Easy riding on a broken bum

When you've been in SE Asia a few weeks, you've grown accustomed to hopping on the backs of scooters/mopeds to get around. When you get to Dalat in Vietnam, there is a whole different version of this. A group of local motorbike riders discovered a demand many years ago for guided tours of the central highlands by local English-speaking guides. So the Easy Riders came to be, offering tours around Dalat all the way to trips over several days from Dalat to the coast or to Saigon. There is nothing that quite compares.

I met Ti Ti, my adoptive Easy Rider, and he took me on a day trip around the Dalat countryside. It is THE way to see a country: an English-speaking local shows you the secret nooks and crannies of his stomping ground, everything you would never see from a bus, his favourite places to eat, while telling you about the history and stories of life in Vietnam.

So it was that, the day after I cracked my tailbone on a rock while canyoning, I still decided to hop on the back of Ti Ti's bike with all my luggage and take a 2-day trip through the hills to Mui Ne on the coast. I'm not going to bore with the details, but it really was incredible. He is such a considerate, careful and friendly driver and guide. Over the total three days I spent with him, I saw 3 minority ethnic villages, countless coffee and tea plantations, several pagodas and temples, and home factories making, growing or mining, among others, silk, noodles, rice wine, mushrooms, granite, rice paper, dragon fruit, incense sticks and tofu. And let's not forget the stunning panoramic views.

Photos: Ho Chi Minh City

Here we go, photos from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). Copy and paste this link (or click on the photo): http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594339655765/

Travelling light

I have brought too much stuff with me. Usual story. Along the way, I have met some people travelling light, with a bag the size of my daypack as their main luggage. Good on em, and I reckon I could do that next time.

And then there's Osuye. Osuye is a 20-year-old Japanese lad. He is also absolutely crackers. He's travelling SE Asia for 2 months, he is hugely excitable, and his luggage is a quarter of the size of what I used to take into the office every day. He left home in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, trainers, presumably boxers, and a small bag containing his passport, wallet and camera. That's it. Now that is travelling light.

He upgraded to a slightly larger back when he got to Saigon, and now I have his original bag. I can't even fit my reading book in it.

Defining the norm

Us humans are such adaptable creatures. I've been away from home a month now and there are already so many habits and intricacies of travelling life here in Asia that no longer seem weird. These include:
- You don't always expect a toilet seat, you expect there not to be a flush (bucket of water to chuck down the pan instead), and rarely is there toilet paper.
- While there is a 'correct side' of the road to drive on, motos drive wherever they want - into oncoming traffic, on pavements etc. As long as they honk their horn long and loud enough, the way will be clear.
- Motos can be laden with 3 other family members and a suitcase filled with fruit. If the driver is talking to a 5th family member on the mobile, it's a blessing: he has no more hands free to use the horn.
- You never know which cut of meat you'll get, and for that matter, you can never be 100% sure what animal the meat is from.
- The best and cheapest food is to be had by going to a stall at the side of the road and pointing at the pots that look tasty.
- It is perfectly acceptable for locals to enquire after your age, height (if you're me), nationality and marital status within 2 minutes of meeting you.
- There is always someone trying to sell you chewing gum, scarves, books, postcards, razors, sunglasses or prostitutes.
- Buses and lorries do not always have a reverse bleep. Instead, they may serenade you with an electronic lambada, christmas carol, or rendition of happy birhday. If you're really lucky, the tune might also play when the vehicle indicates.
- Cold showers.
- Geckos running up and down every wall.
- Discover channel and Star Movies.
- The local language sounds ferocious and completely incomprehensible.

This list is actually pretty endless and ever-expanding.

Relative worth

I've discovered that it's not just our British pound sterling that increases in value when you're over in these parts. A smile seems to go so much further too.

If you smile at a random punter back home, most of the time you'll be ignored or get a look of 'what a bloody weirdo'. If you're unlucky (and in a bad part of town) you'll get chibbed. Every once in a blue moon you get a smile back.

Over here, smile at someone, and the very least you will get is a shy smile back. More likely, you'll get a big grin and possibly end up chatting to that person for the next 5 minutes, smiling and laughing the whole time, before moving on. And by god it does your mood no end of good, smiling all day.

Us Brits could learn from these guys.

Dam Sen

It's not often I rush back from somewhere and post it up on the blog, but this one has to be done: Dam Sen Park.

It's in the Lonely Planet in a box entitled 'Quirky Saigon' or something similar, and talks about it having sculptures made from plates, being a bit commercial, and a nice place to go and see the locals lounging on a Sunday. So even though it's Tuesday, I hopped on a local bus out to the park.

It's a theme park and water park. But when I was there, it was the deadest park I've ever seen, like something out of a teen scary movie. There can't have been more than 50 people in the place, including staff. It was still drizzling. Canned music was being piped through hidden speakers throughout the park. Most of the rides were running but most of them empty. The much raved about ice sculpture house is actually under construction, and the laser fountain show was deserted. And yes, the entrance avenue was lined with sculptures of various animals made entirely from Chinese bowls, spoons and pepper shakers.

One of the more surreal experiences so far. Quirky? Yes. Unexpected? Absolutely.

Photos: Phnom Penh

A second set of photos from Cambodia. Copy and paste this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594331123956/

Photos: Battambang

Some more photos. Copy and paste this link (or click on the photo):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594329247099/

The travellers we meet

I doubt I will ever get used to goodbyes. On the road, I'm finding that goodbyes take on a new dimension. Not only are you parting from someone you have shared good times with, whom you will miss and may never see again (or if you do, it's in a totally different situation), but when you're travelling, it tends to also plunge you back into once again not knowing a single soul in the place you're going to. It's scary, it's sad, exciting and part of the independent travel challenge. It certainly develops speed-socialising skills!

I've been pretty damn lucky so far with the travellers I've hooked up with, and I would be delighted to see any one of them again. Most recently, I really did strike jackpot with the three boys in Cambodia. Three great individuals who, probably without realising it, have transformed many aspects of my approach to this trip already, and certainly were a big part of my amazing time in Cambodia. Guys, thank you so much.

In the end, you just have to exchange email addresses, wish each other well, say goodbye and move on, hoping you'll meet new and equally fab people in the next phase. It's all good - sa baba.

People of Cambodia

I have loved my time in Cambodia and will miss it very much. Not only is the country attractive, tragic and fascinating, but the people above all are so incredibly friendly. Sure, the friendliness often goes hand in hand with hawking, which is understandable. But equally often the friendliness is just that, friendliness, with a healthy mix of desire to practise English and sheer curiosity in a stupidly tall white girl. Those are the special times. Sure, it can sometimes get annoying when all you want is a bit of peace and quiet, but those occasions are rare.

As such, I have made friends on buses, improved my Khmer (Cambodian language), given novice monks an English lesson, and got to know people from all walks of life in this lovely country. You just can't beat it.

Photos: Siem Reap and Angkor temples

I took over 150 photos in my three days at the temples, you'll be pleased to hear I've edited it down to a third of that! I've not had the chance to caption all of them, so for now it suffices to say that all the carvings and buildings date from 9th to 13th century!

Copy and paste this link (or click on the photo):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddballproductions/sets/72157594316658741/

A week in the life

In the past week, I have:
- eaten frogs
- learned to drive a scooter
- learned to cook Cambodian food
- got very muddy
- ridden on the top of a speedboat
- taught buddhist monks English
- climbed ridiculously steep temple steps
- stayed in 4 different guesthouses
- told 40 Cambodians where I'm from
- had my photo taken with at least 10 of the above Cambodians because they can't believe how tall I am
- learned to count to 10 in 3 different languages
- spent a ludicrously small amount of money (relatively) for what I've been doing

Loving it.