Danang Part 1

Till now, it has been almost a month since i entered Vietnam. For a singapore passport, I am granted a free 30 days visa for Vietnam. So it means i have to leave Vietnam already! BOO HOO!! I am just half way through Vietnam!

BUT, they didn't say i cant come back in immediately huh?

So i played a little trick. I went to the Vietnamese border. Exit Vietnam, enter laos, exit laos and enter Vietnam again! Tada! 30 more days in Vietnam! The custom office at both sides were very puzzled gave me a puzzled look when i went from the arrival to departure counter.

Hello Laos! - 5mins later- Bye Bye Laos!

Arrival and departure in a day, neat trick to save additional visa fee and formalities

Land border there isn't like singapore and malaysia causeway in singapore which is very accessible. Over there, many times it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Remember my ordeal at the laos-cambodia border?

I was feeling lucky on that day and i decided to hitch hike my way out of there!

So after a motorcycle who drop me 2km in the middle of no where and a freezer van to a town that is not even listed in my map, i got stranded in Dak Glei, even my Vietnam friend didn't know where it is! I had friends who i am going to meet for the first time in Danang giving me encouragement during my wait.

Somebody pick me up PLEASE!!

Night was creeping close and i didn't want to sleep in a 1000 star hotel(i mean under) so i hop on a bus towards Hanoi(danang is on the way)

I told the person in charge that i wanted to drop in danang and he fell asleep. By the time he realized it, we were 15km away from where i want to be! Normally 15km is really not a big problem, considering a small country like singapore is just 45km. BUT it was 3.30am in the morning! There were so few transport!

Fortunately, i stopped what seem to be 2 friends who just came back from a drinking session and his friend actually got down and waited while the other guy send me into town. Phew!

4AM, the streets were practically empty and i hitch hike once again!

I had a very very long day and i desperately needed a shower. I kept walking to look for a guesthouse. Ironically, a big city like Danang has very little of them. Fortunately i found 1 with a old man inside for a very good price of 60,000VND. When i went down to get my keys, his son(who spoke good english) came to me

"how long are you staying here?", I replied " 7 days maybe?".

"Just you alone?" he asked. "Yeah..."i answered with a puzzled look(thought there is a ghost behind me) " So how much do i have to pay?"

"usually is 80,000VND for 1 night, 1 week i give you 70,000VND"

*i was actually told 60,000VND/night already and i expected a longer stay to be cheaper*

Being extremely puzzled, he further explained.

"My father thought i would be staying just 1 night so he told you it is 60,000VND. In my motel, i usually charge 80,000VND for the day and there are many people who come and go....in 1 hour, you understand?"

"So how many days do you want to stay?"

Feeling dumb, i told him i will tell him tomorrow whether i am still staying. He already knew the answer.

Back in the room, i actually dug out my sleeping bag and lay it across the bed!

Hour based "hotel" disguised as a guest house

Much needed breakfast. Danang speciality Mee Kuang

I met up with some couch surfers from Danang and told them about my adventure the day before and the dodgy motel. Fortunately IVY, one of the couch surfers offered to provide me lodging for my stay! WOO HOO!

Better than a hotel, nice new toilet right beside my room :D

My big comfy and PINK bed

My pretty(she will kill me if i dont say this) host IVY!!!

Ivy brought me to meet 2 of her best longtime friends, kat and Sa. We had dinner and drinks along with conversations and laughter that lasted through the night.

Her 11 years of best friend (but no discount on ivy's blogshop) KAT!

A new way of marketing technique.

Want the terrible singer to go away? Buy candy from his assistant. –_-

The next day, i went to join another couch surfer for her English club session. The activities were very interactive and engaging, as i was the main english speaking person there, everybody came to me to practice their english. I have to say, they were pretty good.

Next, i was invited to join Nha, also a couch surfer in Danang English club (apparently they have a few there) and her family to visit a special exhibition for the city. A very special jade statue was in town and it was the last day. I asked to be the rider for the motorcycle and we zipped away to fetch her family.

Swimming on her motorcycle

Banh Cuon, another Vietnam delight everybody must try. Vietnam's own version of Chee chong fun

The sheer number of people was overwhelming

Many people with disability and handicaps were there selling and asking for money. Nhu's mum deliberately changed a BIG stack of change to give out. A good act of kindness, but are we really helping them?

This is the big WHO HA everybody came for. Apparently it traveled from Thailand, well so did i.. :D

Nhu with her Mum, grandfather, cousins and her couch surfer

I looked kinda silly here! HAH

Later in the day we picked up Aline, Yen's couch surfer from Switzerland and fab (yet another english club member) and went for sightseeing.

Me, Yen, Nha, Aline, Fab

We all know there are many religions on earth. Do you know one of them originated from Vietnam?

Cao Dai is a local religion and has very interesting beliefs. Why? look at this picture and tell me who you see.

From left, Muhammad, Laozi, Jesus, Buddha, Confucious

" 10,000 religion one belief"

So this is kind of like a rojak religion where everything is incorporated. I am not a religious person so google it if you want to know more.

The Cao Dai symbol, the spherical divine eye

Curious minds about the religion

And we were invited to view the prayer session

3rd day in danang is devoted to my host who took special care of me. We went on a foodie tour around danang with me riding and her giving directions.

Note* if you ride her around. She will tap your right shoulder and shout " LEFT,LEFT" and vice versa.

Fish cake noodle. Much better than the ones in singapore,cheaper too

Sink into a coffee house and "Niop" (Gathering and chit chatting session with friends) about everything under the sun with my pretty host IVY

Vietnam's royal rice cake series

Rice cake 1

Rice cake 2

Rice cake 3

Rice cake 4

Rice cake 5

Got to know her a lot better, about her life, her family, her boyfriend, life in Vietnam and the problems and limitations youths face in Vietnam. Singaporean are in fact very lucky, we have the chance and opportunity for good education and chase after our dreams with nothing holding us back. In Vietnam, everything you do is met with adverse obstruction and it really takes a great deal of determination to break through it.

The infamous duck fetus egg! They only set up stalls near dark places and use only candles. No prize for guessing why

Atmospheric sculpture near the river

Ivy and friends and Danang english club buddies!! My greatest assets in danang

Time to head back to Dalat for my wedding invitation!

4000 islands and crazy trip to cambodia

4000 island as the name suggests refers to the 4000 or so small islands(some really just some visible dirt from the river) that carpets this area of the mekong river. Lush greenery, fishing and a couple of spectacular waterfall(remember my video?)

For activities and accommodation, there are only 3 islands in the vicinity that provides tourist service. Don Det, Don Khone the sister island and Don Khong some distance further north. Most of the people however opt for Don Det. Which is why i set my mind NOT to. The mafia boat i was on stops at the northern tip of Don Det(see map below) and i wanted to go over to Don Khone. After they refused to ferry me over unless i pay a exorbitant rate, i slowly make my way to the other island Don Khone(southern island on map) on foot.

One thing i didnt know was the distance since my map did not have any scale. It looks pretty near, i thought to myself and as the sky darken, i still have not reach the other island. 1 hour of walking along village path later, i had to fish out my torch light to illuminate my ways(also to make sure no motorcycles, bicycles, pigs, chicken, dogs, goats, buffaloes or any island monster bumps into me). Just when i thought the worst is over, the places i had wanted to stay was full!! and the remaining were high end ones. Which equates to walking all the way back to Don Det to look for a place to stay. (The price i have to pay for being a budget backpacker!!)

Map of the island(Don Det on top and Don Khone at the bottom)
Well, i did not want to turn my 2hours walk into an over night hike so i quickly settled for the first one that i came across. Mr Vong's Bungalows(30k kip~$6). Mr Vong as i came to know later is the late father of the now owner name Air.

Accommodation in this area is pretty straight forward, almost everywhere there are bungalows. The only difference is the amenities, decor and cleaniness.
You can get a simple bungalow(mostly shared bathroom) for 20k-50k kip~$4-10
Or if your wallet needs some shedding of "fats", floating bungalows like this for US$50 or more

Feeling tired and hungry, i went to the attached restaurant to look for food. Fried noodles? Nope sorry. Fried Rice? Nope sorry. Rice or noodles with meat or vegetables? Nope sorry. Turns out they have any food.

So what do you have to eat?
We have special Lao dinner, you want?
ok...(starts to imagine how "special" it can be)

Throughout my trip, i can say 50% of the time, i have no idea what would be present in front of me whenever i order food. So this is the norm. Dont be surprise.

After an extremely long wait, TADA! i am presented with the special laos dinner!!

Mushroom soup and steamed mushroom!! -_-"

To top it off, it tasted really really horrible. The best on the table is the basket of sticky rice which i gulped down in minutes.

After this meal, i set my mind to change to a new place tomorrow morning.

Many people who know me will know that i am a very nice guy. Very easy going and accommodating. So i decided to give the place another chance and have my breakfast there. I asked for fried noodles and was told they only have beef left...-_-"'

I needed to see what i could do in this area and made my way to the norther tip of the island where all the services are available. Bumped into the Beijing girl(sorry i cant remember her name that i met while kayaking in Vang Vieng). So together we went on bicycle to look for the waterfalls in the area. She said she knew the way and i trusted her. However we ended up getting lost... As a consolation, we discover some pretty nice spots of the river. B E A UTIFUL scenery
Nice spot of beach with a few eateries
Attached is a pleasant swimming spot
Li Phi Water fall, one of the 2 popular waterfall in the area
Nice rapids

As she was getting tired(girls~), she went back and i continue to wander around the island. Chancing onto yet another deserted place. There is only 1 map and no signs at all and i almost got lost in the lush forestation. Thankfully i made it out alive and in time.

Suspension bridge
Deserted parts
Made it out before sunset! Phew!

After looking around, i decided to stay at my present place. I kinda like the place if not for the food(or the lack of it) and the distance from the populated part of the island. I went back for yet another "Special Laos" dinner. This time round, i decided not to complain about the food and speed. Instead i offered to help out in the kitchen and see for myself and hopefully understand the reasons behind it.

1. They had no available electricity. They have to depend on the generator which they on for a few hours at night so that they can actually see what they cook. That explains the speed.

2. They use charcoal to cook, the lack of gas stoves render it slow and not as efficient.

3. They only have 3 charcoal stoves. 1 would be used for the rice and the others taking turns to cook.

4. They do not have a refrigerator and depend on an insulated box filled with ice to keep the food chilled. The ice is also used for drinks...

5. Air's Wife, Pom is an ok cook. However her 2 young sisters seems pretty lost at times.

The 2 assistants in the kitchen

So after 2 hours or so later, my fish soup and steam fish in banana leaves is finally ready. Since i helped, of course it tasted better.

Time passes really quick on the island. You can easily do nothing and the day would be over before you know it. One of the days, i just hung around the bungalow and talking to the 2 young assistant of the place and learning some laos from them. Words that they taught me include Burk!(Crazy!)

In the evening, i saw a man preparing his fishing boat with his wife and i immediately asked him whether i could come with him. So off i go with his wife and me paddling and him casting the net onto the water. Every time he cast the net out, the small boat felt like it was going to capsized! Fortunately i had not bring my camera along. Just at the split second before he throws it out, i had to set down my paddle and grab onto the boat for my dear life! He threw it for about 15-17 time and eventually got back with nothing. I felt kind of sad for him as he tells me in laos "No fish"

Near 4000 island is a place called Khone Phapheng Waterfall, the largest waterfall by volume in South east asia. After a long wait at the boat landing(the transport mafia will wait till there are tons of people even before getting their ass off their recliner), i arrive at the mainland and paddle my way on bicycle 10km(45mins) to it. The sun was merciless and i was the only one on the road. Needless to say, i invited many weird stares from motorist. Thankfully, i met several groups of kids on the way who were very friendly and that acted as an encouragement for me to push on in the hot sun. Sabaidee!(hello!)
An ice cream in a hot day in front of the cascading waterfall. Luxury!

As i took the picture with my ice cream, a old german couple saw me and they thought i was funny. So they took a picture of me, turning me into an instant celebrity(thanks to my ice cream) According to them, this is the best waterfall they have seen, even defeating the famous Nigeria falls.

You can stare at this for hours and wont get bored
They decided they want to take a picture of me and the ice cream!
A good picture for a new halls candy advertisement

A tip when visiting the falls, dont eat at the restaurants there. It is seriously way way way overpriced. Now back to the island!

Riding back is way faster and easier than going to the falls. Before i know it, i am back at the pier in the hands of the ferry monopoly again.

You want to go now? ok pay double the price. This is what they told me. Of course i wont want to do that and i ended up waiting for a long time. I could even write my reflections of my last few days and still end up with excess time. Damm those people!! Tractor transport. I had thoughts of hitch hiking on one
Remember their faces! Box them in the face if you ever come across them!!
Damm you Mafia!!
!!

On a happier note, when i got back, i was asked to swim with the 2 assistants of my bungalows in the river.

Their "swim" as they call it actually means bathing in the river in the evening. It is a usual practice on the islands and everybody, male, females, young and old all do it. I had wanted just a swim in the river until they got soap all over me and do it as the locals, i went in to take my first river bath!! Special laos skirt, seen all over and every girl will have at least 1
It can be a skirt, or a towel or your portable toilet as you squat in the bushes with it. Believe me
Rune, the younger sister
V!
Dinner for the night is cucumber salad(spicy) and meat. I had it together with the family and it was really a cosy dinner.

In bangkok, i had met an old man carrying a singapore passport. Well technically he is a singaporean, but he live his life traveling around and moving to the next place after awhile. This has been his life for a many decades already.

Coincidentally, i met him again when i was on the island. Spent a morning chatting with him and the rest of the day laying in my hammock with my mp3, something that i had wanted to do for awhile.

Overall Don Det is a really nice place to while a couple of days away. People who planned only a few days easily stay over a week here. With the cheap rooms and food and many bars, activities, i can hardly see not. So if you are in the vicinity and needs a place just to wind down and give yourself a well deserved break from all the work or school. Head over to 4000 island, you wont be disappointed. Mobile desert vendor
Village style houses
Many inhabitants of the...you guessed it! Mekong river!!
The lady owner Pom in red, her son in orange and her 2 sisters/assistant Jade(L) and Rune(R)

I did not really have much plans for onward travel, mainly because i was pretty lazy the couple of days(you know after the cycling, swimming and fishing :D) I woke up one day and decided to leave the island and head to cambodia. In all online resources, guide book, travelers operators, everything. They will always tell you one thing.

If going to cambodia from laos, book a ride with the transport mafia that goes all the way to the town. DO NOT just go to the border because you will end up in the hands of yet again the transport mafia, this time in a more vulnerable position. The border checkpoint is practically in the middle of no where. The nearest cambodia town is a 3 hours drive from it. The surrounds is all forested area.

Even though i did not like it one bit, I decided to heed the advice and went to look for my ride out.

As it turns out, all the buses headed to cambodia on that day had already left at 8.30am!! i was there at 10.30am!! Oh crap!! There is one guy who is going to the border to pick up some people and that is the furthest he could send me.

Before me lies 2 choice. 1 Stay for another night with nothing to do for the rest of the long day and hop on the bus tomorrow.

2. Take the ride to the border and after that.... no plans.

This is the kind of situation where your mind tells you to take choice no.1. You would have to be brave(stupid) and adventurous(crazy) to take the latter.

So what did i choose?

No.......................................2!!!!!!

As like what resources says, the check point is totally empty. Nothing at all. The van left me after they pick up a few people back to the island and all is left is just me alone there. This border is infamous for taking bribes and you wont get your exit(laos) or entry(cambodia) stamps without a couple of dollars. I ended up parting with US$2 at each. Finally into cambodia!

When i was at the cambodian side of the checkpoint. I started brain storming on ways to get out of this fix. Walking? no it is a 3 hours drive. I will never make it. Unpacking my sleeping bag and staying overnight at the border and wait for the vans tomorrow? Could be my last resort. Hitch hike? Sounds like a better idea.

Then a van came up and said he will ferry me to the closest town for US$20!! The price to that same town sold on the island is only about $7!!

As i sat down on the side of the road starting to feel sorry for myself, a car from the cambodian side came. I managed to converse with the driver and he is going to see the big waterfall and going back to cambodia a few hours later!! GREAT i thought!! at least i know i will have a ride later. Before i could even ask him if i could catch a ride with him later, the driver of the transport mafia van shouted something at him and he scurried away....

Absolutely Nothing!

I was out in the open, full view of the mafia guy and i decided to change position and go sit at the passport checkpoint. A place where everybody would have to stop, and is shielded from the evil man. Had a little chat with the same guy who demanded bribes from me earlier and learnt a few cambodian words from his boss.

Half an hour later, a car comes from the laos side of the border!! I immediately went up to ask for a ride to the nearest town. Fortunately they agreeded!! I was so happy i could feel my eyes getting a little damp! My saviours!

Julian and Julia from Britain is touring around the world in a series of trips with her young daughter. They had been turned away at the laos side because they do not have the visa for onward travel and have to head back to phnom penh. I could do with just a ride to the nearest town where i can try catch a bus or truck to Kratie, my intended destination. However Julian was really very nice and offered to bring me all the way to kratie. A 6 hours ride away! All in exchange for a day trip idea for singapore! To top it off, he wouldn't even let me pay for my lunch! I couldn't thank him enough. If it wasnt for him, i might even have to spend the night in the wild! Thank you so so much!!

And through his personal guide and driver, i manage to draft up my first page of useful cambodian words. A great way to start in a new country!

Off i go to cambodia!