The Modern Nomadic Existence

Our trip is almost at an end and it is time for us to sign off, at least for now. It is hard to believe that three and a half months (101 days, to be precise) has gone by since we left Sydney on May 14. We have had some amazing experiences while we have been away, which we have enjoyed sharing with you all on this blog.

The fact that so many people spend so much money on getting from one side of the world to the other, just to see it, has got us thinking about how today's traveller is really the modern equivalent of yesterday's nomad. When you think about it, the modern traveller is really no different to the desert Berber... both of us continuing a long human tradition. Why else would we spend all our money, risk life and limb and throw ourselves off the deep end, just for the experience? And why else would we love doing it?

But enough philosophising for now. We thought we'd pick out the best and worst of our trip in this post to round things off until next time. So here we go...

Favourite town: Blois

Favourite city: London/Paris (I know it might seem like a cliche, but what can you do?)

Most beautiful city: Lisbon/San Sebastian

Craziest city: Marrakech

Most beautiful scenery: the Saraha proper/the French countryside

Favourite country: Portugal (Josh), France and Vietnam (Tova)

Most boring country: Andorra

Best beach: Estoril/Cascais

Funniest miscommunication: Becoming convinced that Hungarians used kookaburra feathers in their pillows and doonas, until we realised that they meant geese and ducks

Best quote: [Pedro's father Eduardo, in a strong Portuguese accent, after being told that smoking was being banned in public places in Australia] "But that is dictatorship!! I will never go there!"

Most random communication experience: Using our German skills with the car mechanic in Santiago and with locals in Vietnam

Most useful language: French (essential in France and Morocco, helped in Spain and Portugal)

Hardest place to communicate: Spain (they speak no English, no French, no German; just Spanish)

Best book read: Nicholas Nickelby, by Charles Dickens

Worst experience: Getting our car fixed/packing up the tent in the pouring rain

Second-worst experience: Being climbed on by a monkey (Tova)

Funniest experience: Tova being climbed on by a monkey (Josh)

Best experience: Being able to travel for 3 1/2 months!

Loved: Catching up with overseas friends and family

Best church: Westminster Abbey

Best Arab fortress: Sintra

Most walking in one day: Paris

Worst stomach difficulties: Morocco

Best R&R: Granada

Most amazing person we met: Elodie (the 8-year old who complained the least out of all the people on our journey into the Sahara)

Best campsite: Barcelona (Tova), Loire Valley (Josh)

Hottest place: Morocco

Coldest place: Paris

Sweatiest place: Vietnam

Best weather: Lisbon

Most romantic place: Château de Chambord

Worst airline experience (so far): Waiting for 3 1/2 hours in Casablanca for our flight to depart to London

Best food: Tapas (Josh), Parisian onion soup (Tova)

Cheapest country: Vietnam

Most expensive place: London/Paris/Vienna

Biggest surprise of the trip: Tova becoming a fully-fledged fish eater!

Thanks for coming along on the journey with us. For those of you living in Sydney, we'll see you soon... and for those of you who live elsewhere, for now:

Auf wiedersehn/ Sziasztok/ Au revoir/ Adéu/ Adiós/ Agur/ Até a vista/ M'assalama/ Gha-tamgraout/ Goodbye/ Tam biêt!

Love Josh and Tova x

Ha Long Bay

The last days of our trip were, appropriately, spent taking in some of the most beautiful scenery we have seen so far. The story goes that in order to prevent the Chinese from invading Northern Vietnam, a dragon descended from heaven and spat out zeroes, which became the small rocky islands that dot this gorgeous bay.

The painful (and life-threatening) three hour drive to Ha Long Bay ended up at one of the busiest docks I've ever been to. Dozens of tourists milled around waiting to be told what to do, whilst tour guides took our passports, gave us entry tickets, gave us back our passports, then took back our entry tickets. It was very confusing. But it all calmed down once we departed onto the tranquil waters of the Bay.

Apart from visiting some (very average) limestone caves, we spent most of the trip sunning ourselves on the deck, as we watched the beautiful islands go by. Josh also got very adventurous and went kayaking and swimming in the stunning blue-green water. It was an extremely relaxing way to end our 3.5 month trip - especially considering all the hard work that's ahead of us!

Tova's Paradise

Since we have managed to take refuge from the torrential rain (see above!) in an internet cafe, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to write about the town we have been staying in, Hoi An.

[Insert 3-hour power failure here. Now to continue...]

Apart from its amazing food, Hoi An is best known for its tailors. It seems that there are more tailor shops here than all of the other shops put together. Tailors here are said to be able to whip anything up for you within a few hours, from a t-shirt to a business suit. And one is truly spoilt for choice - there are so many fabrics and designs here, that after a while it all blurs together and your head begins to hurt.

Anyway, we decided to test the theory and get a couple of things made... and the results have been amazing! Depending on which shop you go to (of course), the staff are highly professional and the workmanship is excellent. Where changes have been necessary, they have been made so that everything fits perfectly.

I recommend it to anyone travelling in this part of the world.

The Final Food Post (I Promise)

This blog would not be complete without a description of the delicious food you've all come to know and love. Today we did a fantastic Vietnamese cooking class in beautiful Hoi An, where we got to participate in making our own lunch. We had an awesome time making and then eating local Vietnamese specialties.

When we arrived at the restaurant all the ingredients were laid out and the chef explained all the different vegetables, herbs and spices we were going to cook with. We then made four different dishes, which we'd chosen ourselves from their extensive menu. First up were the fresh vegetable spring rolls, which we were able to roll ourselves.

Next was the classic Vietnamese dish that Josh and I are obsessed with in Sydney, Pho Bo (beef noodle soup). This was followed by the Hoi An specialty, Cao Lau, which is an incredibly tasty noodle dish that apparently can only be properly made using the water found in a particular well in Hoi An. We finished up with stir-fried vegetables, because we just had to know how they made such a boring-sounding dish so delicious.

These were all totally amazing and we took lots of notes, so you all have some excellent Vietnamese-themed dinner parties to look forward to in the future!

The Propaganda Machine

Yesterday, after stepping off our train from Sapa at 4.30 am, we spent the morning at a massive complex dedicated to Ho Chi Minh (the leader of the Vietnamese socialist revolution). And it was quite an experience!

After waiting in a queue about 300 m long together with Vietnamese people on their national pilgrimage, we entered the complex and checked our bags and valuables so that we could enter the mausoleum housing Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body. We then lined up in another fast-moving queue and entered the air-conditioned concrete box-building that was the focus of the entire trip. In the central room was a glass sarcophagus, very dimly lit, containing Ho Chi Minh's body. The sarcophagus was guarded by 4 soldiers (one at each corner) and behind it was a star (the symbol in the middle of the Vietnamese flag) and a hammer and sickle emblazoned onto the wall. As the queue was moved along pretty quickly by other guards, we were out again before we knew it. I observed a group of older soldiers who had also just emerged, talking animatedly and obviously very excited by what they'd just seen.

We spent the rest of the morning looking at Ho Chi Minh's "House on Stilts", a simple house where he is said to have lived and worked as leader of the nation before he died, and a large and well-presented museum extolling the revolution and the "exemplary morals" of its leader with a massive statue and various multimedia displays.

So despite Vietnam's move to a market economy, the country remains communist in name (somewhat like China) and communist symbolism can be found without looking too hard. Like this shop we saw in the street where our hotel is, unashamedly selling "Propaganda Art"! And the English-language Vietnamese paper I read this morning on the plane from Hanoi to Danang (yes, we ditched the 16-hour train ride for a 55-minute flight!) was also an eye-opening experience, full of congratulations to the Prime Minister for being re-elected last month as well as news on the various mutual cooperation and peace initiatives the government is pursuing with its neighbours.

A curious mix of capitalism practicality and communist ideology is the result of all of this and one can only wonder where it will all end up!

Trekking with the Hill Tribes

We have spent the past two days based in Sapa near the Chinese border, trekking in the mountains with the hill tribes. And when I say trekking, I mean it! Today, we walked about 14 kilometres in really rough terrain, descending from the mountaintops into the valley below. (Yesterday we only did 8 km). Sometimes the track was mud, sometimes rocks and sometimes a creek/river bed. (After several years, my Tevas have finally come in handy!)

The countryside here is truly spectacular with mountain peaks devolving into sculpted hills of terraced rice paddies, amongst which the people live in their small villages. And you can't get much more rural than this: the people here live amongst pigs, water buffalo, chickens and ducks and subsist off the land and from money that tourists bring in.

In fact, tourism seems so important here that without it, the poverty people live in would become absolutely abject. On our trek yesterday, one of the Red Dzao village women asked us what it cost to fly from Europe to Vietnam - when we told her and after her initial amazement subsided, she told us that such an amount of money would be enough to eat for several years here.

On the other hand, the hill tribes seem quite happy with their lot and enjoy interacting with tourists. Yesterday we were amazed to observe one of the hill tribe women translating from Vietnamese into English for a Vietnamese person trying to speak to one of the people in our group! Today we were helped down the mountain by a group of H'mong hill tribe women (help which was needed, given the incline and the muddy state of the track we were walking on!) who we chatted to along the way about our families, names and ages. And once we got to their village, they had some local crafts to sell us for a small sum.

But possibly one of the strangest things we have experienced here is observing the use of modern technology in these remote areas. Yesterday, we saw village houses with satellite dishes mounted on their roofs... and today, we were amazed to observe that there is mobile phone reception out here!

We Are Totally Taking First Class Back!

While some people are travelling in the lap of luxury through Europe (and complaining about it), others (i.e. ME) have braved the perils of the Vietnamese rail system and lived to tell the tale. We dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 5.10am in order to catch the train to Lao Cai, a town on the Chinese border and an hour away from Sapa, our ultimate destination.

We spent a number of hours yesterday dealing with Hanoi train station. After standing in line for ages due to the Vietnamese habit of pushing in and being sent to various different other queues and rooms, we were finally told that tickets to our destination would not be sold until a few hours from that time. When we finally got our tickets, the only seats left were 'hard seats', which is basically fourth class. Although strongly advised against taking such seats by our beloved guide book, we had to get going, so we took the plunge...

... And I think I can safely say that this was one of the worst trains in the entire world. I wish I had taken a picture of the outside of the train, but it seems that at the time I was too horrified. Let's just say it looked like it was about to fall apart. The inside was not much better (see photo), with hard wooden benches. The only saving grace were the fans that were bolted to the ceiling at regular intervals. This uncomfortable and extremely sweaty journey lasted from 6.10 in the morning until 5.00 in the evening. And with eleven hours travel time you'd think we'd have gotten quite far. But that would be too easy - this dreaded day trip managed to get us only 340km from our place of departure!!

Despite the pain, the trip had some great scenery (as usual) and was not without it's amusing incidents (the type of amusing where you either have to laugh or cry). Most of this was caused by the fact that Vietnamese people do not seem to have any concept of personal space. The people on the opposite bench started the journey by sticking their smelly bare feet on the very limited space on our seat. Although they didn't speak English, I'm pretty sure they then asked me if I was 2 months pregnant (the chunky-moneybelt-under-dress effect) and consequent to this belief started buying strange food from the train vendors and giving it to me. They also laughed at how hairy Josh's legs and face were (rubbing and touching them), told us we both needed haircuts and, I believe, recommended a haircare product in a magazine they were reading.

By the end of the trip we were all hot, tired and grumpy. The weirdness of it all was capped off when one of the women on the train scurried over to us, took our bag of rubbish from under our seat, tore it open, took out some empty bottles and bread that we didn't eat, then hurled the (plastic) bag out of the train window and scurried away again. The tension was thick in the air as all the people around us saw Josh and I look at each other in disbelief, then as we started laughing hysterically, so did everyone else!

Vietnam in the Monsoon

We arrived in Vietnam at dusk on Wednesday, flying in over hazy skies from Singapore and descending into a full thunderstorm which lasted for around 2 hours. Our first introduction to Vietnam was therefore a wet one and although the first two hotels we tried were full, we managed to find refuge in a third in the heart of Hanoi's Old Quarter.

The following day, somewhat rested but still suffering from the effects of jetlag, we set out exploring, trying to ensure that we didn't get hit by the seemingly thousands of motorbikes bearing down upon us. In order to cross the road here, it is necessary to simply edge out into the traffic and let the motorbikes and bicycles go around you as you walk. If such a thing is at all possible, the driving here is actually worse than in Morocco! (Although it is possibly less dangerous, given the small number of cars).

After checking out some temples (including the Temple of Literature, where a university was founded in the 11th Century AD) and Hoan Kiem Lake in the centre of Hanoi, we decided to book our train tickets for the 16 hour ride south to Da Nang. After being told to change queues at the train station at least 5 times, we were finally able to ascertain that because of a tropical storm which had recently ended in Central Vietnam, the trains had been cancelled and later dates were all booked out as people had been rescheduling their trips. (More on this in a later post). So we decided to head for Sapa in the north instead, which is where we are now.

To cap our culturally-rich and amazing day, in the evening, we watched a performance of the world-famous water puppet show in a theatre opposite the lake (see video below).

Singapore in a Whirlwind

We made a stopover in Singapore yesterday, spending less than 24 hours there. However, we did manage to soak it up as much as we could, staying out until 2 am the night we arrived and getting up early this morning.

Singapore is a true confluence of cultures, where West meets East. It also has a multicultural society, although its various ethnic groupings (in particular, Chinese, Indian and Malay) appear to maintain separate communities rather than integrating.

It is also a shopping and eating paradise - Tova's kind of place! (And mine, at least insofar as eating goes). And basically, that is all we did: shop and eat. We started off with some delicious noodles and chicken and rice in Chinatown last night (the night we arrived) and then moved on to masala and curry for lunch today in Little India (which really felt like a completely different city).

Everyone was extremely polite and helpful to us, one man on the street even pointing out some squirrels playing in the treetops in a patch of rather sculpted jungle. And at the Indian restaurant, the waitress told Tova she was sexy, or perhaps "too sexy" (we can't quite work out which) at least twice. I can only assume that this was a compliment!

London in Two Days

After returning from Oxford on Sunday night, we spent our last two days in London packing in everything we possibly could! It was tiring, but well worth it, as we saw some of the city's best attractions. Unsurprisingly, I totally loved Harrods, even though we only had a short time to browse this massive store. Our favourite part was the Food Hall, where we broke the budget on champagne flavoured chocolates, but the Egyptian Hall and Christmas World were also very impressive.

While we initially baulked at the exorbitant entry fee, the Tower of London was absolutely fantastic. We received a hilarious tour of the buildings from a real life yeoman, saw the Crown Jewels (incredible) and generally enjoyed exploring this ancient historical castle. Seeing West End theatre was also very exciting and we both thoroughly enjoyed the totally over-the-top and melodramatic Phantom of the Opera (my first and Josh's fifth(!) time).

We spent our last morning in London around Westminster, touring Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. These were real highlights of our time in London, as these are both incredible buildings where we got to learn so much about English history. We finished our time in the city with traditional bangers and mash and Devonshire tea and we can't wait to return to see the rest of it!

The Monopoly Tour of London!

Having never been in London before, it has really struck me while I have been here how steeped we are, as Australians, in British culture and history.

This is particularly the case when it comes to Monopoly. However, although it has been fun visiting Leicester Square, the Strand and Whitehall, and seeing signs for Kings Cross and Liverpool Stations, you can imagine my disappointment when we found out that they weren't coloured properly!!

In addition, it seems that things have changed and there is no longer any Free Parking available in London.

But on the bright side, it is good to see that the Policeman is still there, ready to tell naughty people to Go To Jail!

The Clapham Omnibus

It really exists!!

We saw this bus on our first night here and you can imagine my excitement! Unfortunately, though, the bus was just pulling away when we saw it so I didn't get the chance to ask all the reasonable men on board what their opinions (identical, of course) were on some hypothetical legal issues.

An Excursion to Oxford

Today we spent the day in Oxford, where we caught up with my friend Gareth and his partner, who were kind enough to show us around their alma mater.

Oxford City is absolutely charming, helped perhaps by the amazing weather we have been lucky to have here. Just like our Sahara photos, almost every photo we took there was postcard-perfect. And the same can be said of the beautiful English countryside we saw on the way to and from Oxford.

As the students are currently on vacation, we were able to spend the day exploring some of the colleges (including Christ Church and Exeter). We also climbed the narrow stairs of St Marys' tower for a great view over the city. However, the highlight of the day was a delicious traditional Sunday roast in a local pub that we enjoyed together with a glass of Pims.

During the day, we were also regaled with stories of Oxford traditions. A couple in particular stood out. First, students are required to wear full academic dress at exams, together with a red, pink or white carnation, depending on how many exams the student has completed. Secondly, a few years ago, some undergraduates stole a sculpture from one of the colleges and vandalised it; when they were found out, they were "rusticated" by the university (sent to the country for a term to think about their bad deeds - i.e. suspended).

I've always wanted to study at Oxford, and I have to say, this trip has helped to cement that idea - it is perhaps now just a question of when!

London, Je t'aime

Although believing that our exit from Morocco would be smooth, we had forgotten that whilst it is an international airport, Airport Mohammad V is still in Morocco! So, after waiting in the check-in line with only three people ahead of us for 30 minutes, only to be given a boarding pass that told us to board at 10.40 for a flight that left at 10.15, then to be faced with a two hour delay (with no information about what was going on), we FINALLY made it to jolly old England (thank god for the International Herald Tribune)...

... And we absolutely LOVE it! We were a little skeptical about the gushing of our guidebook, but this is a truly fantastic city where I would be more than happy to live one day. This perception hasn't been hurt by the fact that we've had absolutely perfect summer weather in the mid to high 20s, without a cloud in the sky. Something tells me that we might not feel the same way in the dead of winter.

After exploring the city the night we arrived, Day One in London was a classic. We spent the morning in St Paul's Cathedral, which was pleasantly different from the other cathedrals we'd already seen in Europe. This gorgeous building is the second biggest cathedral in the world (after St Peter's in Rome) and we viewed a panorama of London from the top of the dome. Afterwards, we visited Borough Market, made popular by Jamie Oliver, where we ate gourmet sausages amongst all the other different food stalls. The afternoon was taken up by the British Museum (which, by the way, has not lost it's charm), particularly the Egypt section, which houses the famous Rosetta Stone amongst other incredible artifacts. In the evening we saw Love's Labour's Lost at Shakespeare's Globe - in the standing section, which was a bit tiring, but nevertheless very enjoyable.

Other things we love about England: the tap water is drinkable, they have more than two dishes on any one menu, the people don't view us as walking ATMs, we are not suffering from heat exhaustion, the toilets have seats, toilet papers and are clean and there aren't 10,000 cats watching you eat. We highly recommend it!

M'assalama Morocco

We said goodbye to Morocco today, and quite frankly it's a miracle we survived! What with the insane driving, severe terrorist threat, stomach problems, extreme heat, snakes, scorpions, monster seagulls and potential Babel-like shootings (just kidding mum!) we felt like we were constantly putting our lives in fate's hands.

On the one hand we are pleased to be out of a country where we constantly had to be on our guard. There was always the possibility of being ripped off, someone (human or animal - see photo!) watching our every move as we ate our dinner and the inevitable problems relating to miscommunication.

On the other hand, this was physically one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen. While the urban landscapes were striking, it is the countryside that is really stunning, particularly during our four-day tour of the High Atlas. It is also a communal society, where strangers really look after each other, particularly children and the elderly. So many times we witnessed people on the train looking after each other's kids as they ran around, or guiding an old man to his seat.

So, while it's a relief to be back in civilisation (Hello London!), Morocco was an incredible country to visit and I look forward to exploring the rest of the Mahgreb in the future.