Mangosteens & Rombutans

May 16, 2008

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Nha Trang
(Nha Trang)

How to get there:

The easiest thing to do is to take the train from Hanoi, or wherever you are, to Nha Trang.

You can buy your train tickets at any hotel, hostel, or shady looking travel agent selling on the sidewalk sitting on a cardboard box. Though I would recommend that you buy your ticket from a place that looks like it will be there again tomorrow.

There is also an airport in Nha Trang.

Website

Notes: I bought my train ticket through the hotel in which I was staying, Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel.

Map:

View Larger Map

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Ahhh… The Mundane Life!

After my trip to Ha Long Bay, I had one more night in Hanoi. When backpacking I think it is important, every now and then, to spend a day doing nothing but wandering around the city aimlessly. I like to pretend that I live in whatever city I’m visiting and just do mundane things like read a book on a park bench or buy fruit.

No Thanks.

As I roamed Hanoi that day, I realized how impossible it is for anyone to just walk down the street quietly. I had to walk while constantly saying, “No, thanks”, “I don’t want any”, or “I already have one” to all the street vendors. The most aggressive of the vendors, were the ladies who sell pineapples. During my short stay in Hanoi I would be chased for blocks by two or three of them at a time, whenever I went out. I can only eat so many pineapples before my mouth gets sore!

I had a long train ride to Nha Trang and I wanted some fruit to take with me on the journey. I wanted to try some new fruit. I can buy pineapples and oranges anywhere. I was dying to sink my teeth into some crazy, funky Vietnamese fruit that I had never tried before. I had seen ladies selling unique looking fruit as they walked down the street. They always seemed to just wizz right past me not giving me a second look. On my last day in Hanoi, I stopped one of them.

She had some sea-urchin looking fruits in one basket and small black round fruits in the other. The baskets were balanced on her back in a yoke-looking device and she walked as if she were late for a very important meeting.

I had to grab her arm because she was going so fast. She stopped to look at me as if she thought I wanted to mug her. I asked her, “how much?” She didn’t understand me. I pointed to both baskets of fruits with both my index fingers at the same time.

She put down her yoke and handed me one of each. Again, I asked her how much it was. Then she took out a knife, cut the fruits open for me, handed them back to me, picked up her yoke and went along her way. I quickly ate both fruits and ran after her. By the time I caught up with again her she was selling a bag of the “sea urchin fruit” to a local woman. I pointed to the bag and then to myself to say, “I want some too.”

She seemed completely confused. “Why does this foreigner want to buy this common fruit when there are lots of pineapples around?” Of course, the pineapple ladies from all over Vietnam smelled a fruit buyer and had encircled me. I begged and pleaded for this lady to sell me her fruit while trying to shoo the pineapple people away. Finally she sold me a bag of “sea-urchin fruit”. I point to the basket of the other fruit and she said, “No.”

While I was paying her two motor bikes crashed into each other head on. Both drivers were fine, and in the commotion I was able to sneak away from the pineapple people without them noticing.

You Own Me 10,000 Dong!

That evening, I left Hanoi for Nha Trang. When I got to the train station I showed my ticket to the uniformed lady at the door and she let me in. As soon as I was inside, some guy in a uniform came up to me, grabbed my ticket, and told me to follow him.

I noticed that his uniform was different from those of the station workers. So, I grabbed my ticket back from his clutches and headed for the train. There was only one train in the tiny station so it wasn’t difficult to guess which one was mine.

I walked quickly, slipping through the crowd alongside the train to get to my car. The man chased after me. He was yelling at me and complained that he had shown me how to get to my train and now I owed him 10,000 dong.

I stopped and turned around to look at him. He was still running behind me and needed a little time to catch up. I told him, “Actually, you are following me. So YOU owe me 10,000 dong.” He didn’t think it was funny. He walked away feeling dejected and probably cursed my ancestors.

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Fun With Uncle Ho

May 14, 2008

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Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel
(Khách Sạn Hanoi Blue Sky)

The Golden Time Hostel*

How to get there:

Address:

2 Hàng Gà, Hà Noi, Hanoi, Vietnam

Phone:

• 3923 0514
• 3923 1849

Website

Videos:

• Tourism Video: Hanoi

Notes:

• *While looking up information on The Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel, I noticed that the name has changed. They might have redecorated too.
• You can book tours of Hanoi and to Ha Long Bay here.
• Free internet
• There is a restaurant in the hostel
• You can pay to have your laundry done here
• You don’t have to stay at Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel or any of the other sister hotels to book a trip or tours with them.

General/ About Vietnam

• When you get to Vietnam pick up a map of the area from any hotel, hostel, travel agency, or tourist information center. Once you have one of those you’ll be able to find anything.
• Having a map of the area in Hanoi is very important. Every block has a different street name so once you know the name of street something is on you can easily find it with a map.
• Wherever you choose where to stay, make sure you bring a picture and the address of the hotel. One common trick that taxi and motorbike-taxi drivers like to pull is to take you to the wrong hotel. When you say, “I asked for ABC Hotel!” They will tell you that the name changed. They usually get a commission for bringing tourist to certain hotels.
  • Sometimes hotel do change names, like with this one. But it has been years since I stayed here. Most likely a hotel will not change names between the time of your booking accommodations and your arrival without telling you.
• Also for taxis, NEVER agree to a flat rate fee. The flat rate fee will always be way higher than it should be. Always demand that the cab driver use the meter. If he doesn’t want to use his meter, get out. Taxi drivers are a dime a dozen.

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The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
(Lăng Chủ tịch Hồ Chí Minh)

How to get there:

It is about a 15 minutes walk from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

It shouldn’t cost too much to take a taxi, motorbike taxi, or a cyclo. You can also take bus #9 or #14.

Address:

5 Pho Ngoc Ha
Hanoi, Vietnam

Phone:

• +84 4 942 1061

Website

Cost:

• It is free to enter, but you are not allow to bring anything like a purse, camera, water bottle, ect in with you.
• There are lockers you can rent for a fee. If you are on a tour, your tour guide will hold your stuff for you.

Hours:

• 8:00 – 11:00  Tues-Thur & Sat

Videos:

• History Channel: Ho Chi Mihn

Notes: It’s best not to say anything bad about Ho Chi Minh while in Vietnam.

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Museum of Ethnology
(Bảo tàng Dân tộc học Việt Nam)

How to get there:

The Museum is located in Cau Giay district, twenty minutes by taxi from the city center. Take the #14 minibus which runs from Dinh Tien Hoang Street, north of Hoan Kiem lake, to the Nghia Tan stop a few blocks from the Museum.

Address:

Nguyen Van Huyen St, Cau Giay, Hano

Phone:

• (84-4) 37562193

Website

Hours:

Everyday 8:30 – 17:30 except Mondays and Vietnam New Year’s day

Cost:

• Adult – 25,000VND,
• Kids – 5,000VND,
•  Kids under 6 – Free

Notes: Don’t forget to check out the grounds.

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Ngoc Son Temple
(Đền Ngọc Sơn)

How to get there:

It’s the shrine in the middle of  Hoan Kiem Lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake is in the tourist district of Hanoi. Most hostels or hotel worth visiting is within a walking distance of this lake.

If you have a hard time finding this place, just stop anyone walking around and ask them for directions.

Remember that you can get a free map from just about any hotel or hostel.

Cost:

3,000VND

Hours:

• 8:00 – 17:00 everyday

Videos:

• Tourism Video

Notes:

It gets pretty hot in Hanoi during the day. It might be a good idea to walk around in the evening rather than in the middle of the day. You could even end your walk with a visit to the water puppet theater.

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Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
(Múa rối nước)

How to get there:

It is very near Hoan Kiem Lake. Ask anyone in the area and they will be able to point you in the right direction.

Address:

57b Dinh Tien Hoang Str., Hanoi – Vietnam

Phone:

• (84) 4 39364335 or
• 39364334 or
• 38255450

Website

Cost:

• About 1 USD
• with an extra .50USD if you want to take photos.

Hours

Notes: It’s one of the few things in town with air conditioning!

Map:

View Larger Map

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No Dong

The bus dropped me off somewhere in Hanoi. I had no dong and no plans, but I had met a cute couple on the bus. We chatted at one of the rest stops. They had reservations at a hotel in Hanoi and planned to take a taxi there. Since it would cost nothing extra for me to ride in the cab they told me that I could join them.

Once again I would like to say that I love the name the Vietnamese picked for their currency!

No Rooms

Once we got to their hotel, I was told that it was fully booked. The receptionist, who happened to also be the owner of the hotel told me that she and her sister owned another hotel. She called a guy who she referred to as “little brother” and told him to take me to the other hotel. I hopped on his scooter, shoved my afro into a helmet, and held onto my backpack.

He took me to the Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel. When I got there, the receptionist, who happened to be the sister of the first lady, started to check me in. When I told her that I didn’t have any dong, she said that it didn’t matter, “You pay when you check out. This not China!”

I ate dinner at the hotel because I could put that on my bill and pay it later. I even signed up for a few trips. I knew that I would find an ATM at some point before I checked out or at least stay until I found one. If all else failed I could pay in US dollars or Euros, both are welcomed if not preferred over the dong.

HSBC is my bank of choice. They have ATMs in many countries. When I got money in Vietnam from an HSBC ATM, I paid no ATM fees.

Just to meet some people

In the hotel by the front desk, were posters of day and overnight trips. There was a book that had the trips laid out in detail, with prices for different levels of accommodations. One great thing about the Hanoi Blue Sky Hotel was that the sisters who own it, also owned a junk on Ha Long Bay.

A trip to Ha Long Bay is a great way to get ripped off if you don’t know who to book your trip through.

I usually don’t like tours, but I was traveling alone and wanted to meet some people. There was also the additional benefit that while on a tour, I would not to get lost. I picked one of the Hanoi City tours with tickets to see a water puppet show in the evening.

We first went to  The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Uncle Ho looked a bit creepy, but the man has been dead for almost 40 years. He was the first dead communist leader I had ever seen. I would end up seeing many more.

Actually, only two. Kim Il Sung has still eluded me and it turns out that they eventually buried both Stalin and Evita Perón, not that Eva was a communist leader.

Next it was Ho Chi Minh’s vestige right next to the Mausoleum. I loved that the house he chose to live in was so modest with 3 or 4 BMWs parked out back. I’m sure it’s what the people wanted.

Our next stop was to the Ethnology Museum. It’s really not very interesting indoors. I really don’t care about the many races of Asians that live, or have lived in Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. Which means I care even less about each individual group’s pottery. To be honest I’m only impress by air-tight containers…

But the grounds of the museum was more interesting. There were many displays of housing for the plethora of peoples who peopled south east Asia. Tourist are encouraged to climb in, on, up, and around the structures. And I did! Plus there were some very interesting fertility tombs. Though, I think that once your dead, you’re infertile for good.

We passed by a few forgettable temples. The only one that stood out in my mind was Ngoc Son Temple which was in the middle of the lake. There were some monks doing some serious praying that day, but I don’t know what for.

Then there was the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. The water puppets show was all in Vietnamese and lasted 50 minutes. It got boring after about 10 minutes, but the theater had air-conditioning and was worth all 20,000 Dong (2 dollars at the time) of the ticket price for that alone!

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