All, Destinations
We know you have missed us terribly. Like being forced to wait an entire week for your next fix of Breaking Bad/Whale Wars/My Little Pony you are probably wondering what you should do with yourself, your life and indeed who you are in this terrible vacuum. But fret not, for we shall jump straight into the second part of our Vietnam Adventure. If you are new to our blog, we recommend the first part first, but it is entirely up to you – the world is your oyster. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us begin.
Vietnam’s most famous division during what is locally referred to as the American War between 1954 and 1975 (there have been quite a few other conflicts with other nations the Vietnamese have managed to dissuade from taking their land and resources) saw the stand off of two seemingly opposing ideologies that were already in global fisticuffs. Communist North Vietnam and capitalist/colonialist South Vietnam, with heavy interference from the United States, fought one of the most controversial wars in modern history.
We were about to cross the former border between South and North, marked by the De-Militarised Zone (DMZ), a strip of land 5km north and south of the Ben Hai River at the geographical centre of the country designated in 1954 to be military-free. This was going to be without doubt the epicentre of all things Charlie vs. Captain America, and a humbling experience it certainly was.
Before we crossed into Vietnam’s northern territories however, we had the absolute pleasure of discovering some of the country’s most beautiful palace and temple complexes in the former imperial capital of Hue. Not to be mistaken for a tone of colour or a certain bumbling actor otherwise known as Mr Grant, Hue’s (pronounced H-oo-ey!) status as UNESCO World Heritage Site and long standing imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty made it a stop off you would not want to miss. You see, if you are a Nguyen, it would not do to have a simple castle. A 2km by 2km walled Imperial City was constructed in 1804, moat and all, filled with water from the Perfume River. Oh, and lawnmowers were so last year, so elephants were brought in to do the job (but strictly kept away from parties).
Walking around the half restored, half dilapidated remains of Hue’s Citadel was lovely despite the drizzle, and our guide explained all about the royal colours (yellow is the way to go) and where the emperor, his wife, his mother and his wife’s family lived. The emperor’s father was of course nowhere to be found, as regency was passed from father to son only upon the last emperor’s death. As the French put it, “The king is dead, long live the king!” How the elephants felt about this remains uncertain.
Much to our Rat’s delight, it was off to one of her favourite places (if not THE favourite place) – the rumbling, leaning, exhilarating seat of a motorbike. With only an afternoon to spare in Hue, we set off with the entire group on a thrilling bike mission through the city, its most famous landmarks and local secrets in surrounding rice fields and villages. Our on-screen team Denver and Vicki gave it their all, completely forgetting about the rain as we gleefully whizzed through tiny countryside paths dodging overhanging branches, over train lines (not dodging trains), around Hue’s bustling city centre and maze of old quarter next to the Citadel. Chauffeured by our very own trusty motorbike guides who patiently put up with our antics, we were entertained with snippets of information about their home town ranging from “this is the Thien Mu Pagoda, built in 1601” to “oooh, loooook!!! Wateeeer- buffalo. Tasty!”
The Hue-in-a-nutshell motorbike tour proved a great respite from travelling by bus, as did walking around the Vinh Moc tunnels the next day, which was however a rather more sombre affair. Located in the DMZ just north of the Ben Hai River formerly dividing North and South Vietnam, the three-level, nearly 2km long network of tunnels housed over 60 families who had previously lived in villages on the surface, that were being intensely bombed by US troops, who suspected the villagers of supplying food and armaments to the North Vietnamese army.
The tunnels, the presence of land mine clearing units still active today in large regions of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and a previous visit to the museum and grounds of the My Lai massacre brought home the terrors of war, and the long term effects violent conflict has on regions, people and human prosperity. The war having been so recent, and in living memory of many locals and overseas soldiers, it is moving, troubling and important to visit sites, museums and memorials, to learn first hand that what we read about in text books happened to real people, in real places, and should not be taken lightly or rationalised into statistics when deciding which political action is to be supported by our very own countries when faced with international conflict.
The complex stories behind the Vinh Moc tunnels and My Lai village are best experienced yourself by visiting both places. Note though that the My Lai village memorial screens one of the most sensationalist and insensitive ‘documentary’ films we have ever seen – this should however not distract you from appreciating the horrendous events suffered by the village (only one of many), that was massacred entirely by US troops. If you can’t visit in the near future, you can read more about Vinh Moc and My Lai online.
Considering the events that impacted this country so heavily in living history, Vietnamese people are incredibly open and willing to discuss with anyone (including US tourists) the effects the war has had. They also lack the bitterness and resentment you can sometimes find people feeling out of principle towards others. No “I hate the Japanese cause my granddaddy fought in the war” or “I won’t talk to you cause 300 years ago your ancestors tried to invade my country” here. Vietnamese people simply get on with their lives, neither heavily relying on and pandering to tourists nor resenting foreigners for ‘not being from these parts’.
Vietnam has a thriving national tourism industry (previously mentioned Da Lat is the country’s wedding capital), and our next stop was at a wonderful guesthouse at the shores of a beautiful lake, where international and local tourists mixed to enjoy the regions natural wonders together. The aptly named ‘Lake House’ near Dong Hoi was also a handy 1 hour drive from the spectacular Thien Duong (Paradise) Cave, one of the biggest limestone caves in the world.
The 31km long, 150m wide tunnel was only discovered relatively recently in 2005 by a local, who must have initially been worried he’d been licking too many frogs. Explored further by the British Cave Research Association (undoubtedly sampling frogs along the way) and opened to the public in 2010, the cave’s breathtaking stalactites, stalagmites and columns reach 100m into the ceiling above a 1km walkway that shepherds gawping tourists through the now tastefully lit cavern. The local contingent of gawping tourists got doubly lucky as they cornered us at the end of the 1km walkway and practically made us pose for family photos – with the entire extended family.
Relaxing from the experience over fantastic chicken wings ( from high-grade Vietnamese ‘walking’ chickens, a lot tastier, we were informed, than our bloated European ‘sitting’ chickens) at the Lake House, we clambered into our bamboo bunk beds and settled down to sleep amidst the jungle sounds which obviously proceeded to stop us from reaching anything close to sleep. It proved a magical experience nonetheless, as our group spent the hour before we did finally drift off trying to identify the different gnawing and scuffling noises in the framework of our hut.
A long drive was ahead of us – 400km along dusty, bumpy, windy roads in the middle of nowhere, without even the most modest of views to enjoy. Thankfully we finally got the DVD player to work and indulged ourselves with a mixture of Father Ted, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Without these creature comforts we may well have ended up eating one another, … hang on, let’s not get overdramatic. Considering the strain of travel and the fact a week ago we had been complete strangers, we were getting along incredibly well. It was undoubtedly all thanks to everyone’s great attitude, sense of humour and patience, as whilst the Stray Asia experience is a tour, it’s ethos attracts open minded tourees who are genuinely interested in the people and places around them.
We survived the 11-hour non-stop bus ride thanks to a good dose of fatalistic humour, to arrive at the outskirts of Ninh Bin, a city surrounded by dramatic karst mountains. Our hotel was 9 stories high, so we prepped kit in advance and ran straight from the bus all the way to the roof to catch the last rays of sunlight before it set, only to find that the view had been blocked by an enormous billboard advertising the hotel. We managed to film through the low railings underneath it before settling into our room for 5 minutes before dinner.
6am – it was another early morning, and whilst we missed exploring Ninh Bin, we were rushing for a reason, namely to get to a very important place before it closed at a handy 11am. Cuc Phuong National Park, apart from being the country’s largest nature reserve and one of the most important sited for biodiversity in Vietnam, also houses various conservation programs, including the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre. Established in 1993 with help of the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the sanctuary provides shelter to over 100 animals, amongst them the critically endangered Grey-shanked Douc langur, Delacour’s langur, Golden-headed Langur, Tonkin Snub-nosed langur and Black Crested gibbon.
Never had we imagined such beautiful monkeys existed, and doubtlessly they thought the same of us. Unlike other monkey ‘encounters’, the sanctuary does not allow to get closer than 2m to the enclosures, however for the good reason that the animals they care for have been rescued from poachers and animal shows. The nearby turtle sanctuary did allow us to get close and personal without risking harm to the animals (unless you step on them), which we thoroughly enjoyed. The looking, not the stepping.
Thanks to our wonderful tour guides Shane, Tuan and driver Phan, who’s enthusiasm and invaluable support throughout production made our film possible, we were afterwards able to find our way out of a locally suggested ‘short cut’, without which we would still be in the jungle. The national park and sanctuaries are doing invaluable conservation work, so if you are in the region, you should swing by. Before 11am mind you, and not via the short cut.
Our second to last stop found us in the picturesque village of Mai Chao, where choosing the right bamboo stilt hut to stay in turned out to be key. On previous visits, one of our team had experienced a wonderful interactive home stay, which included cooking and eating together with their hosts, before bedding down in the same hut after enjoying the serene view across the rice paddies beyond. Our ‘home stay’ this time proved to be somewhat more commercially minded, if this equates to showing little interest and overcharging for everything. Nevertheless, our group enjoyed a wonderful bike ride and beer between (and later in the middle of) mountain framed rice paddies. In stitches and having sacrificed a couple of flip flops to the mud, we called it a day, had dinner, tucked in our mozzie nets and set off to Vietnam’s bustling capital the next morning.
In simple terms, Hanoi will blow your mind. Without ever having been, there is no way to comprehend the madness of motorbike traffic, the beauty of its half crumbling, patched and decorated buildings and the bustle of people who do everything, and we mean everything, on the street. We struggle to remember whether we have ever been in any other place to date that has given us this ease of insight into people’s lives, as you can’t help but trip over it at every corner. Mechanics, shops (all specializing in just one thing), cafes, youth clubs, athletic unions, bars, tailors, restaurants, hairdressers, beauticians, doctors – all run perfectly functioning businesses and services without having to be attached to an address, simply by setting up shop on the pavement.
Don’t belive us? Wanna see what it all looked like? Check out Saxon’s street-side haircut Place Cake:
The city that marked it’s 1000 year anniversary in October 2010 is interspersed with huge lakes, that offer respite from the bustle of the maze of old town streets crammed full with motorbikes, people and tiny plastic chairs to eat Pho Bo and drink cheap local Bia Hoi from. Hanoi’s streets offer unbeatable opportunities to enjoy Vietnam’s famously delicious food, nearly always cheaper and often better than what is served in flashy restaurants.
World Famous Ha Long bay is 4 hours drive west, but we recommend staying on a boat at least overnight, as offered day trips end up equating to 8 hours of sitting in a bumpy bus to enjoy 2 hours of often foggy boat trip, which could easily detract from enjoying an otherwise stunning natural wonder. Unless you’re into bumpy busses of course.
Ending our trip here was a little painful – not just for our backsides after 2 weeks on a bus, but because there is a whole other chapter to be written about the deep north of Vietnam, home to numerous hill tribe minorities, adventurous cliff face roads and some of the most stunning landscapes in the country. One of our team had already explored these extensively by motorbike (guess which one!), but this time it was good bye to the Stray bus, our newly found friends, and this incredible country. For now.
All, Learn
We’re up for big film challenges, so jumped at the chance when we were asked to film an elephant ride in Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam. “Never work with kids and animals” is advice you’ll hear from any seasoned industry professional, but being the Rat & Dragon maverick team (animals are in our name!), we didn’t shy away. This was going to be a tricky one though. Due to a last minute changed schedule (in Vietnam, the word “schedule” has a pretty loose definition) and the fact that this particular ride took us not jut around the lake shore, but actually straight through the water, meant that we had nearly no time to prepare, and not much idea what to prepare for.
When we started off on this Epic Journey, we set ourselves the mission of gathering travel content to knock your socks off, and while we had a spectacular subject in hand, how were we going to deliver the shots? Quick on your feet thinking saved our not-so-thick skins.
Know the route
No amount of amazing kit can capture an animal, if you don’t know where it’s likely to be going. Getting ahead of the elephant and shoot it coming towards us was the only way we could show it off, so with no time to get a translator to speak with the driver, we had to employ some Sherlock Holmes style detective work Cumberbatch would have squee’d at.
Obviously, when the elephant was on a road or path with no turnoffs, it was a fair assumption that you could race ahead, but when it spotted some tasty leaves on the other side of a soon to be ex-shrubbery, we had to admit that flexibility was key. Keep in mind that elephants do reverse, and it’s a very very bad idea to come up close beside an elephant or from behind.
If you’ve never had the privilege of seeing an elephant in person and swapping jovial anecdotes over a cup of Earl Grey or a tumbler of scotch, you will be forgiven to believe they are rather large, round and loud animals who stomp their own paths wherever they go, inevitably flattening plants, insects and the odd pigmy in their wake. We have news for you – your childrens books lied.
Elephants are surprisingly tall structured, and unlike a cow or water buffalo, their cross section looks more like a peach stone with legs than an apple. This allows the elephant to put one foot gingerly in front of the other, meaning they can walk on paths as narrow as just one of their feet, and through surprisingly narrow gaps in trees and houses. Make sure you don’t lose your star down a small alley way when your back is turned!
Shooting the lake from its muddy shoreline brought it’s own challenges as flip-flops and other lose fitting shoes will disappear into parallel universes. In our case, bare foot was the way to go and looking for footprints from previous elephant trecks was also a great way to anticipate the elephant’s next move. Fortunately when trying to work out where he’d exit the lake, all we needed to do was find giant, knee deep craters in the mud.
Prep the right kit
As soon as the elephant ride was sourced, it was ‘action’. No ‘lights’, no ‘camera check’ or ‘sound’ and no clapperboard. Just ‘action’ and our lead talent was off. Luckily we had super-light kit ready – one of us on the elephant with a GoPro, and one of us with a snowboarding backpack with a DSLR, GoPro, tripod and batteries all ready loaded.
Elephants may look slow and lumbersome, but their relaxed gait is actually a steady jog for a human, so getting ahead of it needs a solid pace, and catching up to it after a long shot and getting ahead with time to set the camera required a flat sprint.
Once our lead talent hit the lake it was off with the shoes to wade around in the mud. The snowboard backpack (you were wondering, weren’t you?) allowed these to be stored outside the bag in a heartbeat.
Lenses
From the top of the elephant, the super wide angle of the goPro was great, and perfectly suited the ‘selfie’ style we were aiming for in the final edit. From the ground, we initially followed with a light DSLR with 18-55m lens and a x0.45 super wide adapter. We were hoping to get right up close to get maximum effect from the super-wide, but abandoned the plan as we were dealing with a big bull with matching tusks so had to keep at least 3m distance, so the adapter was no longer needed, which made focusing a lot more reactive.
Safety
Elephants are gorgeous and intelligent, but they’re also ridiculously strong and at the end of the day, they are wild animals adapting as best they can to human ownership. As such, it’s best to keep your distance when running past. Never get too close behind and don’t run around in front or beside where any animal can easily be startled. If filming from ahead, stay still and preferably beside a tree as well where you look less intrusive.
Chose the right one
We cannot stress enough the importance of animal welfare, which is one of the reasons some film makers avoid working with animals as taking proper care of them on set can go way beyond the budget of independent productions. However, including animals in your films adds an unbelievable amount of life, beauty, emotion and interest, so wherever you do chose to film an animal, make sure you are supporting an organization that looks after the creatures in their care. You can find a list of accredited organizations here:
And if you happen to have shots you would like to share, we would love to see your best ones in the comments below. And yes, your beloved pet Chihuahua can star as well.
All, Destinations
1, 2, 3 – Good MOoooorniiiing, Viet-naaaaam! So many times did we hear this on our latest project, so many smiles and good natured jostling as our fellow travellers filled their lungs to whole heartedly proclaim these famous words in a country surprisingly still mainly defined by one war and a UK automotive TV program.
But we needn’t remind you, well travelled reader, that there is so much more to this long strip of land east of Cambodia and Laos, bordering China in the north. Vietnam has been around a lot longer than most other countries, probably longer than the one you’re living in (yes, we do have such an international audience!), with its first formation and declaration of independence from China having taken place in AD 938. That’s when the Romans were still blissfully unaware that their Eastern Empire might be crumbling away and gone in about 500 years time.
More than a millennium of retaining, fighting for, losing and re-gaining independence from various aggressors has made Vietnam a country rich in culture, history and spirit, so we joined a Stray Asia group and filmed the entire 1625km journey up the “Ascending Dragon” from Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) to Hanoi.
We started off in the city most well known amongst you young Apocalypse Now* educated crowd – as Martin Sheen’s character says in his opening lines: “Saigon…. shit, I’m still only in Saigon”. We certainly didn’t feel that way. Re-named Ho Chi Minh City in honour of Vietnam’s communist revolutionary leader, prime minister and president, Vietnam’s largest city boasts beautiful tree lined boulevards, impressive colonial style mansions, one of the best war museums in South East Asia and the Reunification Palace, previous home and workplace of South Vietnam’s president during the Vietnam War, which could seamlessly double as a Stanley Kubrick film set.
After dinner we enjoyed some of HCMC’s famous nightlife along Bui Vien road, a rather raucous collection of backpacker hotels, restaurants and bars that spill out over the road providing cheap local beer, nibbles, little plastic chairs and the occasional table to a great mix of locals and tourists, that have to be quickly moved out of sight when the police get bored and drive down the road to make sure ‘no illegal pavement seating’ is being provided. Whilst the chairs and tables move quietly, the customers have their fun complaining.
Don’t worry though, the experience that usually takes place about 5 times each night allows for priceless bonding with other beer lovers, and in the meanwhile flattened cardboard boxes are provided to sit on until the chairs come back out.
Our first stop was beautiful Da Lat, surrounded by lakes and rolling hills covered with pine forests and hydrangea, rose, coffee, cabbage, strawberry and avocado plantations. Its temperate climate, French style architecture and scientific research centres for biotechnology and nuclear physics made Da Lat our least expected stop, but nevertheless one of our favourites.
Ever heard of the Crazy House? And we’re not talking coo coo’s nests here. Imagine you let a 5 year old design their dream house – ladders, tiny walkways over the rooftops, a tree at its core and animals everywhere. Then you found a country in which planning permission would not crush those dreams of realisation. Da Lat’s Hang Nga guest house is this madness incarnate. We can’t even start to describe it, so you’re going to have to climb around it yourself.
Having never been canyoning before, we set off on our next Da Lat adventure to be captured: a treck through the hills until we arrived at the Datania waterfall where the action started. After thorough training (abseiling down a nearby rock) and brief by our fantastic support team Loc and Lee, we got the cameras going and filmed one of the most fun parts of our entire trip: abseiling down huge waterfalls, sliding down river rapids and trekking through the jungle.
Joined by fun-loving, travel-mad duo James and Lindsey (check out their blog!), the Rat & Dragon team took a leap or three of faith and several gulps of crystal clear mountain water, capturing every moment in the gorgeous afternoon sunlight. James and Lindsey were absolutely invaluable members of our on screen talent and action shot after action shot made production one of the most energetic to date.
After leaving Da Lat’s street markets, pastries and dramatic cloud formations behind the next day, we camped out at a secret hideout near Buon Ma Thout, staying in a traditional M’nong Longhouse on the banks of Lak Lake. Beautiful scenery, a quiet stroll through the local village, an impromptu game of Jianzi with the local kids and a boat ride through the sunset formed our most serene stop off, followed as antidote by a good old party in the local restaurant with a huge group of Easy Riders.
Oh, and not to mention the elephant (during the day – he failed to be invited to the party as it was collectively agreed that buying rounds would become prohibitively expensive, even in Vietnam).
A quick overnight’s stop off in seaside resort Qui Nhon (the highlight of which was a mixed fruit smoothie purchased in the middle of a 5 lane roundabout) saw us heading to one of the places we were most looking forward to on this trip – UNESCO World Heritage town Hoi An. And this little town is popular for a very solid reason.
Hoi An is stunningly beautiful. Even the fact most shops in the old quarter sell (sometimes very tasteful!) tourist tat doesn’t detract from the uniquely indigenous and foreign influenced architecture of this exceptionally well-preserved 15th century trading port. Small streets are lined with canary yellow painted 2 story buildings, and just the right amount of dilapidation makes every wall’s texture different and magical. Three times a day, the old quarter is strictly pedestrianised, but hiring a motorbike allows you to zip all around the town at other times, as well as head to one of the most beautiful beaches we had the privilege of filming.
An exhilarating, 10 minute northbound ride through breathtaking, water buffalo filled rice paddies, An Bang beach has a few restaurants/bars on it, and that’s it. After paying 5000 dong to an overly dramatic car park/dust patch attendant lady who burst out laughing as we played along with her ‘I can’t afford to feed by kids’ life story (100% mimed of course), we walked past circular fishing boats along the beach to the last bar, run by an enthusiastic Spaniard with a half shaved head – one of the many ex pats who have made Hoi An and Hanoi their home, switching cities for the best times of year.
Sunshine on our skins, and rushing into the clear ocean with our on-screen team Matilde and Cille proved to be the most indulgent shoot hour so far. Half way through, a whole herd of goats joined us, hustled along by their owner who couldn’t for the life of him understand why someone should be drinking in the sun whilst lying across his herding track, i.e. the beach. After unfortunately having to consume a prop Pina Colada due to our strong ethical convictions of not wasting food or drink, we headed back to the rice paddies for some hands-on animal action. Water buffalos were in our viewfinders and noses this time, and boy were they cool about being on camera.
Our final topic to cover was what Hoi An is famous for, apart from its architecture. If you have ever dreamed of owning your very own, tailor made, bright purple with orchid print lining three piece bell bottom suit, Hoi An is your new best friend. From the serious to the utterly ridiculous, Hoi An’s tailors will create anything your heart desires. Bright red matching jacket, trousers, waistcoat, socks, shirt and tie? All with Sesame Street’s Elmo embroidered? We have seen it and have photographic proof.
Leaving the charms of Hoi An behind (you can easily spend a week and a fortune exploring the town, its shops and its surrounding historical and cultural landmarks) was no easy feat, but we were consoled in the knowledge to be heading to the city at the geographical centre of this amazing country, and would find ourselves only a few kilometres from the notorious DMZ, the de-militarised zone between South and North Vietnam.
We know you are loving this country already. We also know that squeezing 2 weeks and an entire fascinating place into one blog post is a rather foolhardy endeavour. We also know that to fully enjoy the rest of our journey you will have to go pee at some point, or get yourself a pot noodle, or a stiff drink. Or all three. For this reason, and this reason only, we interrupt our account at this point, to venture further north to the seat of Viet-style communism, in part 2 of our Vietnam Adventure.
*On a side note: Apocalypse Now is not about Vietnam. The film may be set during the Vietnam War, but is actually an interpretation of Joseph Konrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’, a novel set in colonial Congo, the main theme of which deals with the perception of what and who is civilised, and what and who is not. It’s a great book, if you like that sort of thing, and if not, read the synopsis here. And watch Apocalypse Now again in a new light.
All, Inspire
Vladivostok -> Korea -> Japan -> China
We ran out of land. We took trains, busses and cars as far east as we could. Our arrival in Vladivostok marked the completion of the world’s longest railway track, and we found ourselves in the epicenter clash of the Far East’s Big Boys.
Two huge countries with immense geographical expanse rub shoulders with two smaller, but nonetheless just as powerful players in the global game of political dodge ball. Russia’s enormous expanse of frozen North interspersed by impressive distinctly Soviet cities, China’s booming economy and population amidst crowded Huton back alleys and explosions of ornate red and gold meet Japan’s highly sophisticated traditions and hyper modern skyscrapers whilst the divided people of Korea embody both the flashy K-Pop culture of the South and community spirit of the North.
Whilst the region has experienced tension between these four very different countries for hundreds of years, efforts have been made to overcome cultural differences and build mutual understanding and appreciation between the counties. In 2006 South Korea’s president Roh Moo-hyun suggested the sea which is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea and who’s alternative naming was long time disputed (Japan calls it the ‘Japan Sea’, Korea calls it ‘East Sea of Korea’ etc) should be collectively re-named as the ‘Friendship sea’. Unfortunately, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe saw ‘no need to change the name of Sea of Japan’, thereby somewhat missing the point and causing strained eyes for numerous sailors trying to read the tiny print of all possible names for the body of water they were crossing.
Rat and Dragon have met, collaborated and been inspired by the numerous people on our path through these four incredible counties, and in their honor we are ignoring international guidelines and re-naming the Japan/East/Korean Sea The Friendship Sea in all maps published in the Republic of Rat and Dragon. Despite differences between their countries on a global scale, we are sure that all of our wonderful friends and collaborators would get on like a house on fire should they ever meet. We will be planning an all expenses paid party in the Bahamas as soon as we find a generous sponsor. Get in touch if you are interested (and supremely rich).
Hopping on our first boat in Vladivostok we said goodbye to Eugene and Masha, two young creatives from Khabarovsk (a city 760km north of Vladivostok) who work in Russian TV and were fantastic guides for our final Russian city. Energetic, inspired, educated, globally minded and great fun, Eugene and Masha took us from USSR inspired cocktail bar to underground reggae venue to real-life Russian diner all whilst relishing having the opportunity to meet likeminded people from around the world. All the negative press Russia has recently received (see #Sochiproblems for an example) are blown out of the water by Eugene and Masha’s easygoing generosity, which should be the emphasis of any publisher genuinely trying to build a better world.
Our boat from Vladivostok took us to past North Korea to Donghae, a bus ride through South Korea’s beautiful countryside to its pumping capital Seoul, home to Songyi, Sky and little baby Yena who delighted us in inviting us for one of Korea’s favourite pastimes: Barbecue. With your own personal fire in the middle of the table and a variety of marinated meats plus veggies and kimchi to die for dining can’t get much better than this. With a population of over 10 million, Seoul is huge global metropolis living, with big business, the newest technology, fantastic restaurants and nightlife, a whole district dedicated to plastic surgery around Gangnam and (thanks to South Korea’s high value and emphasis on higher education) and abundance of alternative student hangouts and it’s own share of highly stylized hipsters to boot. We relish the incredible view across the Han River from Songyi’s flat and cannot get enough of the friendly, helpful and wonderfully crazy people of this fantastic country.
Heading further east, we catch the boat from Busan to Osaka, which passes through the tiny sea channel between Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu (two towns connected by a bridge who hold a yearly firework contest to commemorate/celebrate one cities’ Samurai defeating the other) before meandering overnight through the heart of Japan’s Islands. Japan was one of the undoubted hightlights of Rat and Dragon’s Epic Journey. Before, during and after visiting the famously refined culture, food, style, and politeness of Japan blew us away at every point we encountered it, and the people who we shared our experiences with were truly amazing.
Our Tokyo project saw our locals Goh and Koichi show us what they and the marvelous city they live in are made of. To pack the craziness that is Tokyo into a couple of sentences is no mean feat, so read more here. Leaving Tokyo and heading North, we met with Rat and Dragon’s honorary Japanese family from years back – Erica, Ryoko, Yumi, Kahori, Wataru, Osamu, Ayako and Sean, all residents of Niigata’s small city Joestu.
Exploring Niigata’s delights (Snow monkeys!) by tiny car with this motley crew was a joy, with everyone in their own way as outgoing, generous and sublimely helpful as can be. Young Japanese tend to be competent at written English, but a little shy and where conversation was more difficult, the team made up for it with a sense of spontaneous and off the wall crazy humour that would make standup comedian Bill Bailey proud.
Elise, part of the D’s house Hiroshima crew was our final fantastic local, showing us the splendours of Shimonoseki (you can hug a penguin if you get up early enough!), before housing us in her wonderfully Japanese flat on our last night in Japan.
And then one day later, it hit us. China in all its glory. A stark contrast to Japan’s tidy, quiet politeness, Qingdao welcomed us with guns blazing. Everyone was loud, brash and very interested in what we were up to, and with no regard for personal space helpfully offering their opinion, shouting and laughing with us. Think southern Italian no-nonsense hospitality, where restaurant staff are teenage family members who would rather be at home watching soap operas but in stead offer invaluable support to the family business (whilst gaining the work experience most graduates would dream of).
Shanghai expats Adam and Steph did a fantastic job sharing their unique experiences as ‘voluntary political refugee’ Australians in China during our private city tour on two wheels which included the wonderful mazes of the French concession and stunning views of Shanghai’s famous skyline from the rooftop of an converted Opium warehouse. Witnessing the stark contrast of skyscrapers shading workers picking up coke cans for pennies to live off with money spare to send to their rurally based families told of incredible commitment to looking after loved ones that most inhabitants of the more socially equal nations simply cannot imagine.
The Chinese equivalent of ‘make yourself at home’ literally translates as ‘don’t be polite’ and our Beijing locals Joy, Sean and Wu were the epitome of warm and welcoming. Bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm, Joy showed us her hometown in all it’s splendour, and you can read all about it here. The candid approach to life followed us all the way via Shanghai and Guilin to Nanning’s night market, where freshly roasted dog was served alongside the best mussels and noodles in the world, just in time before crossing the border to a new chapter in Vietnam.
The friendship sea – a fitting name for the water that divides and connects our wonderful locals in Russia, South Korea, Japan and China. Thanks to the interconnectedness of the modern world as well as ease of travel people, who would previously have known nothing more than the one sided accounts of old feuds, are now meeting and discussing views and opinions. Despite the doom and gloom of what the press may like us to believe, everyone we collaborated with was incredibly interested in meeting each other, realizing their differences and thus coming to the conclusion that under all the obvious cultural diversity are people like you and me simply wanting to make friends. Being part of this experience is what makes what we do so unbelievably rewarding and special, and as you can imagine, we genuinely cannot recommend travelling enough.
Whilst we have geographically completed our third leg of the Epic Journey, one country in particular stands out as having been bypassed this time. We do however have high hopes, thanks to a new collaborator made in Vietnam, to be able to visit infinitely intriguing North Korea. Keep you eyes peeled!
All, Learn
“I Kina spiser de hunde”, title of the 1999 Danish action comedy says it all. In China, they do really, actually, indeed eat dogs. But hold on a second, before you snub your nose in disgust, dear reader, hear us out.
Whilst other nations pride themselves on their culinary creativity and Masterchef haute cuisine skills, China certainly has something going for it. Pretty much everything edible (and sometimes definitely not edible) will at some point pass through the kitchens of this great country. And don’t be fooled, this has nothing to do with your Friday post-clubbing greasy pseudo Chinese on the corner. Yes, we know you do it.
If you don’t, see the Oatmeal’s wonderfully descriptive sketch of ‘Diarrhea Dragon – the pan-Asian takeaway mystery with an ‘2 star – adequate’ food hygiene certificate every small town has instead of a decent restaurant.
Chinese people really enjoy eating everything, and this is quite admirable as none of the animal that has lost its life for our nutrition goes to waste. As we found out during our Beijing project, local traditional food consists mainly of offal based soups and shredded sheep’s stomach, which with the right seasoning are quite enjoyable. Intestine, eyes, skin and even boiling leftovers such as feet and heads for stock are commonplace, which really means cooks are getting their money’s worth.
Diet goes way beyond traditional western farm animals, with a whole array of seafood to choose from. Tentacles on sticks can be found at any self respecting food market, as well as dried squid, fish, oysters, crabs, all kinds of prawn whether large or small and of course numerous other shellfish, mollusks and sea slugs. Preparation can also get somewhat extreme in the case of beiju soaked live shrimp, that are so drunk they forget they’re being eaten by you.
Insects are of course also on the list, with Zhejiang Province putting enormous deep fried spiders on the plates of hungry punters. And as Kharma would have it, insect eating lizards are also impaled and deep fried. The Rat and Dragon team can confirm that tiny frogs and soft shell crabs are surprisingly crispy and tasty when deep fried, and go very well with beer.
Peking duck is world famous, but how about some duck head soup, chicken feet and testicles, or grilled chicks? And the imagination doesn’t stop there, but goes on to birds nest soup, boiled in-shell duck embryos and ‘thousand-year old eggs’ that are buried in clay for a couple of months until the whites turn to brown translucent jelly and the yolks are a healthily stinking mould green colour. The sight of one instantly makes you forget the slight chronological exaggeration.
But enough of the freak show. After all, the Chinese allegedly invented ice cream, and their confident experimentation with food has led to global hits like Ketchup.
China eats everything, and from a very young age, children are encouraged to do the same, meaning less wastage and a more rounded use of floral and faunal resources (of course you should always steer clear of endangered species!).
You, nose snubber, we know you are secretly bold and would love to taste a bit of the world. And you never know, some previously ‘inedible’ dishes may be your next favourite!
