Mileage: 13.5 miles
AM: 3.75miles; PM: 9.75 miles
I woke this morning and just climbing out of bed was a major effort! My legs creaked and ached and pulled and tweaked with every step, so even the thought of my 3.75 mile run to my work did not appeal at all. The funny thing is, is that I am quite sure my legs were not sore from my track session, but from the drills I did afterwards. I did the telemark stretch up and down the pitch at the centre of the track after my session and afterwards my legs felt very tight. I probably did too much.
When I finally got going to work I did feel a little better and got looser, but it wasn’t much fun. The hot shower at work was really refreshing, but that was as good as it got. For the rest of the day I moved slowly from my desk to where I had to be in the building and when I was asked to move some boxes I cried on the inside!!
When Dan texted to arrange a run up at the Hermitage I was in two minds, but when caught between the two, I always err on the side of running, so agreed. At 6pm Seamus, Dan and I met at the Meadows. My small jog from work had been okay and my legs felt fine, as long as I didn’t stretch them too far. We set off and although Dan and Seamus were both clearly faster I wasn’t too far behind despite struggling. It was a lovely evening, but I struggled to enjoy either the scenery or the weather, as I focused all my efforts on keeping one foot in front of the other. As I was running I kept thinking back to before my holiday and when such runs were both longer and far easier to do. I reminded myself of Alex’s wise words that it would take a couple of weeks. This is day 9 of my return, so I have to believe things will get easier! I hope they do.
Tomorrow is Thursday and the meadow’s session, which I am already looking forward to. I just hope that I am quicker than last week.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 June 2010: Start of week two!
Monday 28 June: 10 miles
At last! I feel like a runner again. I was still in Whitehills and Monday morning and I woke up to the same glorious sunshine of the previous two mornings. As soon as I set off I knew that my legs were feeling better than the day before. I went out for 10 miles and the first 5 disappeared without much of a struggle and I was almost tempted to do a couple more before turning round, but I told myself to save something for Tuesday’s track session. I turned round at 5 miles and headed back and by the time I ran my last two miles I was feeling very much a runner again. The hard, heavy breathing and sore achy legs that I had felt with every step of all my runs from the last week were largely gone. Finishing my run I stood on the coastline and looked out across the sea breathing in the fresh air and feeling great. I really did feel like I was back. I began to believe for the first time in a week that I could get back to where I was before holiday. It was great.
Tuesday 29 June: 13.5 miles
AM: 3.75 miles; PM: 9.75 miles (including track session)
I finished work early today so armed with an email from Alex I headed to track on my own. Alex told me to do the following session 3 sets of 400m, 800m, 300m with 1 minute recovery between reps and then a 2 ½ minute recovery between sets. I felt good running to track, as my steady running feels much more comfortable now. The track was empty, as it was 6pm and most of the different training groups didn’t start until 7ish. After last week I was a little apprehensive about track, so it was quite good just doing it on my own.
Each set was good(ish). The positives were that my legs felt strong and fit, just not as fast as they were. My lungs felt okay, just a little tight, probably still out of practice after the weeks without making them expand to their capacity. It was quite a mental battle too, as I had no one to hang on to or fend off, just my own motivation to improve myself and rebuild my fitness. At times, especially on the 800ms, where I just wanted to ease off. I tried telling myself that it would be okay, as I am still getting back into the swing of it. To get me through those moments I just counted down the 100ms telling myself to run hard for just 100m more. It worked, as I don’t think I eased off at all, apart from where my muscles physically could not generate any more speed.
I was definitely a lot faster than last week and I was also pleased that I managed to maintain my pace right across the sets. After the sets my lungs felt as though I had smoked a hundred cigarettes and I slumped on the grass just beside the finishing line. I gasped for air, but it felt great to have run well.
My times:
Set 1: 400m (72secs) 800m (2mins34secs) 300m (52secs)
Set 2: 400m (71secs) 800m (2mins35secs) 300m (53secs)
Set 3: 400m (72secs) 800m (2mins36secs) 300m (52secs)
At last! I feel like a runner again. I was still in Whitehills and Monday morning and I woke up to the same glorious sunshine of the previous two mornings. As soon as I set off I knew that my legs were feeling better than the day before. I went out for 10 miles and the first 5 disappeared without much of a struggle and I was almost tempted to do a couple more before turning round, but I told myself to save something for Tuesday’s track session. I turned round at 5 miles and headed back and by the time I ran my last two miles I was feeling very much a runner again. The hard, heavy breathing and sore achy legs that I had felt with every step of all my runs from the last week were largely gone. Finishing my run I stood on the coastline and looked out across the sea breathing in the fresh air and feeling great. I really did feel like I was back. I began to believe for the first time in a week that I could get back to where I was before holiday. It was great.
Tuesday 29 June: 13.5 miles
AM: 3.75 miles; PM: 9.75 miles (including track session)
I finished work early today so armed with an email from Alex I headed to track on my own. Alex told me to do the following session 3 sets of 400m, 800m, 300m with 1 minute recovery between reps and then a 2 ½ minute recovery between sets. I felt good running to track, as my steady running feels much more comfortable now. The track was empty, as it was 6pm and most of the different training groups didn’t start until 7ish. After last week I was a little apprehensive about track, so it was quite good just doing it on my own.
Each set was good(ish). The positives were that my legs felt strong and fit, just not as fast as they were. My lungs felt okay, just a little tight, probably still out of practice after the weeks without making them expand to their capacity. It was quite a mental battle too, as I had no one to hang on to or fend off, just my own motivation to improve myself and rebuild my fitness. At times, especially on the 800ms, where I just wanted to ease off. I tried telling myself that it would be okay, as I am still getting back into the swing of it. To get me through those moments I just counted down the 100ms telling myself to run hard for just 100m more. It worked, as I don’t think I eased off at all, apart from where my muscles physically could not generate any more speed.
I was definitely a lot faster than last week and I was also pleased that I managed to maintain my pace right across the sets. After the sets my lungs felt as though I had smoked a hundred cigarettes and I slumped on the grass just beside the finishing line. I gasped for air, but it felt great to have run well.
My times:
Set 1: 400m (72secs) 800m (2mins34secs) 300m (52secs)
Set 2: 400m (71secs) 800m (2mins35secs) 300m (53secs)
Set 3: 400m (72secs) 800m (2mins36secs) 300m (52secs)
22-27 June 2010: Getting back into it
Weekly Mileage: 70 miles
I have to admit that, despite worrying about it greatly before my holiday, I didn’t miss running much at all during my time away. I did do 4 days of cycling, some kayaking and two beach runs, but generally I did not crave my daily run. I did think a lot about running while I was away. I read both Dean Karnazes’ books, which were very inspiring! I also, during some spare time, wrote my Amsterdam training plan, so it was never far from my mind.
I knew that as soon as I got back I would be itching to get going and so I was, as soon as the plane touched down in Edinburgh I decided I would go to Tuesday’s track session, even though I had been travelling for 24 hours straight with little sleep! I did have some time during the day to relax and take it easy, but I was far from fresh when I arrived at Meadowbank that night. In fact the 2.7 mile run from my house felt so gruelling that the idea of doing anything but turning around and going home made me feel nauseous. It was good to see everyone at the club and I felt I was back into my old routine, well at least until the first rep! The session was 4*(500m*2 with jog recovery) and then 8*100m. My lungs burned with pain for the first 500m and my legs felt like I’d run a marathon I was exhausted and felt incredibly unfit. I managed to do the first 3 sets, so 6*500m, the middle 2 got quicker, so I knew there was speed somewhere in my legs, but I felt tired, heavy, exhausted and unfit by the time I called it quits. It was great to be back!
Wednesday I woke up feeling very stiff and heavy and my first run to work for several weeks felt like running a marathon flat out. It was so tough. By the time I got to work I felt like I never wanted to go on holiday again and make myself so unfit. My evening run was meant to be a short, quiet one, however I agreed to meet Kim and she ended up leading me on an 11 mile run over the Braid and Blackford Hills! I was fine for the first 8 miles, but then my legs completely went and the last 3 miles home were a real struggle. Still it was a lovely scenic run and it was good to have the company and to chat running!
Thursday I was back at club. My legs after 2 days hard running felt ruined, so I wasn’t expecting much from the session. The first part of the session 4*45secs flat out saw me finish middle of field each time, which was immensely frustrating, as I am normally in the first 2 or 3 depending on who’s there. I was feeling pretty despondent by the time we came to the second half of the session, which was 4*1200m. Normally I love the longer interval stuff, as it suits my endurance skills, but I was far from hopeful. I was quite surprised then that I managed to finish the first rep just behind the first two. Not bad, but I felt tired and sore, so I wasn’t sure how many more of the four I would be able to do. I wasn’t timing them either, as I felt that would have totally demoralised me, so I was judging my reps on where I finished and how I felt. I slowed down a bit for the next 3 reps, but was probably only 5-10 seconds away from where I would normally have finished, so I was pretty happy with that. Again I was exhausted, tired and sore. I felt as if I had not run for years.
I have found this all very hard, as just before my holiday I was in the shape of my life running PBs almost at will at every distance I tried. Now I feel as though I have gone back by 12 months. Alex, my coach, assured me, after the session, that it will take a couple of weeks to get back into my pre-holiday shape. I wasn’t convinced.
Friday was an easy day, just a run to work and home.
I spent the weekend in Whitehills, a lovely coastal town on the Moray Firth coastline, near Banff. Gail’s parent’s live there and we were up to celebrate her Dad’s 60th. One of the great things about Whitehills, apart from the superb company, food and welcome you are guaranteed to get, is there are some lovely runs, both road and trail. There are probably loads more that I haven’t even discovered yet! I really enjoy running there when I get the chance.
On Saturday morning I left the house just after 8am in beautiful sunshine for a 10 mile run. It was tough! I was certainly hauling about the week’s heavy training in my legs and my lower back felt a little tight and niggly. I have to admit I started to question my motivation a bit and began to wonder if I would ever feel good running again. By the time I reached home I was shattered, but I did feel better for having done it, although far from great.
Sunday morning was the same, beautiful sunshine and great scenery. I ran 14 miles and although it felt slightly better than Saturday I was still struggling and sore. Again I questioned my motivation and even wondered what the point of it all was. For a few seconds I even contemplated giving up running, but it was just for a few seconds. I got back totally exhausted and shattered. I clambered down to the sea and waded into a rock pool where I sat down emerging myself in icy cold sea water. It felt great and I knew it would be good for my legs. Feeling better I laughed at myself for even thinking for a second or two that I might actually give up running.
This week has been one of the hardest weeks since I took up running. I have never been injured before (still haven’t, touch wood!) so the 2 ½ weeks holiday break is pretty much the longest time off running I have had, even between marathons, during the 3 ½ years I have been running. It has been a real shock to my system, as I did not think it would be this hard. I have taken Alex’s promise to heart and am working towards a 14 day recovery plan. I also have to convince myself that the time off I have had will be good for my running in the long run, so I do not resent my break too much. I have found it frustrating, but despite a little mental wobble I am both motivated and inspired to get back to where I was before and ultimately get the time I am aiming for at Amsterdam. Onwards and upwards for next week!
I have to admit that, despite worrying about it greatly before my holiday, I didn’t miss running much at all during my time away. I did do 4 days of cycling, some kayaking and two beach runs, but generally I did not crave my daily run. I did think a lot about running while I was away. I read both Dean Karnazes’ books, which were very inspiring! I also, during some spare time, wrote my Amsterdam training plan, so it was never far from my mind.
I knew that as soon as I got back I would be itching to get going and so I was, as soon as the plane touched down in Edinburgh I decided I would go to Tuesday’s track session, even though I had been travelling for 24 hours straight with little sleep! I did have some time during the day to relax and take it easy, but I was far from fresh when I arrived at Meadowbank that night. In fact the 2.7 mile run from my house felt so gruelling that the idea of doing anything but turning around and going home made me feel nauseous. It was good to see everyone at the club and I felt I was back into my old routine, well at least until the first rep! The session was 4*(500m*2 with jog recovery) and then 8*100m. My lungs burned with pain for the first 500m and my legs felt like I’d run a marathon I was exhausted and felt incredibly unfit. I managed to do the first 3 sets, so 6*500m, the middle 2 got quicker, so I knew there was speed somewhere in my legs, but I felt tired, heavy, exhausted and unfit by the time I called it quits. It was great to be back!
Wednesday I woke up feeling very stiff and heavy and my first run to work for several weeks felt like running a marathon flat out. It was so tough. By the time I got to work I felt like I never wanted to go on holiday again and make myself so unfit. My evening run was meant to be a short, quiet one, however I agreed to meet Kim and she ended up leading me on an 11 mile run over the Braid and Blackford Hills! I was fine for the first 8 miles, but then my legs completely went and the last 3 miles home were a real struggle. Still it was a lovely scenic run and it was good to have the company and to chat running!
Thursday I was back at club. My legs after 2 days hard running felt ruined, so I wasn’t expecting much from the session. The first part of the session 4*45secs flat out saw me finish middle of field each time, which was immensely frustrating, as I am normally in the first 2 or 3 depending on who’s there. I was feeling pretty despondent by the time we came to the second half of the session, which was 4*1200m. Normally I love the longer interval stuff, as it suits my endurance skills, but I was far from hopeful. I was quite surprised then that I managed to finish the first rep just behind the first two. Not bad, but I felt tired and sore, so I wasn’t sure how many more of the four I would be able to do. I wasn’t timing them either, as I felt that would have totally demoralised me, so I was judging my reps on where I finished and how I felt. I slowed down a bit for the next 3 reps, but was probably only 5-10 seconds away from where I would normally have finished, so I was pretty happy with that. Again I was exhausted, tired and sore. I felt as if I had not run for years.
I have found this all very hard, as just before my holiday I was in the shape of my life running PBs almost at will at every distance I tried. Now I feel as though I have gone back by 12 months. Alex, my coach, assured me, after the session, that it will take a couple of weeks to get back into my pre-holiday shape. I wasn’t convinced.
Friday was an easy day, just a run to work and home.
I spent the weekend in Whitehills, a lovely coastal town on the Moray Firth coastline, near Banff. Gail’s parent’s live there and we were up to celebrate her Dad’s 60th. One of the great things about Whitehills, apart from the superb company, food and welcome you are guaranteed to get, is there are some lovely runs, both road and trail. There are probably loads more that I haven’t even discovered yet! I really enjoy running there when I get the chance.
On Saturday morning I left the house just after 8am in beautiful sunshine for a 10 mile run. It was tough! I was certainly hauling about the week’s heavy training in my legs and my lower back felt a little tight and niggly. I have to admit I started to question my motivation a bit and began to wonder if I would ever feel good running again. By the time I reached home I was shattered, but I did feel better for having done it, although far from great.
Sunday morning was the same, beautiful sunshine and great scenery. I ran 14 miles and although it felt slightly better than Saturday I was still struggling and sore. Again I questioned my motivation and even wondered what the point of it all was. For a few seconds I even contemplated giving up running, but it was just for a few seconds. I got back totally exhausted and shattered. I clambered down to the sea and waded into a rock pool where I sat down emerging myself in icy cold sea water. It felt great and I knew it would be good for my legs. Feeling better I laughed at myself for even thinking for a second or two that I might actually give up running.
This week has been one of the hardest weeks since I took up running. I have never been injured before (still haven’t, touch wood!) so the 2 ½ weeks holiday break is pretty much the longest time off running I have had, even between marathons, during the 3 ½ years I have been running. It has been a real shock to my system, as I did not think it would be this hard. I have taken Alex’s promise to heart and am working towards a 14 day recovery plan. I also have to convince myself that the time off I have had will be good for my running in the long run, so I do not resent my break too much. I have found it frustrating, but despite a little mental wobble I am both motivated and inspired to get back to where I was before and ultimately get the time I am aiming for at Amsterdam. Onwards and upwards for next week!
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
14-21 June: A week in Koh Samui- including weddings, golf, fishing, eating and drinking
Time has got the better of me, as I head home from my holiday. In order to return to my normal routine of blogging on my daily training regime I need to write one blog entry on my visit to Thailand and Koh Samui.
To be honest, one entry will probably be enough to cover what I want to say.
Samui was a very different type of holiday compared to our visit to Vietnam. It was not the cultural and learning feast that Vietnam was. That’s not to say that we did not have a brilliant time, in fact we did, but it was just very different.
As we approached the island the view from the plane was stunning. I instantly thought of the TV series Lost and the tropical island at the centre of that programme. The island was encased by a beautiful blue sea and its high peaks touched the clouds and were covered in beautiful tropical foliage. I was excited and couldn’t wait to land. Once on the ground we were met by the manager of our resort, the Tropical Garden Village and he drove us back along the main road. The view from the air, I have to admit was far more inviting than the one from the ground. I think if I had to describe it in a nutshell it would be Benidorm or the Algarve, tacky touristy places built for droves of European holiday-makers looking for sun, beer and fun. I am not trying to belittle such holidays, as I have done them myself and thoroughly enjoyed them. It’s just not what I was expecting from Thailand.
Our resort was cheap, but not too bad. We each had our own rather large beach hut (not on a beach though). By good luck and fortune Stephen and I had been upgraded. Upgrade meant that we had an outside walk in shower room and a toilet that opened up into outdoor shower room with no way of closing it off to the outside world! It was quite strange really. Stephen could see the next hut’s front door from his toilet seat as his hut was lower down the hill than their’s. If he could see them, they could see him. I felt sorry for his neighbours! The huts were fine though and we were all quite comfortable, well apart from me! A giant Geko, who we named Geoffrey seemed to like my hut a lot On the first night he sat on the wall by my door, as if waiting for a chance to get in! By the end of the week there he had taken residence in my bathroom above the mirror!! I know he was harmless, but it was a little disconcerting to have a lizard follow your every move in the bathroom! 
The main highlight for us at koh was our cousin Jenny’s wedding. It was the reason we were there, it was the reason we were in South East Asia. Jenny and her husband to be, Tone, and the vast bulk of the wedding party including Stephen and I’s Uncle, Eddie, and Aunt, Lynn, were all staying at a 5 star resort, Rocky’s, further round the Island. It was great to see everyone and arriving on Monday meant we had two days of catching up, enjoying some lovely (and expensive!!) food and drink.
The Wedding was on Wednesday and it was a brilliant and glorious day. The three of us turned up in our hand made white linen suits, perfect for a beach wedding. We couldn’t help, but pose for photo after photo in as many different poses as we could come up with from M&S-style catalogue poses to holiday brochure poses walking away from the camera on the beach! With such attire the only thing for us to do in the three hours we had to wait before the wedding was hit the cocktails!
Everyone made a real effort to look both wedding-glamorous and beach-ready! Eddie, particularly impressed us with Lawrence Lwyellen style shirt and polished toe nails – very metrosexual for a rough and tough car mechanic from Yorkshire!
The wedding itself was brilliant. Jenny, my cousin, the bride, looked stunning in a glorious white dress. She looked every bit the blushing bride, putting everyone else in the shade. The look on Tone’s face as she came down the aisle said it all. He looked a happy and lucky man! The entry of both the bride and groom had included a procession of Thai drummers and dancers who brought a real sense of culture and exoticism to the proceedings. The ceremony itself took place on a small beach by the sea surrounded by large, smooth round rocks, the perfect, picturesque tropical beach wedding that could easily have been lifted from the cover of a magazine. We took our seats and gazed on as the very happy couple exchanged their vows. It was, thankfully and purposefully so, a short ceremony. After they were married we all posed for pictures and champagne along the rocks and the beach.
The occasion was perfectly rounded off with the appearance of an elephant who had been brought to take the happy couple off for a ride down the beach. The rear of their seat saddle read “Just Married” and we all cheered and smiled as they disappeared along the beach.
They weren’t gone for long! They were back for the meal and reception, which was held immediately afterwards inside the resort with its lovely air conditioning. What followed was a great night with plenty of quality food and drink, as well as dancing. A lot of the dancing was led by Rob who took to the floor with his pretty impressive jive moves. He quickly had my aunty Lynn twirling across the dance floor. In fact so impressed were the onlookers there were cues for Jive lessons with Rob, first the girls and then the boys! No wonder Stephen and I had to peel an exhausted Rob off the sun lounger to get our taxi home. I wasn’t much better though having spent at least an hour dozing off on a lounger!
With the wedding over we took it easy on Thursday before again meeting up with Eddie and Lynn for an evening meal, which started early and finished very late! It was good to be able to spend so much time with them.
Friday was a great day. Rob, Stephen, Eddie and I went sea fishing. We hired a boat for the day, with a couple of guides who took us out to sea. Unfortunately the recent windy weather had made it too dangerous to go deep sea fishing, but we got out far enough to catch some good fish. It was a lot of fun dangling our rods off the side of the boat and before 12 I had caught the two biggest fish of the day and Eddie had caught one not too much smaller. Stephen had caught a few smaller ones, but nothing big enough to eat. At lunch time we stopped and one of our guides gutted, de-scaled and fried our freshly caught fish to perfection, which we enjoyed with rice and salad on the boat. I have to admit, despite eating in some pretty expensive and impressive places, this was the nicest meal I had on all of Samui. I don’t know if it was the satisfaction of eating something I had caught or just the simple, but extremely tasty way he had made it, but it was beautiful. We fished for a few more hours, but I had no more luck. Stephen continued to haul in the smaller fish and Rob caught one too, so we finished the day happy men. It was a lovely, peaceful and satisfying way to spend a day.
In the evening Rob, Stephen and I went to a local Thai boxing (Muaythai) match at one of the local stadiums. Stephen had seen Muaythai in Bangkok, but Rob and I had not seen it before. We treated ourselves to some VIP seats, which meant we ad pride of place next to the ring in lovely leather sofas! Very classy. They were clearly designed for Western tourists with money, as most of the local Thai people were in the cheaper seats, not that they sat in them much. They preferred to be standing up waving advice to the boxers and betting on the outcome. We saw 7 fights that night mostly Thai versus Thai, but there was one all western fight between a Brit and a Pole, as well as a Swede against a Thai. The boxing was pretty vicious. With elbows, knees, feet and fists all been exchanged in a flurry we sore plenty of brutality and roughed up looking fighters at the end of it. There were a couple of knock outs including one from an elbow in the first fight that dropped the guy to the canvas if he had been shot. I have to admit I have always been a fan of boxing. I understand why people don’t like it and protest that in this day and age we should not have to look to human violence for entertainment, not to mention the risk and health factors involved. Having said that there is something to be said for watching two incredibly fit and skilled martial artists trying to defeat one another with skill and power. There is perhaps also the raw natural state of two people fighting for dominance that maybe appeals to us at a genetic level, something from our distance past where fighting for resources was a natural instinct.
We all enjoyed it, so much that we went to another stadium on Saturday and watched more! Friday night ended in a local bar with a couple of friends from the wedding, who had also been at the boxing. We drank a little too much, or at least I did, and by mid way through the second half of England’s second world cup game I felt a little ill and had to jump into a taxi and head back to the resort! That was my last big alcohol night. I was done. I am really not designed for that anymore!
Aside from the wedding the real star of our time on Samui was the local fishing village. Made up of a long street, which was car free in the evening, it was a cluster of lovely local restaurants and shops one side of which was sat on a beach. Although still catering for tourists it was far less like Benidorm and much more like a picturesque coastal town in France or Italy. We tried several restaurants and bars there, as well as the local ice cream parlour. The food was some of the best we ate on the island including a fantastic lobster dinner that Stephen and I had on our last night, as well as number of traditional and well known Thai dishes. The local market stalls gave us the chance to buy some more gifts for friends and family, as well as another chance to haggle and barter, thankfully I remembered to go in the right direction this time.
The only other exciting thing to mention about our time there was we did encounter a wild snake on the pavement. This had been my biggest fear (well apart from flying!) of the whole trip, bumping into a snake!! I hate snakes, yes I know I have made that very clear, but I just need to remind you again so you know just how scared I am. The three of us were walking back from a trip to the beach when I noticed something long and snake-like on the pavement. It was coiled and didn’t look happy. I have to admit at first, as it was so still, I thought it was fake, a statute or something, but it was nowhere near a shop or home, so was totally out of place. I decided it had to be real and quickly stopped in my tracks and called out “snake, snake, snake!” I began to move backwards quickly, whilst warning Stephen and Rob, who took a second or two to realise what was going on. Rob was almost too slow and wasn’t far from stepping on the snake, but in the nick of time he spotted it and with moves that reminded me of his dance lessons at the wedding he got out of the way. The snake gave a large hiss and flashed away into the grass beside the pavement. That was a little a scary. I was glad, however, that I didn’t panic or go into the foetal position, both of which I had feared would do if I ever met a snake!
So our time in Samui was over. On reflection I had a brilliant time and really enjoyed myself. It wasn’t Vietnam. That was truly special and unique. In my opinion this part of Thailand seems to have become a victim of its own success with resort after resort being built all over the island and every local employed and geared to trying to get every bit of cash they can from tourists. It has lost any soul and character that it may have once had as a traditional Thai fishing community, as culture has been pushed aside for riches and wealth. I don’t begrudge them this, why should I. It makes perfect sense from their point of view. Tourists want to come there and spend money, so why shouldn’t they be the ones to benefit from that and make much more than they ever would as simple fishermen and farmers. Tourists are happy to be there and to spend, although we saw very few during our time there as the recent political troubles in Thailand and the economic downturn had clearly had an effect, as well as it being the low tourist season. I am perhaps being very selfish wanting to see the romantic and traditional life there that I would not want for myself in my own country. I also felt that the island had gone too far with massively overpriced tours, food and drink, accommodation and everything else. I felt like me hand was never out of my wallet. I am not sure if such prices our sustainable, as Thailand has always been known to be expensive to get to, but cheap when you got there. If people are now faced with costly flights and Western prices, maybe they will look elsewhere for a holiday. Places like Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are all looking to get some of the South East Asia tourism dollar for themselves and if they can offer what Thailand used to then I am sure tourists will look to move away from Thailand. I would, based on my recent experiences, certainly choose Vietnam over Thailand. From what I’ve heard from other travellers is that Cambodia and Laos offer similar experiences to Vietnam.
11-14 June: Weekend Fun and Goodbye Vietnam
It was also extremely nice of her to lend us her flat for the weekend, which she had recently moved out of to live with her boyfriend. The flat was the perfect place to stay as it was right in the centre of the city and close to everything we needed.
We moved through the market and as we passed every vendor called out to us to try and get us to look at their wares. However, the main feature of these market is not the products, or at least to me it wasn’t, it was the bartering and haggling of the price! The rule for the shopper was never pay full price and for the vendor it was ‘squeeze them for every penny!’. I loved it! Bartering was the highlight of my visit to the market. The first thing that caught my eye was a lovely chess set with the pieces carved out of stone, or so I was told, and it did look pretty good. I asked how much and the Vendor replied 500,000 dong or £17.80 in UK money. “No way, no way,” I replied, “100,000 dong?” She laughed and offered me 400,000. I played along and countered with 200,000. No laughing this time, but she did lower her offer to 300,000. I made my last offer 250,000 (about £9). She declined, so I played my final card and decided to leave the shop saying it was too much. It worked, she ran after me saying she accepted. It was great. I loved the process, the banter, the haggling. It was really exciting and at this point I cared nothing for my purchase, it could have been worth a tenth of what I actually I paid I was thrilled that I had bartered my way down to half her original price! I went round loads of stalls buying bits and pieces including presents and gifts and most of the fun was in the haggling not the picking. I could have stayed there all day, but after a couple of hours we were all pretty tired and stopped for lemonade.
After lunch Anne Marie left us to it, as went to see the American war Museum. This was perhaps the most sobering part of my trip to Vietnam. We read about the invasion, we saw old abandoned US military hardware and then learnt about the effects that chemicals used in US bombing runs had had on the people of this country. Many children, some born as little as four or five years ago, have been born with massive disfigurements and disabilities as result of these chemicals. A number of these children were at the museum that day selling their handmade crafts or playing music for donations to the charity that supported them to live fulfilling and normal lives.
I have to admit it made me really upset and angry. It is simply not fair that these children, most of them born 25 years after the war that had ended, were suffering at its hands, the most innocent victims I have ever seen. A war that, to me, seems to have served so little purpose, but has caused so much hurt to the Vietnamese people. I know very few countries are free of history and the atrocities of war that come with the past, so this isn’t a judgement on others, but merely a reflection of the pain and suffering that we as a species seem all to easily to inflict on each other. It should serve as a reminder to us all that despite our technological advancements and pretence to intelligence, we still have far to go before we can truly be considered to be a peaceful race above the brutal world of nature.
The three of us left somewhat sombre after that and returned to the flat. Stephen and I nipped downstairs to the local cafe for a couple of beers and to relax, while Rob, being a rugby fan, went to see a local ex-pat rugby team. Anne Marie was involved with the ladies touch team and her boyfriend played for the men’s team. She had invited us to watch and Rob snapped up the opportunity.
We met up again later that evening for a meal and drinks. After several quiet nights we decided that we needed a bit of a blow out and with the football on that evening there was no better excuse. We went to a local sport’s bar called Phatties, a typical sports bar that you would find the world over, mainly filled with western ex-pats (most of them from Anne Marie’s rugby club) and a few locals. It wasn’t quite the local experience that we had strived to find as a rule, but we were more than happy with the mango dackaries, yeigmiesters, beers and gin tonics that we consumed throughout the evening. After a rather disappointing football result we headed home. This time we chose the standard taxi option, rather than a random motorbike. It had been a good night. Again it was good to catch up some more with Anne Marie and we had a chance to speak to some of the other ex pats there and ask them about their lives and experiences of living in Vietnam. Everyone seems to love it, which didn’t surprise me one bit!
We had to be up very early Sunday, as we were being measured for our hand made suits that we were getting made for my cousin’s wedding next week in Thailand. We had gone for an initial sizing and picking of style and material on Saturday morning before the market, but we had to go back to make sure the suits fitted and have any alterations made. We were still a little tipsy as we arrived at the tailors at 7.30am. We were also a little early so we went to a nearby cafe for breakfast. Whilst tucking into some rather delicious eggs and coffee a street peddler came over selling plastic nodding horses! We had seen one in a taxi the other day and it had made us laugh. With the alcohol still clouding my head I beckoned the man over and asked how much he was selling his horses for. He replied $4 (about 72,000 dong, they use both currencies freely). I decided to get haggling. After all I had done so well yesterday at the market. I thought that less than $2 would be a fair price, but instead of offering him it in US I decided to offer it him in dong, that was all I had on me. I made a quick calculation and offered him 300,000 dong. He gladly accepted and quickly handed over a horse before taking my money and disappearing down the street. I played with the horse for a bit and then returned to my eggs. It was only then I realised that I had made a fundamental error in my US to dong calculations! Instead of offering him 30,000 dong, less than $2, as I had planned to, I had inadvertently offered and paid him 300,000 dong – close to $17!! I had haggled massively in the wrong direction!! When I pointed this out to Rob we both laughed so much that the waiters began laughing at us for laughing. It took 5 minutes for us to calm down. Ah well, hopefully my $17 horse will sit nicely and nod away on the dashboard of my car when I get home!!
Sunday afternoon was a bit of a chill out day. We had lunch in the cafe close to the flat and in the afternoon Stephen and I had power naps in the flat watching Thai boxing and ESPEN on TV, while Rob managed to discover an inner-strength and energy to go shopping around town.
In the evening we spent our final night eating at a lovely Vietnamese restaurant with Anne Marie, her boyfriend Dave and a colleague of hers, Tracy, who we had met the previous night. The restaurant was another culinary revelation. We ordered loads and loads of dishes that were placed in the middle of our massive table, where we took bits from each to try. We had mud fish, grilled squid, spring rolls, sautéed beef, prawns and pates. It was quite the banquet and so tasty. A great way to end our dining experiences of Vietnam. After the restaurant we went to a very local CasBar, tucked away in a side street and with a roof top terrace bar offering us a lovely night time view, where we enjoyed gin and tonics and long Island Ice Teas and reflected on the awesome time we had enjoyed in Vietnam.
Monday morning brought an end to our Vietnamese adventure. I have to admit, that I have totally fallen in love with Vietnam. We all did. It is a country that is so beautiful, a wash with tropical colours, textures and sound. It is a country that is engrossing and intoxicating with so much to see and experience that it draws you in and leaves you wanting not to leave. The food and drink was as rich in taste and smell as the countryside from which it came, but most incredibly and above all else, the people are some of the friendliest, most welcoming and hospitable I have ever had the joy of meeting. I hope that I have the chance to go back again one day and see some more of this wonderful place and for anyone who is reading this with an urge to travel I would wholeheartedly suggest you go. Book your flights today.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Friday 11 June: Floating markets and a return to Ho Chi Min City
It was yet another early start today, but not on the bikes. On the river near where we were staying in Can Tho they have a floating market where all the locals take their produce to sell or trade. Tung, our guide, had hired a small boat and driver and we took to the river to go and see the market. It was about 30 minutes up the river and in the early morning sunlight we watched the riverbank come to life.
There were people bathing at the river’s edge, collecting water, some people had already started work and were loading up freight on their boats. A number of boats passed us laden with fruits, as they were off to the market. The river was really teaming with life and in that early morning sunlight it was both fascinating and fantastic to watch, far different than the early morning rush hour in Edinburgh. I sat there watching this strange, to me, world going by and I was stuck by the relaxed nature of the people working and travelling. They sat quietly on their boats steering them up river, they washed and ate together on the back of boats with smiles on their faces, even those on the bank that were loading up freight, in what was already a very hot morning, appeared happy and at ease. It looked a far more appealing work morning, than those in Edinburgh, where everyone is rushing about, stressing, arguing, and bumping into people.
The floating market was an impressive sight. Rows upon rows of boats tied together, people scampering from one to the other, exchanging bags of fruit for money or other bags of fruit. The boats ranged in size from pretty large to tiny row boats, all off them crammed full of fruits of every colour of the rainbow. Some boats had only one type of fruit, where as others had several different kinds. We discovered that the boats had a very interesting way of advertising what they were selling, so those looking to buy knew where to go. Each boat placed a large pole on the boat pointing up into the sky, on top of which they tied a sample of the fruit they are selling. We could see pole after pole of pineapples, durians and dragon-fruits, some poles hoisted up several different types of fruit. The people that trade there range from local business people who own shops, market stores and restaurants and cafes. You also get local people in small row boats doing their family shop. Smaller boats carrying bottles of water, cans of fizzy juice and snacks service the market. They zip in and out of the larger boats selling to the families on the fruit boats as well as those tourists like us who have come along to watch. It truly was a colourful, unique, thriving hub of commerce and business in the most glorious of settings.
There was, of course, only one thing left to do, get involved! We pulled up alongside a larger barge crewed by an older man and his wife. He was selling pineapples. I really dislike pineapples, but this was all about the experience. Our guide Tung spoke a few words to the old man and he pulled out a rather large knife. Had negotiations gone rather badly, I thought? No, not at all. He put his knife to work on a large pineapple. He then with the skill of a cosmetic surgeon began, skinning and slicing the fruit. While he did so we were allowed onto his barge to have a look around and see the large stock of pineapples that were stored in the ship’s hold. By the time we had finished looking round the old man had skilfully turned the pineapple into four fruit sticks with the fruit stem acting as a stick. I dislike pineapple, but knew it would be rude to say no, so took a rather tentative bight. It was delicious, so juicy and fresh and tasty! I ate the lot and really wished I could have another.
Sadly that was the end of our visit to the floating market and we made for the shore. Our boat pulled up to a jetty not far away, as the van with the bikes had left Can Tho to meet us there. Once on shore we had to work our way through another market, this one on land and covered by a giant marquee. I think several of the fruits on display had been bought not that long ago from the floating market in the river behind it, however, there was much more than fruit sold here. Fresh fish lay on cold wet trays, some eels and live fish swam about in buckets nearby, tables stacked high with fresh meat including chicken, ducks, pig and beef also filled the market. The large number of flies buzzing from one piece of meat to the next made me lose my appetite, but no one else seemed to mind as people pushed past one another to buy their shopping. There were also trinkets and household goods on display, as well as fresh flowers and herbs and spices. It was a thriving market and wasn’t even 9am. We emerged from the marquee into blazing hot sunshine, it must have already been past 30c and we quickly began to slap on the factor 50.
We set off on the bikes for our last 25km before finishing the tour. We were all slightly quieter today. I think we were all a little sad that this amazing adventure and experience was close to coming to an end. However, there was one last call we had to make on our way through the jungle paths. Tung brought us to the house an old and slightly eccentric Vietnamese man who was well known in the area for producing snake wine. Basically he catches snakes in his garden or in some cases buys them, and then while still alive drops them into a large glass container of rice wine, where the poor snake drowned. He then buries them in his garden for a year to ferment, if you drink it any sooner then it is poisonous to humans and will kill you!! After a year he pulls it from the ground and you drink it by the shot. The old man was thrilled to see us and quickly put glasses in our hand, which were filled with snake wine from one of the several glass containers resting outside his house. Each container carrying the pickled remains of a snake or in some cases several snakes. The first one we tasted contained the most poisonous snake you can find in Vietnam, I can’t remember the name. We were told a legend that a Vietnamese prince drank the snake wine then slept with five different women impregnating four of them. Stephen got very curious at this point! We then tried another type of snake wine and then returned to the first one. It tastes just like whisky! After a brief tour we were sent on our way on the bikes, a little wobbly from the wine.
I know now that the trip has finished I have been fortunate to experience something very unique and defining. With the world growing ever smaller with globalisation, the internet and tourism flooding into all parts of Vietnam including the jungle it is hard to imagine that this place will be the same in ten years time. I am just glad I had the chance to see it now.
There were people bathing at the river’s edge, collecting water, some people had already started work and were loading up freight on their boats. A number of boats passed us laden with fruits, as they were off to the market. The river was really teaming with life and in that early morning sunlight it was both fascinating and fantastic to watch, far different than the early morning rush hour in Edinburgh. I sat there watching this strange, to me, world going by and I was stuck by the relaxed nature of the people working and travelling. They sat quietly on their boats steering them up river, they washed and ate together on the back of boats with smiles on their faces, even those on the bank that were loading up freight, in what was already a very hot morning, appeared happy and at ease. It looked a far more appealing work morning, than those in Edinburgh, where everyone is rushing about, stressing, arguing, and bumping into people. The floating market was an impressive sight. Rows upon rows of boats tied together, people scampering from one to the other, exchanging bags of fruit for money or other bags of fruit. The boats ranged in size from pretty large to tiny row boats, all off them crammed full of fruits of every colour of the rainbow. Some boats had only one type of fruit, where as others had several different kinds. We discovered that the boats had a very interesting way of advertising what they were selling, so those looking to buy knew where to go. Each boat placed a large pole on the boat pointing up into the sky, on top of which they tied a sample of the fruit they are selling. We could see pole after pole of pineapples, durians and dragon-fruits, some poles hoisted up several different types of fruit. The people that trade there range from local business people who own shops, market stores and restaurants and cafes. You also get local people in small row boats doing their family shop. Smaller boats carrying bottles of water, cans of fizzy juice and snacks service the market. They zip in and out of the larger boats selling to the families on the fruit boats as well as those tourists like us who have come along to watch. It truly was a colourful, unique, thriving hub of commerce and business in the most glorious of settings.
There was, of course, only one thing left to do, get involved! We pulled up alongside a larger barge crewed by an older man and his wife. He was selling pineapples. I really dislike pineapples, but this was all about the experience. Our guide Tung spoke a few words to the old man and he pulled out a rather large knife. Had negotiations gone rather badly, I thought? No, not at all. He put his knife to work on a large pineapple. He then with the skill of a cosmetic surgeon began, skinning and slicing the fruit. While he did so we were allowed onto his barge to have a look around and see the large stock of pineapples that were stored in the ship’s hold. By the time we had finished looking round the old man had skilfully turned the pineapple into four fruit sticks with the fruit stem acting as a stick. I dislike pineapple, but knew it would be rude to say no, so took a rather tentative bight. It was delicious, so juicy and fresh and tasty! I ate the lot and really wished I could have another.
Sadly that was the end of our visit to the floating market and we made for the shore. Our boat pulled up to a jetty not far away, as the van with the bikes had left Can Tho to meet us there. Once on shore we had to work our way through another market, this one on land and covered by a giant marquee. I think several of the fruits on display had been bought not that long ago from the floating market in the river behind it, however, there was much more than fruit sold here. Fresh fish lay on cold wet trays, some eels and live fish swam about in buckets nearby, tables stacked high with fresh meat including chicken, ducks, pig and beef also filled the market. The large number of flies buzzing from one piece of meat to the next made me lose my appetite, but no one else seemed to mind as people pushed past one another to buy their shopping. There were also trinkets and household goods on display, as well as fresh flowers and herbs and spices. It was a thriving market and wasn’t even 9am. We emerged from the marquee into blazing hot sunshine, it must have already been past 30c and we quickly began to slap on the factor 50.
We set off on the bikes for our last 25km before finishing the tour. We were all slightly quieter today. I think we were all a little sad that this amazing adventure and experience was close to coming to an end. However, there was one last call we had to make on our way through the jungle paths. Tung brought us to the house an old and slightly eccentric Vietnamese man who was well known in the area for producing snake wine. Basically he catches snakes in his garden or in some cases buys them, and then while still alive drops them into a large glass container of rice wine, where the poor snake drowned. He then buries them in his garden for a year to ferment, if you drink it any sooner then it is poisonous to humans and will kill you!! After a year he pulls it from the ground and you drink it by the shot. The old man was thrilled to see us and quickly put glasses in our hand, which were filled with snake wine from one of the several glass containers resting outside his house. Each container carrying the pickled remains of a snake or in some cases several snakes. The first one we tasted contained the most poisonous snake you can find in Vietnam, I can’t remember the name. We were told a legend that a Vietnamese prince drank the snake wine then slept with five different women impregnating four of them. Stephen got very curious at this point! We then tried another type of snake wine and then returned to the first one. It tastes just like whisky! After a brief tour we were sent on our way on the bikes, a little wobbly from the wine. We finished about an hour later and our cycle tour was over. We were sad, but elated to have done it. By the time we finished we had cycled over 200km in the 4 days and seen so much of the Mekong Delta and jungle. We then piled into the van and started our 4 hour journey back to Ho chi Min City. We had one last treat in store when we stopped for lunch after 2 hours of driving and we fed another deep fried elephant Ear Fish. Lovely.
Finally we made it back to Ho chi Min City where we met up with a good friend of mine from university days, Anne Marie, who now loves in Ho Chi Min and was very kindly letting us stay at her spare flat.
What I learnt from our cycle tour was that the people of the Mekong Delta are some of the friendliest, kindest and most welcoming people I have ever come across. They smile, say hello and are thrilled that you have come to see them. The food was awesome. We didn’t realise how good until we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant later that day and although we enjoyed it, it was nothing compared to the local, rural food that we had enjoyed. The countryside was some of the most beautiful and exquisite I have ever seen with palm trees, rivers, bushes and rice fields. It was hard to stay on the bike sometimes, because your eyes were following something in the jungle.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
Thursday 10 June: Pagoda’s, 85km+ cycling in 35c heat and rat, snake and buffalo for tea!
Today was an exhilarating day of firsts, cycling and more amazing experiences in this simply stunning country. Today, as with yesterday was another early start. Unfortunately it wasn’t a great start for me as something I had eaten or drank the day before had not agreed with me. After a light breakfast and some Imodium I felt a little better, but the thought of cycling 85km+ in the baking heat of the Mekong jungle was a little daunting. Thankfully by the time we set off down the busy road of Tra Vinh I was feeling a lot better.
We cycled for only a short while before stopping at The Ba Om Pond, which is filled with Lotus Flowers. The plants have a large green leaves that push through the surface of the water and fill the pond making a beautiful lake of green, that looks almost like a scene from a Monet. This particular pond, we were told by our guide, was no ordinary pond, but one steeped in history and culture for the khamer, the people that live in that area. In their history women used to do all the work in the fields and their homes. They would save all the money and do all the cooking. The men would go to temple and learn and study and nothing else. After many, many years of this the women challenged the men to a competition to see who could dig the biggest pond in a full day. The women worked hard digging all night, while the men worked slowly, drinking and smoking, so confident that they would be beat the women. When morning came the women had dug a pond far greater than the men. The men were shamed and from that moment the roles reversed and the men were the ones to go out and work in the fields, save the money and women would stay at home and raise the children.
After the pond we cycled a little bit further to the local Pagoda or Buddhist temple, which was over a 1,000 years old. The temple was beautiful, large and well maintained. Made up of a network of buildings, including a temple, made with stone and decorated with gold. The pagoda was surrounded by a forest of tall trees and with the early morning sun shining through it felt a tranquil and peaceful place, exactly what you would expect. We heard how important the temple is for the local population. The temple is the centre of their life and their community and every community has one. It is a place where they study, where they go if they are ill and where they go there to pray as well. The Buddhist monks that live and work there do so without pay. They and the temple survive on donations and contributions of the local Kahmer people who are always generous.
The ambient atmosphere of the pagoda soon disappeared though as we arrived and the children who lived there saw us. The Kahmer send their children to learn and study languages and culture for 2 years at the age of 6. It was clear from the beginning that they had not seen many, if any westerners before and we became an instant curiosity, especially the ever white and pale, Rob. A few children turned into well over a dozen as word spread of our arrival. Many of them smiled and giggled as we walked past, others said hello, one particularly brave child came forward to shake our hands. It was something he would do repeatedly for the duration of our visit. Rob taught him how to high five and he quickly demanded one of them from each of us. He was even keen to try on my sunglasses. As we moved from building to building our little fan club followed us.
We learnt many things from Tiung about the Buddhist monks who live in the temple and their very simple way of life, but the thing that struck me most was the fact that they only eat one simple meal a day. I am not sure I could do that.
Having been made so welcome at the pagoda, it was almost disappointing to have to leave so soon, with a few more high fives, squeals and giggles we were back on the road. Our road led is through an area that has a high population of Khmer and these people, even more than the Vietnamese people of the jungle, had not seen many Westerners. The children and adults of the villages looked out as we passed by with smiles, looks of shock and cries of hello. After passing through the villages we emerged out of the jungle and onto some larger roads that dissected a series of rice fields all been worked by the women. They obviously hadn’t heard of the story of the pond.
We waved as people called out to us as we passed by, some quite clearly shocked to see us. At one field I stopped to take some photos much to the delight of the women working there. They waved and laughed and then beckoned us to join them. This of course, was too good an offer for Stephen to turn down, and ripping his socks and shoes off he dived into the field and lined up with the women, who screamed with delight. He joined them in picking and replanting several crops before, like most Kamher men, decided that it was better out of the fields than in it!
We spent close to an hour working our way through the fields, sometimes on roads, other time dirt tracks that went straight through the fields. There was field after field and all were been worked in. Rice is a massive crop for Vietnam and the people have been growing rice since around 4000BC.
We emerged from the rice fields close to lunch time, it had been extremely hot and warm and we were all feeling the heat. Pulling into a large, by the Mekong standard, town and negotiated the typically mad motorcycle traffic before stopping at a local Pho restaurant. Pho (pronounced fur) is, we were told, Vietnamese fast food, but it is far healthier and tastier than a MacDonald’s or Burger King. It is made with beef or chicken, usually cheaper cuts of the meat and not much of it. The meat sits with noodles in a broth made from the meat stock and usually with garlic and chilli and some green vegetables, such as spring onions. You are given this in a huge bowl and some side plates of bean sprouts and herb leaves such as mint and a basil-type herb to add to taste, as well as the obligatory fish sauce. It’s really tasty and refreshing dish that filled my muscles with energy for the afternoon. I was still feeling a little shaky and tender in the stomach, but the pho was really good and I had seconds!
After some more Pepsi and water we moved out of the shade of the cafe and back into the baking heat of the day. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding through more jungle paths and rural roads working our way through the villages and people. Occasionally we stopped to cross the river by ferry. Towards the end of the day we started to get closer to our destination the provincial capital, Can Tho. We had to cycle through a Government shipyard where they were building large freight ships for the river. It was the first major sign of large industry we had seen that day and a real sign that we had left the rural and simple life of the Kahmer behind.
Just after we left the shipyard we had to make one final river crossing before reaching the main outskirts of the city. Ironically, it was on the simplest and most hand-made style ferry we had yet used. It looked as though it could have sunk at the slightest sight of trouble. Once we left the ferry, thankfully only a short crossing, we joined the large road leaving the city. It was busy! There were motorbikes and mopeds, cars, trucks and busses all flying towards the city, weaving in and out of each other. It was not quite as bad as Ho Chi Min City, but it was still pretty scary at times, as we cycled in the middle of it all, with mopeds and cars cutting across us and in some cases simply coming at us. We all learnt one thing about the traffic that day and that is to survive on the roads you need to have a little bit of confidence and be a bit bolshie forcing your way through. Eventually we made it arriving at our hotel. It was a tough day in the saddle and three of us and our guide sat down for a hard earned beer.
For dinner that evening we were taken into the city with our guide and driver. We arrived at what I can only describe as a car park at the back of a residential area. In between the rows and rows of mopeds were a scattered collection of plastic tables and chairs and we ushered to one in the corner. All around us locals gathered for their evening meal and we were told that very few westerners visited this restaurant. Our first course was roasted Buffalo with noodles and a broth. This was the first time I had tried Buffalo and have to admit it was nice, but not really a taste sensation. The whole dish, however, was very good, as we had come to expect from local Vietnamese cooking. With the Buffalo gone, we given a course of pork and sauce with rice, a very typical dish, but seen as a more lavish one, as pork is expensive for local people. After our main courses a portable BBQ was brought up next to our table and cranked up. One of the locals, who obviously worked there, but that was hard to say as they had no uniforms, name badges or any real way of separating them from the other local people eating there.
A couple of trays of meat were brought out and one by one cooked. The meat was chicken and rat which had been covered in a marinade. Don’t worry the rat wasn’t picked out of a local sewer in the city. In the Mekong, they catch rats in the rice fields and cook them as a local delicacy. I have to admit the rat tasted lovely, better than the buffalo. It tasted a bit like lamb. Both meats were quite spicy and we were left with a bit of a sweat on and burning mouth. It was a great feast.
We jumped back into the van and we were taken to another restaurant where they served something that Stephen had been asking about since we got there, snake! Even with my new found snake touching skills I was nervous as hell. We were shown to the back of the restaurant where a range of tanks displayed lots of different types of live snakes!! I was okay, they were trapped!! The idea was that, very much like lobsters, you pick out the one that you want and they then kill it for you. Our guide chose a snake and then the waiter went into the tank. I was getting a little more nervous and was certainly hanging back behind the others. He pulled it out by the tail and began to put it into the scales to weigh for a price. All of a sudden the snake was loose. It had broken free and was pretty pissed off. Don’t blame him really! I moved very quickly away, but could see as the snake coiled and it went for one of the other waiters, who only just got out of the way of the strike. Minor panic ensued, as a waitress ran away chairs and tables shifted quickly, as people expected the snake to make a dash for it. I was moving further away too. The waiter who had got the snake out the tank got hold of it quickly, again by the tail, and with a quick sharp action flung it in the air and then slammed it into the ground making a massive whacking sound that killed it. Panic over. We were told this was very untypical and that the waiter was far from skilled at handling and killing snakes. I was just glad it was over. We watched as the snake was bled, which was then given to us in a shot glass to drink. I wasn’t overly excited about this, but thought I should better try it. It tasted strange, but I downed it quickly and thankfully it stayed down. We were then served the cooked snake which they chop up and fry with lemongrass and garlic. You eat it with rice crackers. To be honest the snake was pretty awful, especially as they cooked the bones with it too, so it was crunchy and chewy. It looked like haggis, but had none of the flavour or taste. I ate one mouthful and that was it for me. Stephen and Rob also tried it, Stephen ate more of it than we did, but none of us fell in love with it.
After all that excitement there was enough time to walk through the town and down to the river to have a look around, but we were all tired and soon returned to the hotel for another early night. Still this day was probably, despite ongoing tummy trouble, probably the best day of the trip, with so many firsts and new experiences, as well as the amazing people we had met, particularly at the pagoda. I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of our cycle trip. None of us want it to end.
Pictures to follow
After the pond we cycled a little bit further to the local Pagoda or Buddhist temple, which was over a 1,000 years old. The temple was beautiful, large and well maintained. Made up of a network of buildings, including a temple, made with stone and decorated with gold. The pagoda was surrounded by a forest of tall trees and with the early morning sun shining through it felt a tranquil and peaceful place, exactly what you would expect. We heard how important the temple is for the local population. The temple is the centre of their life and their community and every community has one. It is a place where they study, where they go if they are ill and where they go there to pray as well. The Buddhist monks that live and work there do so without pay. They and the temple survive on donations and contributions of the local Kahmer people who are always generous.
The ambient atmosphere of the pagoda soon disappeared though as we arrived and the children who lived there saw us. The Kahmer send their children to learn and study languages and culture for 2 years at the age of 6. It was clear from the beginning that they had not seen many, if any westerners before and we became an instant curiosity, especially the ever white and pale, Rob. A few children turned into well over a dozen as word spread of our arrival. Many of them smiled and giggled as we walked past, others said hello, one particularly brave child came forward to shake our hands. It was something he would do repeatedly for the duration of our visit. Rob taught him how to high five and he quickly demanded one of them from each of us. He was even keen to try on my sunglasses. As we moved from building to building our little fan club followed us.
We learnt many things from Tiung about the Buddhist monks who live in the temple and their very simple way of life, but the thing that struck me most was the fact that they only eat one simple meal a day. I am not sure I could do that.
Having been made so welcome at the pagoda, it was almost disappointing to have to leave so soon, with a few more high fives, squeals and giggles we were back on the road. Our road led is through an area that has a high population of Khmer and these people, even more than the Vietnamese people of the jungle, had not seen many Westerners. The children and adults of the villages looked out as we passed by with smiles, looks of shock and cries of hello. After passing through the villages we emerged out of the jungle and onto some larger roads that dissected a series of rice fields all been worked by the women. They obviously hadn’t heard of the story of the pond.
We waved as people called out to us as we passed by, some quite clearly shocked to see us. At one field I stopped to take some photos much to the delight of the women working there. They waved and laughed and then beckoned us to join them. This of course, was too good an offer for Stephen to turn down, and ripping his socks and shoes off he dived into the field and lined up with the women, who screamed with delight. He joined them in picking and replanting several crops before, like most Kamher men, decided that it was better out of the fields than in it!
We spent close to an hour working our way through the fields, sometimes on roads, other time dirt tracks that went straight through the fields. There was field after field and all were been worked in. Rice is a massive crop for Vietnam and the people have been growing rice since around 4000BC.
We emerged from the rice fields close to lunch time, it had been extremely hot and warm and we were all feeling the heat. Pulling into a large, by the Mekong standard, town and negotiated the typically mad motorcycle traffic before stopping at a local Pho restaurant. Pho (pronounced fur) is, we were told, Vietnamese fast food, but it is far healthier and tastier than a MacDonald’s or Burger King. It is made with beef or chicken, usually cheaper cuts of the meat and not much of it. The meat sits with noodles in a broth made from the meat stock and usually with garlic and chilli and some green vegetables, such as spring onions. You are given this in a huge bowl and some side plates of bean sprouts and herb leaves such as mint and a basil-type herb to add to taste, as well as the obligatory fish sauce. It’s really tasty and refreshing dish that filled my muscles with energy for the afternoon. I was still feeling a little shaky and tender in the stomach, but the pho was really good and I had seconds!
After some more Pepsi and water we moved out of the shade of the cafe and back into the baking heat of the day. We spent the rest of the afternoon riding through more jungle paths and rural roads working our way through the villages and people. Occasionally we stopped to cross the river by ferry. Towards the end of the day we started to get closer to our destination the provincial capital, Can Tho. We had to cycle through a Government shipyard where they were building large freight ships for the river. It was the first major sign of large industry we had seen that day and a real sign that we had left the rural and simple life of the Kahmer behind.
Just after we left the shipyard we had to make one final river crossing before reaching the main outskirts of the city. Ironically, it was on the simplest and most hand-made style ferry we had yet used. It looked as though it could have sunk at the slightest sight of trouble. Once we left the ferry, thankfully only a short crossing, we joined the large road leaving the city. It was busy! There were motorbikes and mopeds, cars, trucks and busses all flying towards the city, weaving in and out of each other. It was not quite as bad as Ho Chi Min City, but it was still pretty scary at times, as we cycled in the middle of it all, with mopeds and cars cutting across us and in some cases simply coming at us. We all learnt one thing about the traffic that day and that is to survive on the roads you need to have a little bit of confidence and be a bit bolshie forcing your way through. Eventually we made it arriving at our hotel. It was a tough day in the saddle and three of us and our guide sat down for a hard earned beer.
For dinner that evening we were taken into the city with our guide and driver. We arrived at what I can only describe as a car park at the back of a residential area. In between the rows and rows of mopeds were a scattered collection of plastic tables and chairs and we ushered to one in the corner. All around us locals gathered for their evening meal and we were told that very few westerners visited this restaurant. Our first course was roasted Buffalo with noodles and a broth. This was the first time I had tried Buffalo and have to admit it was nice, but not really a taste sensation. The whole dish, however, was very good, as we had come to expect from local Vietnamese cooking. With the Buffalo gone, we given a course of pork and sauce with rice, a very typical dish, but seen as a more lavish one, as pork is expensive for local people. After our main courses a portable BBQ was brought up next to our table and cranked up. One of the locals, who obviously worked there, but that was hard to say as they had no uniforms, name badges or any real way of separating them from the other local people eating there.
A couple of trays of meat were brought out and one by one cooked. The meat was chicken and rat which had been covered in a marinade. Don’t worry the rat wasn’t picked out of a local sewer in the city. In the Mekong, they catch rats in the rice fields and cook them as a local delicacy. I have to admit the rat tasted lovely, better than the buffalo. It tasted a bit like lamb. Both meats were quite spicy and we were left with a bit of a sweat on and burning mouth. It was a great feast.
We jumped back into the van and we were taken to another restaurant where they served something that Stephen had been asking about since we got there, snake! Even with my new found snake touching skills I was nervous as hell. We were shown to the back of the restaurant where a range of tanks displayed lots of different types of live snakes!! I was okay, they were trapped!! The idea was that, very much like lobsters, you pick out the one that you want and they then kill it for you. Our guide chose a snake and then the waiter went into the tank. I was getting a little more nervous and was certainly hanging back behind the others. He pulled it out by the tail and began to put it into the scales to weigh for a price. All of a sudden the snake was loose. It had broken free and was pretty pissed off. Don’t blame him really! I moved very quickly away, but could see as the snake coiled and it went for one of the other waiters, who only just got out of the way of the strike. Minor panic ensued, as a waitress ran away chairs and tables shifted quickly, as people expected the snake to make a dash for it. I was moving further away too. The waiter who had got the snake out the tank got hold of it quickly, again by the tail, and with a quick sharp action flung it in the air and then slammed it into the ground making a massive whacking sound that killed it. Panic over. We were told this was very untypical and that the waiter was far from skilled at handling and killing snakes. I was just glad it was over. We watched as the snake was bled, which was then given to us in a shot glass to drink. I wasn’t overly excited about this, but thought I should better try it. It tasted strange, but I downed it quickly and thankfully it stayed down. We were then served the cooked snake which they chop up and fry with lemongrass and garlic. You eat it with rice crackers. To be honest the snake was pretty awful, especially as they cooked the bones with it too, so it was crunchy and chewy. It looked like haggis, but had none of the flavour or taste. I ate one mouthful and that was it for me. Stephen and Rob also tried it, Stephen ate more of it than we did, but none of us fell in love with it.
After all that excitement there was enough time to walk through the town and down to the river to have a look around, but we were all tired and soon returned to the hotel for another early night. Still this day was probably, despite ongoing tummy trouble, probably the best day of the trip, with so many firsts and new experiences, as well as the amazing people we had met, particularly at the pagoda. I can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of our cycle trip. None of us want it to end.
Pictures to follow
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 June: In the jungle...
After a quiet evening and a lovely meal at the Vietnamese restaurant at the hotel we had an early night. Tuesday morning was the start of our 4 day bike tour through the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. We were met by our tour guide Tang and our driver who took us out of the city and south for over 2 hours in a mini van. By the time we had finished our drive we had clearly left the city and were in a very rural part of the country. We had already passed many, many farms and rice fields. The road we were on contained lots of makeshift shops, cafes and workshops for motorbikes, as well as factories for lots of cottage industries. There were next to no Westerners and we were already becoming something of a curiosity for those passing us as we drove.
We pulled up outside a small cafe, where the bikes were prepared for us. We gathered a small amout of things, as the rest of our kit was to be transported ahead of us. We were given a fresh young coconut each with a straw before we started and the fresh coconut water was both delicious and refreshing, not to mention the high levels of natural electrolytes it contained, which would be great fuel for our 40km cycle that afternoon.
We set off on some local back roads near My Tho, the last town of any notable size would see for a while. These roads were nowhere near as crazy as the ones in Ho Chi Min City, but they were still pretty hectic with motorbikes, mopeds, the occasional car and trucks zipping backwards and forwards. We lined up in formation with our guide leading the way. Our first stop not too far away was the local ferry terminal. It was thriving with people going about their business. Many of them gave us strange glances. The Mekong River has numerous distributaries and to get anywhere in this area you need to cross them. Most need to be by ferry, which come in many shapes and sizes and nearly all of them would struggle to pass any health and safety standards in Europe.
After our first ferry ride we cycled along another small back road, before stopping to try an exotic Vietnamese fruit called Dorian. Dorian is a large fruit, not quite as big as a football, green and covered with hard, green fins sharp to touch. The fruit is cut open and the smell of the meat immediately hits you, its a strong odour to say the least, the best way to describe would be to say of a well used toilet. If you can get past that and eat some of it, it has a creamy texture that tastes of garlic, onions and gorgonzola cheese! I am not kidding. We all managed a couple of mouthfuls, as the locals looked on smiling. The locals love it and it is a Mekong delicacy and at a $1 a fruit it is too expensive for many people here. I am glad I tried it, but I won't be rushing back.
After our quick pit stop we carried on our way and now we pulled off the back roads and on to the jungle the rural paths of the jungle. The Mekong jungle is dense with plants and vegetation, apparently there are over 500 species of plants there including palm, mango, banana trees and bushes, vines and grass. It is also teaming with wildlife with lizards, snakes and spiders. As anyone that knows me will tell you, I am petrified of snakes and can't even watch them on the TV, so the idea of bumping into a Cobra, Green Snake or Python scared the crap out of me. I was constantly scanning the ground for slivery critters.
The rural paths were made up of anything from beaten down mud thoroughfares to concrete slabs about 5ft wide. There are literally hundreds of villages in the jungle with many houses built within the jungle facing on to the rural paths. Behind these houses the families that live there grow jungle crops, mainly fruit and raise animals, including hens, pigs and occasionally cows. The Government in Vietnam has been working very hard over the last five years to bring electricity and a road network to these villages and so have laid thousands and thousands of concrete slabs down to replace the mud-beaten paths. This makes these villages so much more accessible and motorbikes and mopeds happily drive up down these roads.
The homes varied in size, shape and style, many of them have been recently built, a sign of the growing wealth that has come to the Mekong with the growing role of capitalism in Vietnam since 1995 allowing successful farmers to make significant money on their crops. The more successful the farmer the bigger their house, some of those less successful have yet to afford to pay for a new house and so live in a traditionally made wooden and mud house, sometimes supported with corrugated iron panels. However, there were fewer of these than I expected. Our guide believes that at the current rate of economic growth and success the jungle communities will grow and grow in prosperity and become more and more modern over the coming years. It will be a very different place in ten years time. This can also be said of all of Vietnam and we saw this in Ho Chi Min City too, where tourism is having the same effect.
We cycled through many of these village communities, and in most at least one or two of the houses had set themselves up as local shops selling everything from ice cold drinks, cigarettes, fruit, bread and in a few we saw meet. I found it interesting that a lot of the canned drinks were the major brands such as Pepsi, 7 Up and Fanta, as well as the beers, such as Singha and Tiger.
The people of these communities were often very excited to see us, especially the children who screamed "hello" at us as we passed and offered massive grins and smiles. Our guide told us that where we were cycling many of the people there had not seen western people, except for on the TV. They took a particular liking to Rob, who is the palest of the three of us and many people giggled and laughed at his colour. When we stopped to catch ferries, people would come up and look at us, they would ask our guide questions about us including where were we from, could we eat their food, and why we were so pale. A few times people would put their arms next to Rob to compare colours, which would make them laugh. They all seemed genuinely pleased to see us there and were very welcoming. We didn't get bored of the hundred and hundreds of "hellos" called out to us as we tried to answer them all.
So we moved through these communities by bike and boat throughout the first day. We stopped for lunch at a local family house that had been turned into a large homestay and restaurant. As we moved through to our table and chairs I noticed a large cage in the shade to the left of the seating. I stopped dead. Within the cage was a massive, massive python. I felt my heart start to pound in m chest and despite being scared I moved slowly toward the cage to look closer. I was less scared than I thought I would be, but the idea of getting any closer didn't appeal.
We sat down for lunch and treated to an amazing Vietnamese feast, which was later described to us a simple family meal. We were given some rice paper, lettuce and mint, noodles and a whole deep fried Mekong Fish, otherwise known as an Elephant Ear Fish. The fish and leaves were then rolled up in the rice paper like a spring roll and dipped into fish oil. The fish was sensational, so light and tasty. We all agreed that it was the nicest thing we had eaten since getting there. We were also given shrimp and fried spring rolls as part of this course, and again both were delicious. We were then presented with pork cooked in coconut, rice and vegetables in a tasty broth, simply beautifully cooked food. After eating all that we were given some local fruit including Dragon Fruit. We were stuffed, but very satisfied.
After lunch the owner of the house got out the rather large python, and wrapped it round Stephen. Stephen initially looked quite relaxed and calm, but as the snake began to constrict around him and his head moved forward toward his face he looked a little pensive. From my very safe distance the snake looked a little unhappy and I could see why Stephen was a little nervous. Rob took some pictures and the snake was unwrapped from Stephen and placed on the floor by the cage. I then ventured forward and in a moment of complete bravery (or at least I thought so) I bent down by the snake (no where near the head) and touched it!! Not once, but twice!! I even stroked it. I never ever thought I would touch a snake. Rob took a picture so I can show everyone to prove it.
We cycled some more in the afternoon working our way through the jungle aiming to reach our own homestay house for the evening. At about 6pm we emerged through some the jungle trees to a large, newish, wooden home on the banks of the river. It was a beautiful home and we were greeted by the family that lived there, Mr and Mrs Ba. We were shown to our bedroom, a simple dormitory for the three of us, where we got showered and changed. It was good to be clean and refreshed and before dinner we climbed into some hammocks on the front porch overlooking the river and enjoyed a well earned beer.
The evening was great fun, as we and four other travellers staying at the Homestay were invited to help make the evening meal. We chopped vegetables, made spring and summer rolls and stir fry. We were also shown how to set a table for a Vietnamese dinner. We ate the food that we had prepared, as well as more food made by the family including more Elephant Ear Fish, this time steamed. I have rarely seen so much food and as most of you know I never struggle to finish off meals, but it was a such a struggle.
We also experienced our first major thunder and rain storm, which was spectacular to behold. The rain came down like a bathroom power shower, covering the whole jungle. The grey sky lit up with sheet lightening and rattled with cracks of thunder that shook the earth. It was another amazing example of Mother Nature stretching her muscles.
After dinner we were all shattered, even though it was only 8.30pm, so we went to bed and within in minutes we were all fast asleep.
We rose early in the morning at 6.30am, quickly packed before sitting down to a breakfast of eggs, bread and jam, fruit and some Vietnamese coffee. It was simple, but again, as with everything, very tasty.
Our journey today started on a boat, which took us down river for a short while, before dropping us off at a nearby small town. Once on the bikes we set off again through the rural paths of the jungle moving through more and more of the villages and the communities we had experienced the day before. They were much the same as yesterday and the people were still just as friendly. We cycled much further today than yesterday close to 70km and it was a very hot day reaching a high of about 35/36c. When we were cycling the head wind we created was cooling, but as soon as we stopped it was stifling hot and hard work.
Today on our travels we were given a glass of sugar cane juice, which was really sweet and refreshing just what we needed after a morning of cycling. The sugar cane juice is made by pressing bamboo shoots through a machine and collected at the bottom in a glass. Lovely.
We pulled up outside a small cafe, where the bikes were prepared for us. We gathered a small amout of things, as the rest of our kit was to be transported ahead of us. We were given a fresh young coconut each with a straw before we started and the fresh coconut water was both delicious and refreshing, not to mention the high levels of natural electrolytes it contained, which would be great fuel for our 40km cycle that afternoon.
After our quick pit stop we carried on our way and now we pulled off the back roads and on to the jungle the rural paths of the jungle. The Mekong jungle is dense with plants and vegetation, apparently there are over 500 species of plants there including palm, mango, banana trees and bushes, vines and grass. It is also teaming with wildlife with lizards, snakes and spiders. As anyone that knows me will tell you, I am petrified of snakes and can't even watch them on the TV, so the idea of bumping into a Cobra, Green Snake or Python scared the crap out of me. I was constantly scanning the ground for slivery critters.
The homes varied in size, shape and style, many of them have been recently built, a sign of the growing wealth that has come to the Mekong with the growing role of capitalism in Vietnam since 1995 allowing successful farmers to make significant money on their crops. The more successful the farmer the bigger their house, some of those less successful have yet to afford to pay for a new house and so live in a traditionally made wooden and mud house, sometimes supported with corrugated iron panels. However, there were fewer of these than I expected. Our guide believes that at the current rate of economic growth and success the jungle communities will grow and grow in prosperity and become more and more modern over the coming years. It will be a very different place in ten years time. This can also be said of all of Vietnam and we saw this in Ho Chi Min City too, where tourism is having the same effect.
We cycled through many of these village communities, and in most at least one or two of the houses had set themselves up as local shops selling everything from ice cold drinks, cigarettes, fruit, bread and in a few we saw meet. I found it interesting that a lot of the canned drinks were the major brands such as Pepsi, 7 Up and Fanta, as well as the beers, such as Singha and Tiger.
So we moved through these communities by bike and boat throughout the first day. We stopped for lunch at a local family house that had been turned into a large homestay and restaurant. As we moved through to our table and chairs I noticed a large cage in the shade to the left of the seating. I stopped dead. Within the cage was a massive, massive python. I felt my heart start to pound in m chest and despite being scared I moved slowly toward the cage to look closer. I was less scared than I thought I would be, but the idea of getting any closer didn't appeal.
We sat down for lunch and treated to an amazing Vietnamese feast, which was later described to us a simple family meal. We were given some rice paper, lettuce and mint, noodles and a whole deep fried Mekong Fish, otherwise known as an Elephant Ear Fish. The fish and leaves were then rolled up in the rice paper like a spring roll and dipped into fish oil. The fish was sensational, so light and tasty. We all agreed that it was the nicest thing we had eaten since getting there. We were also given shrimp and fried spring rolls as part of this course, and again both were delicious. We were then presented with pork cooked in coconut, rice and vegetables in a tasty broth, simply beautifully cooked food. After eating all that we were given some local fruit including Dragon Fruit. We were stuffed, but very satisfied.
After lunch the owner of the house got out the rather large python, and wrapped it round Stephen. Stephen initially looked quite relaxed and calm, but as the snake began to constrict around him and his head moved forward toward his face he looked a little pensive. From my very safe distance the snake looked a little unhappy and I could see why Stephen was a little nervous. Rob took some pictures and the snake was unwrapped from Stephen and placed on the floor by the cage. I then ventured forward and in a moment of complete bravery (or at least I thought so) I bent down by the snake (no where near the head) and touched it!! Not once, but twice!! I even stroked it. I never ever thought I would touch a snake. Rob took a picture so I can show everyone to prove it.
We also experienced our first major thunder and rain storm, which was spectacular to behold. The rain came down like a bathroom power shower, covering the whole jungle. The grey sky lit up with sheet lightening and rattled with cracks of thunder that shook the earth. It was another amazing example of Mother Nature stretching her muscles.
After dinner we were all shattered, even though it was only 8.30pm, so we went to bed and within in minutes we were all fast asleep.
We rose early in the morning at 6.30am, quickly packed before sitting down to a breakfast of eggs, bread and jam, fruit and some Vietnamese coffee. It was simple, but again, as with everything, very tasty.
Our journey today started on a boat, which took us down river for a short while, before dropping us off at a nearby small town. Once on the bikes we set off again through the rural paths of the jungle moving through more and more of the villages and the communities we had experienced the day before. They were much the same as yesterday and the people were still just as friendly. We cycled much further today than yesterday close to 70km and it was a very hot day reaching a high of about 35/36c. When we were cycling the head wind we created was cooling, but as soon as we stopped it was stifling hot and hard work.
For lunch today we had street food, a whole roast duck with French baguettes. The Vietnamese have been occupied by both the Chinese and the French during their history and our guide told us that a lot of the food they now eat is influenced by this, hence, the fusion of whole roast duck and baguettes. We sat on some tables and chairs in a small town on a main road off the jungle paths eating with our fingers. It was, as with everything else we've eaten on this trip, good food.
We spent the rest of the afternoon cycling, including moving through a coconut plantation, which was really interesting to see, however, we all looked up from time to time to make sure that none of the coconuts would fall on us. They can kill people falling from that height.
The end of our day saw us arrive in Vinh Long, the capital of the province we were travelling through in the Mekong. Tonight we stayed in a three star hotel where we ate another Vietnamese meal with our guide and driver. Tomorrow we have over 80kms to ride. It should be just as much fun.
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