Around the World in 174 Days - Part 5 - Vietnam

Around The World in 174 Days

Part 1 - Home to Bangkok

Only a few photo are displayed within the blog. If you  want to see the rest, they can be viewed HERE

Firstly, humble apologies for not documenting some of our earlier adventures. I really thought that I would have more time.  I have made a pledge though to try and share this current experience as often as possible.

As you can probably imagine, a lot of planning goes into a trip of this time and distance? For the first part, South East Asia, we virtually mimicked the Tour offered by Intrepid Travel. We made a few changes and upgraded nearly all travel and accommodation specs and still saved a considerable amount of money. 

However, there have been a few occasions when we have wished that we did plump for the organised tour method, as we spent several Sundays meticulously making sure that everything joined together and all of the dates were correct (this wasn’t helped by the fact that those Sunday planning sessions were normally accompanied by wine!). We did wake up on a few Monday mornings unsure of what we had booked the previous evening!As the date of approached, I regularly woke at 3am in a state of panic over visas, ESTAs etc but managed to reassure myself that I had been through the entry requirements over and over and all was well. Fast forward to the evening before departure: 9:35pm and time to check in online for our Thai Airways flight to Bangkok. (We has already booked seats so it wasn’t essential but it is always nice to know that you are all sorted). Check-in commenced. “You are not allowed to check in online for this flight. Please report to the desk to check-in”. This indicated to me that there was a problem with our documentation so, although I had checked and checked again and was certain that there was no Visa requirement for a short stay in Thailand, I still had a restless night believing that I had missed something and we weren’t going to be allowed to fly!

We always arrive early for flights (it’s just us) so we arrived at check-in at 4:30 for a 9:35 flight (yes! I know!). The attendant took our passports and then made that sickening “Oh” noise which means something is wrong! Our hearts sunk! He then told us there was an issue with our seats which his supervisor would have to sort out but the supervisor was away at present. He asked us to come back in 30 minutes so we went for a coffee, still not really confident that all was well. When we went back 30 minutes later, the check in attendant was nowhere to be seen. 

We then went to ticketing to see if we could resolve the issue. The extremely helpful girl at Ticketing reminded us that we had booked separate ExIt Seats (60C & 60H). We remembered that when we booked, we couldn’t get two together so decided that, as all we were going to do was try and sleep or watch a movie, it didn’t really matter and an exit seat was more important so we bagged them. The nice girl at ticketing asked if we wanted to sit together and switched on of our seats so we were sat together. That’s all it was!! Lack of sleep and stress at the airport, just so we could sit together. 

That slight delay put us behind a party of Chinese schoolchildren (about 30 of them, aged between about 8 & 13). The fact they were Chinese is actually irrelevant as whatever nationality they may have been, they were almost entirely unsupervised and went through bag drop one at a time. This was an excruciating experience and reminded us why we do always check in early for every flight. Once through, we went to the highly recommended T2 Aspire Lounge. We’ve taken to using lounges whenever we can get a deal (and there are some good deals to be had if you shop around) as by the time you pay for a bite to eat and a few gins/beers/wines at airport prices, there’s not much to chose in cost and you are pretty much guaranteed a seat, wifi and charge for your phone. So we got the full value from our three lounge hours and then boarded. 

Nothing eventful on the flight. Thai Airway is OK but not a patch on Emirates. We cunningly pre-booked a vegetarian meal  as they always arrive first and we thought we could get to sleep earlier but it was a waste of time as we still had to wait for them to clear the trays away before we could really recline so we didn’t get to sleep any earlier and the meal was pretty bland! Managed some kip on the plane and, before we knew where we were, it was 4pm and we were at the wholly unpronounceable  Suvarnabhumi Airport. Immigration and Baggage was painless. (Confirming that there is absolutely no Visa requirement) and they didn’t even seem remotely curious that we were on a one way ticket. 

Now comes a “top tip for travelling” (Which will from now on be marked with an 💡 emoji). It is good to purchase a Thai Sim Card at the unpronounceable airport. We queued up for a while before clearing customs but you can get them in arrivals. The lovely people at AIS instal the new SIM for you and do all the activation for you. 7 days’ unlimited data costs the princely sum of £5:60 and obviously goes up in time increments from there. 4G in Bangkok is incredibly quick and efficient (we will report on Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong’s 4G efficiency in the fullness of time) and it is really helpful to be able to access Google Maps and a Transit Map right from the off. We caught the airport to downtown train to the end of the line at Phaya Thai and then had to change to the BTS to our station “Nana” (Pronounced “Nanaaaaa”!) The tickets between these lines are not interchangeable so you need to buy another token from Phaya Thai station for the BTS. 

💡When traveling in public areas at 6pm in Bangkok (and presumable the rest of Thailand). If you suddenly hear loud music and see everyone standing still, it is best to do the same. The Royal Family are highly respected and, apparently, any degree of disrespect is not looked upon lightly (we didn’t test this theory and stood still at Praya Thai once we cottoned on). 

Once at Nanaaaaa, we followed good old Google Maps toward our hotel. We had booked the Ibis Sukhumvit 4 without doing to much research into the area. We had been on Sukhumvit Rd previously and new that it was central for the BTS to get around and also close to a restaurant that we wanted to revisit (read on for further info). What we hadn’t realised is that Soi 4 is home to Nana Plaza <link>, basically, Bangkok’s main red-light District with Go-go bars, massage parlours and overt levels of prostitution in every bar and on the street. When we turned left in not Soi 4 from Sukhumvit Rd, it was instantly apparent where we were and we shot each other concerned glances as we manoeuvres our heavy, wheeled holdalls between prostitutes, lady boys and assorted street food stalls whilst paunchy ageing men chatted up Thai girls considerably younger than them, obviously pre-arranging the later entertainment. At one point, aThai man stood with a tray of assorted ED solutions hanging from his neck like a sort of bizarre, male cigarette girl and Lucy and I just hoped our hotel wasn’t going to be above a go-go bar. I find these places really sad in many ways. They reek of desperation at many levels. Young girls driven to the sex trade by poverty and old men still desperately seeking out tight young flesh in what appears to be an attempt to cling on to youth by any means. All the girls I saw in the bars were “of age” but my previous experiences in Child Exploitation investigations tell me that there is a very thin line and some visitors will be looking for younger experiences. I’ll just leave that there as this blog isn’t meant to be a soapbox for me but, as I said, I find the whole Nana Plaza scene a bit depressing. Fortunately, our hotel was past the bars and parlours (but only just and we saw at least one “lady” going up in the lift with a man easily three times her age). 

The Ibis on S4 is actually a perfectly reasonably priced hotel with a good breakfast and typical “Ibis” rooms. After the second day, you get used to walking through the Plaza and nobody bothers you. I definitely wouldn’t say “don’t stay there, it’s on Soi 4!). 

We checked into the hotel and I needed to move some money between accounts straight away. I tried to access one of my online accounts but, as my hands were sweaty due to the humidity (not the walk through Nana Plaza!) my fingerprint ID wouldn’t work. In my frustration, I managed to try three times and was instantly locked out of my online account. Easily resolved, just use your online username and password.  I then realised that it had been so long since I had used this method that I had literally no idea what this password is and hadn’t made a note of it before we left. Nor could we remember the answer to any of my memorable questions. Nothing for it but to ring the bank. A £60 phone call later, I was back into my account. An expensive lesson in patience and forward planning! (Lucy found this episode totally hilarious, I can assure you).

So, we had arrived, we were knackered but it was only 7pm. No point going to bed and waking up at 2am. Younger readers won’t understand an average of between 6&7 hours sleep a night but, trust me, you will!So nothing for it but to recce what we had decided upon as our chosen venue for the RWC final the following day. Back through Soi 4 and along Sukhumvit to Soi 13 (it’s really quite easy to navigate your way up and down Sukhumvit Rd!) and into The Sportsman. It’s a good opportunity to dispel a myth here. “Bangkok is no longer cheap” (well to drink in anyway). You can eat well for a reasonable price but most bars charge about £5-£6 per pint, even for local beer and the cheapest we found was £3 in happy hour. We had a couple in The Sportsmen before the drunkest Kiwi I have ever met (and I’ve met a few drunk Kiwis) engaged us in conversation. He was actually a lovely chap who had clearly spent the previous 4 or 5 hours watching the bronze medal match and drinking. We spent quite a jolly hour with Dominic, although, at times, he was completely incoherent but by the time we had drunk a few more with him, the combination of jetlag and beer meant we were nearly speaking the same language. 

We then walked back towards our hotel (without Dominic I hasten to add), visiting the delightfully named Bangcockney Bar just off Soi 4 for a nightcap and an extremely passable plate of Noodles with chicken. The combination of these experiences ensured a relatively good night’s sleep on day one. 

Up early to start our first full day, we had a hearty breakfast before heading out to locate Hua Lampong Railway Station  to collect our pre-booked tickets for the sleeper train to Chiang Mai on Monday and to ensure we knew where we were going. It’s a good 4 mile walk but a relatively interesting one, which took us through the massive Chulalongkorn University Campus and some very narrow alleyways, where it was interesting just to witness how ordinary folk live day to day, in very simple conditions. Early on in our walk, a gentlemen showed a particular interest in us and warned us to mind a slippery piece of. Pavement. We thanked him and he then took the. Opportunity to introduce himself to us as a Police Officer (he produced a badge and ID). He was polite and interested in where we came from and told us that there was a Summit on at the moment, hence the high Police presence (which we had noticed). He asked us where we were heading and we told him Hua Lampong.  He then began to direct us to the location, via The Thai Mall “Good Shopping” and Chinatown “Good Food”. Before we knew where we were he had called over a Tuk-Tuk. We had a Tuk-tuk experience on our previous visit and, whilst I would recommend it if you are a first time visitor, be warned, they will take you to all of their friends’ tailor shops, food outlets and souvenir shops in between each Temple and you end up getting totally sick of it.  You pay the driver next to nothing as he gets a rake off of any purchases you make. We are still unsure whether the gentleman was a genuine Police. Officer but on this occasion, he was a Tuk-tuk agent for sure. We told him we would prefer to walk and bad him good day. Humidity was very high and the walk was pretty tiring. We eventually found the DOB Building opposite the railway station, where we were to collect our tickets and immediately froze when we saw the sign on the door saying “PLEASE HAVE VOUCHERS AND PASSPORTS READY”. Our passports were safely stored in the safe in our hotel room.

 I had taken the precaution of photographing our passports and other important documents before we left home and uploading them to Dropbox. 💡Fortunately, this was sufficient. “Phew!” so we were able to collect our tickets and explore the Railway Station. 

We then walked the same distance back and it was time for the Rugby World Cup Final. We went back to The Sportsmen to find it, unsurprisingly, totally mobbed. We were then told by the manager that they were only allowing pre-bookings in but there was an area we could stand tucked away in the corner. We were fine with this but he then randomly said that if we waited 10 minute there was a pre-booking which hadn’t shown up and he would group us together with some others and we could have that table. This all worked out and we were teamed up with Ellie and Beth, two Teachers who had recently arrived in Bangkok to teach in local schools. We enjoyed chatting with them pre-match. We always enjoy hearing about other people’s travel experiences and one of them had recently visited Unawatuna in Sri Lanka where we are heading after SE Asia so it was good to get an insight into that. 

Then the game began!! 

Anyway, after the game, the mood dampened somewhat. Apart from everything else about the game, it was. Real shame as everyone just basically left the bar with their heads down. We shook hands with the few South African Fans and left ourselves. The bar management must have been totally gutted as their predicted profits would have taken a massive nosedive. 

We had planned to visit Cabbages and Condoms during our stay. This is a restaurant run by a charity which seeks to help the rural communities grow cabbages and practice birth control but it is better explained here. 

We first visited Cabbages & Condoms 10 years’ ago on our only previous visit to Bangkok and thoroughly enjoyed it. At that time, it was fairly pricey by Bangkok so standards but the meal was excellent and it is for a really good cause. 

Have to say that we were Ever so slightly disappointed on this visit. Now our moods weren’t that great, having just lost the rugby and we were sat outside and, just as our main course had arrived, a massive storm broke which meant that our (slight soggy) mains had to be carried in (They provided fresh rice) none of which helped, but we just didn’t think it was as good an experience as our previous visit and the food definitely wasn’t as good.

Also, the prices (as would appear with everything in Bangkok) have risen sharply.  Now I accept that it was 10 years ago but I distinctly remember on our last visit that our meal (with wine) was 35 quid back then. On this. Occasion, a similar meal with no wine, just a beer each was 56 quid. Even allowing for inflation that is quite a big hike and. I have checked and exchange rates have remained pretty static.Anyway, ho-hum, it is what it is.

We decided to return to our hotel room and drink our own duty free for the remainder of the evening.

Up again and breakfasted the following morning and we decided to take in some sights. We hadn’t been to Chinatown of the Golden Buddha Temple before so plumped to walk out that way. It was identical to the. Route we had taken. The previous day, which as a bit of  shame but with the help of Google Maps, we managed to deviate slightly.

The Golden Buddha is magnificent! A 5.5 tonne, 5 metre statue of a seated Buddha, dating. Back to the 13th Century. I hold no religious beliefs whatsoever but always marvel at elaborate religious artefacts. Relating to any faith.  The trouble is, I always end up thinking the same thing; extremely poverty stricken people would have died erecting these object of veneration. AndI can’t imagine any merciful god wanting that to happen. Anyway, nearly climbed back on my soapbox (get down John!)

After paying respect to The Buddha, we weaved our way through. The narrow (and. Crazy) streets of Chinatown. Stalls selling every type of. Foodstuff; vegetable, every part of every animal, herbs spices, so many sights and smells (not all pleasant) Blind singing beggars being led through by sighted companions I didn’t get to take. Any photos here as you basically get pushed through.  With the tide of people and don’t dare to stop. We spent an incredible 45 minutes or so just getting lost in the crowd. The walk back was exhausting due to the humidity and distance involved (about10 miles) so it became. Necessary to stop in “Bully’s Bar”on Sukhumvit Rd, just around the corner from Soi 4.  Although very close,there isn’t a hint of sleaze around Bully’s and this is the three pound a pint Happy Hour venue I mentioned earlier. We really liked it in there. Staff were friendly and they played pretty decent music (mostly American rock standards but pretty palatable) We also saw some food coming out which looked extremely appetising and reasonably priced so we decided to come back later in the evening to eat. We weren’t disappointed. A Green Curry, Red Curry and a Pad Thai between us were all delicious each dish was under a fiver. Day three complete.

As I said earlier, we tried to mimic the Intrepid Tour as closely as possible. Whilst in Bangkok, one. Of the organised tours on the Intrepid package is a Khlong Tour. A Khlong is a canal and there are a network throughout Bangkok.  There are the Khlongs which network the old city but we didn’t have time for that as we were leaving thas afternoon so we opted. To. Take the boat along San Saeb Khlong which is basically the commuter boat which traverse the city from East to West.  We walked down to Nana Chad pier and picked up a boat to the Bangkapi Mall, a ride of about 30 or so minutes costing 17 bhat (around 40p).  Whilst these boats are jam-packed during rush hour, during the quieter hours we easily got a seat. The boat travels quite fast along the canal and it is a fascinating way to view parts of the city from the water. The canal is very polluted though so I wouldn’t risk falling in.

Into the Mall for a cup of coffee before making the journey back and popping into our new favourite bar, Bully’s for a Pad Thai and a Pint(The new version of a Pie and a Pint) and then pick up our bags and whisked away to Hua Lampong Station to start the next part of our adventure. (428 miles North to Chiang Mai via sleeper train).

I am actually on that train as I type and, although we left Hua Lamping at 19:45, we will be lucky if we have yet travelled 20 miles so goodness knows what time we will get there?

But I’m spoiling the plot! 

Tune in next time for the latest episode.

Cheers

John & Lucy