Down the giant Washing Machine, Vietnam (Vol. II)

Hoi An is my favourite place in Vietnam, it often turns out to be the people's favourite. It's culture and old houses were really quite magical. The town itself is known as the Venice of SE Asia because of its water ways and small islands just off the shore and connected by bridges. The aspect that really makes it stand out are the laterns that are hung across the top of the streets connecting all the houses and keep the place looking beautiful and romantic at night. It is a touristy town with no buildings higher than two/three floors and I've heard that over the past 5-10 years, it has become very self-aware but I don't think it's crossed the line on being twee just yet - it's kept much of its authenticity.

From Hoi An, I travelled to Da Lat. This is a place famous for its canyoning. Now I've been canyoning before in Costa Rica when I was 20 and I loved it (screaming the entire time but still) so I thought I'd be tough as nails when it came to the heights and waterfalls (which weren't even as epic!) but it turns out these past 6 years have turned me into a right wimp. We abseiled down 4 waterfalls with an instructor telling us how to do it each time. If we went a foot wrong at any point, with water cascading into your face you could easily twist your ankle or fall wrong onto a cliff face! Scary stuff. The part I struggled with was the 7m cliff jump. You're unharnessed and it looks sooo high. Funny thing though, I told the people in front of me who panicked a little to just go for it, 'don't think about it!' and of course I panicked more than everyone else! The instructor counted down '3..2.....1, Go!' I screamed and jumped backwards about three times. I knew I couldn't back out when I saw the rest of my canyoning buddies in the water below me cheering me on to jump. I counted myself down instead and stepped off the cliff. My heart plumeted and I heard myself make a strangled cry before hitting the water. Glad I did it though! Did I want to join the boys and do the 11m run and jump cliff jump? No thanks!

I volunteered to go first (a big deal) on the final waterfall called 'The Washing Machine', why is it called this I hear you ask?? After I agreed to go first the instructor said 'it's because when you get to a certain point in the narrow crevice, you get spun around and upside down and sucked into the waterfall and under the water for a few seconds, you won't even know which way is up to break to the surface' - oh my goodness, I'm actually going to die - I thought - 'but it's okay, you need to let go of the rope at a specific point, close your eyes, breathe in and hold your nose, when you get washed up and sucked in you'll be washed down stream and your headwill pop up!'

Well it was all too much information, I panicked and forgot everything I was supposed to do didn't I?! But I survived!! It was really scary but pretty epic in the end.

I discovered my favourite Vietnamese food in Da Lat. They were little prawn filled battered pancakes called Banh Xeo. Vietnam is also famous for their Banh Mi, it sounds exotic but it is actually a baguette bread with anything in it - usually Laughing Cow cheese spread (really random I know), maybe some yam/ham, a bit of chilli sauce, far too much corriander - served as a lettuce substitute perhaps - and maybe a bit of pate of unknown origins on top. The were sold for the equivalent of 20-50p each and they were soooo tasty (minus corriander).

From Da Lat, I travelled to Ho Chi Minh City (fka Saigon). This was one of the least enjoyable night journeys I've had, including the my sharing seat/bed with two strangers scenario. Being quoted a 6am arrival time and knowing that hours must always be added on in Asia - I thought this would be good, I'll arrive in the capital city for breakfast and check-in after.

I arrived at 3.30am. When I stepped off the bus, the only one at this stop, it was very dark still. It all felt very sinister and I couldn't help but think of all the horror stories of thieves and pickpockets I'd heard that roam the streets of HCMC during the day, let alone at night. Scared for my life, I wore my meanest bitch face (this was no time for #restingbitchface) and used the AWESOME app Maps.me to find my hostel where I had a booking for the following night. Incredibly it was on the opposite side of the road from where I was standing. Not so incredibly, the shutters were down and it looked as if it had been abandoned for several years...

I knocked on the shutters for a while without much hope of finding anyone behind them, looking anxiously around the dark street trying to spot any dodgy people looking my way. Surprisingly, after a couple of minutes, a grouchy looking Vietnamese man opened the shutter and looked at me expectantly.

I was at a loss for what to say.. 'Hi, sorry, I've arrived a little early...I've got a bed for tonight... just not right now.. do you have any beds?' I asked hopefully.

'No, we're full'.

I now know how Mary must've felt that time when there was no room at the inn (minus the being pregnant with the son of God part, obvs). The hostel man couldn't even give me a direction for another hostel to ask in. I walked down the street that was still very dark and very sinister looking and made the decision to go into the first hotel/hostel that came up and pay whatever I have to to get a bed, it was one of those times (the really awful ones you're warned will happen to you at some point on your travels but you're just not entirely certain you'll get out of it unscathed unless you act fast).

I half walked/half fast-hobbling (running not an option with the 20kg of backpackage on your front and back) with my mean face and mad determination to a hotel which looked open and actually decent (see below).

They were and they had a bed (hurrah!). I was so pleased and tried not to let my happiness at surviving the rough streets of Saigon be dampened when I saw the room the put me in - I mean calling it a room would be generous - it was a converted broom cupboard at best.

All the other rooms looked normal with nice wooden doors, how had I ended up in a room the size of the single bed itself and a plastic door that resembled a white shower shutter that wouldn't even close! The porter at least had the decency to look embarrassed when he left trying to close (it wouldn't) and then trying to lock (no chance) the door behind him.

After a minute of jiggling the door and lock I said with frustration, 'Wouldn't it be easier just to give me a door than closed/locked??' He laughed awkwardly and walked away after finally having locked me in (would I be able to get out?!) and it now being 4am and passed out on the bed in my broom cupboard room. My alarm set for 8am to get to my day trip of the Mekong Delta the next day. I told you I rushed it to a crazy degree! It was the most expensive 4 hour sleep, no NAP, of my life.

The tour of Mekong was a bit odd and disappointing, the famous floating markets could only be seen at 6-8am and so the day just consisted of going from one little island and seeing their 'speciality' to the next, from coconut sweets to honey. Best part and possibly the only authentic part of the day was travelling down the reed-ridden waterways with everyone (including ourselves) wearing the still common Vietnamese cone hats.

I finished my time in HCMC by visiting the War Museum, a grim but must-see exhibition when you visit this city. It opened my eyes to so much I didn't know about the Vietnam war and the it's aftermath.

Vietnam was a whirlwind and probably a country I'll return to at some point in my life because I feel I haven't really done it justice. I've heard accounts of bloggers saying that the Vietnamese people are the rudest in SE Asia but I honestly think that's not true. I did have some disgruntled bus drivers etc respond rudely to questions but I also met some lovely Vietnamese working in the hostels, where I got my street food from and from my homestay experience. It's like anywhere in the world, you get the bad with the good. I experienced mostly good so I'm happy.

#vietnam #canyoning #dalat #hochiminhcity #hoian #mekongdelta #saigon