Fireflies: a few more pictures…
Tonight the Fireflies catch the Reunification Express overnight train to Hanoi, and will not be able to post.
So here are a few more photos from yesterday in Hue.
URBAN DOMAIN 2024
Vietnam Red Day 14 – Cu Chi Tunnels
Today we woke up bright and early to a wonderful breakfast in our hotel the Bong Sen, before quickly checking out and hopping onto our multi coloured bus. We made our way through the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh city before bursting out into the open areas made up of rice paddies and fields we encountered throughout our long journey to the Cu Chi Tunnels. We then proceeded to have a guided tour with our new tour guide Mr Lam. We learnt about the interesting and complex tunnel systems and were all excited and slightly nervous after realising that we would be entering them soon enough. Although, our trip to the Cu Chi tunnels was largely about learning about the lives of the soldiers that lived in the tunnels, how they cooked their food, how they defended themselves and how the war affected them. Many of the Vietnamese built traps to defend the tunnels which had become their homes. The traps, normally used to hunt animals were placed around the countryside. Gruesome spikes, holes and explosives hidden gracefully under foliage and dirt. We also visited the rooms where they cooked their food, made their clothing and saw intricate ventilation systems, disguised as a termite mound.
Then finally it was time to enter the tunnels themselves. We descended down the first set of mud steps and entered a room a couple of metres into the ground, only to find out that we had to go deeper into the earth to enter the tunnels themselves. The tunnels themselves are around 1 metre tall and only half a metre wide, so most of us were forced to crawl on our hands and knees. This was done on purpose by the Vietnamese as they were usually smaller than the Americans who would be invading, so they could move quickly through them while the opposition would be forced to move slowly, dragging gear along with them. By the end of the tunnel, most of us were rushing with adrenaline and wanting to go again.
The shooting range gave mixed reactions in the group, some of the group chose to shoot and have a new experience and some people just wanted to enjoy a chilled beverage and relax. After the wonderful Cu Chi experience we hit the road again in our multi coloured bus and started the 3 and a half hour bus trip to the Mekong Delta. The flat and vast land of the Vinh Long is a big contrast to the last village we went to. Finally after an extremely tiring bus ride we finally arrived at the place where we would be taking our private boat to our final home stay. We were only a couple of hundred metres from the home stay when we came across a bridge. Since it is the start of a lunar month the tides were higher so to get under the bridge most of us had to go to the front of the boat but that still was not enough so we had to get off the boat and walk the rest of the way which was an interesting experience…
At last we made it to our home stay and got settled in for the night.
By Ben and Steve
Vietnam Monkeys Day 13
We woke to the pouring rain and gathered our ponchos ready to face the long day ahead. We took a 40 minute boat ride to the famous Thien Mu Pagoda, where we dove into the rich history of this vibrant country. We learnt about the traditional ways of the monks and the Buddhist culture. After looking around we were told a fascinating story of a monk who set himself on fire in protest against the government who were unfairly treating the Buddhist community.
After another short boat trip we visited the moated ruins of the Imperial Citadel. Here we had a look at what was left of the old royal grounds after most of it was destroyed by bombing in the Vietnam War. This heritage site was filled with constant information which we found very interesting such as the kings being able to have more than 100 wives. One particular king refused to use plates more than once so the plates were smashed and used in the architecture of the murals in the grounds.
After a well deserved lunch and a quick nap, we headed off to the Dong Ba market. We split into groups to explore the vast array of shops. After returning to the hotel we freshened up before our royal dinner. At dinner we were greeted with traditional costumes and goofy hats. We were sure to get many photo opportunities. We were dressed as royals with a king and queen (Darcy and Jolanda) and many princesses and princes.
We dined in luxury, accompanied by a live Vietnamese band. The band played brilliantly with instruments we had never heard before, including some tea cups. For some the experience wasn’t as enjoyable for they had burning mouths from eating a red, hot chilli pepper. When we got back to the hotel we were briefed with the exciting days ahead.
By Nat S and Jolanda B
China Day 13: Li River and Yangshuo
Greetings from Yangshuo!
We spent this morning cruising along the wondrous Li River, headed towards Yangshuo, to be our home for the next couple of days. The scenery along the Li River was absolutely spectacular, lined by steep, green hills with sheer cliffs of stone, receding into an ominous grey mist, in all sorts of unusual formations. We even saw the view used on the Chinese 20 Yuan notes for ourselves! The greenish aqua of the water, lined by rocky beaches, was host to a line of tourist boats, at times flanked by fleets of fishermen. The water was shockingly shallow at times, and we were amazed that boats holding so many people were still able to traverse the river (Fortunately ours was a lot less crowded!). Despite a lack of other western tourists for the majority of our trip, our boat was also host to a group of American tourists, recognisable by their distinctive accents. We had our lunch aboard the boat, which, although the food was not the greatest we have had, was made better by the views of those strange hills passing by our windows. There were also some brief birthday celebrations for Rob, which included a singing of Happy Birthday and a delectable chocolate cake.
Once we finally arrived at Yangshuo, a small county nestled amongst the awe-inspiring hills similar to the ones we had seen on the boat journey, we checked into the hotel, before heading out of the main city to engage in a fan-making activity. Fans often pass through multiple different producers, each doing a couple of the 180 steps to creating a finished fan, be it crafting the bamboo, folding the paper, or painting the designs. Sheets of paper must be glued together, and the bamboo frame must be inserted into the fan itself. Usually, people will only gain a few cents (in Australian dollars) for each fan, and the price of the finished fan will usually vary based on who painted it and the quality of the bamboo framework. As well as gaining an insight into the painstaking task of creating the fans, we also attempted to paint our own. Some people used a base branch system and just painted flowers onto it, while the more adventurous among us painted fans from scratch. We all enjoyed this activity a lot, and it was most certainly an interesting cultural experience, as fans are always recognised as an integral part of Chinese culture and history.
To wrap up the day, we did some shopping along West Street in Yangshou. This bustling street was one of the busier places we have visited, and was filled with a variety of wares. Rather unusual instruments, flying drones, and even some honeycomb are just a few examples of what was for sale.
By Simon Rodgers and Liam Baker.
Fireflies: Hue
We started the day with an early morning breakfast with seasonal fruits, omelettes and bacon. We then left by bike for our long journey to the citadel. We enjoyed a tour by our guide Sunni. We saw where only the king and his family could go and how it was severely damaged in the American War. We then rode to the colosseum where once a year an event was held by the king where a lion or tiger fought an elephant. Every year the elephant would win (primarily because the tiger had its teeth filed). It was very interesting to see the tiger scratches inside their cages.
After a nice look and some photos around the colosseum we rode to a side shop where they made incense (and conical hats) and had a cool refreshing drink. We went to a Buddhist pagoda which served vegetarian food that was delicious and made my taste buds tingle. It was enjoyable to learn about one of the many religions of Vietnam – a type of Buddhism where many Gods are believed.
After we had enjoyed our beautiful lunch we had a calm and fun ride back to the hotel. We all wanted to go for a swim so we went to our rooms, had a shower, and enjoyed a cool swim in the roof top pool which was on the 11th floor. The pool was extremely refreshing and had amazing views of the city of Hue.
Once we had completed our swim we came down to the lobby ready to go out to dinner. We separated for dinner and went to a restaurant of our choice. We went to a restaurant called Ushi which had very tasty and lovely western food along with some traditional dishes. Ushi had a pool table where we spent time enjoying a game of pool. After we came back to the hotel we went to our rooms for a shower and packed our bags for the train.
Alex, Ben, Chris
L&C Day 14: Bikes, Elephants and Silk Worms!
Today we started our unusually cold day with a quick breakfast before heading off for a 7km bike ride to begin our first day in Luang Prabang. We got our bikes and headed off through the city before reaching the rocky terrain of Laos. We passed local businesses and saw what the living conditions were like for the people of Luang Prabang. We observed amazing views whilst experiencing busy traffic through the city streets.
We swapped our bikes for mini vans once we reached a handicraft village. We watched the local women making paper by hand, saw the different stages of silk being made from silk worms and watched scarves being made by a loom machine. After a quick shopping trip to buy some beautiful hand made books and other treasures we made our way to lunch.
Our restaurant was situated along the mighty Mekong river where we got to experience a taste of the local cuisine of rice, curry and noodle soup. We then headed back on the very bumpy road towards the elephant camp where we saddled up for an hour trek along the banks of the river.
Whilst we sat on top of these amazing animals we also got the opportunity to ride bare back on the elephants. We observed some incredible scenic views whilst the elephants strolled through the water. We waited for all the groups to finish their hour ride and we got to see what the life of the elephants was like, before making our way back to the Sunway Hotel. We then got some time to relax before we head out for dinner.
Tonight, we are really looking forward to splitting up into our groups of four and choosing our own restaurant for dinner, and then taking a stroll down the 1km night market street.
By Sophie Kas & Keely Gray