URBAN DOMAIN 2024

Vietnam red: day 11-12

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Yesterday was quite a relaxed day, our group leader Hai took us around to look at some of Hoi An’s historical locations such as a famous temple and an ancient Japanese bridge. Later in the afternoon we were given free time to look around the city and have a long swim in the pool before going to a cooking class at Ms Vy’s cooking school. We learnt about the traditional methods of cooking typical Vietnamese style foods such as chicken skewers and spring rolls. We were surprised by the number of ingredients. We then went downstairs where we ate what we had prepared along with some additional dishes for dinner. It was fun, not to mention delicious.

  
   
 
Today we broke our slumber at the dawn of 7. We hastily pounced out of bed and bounced to the complimentary breakfast in which we broke our fast. We dined on sweet fruits such as watermelon and mango. We commenced our journey towards the fabled ‘Marble Mountain’ to which we participated in the thrilling activity of abseiling. We all took turns scaling down the sheer face of the cliff approximately twenty five meters high and then inside a cave which was admittedly shorter but many agreed as exhilarating of an experience as the higher counterpart. After a nutritious lunch provided by our talented abseiling guides, we headed on our four hour bus trip to Hue in which much banter was had. Midway though our journey we were met by the stunning view of the coast of the eastern sea and a bunker which marked the boarder of north and south region Vietnam in the past. Many photos were taken.

   
    
    

Once we arrived our weary eyes were met with the sight of the hotel which was way above the standard we expected (4 star). After the chance to shower, freshen up and relax with our new roommates we headed down the clustered streets of Hue to a palace like restaurant. Hue was the former imperial capital of Vietnam, and in this tradition, we were given a privileged opportunity to dine like royalty. Tanner and Hannah were selected as the King and Queen for the evening. We all put on traditional robes and hats and took out places at the table. There was ample traditional Vietnamese musical entertainment which consisted of age old cultural Vietnamese instruments such as a two stringed guitar and a marvellous Vietnamese singer. Many dishes were served to us throughout the dining experience and we were all sure that this night we would sleep with full tummies. I love you mum and dad 😀.
Tom and Lewis 

 

   
  

LC Pagodas – Day 11

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Today was our first full day in Laos and the contrast in energy between Laos & Cambodia was very clear to all. Our guide, Lae, told us that Laos P.D.R. stands for “People Don’t Rush” and it is very true of the vibe in the city of Vientiane.
This morning we woke up with our bodies feeling tired, yet we were excited for the upcoming events for the day. We began with a yummy breakfast at our first hotel. We then packed our bags and headed to our glamorous, air-conditioned bus and were driven to our first stop of the day – Wat si saket temple. We arrived with lots of spirit and enthusiasm, which was heightened by the sounds of loud Laotian music being piped over the loudspeakers. Before we entered the temple, all of the ladies were asked to put on traditional Laoation skirts because of a festival that was beginning today at the temple. There was a lady selling tiny little birds that she had trapped and for $4 Ana set some free (‘coz she’s a good lass – but also because it was good luck). We took a group photo with some teenage monks who were helping to set up for the festivities in the temple. It was also very strange to see a large military presence in the temple. They had set up bunks and were sleeping around the temple so that they could be on patrol at the festival.
 

We then headed back to our glam bus and cruised through the streets of Laos and stopped at Vientiane’s Arc de Triumph (a small, Laotian replica of the original) and walked up 200 steps to see the beautiful view of the city of Vientiane. The next stop was at a nice shopping centre – where most things were either fake or the same price as Australia.

 

We then stopped for a “choose your own adventure” lunch, to then set off on a 4-hour bus ride where we had a ‘lil karaoke sesh. We passed scenic mountains and beautiful rivers, and got an idea of what our next few days would bring. Our hotel is set alongside an abandoned US airstrip and Veng Vieng is well known for the giant hot air balloons that take off from the airstrip.

 

We had an hour to settle in before we took tuk-tuk trucks to dinner. We enjoyed a family dinner on a table for 30, where we were able to bond and regroup. Then we headed back to the hotel to play cards and have an early night in order to prepare for our big day of bike riding and kayaking tomorrow.

Blogged by Milani Butler and Jemima Padley

   
    
    

 

     
    

Vietnam Yellow: Day 12 – Hoi An

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 We began today with a tour of Hoi An. While we have already been in Hoi An for two days, today we got our first real look at the rich culture and heritage of Hoi An. We visited a Chinese “culture/community” temple and learnt about how the many different styles of Asian architecture can be woven together to create coherent and beautiful buildings. After that we walked to the old centre of Hoi An, which is marked by a well. We continued our tour of Hoi An and visited a bridge that was designed and built by the Japanese while they occupied the area several hundred years ago. Later we visited the oldest house in Hoi An and while there, learnt about the Zodiac signs and animals for the different years that our group was born in. We then were given free time to buy lunch and to do some last minute shopping. Many of us had to return to the tailor to try on the finished garments that were made. 

   
 
During the afternoon, we returned to the hotel and played pool and had a swim. We then went back into town and caught a boat ride around the rivers that surround Hoi An. Unfortunately, we missed the sun set which is suppose to look amazing but we still took some great photos of the town at dusk. 

   
    
 We then cooked out own dinner at “Morning Glory Street Food and Cooking School”, which we ate, along with other dishes that professionals had cooked for us.

   
    
 After dinner, we roamed the street market of Hoi An, where we discovered a trick that the local vendors use to get the best price for their merchandise. The trick involves the use of different coloured plastic bags to show how much to charge an individual. Plastic bags are given to the person that has purchased some merchandise to put their item in. The colour of the bag is dependant on how hard a person haggles. A white bag means that the person bought at or near the starting price of the object. A pink bag means the person haggled about 20% off the price. A blue bag means that the person haggled down to around half the original price, while a black bag was used if the person got the price down to under 50% of the original price. They do this communally to let other stall owners know how high to set the starting price and how easy it is to make a sale. The way we countered this method is by putting coloured bags into white bags, deceiving the stall owners into thinking that we wouldn’t haggle very aggressively. 

Overall, our last day in Hoi An has been a very enjoyable experience. 

-Tom T & Tom N

  

Temples Day 12 Vangvieng ວັງວຽງ

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Today was energized by a delicious open air breakfast overlooking the stunning mountains and flowing river. We were ecstatic not to be on the bus and to be in such wonderful surroundings. Our adventure began by selecting bikes, preferably with brakes that work, but sometimes we had to compromise. We set off on our bike ride along some rocky roads and steep hills. When we arrived at the caves we first had to cross an unstable bridge and climb many stairs causing pain and stress. We felt accomplished when we reached the top and were ready to explore the caves. We continued our bike ride to a light lunch before getting into the kayaks. The relaxing journey and tranquil surroundings as we drifted down the river was shortly interrupted by splashing wars and capsizing. The day came to an end with a peaceful stroll through the village streets and some free time after a jam-packed day.

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While walking through the streets and observing other tourists we noticed the difference in the way that they travel. We have tried to wear more conservative clothing than we would normally in Australia in order to show respect for the local culture. Other travelers though, seem to take less consideration of this. This could have a negative impact on tourist sites because of disrespectful behavior. Tourism, on the other hand, has a positive impact on the economy of the countries we have traveled to and without it these areas would be poorer and more underdeveloped.

Lucinda Pezzimenti and Madi Rechner

LC Pagodas – Day 10

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Today started with a bang in Kep. Ms McGuire and Miss Werba took a group of early risers for a pool side boot camp session before breakfast.  They all cooled down after the workout with a refreshing swim in the hotel pool. Some students took the opportunity to have a sleep in, instead of getting a workout and had a relaxing morning. 

Breakfast was short and sweet and we all gathered pool side for another swim in the pool to cool off before we packed our bags, ready for our 3 hour journey back to Phnom Penh to catch a flight to Vientiane in Laos. 

We arrived on scheduled and all went very smoothly. We collected our luggage and headed to Lane Xanh Hotel. Check in was a breeze so our new tour guide Lae took us for a quick walk around the neighbourhood. We arrived at a French patisserie and took the opportunity to taste a variety of French foods and drinks. 

Everyone was tired after the days traveling, so it was back to the hotel and straight to bed for most of us. We are looking forward to our tour tomorrow of the Laotian capital, visiting Wa Prakeo home of the emerald Buddha and 18th century temple of Wat Si Saket. 

The Internet service is rather slow here, so if you don’t hear from us for a day or so? Please be patient, we will up date and upload some more pictures as soon as we can.

Goodnight 

Pagodas 

  
 

China – Day 13 – Yangshuo

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Hello, and welcome back to that daily blog you read to be sure that your kids are actually still in China. Today is Day 13 and we began our trip to Yangshuo with a nice breakfast and a beautiful view of the Guilin Mountains. This was probably one of the best views so far… or so we thought. After departing the Guilin hotel we embarked on an adventure towards the docks. This started with a brief from Joe, the best tour guide ever, and a 45 minute bus trip in which we had a great time to relax.

After having been in the altitude of Longsheng being back at only 1800m of altitude was a real change. When we arrived at the docks we were greeted by a 3-storey boat which was perfect for viewing the landscape. As Joe explained we went past the 4 highlights of the Li River. This 4 hour boat cruise involved lots of switching from deck to deck, going from sitting down and playing cards with our fellow tour mates, to taking photos on the top level of the beautiful mountain ranges. We even happened to see the mountain which appears on the back of the 20 Yuan note along with the most important Chinese figure, Chairman Mao, who during the trip we have learnt played an important role in Chinese history.


  
  


  
  
  
  
  

After the cruise we encountered a wild bird man who charged to take photos of his cormorant. After swiftly dodging this man we encountered a lady who tames hornets for a living. Luckily no one got stung or remotely harmed by these impeccable beasts.

After this we travelled through the streets of Yangshuo, after a short rest at the new found hotel, we then went off to make fans, traditional fans, we had enough of the other kind already. Along the way we passed under an extremely narrow bridge but the bus driver was not worried one bit. The fan display started with a demonstration from a local who has been in the family for 4 generations. After practicing our own paintings, we started to draw the designs onto the fans. Some turned out better than others and some could have been sold for 100 Yuan (shoutout to Chloe and Rebecca).

 



  


  
  
  
  


  

After this we went back to the hotel and then after a rest we went out for dinner which turned out to be more exciting than we bargained for. It started with a walk through the DOWNTOWN (Macklemore reference) and then we came to a restaurant in which the food was divine. Halfway through we were interrupted by a group of people from various parts of the UK who wanted to know how many calligraphy strokes there were in Chinese writing. For those wondering the answer is 8. After this they decided to have a song and dance and the whole restaurant joined in. This made us all feel very close to home again after seeing other English speaking people even if we struggled to understand their thick accents.

After this we went for a walk around the markets and then back to the hotel. Currently we are sitting in the lobby as the others are playing card games such as UNO and Spit (a game which has really caught on).

      

– Nikolas Asimoudis and Zac Gordon