Kuta, Bali, Indonesia

On the morning of June 27th Mads and I left Ho Chi Minh City to start our backpacking trip through Indonesia, Singapore and the Thai islands!

We flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had a 2 hour stop-over there, and then we boarded our plane to Bali!! The flight to Bali was my 11th flight within the past month!

The list of my flights so far: Toronto - Hong Kong; Hong Kong – Bangkok; Vientiane (Laos) – Phnom Penh (Cambodia); Phnom Penh – Siem Reap (Cambodia); Siem Reap – Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam); Ho Chi Minh City – Nha Trang (Vietnam); Nha Trang – Da Nang (Vietnam); Hue (Vietnam) – Hanoi (Vietnam); Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City; Ho Chi Minh City – Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Kuala Lumpur – Bali (Indonesia).

The small island of Bali has a population of 3.1 million people, and it is Indonesia’s most popular tourist destination. It is famous for it’s beautiful beaches and great surfing spots.

We knew were entering a beachy resort island when we got off the plane in Denpasar, Bali, and saw the piles and piles of surf boards coming out of the airport baggage pickup, and the tanned, muscular, tattooed men in board shorts and flip flops who retrieved them.

We had only booked a hotel for one night because we hadn’t yet decided where in Bali we wanted to stay, and we figured we would play it by ear and go with the flow. Our first night we stayed in the beachside city of Kuta, about 10km from the airport in Denpasar. Once we arrived we almost immediately decided we needed one more night in Kuta, so we quickly made the necessary arrangements.

Kuta is Bali’s biggest beach resort city and it has about 8km of beautiful sand beaches, and huge waves ideal for surfing. It also has the best shopping, restaurants and nightlife of the whole island.

We didn’t want to spend our whole time in Kuta because we wanted to see some of the other areas of Bali that weren’t as commercialized and packed with tourists. But we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kuta!

We spent most of it relaxing on the beach:

One very non-relaxing part about being on the beach in Kuta are the vast numbers of people trying to sell you jewellery, paintings, drinks, ice cream, massages, manicures, souvenirs, etc. They will swarm your chairs like hawks, sometimes 5 or 6 at once, pushing their products on you. They won’t leave your side no matter how many times you say no, or ignore them. I even started physically pushing them away because they wouldn’t leave!!

We decided to get massages on the beach, which seemed like a fabulous idea at the time, until we were lying down… Once our massages started, we were swarmed by these hawks all trying to give us manicures and pedicures! They even started scrubbing our feet while we were helplessly lying down! I tried saying no and explaining that I didn’t want a pedicure, only a massage, but when they didn’t listen I kicked my feet around so they couldn’t scrub them anymore! They are very persistent!

In addition to spending time at the beach, we also had the chance to check out the city and do some shopping! I was completely amazed at the shopping and atmosphere of the city. All the stores are American/Canadian/Australian stores that I’m used to seeing at home, and it feels nothing like all the rest of Southeast Asia! It felt as if I had just been transported back to America!

I didn’t see the use of buying clothing in Bali that I could just as easily buy at home! We did however enjoy the markets, where we shopped for “I Love Bali” shirts and other such souvenirs.

One thing to note is that everything in Bali is WAY more expensive than anywhere else in Southeast Asia!! We are paying an average of $8 (CAN) per drink here, while everywhere else I was used to paying about $3 (CAN) per drink. Souvenirs and massages also had highly elevated prices. For example I paid about $20 (CAN) for a 30 minute massage on the beach, while in Ho Chi Minh City I paid $10 (CAN) for a 60 minute massage. I suppose it’s all relative, and it’s way cheaper than what I would pay at home! But after this trip I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to pay my usual $110 (CAN) for a 1 hour massage in Toronto!

Our time in Kuta was very enjoyable. Our hotel was in a perfect location. It was right downtown, in the middle of all the bars and restaurants, and 1 block in from the beach. It also had a beautiful pool (which we also enjoyed swimming in). It was everything we could want for a place like Kuta.

Two days was enough time in Kuta, and during our time there we made a hotel reservation for a resort and spa in Lovina Beach (on the north shore of Bali) for the following 4 nights (arriving on the 29th). We wanted an escape and we were excited to explore Lovina and spend some quality time reading, relaxing, tanning and swimming without the hectic noise, people and beach hawkers!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Preparing for Bali!

On June 23rd I flew from Hanoi, Vietnam, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. When I landed, my best friend Madeleine was waiting for me at the airport! Mads and I met when we were 12 years old and she’s been my best friend ever since. About 2 years ago she moved to Ho Chi Minh City to teach English, and for the past 2 years we’ve had a weekly Skype date every Sunday night (Monday morning in Vietnam time). It has been hard having her so far away. Even though Skype has kept us very connected, we have been looking forward to our time together this summer for months!

We would be leaving on June 27th for our backpacking trip through parts of Indonesia (Bali and maybe Lombok), Singapore, island hopping through the islands of Thailand (and attendance at the infamous Full Moon Party), and finally Bangkok, before retuning to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of July (our return date has yet to be determined).

In our 3 full days in Ho Chi Minh City I had the opportunity to experience her lifestyle living in Vietnam. I decided to save all my city touring (museums, sights, etc) until after we return from our trip because there were other things we needed to take care of before leaving, and I wanted a little break from touring before starting up backpacking again!

Living in Vietnam, Mads has really embraced the Vietnamese lifestyle…a lifestyle I still find a bit terrifying: the use of a motorbike for transportation! When she told me that we would be using her motorbike for transportation within the city my reaction was not one of excitement. It was the exact opposite. For those who have been following my blog you’ll know how frequently I’ve written about the vast number of motorbikes that have taken over the roads throughout Vietnam, and how terrifying it is to cross the road with the motorbikes zooming past you at lightning speeds. I was not excited to participate in this madness!

She tried to convince me that we would be ok and it would be a fun experience. I am still undecided to whether or not riding a motorbike can be considered “fun”, but it is definitely an experience!

I learned a lot about the rules of the road – or more accurately: the lack of rules! I’m pretty sure the only legitimate rule is that everyone (with the exception of children) are required to wear helmets. For some absurd reason children are excluded from this rule. Other than that it appears that the road is a free-for-all for drivers. It’s survival of the fittest, where the largest vehicle wins. In Toronto the pedestrians have the right of way – here the pedestrians are the lowest on the food chain, and the buses and large vehicles rule the road. If you see a bus coming then you had better move out of the way!

People drive the opposite way on a one-way street, or they’ll drive right through opposing traffic on the wrong side of the street. Anything goes here, and you always have to be on the lookout!

There are so many motorbikes that they have designated parking lots just for them!

During my time in Ho Chi Minh City we had a few chores to do, including buying me a new luggage backpack. A very common theme when I travel is luggage problems… mainly because I have a slight shopping problem, and tend to buy more than I can carry. Considering how I travel with a backpack, I have to be able to carry all my belongings on my back, which generally leads to some complications.

The problem started a few weeks ago when I was in Ho Chi Minh City with my Contiki tour. My bag was growing very fast, and it was becoming more and more difficult to carry around. Also, at the time, one of the straps was ripping so I was worried the bag wouldn’t survive much longer! To help with this problem, and reduce the weight of my backpack, I left a large bag full of my stuff in storage at my hotel, and continued traveling through Vietnam.  The strap eventually broke off (when I was in Hanoi), and even though the bag was still usable, it was much more difficult to carry on my back. A new backpack was definitely required!

Mads and I set out to the backpacking area of town, which is completely saturated with tourists and backpackers. There are tons of shops that sell backpacks, and I found myself a nice replacement backpack luggage in pink for only $25! I will definitely miss how cheap everything is here… I paid over $300 for my original backpack in Toronto! I may pay for this cheap backpack later on in the trip though… as I’ve already noticed the zippers and clips aren’t too sturdy! Hopefully it’ll survive the next few weeks until I’m back in Ho Cho Minh City!

In addition to backpack shopping, I decided to have some more clothing custom made. When I was in Hoi An I had a suit, 2 shirts and a winter jacket made, but when I left Hoi An I really regretted not having more clothing custom made! So Mads took me to a local tailor to place my orders.

Ordering clothing in Ho Chi Minh City isn’t nearly as easy as it is in Hoi An. In Hoi An custom clothing is one of their main businesses, and there are so many shops that specialize in it, each with a vast variety of fabrics to chose from. But in Ho Chi Minh City the fabric had to be purchased separately and brought to the tailor to use.

So Mads and I set out to the fabric market! Imagine a large market area with stalls and stalls of fabric! It was so overwhelming! There was one booth that was completely dedicated to buttons! After spending a lot of time going through all the different stalls and fabric samples I finally picked out my material.

Another major difference between the tailors in Ho Chi Minh City and the tailors in Hoi An is that in Hoi An they will make all your clothing overnight, while in Ho Chi Minh City it takes 2 weeks to complete. I had 3 more shirts and a blazer jacket made, which I will be picking up in a few weeks once we are back in the city! I am very excited for it! In fairness to me – I’m starting my MBA in the fall, and I’ll need adequate business attire for business school, so what better place to buy it than Vietnam?

In Ho Chi MInh City it is very very easy to pamper yourself! And that is exactly what we did when we weren’t doing chores! We went for an 60 minute massage for only $10 (CAN), a manicure and pedicure for $5 (CAN) total, and a 1 hour Bum Bum Hair Treatment and Facial for $2.5 (CAN). It’s incredible how cheap things are here!

The Bum Bum treatment was very interesting. For $2.5 (CAN) you get a facial, a head massage, a face massage, a full shampoo and hair treatment and then finally they’ll blow dry and straighten your hair. During the facial they put slices of fresh cold cucumber all over my face! So relaxing!

My time in Ho Chi Minh City was a well needed break where I could spend lots of time catching up with Mads, have my laundry washed (every single thing I owned was filthy!), and just relax and pamper myself before taking off on the next section of my trip!

Hanoi, Vietnam

On June 21st we traveled from Halong Bay to Hanoi, Vietnam. That night would be our last night of the Contiki Tour. Hanoi is Vietnam’s capitol city, with a population of nearly 6.5 million people. The city is very very busy, and there are motorbikes everywhere!!

When I said in an earlier post that crossing the road in Vietnam is scary… well crossing in Hanoi has been the scariest of all the Vietnamese cities!! There is this one intersection that is enormous, and is in the shape of a big triangle. In order to cross you must stroll right down the middle of the intersection and hope that all the motorbikes coming from every direction will swerve around you! I’ve never crossed the intersection alone… I always find someone to walk beside me and shield me!

I spent that afternoon getting lost in the streets on Hanoi with my friend Manuel. A lot of the streets are narrow and packed with people. It was very interesting, and a lot of fun to just walk around and explore the area without the help of a map. I liked seeing the chaos of the streets and watching how normal the Vietnamese people found this lifestyle.

That evening we had our final dinner with the Contiki group. It was sad to say goodbye to the people on the tour, but I was also excited to be starting a new section of my trip: one with no schedules or planned activities! I was excited to travel around at my own pace, and see the sights that I wanted to see, instead of the sights that were pre-planned for me. I would also be meeting up with my friend Madeleine who will be joining me for the remainder of my travels!

The following morning, June 22nd, I met up with two of my friends from the Contiki tour who were staying in Hanoi for a few days, and we set off to see some of the sights. Our first stop was the Temple of Literature, first constructed in 1070. The Imperial Academy, built in 1076, is located within the complex, and was Vietnam’s first university.

Later that day we took a nice walk around the Hoan Kiem Lake (or “Lake of the Returned Sword”), a small lake situated in the middle of Hanoi. There are parks and walkways around the lake, and it’s a really pretty area to walk around. It’s a pretty big contrast when you look towards the lake and see peacefulness and tranquility, and then turn around and watch the hundreds of motorbikes swarm past you at lightning speed.

We then crossed over the little bridge to the island on the lake that houses the Ngoc Son Temple (“The Temple of the Jade Mountain”). The temple was built in the 18th century to honour Tran Hung Dao, a 13th century military leader.

Later that evening we decided to go see a Vietnamese Water Puppet Show. Water puppetry is a Vietnamese tradition that dates back to the 11th century. This was how the villagers entertained themselves with the rice fields flooded.

It was very interesting. There are puppets made out of wood, and they dance on top of a pool of water (the water is about waist deep) acting out a story. On the side of the water pool there is a small orchestra that creates the background music and dialogue for the performance. The puppeteers are hidden behind a screen and control the puppets from there.

The show was only about an hour long, but it was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. I didn’t understand any of the dialogue or the story line, but I still found the show very interesting. It is interesting to see how different people and cultures create different forms of art and entertainment that we aren’t used to at home. Maybe if I had grown up in Vietnam years ago I would have preferred watching a water puppet show to seeing a film in the theatre.

I enjoyed the Water Puppet Show and I’m glad I had the opportunity to check it out.

This was my last night in Hanoi, as I would be flying to Ho Chi Minh City the following morning (June 23rd) to meet up with my friend Madeleine! I liked Hanoi, even though my visit was quite short, but I was super excited to be going back to Ho Chi Minh City, and very ready to start my 2nd half of my trip!

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay is one of the most famous travel destinations in Vietnam, and is located in the northern part of the country. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The bay has an area of about 1,553 km², and contains about 1960 limestone islets. The islets are beautiful, and the limestone in the bay has taken about 20 million years of tropical storm impact to develop.

We traveled to Halong Bay the morning of June 20th, and immediately boarded our Chinese-style junk boat to begin our overnight cruise through the bay. I didn’t realize that my time on the boat would be the highlight of my trip thus far.

This is a photo of our junk boat:

I didn’t know what to expect of our overnight boat, but considering how it’s called a “junk” boat I didn’t set my expectations too high. I figured we would be sleeping in bunk beds and sharing a communal bathroom. Instead I was given a private room, with a large bed, an ensuite bathroom and air conditioning! It was amazing! The boat also had a large dining room, and a lounge area on the roof of the boat.

Once we set sail the view was beautiful. All you can see are islets for miles and miles! It`s absolutely breathtaking in every direction!

After eating a delicious seafood lunch, we stopped at the Hang Sung Sot Cave, which was discovered by the French in 1901. It is located on Bo Hon Island, and has a number of vast champers where people used to hide inside during bad storms. The cave is incredible inside, and it’s absolutely huge!

The view from the top of the cave was incredible:

After leaving the cave, we made a stop at another one of the islets to go swimming, but we first climbed to the top to see the view:

Swimming in the water was so refreshing (especially after the strenuous and hot climb to the top to take photos!). Everywhere you look you can see the beautiful islets. I was in heaven!

Later that evening we enjoyed the sunset from the boat:

I spent part of the night on the roof of the boat watching the stars and enjoying the peacefulness of the bay. This is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

The following morning I woke up at 5:15 to watch the sunrise over the islets. Even though I was exhausted, it was well worth it!

A bit later in the morning we hopped into some kayaks to explore the bay at a different level.

 

It was so much fun paddling around through the water and caves in the bay!

The two days at Halong Bay were amazing! It was so beautiful and relaxing. Being on the boat also gave me the opportunity to spend quality time with people on the tour that I had grown close to before the tour ended later that night. It was a great way to end my 25 day Contiki tour.

Hue, Vietnam

On the morning of June 18th we traveled from Hoi An, Vietnam, to Hue, Vietnam by bus. The ride was beautiful, as we drove through the mountains and coast line.

Once arriving in Hue, and after getting settled in our new hotel, we set off to see the Imperial Tu Duc Tomb, built between 1864 and 1867. The tomb complex has a surrounding wall that encloses 30 acres of land containing a lake, temples and tombs. It’s very beautiful to walk around the complex.

Luu Khiem Lake is a small lake within the complex that was created from a small stream that ran through the tomb area. A small island was constructed in the middle of the lake for the Emperor, as he enjoyed boating on the lake and admiring the flowers, in addition to writing poems while sitting on the island.

 

We walked around the burial area and through the whole complex.

As I was walking through the complex I realized how much it reminded me of the temples I visited in Japan. There was one main difference though: the ones in Japan were much better kept and restored, while this temple, although beautiful, was not ageing as gracefully. It was sad for me to see how the beauty of the temple is being washed away slowly by Mother Nature, and I didn’t see any restoration work. A lot of the stones are cracking, or completely broken, and large areas are defaced. This temple was no doubt absolutely breathtaking many years ago, but I fear that in another 50 years there won’t be much left of it without the help of major restorations.

After the Tu Duc Tomb we made our way to the 7-storied Thien Mu Pagoda. It is the tallest pagoda in Vietnam, and was built in 1601.

To get back to our hotel we boarded a traditional Vietnamese Dragon Boat and cruised down the Perfume River. The weather was so hot, and we were tired from a day of touring, so cruising down the river was very relaxing.

The following morning we woke up early and hopped on cyclos. A cyclo is a bicycle with a seat in front, designed to carry one passenger plus the driver (who peddles behind).  We each got our own cyclo and driver to take us to the Imperial Citadel.

Riding in the cyclo was a very interesting experience. We rode on the road, alongside of motorbikes and cars! Crossing intersections was especially scary, as no one seems to obey the right of way. Everyone just charges through the intersection, swerving around each other in every direction!

Once we arrived at the Imperial Citadel I was very happy to be back on solid ground, and not surrounded by motorbikes on the busy streets!

The Imperial Citadel of Hue is a beautiful complex, enclosed within tall walls, and entered through the Ngo Mon Gate (the main entrance).  It was built in 1804 and it served as Vietnam’s capital until 1945.

Once you enter the main gate, there is a large pond with a bridge which used to be reserved for the emperor’s private use. The palace behind the pond (seen in the photo below) is the Thai Hoa Palace, which is used for official receptions and other important court ceremonies.

Hue was a beautiful city, and I really enjoyed my short time there. It was nice to do some sight seeing again, since we had been spending a lot of days relaxing at the beach and on boats (which of course is also amazing, as long as there’s balance).

I have also been feeling substantially better since my hospital visit 1.5 weeks ago! It was a long struggle but I think I have finally fully recovered from being sick. I’ve been eating a lot more, and my repertoire of different foods has increased dramatically. I am consuming all food groups now without problems (even seafood and alcohol). But after that experience I have been (and will continue to be) extra careful with water and food for the remainder of my trip to reduce the possibility of food poisoning again!

From Hue it was off to Hanoi, Vietnam and the famous Halong Bay!