Autopsy One night in Bangkok (Travel tales - true and/or exagerated - to far flung places)

[andana]

Best spots, things to do. Not necessarily typical tourist areas.

Dalat and the area around there in the highlands is a very popular destination for the locals, not as much for foreigners. Well worth a visit. Incredible variety of food, very helpful, friendly people. You don't need ac or a fan.

Easy to get back down to the coastal towns and the railway

If you are going south the Mekong Delta is good. Travel to a few towns there like Tra Vinh and make your way to Ha Tien. Small town on a river. Can go to Phu Quoc from there. That's very popular with the locals who want a beach destination.

 

[guapo]

did or are you looking to go across to monkey island for the performing dogs and monkey show?

Hon Lao: The Monkey Island in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Visiting Hon Lao - The Monkey Island in Nha Trang for a fun, adventurous and energetic island trip. Ideal for both adults and children!

vietnamdiscovery.com

truly one of the most bizarre things i have ever seen,

Not sure how I missed this, as you say it looks truly bizarre

 

[koshari]

I think that if you went to Viet Nam you would end up doing a few touristy thigs - it's kind of necessary to visit the museums (all types, including war, cultural and archaeological), and in Hanoi you'd spend time in the old city plus make a visit to Uncle Ho himself at his mausoleum. Somebody recently showed my pictures of Cat Ba island on Ha Long bay - I didn't recognise the place due to the hotels that were there now compared to in the mid-90s but I still think that's a worthwhile place.

I dislike Top Gear intensely but their 2008 special did show a lot of the country so here's a link to the episodes on Youtube (part 15 features Ha Long Bay)...



When we were there it was possible and far less expensive to buy "tours" to various destinations from the local travel agents such as Sinh cafe. I'd research if those places still operate before splashing out on any tours through an Australian travel agent where you will pay through the nose.

The trip to Sapa, almost on the Chinese border to the north was becoming a trope even in the 90s but as much as that's the case, I'd go there again any time. We went by bus - the train is an alternative. Sapa is in the mountains and we timed our visit to align with the monthly market where rural people from all over come into town to sell produce - I made the mistake of taking a photo of a small pig that was trussed up in bamboo strips and the farmer insisted that meant I had to buy it. He chased me around for about 20 minutes trying to make me pay for the pig.

Mad if you dont really, Sapa and Holong bay are every bit as beautiful as the postcard snaps portray them ( up there with grand canyon, pyramids of giza and the taj imo. ) and we used the sinh bros travel as well locally, way cheaper than booking abroad. and nothing better after a hot day of looking round to unwind at a beer hoi stand.

 

[koshari]

Not sure how I missed this, as you say it looks truly bizarre

the wild monkeys at the entrance are pretty cunning as well, they sell little bags of corn for you to feed them but they really can get a bit intimidating,

 

[Samsquanch]

The most popular travel cafe in Hanoi when Viet Nam was opened to western tourists in the 90s.



Buildings in the old quarter of Hanoi across the road from the "Love Planet Cafe" where I stayed


In a communist country, everybody is equal. This is is equality for the ladies - their own urinal (with bricks to squat on so their feet stay dry).


The mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

 

[koshari]

View attachment 1584449
The most popular travel cafe in Hanoi when Viet Nam was opened to western tourists in the 90s.


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Buildings in the old quarter of Hanoi across the road from the "Love Cafe" where I stayed

View attachment 1584451
In a communist country, everybody is equal. This is is equality for the ladies - their own urinal (with bricks to squat on so their feet stay dry).

View attachment 1584452
The mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

what is it about their dustbins promising happiness to eveybody?

 

[Samsquanch]

Relic at a war museum in Hanoi.


Relic at a war museum in Hanoi standing near an auspicious NVA tank.


Dinner. Those chillies are spicy.

 

[koshari]

View attachment 1584466
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were they the war museam in HCM or the one in da nang?

 

[andana]

Every time I went to the lake area in Dalat locals would come and ask if I would be in a photo with them.
There is a shopping centre there. It is covered with plants and a waterfall and looks like a hill. Brilliant idea.

 

[Samsquanch]

These little piggies went to market.



The only two hotels on Cat Ba Island 25 years ago. The lady who ran the one on the left was a party apparatchik, wore a uniform and carried a riding crop, which she cracked when she barked out orders to the tourists who were guests at the hotel!

She strongly suspected my mate and a girl we met up with in Hanoi and who travelled with us to save money by sharing rooms were not married. She questioned them as they said they were on their honeymoon. She was not happy that they were room sharing but they got away with it, just.


The jetty looking back to Ha Long Bay.

 

[andana]

Seeing those hotel photos reminded me, try to avoid staying in a" skinny " hotel. The noise travels through the whole building. The extended family usually live in there so always lots of activity

 

[Samsquanch]

were they the war museam in HCM or the one in da nang?

The Mig is in Hanoi (there were remains of a US Phantom as well) and the tank is one of the tanks that burst the palace gates in Saigon. While I was there I read the book, One Crowded Hour - the biography of one of the world's greatest combat war correspondents and cameramen, Neil Davis. This and the events of the day that the government fell featured heavily in the book. Davis himself spent time on the front line with allied and North Vietnamese, Viet Cong and Cambodian soldiers. He died, camera rolling on the streets of Bangkok in 1985 during a minor uprising.

 

[Samsquanch]

Seeing those hotel photos reminded me, try to avoid staying in a" skinny " hotel. The noise travels through the whole building. The extended family usually live in there so always lots of activity

In Saigon we found a skinny hotel (there were many). I think we negotiated a very low price and the owner allocated us a room on the tenth floor (it felt like the tenth anyway). No lift, and skinny steep stairs. The low price meant we had to pay extra to turn on the air-con (which we did).

We were given strict orders to be back inside by 11PM (I think) as the front doors would be locked then. We missed the deadline and were struggling with what we should do - maybe find another hotel that was open or just sit up in a night club all night...

In the night club we saw a slightly masculine lady who recognised us as his hotel guests. He got us to swear we would not tell his Mum that he was a ladyboy, and he took us back to the hotel and let us in, then went back to his night club, panicking in case his Mum might have seen him in a dress while letting us back into the hotel.

 

[koshari]

The Mig is in Hanoi (there were remains of a US Phantom as well) and the tank is one of the tanks that burst the palace gates in Saigon. While I was there I read the book, One Crowded Hour - the biography of one of the world's greatest combat war correspondents and cameramen. This and the events of the day that the government fell featured heavily in the book. Davis himself spent time on the front line with allied and North Vietnamese, Viet Cong and Cambodian soldiers. He died, camera rolling on the streets of Bangkok in 1985 during a minor uprising.

Theres a mig in the da nang one as well,

 

[andana]

My idea is that anywhere you go will be good especially the countryside

 

[Samsquanch]

Sorry for the earlier misleading info.

The previous tank, #985 was in Hanoi. The one above, #843 is the tank that crashed the Saigon palace gates and is featured in the footage shot by Neil Davis (and although a genuine Russian tank, the displayed #843 might be a replica for all I know).

And my memory is fading - it was 1998 when we visited. Something about that year...............

 

[Samsquanch]

 

[Samsquanch]

A little bit more from a travellers story on Vietnam. The reference to Mama Hahn in this one is a bit soft. No mention of the dope (which was free) or the extra charges for the beer and bribes to the cops...

mama hahn – Chrissy's World – Stolen Moments in Time…

Posts about mama hahn written by chrissyjbrown

chrissyjbrown.com

 

[Samsquanch]

Seeing those hotel photos reminded me, try to avoid staying in a" skinny " hotel. The noise travels through the whole building. The extended family usually live in there so always lots of activity

We saw a lot of those and stayed in a few. Building footprint the size of one room but stacked up to six or more floors. Amazing that they don't topple over fairly often.

Having said that, we did see one lying on its side in Malaysia.

 

[Hojuman]

View attachment 1584511
Sorry for the earlier misleading info.

The previous tank, #985 was in Hanoi. The one above, #843 is the tank that crashed the Saigon palace gates and is featured in the footage shot by Neil Davis (and although a genuine Russian tank, the displayed #843 might be a replica for all I know).

And my memory is fading - it was 1998 when we visited. Something about that year...............

Good book written about Neil by Tim Bowden

 

[Samsquanch]

Good book written about Neil by Tim Bowden

Yes - this...

https://www.timbowden.com.au/books/one-crowded-hour/

I read it as we travelled around Vietnam. I saved the Tet Offensive until we reached Hue.

SpiderBurton22 - if you do decide to go to Vietnam, definitely spend a few days in Hue touring the old forbidden city inside the citadel and take a trip or two around / up and down the Perfume River by motorbike and/or boat to visit some of the old palaces and tombs in the area.

There are some really nice beaches nearby as well. We were told that one stretch was the original "China Beach" which may or may not be true but it was a great spot for a swim and not a single other person other than our group were there at the time.

I liked Hue best of all of the places we visited, along with nearby Da Nang (which I read is now a booming city) and Hoi An with a fantastic waterfront, nice beaches and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda as well as the famous cloth market. Get some clothes made to measure in about 4 hours!

 

[guapo]

Yes - this...

https://www.timbowden.com.au/books/one-crowded-hour/

View attachment 1584834

I read it as we travelled around Vietnam. I saved the Tet Offensive until we reached Hue.

SpiderBurton22 - if you do decide to go to Vietnam, definitely spend a few days in Hue touring the old forbidden city inside the citadel and take a trip or two around / up and down the Perfume River by motorbike and/or boat to visit some of the old palaces and tombs in the area.

There are some really nice beaches nearby as well. We were told that one stretch was the original "China Beach" which may or may not be true but it was a great spot for a swim and not a single other person other than our group were there at the time.

I liked Hue best of all of the places we visited, along with nearby Da Nang (which I read is now a booming city) and Hoi An with a fantastic waterfront, nice beaches and the iconic Japanese Covered Bridge with its pagoda as well as the famous cloth market. Get some clothes made to measure in about 4 hours!

Da Nang is now in the top 5 cities by population, definitely booming.
Agree re Hue and Hoi An. Much of the Hui Citadel/Forbidden City currently being restored so many parts are inaccessible. Hoi An has a very different feel to the other places we’ve been, the river front is brilliant for the markets, restaurants and bars, and the buzz of activity every night.
Heading to Ho Chi Minh tomorrow. Last time I was there was 25 years ago, looking forward to seeing how it has developed

 

[koshari]

Da Nang is now in the top 5 cities by population, definitely booming.
Agree re Hue and Hoi An. Much of the Hui Citadel/Forbidden City currently being restored so many parts are inaccessible. Hoi An has a very different feel to the other places we’ve been, the river front is brilliant for the markets, restaurants and bars, and the buzz of activity every night.
Heading to Ho Chi Minh tomorrow. Last time I was there was 25 years ago, looking forward to seeing how it has developed

Did you get some suits tailored in hoi an? Mine are still in great nick, fully lined. Very comfy.

 

[guapo]

Did you get some suits tailored in hoi an? Mine are still in great nick, fully lined. Very comfy.

I didn’t, not really something I needed but there’s definitely lots of tailors in town that offer next day delivery.
Royal Blue seems to be the fashion too

 

[andana]

Some towns completely shut down for midday siesta. Includes restaurants. Need to plan ahead.