;)

It?s close to the end. This will be the second last installment of the chronicle covering my exploits throughout South East Asia. A depressing occasion? or a joyous occasion? I?m coming home and I?ll be terrorising you all once again.

It?s been over a week since my last email and once again we have covered lots of ground. From Hoi An to Hanoi Vietnam, to Kowloon Hong Kong via overland China covers approximately 2000km of Asian soil. Along the way I have befriended several budget-driven backpackers, become a witness to stunning countryside, haggled with locals in their native tongue, shopped till I dropped, and consumed copious amounts of? SUSHI.

It has also been a week of extremes. From the romantic alleys and streets of Hoi An to the lackluster vibrance of Hanoi. From the serenity and tranquility of Halong Bay and the Chinese countryside to the eternal chatter and chaos of Hong Kong. It certainly has been interesting.

If you want romance take a risk and visit Hoi An Vietnam. Karina and I took to the streets of Hoi An in attempt to capture the essence of the town through the art of photography. Many thanks to Karina for taking these amazing shots of Hoi An:

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806014
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806015
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Throughout Vietnam I have used my talent in languages to befriend many locals, to encourage their learning of English and my learning of Vietnamese. I?ve learnt to greet, count, order food, ask for the bill, I?ve learnt to say ?I want?, ?what is? and ?how much?. The surprise that floods the faces of the locals when I start speaking in Vietnamese was and always will be refreshingly enjoyable. I found it particularly amusing that I was able to successfully haggle with an elderly Vietnamese shop owner using the words that I had learnt during my travels. The travel books are right in saying that Asian locals truly appreciate it when you attempt to learn the native tongue, to embrace the traditions, the local foods and culture.

Don?t believe me? Look at how popular I am in Hanoi, Vietnam:

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806018

I had expectations for Hanoi. Some expectations were met. Some weren?t. I had expected a cuisine with distinct French influence. I found a Vietnamese cuisine with supplementary French pastries. There was a rumour amongst backpackers that Hanoi offered the best bargains in Vietnam. I found bargains, just not for the things that I had wanted and seen all throughout Vietnam. I expected entertaining and informative tourist attractions. I had found that they were either closed, had poor English translations or contained little information. Just like other bland tourist events I made the most of things?

At the ?Temple of Literature?

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806019
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806020

The bargains found at the market?

A Rubix Cube? for under 2 Australian dollars!

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806026

A penciled portrait for $2.50. J Haha. I?m so vain.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806022

It wasn?t long before Karina and I headed to the majesty of Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. We purchased a 2 day tour which was horribly disorganised. A miscommunication between the guesthouses selling the tickets and the tour organisers meant that more than half the tourists (who had left their passports with their respective guesthouses) were forced to stay overnight on Cat Ba island. The remaining tourists had the boat all to themselves. Guess who was one of the lucky ones? J

What followed was a tour of the naturally formed caves found within one of the islands, and a silent, magical ride through the mist and tree covered islands scattered throughout the peninsular.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806023
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806024
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The Cat Ba peninsular would be magnificently beautiful on a clear sunshiny day? but what we were presented with was as equally beautiful. The weather was cool, a refreshing difference to the heat and humidity throughout Asia, the mist seemed to be artistically laid upon the islands, and the green glow coming from the water didn?t seem to be of this world.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806028
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806029
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806030

I would love to come back here someday with a fully equipped yacht and license to explore. *Dreammsss can come true!*

Another highlight?

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806031

YES. I solved the Rubix Cube. Not without google.com?s help.

I solved the cube on the way to the Chinese border. Karina and I had decided to travel to Hong Kong through overland China rather than take a 1 hour direct flight. It was a risk taken to save approximately 200USD seeing that this particular border was not frequented by Western travelers. So what happened?

1) 24/04/07, 6am. At Hanoi we were promised that our mini-bus would take us directly to the border. We were eventually transferred to a smaller mini-bus in a town a few kilometers from the border who demanded to be paid again.
2) 24/04/07, 10am. After paying again ($1AUD) we were taken to the border town, Dong Dang, were we motioned to get off the bus and take motorcycles to the Vietnamese/Chinese border. Failed communications forced us onto the bikes and toward the actual border.
3) 24/04/07, 10:30am. Karina and I had converted all of our Vietnamese Dong into American Dollars and had run out of small bills to pay for the motorcycle drivers. We mustered enough currency to pay each driver 10000 Dong ($1AUD) and walked from Vietnam to China.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806032

4) 24/04/07, 11:15am. Once in China we were approached by the usual battery of taxi drivers looking to capitalise on vulnerable tourists. Instinct led us toward the carpark where a tuk tuk had approached and unloaded its load of Englishmen. The Englishmen had just come from the train station at the Chinese border town, Pinxiang, and had instructed the driver to take Karina and I back to the train station. Coincidence? I think not. Faith and trust my friends. Faith and trust.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806034

5) 24/04/07, 2:45pm. For 17 Chinese Yuan (~3AUD) we were able to get a 3.5 hour train ride to the nearest city, Nanning.
6) 24/04/07, 6:30pm. With our 15kg backpacks weighing heavily on our shoulders we followed the testimonial of a fellow backpacker on the Lonely Planet website forum promising deluxe sleeper buses that would take us to our next destination, Guangzhou. We hailed a taxi and I used my Lonely Planet to communicate to the driver that we needed to be taken to the bus station.
7) 24/04/07, 7:00pm. We arrived at the bus station fully equipped with numerous deluxe sleeper buses and? a KFC. I couldn?t find the Zinger Burger on the menu but had a double fillet spicy chicken burger which was semi-decent. J

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806035

8) 24/04/07, 7:50pm. We began our overnight journey to Guangzhou, China.
9) 25/04/07, 5:30am. The deluxe sleeper bus pulled into it?s station in Guangzhou. With some help of a Chinese university student who spoke English we soon found that this particular bus station did not provide services to Hong Kong. The student then hailed a taxi and instructed the driver to take us to a station which did provide that service.
10) 25/04/07, 5:50am. Arriving at the second bus station in Guangzhou we once again found that the station did not provide services to Hong Kong. The station officer was helpful and directed us to a hotel which provided the transport service that we needed.
11) 25/04/07, 8:15am. A 2.5 hour mini-bus to the Chinese/Hong Kong border.
12) 25/04/07, 10:45am. Passed through Chinese immigration and with the help and direction of a friendly Chinese man we once again changed buses to travel to Hong Kong immigration.
13) 25/04/07, 11:15am. Passed through Hong Kong immigration and changed to another bus heading to the foreign lands of Mongkok, Hong Kong.
14) 25/04/07, 12:00pm. With Lonely Planet?s direction we identified a need to travel to Tsim Sha Tsui, the local tourist ?hangout?. We quickly found the nearest train station and caught the train to Tsim Sha Tsui.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806039

15) 25/04/07, 12:30pm. At Tsim Sha Tsui we were quickly identified by a local tout promoting a guesthouse in the Chunking mansions.

In 30 hours we had managed to catch 6 buses, 2 trains, 2 taxis, 1 motorbike, and 1 tuk tuk. We finally made it to Hong Kong. To Kowloon. To Tsim Sha Tsui. To the Chunking Mansions. The cheapest private room accommodation versus location in the area. The mansions are hard to describe. It?s a multi-level housing complex which accommodates touts, merchants, restaurateurs, hoteliers, tourists, immigrants (legal and illegal), drug dealers, pimps and their rosters compliment. You can pick up a plethora of fake watches, clothes and other electronic good, and also have a glorious range of Indian and sub-continent cuisine. The mansions have a distinct sub-continent flavour and one-could argue that Hong Kong?s ?Little India? can be found in and around the Chunking Mansions.

Hong Kong is flashy, modern and bustling. The buildings throughout Hong Kong form what?s known as the ?concrete jungle?. The skyscrapers were built on plains and hillside alike, built with no respect for the surrounding landscapes yet towering high reaching for the Sun.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806043
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806044
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806046

At night Hong Kong turns into a light show? literally.

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806013
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806037
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http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806048

Honkies still love Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan?

http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806036
http://www.statravelblogs.com/klopez/albums/hoi-an-vietnam-to-kowloon-hong-kong/1806045

Hong Kong is also renowned for its shopping. And BOY is that true. For the 4 days that we spent in Hong Kong we shopped and ate sushi every single day. From low-end markets, to mid-range fashion stores on Nathan Rd, and high-end fashion malls that hug all the major resorts, Hong Kong fashion caters for almost everybody and every price range. Look hard enough and bargains are to be made? and I sure did grab some bargains. The night-life is also well-varied with Hong Kong?s unique mixture of locals, mainland Chinese and ex-pats giving the city its multi-faceted personality.

Go to Hong Kong. That?s a recommendation.

My travels end tomorrow night. By Wednesday morning I?ll be back in Sydney.

On Wednesday another adventure begins.

Stay tuned.

Love.

Lopez.