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11-14th July, Johannesburg/Singapore/Bangkok/Hanoi, 4 days 4 countries!
The day of the cup final was in all truth a modest event in our travel experience. The three of us were feeling the events of the previous road tripping week and we were less than happy to be back in Johannesburg. Our residence was near the Monte Casino complex a grand casino which housed restaurant, various slot machines, and card tables, as well as a cinema, arcade and basically everything you need to waste a day waiting for the World Cup Final! The whole complex seemed to be tailor made for tourists to spend their days hiding out from the under lying tensions and stresses which seem apparent in areas of Johannesburg.
Being in no mood to explore the city further we rolled out of bed late and into the casino where we looked around, had a bite to eat at the place Juju had eaten at yesterday where they all still remembered him, then played at one of the numerous free table football tables which were stationed at various intervals around the place. I crushed Silver and Scott who were playing together - due to the fact I had a table for many years when I was younger. It was at this point Silver announced he was going back to the hostel which we later found out was because he wasn't feeling well. Scott and I remained and we decided to go and watch a movie in the cinema to bring a bit of normality to a week that had been anything but. Before the cinema is an arcade which we went into to get rid of our change. We ended up spending it all on one of those American mini basketball games - with Scott ending up the victor 2 games to 1. We chose the Jim Carey movie "I love you Phil Morris!" The film could be best described as ridiculously gay - funny but very gay. 5 minutes into the film Jim Carey appears to be having sex with his wife who is out of view of the camera and when the shot pans down there is a man instead and the gay theme runs right throughout. It was very funny especially towards the end and we enjoyed despite the uncomfortableness of being sat in a cinema with your mate watching two men go at it!
After the film we wandered round trying to find a venue to watch the game. There were plenty of bars and even a mini fan park to watch the game - which you apparently needed a reservation or pre-bought ticket to go in. In the end we resided at a busy bar known as Cobblestones. Considering the time we had been in SA and the amount of games we had seen it was a little understated venue for the pinnacle event which underpinned our visit but nevertheless we were at a bar surrounded by red and orange coloured supporters discussing the different permutations. Silver joined us just before kickoff and duly stole the seat I'd been saving for the past 3 hours to watch the game - typical. The game itself was pretty dull and nervy with Robben and Fabregas missing chances to be the hero. Silver left before the end of the second half and went to bed missing the dramatic climax provided by Iniesta winning the trophy for Spain. Happy with the result but ready to move on to a different continent in the morning Scott and I returned to the hostel and got our heads down.
We woke early as our flight was midday and the traffic and airport were bound to be hectic. We woke the same time as the 4th member of our dorm a South African man in his late 40s who dressed only in army and cargo gear with industrial boots who looked dodgy and talked a lot of s***. Both mornings after the night before he kept telling us how he'd lost 100 or so quid in a variety of ways. With nothing else to do we entertained his need for conversation eventually finding out he was an engineer who fixed the kind of machinery Scott and I had been working with at the Ashcraft factory for the previous 10 months!
The trip to the airport and the flight itself to Singapore was pretty uneventful. The only worthy action of note was that Silver said "sorry." I kid you not! I've known Silver for the best part of 4 years and even when he knows he is wrong the S word as he likes to call it doesn't feature in his vocabulary but on this rare occasion it slipped out - nobody was more surprised than himself! We connected straight on from Singapore to Bangkok - this meant two breakfasts score!! The taxi took a long while and we got our first taste of traffic in Asia. Our hostel was named Lub D - which means something like good sleep in Thai. The place was efficiently run and perfect for a 1 night stop over. Silver had originally planned to seek out the Vietnam embassy once we arrived in Bangkok as when Scott and I applied for a visa to Vietnam Silver posted his application to the wrong embassy - Cambodia meaning he didn't have the right documentation to enter the country and our flight was the following morning. Once we had checked in and put our bags down and claimed our respective beds all we wanted to do was sleep...and we did!
We woke at midday and went out in the streets exploring our surroundings. The first thing that hit us was the heat, more specifically the humidity. Africa was hot but it was a dry heat, Asia was so humid so there was little chance to cool down with the exception of indoors courtesy of air conditioning. The second thing to hit us was the smell or smells I should say. I was told before arriving that the city smelt but I wasn't quite prepared for the barrage of different nasal assaults I was subjected to from various food vendors and drainage systems! We hoped from arcade to arcade having a look around but not really buying anything before returning to our hostel. Silver decided he would miss out Vietnam which meant travelling solo. This announcement was shortly followed by a second one in which he told us he had simultaneously lost his phone and his camera - what chance would he have on his own in Asia!!! (Don't worry as I have mentioned a few times in the blogs Mr.Mulenga is good at landing on his feet!). This meant equipped with no phone, watch, alarm, camera, or plan Silver was about to set off on his own in Thailand once we flew to Hanoi, Vietnam the following morning. Whilst Scott and I abused the free internet Silver grabbed a tiny piece of paper and a pen scribbled down some dates and places and before we knew it, it was late. On going to bed that night in Bangkok Scott and I both agreed it was the first time on the trip that we saw Silver looked anxious or worried. We think he wasn't sure what to expect travelling alone in a foreign country he knew nothing about, we later found out that the experience made his trip and he highly recommends travelling solo for at least a while to, as he put it, see what you're made of!
The following morning Scott and I left Silver sleeping and with a scribbled note goodbye at his bedside set off as a two for Vietnam! I was eager to get to Vietnam as I had my heart set on travelling there ever since the top gear episode where they travelled from the South to the North of the country. We were about to attempt the reverse route. We touched down in Hanoi around 8am and a 15 minute shared taxi ride with a Chinese man brought us to what we thought was the hostel we had arranged to stay at. It turned out the random street we were in fact dropped off at wasnowhere near our intended destination but home to a whole chain of hostels and hotels which no doubt pay overcharging taxi men to bring travelers to their doors for a small commission.
It turned out to suit us as the accommodation at the Symphony hotel was cheaper than the other place. The symphony hotel was part of a chain of places on the street that shared facilities, with the main place being the Hanoi backpackers hostel - a party place for travelers owned by a group of Australian men with a fondness for alcohol and nakedness! We were quite glad to be near the madness but not in the middle of it all, especially after 3 flights and a 48 hour journey across 4 countries! We spent our first day in Hanoi exploring the Old Quarter which was the area where we were staying. The central hub of the area revolved around the Hoan Kiem Lake an impressive piece of water decorated with a spattering of water lilies and a marooned tower centre piece which begged tourist to out their cameras and take a snap. Hoan Kiem Lake's name points to the legend that is said to lie beneath its depths: Hoan Kiem means "Lake of the Returned Sword", alluding to the legend that the future Vietnamese emperor Le Loi received a sword from a magic tortoise. Le Loi used the sword to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam which was then reclaimed by the turtle after the invaders had left and is said to be located in the depths of the lake - I learnt that from the lakeside pagoda ;). The lake provided a charming setting with old men playing chess, fitness buffs joining in aerobic classes or jogging, and couples sat enjoying ice cream or taking facebook profile photos! We wandered around the whole lake before finding a water puppet theatre where we bought to tickets and watched the show later that day. The show was enjoyable if not a little long and due to the flight schedule we subjected ourselves to coupled with the dark and warm room of the theatre meant that betweens us we fought to keep ourselves awake during the show. The puppeteers used long wooden staffs connected to lavishly decorated puppets to put on a show maneuvering their given puppets in such a way to give the illusion that the puppets were dancing on the water. An epic failure was had on my part during the show. My camera was agreed to be superior to Scott's so we decided to take my camera to the puppet show. Unfortunately earlier that day I'd been uploading photos onto flickr and forgot to return the memory card to the camera meaning no pictures of the show could be taken. The theatre had sent us into a catatonic state meaning afterwards the only thing we sought was our beds!
Lots of love,
Daniel & Scott xxx
- comments
JULIE(scotts mum) well worth the wait Dan. I cant believe there was no mention of alcohol!! definately a first!! love to you both,take care.xxxxxx
Ga Ga & Nan Hi lads good to read of your latest adventures ,you are doing the grand tour as the Victorians did.Enjoy every minute of it, its a pity Silver has`nt been with you all the time.Keep up the blogs,Luv G/N stay safe XXX
Di (Dan's mum) Brilliant as usual Dan. Really missed these whilst I have been away. Sounds like Vietnam was everything you hoped it to be. Keep safe and look forward to reading the next installment. Mum xx
Martin (Dan's Dad) Interesting read Dan, as always. Sounds like you were definately ready to move on and Vietnam didn't disappoint. Dad x