Vietnam - Holiday Snaps!

[thomas]

Great up date, thanks Thomas!

I can budget for a few more hundred quid spending money. I know how bad us lads are going to be... drinking that is...

Shrimps!! Prawns!! Yuk!! But enjoy!! I think ill just be living on rice and beer there! hehehe!

It does seem like one can actually just chill and not worry when there...

And, i've decieded am going! The Spesh S-works is just tooooo good a frame for me for now! Plus, I saw a frame on ebay that took my fancy so I won it! What leaves a nice budget for all that Dong! Best of both worlds!

Cơm Rang is a nice rice dish...basically a fried rice - simple and cheap. Com is rice Pho (phurr) is soup. bo = beef, gà = chicken....can't go wrong with some sort of combination there. You should be able to get Banh Xeo just with pork/tofu.

If you like drinking, be sure to try one shot of rice wine and a shot of snake vodka. Have more than one shot at your own risk....had quite a bit of rice wine one night and it didn't do my bowels any favours (if I hadn't made it to the toilet I could of ended up with some very embarrassing stains)...and the snake wine, well, one was enough (worth doing).

As for just chilling, some people will see you as money. We didn't have any real problems, just you get annoyed being offered shoe shines, or some rubbish hat every half an hour. Most of the time simply a shake of your head or hand is enough, they might wait near by hoping you have a look but most people don't do the hard sell. On the up side, we saw very few beggars as everyone is trying to make themselves some more money by selling you things. So if you want a book or something they're selling it can be convenient & a good way to help people out. We did have an offer for women and further south drug offers at night but if you just say no and walk away it's fine. You'll hear "moto bike" a lot as well, getting a motorbike guy to drive you around can be quite fun and cheap.

Be sure to brush up on your haggling skills too, but be sure to realise that if you're haggling over a few dong it's pennies in real life, but a lot for them.

Hope you go & enjoy it as much as me and my mate did!

 

[hackbike 666]

Well I have a hotel in Bangkok as a base so I will take it from there.Plan to get a bike again and cycle round practicing primary (ooer) as im more confident over there and have already cycled there.Must take a cycle computer and get some miles in (as well as a cam then I can do magnatom rants . .Thanks...that's something else I can take.

As I say I will get out there and take it from there.

 

[thomas]

Vietnam would be fun to cycle around, until a bus decides he can't wait and just uses the other lane pushing everything out of his way...but to be fair, no worst than here . At least there you know the bigger Vehicle has priority and just act appropriately.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I love Hanoi, Just crossing the road makes life interesting, and as for the night market in the old quarter at week ends, just amasing to see so many people, stalls and Motobikes crushed into such a small space. But, dont get lost without a map, took us 2 hours one evening to find our way back to the hotel:-)).
Must be a million Motobikes on Hanoi streets, one evening they all seemed to converge on to the Roundabout at Hang Dao, near to the Water Puppet show, by Hoan Kiem Lake

 

[thomas]

Wasn't expecting to see this old thread when I logged on but heyho

I love Hanoi, Just crossing the road makes life interesting, and as for the night market in the old quarter at week ends, just amasing to see so many people, stalls and Motobikes crushed into such a small space. But, dont get lost without a map, took us 2 hours one evening to find our way back to the hotel:-)).
Must be a million Motobikes on Hanoi streets, one evening they all seemed to converge on to the Roundabout at Hang Dao, near to the Water Puppet show, by Hoan Kiem Lake

Hanoi was great! The nightmarket was good fun, even though it seemed to be more or less the same tat from one stall to another. We got reasonable good at finding our way around to the lake and things. We did see the Water Puppets, but had just taken full advantage of happy hour at the hostel

 

[hackbike 666]

Hmmm never made it to Vietnam,but to Bridge over the River Kwai.

Ironically im in Karon,Phuket Thailand at the mo and am looking to hire a bike tommorow.

Electric bike (hopefully) for the first time but better than nothing.

I haven't got a moped licence so I made myself look a prat trying to hire one without a licence.(There is no way I would break the laws of the land anyway)

SO when I get back to England im going to work on getting a licence.

At 200 baht a day hire I really missed out.

 

[Davywalnuts]

Oh oh, lotsa brains to pick now as I am finally booked up to fly out 4th Jan, finally!

Really cant wait!

Oh, jabs, what did you all do for Malaria?

 

[hackbike 666]

Oh oh, lotsa brains to pick now as I am finally booked up to fly out 4th Jan, finally!

Really cant wait!

Oh, jabs, what did you all do for Malaria?

Oh dear,knew I forgot something.

 

[thomas]

I haven't got a moped licence so I made myself look a prat trying to hire one without a licence.(There is no way I would break the laws of the land anyway)

SO when I get back to England im going to work on getting a licence.

At 200 baht a day hire I really missed out.

Bargin!! ...what's that, about £2 still? We weren't asked for anything in Vietnam. All I'd need for here is L plates and a CBT and I could ride...

Oh oh, lotsa brains to pick now as I am finally booked up to fly out 4th Jan, finally!

Really cant wait!

Oh, jabs, what did you all do for Malaria?

Go to the doctors...but, Malaria was only needed for when we went into the Northern mountains. I'd already had a lot of the jabs before. I didn't get japanese encphalitius (sp)...but would have done (didn't have time)...would have been useful for treking in SaPa.

 

[hackbike 666]

Electric bike...I conquered a few hills between Karon and Patong today but I was firking knackered after it,and hot.

 

[hackbike 666]

Cycling into Patong!

 

[hackbike 666]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Unlicensed-Foreigners-60-Patong-t214638.html

This thread has got me thinking,no doubt I found the moped riders the worst when it comes to close passing out here....car drivers may have a bit of an excuse because it's harder to judge....Some of those hills were hairy today especially coming down them where I was watching traffic behaviour as I was unfamiliar with the road.

When it monsooned though just as I was delivering the bike back I must have noticed that only one in ten motons put their lights on whereas myself and at least 90+% of moped riders had put their lights on.

500 baht is a tenner BTW.

 

[Davywalnuts]

Go to the doctors...but, Malaria was only needed for when we went into the Northern mountains. I'd already had a lot of the jabs before. I didn't get japanese encphalitius (sp)...but would have done (didn't have time)...would have been useful for treking in SaPa.

Going Doctors tomorrow.. got a list of the basic ones, but as were going Vietnam & Cambodia too, Malaria is reccomended.. That japanese one we dont need to worry about apparently as wrong season, but mate asked about Rabis (sp) injection.. I said we should be more worried about lady boys!?

I am landing on a seperate flight to my mates as couldnt fly the same time, landing about 7am on the 5th and need to find where they will be as would have moved on from Bangkok. Will it be easy to find my way around after just coming of a 17 hour flight?

 

[Davywalnuts]

And is it really the norm not to bare ones legs? Even of mines fine calibers!

 

[thomas]

Going Doctors tomorrow.. got a list of the basic ones, but as were going Vietnam & Cambodia too, Malaria is reccomended.. That japanese one we dont need to worry about apparently as wrong season, but mate asked about Rabis (sp) injection.. I said we should be more worried about lady boys!?

I am landing on a seperate flight to my mates as couldnt fly the same time, landing about 7am on the 5th and need to find where they will be as would have moved on from Bangkok. Will it be easy to find my way around after just coming of a 17 hour flight?

Find your way around where? Bangkok? Well, I'd get a taxi from the Airport to your hostel/where ever you're meeting people....go out side to the taxi stall, get your ticket (translated english into thai)...there are a few tolls down the highway which you'll have to pay (either at the end, or during the ride)...it was like 100baht for them (I THINK!!)....the taxi was only like a fiver or so I think. I wouldn't want to be trying to find my way around too much when getting there.

And is it really the norm not to bare ones legs? Even of mines fine calibers!

Errm. Well, we were in shorts nearly all of the holiday and it wasn't a problem in Vietnam or Thailand. My friend got a lot of weird looks though, but he got some terrible sun burn on his knee which I don't think any of the locals had seen before .

We didn't do Cambodia...did look, but it would really have been like 2 days so we didn't bother.