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.