Save Will

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Arrived in Hanoi by sleeper bus feeling disheveled, greasy, and tired. The weather was gray and a tiny bit rainy. Wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. A motorbike taxi driver offered to take me to the Old Quarter, so I went with him. He took me to a travel agency there. Spoke with the agent inside and decided to go to Ha Long Bay first to ensure I had enough time to see it.

Booked transportation to Cat Ba island in Ha Long Bay at the travel agency and then went in search of breakfast. Someone showed up on a motorbike to take me to the bus, and I went with him, and then boarded the bus to Ha Long City.

At the pier, I boarded a tour boat and was stuck with them all day. The weather was still gray and a little rainy. Saw some of the stone karst islands in Ha Long Bay. Went with the boat tourists to see a large cave in one of the karsts.

The boat landed on Cat Ba island just after sunset in the dark. I boarded another bus and dozed a little until we arrived in Cat Ba City on the south shore. I went to the nearest hotel, followed by a couple I had met on the boat, and we checked in. We walked the strip along the hotels and waterfront and then chose a restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, I shopped around for a day cruise of the islands.

The next day, I boarded a tour boat bound for the Ha Long Bay islands and spent the day cruising around, snapping photos of karsts, kayaking around karsts, and gazing at karsts. It was a day of karsts all around. Did I mention there were karsts? The sky was gray, but it didn’t rain. At the end, the boat returned us to Cat Ba Island, and I went to the same restaurant as before for a delicious dinner and a quiet evening alone.

The next day it was still cloudy and gray, so I decided that I’d had enough of Ha Long Bay, having seen karsts to my heart’s content the day before, so I booked transportation back to Hanoi by bus for the same day and departed around noon.

Hue, Vietnam

After Hoi An, I went to Hue. At this point, I was worried about running out of time, since I could only stay in Vietnam for thirty days. I stayed in Hue for two days. It was lightly raining the entire time, so I wore my poncho and gritted my teeth.

The first day, after I checked into my hotel, I walked to the Imperial Citadel and spent all afternoon exploring the ruins (bombed by the Americans) and the buildings still standing.

The second day, I hired a private motorbike guide to take me to three emperor tombs and a pagoda in the surrounding area.

Bought an open tour bus ticket for Hanoi.

Hoi An, Vietnam

After Dalat and the six-day Easy Rider motorbike ride with Hien, I went to Hoi An. Hien dropped me off at one side of Hoi An and we parted ways. Stayed in a cheap hotel for $9 per night for several days.

Browsed several shops and bought five paper lanterns in assorted colors, a dirty metal gong, a couple dirty coins, a few small paintings on scraps of paper, a marble tea box, and a marble candle box. I shipped them home the long way.

Found a really nice, good, and cheap restaurant on the edge of town. Ate at a couple restaurants along the river.

Did a tour of the My Son ruins an hour outside of town.

Wanted to rent a motorbike and ride to the nearby Marble Mountains, but the timing didn’t work out.

Hoi An’s shops, streets, and riversides are decorated with lit lanterns at night, and at night people buy lit candles in paper boats and set them afloat on the river. People go to the riversides at night and stroll and shop and snack and listen to Vietnamese music. It was the most pleasant place I experienced in Vietnam.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Decided to stay in Ko Phuket one more day to see a beach or two and get a feel for the place.

Got up at 9 a.m., ate toast for breakfast, got ready, and was out the door by 11 a.m. Walked twenty minutes to the bus spot in Phuket Town and rode a bus to Hat Kata. Got off and followed a woman to the beach.

Beheld the beach, took some snaps, then walked along the surf for a little ways. Decided to go for a dip and left my bag on an empty chair. Locked my camera and stuff in the big pouch with a luggage lock. Kicked myself for not thinking of bringing my luggage cable to tie the bag to the chair. Waded into the surf, submerged my head, and floated for a few minutes. Took in the scenery. Hat Kata felt crowded, but the sand and water were nice. Too many chairs and umbrellas, too close together. Saw several topless women by the end of the day. Kept an eye on my bag.

Got out, dried off, and continued walking south along the beach. Ate pork fried rice at a restaurant at the far end and cooled off with a Coke. Ordered seconds for both.

Walked to the road and then walked to the southern half of Hat Kata and continued my stroll along the surf. Got to the southern end and walked all the way back to the north end of Hat Kata where I started, then continued north to see Hat Karon.

I liked Hat Karon more than Hat Kata. It was bigger, so things were more spread out, and the sand was nicer; it was so finely grained that it kind of squeaked when I walked on it.

Looked for a bus back to Phuket Town at 4 p.m. because they stop running early and the cost of taking a taxi is exorbitant. Had trouble spotting the buses in time to flag them down. Got one, rode it back, walked to my hostel, showered, went out again for some quick Thai food nearby, then returned to my hostel again.

Bought a ticket for Ko Phi Phi. Settled in for the evening.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Woke up and felt much better.

Went on a boat and kayak tour of the Phang Nga islands to the north of Ko Phuket. A minibus picked me up around 8 a.m. and took me to Ao Por Pier in the northern part of the island. The boat was large and had two stories. There were about forty to fifty customers on board.

Visited the famous island that was in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.

Ate a buffet lunch on the boat. The food was just okay.

Went to Hong Island. Rode a kayak and went through a dark tunnel with a low ceiling and entered a secluded lagoon in the interior of the island. We went under yet another low ceiling and entered a second interior lagoon. Then we backtracked. Entered another cave that opened into a cavern with the ceiling missing, with sunlight streaming down into the water. Very beautiful.

Went to Panak Island. Rode a kayak through a tunnel to an interior lagoon with sheer cliffs on either side covered in lush foliage. Again, very beautiful.

Went to another island and rode a kayak by myself and explored some interesting rock formations and a deep sandy cave.

Returned to Ko Phuket and rode a minibus back to my hostel.

Chatted with a couple Germans in my room, one of them the one from the night before. We went out for food and ate on the street. Was still hungry, so bought some meat on a stick and some ice cream at a Swenson’s.

Returned to my hostel and relaxed. Decided to stay on Ko Phuket one more day to see the beach area. Planning to take a bus to Hat Kata tomorrow, and then maybe I will walk to some other beaches nearby.

Movies from my journey

When I travel to places that remind me of movies that I’ve seen, I feel an urge to watch them again, like George Costanza was with food. So far, I’ve only watched Lost in Translation. But being in the south of Thailand among the tropical islands, I now plan to also watch again The Beach and The Man with the Golden Gun. Watch along with me!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Woke up still sick. Went downstairs for a breakfast of cereal and toast. Took a while getting ready. Called Tess. Wanted to talk to the hostel staff about getting a map of Ko Phuket, where to get lunch, and where to rent a scooter, but I couldn’t find anyone. It was already past 1 p.m., so I left on my own.

Found a small place for lunch and had pork fried rice. Kept going and found a couple places that rented scooters, but neither had a helmet that fit me, and one shop didn’t even have an automatic shift scooter. Walked up and down the streets of Phuket Town looking for a rental shop with a helmet that fit me, but never found one. Returned to my hostel to ask where I could buy my own helmet, then went there, but the helmets were much too expensive for a one-time use. It was late in the afternoon by then and the light was waning. Resigned to losing the day.

Returned to my hostel and arranged through the front desk to do a boat and kayak tour of the nearby Phang Nga islands (as seen in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun) the next day. Researched where to stay on Ko Phi Phi. Caught up on my blog. Chatted with a German in my room. Prepared for bed, then went to sleep.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Woke up still sick. Decided to skip the dive class so I wouldn’t miss the west coast. Packed my gear and bought a ticket for Phuket. Quickly reserved a bed at a hostel before I left the hostel. Walked to the ferry pier and bought some snacks at the 7-11 along the way. Arrived at the boat just in time, sweat pouring down my face.

Fortunately, the boat had air con. Read my guidebook about Ko Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, and the Krabi area, and listened to a podcast. The ferry stopped at Ko Samui, then continued on to Surat Thani. I got off there and transferred to a bus. It was only me and a girl my age named Dean on this huge bus. We chatted the whole time. The bus unexpectedly stopped in Surat Thani and we were told we would transfer to a minibus when six others arrived. We waited for over two hours. We bought ice cream, chips, and instant soup to eat for dinner while waiting. Fortunately, the minibus had air con too. I listened to podcasts and watched a thunderstorm brew on the horizon the whole way. The driver offered to drive us beyond Phuket Town for outrageous prices, but fortunately I was going to Phuket Town.

Got off the bus, said goodbye to the other backpackers, then took a motorbike taxi two blocks to my hostel. Checked in, unpacked, and found that my pack had been rifled through despite the lock I had on it. Fortunately, my laptop/precious was still there. They must not have been able to get it out through the zippers and the lock. I couldn’t figure out when they had had time to do it. Dismayed, I repacked it all neatly and went to bed as soon as possible, feeling exhausted.