Okay, you may have noticed that I've been rather lazy about posting as of late. My excuse, officer, is that I've been under the regimentation and resultant laziness of an organised tour.
Our fearless leader is called Viet; self-proclaimed kung-fu master. In fact, self-proclaimed master of many things including badminton, fencing, pool and karaoke. He speaks in a slow steady drone and often repeats himself. I find it hard to listen to him for more than 10 minutes, possibly a sign of the old family ADD coming through, but also a sign that I am not going to have an easy time being 'guided.'
Other members of my group include a lot of Aussies of various ages, one kiwi (my roomie, Lauren) and a recently married, very welcoming couple from Liverpool, Paul and Viv. Although the group seems very mis-matched at first, after a few days (and the hilarity of a drunken overnight train journey) we're all getting along swimmingly.
I struggle to get to grips with the tour at first. I've become used to doing my own thing; staying in £5 hostels and eating £1 meals. Walking everywhere. Having the odd beer and eating when I feel like it. On the tour we are piled into restaurants on a nightly basis. These restaurants usually cost 5 times what I am used to paying and bar the staff, you never see any Vietnamese in them. I know what the 'authentic' places are; I've been eating in them for two and a half months. In Vietnam they are everywhere on the roadsides, identified by the swathes locals crouching on tiny plastic stalls on tables outside. Even in Hoi An, the classic tourist-dominated town there are ban mii and noodle shops tucked away by the river banks and cloth markets. In Hanoi Stu took me for some Pha Ga (chicken pho) and some local girls took us through the seasonings to add; in an authentic eatery these are always provided on the table and include baskets of fresh herbs, chillies and limes. Viet says that street restaurants are dangerous, though I suspect that his restaurant choices have less to do with authenticity and more to do with pre-arranged back-handers.
Despite my moaning I've had some great experiences that I wouldn't have had alone. Swimming and kayaking in the rubbish polluted waters of Halong bay, drunken nights out and resultant bruises from dancing on pool tables, a bike ride around Hoi An where we saw how peanuts and the ubiquitous betel nuts are grown and a fantastic boat and snorkeling trip in Na Trahng where I managed to top up my sunburn whilst viewing some fantastic flower-shaped corals. The enjoyment was mostly due to the fab and fun set of people in the group, who for the lone traveler become a surrogate family. I soon have adopted aunts, uncles, sisters, and even that weird cousin that no-one wants to sit next to at dinner.
I'm not sure the tour structure is something I'm fond of anymore. After travelling alone it feels restrictive, as you must choose between being independent or being sociable. I found eventually that I would rather hang with the group, as this would ultimately guarantee fun, though it also guaranteed greater expense. It will also be the group which shapes your experience of the country.
For the most part, I had a great time in Vietnam. The landscape is a spectacular web of lush rice paddies, backdropped with sheer-sided limestone mountains and sapphire coves, and populated (genuinely) with bicycle bound ladies in conical hats. The cities have their own rough and dirty character, and present their own crazy charm.
Although I leave Vietnam feeling monetarily drained, I feel like I did maximise my time there. I don't feel like I missed out on anything and my deep seated loneliness has disappeared. Doing the tour allowed me to appreciate the advantages of travelling independently. I travel into Cambodia refreshed and ready to go.
Our fearless leader is called Viet; self-proclaimed kung-fu master. In fact, self-proclaimed master of many things including badminton, fencing, pool and karaoke. He speaks in a slow steady drone and often repeats himself. I find it hard to listen to him for more than 10 minutes, possibly a sign of the old family ADD coming through, but also a sign that I am not going to have an easy time being 'guided.'
Other members of my group include a lot of Aussies of various ages, one kiwi (my roomie, Lauren) and a recently married, very welcoming couple from Liverpool, Paul and Viv. Although the group seems very mis-matched at first, after a few days (and the hilarity of a drunken overnight train journey) we're all getting along swimmingly.
I struggle to get to grips with the tour at first. I've become used to doing my own thing; staying in £5 hostels and eating £1 meals. Walking everywhere. Having the odd beer and eating when I feel like it. On the tour we are piled into restaurants on a nightly basis. These restaurants usually cost 5 times what I am used to paying and bar the staff, you never see any Vietnamese in them. I know what the 'authentic' places are; I've been eating in them for two and a half months. In Vietnam they are everywhere on the roadsides, identified by the swathes locals crouching on tiny plastic stalls on tables outside. Even in Hoi An, the classic tourist-dominated town there are ban mii and noodle shops tucked away by the river banks and cloth markets. In Hanoi Stu took me for some Pha Ga (chicken pho) and some local girls took us through the seasonings to add; in an authentic eatery these are always provided on the table and include baskets of fresh herbs, chillies and limes. Viet says that street restaurants are dangerous, though I suspect that his restaurant choices have less to do with authenticity and more to do with pre-arranged back-handers.
Despite my moaning I've had some great experiences that I wouldn't have had alone. Swimming and kayaking in the rubbish polluted waters of Halong bay, drunken nights out and resultant bruises from dancing on pool tables, a bike ride around Hoi An where we saw how peanuts and the ubiquitous betel nuts are grown and a fantastic boat and snorkeling trip in Na Trahng where I managed to top up my sunburn whilst viewing some fantastic flower-shaped corals. The enjoyment was mostly due to the fab and fun set of people in the group, who for the lone traveler become a surrogate family. I soon have adopted aunts, uncles, sisters, and even that weird cousin that no-one wants to sit next to at dinner.
I'm not sure the tour structure is something I'm fond of anymore. After travelling alone it feels restrictive, as you must choose between being independent or being sociable. I found eventually that I would rather hang with the group, as this would ultimately guarantee fun, though it also guaranteed greater expense. It will also be the group which shapes your experience of the country.
For the most part, I had a great time in Vietnam. The landscape is a spectacular web of lush rice paddies, backdropped with sheer-sided limestone mountains and sapphire coves, and populated (genuinely) with bicycle bound ladies in conical hats. The cities have their own rough and dirty character, and present their own crazy charm.
Although I leave Vietnam feeling monetarily drained, I feel like I did maximise my time there. I don't feel like I missed out on anything and my deep seated loneliness has disappeared. Doing the tour allowed me to appreciate the advantages of travelling independently. I travel into Cambodia refreshed and ready to go.
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