The Pearl Chronicles

The weather has been far from cooperative in the last 2 weeks and it’s been gray and rainy pretty much since Hue. I’ve kept going north hoping that things will improve but it doesn’t look like it and forecast is the same for at least a week longer. This means I’ve been seeing the entire north of the country through a screen of mist and haven’t fully absorbed some of the most gorgeous sights such as Halong Bay and Sapa. Some of it is still pretty amazing as you can see in the photos and the fog is making everything mysterious. I think it’s Vietnam’s way to ensure I come back in the future.

Right now I am in the town of Sapa. I can tell that normally it would simply be heaven. The town is located on a hill with a 360 degree view of rice paddies, but currently there is a cloud parked on top of the town so it’s impossible to sit outside or see for more than 10 meters in front of your face. It is surrounded by “minority villages”, each with its own language and traditional style of cloths. Sorry I don’t have many pictures of indigenous people but I just can’t bring myself to picture them up close. It feels to me like they are in a zoo or something. Most other travelers don’t seem to have this problem so you can just google “Sapa Vietnam People” and see what I’m talking about.

It is really cold up here and I got a little sick. Going to take it easy and rest under the blankets until my flight to Laos on Sunday. Worst thing to do is fly with a stuffy nose. I’m crossing my fingers that the weather will be better over there. If not then I’m simply going to skip Laos altogether and do Burma and North Thailand instead.

Chance encounter turned to friendship and then to a heart warming romance. Grateful for the time together but now we continue our separate ways as we knew we would. Much love to you Maike and hope to see you in the future…

What a turbulent week… Much love and support go out to all my brothers and sisters in Japan. I hope your families are alright and that the country will pull though soon from this chain of events. It’s times like these that remind me of the biblical story of the tower of Babel . When will humanity learn to downsize its technological aspirations and find a sensible way to live in safe harmony with nature? (said the western traveler, blogging wirelessly on his iPhone during a bus ride…). Anyway, on this day I just feel grateful and lucky for being alive, healthy and for having the ability to travel the way I do.

Did I say already how much I love Vietnam? I did huh… ‘Cause it’s so freaking awesome! Been making my way up along the coast and now heading towards the city of Hue for some more French colonial sightseeing. I’m finally north of Bangkok’s latitude and the weather is changing accordingly. No more extreme heat and the nights are getting pretty chilly. I know it will even get colder as I approach Hanoi, but summer is nearing so I think that I’m just on the right time.

As expected, my Vietnamese visa is nearing expiration so I need to park here for a few days and have it extended. It would actually be nice to slow down for a few days after moving quite fast recently. As mentioned on earlier posts I keep running into the same faces and it’s pretty nice actually after traveling alone for 4 months. I’ve been spending time with a really nice girl from Germany and tomorrow we’re going to explore the old town together.

I am having such a great time in Vietnam! All the good things I heard about it are true, at least for the south of the country. Just a smile can get you a long way over here and I’m smiling all the time because the people are nice, there is so much to see and do, the views are stunningly beautiful, and it’s the cheapest country so far! I’m definitely going to extend my 30 day visa and stay longer, even if it means I won’t have time for Burma at the end of the trip. I keep staying longer than planned at almost every town because it’s so hard to leave.

After exploring Saigon and the Mekong delta I’ve made my way to the beach town of Mui Ne which is located among colorful sand dunes and has a magical oasis area properly named “fairy stream”. Check out the photos. From there I continued to the city of Da Lat, known as “the city of perpetual spring” for a break from the hot climate. I haven’t felt cold since Bhutan and really welcomed it. The weather was perfect and I booked a ride on a back of a motorcycle in the area around including a gorgeous waterfall, all kinds of farms, villages, lakes and other attractions. It was great and I even managed not to get stuck there. Today I arrived at Nha Trang, another coastal town known for it’s superb diving spots. Again I see that the 3 night I thought I’ll spend here will not be nearly enough…

Another nice thing that happens in Vietnam is running into the same travelers again and again because the backpackers follow a pretty standard route. I had several lovely evenings with Random people and sure that more will come.

It’s good to be back in a large city. I’ve been in laid back towns for the last 3 weeks and missed the city vibe. Or perhaps it’s specifically Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) that I like – from the first minute here it felt right. I didn’t even read about it too much before taking the bus here but immediately after landing my feet just took me to a quite alley in the middle of the chaos where I found a very friendly hotel. Weird, isn’t it? Maybe I lived here in a previous life or something because I can’t really explain the calmness that I’m feeling while everything around is bustling…

I’ve been in Vietnam for about a week and so far it has a very similar vibe to Cambodia. Before leaving the Gulf of Thailand area I wanted to spend a few days on a quite beach. I heard many good things about Phu Quoc so I decided to finish there, although it turned out to be a lot more crowded and developed than I imagined. If you are ever over here and want a vacation from your vacation then I recommend Cambodia’s Rabbit Island (Koh Tonsay). It’s REALLY mellow with just a beach, a few bungalows, 3-4 restaurants and even the electricity goes off at 9pm. It’s perfect for a self imposed retreat. But Phu Quoc was also nice and certainly had its advantages. The southern beaches away from the town were beautiful  and serene. I ended up sharing a room with a very nice Israeli girl that’s doing her post-military tour. The both of us also share a passion for ice-cream and deserts so you can imagine where that led…

Today I walked around down town Saigon and one of the highlights was definitely the War Remnants Museum. It sure has some propaganda elements but it really demonstrates some of the implications of the Vietnam war. In particular, the exhibit about the high number of birth defects as a result of all the chemicals used is very powerful. It’s hard to watch but I think this kind of show should be mandatory for all the residents of countries that launch war campaigns abroad such as the USA. I’m sure these images will make people think again about what is being done in the name of “freedom”.

I am just about finished with my time in Cambodia and very soon will be moving on to Vietnam. In the last two weeks I’ve been chilling at the southern beaches of the country, which for some reason are not such a popular destination in the guidebooks. It’s a shame because many of them are mellower, cheaper and prettier than the famous islands of Thailand. If you ever make it to the area and feel like escaping to a beach that is not packed with tourists than you should definitely check out Sihanouk Ville, the near by Koh Rong, Kampot/Kep and the near by Koh Tonsay. Actually I haven’t been on Koh Tonsay yet but I’ve heard good things about it and plan to be there tomorrow.

Cambodia has been nice but I am happy to move on. It definitely has a few things to learn from Thailand when it comes to hospitality, and the need to always be on your guard and ensure you are not being scammed can be exhausting after a while. At least the south is not as bad as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap so I am leaving in a good mood. To wrap up the tour of the beaches I will be spending a few nights on Phu Quoc island as one of the first destinations in Vietnam. Afterwards I will resume being more “activity oriented” as I make my way up slowly towards Hanoi.

I can’t really believe that half of this trip is over. Where did the last 3 month go?! Anyway, life on the road does offer some insights regarding where I want my future to be so the trip is definitely fulfilling its purpose. I keep meeting people on the same course as I am and we are drawing on each other for inspiration and determination. I still have a way to go over here but already looking forward to continue this journey of self discovery in North America…

I’ve been in Cambodia for over two weeks now and unfortunately starting to get exhausted by the general attitude. The constant pestering by vendors, tuk-tuk drivers and beggars is starting to get to me and it also seems everybody is constantly trying to mark-up prices, even in hotels and with people who work with many tourists. It is very different than things in Thailand which seems a lot less greedy.

Anyhow, I arrived a few hours ago to the coastal town of Sihanoukville which is much more laid back and I am hopeful that there will be some escape from the pestering over here. Being here made me realize how much I’ve missed the ocean. The time in Thailand while doing the diving certification really changed my attitude towards it (and it’s inhabitants) and now that I’m so close I just want to go back in as soon as possible.

Another reason for coming to this town was to get a visa for Vietnam, but the info in the guidebook turned out to be wrong so the consulate is actually closed on Saturday and my plans for the weekend would have to change slightly. I’ll probably go diving tomorrow and perhaps even spend the night on one of the islands here. I’ll decide when I get there. Isn’t freedom wonderful?