The Last Post

Back home and all caught up. Bags unpacked to reveal that we had brought oversize containers of sun block and bug spray in our hand luggage through two sets of airport security checks - Siem Reap and Ha Noi. By all accounts we have missed some wintry weather but not much else.

We've had time to reflect on our trip and how it compared with the others. First up we have concluded that guided tours are not really for us. Nothing against the people we travelled with who were generally good company for three weeks. We were less keen on the force feeding. Two banquets a day is not only bad for the waistline but eats up quite a lot of time. Having already paid it is a bit of a wrench for a Yorkshireman to pass up a meal. One of the chefs on the Mekong cruise asked why so much sea bass had come back to the kitchen at dinner one night. We had to explain that after a huge lunch the portions were just too big.

Some of the best bits of the trip were the days we explored in Hoi Ann and Saigon, eating at the local markets. We found that we really liked Vietnamese food with the possible exception of breakfast soup. It was a bit disappointing that whoever arranged the menus kept throwing in French Fried. The two cruises were good with the Mekong one just heading the list because we got lucky and had a suite. If we had been travelling independently there is not a chance that we would have shelled out the $979 per head that is listed on the Mekong Eyes website. Nor would we have stayed in quite so smart hotels. 

The local people we met were unfailingly helpful and friendly, even when we were explaining that we didn't have room in our luggage for whatever it was they were trying to sell. We didn't experience any nuisance vendors or hard sell touts. Even the haggling in the markets in Saigon and Siem Reap was a fairly amicable process. The exceptions were some of the railway staff who refused to smile and made us close the droplight windows in the train corridor. Vietnamese trains were OK and hold no terrors for anyone who has done an Indian overnight train trip. The good natured but exuberant celebrations in Saigon after the football match would be hard to imagine anywhere else we have been.

A big let down was the fact that the bits of Vietnam that we saw are almost entirely devoid of bird life. Cambodia was a little better but we missed the the numbers and variety of species that we have got used to seeing in India. Dragon fruit might look spectacular but it just doesn't taste of anything at all. In fact we came across a few different fruits that we couldn't name that were about as tasty as raw turnip. We did tire of some of the history lectures that were recited by our guides. We could not help but wonder whether the regime insisted on tourists hearing these. Crossing roads in urban Vietnam is not for the faint hearted, mainly due to the unpredictable behaviour of a large number of two wheeler drivers. 

For a Communist country the health of capitalism is quite remarkable. We saw dealers for Rolls Royce, Maserati, Ferrari and all sorts of high end consumer brands. There was no evidence of destitution or crippling poverty that we saw. We did like not having to deal with pockets full of coins of minimal value. Banknotes in both Vietnam and Cambodia don't seem to degenerate into the ragged and smelly condition of many 10 and 20 rupee notes. English is quite widely spoken in tourist areas and we had no difficulty getting a SIM card, shopping, dining or buying beers. Vietnamese beer is inoffensive but needs to be chilled. Of the ones that we tried LaRue was our preference, possibly because it arrived in slightly bigger bottles than the rest. Schweppes tonic water is widely available.

Would we go back? The jury is out. If we do it will be as independent travellers rather than with a tour. Will there be a Radinja9?  If we are spared - yes.

It is traditional for the last post of our blog to include a few shots of signs that have amused us. This year is no exception but there will also be a shot of D's homemade spring rolls that were a big hit with our offspring today.

1st February - Back to Reality

Our flight is only a few minutes late into Ha Noi and after queuing yet again for security we have time to pick up the essential duty free. The carrier bags provided do not inspire confidence but luckily R has her trusty packaway shopping bag handy. One has to assume that this is Kevin the Carrot's debut appearance in the Lotus Lounge at Ha Noi Airport. They do a jolly decent glass of a top end Vietnamese red wine here. We decide against having another meal but D does get tempted by the packet snacks offered on the bar. They are sweet and do nothing to enhance the wine.

At about 00.30 a very efficient young lady comes to tell us that our flight is ready for boarding. The westbound flight is scheduled to take 13.5 hours as opposed to 11 hours on the out bound. We settle into our pods in the half empty forward cabin. As a welcome drink we get offered a choice of apple juice, orange juice or champagne. Even at this time of the morning it's a no brainer. We take off on time and, once in the cruise, dinner is served, our third of the evening. Mr Unknown will be pleased to hear that there were Vietnamese options on the menu. It is difficult to do justice to a full meal but the accompanying Crozes Hermitage makes a decent nightcap.

The lights go down at around 2 a.m local and we actually get some sleep. We wake up with about five hours of flight left so it is around 09.30 in Vietnam and 02.30 in the UK. This could become a very long day indeed. Breakfast comes round a couple of hours later. D contemplates the pho option but realises that this shirt has to last another thirteen or fourteen hours minimum. Too risky.

It is just getting light as we cross the Essex Coast and D commandeers a vacant window seat to watch the lights of London as we fly over the city. There is only a little bit of patchy cloud and it easy to pick out the bumper to bumper crawl round the M25. The pilot announces that we have been placed in a holding pattern due to heavy traffic. We circle London a couple of times and other planes are clearly visible through the window. Hopefully Air Traffic Control are on the ball today.

We land about 15 minutes late but then have to wait until there is a gap in traffic to cross one of the runways to get to our terminal. There is no queue at Passport Control and our bags are amongst the first dozen on the carousel. The train to Paddington doesn't break down which means that we have rather a lot of time on our hands before our train to Scotland. Over coffee and almond croissants we ponder what to do and decide that we could walk the three miles across London to Kings Cross station. This should help counter having had three dinners last night.

It is a bright, sunny day and allegedly 5°C although a biting east wind makes it feel much colder. We make it in just under an hour despite having all of our luggage to tote. At Kings Cross Virgin Lounge we are down to earth with a bump. It is packed and we struggle to find seats until a few people move on. There are no free G&Ts, wine or beer and the tea is absolutely disgusting. Nor does the WiFi work but at least we are out of the wind.  Our train comes up for boarding on the screen and we hot foot it to Platform 4. We get there just in time to get our big bags into the luggage area of our coach. The train looks to be busy but we have a table of 4 to ourselves. D adopts his best trainspotter pose in order to keep it that way.

Our train is an Intercity 225 electric, capable of doing 225 kph but restricted to 200 kph because of the signalling on the East Coast Main Line. Our schedule for the trip to Edinburgh requires an average speed of 150kph including stops so we should be in for some fast running. The trains are nearly 30 years old but were refurbished a couple of years ago and have comfortable seats and good size tables in First Class. The catering is a bit of a comedown after the delights of Vietnam with a menu featuring egg sandwiches, macaroni cheese and sausage rolls. The vin rouge is a bit ordinaire as well. 

As we head northwards we see a lot of fields with standing water in them. Have they started growing rice in Lincolnshire? The weather forecast for home is a bit miserable. A high of 3°C today with rain. This is why we have avoided February in Scotland for the last seven years. It is dark by the time that we arrive in Edinburgh,  12 minutes late due to faulty lineside safety equipment at Doncaster. Do they mean signals? We just have time to catch the Glasgow shuttle which stops at Linlithgow where our lovely neighbour Mary collects us and saves us a walk up the hill.

There will be at least one more post over the next couple of days. Thanks for reading and commenting.