March 26 to 28; Nha Trang

Friday we took the bus from Dalat to Nha Trang. We signed up for a tourist bus that doesn’t make multiple stops along the way and it even has Air Conditioning. The distance is about 200km. The nice lady who sold me the tickets said it would take 4 hours. The real time was 5 hours. The roads in Vietnam are in sad shape. Even at 40km cruising speed the bus was too bumpy to read or write. The driver was constantly braking for potholes and speed bumps. It appears every time they dig up a road they leave a speed bump behind. The road also went up and over a mountain pass. The average speed for the mountain section was about 25 since the road was too narrow for 2 large vehicles to pass. However I’m not complaining! The driver was good and we had a safe pleasant trip.

Since my snorkelling expedition in Phuket, my underwater camera slowly returned to full function. I just had to try it again, so I bought a roll of packing tape and taped the Battery and Xd-card compartments tightly shut. I signed up for a half day snorkelling trip on Saturday and off I went. I booked the trip through the hotel and without even taking my name he said no problem “show up in the lobby at 8:30”. I was known as 204 on Saturday since it’s our room number. We were underway by 9:15 and I knew I was in trouble when he starting collecting money for the Aquarium visit. I was on the full day island trip and I was stuck on that boat for the rest of the day. I didn’t visit the Aquarium since it looked so ugly – a concrete pirate ship. The whole area was decorated in high Kitsch with concrete penguins and whales and octopus scattered over the whole area. However, all the smokers were headed in the other direction and I joined them. After 10 min of climbing over rock and scrubs I came across a nice village. I took some pictures and returned to the boat. As I rounded the corner to the concrete pirate ship I decided my goal for the day would be to document the kitsch so I took some really nice pictures of the pirate ship.

Our next stop was for swimming and snorkelling, so I was expecting a rocky beach, but the boat tied up to a 20X20 meter floating dock. There were jetboats, parasailing, glassbottom boats and other excesses everywhere on this 400meter dock. There was nowhere for the swimmers to swim, but there were 2 snorkellers in the general direction of the rocks. When I asked the guy where to get into the water he showed me a corner where I could squeeze between the jetboats and the glassbottom boats. At least nobody ran over me while I was getting off the dock. It was a rough start but when I got near the shore I had a treat. The fish were not numerous, but the sea floor was a wonderland. I spent 45 min just taking pictures of the coral, plants, rocks, and other unknown sea forms. Again the camera screen went dead after 5 minutes, but the camera kept taking pictures. My biggest problem was trying to compose a picture. I can dive under water but in the salt water I keep popping up like a cork and I can’t stay under. So I took 67 pictures in 45 minutes and maybe 5 are good. The fish teased me, but they would not pose nicely. I guess I need more practise and better equipment.




But the day continued. The 30 boat guests comprised 28 twenty-somethings and 2 sixty-ish retirees. (me and a Chinese grandmother). 15 guest were Singaporeans and they were there to party. The bar had opened at 10 am and most guests (except me and the Chinese grandmother) were slightly inebriated by noon. After the incredible snorkelling came lunch and beer. After lunch came the house band and karaoke and beer. And after the Karaoke came the swim-up bar. The swim up bar was a hunk of Styrofoam thrown over the side of the boat and holding 5 bottles of home-made wine.The bartender floated in a bouy. The Singaporeans all jumped in and started drinking. I just took pictures. But when the Chinese Grandmother jumped in – I was worried she might come to harm so I joined her, just to be safe! God the wine was ugly.
After we finished the 5 bottles of wine, we motored to another beach so we could swim, snorkel and parasail. We tied up with 5 other party boats on the same circuit. I went snorkelling and the Singaporeans just drank and sang and danced. When we readied for the return trip we had a little trouble counting to 30 but the passengers from the other boat just threw our guests into the water until we had 30 again. On the way back I was impressed how well we all could sing YMCA and how well the Singaporeans can pole dance.

March 23 to March 25 Dalat:

We took an early morning flight from HCMC to Dalat, a town in the central mountains only 200km away. After checking in we took one of the area attractions – a 2.5 km cable car to a picturesque lake in the mountains. Dalat is a honeymoon town and there were several young couples strolling the grounds. We then went to the Datanla waterfalls a little deeper in the woods. Unfortunately we’re Canadian and the falls were not just unimpressive - they were downright ugly. There were concrete bridges over the stream, vendors selling ice cream and souvenirs, roller coaster rides through the woods surrounding the falls, and cowboys, whose pictures you can take for a fee. The nicest thing about the place was the smell of pine trees – a very pleasant aroma after 3 days in HCMC. In the afternoon we visited a nice pagoda and on the way back we took an alleyway back to the hotel. The alleyway was narrow, maybe 10 feet wide and wound down a steep hill for 500meters. We were amazed by the world behind the street. Small narrow houses at every angle, larger richer houses, patios with a view, and the constant motorcycles, going up impossible inclines. (Note: Vietnam is one of the safest countries in the world to travel in. Joan and I have no hesitation taking back alley or narrow streets during the daylight.)

Wednesday we took in the plant garden in Dalat and then we tried the special train to Trai Mat. This is an old narrow gauge railroad that runs a tourist train 4 times per day. We showed up for the 10 am train and when we told them we wanted tickets they sold them to us. Then they sold tickets to the other 4 people that were waiting. We made up the magic number of 6 passengers required for the train to run.
The train runs 8 km through the vegetable gardens that surround Dalat. The rails are on a ridge and we got alternating views of the valleys on both sides. The valleys are tiered and the fields varied with hundreds of greenhouses spread everywhere. Like every moving vehicle we have been on in Vietnam, the horn is the first thing the operator learns to use. The world knew we were coming. The train went through level crossings, house driveways, front yards, back yards and even separated the café/bar from the road. (I know it’s a bar because the motorcycle driver I hired the next day was drunk). The only crossing gate I saw was a manual one right in Trai Mat. After a 15 min ride we stopped in Trai Mat. The main attraction in Trai Mat is supposed to be the Chua Linh Dhuoc Pagoda, but I think the growing fields are nicer. But we only had a 30-minute stop, so back we went with the conductor tooting the whistle at all his friends again.

Thursday: The brief train ride to Trai Mat had whetted our appetite, so Thursday we got up early and by 7:30 we were on the local bus to Trai Mat. This was another example of Vietnamese thoroughness. The hotel clerk told the taxi driver where we were going. The taxi driver drove right into the bus yard and stopped beside our bus and said something to the conductor. The conductor sold us the right tickets and told us where to get off. The train ride had cost us $5.00 return. The bus cost us $ .50 return. The bus has better entertainment value too. I get a kick out of watching the conductor haul the passengers aboard. The bus doesn’t do a complete stop even for the little old ladies. I think bus passengers wear long sleeves so the bruises don’t show.

We visited the Pagoda and then we took a long walk in the fields. The fields are on the hills and each field is carved out from the hill. Somehow the farmers get irrigation to each field and grow veggies or flowers. There are paths through the fields but they twist, drop and rise with the hill and often dead-end into a field. Whenever Joan and I hit a dead end some farmer would wave at us and point which direction to go. There are some houses in the fields but they are rare. The land is for farming and the Vietnamese do a good job.


A Cao Dai temple dominates the whole valley. In order to get up to it we got 2 motorcycle taxis. This is when I got my drunken taxi driver. I negotiated with the first driver and he understood where we were going. I think he was going to take the 2 of us on one motorcycle but Joan wouldn’t agree. So he called his drunken friend to take me. Joan was long gone before I was sitting on the back of his friend’s bike. Off we went and he went right by the temple cut-off road and headed for a town called Cao Lat. I tried to stop him but he convinced me his friend was right ahead of us. One kilometre later I insisted he turn around and when the temple came into view I kept pointing at it. When we got there Joan was sitting in the shade.
We toured the temple, which wasn’t finished yet and then walked back to town for lunch and tea. After tea I asked the waitress where to find a taxi. She made a call and her friend showed up. It was the first female taxi driver we met in Vietnam. The driver didn’t speak English so the waitress translated the destination and off we went. The driver got lost and stopped for directions. When she discovered she had to backtrack, she seemed anything but happy. We covered 5KM on a terrible dirt road down a steep hillside and arrived at Tiger falls. All the way there the driver never said a word to us. We visited the falls and they were nice - clean, pristine and no vendors.


We came back to the taxi quite happy. At this point Joan tried to communicate with the driver about stopping on the way back to take pictures as we had passed beautiful vistas of tiered gardens on the hillsides. Whatever Joan said - it worked. Not only did she stop, she got involved in selecting the right viewpoints and she smiled a lot. We were all quite happy when we got back to town.

PS from Joan-this was really a perfect day- experiencing public transport, having all the time we wanted to explore Trai Mat, having the very helpful café waitress organize our trip to the falls and enjoying the input of our taxi driver on the way back as she started to choose our best viewpoints. She not only chose where to stop but walked the hillsides and pointed when she had discovered a better view. She smiled so much when she realised how much we appreciated her help.
The only glitch to the day was wondering where the heck Tim was when he should have been right behind me at the temple. After waiting about 10 minutes with my driver, I paid him and indicated that I wanted him to go back down the hill to find Tim. Did not see my driver again, but Tim showed up after 20 minutes, much to my relief.

Bangkok: March 18th to 20th

This city is a sensory overload. It has extreme everything. The weather is hot, sweaty and extremely smoggy. The city is large, crowded and full of poverty, but it has the gentlest, kindest people in Asia. The temples here are so ornate, so golden and in such good repair it’s impossible to concentrate on taking one picture at a time. Every time I turn my head to check if I can back up, I see an even nicer picture. There is a lot of beauty here.
We arrived early Thursday morning and took a Tuk-Tuk to our chosen hotel. It was a nice oasis on a canal about 100 meters off the street. Even before we saw the hotel, men were grabbing our luggage and helping us to the entrance. Before I had arranged a room both Joan and I were served a refreshing fruit drink. Throughout our stay we were impressed with the genuine smiles the staff always wore.
We immediately set off for our first temple. Within 2 blocks we had walked into the large demonstration of Red-Shirts who, the day before, had painted the government buildings with blood. This is when marriages break down. I thought the demonstrators looked harmless and Joan was not walking through the middle of a demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand. So we sort of, kind of, went around the demonstrators and riot police and I kept my camera out of sight. (The riot police were good at directions too). While we were there we kept encountering demonstrators. They were from the north and they seemed to be taking in all the sights of the city, just like us. They were always friendly.
We only had 2 days but we saw 5 temples in all. They all were beautiful, but the Grand Palace was just plain over the top. It was 5 acres of spires, gold leaf, jewels, tourists and workmen. I liked the workmen the best. They worked without any safety devices on 30-meter high roofs.


PS. from Joan –I think that our timing in Bangkok was good- we arrived after the first big demonstration and left before the second one was to occur. I got used to seeing the protesters around (eating, chatting, sleeping in the shade) but we did try to avoid the main street they were occupying.
The beauty of the temples in Bangkok was truly awesome.

Phuket Island, Thailand

We took a flight to Phuket Island in Thailand on Sunday night. Our intent was to have 3 peaceful days at the beach. My original thoughts of Phuket were of long sandy beaches and quiet, idyllic resort towns Those ideas changed as we read the description in our guide book and heard from others including Stephanie, Andrew’s girlfriend, that they were not keen on Phuket.


We took a minibus with about 8 others down the island to our hotels. We stopped at the town of Patong after midnight, which we had read was a party town and indeed, it was raucous as we dropped off some passengers there. Our town, Karon, was next and as we pulled into the hotel, which was supposed to be on the beach, it seemed to us that we were opposite a seafood company. However, as we saw next morning, our open-air breakfast/dining area was indeed just across the road from the beach, the road being, however, the main road down the coast. The beach was long and pretty with 2 rows of beach chairs on its entire length. The town was a tourist maze of hotels of all calibers, shops and street stalls selling anything you could need, restaurants for all tastes, tattoo parlours, massage parlours etc., etc.

In spite of Karon not matching our expectations, we did have a relaxing visit. Our hotel consisted of small bungalows set in a tropical garden a bit away from the road. The rooms were clean and adequate. The hotel had a pool and Tim and I moved each day from the pool in the morning to the beach in the afternoon. The weather was hot and the sun constant. On Tuesday morning, we hired a tuk-tuk (a little minibus ) for 3 hours and went down to the end of the island, stopping at other beaches along the way A couple were smaller and quieter than ours. We were a bit annoyed at our driver in the end, as he refused to do a round trip around the tip of the island and instead brought us back the way we came. No tip for him!
On Wednesday morning, Tim went on a 6-hour snorkelling expedition to two different islands. He enjoyed that trip very much and saw a lot of fish. I walked in town, read and swam.
We enjoyed some good meals both at our hotel and in the town. We left at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning to fly to our next destination, Bangkok.

PS I used my Olympus 850SW underwater camera for the snorkelling trip. It was the very first time I had taken it underwater. I had checked and cleaned it the night before but within 20 min of being in salt water the viewfinder went dead. However it still seemed to work so I kept taking pictures blind. They actually were recorded, but the camera is a probably a write-off.

March 8 to 12

Andrew arrived in HCMC Friday and Andrew and I left for Halong Bay on Sunday. We had planned 3 days of kayaking in the bay of islands. We arrived in Halong city Sunday evening. We had to modify our adventure since there is no kayaking allowed where we wanted to go – so we ended up taking a 2 day kayaking vacation on Cat Ba island. Getting there was easy but not straightforward. We paid our money to a young man called Tu and we magically appeared in the Khang Hong hotel 8 hours later. Tu had a taxi pick us up, he walked us across the road, handed us off to guide number 2 who put us on his boat. Halfway to Cat Ba we stopped for a cave viewing, then we got switched to another boat with no guide in sight. When the boat landed on Cat Ba we were put on a bus by some unknown and then dropped off at a hotel 40 minutes later. I tested the system by trying to get off at the wrong hotel but the driver motioned me to stay on the bus. The hotel seemed to expect us and since it was right on the waterfront and since they advertised kayaks for rent it seemed like the right place.


The next morning when we asked where our kayak was he told us to come down to the lobby at 8:30. We showed up and they put us on 2 motorcycle taxis for a 10 minute ride to a different beach. Here we got outfitted with a kayak, oars and lifejackets and we were off. By the time we made it out of the harbour we felt like experts. My navigation seemed to work and we were soon approaching the wide-open China Sea. As the swell changed from 3 feet to 5 feet I decided we were better off on the inland passage instead of the open seas and we retreated to lee side of the islands.
There are about 1,900 islands in Halong Bay. Most are sheer limestone karsts rising out of the water. Most of the rocks are inaccessible however there are sandy beaches scattered around the islands. The whole bay is a world heritage site but it is a thriving commercial enterprise. There seems to be a floating village around every corner. There are hundreds of fish farms every kilometre. There are people digging in every mud flat and sand bank looking for clams, snails and other “fish”. If it moves the Vietnamese eat it. We stopped at 3 beaches to rest up and explore. We found a whole community farming clams inside one secluded bay


Coco: That night we went to a recommended restaurant for supper. As I sat down I knocked over the white cane of the girl beside me. I apologized, picked it up and put it back behind her chair. She didn’t seem to notice. About 30 minutes later after Andrew and I had been served, she handed me a note. She was from Canada – where did I come from? I immediately answered “Canada” very loudly. She didn’t understand, so I said “CANADA” a lot louder, but she still looked confused. She handed me the paper again and a pen so I wrote the answer. She burst into laughter and started writing another note and conversation flowed. Coco is deaf and mute. A few years ago she was diagnosed with “retinale pigmentosa” (more or less) so she is going blind and can only see a small square directly ahead. She read our notes with a magnifying glass. She is on a 5-month world tour by herself as a last fling before she is completely blind in about 2 years. She has worked in the US and Nigeria helping so set up programs for the deaf and mute. At 30 years old she has been to 40 US states and 50 countries. She is giving a presentation at a conference in Phnom Penn next week.
Andrew and Coco were exchanging notes at such a rate that the waitress brought a stack of used bills to keep the table in paper. When we got to the Canada-US hockey game we stood up up gave high-5’s all around. That’s when the American-Australian couple got involved and moved to our table. By the time we had finished the evening the table was beer bottle deep in used paper and empty beer bottles. We had a special night with a special person and may Coco have a good life if she ever settles down in Ottawa.


On Thursday we returned to Halong city. I left Andrew in Halong city and headed back to HCMC.

March 6 HCMC

March 6: I borrowed Katherine’s bike and went for a ride. Within 2 km I came across a Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai is a religion assembled in Vietnam in 1926. It is a mixture of Buddhism, catholicism, and taoism. I stopped in and was met in the front hall by a tour guide/janitor/apostolate. He was studying a book on Cao Dai all the time I was there. The whole atmosphere of Cao Dai is welcoming. There seem to be no restrictions or taboos. I was invited to take as many pictures as I wanted even during the ceremony and I was free to wander around. My guide took me to the most photographed spots and then left me to wander. He came back to check every 15 min. and at one point asked me to move so the people could pray. Then he tried to explain why they were praying by themselves (newbies practicing). After they finished praying he turned on neon lights on the alter so I could continue with my photography. When I was finished I tipped the guide but I must have tipped too much. I was invited downstairs for tea (and I never refuse a cup of tea). After 2 cups of tea and a piece of cake wrapped in banana leaves I was finally on my way.

Travel to Vietnam

March 2nd and 3rd: Travel to Vietnam. We made 3 hops to Ho Chi Minh City: Montreal to Toronto, Toronto to Tokyo, and Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City. Last year we followed the airlines recommendation and got to the airport 3 hours before our flight only to find we had to wait 45 min for check-in to open. This year we were there 2 hours early and still had time for a coffee and newspaper. The 1 hour flight to Toronto was a breeze, the 15 hour flight to Tokyo was long, and the 6 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was painful. The seats seemed to get smaller and harder as the long day progressed. But there were no problems, we arrived on time, and we were in bed 2 hours after landing.

March 4: We had a quiet day in HCMC. In the morning we wandered the local market and had tea on the street as we watched the people. In the afternoon we took the bus to Chinatown and visited one of the bigger markets in HCMC. There is no doubt that one of the attractions of HCMC is the hustle and bustle in the streets. This city may not be pretty but it is alive and interesting.

Vietnam Here we come again

We are almost packed, almost ready and eager to be in Vietnam. We fly from Montreal at 8 AM tomorrow and stop in Toronto, Tokyo and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City 26 hours later. We must be a little more experienced since we are down to one bag each plus a box form Katherine. Not bad for 8 weeks clothes. We will miss winter.

March 24

This will be the last issue for this blog. My father is sick and I am heading back to Canada as quick as I can. Thanks for watching and particularly for commenting. Tim

March 23 Tbong Khmum to Kampong Cham

After yesterday’s pain and suffering I had an easy ride today. 30km to Kampong Cham and there is even a bridge across the Mekong river. I started late, rode easy and arrived early. I stopped at a Buddhist temple for an hour and I was still at my destination by noon. After a shower and a leisurely lunch I went to the Internet café to upload my blog. It’s slow, but it works. In the area of Kampong Cham is the ruins of an eleventh century temple (Nicor Wat). I asked, at my guesthouse, where it was but he couldn’t understand me. When I came back downstairs with my camera and tripod a tuk-tuk driver was waiting. I think the guesthouse owner smelled an opportunity. For only $5 I had a lift to the site and a good dose of information too. Nicor Wat was built in the eleventh century, but unfortunately in 1922 a Buddhist temple was built right in the middle of the ruins. Total desecration! It is now the centre for Buddhist learning for Cambodian and a community of Buddhist building has formed around the ruins. They are colourful.

March 22 Svay Rieng to Tbong Khmum

Today was a tough day. I started at 7 AM and I had planned to bike about 50km. The plan changed when the pavement ended and the villages shrank. I ended up doing 110km on dirt roads, some in very bad shape. I finished the day tired, sunburned and very very dirty.
I’m travelling light carrying only 1 litre of water. In Asia, no matter how rural you travel, it seems like every house is selling something. I bought water along the way and I ate a pineapple, ice cream sandwich (4 scoops in a bun), watermelon, spare ribs (I think), and noodle soup during the ride. I also had 1 sip of firewater - so bad it belongs in a gas tank.
Along the way I amused the locals by wearing my bike shorts, almost hit a cow, watched the villagers drain a pond so they could catch the fish and scared the water buffalo. I saw more of rural Cambodian than I bargained for.
Other observations: Young Cambodians speak excellent English, Cambodians are very friendly – 9 out of 10 children say hello and my smile muscles are sore, hot food is hard to find at midday. And my rear end is very very sore.

March 21 Go Dau to Svay Rieng Cambodia

I was up and on my way by 6:20 this morning and I crossed the Cambodian border at 9 AM. I don’t know what it is, but even though there were 50 people waiting they processed me right away. Can biking shorts really have that much effect on officials? So at 9:30 I was in Cambodia and it was hot. I stopped after half an hour at a small roadside café that had nobody in it. I ordered 2 waters and within 5 minutes there were 20 plus old ladies and young children sitting in a circle around me. When one old lady came up and touched me I got out my camera and took some pictures. It seemed to amuse them greatly when I showed them the results. I am going to change my lunch hour. By 11:30 I was hungry and I hit a town with lots of restaurants, but no cooks. Finally one lady boiled me up an instant noodle soup. It seems that the Cambodians eat lunch early and sleep from 11:30 to 22:30. I found a hotel and then went for a ride around the area. A rainstorm came up and I took shelter in a small Buddhist shrine. Then another family showed up (3 people) and them 2 more motorbikes pulled over. On the 3 motorbikes there were 10 people, not a bad average. The shrine we were in was strange. There was a Buddha, but on both sides of the Buddha there were boxes of human skulls. Judging from the mural behind the Buddha the shrine was commemorating the massacre of Khmer Rouge victims.

March 20 HCMC to Cu Chi plus 10km

I got underway at 12:00 noon and I rode my bicycle through HCMC. It took 1 hr to get through the city by bike. Not bad, since it takes 30 minutes by taxi. I looked at my map and their was a road which seemed almost direct, so I headed that way. It was closed in several places because of construction covering the whole street. But I followed the motorbikes and hopped up on the sidewalk and away I went. I’m riding a mountain bike so I can navigate the construction sites better than the motorbikes. I sort of like this lawlessness on the roads.
By one o’clock I was feeling the heat so I stopped for a coconut drink. They trim a coconut shell so it stands upright and when you ask for a drink the chop the end off and give you a straw. The inside juice is watery, with just a mind coconut taste, and there is about a litre of liquid. It’s very refreshing and cheap. An hour later I stopped for my afternoon tea and had a nice green tea with lemon drink. The first one went down so quickly I had two. The temperature was about 33 °C and very humid. But I expect it will get much warmer before I finish. I’m going to be careful with hydration.
After 30km we finally entered the rural area. The space opened up and the fields were full of workers and water buffalo. I wanted to stop in Cu Chi for the night but I couldn’t find a hotel. When I did I was obvious that Hotel is not a Vietnamese word – it’s Khack (I think). I might need to learn some more Vietnamese to survive. The lady at the desk doesn’t speak English, but she’s taking good care of me and I have a nice room with a hot shower for $10 a night.

March 18 HCMC

Today I bought a bicycle and what a beauty it is. I went up to the bicycle district in town and visited about 5 bike stores. I was looking for a typical Vietnamese bike – single speed and a basket on the front. I found them for 2,500,000 to 3,500,000 VND (about $200 US). Then I went down a alleyway and found a used bike. It was love at first sight. It was dirty, rusty and good quality. The brakes worked, the chain didn’t slip, and the balance was very good. It also had 2 bells. I tried my best negotiating skills and failed miserably. I offered 700,000 VND and he countered with 1.8 million. We agreed on 1.6 million after about 1 hour. I did get a new saddle and an extra tube thrown in. When he came out with my new saddle, all the onlookers (about a dozen) started to laugh. They all thought I was getting conned because the replacement saddle was so small. I couldn’t be happier – it’s the closest thing to a racing saddle I’ve seen in Vietnam. They fixed it up and I rode home straight away. I went around 2 traffic circles and crossed one major highway on my new bike just like the Vietnamese. I didn’t stop once. What an exhilarating ride.
Oh, we also saw the Reunification Place this morning. It was nice.