Group of men playing Sepak Takraw
Group of men playing Sepak Takraw




Selfie with Khmer kids
Selfie with Khmer kids



On my second day, some backpackers I met at my hotel and myself booked a Tuk tuk to see the city’s main attractions.

We went to visit the truly disturbing Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21 Prison) which was a formal detention centre during the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot, and to the “Killing Fields” were they led horrible mass executions. I was emotionally drained from all the horror stories. I would have skipped this part if I was just looking at going on vacation to relax, but I went there on a personal mission: to discover and learn as much as I could about the country’s history and the culture. I would definitely not recommend to visit that place to faint-hearted people.


Torture bed in Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
Torture bed in Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum 


Subsequently we went to a local, not very touristy market which was an impressive organized chaos.
Hair Dresser in the market






My trip to Phnom Penh was very eventful and an interesting experience. I went back home, taking with me utter admiration to the Khmer people who managed to keep their serenity despite their dark past.

Siem Reap - Angkor

My second trip to Cambodia was in Siem Reap, I went there with a Vietnamese friend of mine to visit the Temple complex of Angkor Wat. The site has over a hundred temples built from the year 800 to the late 12th century. We covered the major ones in 3 days.

We admired the temple of Angkor in all the possible ways, during the sunset, at sunrise and even from above aboard a flying balloon, which was good to see how wide the complex was. In fact, it is the world's largest religious site.

Siem Reap was more touristy than Phnom Penh.
As a result people were always trying to sell us things in an insisting manner, but having said that I still maintain my very positive opinion on the Cambodians.




Angkor Wat Temple


My favourite temple was the Ta Prohm, which the movie Tom Raider made famous all around the world as it was filmed there. This man-made wonder became even more beautiful as nature has reclaimed its right, taking over the construction with its tentacle-like roots.



Temple of Bayon






Apsara dancer statue



"The hidden Buddha" 





Buddhist monk meditating





  Cambodian Kids hanging out around Angkor


Cambodian never miss out on an opportunity to take a nap!












Though Cambodia still struggles with poverty in some areas due to the corruption which hinders the development of the country, with its friendly people, beautiful coastline, delicious Khmer cuisine and a rich historical heritage, Cambodia has everything to seduce, and clearly it did seduce me!






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