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Bangkok

16 Mar

Bangkok! Finally we got to spend some time in Bangkok, which we mostly spent shopping. We have been to 3 different type of markets and I have finally learned how to bargain. We have been to some great restaurant and enjoyed the Thai cuisine. But sadly everything has to come to an end, this means that our travels are over (for now). This has quite possibly been the best year of my life, and I am now looking forward to come home to loved ones and friendly faces.

Elephant World

15 Mar

We spent a whole day at Elephant World, which is an organisation in Kanchanaburi that takes care of unwanted and old elephants in Thailand. This was something we had been excited to do for a long time. It is basically a place where people come to work for the elephants, rather than the elephants working for people. Some of the elephants had been abused and treated very harshly by their previous owners. The oldest one was 73 and the youngest (John) is 15 years old. They are the hugest but one of the most beautiful animals I have ever seen.

We made sticky rice for the old elephants and fed it to them, which they loved. We also did some field work, collecting sugar canes for them to eat. Fed them about a billion bananas (they eat a lot), and took part in all their medical care for the day. You can really notice how the elephants are really happy and appropriated everything that is done for them. My favorite part of the day was when the elephants were taking a bath and we joined them, giving them a scrub on the back. They were playing around and sometimes even going under the water that it was hard staying on their back, very funny.

Then they let us ride on their back up to the ‘house’ where they get fed more bananas. This is one of the best experiences I have had in my life. The work that the volunteers and everyone at this organisation are doing is just fantastic, and it was amazing to get up, close and personal with these incredible creatures.

Erawan National Park

14 Mar

Erawan National Park, has a seven-tiered waterfall, which was very impressive. We arrived very early in the morning, so we had all the waterfalls to ourselves. The water was crystal clear and very refreshing to swim in. There were even fish swimming around us nibbling at our feet.

Kanchanaburi

13 Mar

We really liked Kanchanburi. The Hotel we stayed at had a great pool overlooking the river. We also found a nice local restaurant which served delicious Thai dishes for cheap as chips. Kanchanburi is the gateway to a few national parks, which suits us very well.

Ha Long Bay

12 Mar

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage  site, with more than 3000 incredible limestone islands, scattered around in the water. We stayed on a boat for 2 days and 1 night. It was a beautiful boat with even nicer surroundings. We went kayaking into hidden lagoons, did some squid fishing and had a cooking class.

We also visited some caves and ate fantastic sea food. Overall a brilliant little trip. It did get a little cold at times being northern Vietnam, especially since we are used to hotter weather.

Hanoi

11 Mar

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam. I found that Hanoi was nothing like the other places that we have visited in Vietnam. The weather was much colder and people were very serious, nearly unfriendly. Anyways, it was still interesting walking down the streets and seeing the locals doing their everyday things.

We also went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater. This performance of water puppets originated from the northern part of Vietnam, and was very different to any other entertainment I have seen.

Hue

8 Mar

Hue is quite a small place so we only spent 1 full day here. We visited the Citadel, which is a former imperial city that was heavily bombed by the Americans. A lot of this area is now used for agriculture, and a lot has been restored.

Hoi An to Hue by Easyrider

8 Mar

We decided it was about time to use a different type of transport from Hoi An to Hue, and there is no better way than going by motorbike! I sat on the back of our guide Quang’s motorbike with all our luggage on the back, whereas John (the daredevil) drove his own little scooter.

We drove the coastal route, which is a route that Top Gear made famous here in Vietnam. The scenery was stunning. We stopped at Marble Mountain and old bunkers made by the Americans and the French throughout the war.

Quang was a brilliant guide, giving us lots of information about the scenery we passed and the history surrounding it. He also made me feel very safe driving up steep roads and sometimes in the middle of Vietnam’s crazy traffic (for those who know me this is a big achievement).

We also stopped by the China Beach (which is a series of beaches along 30km between Hoi An and Danang). This is one of the BEST types of transport so far.

Hoi An

4 Mar

Hoi An might be one of the most charming places I have been to this ‘year’. Influences from Chinese, Japanese and European cultures can be seen in the architecture and style of the town.

We went for a quick and fun cooking class, where we choose something from the menu and learnt how to cook it, then had it for lunch afterwards. Click here to look at the recipes of Red ‘Vietnamese/ Thai’ Curry and Chicken Chili.

Hoi An is also know for their affordable tailor made clothing, so there is no better place to do some shopping!

We rented a bike on our last day and cycled 4km to a beach nearby. On the way we passed many rice fields.

We had a great day at To An Bang Beach, relaxing on the sunbeds and went for a swim in the cold South China Sea.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

3 Mar

The traffic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was insane. I have never seen so many scooters on a road in my life. Hi Chi Minh City is a huge city, population is about 10 million, and there are more than 5 million scooters here, that is more scooters than the population of Norway! We went to the War Remnants Museum, where there are pictures on show taken through the Vietnam War.

We spent one day at the Sai Gon- Cai Be Floating Market Vinh Long. This is where locals come and trade fruit and many other commodities on board their boats.

Then we went to a local village to see how coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn are made.