...And the world's your oyster

Back in Bangkok. Ko Chang was a lot of fun and a very relaxing place. I did two scuba dives on Sunday off the south of the island--conditions were great with amazing visibility (although it dropped off quickly below 9 metres). The highlight was perhaps when I found a large spotted sting ray.

Yesterday I spent the night in Trad and today I drove back to Bangkok. I'm flying down to Phuket on Thursday where I intend to do some more diving.

Ko Chang

I've spent the last few days (and plan to spend the next few) on Ko Chang, an island in the east of Thailand near Cambodia. It's Thailand's second largest island, but is relatively undeveloped--there is one main road running along the perimeter of the island and bungalows, as well as some more upscale hotels, along the beaches. I'm staying in a bamboo hut right on the water's edge (you can see it in the picture below). Pretty sparse--just a mattress on the floor with a mosquito net. But that's really all that's needed, and in the mornings it takes me ten steps from the door to dive into the ocean, which is perhaps the warmest sea water I've swam in. Today, though, I actually moved to a new place further up the beach which is actually only accessible from the beach (as it backs onto a cliff) and, at high tide, is further only accessible by walking through the water around a rocky outcropping.

The island itself is full of northern Europeans, mostly Scandinavians with a few Dutch and Germans. There's also a handful of drunk Britons, but I'm certain they staggered onto the wrong boat and ended up here instead of Ko Phanyang or one of the islands better known for drunken revelry.

Two days ago I drove around the island on a motorcycle and yesterday I went on a snorkelling trip, exploring the waters around some of the smaller islands south of Ko Chang. I plan to do some scubadiving in the next couple days and then head back to Bangkok.

Valet Parking

I meant to write in a previous post about the valet parking in Hanoi. Almost everyone drives a motorcycle. The streets are filled with them. As a result, almost every restaurant or bar in central Hanoi has free valet parking; you just pull up out front, hop off the bike, and the valet will pull it up onto the sidewalk, watch it while you're inside and, when you come back out, pull it back onto the road.

Adventures with Vietnamese Bureaucracy

My last night in Hanoi I had my camera stolen (from my pocket) somewhere on my way back to the hostel. I only realized this once I walked through the hostel door.

To claim it on the travel insurance, I require a police report. So, the next morning, I went to make such a report. The receptionist at the hostel gave me directions to the police station. The officer at the front desk of the station, though, refused to make any effort to understand me.

Back to the hostel where I had the receptionist write out a detailed description of what happened and a request that I be allowed to make a police report for the purpose of claiming the loss from my travel insurance.

I returned to the police station and handed over the note. The officer read it with a blank expression and passed it to another officer. This officer took his time searching through several cabinets and finally produced a form in Vietnamese and English on which I could report the
theft. I filled out the report, once again writing out in detail a description of what had occured, where it had occured, when, etc.

The first officer then left the station. I sat, not quite sure what was going on. About fifteen minutes later the officer returned with a Vietnamese female who explained that she was there to translate my report. She filled out a second form, slowly, this time writing my statement in Vietnamese.

I had been in the station almost an hour at this stage.

I signed the forms and handed them over to a third officer (the first two were no longer present).

This officer took his time reading the report before looking up and speaking rapidly in Vietnamese.

The translator turned to me.
"What do you want him to do?"

"To do? Nothing. I want him to stamp my report and give me a copy so I have an official police report acknowledging the theft of my camera so I can claim it back from my travel insurance."

She translated my request. The officer looked unhappy but gave it some thought. Finally he turned back to the report and read it again. Suddenly he brightened. He spoke in rapid Vietnamese to the translator.

"The officer says you wrote that the theft happened on Hang Gai. Is that right?"

"Yes, well, it happened somewhere between Hang Gai and Ngo Huyen. I can't be sure exactly where."

I might, at this stage, point out that my original note from the receptionist in Vietnamese outlining what had happened and which I had given to the officers when I first walked through the door of the station had already stated the likely location of the theft. This was no new information.

The translator repeated my answer in Vietnamese. Now the officer was really pleased.

"Well, he says if it happened on Hang Gai, that's a different police station. You can't report the theft here. You have to go to the other police station to make the report."

"I see. He couldn't just stamp it and throw away his copy?"

She didn't bother translating this, but instead just smiled at me. At this stage I got up, thanked them both, and left. I was already running late for my flight to Bangkok which, because of my adventures at the police station, I came close to missing.

Минск

My most recent experiences while traveling, whatever they may be, always seem the most exciting to date. The past week, though, seems to stand out as particularly exciting. Early last week, I took the overnight train up to Lao Cai on the border with China in the northwest of Vietnam and, from there, a bus to Sapa in the mountains. I made the journey with Kevin, an American who I had met at the hostel in Hanoi. The Mountain View Hotel, where we stayed, afforded an amazing view of the valley below and the opposing mountain range.

The valleys and mountains around Sapa are home to various ethnic minorities. Kevin and I had plans to meet with Phoebe and Bec, two Australians from the Hanoi hostel who had made the trip the previous day. Bec had, some years previously, taught English in Sapa and had befriended many of the young hill tribe girls who live in (and, in the case of some, work as trekking guides out of) Sapa. The four of us set off with Kir, one such girl, into the valley below Sapa, passing through tiny isolated villages and along steeply terraced rice fields. With the weather clear and hot, we stopped, at one stage, to swim in a remote mountain stream.

The following day, we were joined by Jon, a Welshman who we had also met at the Hanoi hostel. Kevin, Jon and I hired some Minsks (Минск; two stroke, 125cc motorcycle) and drove out of town into the mountains, spending the day exploring the area around Sapa.

Overnight, the weather turned cold and I awoke to a view obscured by thick mist. With no sign of the weather clearing, we returned to Hanoi that night, taking another overnight train and arriving early the next morning. Addicted now to motorcycle touring, I joined Kevin and Jon in hiring bikes (Honda Waves, smaller than the Minsks) back in Hanoi where we have spent the last three days touring the city and surrounding countryside. Drivin in Hanoi is chaotic but a lot of fun. Vietnamese drivers, while following few of the established road rules of Australia or the U.S., are, by necessity, excellent defensive drivers, aware, at all times, of all that is going on around them. So, despite appearing to a pedestrian as complete chaos, traffic works incredibly smoothly and efficiently.

Traveling on a motorcycle gives one an incredible amount of freedom. In the past few days I've driven through small villages and beautiful rural areas, stopping wherever I had the urge. These are places that I would never have seen had I relied on more traditional means of transport.

I'm going to look into buying a Minsk and driving the length of Vietnam.

Bia Hoi

I've been in Hanoi ten days now. It's been nice to relax and take it easy, explore the city, and meet a lot of people passing through the hostel. I've been staying in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which has a great atmosphere--lots of small streets, old buildings, small street-side restaurants, etc. And motorcycles, lots of motorcycles.

While I've spent much of my time in Hanoi doing the occasional bit of sightseeing (including seeing Ho Chi Minh's mausauleum), I also drove out to Halong Bay (three hours to the east) for a day where we cruised around on the water and had a spectacular seafood lunch.
One Hanoi specialty is Bia Hoi, a daily brewed beer available at many streetside stands throughout the city; a glass goes for 1500 dong or about 10 cents US. One intersection in particular is known for its Bia Hoi, with makeshift beer cafes on each corner; locals and tourists alike congregate here each evening and it's a great place to meet people.
I'm off to Sapa, in the mountains, today.