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| Wrath of War |
Vietnam probably has one of the longest history of fighting colonisers. The Chinese neighbours, the French and Dutch, and the most infamous of all, the Americans. All of them left, courtesy the brave and dogged Vietnamese resistance. The only country where the Americans suffered defeat, and were forced to retreat, Vietnam and its war, I doubt is presented accurately in Hollywood films. However, step into the 21st century Vietnam, you would hardly notice any signs of anti-American feelings. Vietnam has forgotten and forgiven. At least, that’s how an outsider is made to believe.
Step into Ho Chi Minh City, and it’s difficult to imagine the war of the 70s. The pub street, where you would see as many locals as foreigners, offers amongst other things, music, massage and marijuana. It’s a lively, chaotic street, with great food and very friendly locals. I would go there again. Though there are hundreds of scooters navigating their way through the narrow streets and alleys, you hardly hear them honking. Guess we Indians have no reason to blame the busy traffic for the deafening noise we create.
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| Mekong Delta |
It was quite a surprise to come across another Sikkimese in the dormitory of a backpacker’s hostel. Sherap was a college student, travelling south-east Asia with some savings of his own and a bit of blessings from parents. It’s not common for students in India to backpack on foreign soils, at least not where I come from. He deserved admiration and some beer. The backpackers I met in the hostel were planning to bike to Hanoi. Many claim it’s one of the most scenic routes. I did not have the luxury of time or the energy of a teenager. After a couple of days in HCM city, which involved a trip to the Mekong Delta (which deserves more than a day’s stay), Ujjwal and I flew to Hanoi.
It had been a long time since I’d felt the cool breeze hit my skin. After about an hour in the shared taxi, we reached the hostel in the Old Quarter. The hostel wasn’t bad, but we moved to a more “happening” hostel the next day. We spent two days doing local tours—one of which was a trip to the Perfume Pagoda. After a 2-hour bus ride, we got onto a boat, which took us to the base of the mountain. The woman who rowed the boat, did not take a single break throughout the journey, which lasted an hour. Amazing. It was a short hike to the pagoda, and we had the option to take a cable car to the base.
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| Floating Houses in Halong Bay |
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| Halong Bay |
We had to take a bus, where we were introduced to the other groups, and then another boat before we got onto the “junk” boat. It was very cold—though everyone prayed for the sun, it had a mind of its own. In spite of the freezing weather, many including Ujjwal jumped into the water. I would had too, if I knew how to swim. In the evening we arrived at a private island, where we were going to stay the night. We ate, drank, played ping pong, and then beer pong. One of us gave a speech, someone went to swim in the sea, and another puked on the beach. Well it was New Year’s Eve.
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| The Hike |
The next day, after lunch, we left the island and went for a short hike. Then we were taken to a “party” boat. We’d had enough of that last night. So, to the disappointment of the boat staff, who would have made some cash had we chosen to get drunk, it was a quiet night. By next evening, we were back in the hostel. Ujjwal left for Sapa and I spent my last night in the hostel.
