URBAN DOMAIN 2024

Vietnam Yellow – Day 7 – Hanoi

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By Elle and Bella Cav. 

After a very long and emotional day yesterday, we started the day with; a few warm bread rolls, omelettes and coffee. Everyone frantically shoved their dirty clothes into our backpacks and went onto the rooftop of our hotel – to take one last glimpse of the beautiful village, Mai Chau. Everyone, exhausted and in need of a long shower, piled onto the bus and we began out four hour journey back to Hanoi.
Stopping off at a local convenience store so everyone could load up on their Stings, choco-pies and Oreos, tiredness finally hit which caused everyone to fall asleep for the remaining two hours of the trip. 
Finally we reached the hectic city of Hanoi and we were all pumped to find out that our tour guide, Hoang, had been informed that we would be changing hotels for our last night in Hanoi. Which meant we went from our original hotel, to a four star hotel which is conveniently located across the street from Hanoi’s fashion district. 

Before going to the hotel, we stopped at the Hamilton Prison and explored for forty minutes. Walking around the prison was confronting with graphic images and videos, but was informative at the same time. 

We learnt that the French built it, but used it as a prison for Vietnamese people. However, when Vietnam took over again, they used it for prisoners of war. They held American pilots there after shooting down their jets during the north Vietnam bombings. We were informed that when the French were in control of the prison, the Vietnamese were treated poorly, often being tortured and tied up with chains. However, when Vietnamese were in control of the Americans, they were treated much better, being able to cook their own meals and having access to contacting their families back home. 

We quickly ate at a traditional Vietnamese noodle restaurant which had been highly rated and recommend by Barrack Obama, as this was his only local meal during his Asian travel. 

 

After finally taking a well deserved warm shower, Vietnam Yellow set off for a very jam packed night. Evie, Lucy and I spent an hour revisiting the market stalls and bought some very interesting clothing items, while others went off to shop or find themselves a snack from Doughnut King.
For dinner, Hoang and his wife showed us another very delicious Vietnamese restaurant, where we indulged in spring rolls and various types of meat. Dessert, for most of us, was an amazing fresh smoothie. Whilst we walked home to our new hotel, we made our way through the weekend festivities which consisted of traditional street games and an intense match of tug of war. 


Now tucked into bed, getting ready for another very busy day tomorrow. Missing everyone very much and a happy birthday to my dad (Kris L). And mum, mangoes are great here (from Bella). Love Elle and Bella Cav xx

Vietnam Red- Day 8

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Today we woke up to the sun shining through the open windows of our home stay rooms. The air felt cool unlike the weather we had been experiencing in the village. We got ready in the open areas outside and headed off to breakfast. Sitting at the breakfast tables with people laying in hammocks, soft singing and ukulele playing by Mr Tudor, gave today a relaxed start. We had an amazing view of the Mekong river whilst sipping jasmine tea and eating fresh bread and jam. The mixture of the trees, river and decor of the accommodation all came together to create a tropical paradise. 

We said our final goodbyes to the owners of the home stay and got aboard the boat which took us through the floating markets to our first stop, the fish sauce factory. We were all hit with the smell as soon as we stepped off the boat but once getting over the initial shock, we listened intently and were interested in what the fish sauce meant in the Vietnamese culture. Our next stop was the Vietnamese lolly factory which we all enjoyed thoroughly. On our way in, we were given a demonstration on how rice paper is made then we were all surprised at how they created pop rice, a Mekong delta specialty. It is just like popcorn except rice and hot sand is used and instead of oil. This was then mixed by hand with caramel and ginger, and we then all took a piece to try. Everyone went a little overboard in the lolly factory gift shop, so there’s something to look forward to when we get home! 

We got to the bus back to Ho Chi Minh and had to say “tam biêt” to our fun loving Mekong tour guide Han. We finally made it back to Ho Chi Minh city and checked back into the Bong Sen Hotel Saigon. Sunny (nickname for our tour guide Xuyen) took us all on a walk to the big markets where we all split off into groups and navigated and bargained for ourselves. Some of us may have gotten a little excited at the variety of things to see…and buy. 

For our last night in Ho Chi Minh City, we again split off into groups and found our own places to eat dinner, many sticking to the familiar Vietnamese dish ‘pho’, as we prepared ourselves for another busy day in Vietnam.

Hope your final exam went well Katy (thanks for the notes in my bag) and happy anniversary Mum and Dad for the 11th, missing you xx – Jess. Mum and May hope you haven’t missed me too much, and don’t worry I haven’t bought heaps… yet. Love you xx – Tilly

Jess & Tilly

(More orphanage comments in the next blog post!)

Photos: visiting the fish sauce factory; traveling through the floating market; making rice paper in the Vietnamese lolly factory; watching how ‘pop rice’ is made.

TLC Temples – Day 7

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We left Chiang Rai bright and early, after yet another delicious buffet breakfast at the Wiang Inn Hotel. We headed off on the bus on an adventure towards Chiang Khong, via the Golden Triangle. 

We had to climb up a flight of dragon stairs and head up a steep hill to reach the Golden Triangle lookout at the top. At the top of the stairs, there was a very ancient Buddhist temple. Each Buddha statue has a different posture that represents a different part of Buddhist life and teachings. Most statues have gold or expensive stones to represent Buddhas heart. The oldest statue in the temple was turning to rubble with both arms in piles of rocks and the head of the Buddha lying on the ground. This statue had a gaping hole in the statue’s chest where people had stolen the riches from the Buddha. 

After looking at the mystical statues our breaths were taken away once again by the Golden Triangle, the point where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. The view was amazing, with each country visible and only a few kilometres away. 

Next, after an 15 minute bus ride, we arrived at the Opium Museum. Sadly, we weren’t able to take pictures in the museum, but it was still very interesting to learn about something so serious and so unknown. The Opium Museum was founded by the late King’s mother to educate about the drug opium and the effects that it can have. The opium drug comes from a poppy plant and its history dates all the way back to 5000BC in Egypt, so there was a lot to learn about. It was very shocking to understand about the effect on not just Thailand, but China, Britain, India, Egypt, Europe and even as far away as Africa. The drug caused havoc in everywhere it went: the drug started civil wars in China, a war between China and Britain, made India and China poor, made crime skyrocket in Thailand and even many European and English travellers became victims to the drug. It was disturbing to find out how much damage one single drug can do. 

After we left the Opium Museum, we found ourselves yet again at a buffet for lunch. From there, it was a 4 hour bus ride to our next hotel. Halfway there, we stopped at another temple. This temple is extremely old, with only one statue. However, the Buddha statue and the house it lies in are 1400 years old, and the only intact remains are half of the torso and the head which was lying on the ground. Some of the Buddha’s 84,000 ashes are kept in a shrine at this temple. 

After a long day we arrived at the Namkhong Riverside Hotel. The hotel is next to the Mekong river, so we can see Laos close by from our balcony. It looks very inviting, but we’re all going to miss Thailand and our wonderful funny guides Chai and Nam. After having a short walk around town we came back to the hotel to have a delicious spicy dinner. We all can’t wait to go to Laos, and start the next chapter of our wonderful adventure. 

By Lucy and Cooper

  

Vietnam Red- Day 7

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Knowing that this was the final day of our Mekong delta adventure we were reminiscing about the past few days of work as we jumped out of bed and got ready for breakfast. After breakfast, everyone involved themselves immensely in building the house as we wanted to make the most of our last day. With many of the jobs being delegated to be as efficient as possible, we got to work. Many of us had contrasting feelings, the most common being excitement and melancholy. 

We built, weaved and erected parts of the house until it was tools down. The locals found it amazing that we could build even though none of us had any experience. Soon after we “handed over keys”. Many of the connections between our group and the locals were coming to an end but we knew the memories would last forever. Of particular note was our interaction with the local ice cream man who refused to take money for our twenty-six ice creams because he was thankful for our contribution to his community. The group vibe reflected the family’s feelings of satisfaction as the house neared completion.

After leaving the village, we travelled by boat, bus and bike to another part of the Mekong delta where we were greeted with a traditional performance of Vietnamese culture at our home stay. It opened up our eyes about the differences between our Australian and Vietnamese cultures, a topic which also came up in our group discussion afterwards by Ms Scarff. Overall our experience in the village on the Mekong Delta has changed our perspectives on the world by how happiness can be found in the simplest of things.

P.s HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!!!!!!- From Lucas. Had some really nice fish, you would be jealous baba – Ayda.

Lucas O & Ayda

Continuing comments from the orphanage visit on Day 3: 

Zak: At the orphanage, before I didn’t realise they were disabled orphans so I was surprised at first and I haven’t interacted with disabled people face to face. We all got a chance to interact with the children, this was a really humbling.

(Comments from Jessica, Eve, Danielle & Emma will be posted with the blog on Day 9). 

Photos: presenting the (almost) finished house to the local family; the girls saying farewell to their village family; leaving the village on a boat; tiling; putting on the kitchen roof; the local kids help with the weaving; more bricklaying (very straight bricks today); playing with the local kids; cycling to the homestay. 

Vietnam Red- Day 6

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Today we woke up with aching muscles as we embarked on our busy day of building. We picked up where we left off yesterday and got cracking on our long list of jobs to complete our house. We are nearly finished and are excited to present the house to the deserving family. Today followed a similar schedule to yesterday but today the weather was much cooler. We had the opportunity today for some of the girls to weave long leaves to create the kitchen area. Working with some of the ladies from the village and them teaching us this tricky technique was a humbling experience. The people in the Mekong Delta are constantly happy and are always welcoming us with open arms. The mother who we are giving the house to had learnt “I love you” in English so she could say it to us. It really made us realise how much this house means to this family.

After lunch we always have a ‘Siesta’ which had been nicknamed ‘nap time’. The rest really helps us to regain our energy and enthusiasm so we can work 100% in the afternoon. It is really exciting seeing our hard work come to together and seeing the family’s dream come true. 

Thanks to Mum and Dad who have made this experience possible, it’s impossible to describe how lucky we feel to be able to meet and help out these amazing people.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! (from Mia) I miss you lots (and mum and Soph of course!). Miss you mum and dad, from Zak.

Mia and Zak

Continuing comments from the orphanage on Day 3:

Chloe: This trip so far has been so amazingly eye opening and it’s only day 3! When we went to the orphanage I went through a mix of emotions. Sadness and gratefulness being to most prominent. I must say I cried a few times during that time as seeing the kids is just such an overwhelming but amazing experience. Afterwards we went to the Cu Chi tunnels which was so amazing as we could finally see something that we’ve learnt so much about. The tunnels are so much smaller than I thought they were going to be and it takes a lot of physical strength to hunch over for that amount of time. I’m so excited for what’s to come. 

Lucas O: The experience that I encountered today made me realise how lucky we are as the group visited the orphanage. This made me feel happy as I was helping the children that were at a disadvantage.

Lucas G: Today we went to an Orphanage. We had the chance to help make some children’s day. At first I thought it would be very challenging to communicate with the kids, I later found out that it was very exciting to try and communicate with some of the orphans. I made a code with one of the kids and he pointed to where to colour and which pencil to use. When we went to the Cu Chi tunnels I enjoyed learning about how the Vietnamese imagined the war in their eyes and how the Americans were seen as invading the country. Also crawling in the tunnels was an amazing experience learning what the Vietnamese soldiers did to travel around underground.

Photos: second day of working on the house- brick lines are a little straighter today- and the kitchen roof is being weaved and a group photo at the end of a busy day. 

China- Day 6

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We woke to the sound of the traditional Chinese music that precedes the wake up call on our cruise. We got ready and walked to the buffet for a filling breakfast. It was there that our tour guide, Stony, who informed us that we had arrived at Yichang in the Hubei province. We were told that after checking out of the cruise, we would be getting a scenic tour of the expansive Three Gorges Dam. We boarded a tour bus and proceeded towards the tourism centre of the dam. After going through security, we then traveled to the base of a mountain, where we laid eyes onto a model of the Three Gorges project. After this intriguing exhibit, we then adventured to the top of the mountain and we were treated to an exquisite panorama of the entire Three Gorges project. The lush greenery contrasted the massive man made structure of the dam. 
After this invigorating experience, we all got on the bus for a long ride to the Yichang train station, where we boarded a high speed bullet train. During this trip of approximately two hours, we entertained ourselves by making small talk, playing numerous card games and eating lunch in a packed container. 
We then arrived at Wuhan which isone of the largest cities in central China with a population in excess of 8 million. From the train station we took a bus directly to the airport, where we caught a 4:10 pm flight to Guiyang on China Southern Airlines. 
In just over an hour, we arrived at Guiyang, the capital of the Guizhou province, a city with a population of approximately 4.7 million. We met another tour guide for the next few days named Song. We then proceeded directly towards dinner which consisted of many local delicacies including glutinous rice. After dinner, we had our last trip of the day to our hotel for the night to have a peaceful nights rest for a 6:30 am start for the next day.
Josh O and James S