Vietnam

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City (formally known as Saigon), eager to soak up the history and culture of this mystical nation. Our first impression was disappointing as our taxi driver from the airport tried to rip us off. First, we made sure to find a driver which would put his metre on. When we sat in, we checked and saw he turned it on. Unfortunately, after driving 10 minutes out of the airport, the driver turned his metre off, and told us we had to pay a flat rate. An argument ensued, and we finally got him to turn the metre back on. He ended up losing the fee for the few kilometres he had already driven because of his poor conduct. It was quite a shame, but made us act more cautiously afterwards.

We settled in our hotel and set to explore the city after a good night’s sleep....

HCMC is an incredible mix of ancient pagodas and sleek skyscrapers, where posh hotels meet cheap backpackers, classy restaurants cohabit with steamy street stalls and fancy businessmen walk next to scruffy vendors in conical hats. We walked everywhere around the town’s many districts and tried the local delicacies like jelly deserts and noodles with fresh herbs, visited temples and made our way to the War Remnants Museum.

The War Remnants Museum documents the atrocities from the war with disturbing photographs, posters, US armoured vehicles, and weapons, as well as the famous “tiger cages” used to house Viet Cong prisoners. According to the Lonely Planet, “there are few museums in the world that drive home so well the point that war is horribly brutal and that many of its victims are civilians”. However true this may be, and independently of the amount of tears I shed in that museum, I did find it to be very one-sided. Indeed, Vietnam is still today a Republic and propaganda posters can be found plastered all over the city. The collection of photos depicting children and civilians injured by US bombing and napalming is extensive. All in all, the museum is worth a visit and helps anchor the reality of how recently these events took place and shaped life in Vietnam today. 

The Island of Bohol

The main attraction which I intended to visit in the Philippines was the Tarsier Sanctuary in Bohol. We took a ferry from Dumaguete (which ended up being quite a hassle as the weather was choppy and the boats were canceled for a couple of days) and settled for a breathtaking bus ride in Bohol. Aboard the  full-up, old local bus, we saw some of the most dramatic scenery of rice terraces, fields and picturesque villages so far. Our fellow passengers carried live chickens, huge sacks of rice and dried fish, while starring at us shamelessly. We stopped directly at the Tarsier Sanctuary, with our heavy backpacks and hours of traveling tiring us down. Because its location is in the middle of nowhere (between the towns of Corella and Sikatuna, to be more precise), it was the easiest way for us to visit it without too much detour.

The extremely charming bug-eyed tarsiers are small, endangered primates which make Bohol a famous destination for animal lovers. They can fit in the palm of your hand and their eyes are 150 times bigger than a human’s in relation to their body size. The main threats to its survival are habitat destruction and the pet trade. Many touristic destinations in Asia use cute animals such as primates to attract tourists and invite them to take pictures with the cuddly animals. Unfortunately, this is not in the animal’s best interest. Indeed, tarsiers have been known to commit suicide while in captivity! The nocturnal animal cannot cope with have its routine disrupted by humans and its small and delicate bones can easily be broken when handled.

Tarsiers are possibly the cutest creatures on Earth!

The visitors centre includes information boards, a captive breeding program, wildlife sanctuary and hiking trail. There is a small patch of forest for guided walks and discreet viewing of several tarsiers. What a feeling it was to capture a sight of the little creatures hanging on the tree branches!

Just hangin'!

After this fun pit-stop, it was time to continue our journey to find a hotel for the night. We made our way by bus to Loboc, then Carmen. It was quite an ordeal to find a guesthouse and once again, we felt like the only tourists in town! We finally discovered a little farm which offered home stays so we settled down for the night. We found ourselves in the middle of nowhere and finding a restaurant was also a mission! There was one shack which sold grilled chicken and rice so that was our only option! We ate there every day.

Our farm stay in Carmen

The following day, we went to the iconic Chocolate Hills, Bohol’s premier tourist attraction. They are a “series of majestic, grassy hillocks that span far into the horizon and get their name from the lawnlike vegetation that roasts to chocolate brown in the dry season”. It was quite a romantic excursion to walk up the winding staircase and have the view slowly unfold before our eyes. The hills (1,268 of them!) are scattered all around and make for really peculiar, yet breathtaking scenery.

The Chocolate Hills

It was a bit disappointing to receive only 21 days on our visa for the Philippines. We were hoping to spend more time exploring this rich country but got cut short. It was with regret that we made our way out of the country through Cebu, then Manila.

Our next destination : Vietnam! 

Exploring the Philippines

Church in town square, Bacolod

Negros

After having spent longer than planned at the beach resort of Boracay, we decided to visit the island of Negros, hoping it would give us the opportunity to learn more about the true Filipino culture. We arrived by ferry in Bacolod, a transport hub city.

We stayed a few days, tasted some local delicacies, observed how churches are scattered around almost every neighborhood, met some locals out on the town and were warned about how unsafe it is to walk around at night. Indeed, most shops hire a security guard, armed with a rifle. It is quite shocking when you go in McDonalds and are greeted by an armed man in uniform! In the day time, we went around by Jeepneys, the local buses which run through town without a schedule. Simply stand on the side of the road, wave the truck over, and squeeze in the back!

   

Yummy corn flour cakes at the market

"The Taj Mahal of Negros" might be a bit a generous for this 20th century mansion called The Ruins 

After a few days, we made our way down South to Sipalay, described in the Lonely Planet as a “remote seaside town, surrounded by spectacular beaches, secluded coves, scattered islets and dive reefs”. Sounds appealing, right? We took many local buses, followed by a tricycle, then a motor canoe, and finally landed on deserted Sugar Beach, “one of Negro’s best-kept secrets”. Such a secret that we were literally the ONLY travelers there!

Luckily, we found a funky German-owned hostel called Takatuka Lodge. In high season, this must be an amazing spot, but we were out of luck as the rainy season made for a dirty beach and such waves that we weren’t able to swim.

Deserted Sugar Beach in Sipalay

Feeling like we were the only backpackers in the Philippines, we decided to head towards the funky college town of Dumaguete, looking forward to explore city life, and hoping to meet some people. We did have a good night out, met some locals and drank the famous Red Horse beer which logo reads “Extra Strong”.

Another exciting day was visiting the Twin Lakes National Park and getting a bit of exercise while trekking in the jungle.

Twin Lakes National Park, Dumaguete

New Beginning

After living in Phuket for two years, we were ready for new adventures. I was going to finish the school year and then we would go traveling and look for work elsewhere. We had our minds set on Hong Kong, but we were pretty flexible as far as a destination. One of the main reasons for wanting to leave was that although Chris had been doing some freelance work as a web designer, he was looking to gain more experience in an office environment. However, a month or so before departure, Chris got offered a position as a web master for a company here in Chalong, Phuket. It was the opportunity he was looking for! Although we were a bit disappointed we wouldn’t get to travel, he arranged the have two months before the start of his contract so we went to the Philippines and Vietnam. A mini-adventure began...

The Philippines

Boracay

We started our exploration of the Philippines with the famous Boracay. It seemed like an easy first pick to get accustomed to the country and get an introduction to this archipelago of more than 7,000 islands! Boracay is a major tourist destination and is surrounded by white sand beaches. Wind surfing and kite surfing are very popular and these sports dominate the beach scenery. Because we arrived in hurricane season, we got to experience both the sunny, lazy days on the beach and the intense, windy storms typical to the Philippines.

 Sunny day at the beach

 Kite Surfers at Sunset

Approaching storm

Most visitors go around on motorized tricycles, which act as the island's taxis. The tricycle seats are located right above the vehicle exhausts and the bumpy roads are hard to navigate, so it’s definitely not the easiest way to travel. We often opted to walk instead of using taxis.

Tricycles

Being low season, we did not experience the crazy nightlife often associated with Boracay. Our first impression with the country was great. We were amazed at how good Filipinos speak English (especially compared to Thais!) and thought overall they were friendly and helpful.

Temple

Temples are beautiful touristic sites to visit in Thailand. They also host incredible people : monks. I have visited a few temples since I arrived in Phuket.

I visited Wat Dtai as an outing with the second grades at my school. We arrived at Wat Dtai and were told to sit in the prayer room after leaving our shoes outside. Many students, mostly the Thais, proceeded to sit on the mat in the proper way – your feet under you, at no time pointing towards the front of the temple. The others followed and copied. We sat there, whispering and waiting for the monk to arrive. He came in, dressed in his orange robe, and sat in front of us. He spoke only Thai, so unfortunately the speech he gave was not too relevant to the students who can’t speak Thai (and the teachers either!). However, luckily, we had a couple of Moms accompanying us which were able to translate a little bit. The purpose of our visit was to learn what Monks do in their day and to receive an introduction to Buddhism.

Temples are such a peaceful place to visit. I especially enjoy the bright red and gold colours and the smiling Buddhas... I find them much more inviting than the "bleeding man on the cross".

Monsoon

The downsides of living on an island are the limitations. There is very little diversity. I often complain there is a lack of activities you can do in Phuket. This is especially true in rainy season. Most people live here because of the beautiful beaches; you can walk on the beach, have a picnic lunch, swim, snorkel, sunbathe, dive, play beach volleyball, marvel at the sunset, etc. This is out of the question when it’s raining. What’s left? Shop or drink. Seriously! Where are the shows, concerts, art exhibitions, museums, theatres? “No haaave!” There are two main cinemas and they offer in general 3 English movies a week. Needless to say I have seen the new flicks and I am always impatiently waiting for the selection to change!

It’s been monsoon here for the past month. This doesn’t mean it rains every single day, we do have stretches of nice weather for days or hours at the time, where it’s normally a race to catch a few sun rays...

What always amazes me is how crazy the road become when there is a rain storm. So many parts of the island get flooded and it causes chaos because half of the vehicles are scooters. It is extremely dangerous and the accidents multiply. Now being Canadian, I can’t say driving in a rain storm in Phuket is more stressful than driving in a snow storm in Montreal. Far from it, actually. But that’s because I drive a car, not a motorbike! The news always announces floods in various areas : the sewers overflow, the gutters are too small to contain the water and huge puddles accumulate on the roads. The Phuket News last night said that roads “were submerged in water a few metres deep”. This happens multiple times a year, so why can’t it be improved? Here's a video of Patong yesterday : 

Saving Face

Thais believe strongly in the concept of saving face, which is to avoid confrontation in order to not embarrass themselves or other people. Therefore, they do not bring up negative topics in conversation and don’t express firm convictions or opinions. For a farang, this can be frustrating. You try to connect with someone and ask what they think and how they feel, they will most likely agree with you and smile and try not to answer. Agreement and harmony are considered to be the most important social etiquette. Thais avoid confrontations. Losing your temper causes a loss of face for everyone.

Minor embarrassments, like tripping, might cause Thais surrounding you to giggle. In this case, they are not mocking you, but helping you save face by laughing it off. All this takes some getting used to!

There is also a sense of status and class in Thai culture. As a teacher, my students may act very different towards me than they would in Canada! Students are taught not to speak during class and expected to agree with their teachers at all times. When I was helping a Ying, a 18 year old Thai girl with her English homework the other day, I kept asking her if she wanted to take a break, if she wanted to stop, and she would always ask what I wanted to do or agree with me. We ended up studying for 3 hours when I realised we wouldn’t stop until I said so!