That's German and means "let's get the f..k out of here"... some time ago I wrote about "the most terrible place in the world", but I have to correct myself: Vinh descended to rank 2. I simply didn't know Saigon then.
At least in one aspect the sun is shining for some minutes: I came to sit on a computer which has the Mozilla Firefox installed... how quick everything can be...
Tomorrow I'll be out of here, I booked a 3-day-tour through the Mekong-Delta. From there I'll cross directly into Cambodia. Most of the time, including a part of the journey to Phnom Penh, I'll spend on boats. I won't miss the road travel in Vietnam.
The rain ceased somewhat, but it is still drizzling without interruption. Well, I rather get soaked on boats in the Mekong-Delta than spending one minute more than necessary in Saigon...
Next post from Cambodia...
lunes, 14 de mayo de 2007
My umbrella
I bought it a couple of years ago in Kiel, for 1,50 Euro, in one of these so-called 1-Euro-shops... well, it was raining that day, so the market forces of a high demand probably pushed up the price... I have not been using it a lot since then (it never rains in BCN), but it has become a true companion in the last days. Saigon itself is pretty unbearable, traffic and noise and exhaust fumes of hundreds of thousands of motorcycles and cars and buses, and even more unbearable when it is raining almost without interruption. At least this justifies the one and a half Euro investment long time ago...
So it's pouring down now for almost 24 hours without interruption, and there's really not much to do at the moment. Writing posts, of course, the street where my guesthouse lies, has plenty of internet cafes. Besides that: waiting for the sun...
If someone will ask me later what I was doing those 3 days in Saigon, I won't really know what to answer...
So it's pouring down now for almost 24 hours without interruption, and there's really not much to do at the moment. Writing posts, of course, the street where my guesthouse lies, has plenty of internet cafes. Besides that: waiting for the sun...
If someone will ask me later what I was doing those 3 days in Saigon, I won't really know what to answer...
domingo, 13 de mayo de 2007
Approaching Saigon
The first notion of Saigon appeared about 50 kms away, when we approached Binh Hoa. Traffic seemed to increase with every meter and reached a state of chaos when we were passing this city. Vietnamese traffic has to be seen to believe it... the wild conglomeration of buses, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, rikschas and hand-drawn carriages seems to be something beyond reality. One wonders about the number of traffic deads - officially around 12000 per year, but probably more - and it appears to be low when you take a look at it, it must be higher, you can't stop thinking...
Driving through Binh Hoa was more stop than go, and would continue so until Saigon... I had to admit that I hadn't seen much of Vietnamese traffic so far... unimportant cities of 50000 or 300000 people. Coming closer to Saigon, the highway was jam-packed. Everyone - buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks - tried to sneak into holes in the continuous row of vehicles, honking the others out of their way. We crept towards an intersection, where the traffic had come to a complete stillstand, because half a dozen trucks which wanted to turn off into several directions, were so entirely jammed that it seemed impossible to clear the intersection...
Some kilometers after Binh Hoa it started to rain, and within minutes the rain turned into a longlasting downpour. The advantage was that most motorcycles went off the road, seeking shelter... After a while we reached the outskirts of Saigon. The rain had flooded streets and entire quarters, up to 15 cms high... fortunately it ceased suddenly. The old chaos returned to the streets...
Driving through Binh Hoa was more stop than go, and would continue so until Saigon... I had to admit that I hadn't seen much of Vietnamese traffic so far... unimportant cities of 50000 or 300000 people. Coming closer to Saigon, the highway was jam-packed. Everyone - buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks - tried to sneak into holes in the continuous row of vehicles, honking the others out of their way. We crept towards an intersection, where the traffic had come to a complete stillstand, because half a dozen trucks which wanted to turn off into several directions, were so entirely jammed that it seemed impossible to clear the intersection...
Some kilometers after Binh Hoa it started to rain, and within minutes the rain turned into a longlasting downpour. The advantage was that most motorcycles went off the road, seeking shelter... After a while we reached the outskirts of Saigon. The rain had flooded streets and entire quarters, up to 15 cms high... fortunately it ceased suddenly. The old chaos returned to the streets...
Through the Central Highlands
The last evening in Nha Trang it was pouring down for hours, something usual by now. I was not unhappy to get away the next morning. By bus I travelled to Dalat, a city in the mountains, renowned for a whole bunch of things, too many to tell here...
The bus ride was very scenic indeed, as we were climbing up slowly but steady... more slowly than steady, actually. Dalat is at almost 1500 m altitude, if I'm right... The problem was that we were approaching the clouds, which were hanging quite low. The sun disappeared, and it started raining... fortunately it stopped after a while, we passed the clouds and could enjoy the gorgeous mountains and deep valleys again.
Dalat first appeared like a Swiss model village: so incredibly nice and clean and sweet. When we got off the bus, a motorcycle taxi brought me to a guesthouse, that was recommended in a guidebook, and I landed in reality again, in downtown Dalat. Traffic noise in narrow streets, the sidewalks a little dingy, the dark clouds made everything appear even more unpleasant. When I started strolling around, the daily downpour started, fortunately I was next to a little coffee shop. The coffee was good, the music which they put on, less. Let's call it politely "rock-bottom"... I didn't expect to hear "Modern Talking" in Vietnam... I don't know whether Non-Germans ever heard of this group... if not, don't look for it, please, it's better for your state of mind...
The downpour continued, as always I had left the umbrella in the guesthouse. A certain impression came over me - wrong time, wrong place... I decided that I didn't have to see more, went out into the rain to the next travel agency (as always in Vietnam, just around the corner) and bought the ticket to Saigon, for the next morning
This next morning the sun was shining, which was becoming something rare. We left Dalat, I didn't look back, also because again the landscape was breathtaking at times, especially when we descended a very narrow mountain road for I don't know how many kilometers. This road I would like to drive with a motorbike one day... something not always pleasant in this country, but the many bends, deep canyons and high rocky walls would make up for everything unpleasant like Vietnamese traffic...
When we had left the mountains behind us, we passed through Vietnam's most important coffee growing region. As far as one could see, all over the rolling hills, every meter seemed to be occupied by coffee plantations. Later also tea plantatins appeared, the road was seamed with tea and coffee shops...
When we finally came to National Highway Nr. 1, which would bring us to Saigon, I looked back. I had made a little detour on my way south, which wouldn't have been necessary, but that's travelling... a lot of hours on the buses, but at least through a beautiful region... and anyway, with a certain probability I will never come through here again...
The bus ride was very scenic indeed, as we were climbing up slowly but steady... more slowly than steady, actually. Dalat is at almost 1500 m altitude, if I'm right... The problem was that we were approaching the clouds, which were hanging quite low. The sun disappeared, and it started raining... fortunately it stopped after a while, we passed the clouds and could enjoy the gorgeous mountains and deep valleys again.
Dalat first appeared like a Swiss model village: so incredibly nice and clean and sweet. When we got off the bus, a motorcycle taxi brought me to a guesthouse, that was recommended in a guidebook, and I landed in reality again, in downtown Dalat. Traffic noise in narrow streets, the sidewalks a little dingy, the dark clouds made everything appear even more unpleasant. When I started strolling around, the daily downpour started, fortunately I was next to a little coffee shop. The coffee was good, the music which they put on, less. Let's call it politely "rock-bottom"... I didn't expect to hear "Modern Talking" in Vietnam... I don't know whether Non-Germans ever heard of this group... if not, don't look for it, please, it's better for your state of mind...
The downpour continued, as always I had left the umbrella in the guesthouse. A certain impression came over me - wrong time, wrong place... I decided that I didn't have to see more, went out into the rain to the next travel agency (as always in Vietnam, just around the corner) and bought the ticket to Saigon, for the next morning
This next morning the sun was shining, which was becoming something rare. We left Dalat, I didn't look back, also because again the landscape was breathtaking at times, especially when we descended a very narrow mountain road for I don't know how many kilometers. This road I would like to drive with a motorbike one day... something not always pleasant in this country, but the many bends, deep canyons and high rocky walls would make up for everything unpleasant like Vietnamese traffic...
When we had left the mountains behind us, we passed through Vietnam's most important coffee growing region. As far as one could see, all over the rolling hills, every meter seemed to be occupied by coffee plantations. Later also tea plantatins appeared, the road was seamed with tea and coffee shops...
When we finally came to National Highway Nr. 1, which would bring us to Saigon, I looked back. I had made a little detour on my way south, which wouldn't have been necessary, but that's travelling... a lot of hours on the buses, but at least through a beautiful region... and anyway, with a certain probability I will never come through here again...
jueves, 10 de mayo de 2007
Vietnam in black and white
The most interesting for me in Nha Trang are the galleries of two of Vietnam's most famous photographers, Do Dien Khanh and Long Thanh. I've been to both of them and was fascinated... and wished to have more time and more b&w-films... unfortunately reality tells me something different...
If anyone would like to see some photos accompanying my blog, try it here instead:
www.ddk-gallery.com
www.longthanhart.com
If anyone would like to see some photos accompanying my blog, try it here instead:
www.ddk-gallery.com
www.longthanhart.com
Vietnamese business
Nha Trang, seaside resort, but I want to get out of the city and explore the surrounding countryside. I ask the lady who runs the guest house where I'm staying, whether she also rents motorcycles. Yes, of course, 50000 Dong per day, that's about 3 US-$. Just five minutes, she says...
within a short time a woman on a scooter (these small motorcycles, that run around 40 or 50 kms/h) comes along. "Here's your motorcycle", and she hands me the key... she's the sister of the hotel lady, or her cousin, or some other relative, or a good friend... it's her scooter, which she readily is handing over for some hours or a day, in exchange for 3 $... that's how Vietnam works: every guest house, every restaurant is also a "tourist office" or a "travel agency", they sell you bus and train tickets, book a boat tour for you, rent bicycles or simply know someone to gives you his scooter for a while. Everyone knows the whole other rest of the world, at least so it seems... Where are you going next, they ask you... oh, city XY, listen, may I recommend this hotel or that guest house, they are relatives/friends/acquaintances, you really should go there... one simply can't escape from getting asked every other minute about this service or that, a taxi or rikscha driver, the girls from the restaurants, asking you to come in, or the hotel staff, trying to sell you a ticket or a tour... sometimes it's tiring, but that's Vietnam...
Nha Trang itself is - well - not bad, but I'm also not really excited. Living in Barcelona five minutes away from the beaches, the local main attraction is not that interesting for me. Yesterday I got on a boat cruise, we went to some islands, did some snorcheling at a rocky coast with a lot of corals(very nice), visited an aquarium on one of the islands, had lunch on the boat (really good) and enjoyed the "floating bar": you had to go into the water to get the drinks... all in all it was a fun trip with some accompanying visits, really not bad...
Today I drove around on the scooter, and I just have to confirm what I wrote in an earlier post: the most fascinating of Vietnam is its countryside, the cities are mainly noisy and not too interesting, one simply should get out of them as often as possible...
The weather is still not great, often cloudy or rainy, but when the sun is out, it really is shining: although I'm well tanned already, I got pretty burned on the boat tour and on the trip with the scooter... it's middle of May, and if I'm honest, I should stay out of the sun for the rest of the year... just have no idea how to accomplish this...
within a short time a woman on a scooter (these small motorcycles, that run around 40 or 50 kms/h) comes along. "Here's your motorcycle", and she hands me the key... she's the sister of the hotel lady, or her cousin, or some other relative, or a good friend... it's her scooter, which she readily is handing over for some hours or a day, in exchange for 3 $... that's how Vietnam works: every guest house, every restaurant is also a "tourist office" or a "travel agency", they sell you bus and train tickets, book a boat tour for you, rent bicycles or simply know someone to gives you his scooter for a while. Everyone knows the whole other rest of the world, at least so it seems... Where are you going next, they ask you... oh, city XY, listen, may I recommend this hotel or that guest house, they are relatives/friends/acquaintances, you really should go there... one simply can't escape from getting asked every other minute about this service or that, a taxi or rikscha driver, the girls from the restaurants, asking you to come in, or the hotel staff, trying to sell you a ticket or a tour... sometimes it's tiring, but that's Vietnam...
Nha Trang itself is - well - not bad, but I'm also not really excited. Living in Barcelona five minutes away from the beaches, the local main attraction is not that interesting for me. Yesterday I got on a boat cruise, we went to some islands, did some snorcheling at a rocky coast with a lot of corals(very nice), visited an aquarium on one of the islands, had lunch on the boat (really good) and enjoyed the "floating bar": you had to go into the water to get the drinks... all in all it was a fun trip with some accompanying visits, really not bad...
Today I drove around on the scooter, and I just have to confirm what I wrote in an earlier post: the most fascinating of Vietnam is its countryside, the cities are mainly noisy and not too interesting, one simply should get out of them as often as possible...
The weather is still not great, often cloudy or rainy, but when the sun is out, it really is shining: although I'm well tanned already, I got pretty burned on the boat tour and on the trip with the scooter... it's middle of May, and if I'm honest, I should stay out of the sun for the rest of the year... just have no idea how to accomplish this...
domingo, 6 de mayo de 2007
Hue
Not much news... I'm in Hue, the old Imperial City, but I hardly can do anything, because first it was grey and cloudy and now it's raining for more than a day...
Fortunately I again found a nice guesthouse in a small alleyway. It's only a few meters from the main street, but these alleyways are a world apart. I like to sit on the veranda in the first floor, overlooking the neighbourhood: groups of men chatting the day away, four young girls playing football, women strolling around with their babies, another kid playing with a bunch of little cats, street vendors passing through, and a steady coming and going of people on bicycles and scooters... it's as interesting, or even more, than running around from one pagoda to the next, from one royal tomb to another... when it's raining too hard, the alleyway is virtually empty, but the heavy drumming of the rain on tin roofs, trees and the asphalt creates its own atmosphere and nothing else can be heard...
Still it gets boring after a while, after too many hours of reading and watching, and then I'm glad about the fact, that in Vietnam even rooms in cheap guesthouses are equipped with a TV and that European football is available around the clock... this evening it'll be Arsenal vs. Chelsea... outside it's dark and wet and I'll lay on my bed with a bottle of beer and hope that Arsenal is going to win... welcome to Vietnam...
Fortunately I again found a nice guesthouse in a small alleyway. It's only a few meters from the main street, but these alleyways are a world apart. I like to sit on the veranda in the first floor, overlooking the neighbourhood: groups of men chatting the day away, four young girls playing football, women strolling around with their babies, another kid playing with a bunch of little cats, street vendors passing through, and a steady coming and going of people on bicycles and scooters... it's as interesting, or even more, than running around from one pagoda to the next, from one royal tomb to another... when it's raining too hard, the alleyway is virtually empty, but the heavy drumming of the rain on tin roofs, trees and the asphalt creates its own atmosphere and nothing else can be heard...
Still it gets boring after a while, after too many hours of reading and watching, and then I'm glad about the fact, that in Vietnam even rooms in cheap guesthouses are equipped with a TV and that European football is available around the clock... this evening it'll be Arsenal vs. Chelsea... outside it's dark and wet and I'll lay on my bed with a bottle of beer and hope that Arsenal is going to win... welcome to Vietnam...
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