After a couple of months on the road and sacrificing our sleep-ins for seeing Asia, our bodies finally succumbed to the exhaustion and we both found ourselves sick on arrival back home. Therefore we took this as a valid excuse to laze about home, update our blog, sorting out all our thousands of photos (check the most recent ones out here), cleaning, and getting semi-sorted for school on Monday morning!
It was nice to catch up with our fellow teachers and what they had been up to over the winter - a couple of them had also been in Vietnam and at times were only a few days ahead of us!
All in all, it's nice to be home, but come Monday morning when the alarm goes off and we have to face a class full of students, we know we'll be wishing we were adlibing our way to some unknown Asian destination!
Adlibing it around home.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Day 258 - Slowly making our way home
We woke up to our alarm at around 6am this morning and got ourselves to the train station for our final train journey home to Jinan. As the train trip from Xian to Jinan takes 15 hours, we didn't really do much today except for sit on the train - actually, we mainly "lay" on the train because the only tickets we could get were sleepers, even though we were travelling through the day.
Most of our journey was taken up by reading and snoozing, though Liv managed to make a new 4 year old friend. This new friendship arose while Liv was lying down reading her book, suddenly aware of a little voice calling out "Ayi, Ayi" (Aunty, Aunty - as a sign of respect children call all people older than them Aunty or Uncle). It took a few seconds for her to realise she was the person the calls were directed at, but once she looked up, she was occupied for the next few hours! Chinese books were read, hide and seek was played, and Liv has decided that children are by far the best Chinese teachers out there - not only do they speak slowly, but they are infinitely patient and willing to repeat words as many times as needed.
As fellow train passengers walked past our berth, they stopped in to look at where all the noise and laughter was coming from. We think that Nai Nai (Grandma) and Ye Ye (Grandpa) were quite happy to have some time off from looking after their boisterous granddaughter (grandparents have almost taken over the role of parents in China, as parents have to work and day care or nannies are almost unheard of), and Liv was definitely happy to have someone to spend a few hours with.
We pulled into Jinan around 11pm and after a short taxi ride, we were finally home again.
Adlibing it home.
Most of our journey was taken up by reading and snoozing, though Liv managed to make a new 4 year old friend. This new friendship arose while Liv was lying down reading her book, suddenly aware of a little voice calling out "Ayi, Ayi" (Aunty, Aunty - as a sign of respect children call all people older than them Aunty or Uncle). It took a few seconds for her to realise she was the person the calls were directed at, but once she looked up, she was occupied for the next few hours! Chinese books were read, hide and seek was played, and Liv has decided that children are by far the best Chinese teachers out there - not only do they speak slowly, but they are infinitely patient and willing to repeat words as many times as needed.
As fellow train passengers walked past our berth, they stopped in to look at where all the noise and laughter was coming from. We think that Nai Nai (Grandma) and Ye Ye (Grandpa) were quite happy to have some time off from looking after their boisterous granddaughter (grandparents have almost taken over the role of parents in China, as parents have to work and day care or nannies are almost unheard of), and Liv was definitely happy to have someone to spend a few hours with.
We pulled into Jinan around 11pm and after a short taxi ride, we were finally home again.
Adlibing it home.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Day 257 - Finding a little goose ... ... pagoda
Having already spent 3 days here, we had done all the major sites of the city, so today we just wandered around seeing what we could find on the way to our singular actual destination of the day: the Little Goose Pagoda. When we arrived at the pagoda we were happy with our decision to go to this less visited pagoda, not only because it was beautiful and set in really pretty grounds, but also because we almost had the entire place to ourselves! The pagoda was originally built in 707-709 to house buddhist scriptures from India, and is located in the Jianfu Temple grounds. It was 15 levels high (totalling 43m), however after being hit by an earthquake in the 16th Century the top crumbled off.
While inside the complex we took our time walking around, we even climbed up to the top of the pagoda, which is thankfully now structurally sound after restoration in the 1960s. A brand new museum is also on site and while wonderfully done, it struggled to hold our attention and we were soon sitting in a restaurant for a late lunch.
Filled up it was shopping time! We ventured back to the Muslim Quarter and strolled around the markets in search of a bargain until we managed to get the price we wanted for something to send home to our favourite little guy and a couple of our very own miniature terracotta warriors to take home!!
After dining at our local, we farewelled them and thanked them for the delicious food they served up to us over and over again. Once again when we walked in the door, it was so nice to see them recognise us and see the happiness in their faces that we had come back!
Adlibing a broken pagoda.
While inside the complex we took our time walking around, we even climbed up to the top of the pagoda, which is thankfully now structurally sound after restoration in the 1960s. A brand new museum is also on site and while wonderfully done, it struggled to hold our attention and we were soon sitting in a restaurant for a late lunch.Filled up it was shopping time! We ventured back to the Muslim Quarter and strolled around the markets in search of a bargain until we managed to get the price we wanted for something to send home to our favourite little guy and a couple of our very own miniature terracotta warriors to take home!!
After dining at our local, we farewelled them and thanked them for the delicious food they served up to us over and over again. Once again when we walked in the door, it was so nice to see them recognise us and see the happiness in their faces that we had come back!
Adlibing a broken pagoda.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Day 256 - A meeting with the Army
Today we went to visit one of the most famous sites in China: the Army of Terracotta Warriors (also known as the Eigth Wonder of the World by China!). It all began when Emperor Qin Shi Huang who ordered that his tomb be made that housed an army - it's undecided whether he wanted protection from spirits in the afterlife, or if he wanted an army big enough for him to continue his rule after his death. Emperor Qin came into power at age 13 and during his 36 years of rule he centralised the Chinese government, standardised measurement and money, built roads and canals, and began the building of the Great Wall.
The Warriors were discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers who were drilling a well. The area has now been extensively excavated and even now is still an ongoing excavation site. we only got to see 2 out of the 3 pits discovered so far because pit 2 was under renovation - but the 2 that we saw were impressive enough that we didn't feel like we had missed out on anything. The Warriors really are an amazing feat, totalling in the thousands, and no two warriors faces are alike.
When we got there we checked out the museum first, which gave an intersting overview of the history and facts surrounding the history and excavation process. We then headed over to watch a short film about the life of Emperor Qin, before checking out the pits themselves.
At Pit 3 (the smallest of the 3), we looked down at formations of horses and warriors in the excavation pit, and felt excited to be here. 
At Pit 1 (the largest), all our feelings were multiplied thousands of times, as in Pit 3 there were under 100 warriors and horses, but in Pit 1 we were faced with thousands! 
We couldn't help but feel saddened at the crumpled piles of would have once been an army to reckon with, but appreciative of the enormous effort that the restoration workers are undertaking. 
Back in Xian, we walked halfway on top of the Old Wall back to our hostel, which was a nice meander past gates and overlooking the city below - well as much as you could see through the smog! 
The wall is 12m high and 18m thick, with a total perimeter of 14km and was originally built in 1370. 
Adlibing it amongst the warriors.
The Warriors were discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers who were drilling a well. The area has now been extensively excavated and even now is still an ongoing excavation site. we only got to see 2 out of the 3 pits discovered so far because pit 2 was under renovation - but the 2 that we saw were impressive enough that we didn't feel like we had missed out on anything. The Warriors really are an amazing feat, totalling in the thousands, and no two warriors faces are alike.
When we got there we checked out the museum first, which gave an intersting overview of the history and facts surrounding the history and excavation process. We then headed over to watch a short film about the life of Emperor Qin, before checking out the pits themselves.
At Pit 3 (the smallest of the 3), we looked down at formations of horses and warriors in the excavation pit, and felt excited to be here. At Pit 1 (the largest), all our feelings were multiplied thousands of times, as in Pit 3 there were under 100 warriors and horses, but in Pit 1 we were faced with thousands! We couldn't help but feel saddened at the crumpled piles of would have once been an army to reckon with, but appreciative of the enormous effort that the restoration workers are undertaking. Back in Xian, we walked halfway on top of the Old Wall back to our hostel, which was a nice meander past gates and overlooking the city below - well as much as you could see through the smog! The wall is 12m high and 18m thick, with a total perimeter of 14km and was originally built in 1370. Adlibing it amongst the warriors.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Day 255 - Making our way around Xian's sites
Revived after nearly 12 hours of much needed sleep we headed out into the cold, grey Xian day to explore this interesting city. 
Our first stop of the day was at the Big Goose Pagoda, which is set in the grounds of the Xian Da Ci'en Temple. Here we wandered around the gardens, inside the exhibition rooms, and through the temples - we even got a taste of home when we saw that one buddhist statues mentioned New Zealand. The pagoda was originally completed in 652 and is the place where many of the buddhist scriptures brought back from India were translated by Monk Xuan Zang.
From here we made our way to the Bell and Drum Towers, which are 2 of the several main landmarks in Xian.
The Bell Tower originally housed a bell (surprising, huh?) that was rung at dawn, and the Drum Tower's drum was banged at night and to single the opening and closing of the city gates. 
Both towers were built in the 14th Century and later rebuilt in the 1700s. It was fun climbing both towers because of the views offered at the top over the modern parts of the city as well as the older traditional areas, both enclosed within the City Wall.
We then headed into the Muslim Quarter for lunch, but were disappointed when our only options seemed to be meaty soup - we were obviously not in the best area for food but were so hungry we were willing to eat anything! Afterwards we wandered the tight alleyways of the quarter, made even more claustrophobic by the stalls that crowded each side of the street, but that made for interesting browsing. The alleyways eventually opened up into the Great Mosque, which is the largest mosque in China, and the place of worship for Xian's large population of Muslims.
The mosque was built around 742 and is a blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture, but we were surprised at how similar it is to a Taoist or Buddhist temple. While we were there we witnessed dedicated worshippers coming to the mosque to do what everyone but the tourists do here: pray.
We headed back to the hostel for a rest before going back to the great restaurant we found yesterday for some more great food. Adam managed to order a pineapple beer, which suited Liv's tastebuds more than his own!
Adlibing it all over Xian.
Our first stop of the day was at the Big Goose Pagoda, which is set in the grounds of the Xian Da Ci'en Temple. Here we wandered around the gardens, inside the exhibition rooms, and through the temples - we even got a taste of home when we saw that one buddhist statues mentioned New Zealand. The pagoda was originally completed in 652 and is the place where many of the buddhist scriptures brought back from India were translated by Monk Xuan Zang.From here we made our way to the Bell and Drum Towers, which are 2 of the several main landmarks in Xian.
The Bell Tower originally housed a bell (surprising, huh?) that was rung at dawn, and the Drum Tower's drum was banged at night and to single the opening and closing of the city gates. Both towers were built in the 14th Century and later rebuilt in the 1700s. It was fun climbing both towers because of the views offered at the top over the modern parts of the city as well as the older traditional areas, both enclosed within the City Wall.We then headed into the Muslim Quarter for lunch, but were disappointed when our only options seemed to be meaty soup - we were obviously not in the best area for food but were so hungry we were willing to eat anything! Afterwards we wandered the tight alleyways of the quarter, made even more claustrophobic by the stalls that crowded each side of the street, but that made for interesting browsing. The alleyways eventually opened up into the Great Mosque, which is the largest mosque in China, and the place of worship for Xian's large population of Muslims.
The mosque was built around 742 and is a blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture, but we were surprised at how similar it is to a Taoist or Buddhist temple. While we were there we witnessed dedicated worshippers coming to the mosque to do what everyone but the tourists do here: pray.We headed back to the hostel for a rest before going back to the great restaurant we found yesterday for some more great food. Adam managed to order a pineapple beer, which suited Liv's tastebuds more than his own!
Adlibing it all over Xian.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Day 254 - Flying high over China
We woke up today (well, we would have woken up had we managed to get any sleep) at 6.30am in Kunming. Our first priority for the day was getting some Chinese Yuan, as we couldn't go far without it! However this task was more difficult than it had initially seemed as all the banks' ATMs are inside secure rooms early in the morning. After wandering around for an hour or so with our packs on (something we were no longer accustomed to after the ease of tourist travelling in Vietnam) we eventually found a machine and as Ethan would saying we were "TAKING THE MONEY!".
We headed first to the train station and took our place amongst the hordes of people attempting to make it home at the tail end of the Chinese New Year. Without even trying to play the 'foreigner's card' we were approached by a couple of police officers and told we could skip to the front of the line (that was continuously growing outside the building)! We really should have known that trying to get a sleeper ticket to one of the biggest and most popular destinations in China would be a joke, and were told that we couldn't get a ticket for at least 3 more days. Without this time up our sleeves (with work looming) we had to do what the adlibers had not done willingly before - go to the airport! Although the price was quadruple what we'd pay on the train, we saved 35 hours plus 3 days waiting time by catching a plane!
We were soon flying high on our way to the Ancient City of Xi'an and capital of Shaanxi Province. Xian is most famous for the Terracotta Warriors and other amazing archeological sites, and was once the capital of China over 6 dynasties. Shaanxi is also the province were Chairman Mao's Long March come to an end in 1935, 9500km away from its beginnings in Guangxi Province
When we arrived at Xi'an we checked into a very cool youth hostel and went straight to sleep! We woke in the evening and summoned the energy to find the nearest restaurant possible for our first real Chinese feed in a month, which was 1: cheap; 2: full of flavour; and 3: served by smiling Chinese locals happy to hear foriegners (trying to) use their language!
Adlibing it by air.
We headed first to the train station and took our place amongst the hordes of people attempting to make it home at the tail end of the Chinese New Year. Without even trying to play the 'foreigner's card' we were approached by a couple of police officers and told we could skip to the front of the line (that was continuously growing outside the building)! We really should have known that trying to get a sleeper ticket to one of the biggest and most popular destinations in China would be a joke, and were told that we couldn't get a ticket for at least 3 more days. Without this time up our sleeves (with work looming) we had to do what the adlibers had not done willingly before - go to the airport! Although the price was quadruple what we'd pay on the train, we saved 35 hours plus 3 days waiting time by catching a plane!
We were soon flying high on our way to the Ancient City of Xi'an and capital of Shaanxi Province. Xian is most famous for the Terracotta Warriors and other amazing archeological sites, and was once the capital of China over 6 dynasties. Shaanxi is also the province were Chairman Mao's Long March come to an end in 1935, 9500km away from its beginnings in Guangxi Province
When we arrived at Xi'an we checked into a very cool youth hostel and went straight to sleep! We woke in the evening and summoned the energy to find the nearest restaurant possible for our first real Chinese feed in a month, which was 1: cheap; 2: full of flavour; and 3: served by smiling Chinese locals happy to hear foriegners (trying to) use their language!
Adlibing it by air.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Day 253 - Meandering our time away
With only the morning left in Sapa / Vietnam, we decided to make the most of it and headed up Ham Rong Mountain for some views over the township. We spent a good couple of hours walking the trails that wound their way around the mountain amongst the rocky outcrops, and found ourselves standing on viewing platforms - sometimes snatching views, and at others staring in frustration as the mist swept over the valley. 
On our way back through town we people-watched, taking in all the colours and styles of the diverse range of villages that merge in the same market area. 
After a quick lunch, we jumped on one minibus that drove us 500m, where we were swapped into another minibus, and then another, before being ushered into the original for our ride back to Lao Cai. At Lao Cai we picked up our bus tickets and walked ourselves into China. At the border we ran into a situation we had prepared for before leaving - after putting our bags through the security checks the bag with all the books was asked to be searched. When all the customs officer found were the Vietnam Guide and a couple of novels, she asked us if we had any books about China. We knew exactly what she was looking for: China Lonely Planet that shows Taiwan as a separate country and therefore highly offensive to the Chinese Government. Luckily we'd left our guide at home and pulled out the sections we knew we'd required getting back home.
Back in a land where we have the advantage of language, thing started to go smoothly - we found the bus station with ease, and settled down for the few hours before it would leave. While waiting we stocked up on snacks that would sustain us through the 12 hour bus ride to Kunming, something we missed while in Vietnam.
At 6.25pm we boarded our sleeper bus, and started our VERY bumpy ride to one of the major cities in China, and one that we were at about 7 months ago! Though the journey for us was impossible to sleep through, as we had to brace ourselves so we didn't hit our heads on the roof when going over all the bumps, or roll onto the person next to us, when Adam went to the front to ask about a toilet stop, he realised the stellar job the driver was doing, while driving on a road that resembled a concrete-coloured frozen slushy.
Adlibing it back into the People's Republic.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Day 252 - Ａ day into a frozen Mountain Pass
This morning we slept in as long as we could justify in order to remain in our nice and warm sleeping bags! Eventually, while dining on the fantastic breakfast cooked by our attentive hotel owner we decided that today we'd drive to the top of the Tram Ton Mountain Pass ("Heaven's Gate"), which just so happens to be the highest mountain pass in Vietnam at 1900m.
At the bottom before we entered the worst of the mist we got a glimpse of a village resting on the side of a lush green valley. On the way up we began questioning how life continues in such freezing weather - we passed fields of frozen lettuce and other produce, and were amazed at the mud huts people reside in and the ever hopeful locals trying to dry their washing in the sub-zero temperatures outside.
The higher we went, the more trecherous the road became, with mud mixed with ice threatening to put the jeep in a dangerous slide - but we made it to the Thac Bac ("Silver Waterfall") where we tread through a frozen forest!
Bright green leaves were encased in a cage of ice, which transformed the foliage into crystal surrealness. 
The pass is a 600m vertical climb from our current location in Sapa, and if the weather wasn't so cold, wet, misty, and icy we would have hired a motorbike and gotten this view at the top: 
However, the weather was cold, wet, misty, and icy so we decided to hire a jeep and ended up with this view: 
We knew we were looking in the direction of Fansipan Mountain (the highest in Vietnam) and the valleys and forests below, but we didn't need to stop for long in this weather as we literally couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us!
We reversed out tracks, and bugged our driver to stop continuously on the way down, to collect our own photographic memory of our journey before we arrived back at our hotel.
While Liv made a quick beeline into bed for an afternoon of reading and warmth, Adam headed down a muddy bank to immerse himselves amongst the fields and houses of the locals. It was nice for him to get off the tourist trail, even if he was possibly imposing himself where he shouldn't really be. The whole experience was absolutely wicked and provided some great shots, until the huge, growling guards dogs came charging! Luckily Adam was saved by the whistle of a local man, and decided to retrace his steps back uphill.
Back at the hostel, we decided against venturing back into town for lunch and Adam treated Liv to lunch in bed!! Up here power is an issue, and we hadn't had power all day so while Liv stayed warm in bed, Adam headed into the markets for some shopping and great photos - including some stunning ones of the local children selling their goods.
Before dinner Adam sat on the balcony drinking beer and enjoying the peacefulness and motionlessness of a place that was slowly shutting down before the next hard day of mountain life wakes with the new sun.
For dinner we dined at the hostel and met a couple of Australians, and enjoyed their company for the evening, before hastily heading off to our warm beds!
Adlibing the Tram Ton Pass.
At the bottom before we entered the worst of the mist we got a glimpse of a village resting on the side of a lush green valley. On the way up we began questioning how life continues in such freezing weather - we passed fields of frozen lettuce and other produce, and were amazed at the mud huts people reside in and the ever hopeful locals trying to dry their washing in the sub-zero temperatures outside.
The higher we went, the more trecherous the road became, with mud mixed with ice threatening to put the jeep in a dangerous slide - but we made it to the Thac Bac ("Silver Waterfall") where we tread through a frozen forest!
Bright green leaves were encased in a cage of ice, which transformed the foliage into crystal surrealness. The pass is a 600m vertical climb from our current location in Sapa, and if the weather wasn't so cold, wet, misty, and icy we would have hired a motorbike and gotten this view at the top: However, the weather was cold, wet, misty, and icy so we decided to hire a jeep and ended up with this view: We knew we were looking in the direction of Fansipan Mountain (the highest in Vietnam) and the valleys and forests below, but we didn't need to stop for long in this weather as we literally couldn't see more than a few metres in front of us!We reversed out tracks, and bugged our driver to stop continuously on the way down, to collect our own photographic memory of our journey before we arrived back at our hotel.While Liv made a quick beeline into bed for an afternoon of reading and warmth, Adam headed down a muddy bank to immerse himselves amongst the fields and houses of the locals. It was nice for him to get off the tourist trail, even if he was possibly imposing himself where he shouldn't really be. The whole experience was absolutely wicked and provided some great shots, until the huge, growling guards dogs came charging! Luckily Adam was saved by the whistle of a local man, and decided to retrace his steps back uphill.
Back at the hostel, we decided against venturing back into town for lunch and Adam treated Liv to lunch in bed!! Up here power is an issue, and we hadn't had power all day so while Liv stayed warm in bed, Adam headed into the markets for some shopping and great photos - including some stunning ones of the local children selling their goods.Before dinner Adam sat on the balcony drinking beer and enjoying the peacefulness and motionlessness of a place that was slowly shutting down before the next hard day of mountain life wakes with the new sun.
For dinner we dined at the hostel and met a couple of Australians, and enjoyed their company for the evening, before hastily heading off to our warm beds!
Adlibing the Tram Ton Pass.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Day 251 - Making our way into the mountains
We woke this morning on the train as it pulled into Lao Cai station, and headed to the bus station to find a bus to Kunming in a couple of days time. However, we were told there were no buses into China, and that we just had to walk across the border and get an onward bus from there. With that done, we set about finding a bus to Sapa - which given the dozens of minibuses outside the train station, was not a difficult job!
Sapa is 1300m above sea level and is a mountainous area filled with numerous different tribes and villages. After nearly disappearing after numerous wars and recent border battles with China, Sapa is now a thriving community, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam - and we can see why! Even after being here for only a couple of hours we fell in love with the town.
After finding a nice hostel to stay at for the next couple of nights, we set off to explore one of the nearest minority villages: Cat Cat Village. On our way we passed through the local trading market, where the H'mong and Dzao people (the most noticable groups of people in town, thanks to their beautiful traditional clothing) go about their daily trading with each other and the tourists. You really have to choose carefully when and from whom you decide to purchase something, because as soon as you even show an interest in someone's goods, a whole pack of other eager sales people will surround you in seconds!!
In Cat Cat Village we enjoyed wandering around the picturesque countryside - Liv also smartly decided to make her purchase in a secluded part of the village where there was only one lone lady selling her beautiful local products from her smoke-filled room. 
We really got to take our time walking around, dodging gangs of dogs and herds of buffalo along the way, while we made our way up to the houses of locals to get a real taste of country life. 
We took a detour off the brick path onto a very muddy one, lined with walls of piled stones, where farm life was right in front of us in all its muddy glory. Around the corner we were enchanted by a delicate voice floating over the fence - as we peered over we saw a young boy feeding a buffalo and its baby, while singing to his heart's content. 
When we saw us looking on, he jumped up on the baby's back an continued his singing show!
A nice surprise was turning another corner and coming across a fresh, clean waterfall - just when we thought the village couldn't possibly get any more beautiful! The waterfall made its way through a tight rocky path it had been pounding a route through for years, and headed down to a valley below.
Back at the entrance to the village, we began our steep uphill climb back to Sapa, where we arrived an hour later after reluctantly resisting all the motorbikers offers of rides to the top! Once at the top we went back into the hustle and bustle of the market, and made our way to the town square and Sapa Church. As we wandered around we were blown away by the sheer beauty of the local people. The children specifically caught our attention - their faces already show signs of a hard life, and yet with unbelievable ease their faces break into pure smiles that make it almost impossible to resist their attempts of trading, the art of which they have been learning from their wrinkled elders.
At nightfall we ventured out for dinner, where Adam decided against better judgment to try some Bac Ha wine, which turned out to be the most lethal alcoholic beverage he's put in his mouth to date, even topping China's Baijiu! With nothing else to do but hide in our sleeping bags in our freezing cold room, that's exactly what we did until we drifted off to sleep.
Adlibing it amongst the minorities.
Sapa is 1300m above sea level and is a mountainous area filled with numerous different tribes and villages. After nearly disappearing after numerous wars and recent border battles with China, Sapa is now a thriving community, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam - and we can see why! Even after being here for only a couple of hours we fell in love with the town.
After finding a nice hostel to stay at for the next couple of nights, we set off to explore one of the nearest minority villages: Cat Cat Village. On our way we passed through the local trading market, where the H'mong and Dzao people (the most noticable groups of people in town, thanks to their beautiful traditional clothing) go about their daily trading with each other and the tourists. You really have to choose carefully when and from whom you decide to purchase something, because as soon as you even show an interest in someone's goods, a whole pack of other eager sales people will surround you in seconds!!
In Cat Cat Village we enjoyed wandering around the picturesque countryside - Liv also smartly decided to make her purchase in a secluded part of the village where there was only one lone lady selling her beautiful local products from her smoke-filled room. We really got to take our time walking around, dodging gangs of dogs and herds of buffalo along the way, while we made our way up to the houses of locals to get a real taste of country life. We took a detour off the brick path onto a very muddy one, lined with walls of piled stones, where farm life was right in front of us in all its muddy glory. Around the corner we were enchanted by a delicate voice floating over the fence - as we peered over we saw a young boy feeding a buffalo and its baby, while singing to his heart's content. When we saw us looking on, he jumped up on the baby's back an continued his singing show!A nice surprise was turning another corner and coming across a fresh, clean waterfall - just when we thought the village couldn't possibly get any more beautiful! The waterfall made its way through a tight rocky path it had been pounding a route through for years, and headed down to a valley below.
Back at the entrance to the village, we began our steep uphill climb back to Sapa, where we arrived an hour later after reluctantly resisting all the motorbikers offers of rides to the top! Once at the top we went back into the hustle and bustle of the market, and made our way to the town square and Sapa Church. As we wandered around we were blown away by the sheer beauty of the local people. The children specifically caught our attention - their faces already show signs of a hard life, and yet with unbelievable ease their faces break into pure smiles that make it almost impossible to resist their attempts of trading, the art of which they have been learning from their wrinkled elders.At nightfall we ventured out for dinner, where Adam decided against better judgment to try some Bac Ha wine, which turned out to be the most lethal alcoholic beverage he's put in his mouth to date, even topping China's Baijiu! With nothing else to do but hide in our sleeping bags in our freezing cold room, that's exactly what we did until we drifted off to sleep.
Adlibing it amongst the minorities.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Day 250 - Improving our knowledge at the Museum of Ethnology
We spent most of the morning sleeping and packing our stuff up, before heading out to the bus stop just in time to watch our bus pull in, and our driver start his lunch break! After waiting for him to finish his lunch we hopped on and headed for the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology - where the exhibits cover the lives and traditions of Vietnam's 54 ethnic minorities.
We had been told that this was one museum that shouldn't be missed - and now that we've been there, we'll be spreading the same word. We had lunch at the onsite restaurant, which is a training restaurant for underprivileged youth, before spending a couple of hours wandering from minority village to minority village - well pretty much!
The grounds of the museum is surrounded with expertly built mini-villages - the museum actually employed villagers to come in and recreate their individual traditional style houses. 
So, basically we got to save time travelling around Vietnam, by experiencing the differences between different areas and their inhabitants.
Inside the museum we spent another couple of hours checking out the exhibits, including one about a man who had spent time living in a mountain village and had then returned 40 years later to make a comparison and another on conical hat making (the unofficial symbol of Vietnam). Adam's favourite exhibition was the photographic display about a small village transforming into a larger town and the changes that brought about for the local people.
Back in town we went shopping for some artwork, but walked away empty handed after we became frustrated with our inability to barter in another language, despite some hard work in trying!
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel all set to leave their for our 9pm train - however when we arrived we were told by the hotel that our train didn't leave until 11pm, so we spent the next 2 hours waiting ....
At the station we waited with a couple of travelling Aussies, before boarding the train and settling in for the night on our first train in Vietnam. Although below the Chinese standards we're used to, at least we got beds where we managed to get some sleep dreaming about our up and coming mountainous destination that's one step closer to home!
Adlibing it into the minority villages.
We had been told that this was one museum that shouldn't be missed - and now that we've been there, we'll be spreading the same word. We had lunch at the onsite restaurant, which is a training restaurant for underprivileged youth, before spending a couple of hours wandering from minority village to minority village - well pretty much!
The grounds of the museum is surrounded with expertly built mini-villages - the museum actually employed villagers to come in and recreate their individual traditional style houses. So, basically we got to save time travelling around Vietnam, by experiencing the differences between different areas and their inhabitants.Inside the museum we spent another couple of hours checking out the exhibits, including one about a man who had spent time living in a mountain village and had then returned 40 years later to make a comparison and another on conical hat making (the unofficial symbol of Vietnam). Adam's favourite exhibition was the photographic display about a small village transforming into a larger town and the changes that brought about for the local people.Back in town we went shopping for some artwork, but walked away empty handed after we became frustrated with our inability to barter in another language, despite some hard work in trying!
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel all set to leave their for our 9pm train - however when we arrived we were told by the hotel that our train didn't leave until 11pm, so we spent the next 2 hours waiting ....
At the station we waited with a couple of travelling Aussies, before boarding the train and settling in for the night on our first train in Vietnam. Although below the Chinese standards we're used to, at least we got beds where we managed to get some sleep dreaming about our up and coming mountainous destination that's one step closer to home!
Adlibing it into the minority villages.
Day 249 - A day wandering Hanoi and a night at the theatre.
We arrived in hanoi at 5am worse for wear after a trying trip on the bus, where our fellow Vietnamese travellers chatted the night away, though our favourite traveller (Mr "What's up Dog?") provided us with some comic relief and a translated our stops for us.
After standing on the side of the road in the dark for quarter of an hour contemplating our next move, a man from "the company" came and organised a free taxi ride to the centre of the Old Town where we could check out his hotel! With very few other options available to us, and the fact that his hotel was nice and a good price, we accepted - although the hotel workers were not too happy to be woken from their precious sleep at this ungodly hour! After waiting for almost an hour for our room to be made up, we fell into bed for a few hours sleep.
The couple of hours sleep ( more than what we got all night on the bus) had rejuvenated us and motivated us to get out and see some of Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, and is full of pretty lakes and parks, as well as many motorbikes (though not as many as Saigon as that would be impossible!). Although usually as hot as the rest of Vietnam, we have arrived here at its coldest and had to pile on the layers of clothes before embarking on our walking tour.
We first stopped in at the Ngoc Son Temple, situated in the middle of Hoan Kien lake, that's famous for housing the remains of a 250kg tortoise found in the lake, before briefly checking out the Martyrs' Monument. 
We then started on our way to getting to know the real Old Town of Hanoi, which meant stopping at shops and markets every hundred of metres or so - unfortunately for us, because we are here during the Tet holiday many (and most) were closed. We did get to see the street full of gravestones (complete with photos - why are these still in the shop windows?!), and the silk, clothing and shoe stores, and many art galleries, but missed out on the blacksmiths, mirror and tin-box shops. Near the end of our wandering, we stopped in at the beautiful St Joseph's Cathedral for a look around inside.
Though many shops were closed, we managed to witness Hanoi in a different light to the other 51 weeks of the year: relatively quiet!
We stopped in at the Water Puppet Theatre, and despite the sign declaring tickets for today were sold out we were glad to score a couple for the 9pm show tonight.
We headed back to the hotel for a rest, and then out for dinner before attending the Water Puppet show - without a doubt the highlight of the day! Water Puppet (called Roi Nuoc)performances originate from rice farmers in the Red River Delta who used to perform on flooded rice paddies, over a thousand years ago.
All the puppets are modelled on farmers and their daily lives, and can weigh up to 15kg. Puppeteers stand in the water behind a bamboo screen and manouver the fig-tree puppets by bamboo poles to make them move and sometimes even appear life-like with moving arms and legs. Performances, including ours tonight, are accompanied by a live band with musicians playing flutes (sao), drums (trong com), and many other traditional instruments. 
Along with dancing lions, fishing families, and boat races, our show included at dragon dance complete with fireworks! These short puppet sequences demonstrate aspects of daily life, while others had a mythical touch.
We walkd home buzzed after the show, and fell asleep dreaming of the past that the puppet stories were born from.
Adlibing the Old Town of Hanoi.
After standing on the side of the road in the dark for quarter of an hour contemplating our next move, a man from "the company" came and organised a free taxi ride to the centre of the Old Town where we could check out his hotel! With very few other options available to us, and the fact that his hotel was nice and a good price, we accepted - although the hotel workers were not too happy to be woken from their precious sleep at this ungodly hour! After waiting for almost an hour for our room to be made up, we fell into bed for a few hours sleep.
The couple of hours sleep ( more than what we got all night on the bus) had rejuvenated us and motivated us to get out and see some of Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, and is full of pretty lakes and parks, as well as many motorbikes (though not as many as Saigon as that would be impossible!). Although usually as hot as the rest of Vietnam, we have arrived here at its coldest and had to pile on the layers of clothes before embarking on our walking tour.
We first stopped in at the Ngoc Son Temple, situated in the middle of Hoan Kien lake, that's famous for housing the remains of a 250kg tortoise found in the lake, before briefly checking out the Martyrs' Monument. We then started on our way to getting to know the real Old Town of Hanoi, which meant stopping at shops and markets every hundred of metres or so - unfortunately for us, because we are here during the Tet holiday many (and most) were closed. We did get to see the street full of gravestones (complete with photos - why are these still in the shop windows?!), and the silk, clothing and shoe stores, and many art galleries, but missed out on the blacksmiths, mirror and tin-box shops. Near the end of our wandering, we stopped in at the beautiful St Joseph's Cathedral for a look around inside.Though many shops were closed, we managed to witness Hanoi in a different light to the other 51 weeks of the year: relatively quiet!
We stopped in at the Water Puppet Theatre, and despite the sign declaring tickets for today were sold out we were glad to score a couple for the 9pm show tonight.
We headed back to the hotel for a rest, and then out for dinner before attending the Water Puppet show - without a doubt the highlight of the day! Water Puppet (called Roi Nuoc)performances originate from rice farmers in the Red River Delta who used to perform on flooded rice paddies, over a thousand years ago.
All the puppets are modelled on farmers and their daily lives, and can weigh up to 15kg. Puppeteers stand in the water behind a bamboo screen and manouver the fig-tree puppets by bamboo poles to make them move and sometimes even appear life-like with moving arms and legs. Performances, including ours tonight, are accompanied by a live band with musicians playing flutes (sao), drums (trong com), and many other traditional instruments. Along with dancing lions, fishing families, and boat races, our show included at dragon dance complete with fireworks! These short puppet sequences demonstrate aspects of daily life, while others had a mythical touch.We walkd home buzzed after the show, and fell asleep dreaming of the past that the puppet stories were born from.
Adlibing the Old Town of Hanoi.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 248 - A peaceful stroll to the pagoda
Due to a well-deserved sleep-in this morning, our day started a little later than usual. After breakfast we headed in the direction of the Thien Mu Pagoda on foot, declining all motorbike- and cyclo-drivers' offers for a lift.
The 4km walk there and back was really enjoyble, we enjoyed watching children at a local fair and families living in their boat-houses docked to the shore where their gardens present a livelihood over and above what the river itsef can provide.
The 4km walk there and back was really enjoyble, we enjoyed watching children at a local fair and families living in their boat-houses docked to the shore where their gardens present a livelihood over and above what the river itsef can provide.
We also passed the Citadel we explored a couple of days ago, but today it seemed that those living outside the protected walls continued the theme by hiding themselves behind stone gates that in a past time would have been difficult to penetrate but now many lie in such a state that even a child could knock them down.
The Thien Mu Pagoda is one of the most famous in Vietnam and is perched over the Perfume River. The pagoda itself is 21m high and was originally built in 1601 for prosperity, although the current pagoda was built in 1844 - after falling victim to war, like many others. Other than the pagoda and surrounding temples, this complex is famous for being home to the car that monk Thich Quang Duc drove himself in before his famous fire protest in 1963. 
After touring ourselves out yesterday it was nice to take charge of our own day and its direction again, and we managed to revive ourselves by wandering around the grounds of this tranquil place.
On the way home we managed to catch a group of kids sneaking into the carnival - they were extremely pleased with themselves and gave us lots of smiles and waves of success!
After a early dinner, we went back to our hotel to wait for our bus to Hanoi - but for the first time in Vietnam our bus was early and we were rushed to the bus straightaway.
Adlibing the pagoda our way.
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