Travel – Page 33 – Ian Louis Harris

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Ten: Da Nang & Hội An, 22 March 1996

Card players in Hội An market (above)

Rose very early [in Hanoi]. Flew to Da Nang. Met by Ky. Saw Cham Museum, marble mountains/caves and China Beach

Marble Mountain (above) and Buddhist Temple thereupon (below)

Ky was a terrific guide. Very young, as were all the guides in Vietnam during what was, after all, a “young tourist industry” phase for that country in 1996. But we could tell straight away that Ky was a “Mr Fixit” who would work well with and for us. I wrote him a commendation after the holiday, as I was (am) wont to do when we get exceptional service. As chance would have it, when we arranged to go back to Vietnam 16 years later our (different) UK agent was using Vidotour, the same local agency as Asia World had used in 1996. It transpired that Ky was, by then, Director of Marketing for the whole company. We had a really enjoyable reunion with him, getting to meet his family as he insisted on taking us out for dinner. He told me that my commendation had really helped him at that very early stage of his career, as we were amongst his first guests and glowing commendations of that kind were highly valued.

Vietnam Holiday Day Two: Saigon, Then Dinner With Ky & Family 11 February 2012

Then on to Hội An for good lunch then walk town and early return to Da Nang. Lazy afternoon and evening at hotel.

I got ever so excited when I spotted the above door, because I could see that it was the very door depicted on the cover of my Lonely Planet Guide (Vietnam 3rd edition 1995). The woman of the house got ever so excited too, as she had no idea that her house was on the front cover of a guide book, although surely hundreds if not thousands of tourists must have walked past her house with that book in hand by 1996.

My copy is more dog-eared now than it was in 1996

Then down to the waterfront befor heading back to Da Nang.

All the photos from that Central Vietnam part of our journey can be found through the Flickr link here or below.

=29 Tu Doc Tomb, near Hue (Tu Doc lived here before death as well as after) 087

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Nine: A Day Around Hạ Long Bay Then Back To Hanoi, 21 March 1996

We’ve visited a fair few beautiful places in the world. Hạ Long Bay is well up there with the most stunning.

This is another of those days when the words in my log are few, the photographs many and really you don’t need many words:

Stunning scenes on Hạ Long Bay, headline picture, above and below.

Health & Safety had not got started, let alone gone mad at that grotto

Inside (above) and outside (below) the grotto

Went on a cruise at Hạ Long Bay on “Yellow Dragon” boat – misty but pleasant – went to “new grotto” [i.e. newly discovered in 1996] – very slippery climb due to mist– went into grotto etc. Super lunch on boat – then long drive back to Hanoi. Overnight in Royal Hotel

Lunch on the boat, me & Thung (above), then return journey to Hanoi pictures (below)

We took more pictures that that! All the pictures from the North Vietnam segment of our trip can be seen on this Flickr album – click here or below.

=01 18 March 1996 - Hanoi Vietnam - old quarter, city gate NTV_G2 (18)

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Eight A: One Night In Hạ Long, 20 to 21 March 1996

Our two day/one night trip to Hạ Long Bay was incredibly picturesque, with the possible exception of our short stay in Hạ Long itself.

The agency and the guide book had warned us that, at that time, Hạ Long was not well served with Western-standard accommodation.

We chose to stay at the best available at the time, the Hạ Long Hotel, which is depicted above. That picture was the best possible angle one could find of the place.

The hotel, which had probably seen better days even in the early post-war period, had been a favoured haunt of Soviet tourists. The signage and information in all of the rooms was in Vietnamese, French and Russian only. I derived what little instruction we needed from the French versions. Honi soit qui mal y pense.

It’s a shame I didn’t photograph the room, which had a rudimentary look to it. But the biggest shame of all is that I didn’t photograph the refectory-style dining room, with long tables and benches. It reminded me of an austere English public school refectory; or perhaps a well-appointed prison dining hall.

The place was almost completely deserted when we were there in March 1996, giving the “refectory” an especially eerie feel. Had the place been fully occupied, dinner time might have looked more like this:

On looking up our Hạ Long Hotel in the old 1990s guide book and then Googling the address, I am pretty sure that the site is now the rather stunning-looking and very well-reviewed Ha Long Plaza Hotel. It must have had a comprehensive makeover since our visit, for some obscure reason. So I’m guessing that the old dining hall is now lost for ever in the mists of time.

But let us now put all of that to one side and return to the stunningly beautiful journey that was our two day/overnight visit to Hạ Long Bay.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Eight: From Hanoi To Hạ Long Via Haiphong, 20 March 1996

This was one of those picturesque travelling days, for which I wrote few words but for which the pictures can say far more than words ever could.

Breakfast then off to Highway Five towards Haiphong – stopped in Tongs [Hải Dương?] Province for tea and green bean cake – then on to Haiphong for lunch and then looked at communal house (Hang Kenh) and on to Hạ Long Bay via ferries etc.

We got on the above ferry after photographing it, but missed the one below

Stayed in Hạ Long West – took the ferry to Hạ Long East for a walk before dinner and early night

All the pictures from the North Vietnam segment of our trip can be seen on this Flickr album – click here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Seven: A Whole Day In Hanoi, 19 March 1996

Set off after breakfast to Ho Chi Minh mausoleum…

…then on to house of stilts, garden, musical performance…

Ho Chi Minh’s House, aka the Stilt House – view from and inside view

…One Pillar Pagoda where we witnessed a big row between the vendor and the fuzz.

Then on to Ho Chi Minh Museum then Taoist Temple and onto lunch at 2:02 restaurant.

After lunch – went to Temple of literature, and Hanoi Art Museum and Jade Mountain Pagoda…

…then home for a short while before at Piano Bar Restaurant (mediocre) – early night

All the pictures from the North Vietnam segment of our trip can be seen on this Flickr album – click here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Six: From Chiang Mai To Hanoi, 18 March 1996

Rose very early – flew [from] Chiang Mai to Bangkok then on to Hanoi – arrived 1215. Fought through bureaucracy – got taken to hotel– Changed/freshened up…

Quite a fight it was too, on arrival at Hanoi. I cannot remember all the details of it, but it was to do with filling in a form upon which you declare the address where you are going to stay.

Given that we were to be staying at several places in the space of a week and I had the local tour agent, Vidotour’s, address, I presented the form with that. Not good enough. If we were staying at several addresses I needed to list several addresses.

So I tried to write several addresses on a tiny form. The official claimed he couldn’t read my handwriting. “Do you know who I am?”, I felt like saying, but didn’t. He was quite cross and suggested that I had deliberately written illegibly.

So he called a more senior official, who suggested that the name and address of our local tour agent, Vidotour, would do. Good idea, Sir.

Welcome to Hanoi, Sir, have a nice cup of tea (Indochine Restaurant, later that day)

I should add at this point that we had a marvellous time in Vietnam; that hoo-ha on arrival was the only inhospitable moment during our stay.

…went round Old Quarter and down to Hoan Kiem Lake – returned to hotel [I am pretty sure we stayed at the Dan Chu, formerly known as the Hanoi Hotel and latterly known as Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi] – then evening out at Indochine Restaurant – quite pleasant – early night

All the pictures from the North Vietnam segment of our trip can be seen on this Flickr album – click here or below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Five: From Chiang Rai Province Back To Chiang Mai, 17 March 1996

Rose not so early, 6:30 or 7:30. Left Baan Boran and headed west to Mae Sai

Looked round market and managed to wazz our way over the Myanmar border…

Scenes on the Myanmar side above & below, known as Thakhlek on that side

I should point out here and now that Janie and I did not jump this border. We are not serial border jumpers in and out of Thailand, you know.

When Janie And I Jumped The Border Into Thailand At Chong Mek And Then Blagged Our Way Out Of Thailand Again, 19 and 26 February 2001

In fact, the ability to get a temporary pass to enter Myanmar from Thailand at that crossing, just for the day, had been reinstated just the day before we arrived. We thought it only polite that we should take advantage and pop in.

– on to a jade factory in Mae Sai then on to Doi Tung Temple etc…

Doi Tung Temple above and headline image at the top of this piece.

Arrived at the Chiang Mai quite late – changed – went around night market and got a light bite there – then returned (saw end of the cricket!) & slept

We stayed at the Dusit Princess if I remember correctly.

May 2021 Update: There is now a more comprehensive account of this day from a cricket perspective on the King Cricket website – click here or below.

A 1996 Cricket World Cup final match report

If anything were ever to go awry with the King Cricket site, you can find that article here.

All of our photos from the Thai leg of the journey can be found on Flickr through the link here and below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Four: From Chiang Mai Province To Chiang Rai Province, 16 March 1996

Chiang Rai Province – Akha People By The Mae Kok

[I have been pulling my journal notes together for Ogblog using a dictation app – no prizes for guessing what some of this piece looked like before I corrected the dictation]

Rose quite early – left Lisu village.

The taller of the sweet children was a bit tearful saying goodbye to us

Headed north. Long drive – stopped for coffee on Mae Kok/Myanmar border.

Then on to Akha village [see headline picture and below]

…then Mae Salong (ex KMT people from Yunnan) market – [then] lunch at a good Chinese restaurant.

I seem to remember that Chinese lunch being especially good, with high grade barbequed meats as a centrepiece, but we obviously did not find Mae Salong (now renamed Santikhiri), or at least the part of it we went to, photogenic.

Then on to [a] Yao village in the mountains…

Yao people (above) and Kongburi explaining a Yao pipe’s purpose (below)

…then on to Mae Khong River near Chiang Saen – boat ride to Sop Ruak – Golden Triangle – Laos, Myanmar and Thailand…

I cannot see Mae Salong from here…perhaps they’ve changed the name.

Laotian people above, a shot of Laos, Myanmar & Thailand tri-point below

…on to Baan Boran Hotel for early night.

All of our photos from the Thai leg of the journey can be found on Flickr through the link here and below.

An Independent Trip To Northern Thailand & Vietnam, Part Three: To Chiang Mai Province, Visiting Hmong & Lisu Hill Tribes, 15 March 1996

Set off early for Chiang Mai – met by Kongburi and driver L’Erm.

Set off, saw orchids & butterfly garden, then on to a Hmong village

Hmong Village (above) with Hmong people (below)

Then on to Tad Mok Falls.

Then Chinese lunch in Mae Ta – on through the market and then to Mae Taeng elephant ride fiasco followed by bamboo rafting.

I described the elephant ride as a fiasco, because I recall really feeling uncomfortable about the elephants, especially my one, who seemed unhappy and hungry. Mine kept wandering off to the side of the track to try to grab a nibble, only to be roughly discouraged from doing so by the dude at the front of the elephant. I note that if you Google “Mae Taeng Elephant Park” 25 years later, you find a lot of bad reviews and references to cruelty. I’m not surprised based on our experience.

Unusually for me, I found the raft trip afterwards more to my taste than the elephant ride, whereas I was expecting to feel more comfortable on land!

In the Lisu Village – Kongburi negotiating while I display the body language of indifference

Then on to Lisu Village – quaint Lisu Lodge – just us [staying the night]…
…the music and the giant flying roaches.
Showered washed and walked around village – got sold to – ate – got played at – then to bed.

I really should expand the story of our stay at the Lisu Lodge. It was a lovely but fairly rudimentary place back then. It is a fancy-schmanzy eco lodge now. Good luck to the place.

The Lisu people were sweet and gentle and very welcoming. They did seem especially keen to sell us their trinkets though.

We were the only guests that night.

Janie and I particularly remember the meal. We have just the one photo of me being served the food (above).

We had been looking forward to our private dining experience. However, we were joined more or less throughout the meal by a local who serenaded us with his traditional stringed instrument, which was probably a relative of the pipa or Chinese lute. He played pretty well and at first it sounded really nice, but after a while we were craving a little more privacy and a little less noise.

Then, out of the blue, came a giant flying roach (or beetle) which noisily landed right behind us and startled us both. The musician calmly stopped playing and gently removed the beetle in his hands. Daisy and I gave the musician a round of applause for removing the giant insect, which he took to be applause for the end of his set, so he bowed and left, taking the pipa and beetle with him.

Thus we spent the rest of our meal in quiet, tranquil privacy.

All of our photos from the Thai leg of the journey can be found on Flickr through the link here and below.