A Tipple with the Tribes (1 of 5)

England is a place where roads roar and people rush by you as if you are totally insignificant. We do like the country, but as travellers, my friends and I are always searching for the satisfaction we have previously felt during months of trekking through some of the world’s most tranquil countries.

We miss the sheer vastness of Tanzania with its extensive plains and wondrous sunsets. We miss the exquisite beaches of Zanzibar, but most of all we miss the country of Vietnam.

As we long for the characteristic sounds of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, we recall the acceptable discordance of tinkling bicycle bells and squawking scooter horns. We miss the little town of Sapa in the highlands, with its chaotic mish mash of vegetation and the open friendliness of its tribal minorities.

Since our last visit to Vietnam, we have developed our opinion of the country from that of “a big mud pot”. We have previously experienced what it is like to venture into the wilderness, and detach ourselves from a life of television and microwave meals. We remember the scenery that developed before our eyes on our last visit. Lush, mountainous valleys full of blazing green paddy fields, so vast and extensive that they seem to disappear almost interminably up into the clouds. We remember the small children tending to huge water buffalo, and can clearly imagine them playing acrobatically in the streams. We can picture the millions of dragonflies as they dart to and fro in front of a backdrop of little wooden houses surrounded by people milling around tending to their daily business.

It was these memories that led to our return to South East Asia in July 1999. With backpacks in tow, three friends and I departed for Thailand, and landed a day or so later in Bangkok international Airport. The summer’s adventures had now officially started! The airport is huge, and its two runways were oddly separated by a golf course. Tiny white balls littered our runway on landing, which seemed at the time to be both a strange and dangerous way to start the trip!

Bangkok is one of the most bizarre cities that I have ever visited. It is also one of the most amusing. Its streets are awash with people, and the city constantly buzzes with a unique, mellow ambience. We spent a day or two around the infamous Khao San Road area, simply as a way of easing ourselves into Oriental culture.

After this, there was no stopping us. We made our way to Khao Yai, Thailand’s largest National Park, and did ourselves a bit of Tiger watching! The fact that we didn’t see any tigers, elephants, or anything else for that matter didn’t really make any difference. We did however, manage to catch a glimpse of the world’s ugliest “ladyboy”. She…erm, no he, really fancied my friend Adam, and that was amusement enough for our whole stay there.

We did have an amazing time in some of Thailand’s greatest rainforest. It was a place where the trees were kings, and epiphytes and beautiful orchids rioted rampantly over them like marvellous jewels. Peering up at the canopy high over head was like looking at the Garden of Eden. It was a lush, sprouting and impenetrable obstacle of primeval magnificence.

After a short time in the nearby city of Pak Chong, we headed back to Bangkok for a flight to Vietnam. A two-hour plane journey later and we were in Hanoi, my favourite city in the world. Like Bangkok, it bustles with life, but it isn’t over populated, and doesn’t have the same dodgy reputation if you know what I mean! For sheer atmosphere, you can’t beat it.

Hanoi is located on the banks of the famous Red River, and three huge lakes dominate it’s core. Thousands of trees and scores of pagodas seem to dissipate any stresses, making the city centre both an elegant and hospitable place. Hanoi’s old quarter is particularly unique, with narrow streets that all maintain their ancient names. We saw culture and tradition erupt from every doorway as we walked lazily down Silk Street, Wood Street and even Gravestone Street!

Read Part 2

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