Vietnam and Cambodia

[Tashyboy]

Well ave five days left of our jaunt east if skegness and it has been a real eye opener.
Landed in Hanoi and nearly got flattened by a scooter when crossing the first road. Hanoi has 1 million scooters. Everyone uses both sides of the road to go in both directions. The white lines are a waste of paint. If the roads full then use the pavement. A quick look on Google shows 15,000 are killed on the roads in Vietnam every year.
Hanoi is mental but has a certain charm about it. The people arw very friendly.
Observations.
Missis T does not want a 3 -4 ft crocodile bringing home that is stuffed in a begging position. Nor does she want a scorpion or tarantula.
The food is gorgeous and very cheap but neither of us fancy doing a bushtucker trial.
A dog looks a lot bigger when spread on a bbq. We dont want any of that either.
Halong bay is gorgeous and we spent an excellent night on a Junk with a great couple from New Zealand and a guy from Taiwan watching a night of thunder and lightning.
Cambodia. Cheapeat place i have been in the world. Humbling seeing a tuk tuk driver nigh on doin cartwheels for a dollar tip. The temples are just unbelievable. They are massive. Could start a thread on them alone. Last night travelled back to hotel in tuk tuk in rain of biblical proportions. We laughed our heads off.
Hoi an. Were now there and a belly full of the finest food and too many beers ( and cocktails) is £25. Hoi an is lovely but the litter just bogs you off. A lick of paint to the town would transform the place.
Went to get measured for a made to measure double breasted waistcoat yesterday. The woman in the shop said " it is my job to tell you, you are fat and you will look fatter". Cheers me duck. No wonder your shop is empty.
Loving it but. Theres no chance i will be playing golf at nearly £200.
Read the local Vietnam golf mag here. Safe to say that Golf monthly has nowt to fear. But there looked to be a very good piece on kids golf.
See ya all soon

 

[User62651]

Went to get measured for a made to measure double breasted waistcoat yesterday. The woman in the shop said " it is my job to tell you, you are fat and you will look fatter". Cheers me duck. No wonder your shop is empty.

Priceless!

 

[Tashyboy]

Priceless!

Been somewhere else tonight and am sorted. £40 dollars for a made to measure DB waistcoat and same for trousers. 👍
Had some street food tonight in a restaurant. It was £10 for us both. It was £8 to much. Proper rammel it was. I walked out and women in restaurant says "you look like happy buddha" cheeky sod.

 

[dewsweeper]

Andy you really are star.
I am right back in a Thai night market now!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Been somewhere else tonight and am sorted. £40 dollars for a made to measure DB waistcoat and same for trousers. 👍
Had some street food tonight in a restaurant. It was £10 for us both. It was £8 to much. Proper rammel it was. I walked out and women in restaurant says "you look like happy buddha" cheeky sod.

I presume it was $40 because it didn't make you look fat😁. $20 for the portly option.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Andy sounds like a great trip mate ,would love to go to Vietnam ,watched the top gear special and thought it looked amazing.
as for the 40 dollar clothes did they charge extra for the beer belly as it needed another two yards of material?

 

[Tashyboy]

Had a lovely natter with a woman and her two kids at the "lake of the returned sword" in hanoi. She wanted her kids to talk to us in english. They had T shirts on saying they were learning English. At the end the mother said my kids will sing you a song to say thank you. Eh. I was then renditioned with Four differant verses of " if your happy and you know it clap your hands". I even joined in. I only knew the first two verses.
When i was measured for me slim fit waiatcoat i thought sod it am avin the trousers. Lifted me baggy T shirt up to get measured round me ass and me zip was down. I asked for a 5 dollar reduction coz they had a treat.

 

[backwoodsman]

Bear in mind that being told you're "portly" is actually a compliment in Vietnam !

Both Vietnam & Cambodia are fantastic places to see. But the lasting memory is always the traffic! All of it scooters - millions of them - because cars are too expensive. Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City are just manic. Picture in your mind, the start of the London marathon - but every last person on a motorscooter. Thats what its like at every set of traffic lights waiting to turn green.

And the scooter is used to carry or deliver everything. On our tour, we had a competition to see who could spot the most outrageous item being carried on a scooter. Entries included a door; a bundle of 30ft lengths of guttering; a full grown pig; and a double mattress. I thought I'd won with 5 people including three dressed as Santa Claus (it was a Christmas visit) but l got trumped by someone spotting a family of six.

 

[Tashyboy]

Seen the pig on a scooter. ( it was dead). Just come back from a cooking class. It was mint. Saw a guy peddaling a bike in the pouring rain. It was and still is bladdering it down. He was riding one handed due to being on the phone. His two passengers were also on the phone. It was surreal.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

@Tashyboy - how long was your trip - me and my OH are thinking of doing the same trip sometime early next year - or later this year?

 

[Tashyboy]

The tour was 16 days and nights. Take two days off for travelling and it was a full 15 days. We did ours through secret escapes. What i will say is that every hotel or Junk boat has been excellent. A lot better than expected. It has been a day of learning vietnamese cooking and buying crap from old town Hoi an. I cannot say am glad i came before all the tourists came, in fact a vietnamese guy said to missis T five years ago before you english discovered vietnam i could lay on 3 seats and sleep all the way. It is ( Vietnam and Cambodia) a destination i think will kick off massively over the net few years. There is a refreshing innocence here like i saw in Cuba. Ironically the Germans are here in abundance, do they know or appreciate summat we dont.
Loads to talk about and some of it golf related. That can wait til i get back 😁

 

[Foxholer]

Actually, I think the French were there (in earnest) rather earlier than other Europeans! Though not specifically as 'tourists'!

 

[Tashyboy]

Actually, I think the French were there rather earlier than anyone else! Though not specifically as 'tourists'!

Now then foxy lets not have a tashyboy 2😁. But joking aside i had a good natter with a guy and he said that although there is a french culture. They are not happy that they had to fight them for there freedom/independance when ironically the uk was giving its independance to other countrys after the second world war. When asked about teaching a second language and would that be french. The answer was a resolute no. The second language is English and it is all about business.