Asia – Wander With Stella

Phuket Island

Phuket, the bigger Thai Island with a little bit of everything for everyone. Surprising for its beauty, food, beaches and friendly Thai people.

Phuket Island will be the final stop on my journey through Thailand, before I head to Malaysia. The ferry from Koh Lanta to Phuket Island was just long enough, and on the way there was blue sky, fishing trawlers and the well known island of Koh PiPi which I will have to leave for another time.

Old Town Phuket

Of course there is the Island of Phuket, the City of Phuket and “Old Town” Phuket, and it is here that I spent my first four nights on Phuket Island. Lovely walking area, my hotel was not one of the heritage hotels, like the one below, but it was a block from the Old Town as it is known, it was very nice and it had a decent size pool.

Old Town Decked Out for Chinese New Year

Old Town Phuket – Nominated To Be A World Heritage Site

Restaurants Galore Welcoming the Four Corners of the World

Once again I used the Map My City Ap for its walking tour of the old town and it took me the better part of a day to follow their routes. The tour took me past several sites that represent the history and the culture of Phuket that dates back to the 1st C AD. An important port in the trade route between China and Malaysia, it’s early history meant an influx of Chinese. The Golden Dragon is a symbol that is given offerings and prayers in exchange for protection of Phuket and its people.

In spite of it being Old Phuket there are many reminders of a modern art scene as you stroll the streets and turn corners to find the unexpected.

Thanon Dibuk Road is a bustling street of cafes and shops catering to tourist and local alike. A good area to sample Thai food in one of the many cafes.

Perhaps the most outstanding feature of Thanon Dibuk Road is an off shoot called Soi Rommanee Lane a narrow passage of Sino-Portuguese shophouses which were at one time brothels and gambling houses. Ironically this former street of sin, leads to the Wat Mongolian Nimit built in 1880. Mongolian Nimit Wat is a an especially sacred place for gathering and making offerings to the Buddha. Inside the Pagoda style Wat are intricate colourful art works and a giant stupa surrounded by other small stupas and of course a statue of Buddha.

Sino-Portuguese architecture is not unique to Phuket, Southern India and Sri Lanka also have architecture that reflect the melding of European and Asian cultures. These colourful, practical buildings certainly remain as evidence of the Portuguese, Malay and Chinese who came to trade in the 19th Century and earlier. Eventually trade involved the mining and exporting of tin which really meant an economic boom for Phuket. Great care has been taken to restore these buildings to make them as authentic as possible. Most are now shops, bars and restaurants and full of tourists.

Old Alley Ways Between and Under Buildings

Chinese history is very prominent in Old Town Phuket as waves of settlement led to the construction Chinese Schools and Family Shrines that honoured their ancestors.

Shrine of Serene Light to Chinese Ancestors

Surin, Kamala, Pukhet & Karon Beaches

Of course the Island of Phuket is known as a beach holiday destination and offers the choice of several well-known beaches, many of which were sadly destroyed in the 2004 Tsunami in which many people lost their lives.

Surin Beach

I had the chance to explore several of the beaches along the west coast of Phuket Island. I definitely started at one of the top tier beaches, Surin, where the hotels are quite pricy so a short stay was in order.

Kamala Beach

If I had to pick a beach to stay at for an extended period of time it would be Kamala Beach, a little less expensive than Surin and a little less crowded and cluttered than Paton Beach.

Patong Beach

I actually spent more time in a Patong Beach hotel, which wouldn’t have been my first choice but definitely more affordable. I really can’t complain though I was at the far northern end of the beach and my hotel had a balcony with a lovely view of the ocean and the sunsets. It had a cute little pool and the bus that runs between the various beaches stopped right outside my door.

The beach chair renters called me Mama and if I missed a day they wanted to know why. They were really sweet and started to give me discounts.

Sand Under Brilliant White Lights Gives a Nice Green Glow

Patong Hotel Pool – Across a Busy Road to the Beach

Restaurant on the Rocks – Far End of Patong Beach

Karon Beach

I had the good fortune of meeting a Thai woman named Nok and as soon as we started to chat we realized we were practically twins. We enjoy the same hobbies, shared many opinions and even like to travel alone. She worked for a large corporation at one time and was sent all over on business so we even shared a love of travel. She very kindly took a day off work to show me around and one of the places we went was to Karon Beach. We had a picnic there and she had brought along friend chicken and sticky rice. She sat and crocheted under a palm tree while I swam in the surf which was a little wild for me. Knocked me off my feet a couple of times, making it very hard to get out of the water.

One thing I missed on all of the beaches was a variety of folks from different parts of the of the world. All of these beaches are packed with Russians who tend to be an unfriendly bunch that speak little English. It’s said that there are over 100,000 Russians in Thailand at any given time and many wealthy families send their children here to sit out the war against Ukraine. They are given 6 month visas whereas most tourists get 3 months and even have to extend that one after 60 days. Of course the Russians pay more for their visas.

Since there were so many Russians about, I became quite curious about the Russian people and I even googled, “why are Russians so unfriendly”. The answer was interesting in that it’s said to be a cultural phenomena not to waste time and energy on what could be viewed as falsely friendly exchanges. A waste of time, but I also read that they are warm and friendly with those that they know. I was told an old Russian saying “enjoy today, it will only get worse.” Which may explain their somewhat dark moods. Like all people, there are a mix of good and bad but the collective exterior Russian persona is decidedly cold.

In my observation the second largest group are the French and then a smattering of other European groups who tend to be more friendly and speak English for the most part quite well. Don’t get me wrong I don’t expect people to speak English everywhere I go but a little friendly conversation goes a long way when you’re a solo traveller. One sure thing is that Russia and Europe are the bulk of the beach holidayers on Phuket. I met the odd Canadian but surprisingly there are very few travellers from the U.S.A.

Patong and Surrounding Areas

Banga Street & Shopping Zone

Patong, the sin city of Thailand, or one of them anyway, was not nearly as repugnant as I thought it might be. Maybe because I only wandered about in the party zone earlier in the evenings.

Bars & Clubs Along the Famous Banga Street

Most People Seemed Like Tourists not “Customers”

One thing I saw was the photo above. It was little creepy to be honest and to music the “real live” girl in the middle danced about and the two “not so real and not so alive” girls on each end followed her steps. Clever but creepy.

Big Buddha

Once again my friend Nok came and collected me to take me to see the Big Buddha as it is known. Going with a local I learned all kinds of things about the Buddha that I might otherwise have missed.

For one thing, Big Buddha was a commercial venture created for tourism and not a holy site with deep history. It was opened some years ago but due to poor engineering it was not quite completed when the government stepped in and shut it down. I was lucky that on March 3rd I was there for the reopening that followed a two year hiatus. Apparently the engineers failed to determine the impact of the weight of Buddha and during a heavy rainstorm the settling of the monument caused a land slide killing several people living on the slopes below. Supposedly the faults are rectified and the site was deemed safe to reopen. The views from the Big Buddha are amazing.

The monument to Buddha is concrete covered with marble tile. As of yet there is nothing inside the open space beneath the Buddha but that may come.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Phuket Island but meeting my Thai friend Nok had a lot to do with that. Between picnics on beaches, shopping trips, massages, tours of Phuket and gifts of crocheted items I appreciated the time she took to spend with me and to answer my many questions. I have extended an invitation for her to visit me in Canada and one day I hope we meet again.

And now off to Langkawi Island via Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Krabi Thailand & Koh Lanta

Krabi….very special province in the South of Thailand….the nearest thing to a 10 for geographical beauty. A gateway to the Island paradise of Koh Lanta.

I’m going to digress here a little bit and tell you about an encounter at the Bangkok airport as I was waiting for my flight to Krabi. I was chatting with a fellow and when I told him I was from Canada, he recounted that he had met our Prime Minister, Mark Carney in his chocolate shop in West Hampstead where Carney lived while he was the Head of the Bank of England. He said that he was a down to earth very pleasant man, curious about peoples jobs, very likeable and would buy white chocolate for his wife, it being her favourite. He said other lovely things about Mark Carney and how lucky we were to have him! It made me feel very proud to be a Canadian.

Krabi Province

Goldilocks Luck

Krabi is a province in Southern Thailand but it is also the name of the provincial capital. Ao Nang Beach is a smaller village about 14 kms from Krabi and Ao Nam Mao Beach is an even smaller village between Krabi and Ao Nang. None of this I fully appreciated when I booked myself into Diamond Beach Resort in Ao Nam Mao. So with a little Goldilocks luck, I stumbled upon something “just right”.

Krabi Province – Krabi Town, Ao Nam Mao, Railay & Ao Nang

Krabi, like Papa Bear, is too big and disheveled for my liking and Ao Nang like Mama Bear has her good points and the beach is lovely and comfortable….but the Ao Nam Mao Beach is like Baby Bear and it is “just right”. In a snug little cove in a small village, my hotel faces out to the Andaman Sea and in the far distance is the island of Koh PiPi.

My Cabin Exterior – Veranda Made for Sitting Out

The Village itself boasts the usual 7-11, food markets, massage parlours and restaurants along the main strip but walking past the main strip and down along the beach are several beachfront hotels with night life, restaurants and nice beachfronts. Much less busy than either Krabi City or Ao Nang.

Closest Swimming Beach to Diamond Resort – 10 minute walk

I did make day trips to each of Krabi City and Ao Nang Beach and was rewarded for my efforts but I did so enjoy my quiet days on Ao Nam Mao beside a lovely pool and staying in a wonderful little Thai style cabin. The staff were friendly and seemed genuinely happy to see you and the room included breakfast which although repetitive was convenient and went until 10:00 am. The Diamond Beach Resort I would recommend even though the beach itself was tidal and mud bottomed, there was a sandy beach just up from the resort.

Saying Farewell to the Breakfast Ladies at Diamond Resort

Ao Nang

My day in Ao Nang was nice, lots of shops, restaurants, souvenirs and tour operators. Everyone seemed relaxed and happy to be crowded together there and the white sandy beach was lovely. It was hard to find a shaded spot but I managed to squeeze in between two groups under a palm and enjoy a few swims. A late dinner at an Indian Restaurant and I made my way back Ao Nam as I came, in a Grab, Asias equivalent to Uber only much cheaper. The drivers here are welcoming but most speak very little English.

Krabi City

I went to Krabi City in the evening for two reasons, one was to visit the night market and the other was to dine at a floating restaurant on the Krabi River. I enjoyed both the market and my dinner but the city itself was not too enthralling.

Railay Beach

Another day trip was to Railay Beach, which I was surprised to see was covered in resorts, shops, restaurants, tour guides, activities etc.. For some reason I thought it was just a day beach destination. It was a lovely trip on a long tail boat which I took from the pier close to my hotel.

Rock Formations Jut Right Out of the Ocean

I spent the day wandering the shops, sunning and swimming and came across my first fellow travellers whose language was English. So many Europeans here, I wish I spoke French or German but I did meet two women from Argentina and so we were able to chat for a while in Spanish. One of the women was a police officer in Buenos Aires.

Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is a beautiful Island south of Krabi City, accessible by boat or by bridge. I opted for a passenger ferry that left from Ao Nang and landed in Koh Lanta an hour and a half or so later. It was a lovely sunny crossing and although getting on and off the passenger ferries is akin to herding cats, and you’re one of the cats. Bodies and bags are flung about until all and sundry are safely on a pier where the hustle and bustle of Tuk-tuk touts and drivers reel you in for a fast trip out of there to your hotel.

Leaving Krabi

In my case the Lanta Resort which shared a similar name and designation to an Aparthotel some miles past the real Lanta Resort. Oddly it even came up on hotels.com map incorrectly. I was dropped in the wrong place but some lovely ladies in an office helped out, got things sorted and I was on my way back to the proper place.

The main road that runs parallel to the western beaches is one long line of commerce: restaurants, grocery shops, ATM’s, tour companies, bars, massage parlours, moto rentals, tin roofs, and mangy dogs wandering in and out of the ramshackle buildings and the traffic. This initial approach to paradise can be off putting but once you are off the main road and down the avenues to your hotel your view of the place mellows dramatically.

I stayed on what is called Long Beach, which it is. A long strip of white sand beach and aquamarine water lapping the shore in gentle waves. Rarely an inch of land along the beach lies fallow. Most resorts back on to the beach with restaurants, beach loungers, massage huts, cafes and even mini-marts lest you forgot your sun cream.

Multiple tours and activities are available on Koh Lanta including snorkeling trips to smaller island nearby. I opted for a boat tour of the Mangroves which included lunch at a look-out and time to wander the old village of Koh Lanta.

All in all a great stay on Koh Lanta, maybe just not long enough! And now it’s on to Phuket Island to discover the what treasures await me there.

Bangkok 2026

Solo travel in Bangkok with so much to do!

I first came to Bangkok in the ‘80’s and let me start by saying….it is not the same place. Sure, maybe tucked, squeezed, forgotten, pushed under bridges, down back lanes and clinging to river channels, the old Bangkok survives under the long shadows of glassy eyed skyscrapers that in no way bear resemblance to my memories of the first visit.

Changed as it is, I loved it all…..the remnants of days gone by and even the enthusiastic embracing of commercialism. One thing that is not gone for sure is the wonderful warmth, friendliness and hospitality of the Thai people. And, of course Thai cuisine, from 5 star Michelin restaurants to steamy food carts serving street food, Bangkok has it all.

New Bangkok Skyline Dwarfs the Old Style Street Scenes

A Place of Quiet & Gratitude Among the Hustle & Bustle

I was just lucky when I booked a room at the Oakwood Hotel and Residences in the Sathorn district. Situated a short walk from “everything”, I was able to take trains, ride the river boats, walk to shops, eat and drink and sleep comfortably in a decent hotel.

Close to my hotel was a street food market, a moderate shopping mall and a 7-11. On the streets around the hotel you could buy baisered corn on the cob, fresh fruit and other snack type food most of which were a mystery to me.

Since my stay was short and I had very clear memories of the Royal Palace, the Royal yachts, and several of the Wats I chose to spend my time visiting places that would be new to me.

Culture and Malls Go Together?

The sky trains in Bangkok are easy to navigate and ticket booths and machines are both easy to understand.

Buying a 20 Baht ticket, I headed off to see the Bangkok Art & Cultural Centre which turned out to be connected by a pedestrian causeway to a jumbo mall.

Bangkok Art & Culture Centre

Entrance is free at the Art & Cultural Centre and ironically included exhibitions by youth and “kids” themed on pitfalls of commercialism.

Real Live Interaction…Not On-Line as Depicted by A Young Artist Who Enjoys Sharing Food with Friends

Homes Squeezed In Regardless of the Urban Landscape

The interior of the building is reminiscent of the Guggenheim in NYC and exhibits are coiled around a centre atrium with arts shops tucked in back corners.

The final exhibit on the top coil was an homage to the suffering of the people of Myanmar under the current regime.

Chart Shows Number and Cause of Deaths in the Current Conflict

Mega Mall – MBK

Ironically, you step out the door of the Cultural Centre and you come face to face with the sprawl of urban commercialization being questioned in the youth exhibit.

The MBK Mall as it is called, is crowded, busy, noisy….housing small business, brand names, entertainment, services, restaurants all cheek to jowl over at least 6 floors. Each floor a rabbit warren of stalls. I think these are the same street merchants that I saw in the 80’s but they’ve been moved inside with AC?

I headed to the 6th floor to the electronics bazaar to buy a charger cord to replace one left on the plane. Booth after booth, hundreds of sellers, “brand names” (maybe) , definite knock-offs, and after-market items spread across what must be an acre or more of retail space.

Cord in hand I rode the escalators back down to the ground floor and outside to the National Stadium sky train station. Mission accomplished.

Another Kind of Mall Featuring Thai Culture

I was lucky enough that I was able to meet up with some friends of friends and we went to the most spectacular restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was on the top floor of the Iconsiam Mall, which is on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The front of the mall is terraced with outdoor patios and restaurants with gorgeous city and river views.

The Chao Phraya Busy with Dinner Cruise Boats

Front and Top Floor Restaurants Where We Dined

Grandiosely titled “Iconsiam” the mall is definitely meeting its aspiration of Icon status. Unlike the MBK mall it is a temple of brand names. No knock offs here folks. Every level is gathered around marble floored atriums and riding the steep escalator to great heights means you look down over the miniature people below (not for someone with a fear of heights).

Indoor Floating Market Featuring Regions of Thailand

The bottom floor of the Iconsiam mall is designed to resemble a floating market and is divided into the cardinal regions of Thailand with shops and restaurants given over to the traditions, food and wares of each region. It’s a great place to eat inexpensively, all while giving a sense of the Regions of Thailand.

Chao Phraya River – Best Way to Get Around

Traffic is so thick and ponderous in Bangkok it’s inevitable that you find yourself commuting on the Chao Phraya River. A long snake of a thing that passes through the city on its way to Gulf of Thailand, it beats snarled traffic hands down.

On the River, there is a tourist “hop on hop off” boat and for 150 THB it allows you to stop at many of the main tourist sights. A lovely way to feel somewhat of a breeze off the water in a hot and humid city. As I said, I gave the usual sights a miss but headed for China Town, the Iconsiam pier where I had some unfinished shopping business and the Asiatique.

The Asiatique

The Asiatique is a cluster of shops and buildings representative of Thai architecture from 1907-1947. The buildings have been renovated while staying true to their original design. The stop gives you a good idea of what life style and foreign trade were like along the river during colonial times. Thailand proudly resisted colonization, but was surrounded by nations that succumbed. There’s also a 60 m high Ferris wheel and although I didn’t have time to ride it, it supposedly has great views.

China Town

A labyrinth of narrow lanes and a jumble of shops and restaurants, Bangkok’s China Town was a fun wander and surprisingly I stumbled upon one of the best iced coffees just when I needed a chair with AC. Apparently bean roasting has become a thing.

I also had Thai food in a Chinese Restaurant that had so much AC I asked to have a fan turned off. Good food though. Bangkok’s China Town is said to be one for the oldest and biggest in the world where generations of Chinese merchants and their families continue to make it their home.

Cityscapes from the Chao Phraya

The Tourist Boat is a must do in Bangkok as far as I’m concerned, you can visit famous Buddhist temples like Wat Yannawa built 242 years ago, you can see the giant golden Buddha reclining in the Wat Pho and everyone must see the gemstone adorned Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew which houses the Emerald Buddha the symbol of Thailand.

Throughout the day I travelled the length of the tourist boat route and was lucky enough to be on board and have a seat (rather crowded) in time for the sunset.

And so ends my time in Bangkok, so glad I came, although four days was enough to accomplish getting over jet lag and seeing what changes 40 some odd years had brought to the city. And now I will fly to the province of Krabi in the south of Thailand.

Kochi the city, Kerala the state and India…well you know, the country

In case you’re wondering exactly where I am at the moment…

Find the State of Kerala…look down, way down

Then find the city of Kochi on the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea

This being my last day of two whole days in Kochi I have been busy squeezing in as much as possible. I hired a diver with an AC car (it being only 35 C) to take me to the must see sights in Kochi. It was well worth the 2300 Indian Rupees (40 CAD) to be taken through the crazy busy streets from my hotel to the Fort Kochi area where much of the history of the Malabar coast was unfurled.

Amazingly good driver in some very robust traffic.

So many layers of influence converged on this slice of the planet mainly in the name of spice and as all food lovers will tell you that is not a minor consideration. First came the Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the British and finally, after many squabbles, they all went away. Fortunately, they did not abscond with all the spices. They did however leave their mark and Fort Kochi is the place to see it.

As a nod to its precolonial past, Kochi was a princely state ruled by the Maharaja. A surprise to me, “Kochi” includes a group of islands and towns, including Ernakulam, Mantancherry, Fort Cochin, Willingdon Island, Vypin Island, and Gundu Island. The urban mainland areas included the neighbourhoods of Trikkakara, Eloor, Kalamassery, and Trippunithura. That’s a mouthful right? The islands can be reached from the mainland where I stayed by both frequent ferries or several bridges, or better yet if you don’t mind very close quarters there are several hotels on Fort Kochi.

Kochi was a fishing village until, in the 14th century, water erosion caused it to be separated from the mainland but created a safe inside harbour. The Portuguese came and settled in the late 15th C and founded the first European settlement on Indian soil at Kochi in 1500. Fort Kochi remained a Portuguese possession until it was conquered by the Dutch in 1663.

Cantilever Nets Based on Ancient Chinese Method

Under Dutch rule (1663–1795) Kochi had its greatest prosperity, shipping pepper, cardamom and other spices and drugs as well as coir (coconut shell fibre – think doormats), coconut, and copra (dried coconut seeds used for oil and animal feed).

Locked up Tight but some interesting looking very old graves.

According to the museum in the old Mattancherry Palace, the city’s ethnic and religious groups, including its Hindu majority and the Muslim, Syrian Christian, and Jewish minorities, shared in the city’s prosperity.

Interestingly I sat beside a man on the plane from London whose heritage was Jewish. His people left Europe in one of the pogroms to settle in Kochi as spice farmers and merchants but have assimilated and become Catholic over the generations. I also read that the Jewish community in Kochi was the oldest in India, claiming to date from the 4th century. They trickled in over the centuries and lived peacefully until the Portuguese imported the ideas of the Inquisition.

At Fort Cochin is St. Francis Church, built by the Portuguese in 1510 and reputedly the first European church on Indian soil. It was for a time the burial place of Vasco da Gama before his remains were taken to Portugal. Other churches as well as Hindu temples, mosques, and the historic synagogue at Mattancherry all stand in the area.

St. Francis Church History – I don’t expect you to read it but if you do well good on you!

British rule over Kochi lasted from 1795 until 1947, when India became independent. (Watch the movie Gandhi)

A system of inland waterways running parallel to the coast provides Kochi with cheap transportation, and picturesque lagoons and backwaters that attract tourists.

Backwaters as they are known surround the islands
in front of the mainland.

The mainland part of Kochi is one endless jumble of noisy streets, buildings, commerce, life being lived, people constantly on the move using every conveyance possible to get to their jobs, homes, schools, whatever the case may be. In one single block on the main streets you pass a multitude of businesses, homes and schools. Scooters dart between Tuk Tuks darting between cars darting between trucks, daring between buses. You get the drift. (Nothing to my Mexican friends)

My Uber Tuk Tuk Ride

Street scenes always of interest, can present some forms of urban irony wherever you go and I took the opportunity to snap this one. If you know that the woman on the right in the photo is a beggar with a severe limp, you will get my drift.

The good the bad and the ugly all in one moment

Just when I was beginning to recover from jet lag and get the hang of things it was time to leave Kochi but not before I visited the Lulu Mall a temple of consumerism at its best. If this mall was in Vancouver I would not be able to afford to shop there. It has every shop knows to man the world over and is very expensive by Indian standards. My driver/now friend Sreehari told me that the average person does not shop there. That includes me! It is huge and shiny and even has a Starbucks! Of course.

And so Kochi until I pass through on my way to Sri Lanka in a few weeks time, thank you for a lovely stay and special shout out to the Ginger Kochi Hotel! I highly recommend it should you find yourself able to visit Kerala.

Phu Quoc Island a Tropical Paradise

Phu Quoc is a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. It belongs to Vietnam but lies closer to Cambodia. It is easily reached on a short 50 minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City, over the mighty Mekong Delta and is well worth a visit.

After two plus months of traveling throughout SE Asia, Phu Quoc was a welcome beach vacation destination. Admittedly there are many touristy things to do on Phu Quoc but if you’re me and your somewhat tired of shifting about, sitting still on a white sandy beach under some palm trees for a week or more is a welcome respite.

There are several different areas to stay on Phu Quoc and we booked way back in October in an area quite far from the main town of Duong Dong. First impressions along the highway and the side roads may not be favorable, there is a lot of garbage and the ubiquitous unruly collection of traffic, businesses and residences that I have come to associate with SE Asia.

But once you are off the beaten track and you have arrived at your accommodation, then hopefully you will find what we did at the Camellia Hotel & Spa, (spa because you can arrange to have a massage there). We had booked this hotel well in advance and by Vietnamese standards we paid a high price, 63.00 CAD per night, if we’d waited we would have paid much less, maybe even half.

The rooms were big, well appointed and the pool and free breakfast offset the distance to the beach, (about a 25 minute walk, although the hotel ad says 10). Sadly, the closest public beach was squeezed to a bare minimum by beach front hotels with private amenities so we opted to spend most of our day around the Camellia pool.

The area around the Camellia is very rural, as in….there were roosters, lots of roosters and we saw a new born calf, still wet and wobbly legged in the road right in front of our hotel. Nearby there were lots of restaurants and bars so we didn’t have far to go to eat and we found a variety of cuisines from French to western and of course local.

One evening we ventured into town by cab (pricey enough you wouldn’t want to do it everyday) had dinner and wandered through the night market. Lots of seafood of course, Phu Quoc being an Island.

Four nights passed quickly and it was time for my Canadian friends to head back to the chill of the Yukon, the poor things. I was to stay on for another nine nights and opted to shift to a “Retreat” Hotel closer to town. So glad I did, the An Nhien retreat lived up to it’s promised amenities with friendly helpful staff, healthy breakfast, massage, pool and beautiful tropical garden complete with a small stream full of fish and ornamental fountains. My room was a good size and done up like a cabana, very nice.

The hotel was a three minute walk to the beach and An Nhien shared a private beach with another hotel. Great place to the spend the days and the truth is I did little else. Swimming, reading, snoozing, contemplating and ruminating with very little movement from A to B. I didn’t even head back to town.

I met very few English speaking people on Phu Quoc, most other beach goers were from Russia. It is a close sun spot for them and plane loads arrive daily if not hourly.

I made a decision to return to England a week early when I heard that there was a Corona Virus quarantine in a small village in northern Vietnam. A week more in England seemed a good bargain given that the most fun you could expect to have in a quarantine situation would be to stay healthy. If I had only just started or was part way through my explorations I would have stayed on. But I am glad to have had the luxury of playing it safe and don’t feel that I have made too much of a concession. After all, I’m all tucked up at Heather’s in Brighton, drinking tea and watching Tellie and hoping that Vietnam is spared the spread of the virus.

Once Upon a Time it was Saigon…Now Ho Chi Minh City.

The Wild West of the traffic world….

Ho Chi Minh City is the Wild West of the traffic world. There are more scooter/motorbikes here than anywhere on the planet I am sure. It’s as if my travels through Vietnam led to this crescendo of ever pulsing veins of traffic coursing through the heart of the city, pumping its way out to the eighteen districts that make up HCMC. Imagine crossing this road…..we did and we survived, without a cross walk or a light I might add. There is an art to this!

Saigon it was, that was until the communists rolled into town in 1975, taking control of the city and renaming it HCMC a year later. In spite of the official change, the name Saigon still lives on, particularly in the French Quarter and many people use it to this day.

Districts 1,2 & 3 are where most foreigners hang out and within this area is where most of the sights are located including, museums, palaces, pagodas, temples, towering skyscrapers, glitzy malls, trendy restaurants and more down market tourist bars and clubs around the “Backpacker Area”, which is where we stayed in the Beautiful Saigon 3 Hotel. A great small boutique style hotel, it was clean, friendly staff, good breakfast, up a quiet alley-way but close to everything, I would recommend it if you are on a budget.

A walkable area, both night and day, we took in the sights mainly on foot. We had time to visit the Night Market, one of the high end shopping malls (WOW), the beautiful old French Opera House, and we wandered along streets lined with other examples from the French colonial period.

The War Remnants Museum as it is called was an interesting stop. Meant to depict the horrors of war in general and the war with the Americans specifically. With three million dead, and two thirds of those being non-combatants it’s hard not to feel anger at the fate of those poor souls. However, in spite of some hard hitting exhibits the message of the museum is clearly one of peace since the brutality of war ultimately effects more citizens than combatants. There are photo displays of mutilations, napalm burns, torture and massacres including the famous My Lai where American troops murdered nearly a whole village of innocent elders, women and children.

But in a spirit of apparent forgiveness there is a large display of photos on the “peace movement in the States” and subsequent visits and charitable acts of American Vietnam veterans. All in all a moving place and for those more mechanically minded there are some tanks, planes, bombs etc outside that you can wander around and see up close.

The Reunification Palace, previously the Independence Palace (to celebrate independence from France), was renamed to signify the reunion of North & South Vietnam. Located on park like grounds, it’s working days were in the 60’s and 70’s and everything is preserved from this time, a gentle mix of modern style furnishing with Asian materials and symbolism. There are a number of floors with meeting rooms, hosting areas, the presidential library and private suites. All eerily preserved and roped off with red velvet and brass.

With limited time, we really wanted to experience at least some of the Mekong Delta, so we signed on for a day trip to cruise around Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix and Tortoise Islands. The first stop in the tourist van was a beautiful pagoda and temple, and if you look closely below you will see my selfie.

After the Pagoda we boarded one of dozens of sampans and cruised through the brown water channels, narrowly missing other sampans as they paddled by. We were taken to a fruit orchard where we saw where they grow mangoes, jackfruit, something like a lychee but smaller, dragon fruit and pomelos. The best part was getting to taste everything the farmer grew.

After the orchard we were paddled in a tippy sampan to a honey farm where we got to hold the honeycombs while the bees slept peacefully but we were warned not to drop them. After the bee combs we were introduced to a boa than snaked it’s way around my shoulders and then proceeded to probe my arm with its head. Much more dry and solid than you would expect I was nevertheless glad when Dave snapped the photos and the snake was taken away by its owner.

Back on a larger boat we cruised around the Mekong delta and more of its islands. It is a busy river and much traffic in a variety of shapes, sizes and conditions floats by. The river, we were told, is brown in colour due to diluvian deposits of clay, sand and silt at the mouth of this long and flowing river and not to more unsavoury confluences.

Three days is probably not enough for Ho Chi Minh, especially given it’s proximity to the Mekong Delta and the famous floating markets that you can visit but are some distance from the city. However we were anxious to move on to Phu Quoc Island and the beautiful beaches where we could restore ourselves before my friends head home to Canada.

Old Town Phuket

Surin, Kamala, Pukhet & Karon Beaches

Surin Beach

Kamala Beach

Patong Beach

Karon Beach

Patong and Surrounding Areas

Banga Street & Shopping Zone

Big Buddha

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Krabi Province

Koh Lanta

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Culture and Malls Go Together?

Another Kind of Mall Featuring Thai Culture

Chao Phraya River – Best Way to Get Around

The Asiatique

China Town

Cityscapes from the Chao Phraya

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