exploring the Mekong Delta

After staying in two big cities I was glad travelling towards the countryside. Well, it wasn't that easy to escape the tourist horde, but after one day travelling I managed to be the only Westener in town again... and it was a good feeling! :-)
The Mekong Delta - in my imagination it looked different, I expected untouched nature, mangroove forests, swamps and stuff like that. In reality it is one of the most densely populated regions in Vietnam. And so you could hardly find a place without huts, fields or orchards and lots of boats are cruising the Mekong permanently. But anyhow, that all has its own charm...
And also the people where more relaxed than in Ho Chi Minh, here they are smiling again. :-)

What happend to me exploring the Mekong Delta:
it was not that easy organizing transport off the beaten track - bus connections between towns should be frequent, but after asking five people where and when the bus leaves and receiving five different answers I started asking myself if I'm some kind of stranded in My Tho..... :-)
But in the end I catched a bus somehow going in the direction I wanted... with the result beeing kicked off the bus at a bridge and be told, that the town I wanted to go is "over there".... :-o
But, like they almost waited for me, I walked into Xe Om drivers... who only agreed to take me to the town for an incredible overcharged fare! In fact I managed to bargain them for half the price they wanted in the beginning, but this was still too much.Well, looking closely we are only talking about one Euro or less, but it is all a matter of principle....
But after all I enjoyed cruising the Mekong visiting floating markets, narrow channels, wide river streams almost looking like a lake, small villages, a coconut candy factory and a restaurant where they served the food on roller blades, but on a bumpy, really bumpy terrace without spilling a drop... ;-)

Have fun looking at my pics! :-)
Rainer

Arriving in Ho Chi Minh City...

...coming from Singapore was like a little cultural shock... Here I entered a city that's more like the "real" Asia than Singapore is. Crowded, noisy and dirty on one hand, colourful, tasty, vivid on the other. Overall it seemed to be a little unorganized at the first sight. But in fact it is not like that - here's why:

•  the best organized guys are the xe om drivers (motorcycle taxi) - they are everywhere, at each corner asking you the same questions: "need transport?"  - "No? Ok, want a massage, no problem..." *evil grin* - "No? Ok, want some weed?" After two days I found myself walking through the streets almost talking to myself like a prayer - "no, thanks" - "no, thanks" - "no, thanks" - "no, thanks"..... ;-)
• crossing the streets is much easier than in Indonesia, the motos and cars are like one living body flowing around you as long as you keep on walking slowly - but never even think of running or standing still! This would ruin the whole system! ;-)
• getting in contact with Vietnam's history - every museum is sometimes full of - let's say a little bit weird stuff - the trousers of Blablabla, the wristwatch of blablabla, the shoe of blablabla... everone a true patriot and fighter of the liberation army... I think you've got the point.. ;-)
• again, transport is the matter - there are a lot of companies selling the same tours and bus tickets throughout whole Vietnam, all located almost along the same street what leads to the same brabbling of "No, Thanks".... ;-)
• Exploring the Cho Chi tunnels (also known as Ho Chi Minh tunnels) was an experience of the different sort. Crawling through the - for tourists widened - tunnels was a disturbing feeling. Even more incredible after hearing the stories about the warfare of Northvietnam against the South and the Americans.

Again here are some pictures, the really most important part of this blog.. ;-)

Take care guys!
Rainer

Singapore - or how many malls can a city cope with

I was truly looking forward visiting Singapore! Most of all I wanted to proof the stories told to me about the cleanliness of the city and the restrictive laws regarding public habits...

So here's what I have learned...

- Well, The city is really really tidy, but not perfectly clean to the end - but I didn't dare to throw away the littlest fluff nor to drink or to eat in the metro (500SGD fine!! = 325€) 

- Everything looks so cool, clean, new and plain... but it is almost too perfect. At most sites I've missed something like a soul. Maybe because Singapores history is only about 200 years old...

- Shopping Malls. You can't escape them... ;-) But they are perfect places to escape the heat or - much more important - to find a restroom... :-) I think it would be able to walk through the whole town just by passing through the malls. ;-)

- my absolute favorite sites: 

• the new "Gardens by the Sea". This is a totally new site opend this year. It consists of nicley gardens, futuristic trees and two large glas domes, one contains a rainforest, the other one different climate zones - the dryer ones ;-) - from throughout the world.
• ArtSience museum, because it is looking incredible and because of the fantastic temporary Andy Warhol exhibition shown in there. (Ok, I like Popart... ;-))

To get a glimpse of what I've seen take a look at these pics...

Hang loose!!

Rainer

Two views on Malaysia...

Kuala Lumpur - the pulsing hyper modern capital of Malaysia with skyscrapers all around and deep frozen air conditioned shopping malls all over the city on one hand, and Melaka  - a town where you can feel history by strolling through streets flanked by colonial houses build by the Portugues, the Dutch and the British  - on the other hand. And in between a countryside dominated by oil palms. It looks like no other plants are cultivated throughout the whole country...
But what both cities have in common are their "cities in the city" - little India, arab quarter, Chinatown - they were all worth their names. But unfortunately I could not order "Kung Pao ji ding" in a Chinese restaurant in Melaka... Well, maybe China is already too far away.... ;-)

To get some impressions feel free to take a look at these pictures...

Hope you are all fine!
Cheers!
Rainer