Of Temple dancers and Tuk Tuk Races: Bangkok’s hidden pearls

All, Destinations

One night in Bangkok and the world’s your Oyster, or so they say. The Thai capital is famously home to the Khao San Road, epicenter supreme of global backpacking culture. This vibrant city is also equally loved and hated for being ‘just exotic enough’ for newbie’s to become excited at the sight of fried cockroaches and cheap tat whilst still feeling safe as there’s a 7 Eleven and Boots just down the road.

The more self-important types of seasoned travelers snub their noses at the ‘over touristy hellhole’ whilst swarms of British, Swedish and Aussie (for years now joined by nearly all other nations) fresh-out-of-school ‘Gap Yah’s’ start having the time of their lives with help of Bangkok’s cultural decompression zone.

With all the controversy around spoiled neighbourhoods, ping pong shows and tat markets, it is easy to forget that Bangkok is so much more than a tourist hub. With invaluable tips from our wonderful local Pim, we explore Bangkok’s other side – where Thais from around the country meet with locals to enjoy relaxed Sunday boat rides and great food at Kwan Riam market, all whilst feeding miniature ponies and paying respect to the real life protagonists of the Romeo & Juliette-like story that gave the market its name.

In stark contrast to the understated and relaxed city outskirts where Kwan Riam is situated, the centre of Bangkok is a pulsating international metropolis where the super rich and super shoestring travellers rub shoulders in one of many shopping centres around the materialist rabbit hole that is the MBK. Hipster culture has firmly moved into the side alleys surrounding the glass and concrete skyscrapers and Bangkok’s street art scene is ever expanding with the city hosting its first Street Art Festival this year.

For more traditional sightseeing we head over to Wat Pho, the beautiful temple complex surrounding Bangkok’s famous reclining Buddha. Well on the tourist trail the 150 foot Buddha (that’s 45m, not a centipede) may be, but the intricate detail and craftsmanship of the statue and the surrounding temples make it well worth a visit, or two, or three.

After browsing the nearby markets full of beautiful antique trinkets, a refreshing river taxi and thrilling tuktuk ride takes us to Lumphini Park, usually filled with families and early morning/evening runners and aerobics groups, but currently taken over by government protesters, who are more than happy to explain their views to us.

After seeing Bangkok locals going about their daily business as usual (apart from the occasional peace-sign selfie with a passing military vehicle), Pim takes us out for a treat – an evening’s explosion of colourful lights, looking down at the city from her favorite secret hideout, the rooftop bar at Fraser Suites, Sukhumvit.

Bangkok may be such a famous destination with its major sites shouting so loud that they drown out developing places of interest. But a little exploration will lead to some surprising new discoveries and hidden pearls (pics here!) in what will most likely always remain one of the first and fascinating stops to millions of visitors from around the globe.

Of box-shaped fish and bubbling students: Phi Phi’s Life Aquatic

All, Destinations

It’s any given Tuesday and your alarm sounds at 6am.  You hate it.  You wonder whether you really need to get up just now, or is there a good excuse for hitting snooze and catching another 10 minutes sleep?

Events from last night swim vaguely into consciousness: A party on the beach… dancing with friends… a fire show…

How did that happen?  Oh, yeah – after work, you went to the west side of the island for some peace and quiet and watched that incredible sunset, and dipped your toes in the lapping wavelets to soothe your tired feet.  Then you bumped into a friend and had a sunset beer and an amazing Penang Curry before the fire twirlers turned up.

Why were your feet so tired?  Ah, that’s right!  You’d been on your feet almost all day, lugging gear backwards and forwards from the dive shop to the boat and along a sun-hot pier, and you didn’t bother with shoes yesterday. Come to think of it, you haven’t worn any footwear at all for days. Not even your favourite flip-flops.

Argh crap! Suddenly, today’s upcoming tasks pop into your mind all too quickly, one after another, after another, and you start to wish you could just roll over and go back to sleep. There’s that couple who’ve never dived before – the guy said he can’t even swim properly, so you’re really going to have to work hard at getting them up to speed with their course. Then again, the ones who surprise themselves the most are the ones you get the biggest kicks from teaching – and they love you for it too. Much better than those “been there, done that” divers who think they’ve seen it all.

For the moment, how long until you can come back to bed…? Damn! After the morning’s classroom session, there’s the afternoon boat. You’ve got that English dude who’s so desperate to see a shark. Well there are plenty of blacktips at Malong dive site. He should be happy.

Oh, wait a minute – you remember that there’s been a whale shark sighting every day for the last six days! It’s been spotted near there. Maybe today will be your luck day! Now you’re awake. Not only that, but you’re amped about today. You’re damn tired, but hell, this is Koh Phi Phi, you’re a dive instructor and if yesterday, and every other day you’ve been here before that are anything to go by, this day has some amazing stuff in store…

The Rat & Dragon crew scrambled to keep up but loved every moment as we follow the gorgeous, barefooted Ma’ca, through what only she (and the other scuba dive Instructors of Koh Phi Phi) would call an ‘average’ day. Starting with a raunchy (not really) bed scene at dawn, followed by a boat trip, some underwater filming 101, and even a guest appearance by a majestic manta ray! Then it’s one of the most jaw-dropping sunsets we’ve witnessed (standard afternoon entertainment on Phi Phi) and an evening of dive master induction tests, dancing and even the dreaded bucket all play a part.

This is the Phi Phi project, and you don’t want to miss it!

Of Bustling Communities and Buffalo Soldiers: Vietnam’s Northern Mysteries

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.

Of Disco Rickshaws and Simplistic Reputations: Vietnam’s Southern Treasures

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 15^th 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.