Advices that can't be more true for those who wish to travel to Vietnam

Dear Traveller,

The first thing you have to realise is – nothing is what it seems.

No one has sex outside of marriage here apparently. Yet the teenage abortion rate is horrifically high. Everyone seemingly has a mobile phone and a motorbike but the average wage is a dollar a day.

Befriend a local and they will spend their last few cents on a meal for you. They will refuse to take anything towards the cost (and you probably shouldn’t offer) and they will be genuinely honoured to eat with you. You can make a friend for life in seconds. At the same time, if someone collapses in the street, people will walk by. Or worse, stop to stare but do nothing.

As a foreigner the Police will leave you alone. They know you bring money into this country. But that works both ways too. They may not help you when you need them either.

Everywhere is manic with activity yet strangely serene. Eventually your ears will filter out the noise and you’ll fall in step with the traffic. You’ll wonder why it seemed so scary when you first arrived.

I understand that when you think of Vietnam the chances are your first thought is of the American War (that’s what it’s called in these parts – and what else would they call it if you think about it for a second). By all means go to the museums, the tunnels and the rest if that is your thing. But Vietnam is much much more than that.

Seventy percent of the population were born after the war. And the American war was a blip in amongst centuries of other wars. In my experience Vietnamese tend to look forward rather than back – understand the horrors of that war. Put it in context and move on. Vietnam has.

Don’t get too tied down with that communism thing. Vietnam is communist in name only. In terms of the likes of education and healthcare the capitalist country you left is likely to provide more for its people. As for freedom, well don’t expect criticism of the government in the newspapers (or on this weblog for that matter) but you don’t suffer a nanny state here either.

And yes.. the opening up to commerce has helped Vietnam prosper. But don’t forget this is on the back of a rare 30 years of peace. I would guess that this is the most significant factor in the upswing.

Don’t worry about your personal safety. Or at least don’t panic about it. Vietnam is probably the safest place you will visit. But don’t be stupid. Hanoi isn’t too bad but by all account bag snatching is on the rise in Saigon. Just keep things close to you. Honestly money belts are not needed. Stick you wallet in your pocket, like you do at home.

People will rip you off sometimes. They need the money. But that doesn’t mean that people will ALWAYS rip you off. Sometimes the price they say is THE price. There is no need for haggling. Other times you can haggle and haggle to get a couple of cents knocked off. Why bother?

Find out what things cost. Don’t accept the rip off price but accept the reasonable price. And while we’re at it, westerners don’t always pay more than locals (transport aside). That’s a myth.

And yes people are poor here. Ignore the TV shops, the motorbikes, the cars etc. It’s for a (growing) select few. Most people still live in a one room home and sleep on the floor. Remember that.

Learn a couple of words of Vietnamese. Hello and thank-you will do it. It’ll make people smile at the very least. Smiling is important here. Smile when you’re haggling, smile when you’re arguing, smile when you’re asking for your money back. People will appreciate it and actually it’s a nicer way to live. If you’re being over charged make an “oh my god” face, but do it half smiling. They’ll realise they’ve been sussed but they’ll smile back in a “I’ve been caught” way and most likely offer you’re the real price.

Relax…they can smell nervous tourists and it’s like a red rag to a bull. At least pretend you know what you’re doing without being arrogant.

Learn to enjoy it even when things go wrong. They will go wrong. Vietnam is slapstick and bizarre and that is why so many of us love it. Vietnamese people know their country is bizarre. Get stuck in a traffic jam in a taxi and the driver will turn to you laughing, shrug and say: “Vietnam”. As if that is the reason for the madness. Remember, each c@ck-up is another experience and another good traveller’s tale. Learn to laugh at the problems and live with it.

Oh and they will call you fat. They will ask how much you weigh, how old you are, how much you earn, how much your camera cost. Compared to them you probably are fat – and answer the questions truthfully – who cares?

As Michael Caine says in The Quiet American: “"They say, whatever you are looking for, you can find here.".

It’s true. On every level from beautiful beaches to amazing cities. From boiled dog to bangers and mash. From street food to the Sheraton. How much you submerge yourself in Vietnam is up to you. Eat at street stalls if you enjoy the experience but you don’t have to. Don’t feel guilty if you only eat in top restaurants. Your dollars will still pay for a wage here. Likewise don’t think you understand Vietnam and its people just because you’ve sat on plastic stools and eaten noodle soup.

And there is a seedy underside, and there are drugs, and there is corruption and prostitution. But where doesn’t have these?

There is no where else like Vietnam. People who have been here longer than me, have told me that only five years ago it was all bicycles on the road. Now it’s mostly motorbikes but more and more cars are starting to appear. Vietnam is changing. And although I wish I had seen it then – now is also fascinating. The change is here but McDonalds and Starbucks haven’t arrived yet. Nothing is ruined. Not yet.

You should realise that people either love or hate Vietnam. It is that type of place. But if you at least try to love it then it is more likely to work for you. Come here already smiling and with an open mind and it will be okay. Start to lose your temper over the traffic, the service, the roads or the food and it will only get worse. Nothing works here if you stop smiling.

My final piece of advice is: play the idiot.

Play the big western lump. Catch their eye when they’re laughing at you (you are funny) and laugh with them. Pull a face at the kids.

Leave your ego and impatience behind and it’ll work out just fine.


Carpe diem

Bergen

Only 1 day spent in Bergen and the city didn't disappoint me. Being situated by the sea, it's the main trading port in Norway and was the largest city in Europe in medieval times. This info is quite a surprise considering its small size by nowadays standard; I could easily stroll around the city in half-a-day! I didn't notice any local trains or buses at all. The only train in the city is the Floibanen which goes up the Ulriken mountain every half-an-hour from where you have a splendid view to the city below. So what is Bergen famous for? It is the rainiest place in Norway because the city is surrounded by 7 mountains! yes, SEVEN! (and the fact is it rained on the day i was exploring the city as well). But tourists don't come here to see the rain, most people come to Bergen as a starting point to explore the fjords, except me. I came after the fjords tour and wanted to see nothing in particular, just wanted to relax after 1 week of travelling. However, the city has a charm. Uncrowded, beautiful, narrow stone passages... you name it. It made me feel like visiting a small fishing village yet the houses are as charming as from fairy tales. One of the most (if not the most) beautiful cities in the world...


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Taken on my way from Oslo to Myrdal (Norway/07). The area is covered by glaciers and the inverse image together made a great shot.


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Vienna

I will try to write as much as I can about my travels, may not be everything but at least for now I want to write something. My writing could be incoherent as I will write anything come into my mind and I won't try to organize it. If I miss something, I will write it later. Start with my most recent trip...
...And so I packed my bag and left to Vienna, the city of imperial glories that are slowly fading away, this time only alone. Vienna welcome me with the heat of 36 Celsius degree that burn away anythings left from the rainy UK. Everything in Vienna is so German: big building, wide boulevards, people speak German and no crossing on the roads when the light shows red even when there's no a single car in sight. My hostel is at the end of the U4 metro, 30 minutes away from city centre, nothing could be worse, no places could be further... well, at least they do serve a good breakfast or else I would very much regret my choice. My first dinner was a take-way quarter of a pizza at only EUR 2.5, taste wasn't bad since I was too hungry. Sleep was a struggle with the heat and I couldn't get naked to sleep because there were 3 other Argentinians sharing the dorm with me and 2 of them are girls. As a compensate, Vienna has many things to offer, ranging from palaces, high-baroque to gothic churches. At the time I was hurry for the train to the airport leaving to Amsterdam, I still left Belvedere Palace behind undiscovered. Better luck next time.

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My Europe trips

In the past 2 years in UK, I didn't just lazily sitting my butt in front of the computer but I did a little bit of traveling as well. Here are my journeys so far (in chronological order and excluding various trips in the UK and the trip to Morocco on Xmas 2006), I will love these free and joyful times:
Summer 2006: Italia - Greece - Germany
Easter 2007: France - Spain
Summer 2007 (just finished): Austria - The Netherlands - Norway



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Black Country Museum - Dudley

Background info:
The Black Country is the industrial region to the west of, and separate from, Birmingham in the Midlands of England. It gained its name in the mid nineteenth century due to the smoke from the many thousands of ironworking foundries and forges and the nature of the countryside which had been covered by dark spoil from the working of shallow and relatively thick (30ft) coal seams.

The region was described as 'Black by day and red by night' by Elihu Burritt, the American Consul to Birmingham in 1862 and other authors, from Dickens to Shenstone, refer to the intensity of manufacturing in the Black Country and its effect on the landscape and its people.


Today the Black Country is made up of most of the four Metropolitan District Council areas of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton and the collections and displays are derived from throughout these areas.

The industries included:

coal & coke
iron & steel
locks & keys
nails
chains
ships anchors
glassware
beer & stout

Black Country Museum (BCM) located in Dudley which is only 30 mins away by car from Birmingham University. The trip to BCM was organized by my School of Computer Science. Around 10 international students joined the trip, i was in too as usual ^^ . The weather was freezing that day :(

Photos:

Inside exhibition halls












The Black Country was famous for the Staffordshire Thick Coal, which lay beneath much of the area. The coal occurred in seams of up to 10 metres thick, far bigger than anywhere else in Britain. I joined "Into the Thick" , an underground experience created by the Black Country Living Museum to show how miners worked the Thick Coal and other seams in the Black Country in about 1850. It is a drift mine, with a sloping tunnel down. No photographing allowed but I still managed to capture one shot on the way out of the tunnel ^^


The 1920s cinema showing silent movies: we were watching Laurel & Hardy ^^


19th century street setting



The dock



Cast iron house ^^



Overview







Misc







Me ^^






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Destination: Cardiff

Cardiff - the capital of Wales is the youngest capital in Europe. It is a small city with population of around 300,000. The trip to Cardiff from Birmingham took approximately 2.5 hours. "I am travelling from England to Wales". That sounds far away but the distance is not that much. About equal to distance between Birmingham and London. And now, here I am ... in Cardiff - Wales ...

Millenium Stadium - the place where FA Cup Final Match held every year!



Cardiff Castle - a "must visit" tourist attraction in Wales!



Norwegian Church - Originally built in 1868 for the Norwegian sailors visiting Cardiff when it was one of the busiest coal exporting docks in the world. The Church is also the place where the childrens’ author Roald Dahl, famous for writing "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", was christened in 1916.



Wales Millennium Centre - is a huge, architecturally spectacular building in the heart of Cardiff Bay. The use of slate, wood, metal, and glass pays tribute to Wales and its industrial past. Words written: "In these stones horizons sing" in English and Welsh!



Cardiff Bay - claimed as the most exciting waterfront development in Europe



St John's Church - is Cardiff’s second oldest building after the castle and is one of the five Beacon Churches of South East Wales. The tower dates from the 15th Century after the original 11th century tower was destroyed by Owain Glyndwr’s troops.





Cardiff City Hall - Built in the English Renaissance style, City Hall was opened in 1906, a year after Cardiff was granted its city status. Within the magnificent exterior carved from Portland Stone can be found elegant rooms perfect for wedding ceremonies. City Hall is licenced for marriage ceremonies with its unique atmosphere making it an outstanding choice for a wedding
I happened to see a wedding celebrated on that day too ^^







National Assembly for Wales - consists of 60 Members elected throughout Wales. The Assembly has delegated many of its powers to the First Minister, who leads the Welsh Assembly Government





Pierhead Building - Incorporating a French-Gothic Renaissance theme, the Pierhead boasts details such as hexagonal chimneys, carved friezes, gargoyles, and a highly ornamental and distinctive clock tower. Its exterior is finished in glazed terracotta blocks







Cardiff downtown - I guess every cities in UK must possess this kind of walking street, for people to walk and shop around without interference of vehicles





Buskers







Misc:

The Kiss - a famous sculpture by Rodin. Found in National Museum of Wales ^^



Sign post - in English and Welsh



Dunno what they call this ^^



The Dragon - symbol of Wales



The so-called arts ^^







Some ( rare ) photos of me ^^
















Carpe diem