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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jan 19, 2007 07:00 PM Vietnam - islands in the mist...
We spent a night in the La Long Bay anchoring between the islands... All night there was a noise from the boat's generator and they supply hot water only for one hour...
The *** boat was not so bright. If you want to have the beer at evening you must pay extra 18000 dongs. If you want second cup of coffee for breakfast you have to pay 5000. But the sccenery is beautiful! We took a long sail between the islands to the floating village, where local people are approaching on the little boats selling exotic fruits and vegies. You can also land on the one of these houses to see how do they live (poor level - it is not Brunei). They have even little floating school! In the midday we returned to the city of Ha Long and after lunch they delivered us back to Hanoi.
I was always dreaming about seeing Ha Long. It was nice excursion - and quite inexpensive regarding the scope of services... The only problem - I was not lucky with the weather. But this you never know...
In the evening I am taking the bus to the south - to Hue - it will take me whole night (650 km) to get there...
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Jan 18, 2007 07:00 PM Ha Long - not to be missed!
As you know I am not the enthusiast of the group travel, but sometimes it is the last expensive solution. I just make exception fot the trip to Ha Long Bay - famous for the landscape - UNESCO put it on the World Heritage List...
Many travel agencies in Hanoi offer the tours to Ha Long - you have a choice of 1-3 days trip and 2-4 star boat. The prices start at 25 USD for round trip transport from Hanoi, meals, boat, accommodation and guide plus entry fee.
I took 2-days tour with overnight on the *** boat i the cabin withe bath. It is slightly better standard - it costs me 36 USD.
Transfers in Hanoi are included so they took me at 8 am from the hotel. The trip to Ha Long City took us 4 hours. Then we boarded one of many tourist ships and sailed to the chain of those beautiful islands. It is really wonderful place! Unfortunately it was cloudy day, so the pics will have dark colors. The highlight was the visit to the huge cave and then climbing the hill on one of the little island for the great view of the area. Yes, I saw in the past Pha Nga Bay in Thailand. There are also such islands. But here you will see much more of them - here the scale is few times bigger.
Hal Long is a must if you are in Vietnam!
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Jan 17, 2007 07:00 PM Good morning Vietnam!
It was 7.45 am when I boarded 3-wheeler on the street in the remote Pingxang. The chineese driver asked for 20 yuan to the border but after some bargaining he agreed to take me for 15. 20 minutes later we reached parking lot near the Friendship Pass border crossing.
I took my backpack and walked to the huge stone gate. After the gate there were big, impressive border control building - there they stamped my passport without any problem... Then there were just 100 m to the barrier and again 50 m to the Vietnameese building. Formalities took me 10 minutes. The only surprise was requested fee for medical control (5000 dongs - have them ready from the money changers on the chineese side - if not they will ask for 3 yuans).
Nobody at the vietnameese post spoke any european language including Russian - so I had no chance to ask why I was forced to wait 2 days for the entry to their country...
Good morning Vietnam!
There were no bus transport from the border control to the nearest town - Lang Son. It is 18 km. Taxi drivers asked for 200000 dongs. Then for 5 USD, finally they took me for 3 USD. In Lang Son they put me on the private minibus going to Hanoi (about 170 km). They asked again for 200000 dongs. I paid 10 USD for 3,5-hours trip, and I saw that they are collecting from the local people only 50000. Shame... So this is true that in Vietnam very often there are two prices: low for the locals and high (2-3 times higher) for the foreingners... For 1 USD they pay 16060 dongs.
Hanoi has interesting Old Town, the mausoleum of Great Leader and few nice temples on the lakeside to see. I do not like the hordes of motobikes on the streets - they generate a lot of smoke and noise. But at every corner you can buy your bread and crispy, fresh french baguettes. There is also cheese and butter available at every grocery. Oh - la, la!
I pray for the good weather for tomorrow - I plan to go to the famous Ha Long Bay...
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Jan 16, 2007 07:00 PM 18 km to the border...
PINGXIANG. Did you hear about PingXiang? It is a little chineese town on the main road to Vietnam... I stay here involuntary in the chineese army camp... Every time I pass through the gate I politely say -Hallo!- to the guards - soldiers in the elegant uniforms. There is not much to do in PingXiang. I buy my daily bananas on the little market (2 yuan per kilo), mandarines (3 yuan per kilo) and tomatoes (2 yuan again). It is cheap: for 1 USD they pay 7.78 yuan... Sorry - no bread... There are people from the minorities visible on the streets, but they are shy to be photographed. No other tourists... 3 km down the road there is a "downtown" of Pinxiang with few hotels and shops.
No much to do - so it is laundry day. Touts offer money exchange: for 1 yuan - 2000 vietnameese dongs. What will be the rate on the other side of the border? Who knows?
Tomorrow in the morning I'll try to cross the border to Vietnam again. It is 18 km to the road border crossing. Next train will come two days later - I do not want to wait so long time...
So please keep your fingers crossed my friends! I believe it helps!
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Jan 15, 2007 07:00 PM No, I am not in Hanoi...
T-5 train departed from Guilin with one hour delay. In Nanning they took all of us off the train... (for cleaning?) an hour later we boarded our international express again... Only two passenger carriages in the train! Bad news: the chineese carriage will go only to the Vietnameese border town of DangDong. Then, in the middle of the night all passengers are changing the carriage to the Vietnameese one! Even Lonely Planet did not mention that...
At 1 am we reched the chineese border town of Pingxiang. Immigrations collected the passports. They came back with them an hour later. No exit stamp in my passport! -You must disembark the train! - somebody translated because the immigration officers know only english: Hallo!
Why me? -In your vietnameese visa you have written date of entry to Vietnam 18th Jan, it is 16th today! -You have to wait two days!
But... there is no disscussion in the middle of the night with the officer who do not speak any European language...
I dissembarked the train...
It is VERY difficult planing four-months RTW voyage to precise the entry date - I did not know T5 timetable... Now you will know what to expect on this outback border crossing...
Good night from China!
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Jan 14, 2007 07:00 PM Ready for T-5 train...
I am back in Guilin-China. At the railway station I got my ticket for the tnternational T-5 train Beijing-Hanoi. Soft sleeper cars only - they charge hefty 527 yuan. But I got it! Depart will be in the afternoon. There is another - less expensive option to get to Vietnam: 10.30 pm sleeper bus to the border for 250 yuan and then on the other side you have to look for the other bus to Hanoi. But I have bad experience with chineese sleeper buses: they are for the people who are up to 150 cm tall and not so wide. I am 182 cm, so for me a night I such a bus is like a hell... Thank you!
On my first evening in Guilin on the main street between rail and bus stations I was bothered by the local ladies. "Beautiful, beautiful!"- they know some english words. "F... - 200 yuan!"-they offered. And when I politely said: Shieshie! Thank you! the price for "F..." dropped dramatically to 100 yuan.
100 yuan is just 12,50 USD. The price for the party with "beautiful" chineese ladies is not so high! I saw the same ladies on the main street today... They did not repeat their offer probably because I had a huge bacpack on me. I did not see any presence of People's Police there...
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Jan 13, 2007 07:00 PM Walk through the rice fields...
Even in the one million-town in China you will not see in the "supermarket" such delights like butter, cheese, margarine, caned meat... They do not eat it! There is plenty of instsnt noodle soups - but the problem is: how to recognize what is inside (I do not like hot, spicy food). A sort of sweet bread is available only in limited cake shops. So, what to eat: there are plenty of cheap street eateries - they serve a noodle soups for just 2-3 yuan and the rice dishes for 6-8y. Bon apetit!
Today I took a microbus (3y) to the village of Fuli. Sorry, there are no traditional houses - China is changing... I took some pictures on the market and the walked out of the village - through rice and sugar cane fields - at the bottom of this fantastic, picturesque limestone formations. I reached other, smaller village with some mud-brick architecture and smiling pepple. There were orange orchards - it is just the harvest time and you can buy a kilo for 4 yuan - just 50 US cents...
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Jan 12, 2007 07:00 PM Cruising Li River - China
In front of the Guilin station you will be bothered by many touts. Most of them offer accommodation and excursions to the rice terraces and cruises on the Li river. The unusual landscape of limestone hills around Li River is the main attraction in the Guilin area. The prices for a few hours cruise starts at 470 yuan on the "foreigners" boat with lunch and english-speaking guide. Next option is 280 y boat for the Chineese tourist. Without insurance (ask!) it will be 210. But I'll tell you the secret: there is another option for the backpacker: take 10y bus to Yangshuo, then 5.50y bus to Xingping. At the Xingping bus station touts will offer you the round trip boat to the village Yangdi - through the most picturesque part of the Rivel Li cruise. And you will pay for the RT boat only 40y instead of 200!!! What a bargain! Yes, I took this little boat. It is still cloudy here and all this fantastic limestone peaks are in the haze, but the views were still exciting... I think it is one of the highlights in the landscape of all China - not to be missed!
Just one warning: avoid Mr Jack Li from CITS Guilin - his office is in the kiosk in front of Guilin Station. He knows English but he is cheating foreign tourists: he will send you for the Li River cruise by local transport charging twice money that it is worth!
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Jan 11, 2007 07:00 PM China - cold and hazy Guilin...
Did you ever wait 10 minutes for the opening of single internet window? That's how it works here! In front of my hotel I found internet cafe - is is more like the game saloon, but it has also internet facility... They charge only 2 yuan per hour, but the speed is so bad...
It is cold and hazy here - today I was walking around the town visiting the tourist attractions - they are not cheap... They charge 50 yuan for the entry to Solitary Beauty Park (palace surrounded by the wall with a picturesque peak to climb and to enjoy the view). Then if you cross the bridge there is nice Seven Star Park to visit (another 35 yuan to pay - no mercy, no discounts!) - the view from the Sky Pavillon on one of the hills is spectacular... if it is sunny day. Bizarre limestone formations are closing the horizon...
I spent an hour at the train station first trying to get the information when the train to Vietnam is departing and then trying to buy the ticket... The lines are long... The knowledge of english - almost zero... So for your information: departs are on Monday and Friday only at 2.36 pm... Finally somebody explained me that I can buy the ticket only two days ahead... Too early... I'll stay in the line again...
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Jan 10, 2007 07:00 PM China - riding the bus to Guilin...
My charming guide did not expected that the last direct bus to Guilin will depart from Canton at 9.10 am. Lonely Planet is wrong: it takes now only 7 hours. We found the connection with bus change at Babu. Departure 10.45 am to Babu - 7 hours, 100 yuans. And then 3.5 hours to Guilin (65 y). In China very often when you buy the bus tickets you must buy also the travel insurance - this is like extra 5 y to pay... and you have no choice... The long distance buses are suprisely comfortable - I had enough space for my long legs. The attendent serves free mineral water and chineese snacks...
It was dark when I arrived to Guilin - close to the bus station I found Huali Hotel. On the wall there is official room price: 240 y. But withe the help of nice english-speaking fellow after some we bargained it to 100 yuan. (1 USD =7.73 y). Beds are hard but there is even hot water in the shower. It is cold here but the mountains around are beautiful...
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