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Today John and I decided to take a trip to Kanchanaburi, a small city 2 hours from Bangkok. Since we can't leave the country, because our passports are still at the embassy, we figured we would get out of the hustle and bustle of the big city instead. We left around 10:30am and arrived at 1:00 pm. We checked into our hostel and found a nice local place for lunch. Then we walked 4 km to the Death Railway Bridge on the River Kwai, where many prisoners of war died while building it. Along the way we stopped at a cemetery, where the remains of the POW's are buried. The railway wasn't that amazing, but it was good to learn about some history. After that we went for some beers and enjoyed some Pad Thai for dinner. The next day we walked the historic street and stopped at an old hotel that used to cost 1 Baht ($0.03)! We caught a mini bus at 10:30 am and headed back to Bangkok. The Myanmar visa collection only started at 3:30 pm so we had about 2 hours to spare. We walked to a Hindu temple that is very colorful. Unfortunately, some construction was going on so we couldn't see the full beauty, but we saw a bit of it. Afterwards we received our passports and headed back to relax for the night at our usual hostel. On the 23rd we had another lazy day, but accomplished a lot of planning. Today John and I decided to finally have a low key day. It was about that time that we had to do another big clean of our backpacks. We did a few loads of laundry and cleaned everything we could. It's a very good feeling knowing everything is clean and in order! In the afternoon we relaxed and went for ice cream. It was nice for a day to not have to go sightsee! We found a very nice hotel for a good price and enjoyed the modern room for half the day. I got my monthly haircut and we then headed to the train station to get tickets for the overnight train back to Bangkok. We walked the 3km, got our tickets from the friendly Thai worker and took the truck back to the hotel. In the afternoon we checked out two nearby temples and the park. Ubon is a big city, but has the feel of a town and people are all very friendly. We enjoyed our short stay here. The overnight train ride went well, we just had to listen to a loud and rather annoying Kiwi family for a few hours, but otherwise the ride went smoothly. We got woken up around 5am, so they could make our beds and then we arrived in Bangkok on time. We took the train back to the hotel, picked up breakfast along the way and relaxed for a bit. Our mission for the day was to get our Myanmar visa organized. Ashleigh needed new visa photos, but no place was open before 10am. The embassy only accepts applications between 9-12, so we had to get there before noon. We also needed cash, and the only ATM that supposedly doesn't charge extra fees is Citibank. We found one, but the mall security wouldn't let us in before 10am either. So we waited and made sure we had everything else gathered for the visa process. We googled an address for a hotel in Burma (needed for the application) and had our passport photocopied. At 10am, we went to the bank, got our cash and to our surprise no fees were charged. Afterward we headed to a photo shop to get the pictures. By the time we had everything, it was past 11am. We took the sky train to the embassy and got there just before noon. While waiting in line for a number we filled out our application and attached photos. They locked the doors at noon, but we would get our application in. A guy checked out the paperwork and gave us a number. We waited until it was called, so we could pay and we will be able to pick the visa up in a couple days. Since we have time, we got the cheapest visa service. After two hours we were all done. We were starving at this point and headed back to the hostel for some instant noodles. They did the trick! In the afternoon we did some laundry, cleaned and organized our bags. We went next door for the usual delicious dinner and after our meal we decided to head for the mall to check out a movie. We bought a day pass for the sky train so we figured, we might as well get the most out of it. We watched Taken 3 and spoiled ourselves to some delicious popcorn! January 16 - Kayaking the Mekong River We organized a full day kayaking tour last night and we started around 8am. Our boat pickup was late, and almost took an hour to get to the starting point on the nearby island. In the meantime we were starving, but patiently waiting for our breakfast. We finally arrived on Don Det, the other island and ordered our free breakfast. Unfortunately they messed up my order, and instead of giving us the wrong breakfast for free, the guy offered it to the table next to us. I did get my breakfast after some time, but felt rushed since everyone was getting geared up. We got our life jacket, dry bag, and the last crappy paddles and then we all walked to the water. The group was quite big, around twenty people, and a second group of the equivalent size was also getting ready to leave. Ashleigh and I got our two man kayak and waited for the others. We then paddled downriver for a good half hour through some small rapids. It was very crowded and most people would not keep their distance in the narrow parts and either get stuck or hit us. So we let them all go and stayed towards the back, to enjoy the ride through the peaceful area. We arrived at a small waterfall, and had to walk across the island for a while through a lush forest. Our kayaks were waiting on the other side and the fun began once more. This time Ashleigh and I stayed at the very front, so we could get ahead of the others. The rapids on this stretch were grade 2-3, so a bit more fun and we had a blast navigating through them working as a team. Ashleigh would spot a good route or advise of rocks sticking out and I would yell directions on turns. It worked well and we didn't flip or get stuck. After some time we arrived at a big opening, where the river is wide. This is the area where one can still find the rare Irrawaddy Dolphins, the only fresh water dolphins. All groups (around 30 kayaks) were on the lookout. We paddled around for some time, but would only see the dolphins come up too late. Almost everyone gave up after a while and headed in for lunch. Ashleigh and I stayed out longer, patiently waiting. Sure enough a dolphin showed up! It breached many times showing off to us. They look very different, almost like a beluga whale, very unique. We enjoyed a big lunch, consisting of skewers and barbecued potatoes. After lunch we kayaked down river for a good while along the wide part of the Mekong, in the distance we could see the hills in Cambodia. We finally made it to our destination and then drove back in a truck Tuk-tuk. On the way we stopped at a nice waterfall, where we enjoyed some more peace and quiet. We thought we were done for the day, since it was already 5pm, but we were surprised when we drove up to the river again, and were told to get back in the kayaks. We had to kayak back to Don Det, which took half an hour. It was a long and exhausting day, but we both really enjoyed kayaking the river and would do it again (hopefully in a smaller group). We arrived back on Don Khon Island, found a new, cheaper place to stay and headed for dinner at the same restaurant as last night. After a good meal we relaxed for a bit before calling it a day. January 17 - Get us out of Laos! Our mission for the day was to get to a small town 160km in the North for some trekking, so we left early to allow for enough time. We arranged for a boat the night before, to pick us up at 8am. We had breakfast, but the boat didn't show up until 8.30am. Since we had to catch the 9am truck Tuk-Tuk, we were anxiously waiting to get there. We go to the mainland in time, even exchanged some money and made it on to the truck. It left late of course, but we were on the way back to Pakse. The ride went fine for the most part, besides a small kid vomiting out the side and us swallowing endless amounts of dust. We got to Pakse for noon and were told the next bus leaves at 1pm, and they could drop us off near the town we were heading for. We waited for a bit and while chatting, a sneaky little girl stole our water. Luckily it was almost empty, and only a water bottle, nothing more important. A boxing match was playing on TV and most men were into it, making bets and yelling around. Our bus did indeed leave at 1pm, but it didn't head north, instead it went back into Pakse center. It pulled into a yard and many men started loading the bus with floor tiles and other construction materials. We patiently waited wondering how many more pallets they could fit into the bus. They were stacking them in the aisle, so nobody could get out. The poor bus was way too overloaded with all this material and an hour later they were still loading it. Our patience was running thin at this point. Traveling teaches one to be very patient and cope with sudden change of events rather easily, but we couldn't sit there anymore. We made up our mind to get out and not go to the small town. I asked for our money back, but all the driver did was point me back to my seat. So we took our loss, crawled over the stacked up tiles and walked into the center. There was no point staying in Pakse, a town where there is nothing to see and people only want your money, so we decided to leave Laos and head back to Thailand. On the walk to the Bangkok bound bus, the driver with the fully loaded bus pulled up. He asked us to get back in, we declined. Fortunately he at least returned our money and then the bus went away, black smoke rising from the engines. Even if we would have stayed on the bus, we are convinced the bus would break down. We were ready to leave at this point, made it to the office, got our ticket, had a last lunch and waved Laos goodbye. Even though we loved the Mekong River and the countryside, we were not welcomed by the locals very much and as a whole they were only after our money and were trying to find ways to make business. On the other side we only spent a few days here, and only in one general area, so it is impossible to generalize based on one short experience. Either way, we decided to go back to Ubon in Thailand and stay a night there. At he border everyone paid the overtime/administration fee to the Laos officials, we did not pay a cent! We exchanged some leftover currency, but had to haggle hard not to lose out on a small fortune. In the end we lost out on a couple bucks, which wasn't too bad considering we got an above market buying rate when we first arrived. We knew the border was the worst place to exchange money, but we didn't want to be stuck with Laotian Kip. The ride afterwards went smoothly and we arrived in Ubon around 6.30pm. After a chilly night with air conditioning and fans going, we woke up to the city closest to the Laos border. We got off the train right on time at 7:30 am and took a Tuk Tuk to the bus station. Both of us were convinced a bus left for Laos at 8:30 am but the only bus left at 9:30 am. However we had so many different timetables in our heads that we were wrong and we waited the hour for the bus. The bus ride was good, 1 hour to the border, 1 hour at the border and an hour to the town of Pakse in Laos. The border was easy, just had to wait patiently for our passports or else you had to bribe to get it back right away. We arrived in Pakse and had to get to another bus station. We haven't been in a very corrupt country for a while so we let our guard down and our stupid selves forgot to ask the price as we piled into a truck Tuk Tuk. It started going the opposite way and a few kilometers later we just hopped off, because we didn't want to get charged for driving around dropping people off. The driver charged $3 a person for the ride, which was way to much. We gave $4 total and walked away. We exchanged money and had to find another Tuk Tuk to take us to the station. $5 later we were there. We were definitely shocked at the prices here, seeing how poor Laos is. We had to take a songthaew, which is like a big Tuk Tuk that can fit many people in the back. The ride went quite fast and 3 hours later we were at the end and had to transfer to a boat. The boat took us to the island of Don Khon and we watched the sun go down along the way. Once on the island we went in search for a place to stay. We had one in mind, but of course after walking 15 minutes in one direction we realized it's the other way. That place was full so we settled for a more expensive place, since we didn't want to search in the dark anymore. We ate spring rolls and fried rice for dinner and enjoyed some Beerlao. What an adventurous day! Today we had a few missions to complete. First off we went to the train station to buy tickets for the overnight train for tonight. It was probably the easiest process ever and we were out within 5 minutes. Since we had spent the time and money to go to the old part of Bangkok (which is like a different world than where we are staying), we went to the Wat Traimit temple that has the biggest solid-gold Buddha image in the world, worth $50 million dollars. We went in and were amazed how beautiful it was. We didn't stay long due to the many tourists and we had to get back to the hostel before noon. Once we were back we repacked, since we only want to take one bag, and had lunch. The rest of the afternoon we relaxed and organized our next few days. We treated ourselves to a DQ blizzard, which only cost $1. At 7 pm we made our way to the train station to catch our overnight train at 8:30 pm. The train was really nice. Open concept and two berths on each side with a curtain. The train wasn't full either which was nice. Today John and I said goodbye to Vietnam. We jumped on the shuttle bus to take us to the airport for $2 each, forty minute ride. We checked in and went through customs. Such a breeze for us now, especially looking around and seeing other travelers shocked by cheap airline baggage fees at the counter. Our flight left almost an hour late, but we were entertained by the fighter planes landing and holding up commercial plane traffic. The flight on Vietjet air was good and it seemed like a very new plane. We planned to buy lunch on the plane since it was only $3, but they had nothing that we wanted and all the prices were more since it was an international flight. We decided we could skip lunch, and just go for early dinner. 1.5 hours later we were back in sunny and warm Bangkok. Customs went a lot faster this time around and we were on our way soon enough. One hour later we were at our hostel, checked in and eating at a local restaurant. A long day of traveling meant an early night. Last night we thought we were going to just have a few free beers and call it a night. However, we ended up meeting a couple from Holland and a guy from Britain. After the hour of free beers was over, we were having good conversations so we bought some beers. It was a really fun night that we didn't expect at all! So this morning we were feeling it a little bit. We took our time in the morning and after lunch we went to a prison museum. We saw the old prisoner cells and death row. At the end they had videos about the war and the Vietnamese and American prisoners. It seemed like the Americans had it much better off than the Vietnamese. It was a really good museum. After that we headed back to the hostel. For dinner we went for our last Vietnamese meal. Of course I had to have my favorite, vermicelli with beef. Can't get enough of it. We ate almost all our meals at this one local restaurant since the price was great and the portions were big. We woke up to the sound of the rain, but it didn't stop us from exploring the capital a bit. We first walked to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We had to line up, go through a security check and were supposed to leave our phone and camera in a locker (We just took it in sneakily). We then lined up again and started walking towards the Mausoleum. We weren't allowed to talk inside and had to keep moving. We had a quick glimpse of Ho Chi Minh laying there and then moved on. Ashleigh was a little creeped out by the dead person, but I really wanted to go see him, since I have already been to the mausoleum of Lenin in Russia, and Mao Zedong in China. Ho Chi Minh completes the list of dead guys to see. Afterwards we walked around for a bit, but it was still raining so we headed back. We found Lenin as well in a park, but it was just his statue. No one lined up for photos, except for us. Across from the park is the Hanoi Citadel which we glanced at as well. Before going back to the hostel we stopped at an organic coffee shop to try some special coffee. We ordered a cup of the famous Weasel Coffee and quite enjoyed it actually. The coffee beans are eaten and digested by Vietnamese Civet Cats (Weasels). Once they are digested and expelled, the beans are collected, cleaned and dried before being roasted. It doesn't sound very appealing, but the end product tastes excellent. We hid out from the rain for a bit and then went for a walk again. We saw the memorial house and a temple, but nothing else worth noting otherwise. The rain started up again and we went into hiding. We watched a movie and then went for dinner to our usual spot down the road. For dessert we checked out a French bakery. January 7 - Danang to Hanoi Ashleigh and I arranged an airport shuttle to take us from Hoi An to Danang Airport. It showed up late, but we made it there in time. Our flight left on time and we got to the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, around noon. We then took another cheap airport shuttle into town. We weren't sure where it would drop us off, but luckily it was only ten minutes from our hostel, so we could walk it. We checked into our dorm room and then went for lunch. We organized a Halong Bay cruise for the next day and then explored the area a bit. We had the best ginger tea in Hanoi, at a small cafe near the Notre Dame cathedral. At night we enjoyed free beers at the hostel for an hour. January 8 - Halong Bay We started our journey to Halong City from Hanoi around 8.30am and drove for about three hours. We made a stop at an overpriced souvenir store and then arrived near Halong Bay. Our group was a mix of young people from different countries and one older man with his twelve year old daughter (a bit strange at first). We signed up for the Halong Bay Party Cruise, so we didn't expect to see any kids. Our traditional Junk (Boat) was a nice vessel with enough room for twenty or so people. Ashleigh and I got a private room with a big window. The room was quite nice and we were pleased with it (nothing will compare to our luxury Nile cruise though). After checking in, we had lunch on the boat. It consisted of seafood mostly and wasn't the best. Shortly after we headed out into the Bay. The karst limestone rock formations are incredible, especially with the mist hanging around them. The sun didn't come out, but the views were breathtaking nonetheless. We had a welcome drink on the top deck and chatted with some other travelers. Our first stop was at the "surprise cave". The place was crawling with tourists, but the cave was amazing. We have never seen anything as impressive and we wandered around for some time admiring the stalagmites and stalactites. We arrived at our docking spot near Cat Ba Island before sunset, so we could go kayaking for a bit. Ashleigh and I paddled halfway around a limestone island and enjoyed the peacefulness of the bay, plus we got a small workout in. At night we got a delicious dinner and got to know a few hilarious guys from Spain. At one point one of the guides basically forced us to all sit at one big table and play a drinking game. All the staff left for their dinner and they thought it would be a great idea. Obviously it didn't work out, there were way too many people. Most formed smaller groups and chatted and so did we. We met a girl from Germany and the twelve year old Korean girl came up to us as well. She had been travelling for just as long as us with her dad, who is a doctor. She was hoping to dance, hence she convinced her dad to go on the party cruise. We called it a night after a few drinks and headed for our cabin. The party continued upstairs, but we didn't hear a single thing. January 9 - Lan Ha Bay We were up early for breakfast and then we played a fun game with a few people, before we had to say our goodbyes. Most people were only staying one night and were going back to the mainland on the boat. A group of eight British girls and us were staying one more night on an island in Lan Ha Bay. We transferred to Cat Ba Island and took a bus across the island. The landscape is amazing, but the island itself doesn't have the best feel to it. Luckily our journey didn't end there. We switched to a small boat and continued to Freedom Island, our home for the night. Along the way we stopped at a big limestone rock and we had the option to jump off the cliff. This was my chance, since I have always wanted to do it and this was the perfect spot for it. It wasn't warm outside, but the water is surprisngly warm. One of the British girls and I climbed up the rock. It wasn't easy and the limestone was very sharp. When we made it to the top we realized it looked a lot higher than from down below. The top of the rock was at around 12 meters. It took a few minutes and some encouraging words from the spectators down below, before I could jump. I did jump and got a good adrenaline kick out of it. I landed well without hurting myself, it felt great. The girl couldn't do it, but she jumped from a lower point, since that was the only way down. We then continued to our island. When we arrived we were all stunned. It was the most beautiful place ever. A small cabin was right on the white sand beach. The beach itself was tucked in between two huge limestone rocks, perfectly secluded and it has two beaches, one for sunrise the other for the sunset. We laid on the beach for a bit listening to the waves, which made everyone sleepy, so we all had a nap. We woke up to our guide calling us to excercise. He made us stretch and then we played beach volleyball for a bit. The tide was low so we decided to walk around one of the rocky islands. It was a nice walk, but sharp rocks and barnacles made the way dangerous. Ashleigh hit her head a little and others got cuts as well. When we returned, the tide was coming up already so we had to hurry. After firstaid we had a delicious dinner with oysters, prawns and skewers. After dinner we played some games including hide and seek around the small island. We had many laughs and had a really fun night. Some of us went to go look for crabs and squid with flashlights, but we didn't find any. After an eventful day on our pristine island, we actually ended up going to bed quite early around 10pm. January 10 - Back to Hanoi The rooster woke us up around 4am, but luckily there are earplugs. We got up for a 7am breakfast. It was much cooler outside and time for us to say goodbye to our small paradise. The small boat picked us up after 8am and we cruised back through Lan Ha Bay to Cat Ba Island. The many islands in this bay are all so amazing and awe us every time. It is much more secluded than Halong Bay and not many tourists venture out to some of the smaller islands. Once on the bigger island, we took the bus across to the main pier, where the big junk was waiting. We boarded and had a cooking demonstration, before leaving. We made spring rolls and then would get to try them for lunch. We cruised back through Halong Bay and had lunch before arriving on the mainland. We had many laughs again, thanks to our hilarious guide. It started to rain just as we arrived back. We then took the bus back to Hanoi and arrived around 5pm. The weather was miserable and so we sat down for hot soup and tea. We hid out for the rest of the night, reflecting on our awesome trip to the small island. It will be remembered as a highlight for sure! |
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