A New Type of Beach Experience! Travel Vietnam

The beach looked inviting; very inviting and so we carefully selected our place in the shade.

White sand stretched out before us and we lay down to relax on the quiet beach. Although Hai Phong is a really pretty city and a nice place to be, it felt so good to be away from the pollution, noise and daily activity in Hai Phong.

The sea looked inviting and clean.

Swimming here was more like taking a tepid bath but nonetheless refreshing.

There were only two other people swimming at the time. The lounge chairs languished unused on the white sandy stretch of beach.

Tall limestone cliffs behind us created a unique snug feel to this beach with the uninspiring name of Number Two Beach.

We could see many islands off the coast of Cat Ba Island, on the perimeter of Halong Bay. It's a really idyllic spot.

Then, as if a switch had been turned on people arrived. First they came in twos, threes and fours but then they came in groups of twenty.

They came with equipment too. They came with games to play and staked out huge areas of the beach right beside our spot. They had baskets of supplies - balloons, ribbons (to mark out the area claimed), rope (for the tug o war) and this is truly shocking - megaphones! I saw at least three bright yellow megaphones!

The newcomers turned this peaceful haven into a fair ground! I was so shocked I didn't even get a photograph of the megaphones or the person in charge of it who shouted into it non-stop for about one hour before we escaped. It was like being at a fairground except noisier.

Suddenly anyone swimming (my friend braved it but I didn't) had to fight for elbow room in the sea. The sole man guarding the beach with a flag and a whistle walked up and down like a crazy man trying to marshal the swimmers into a narrow strip of the beach inside the marker buoys.

It's hard to believe the marked changes on the beaches depending upon the time of day you go there.

Here is Cat Ba Number 1 Beach before the crowds and after the crowds came rollicking in. It was taken at about 5p.m. Vietnam time. You get to Number 1 Beach before Number 2 beach.

Questions People Most Ask

Questions people most ask me:

1. Is it safe to travel to those countries? - meaning Cambodia, Laos, and Cuba etc - I found them safer than I thought. But I try not to take undue risks. Sometimes I’ve been caught out though, like my experience on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia and written about here. But that experience is, by far, in the minority.



2. Do you get lonely? Rarely. But, I hasten to add, I do like my own company. If I do feel like conversation, there’s always somebody close by for a chat. Other travelers love to chat and so too do the locals (language permitting). Sometimes the encounters with the locals are very special as in Cambodia (see the hatmaker article), and see the photo below where people in Ninh Binh (Vietnam) lined up for me to take photos of their children. And then there’s skype!



3. What place do you like the most? Phew! That’s almost impossible for me to answer – I could break it up into categories.

i. The best shopping – Mexico City or the markets in Vientiane;
ii. Memorable ruins – Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples are a stand-out, particularly the isolated temples;
iii. Most memorable sunset – supping champagne on the after deck of friends yacht whilst anchored off a gorgeous deserted island in New Caledonia;
iv. Best meal – a Vietnamese hotpot shared with a Singaporean mother and adult daughter in the mountains of Sapa;
v. Best beer – a cold beerlao consumed while watching the sun go down over the Mekong River;
vi. Best coffee, but overall the divine taste of fair trade coffee supped in Laos is excellent;
vii. Best beach – so many.

So many great memories and, one hopes, more to come.

Photos - all Vietnam : Shopping for lanterns in Hoi An

My tailor in Hoi An (just before the accident)

Parents lined their kids up for me to take photos of them in Ninh Binh

Is Age Just a Number on a Piece of Paper?

Is Age Just a Number of a Piece of Paper?

The other morning as I reclined back in bed with a steaming cup of tea, I let my thoughts wander freely.

I was thinking about age and about how, like many boomers, I really don't feel my age.

Earlier in the year when I was in Asia, I mixed with people a few decades my junior and the communication was seamless so unless I am confronted with age, I don't think about it much. In fact, I'm of the view that it's more about attitude than a number. Only the mirror tells me otherwise....and occasionally the attitude or comments of others.

The day was inclement and still in my philosophical space I wandered down the road to see the hyped movie of the moment "The Duchess". When I finally reached the front of the queue I was amazed to be charged $12.50 for the ticket. It seemed cheap but since this was the first movie I've seen since arriving in Sydney, I had no benchmark and accepted the price. I took my seat and for some reason I looked at the ticket and was shocked.....it was for a senior citizen! Oh my did that slash through my philosophical "I don't feel my age" moment of earlier. As an aside, does Kiera Knightley have only one expressions for pain or humiliation (of which there were many opportunities) - that of someone about to throw up! It was quite off-putting.

This past weekend I had another first for this trip - the walk from Bronte to Bondi Beach. Before going to Bronte I stopped by the old Victorian Cemetery at Waverley. It was there I spotted the magnificent marble monument of Alexander MacKenzie who was tragically killed by a stagecoach in 1884. He was just 54 years of age. He has a marvellous resting place.

Just below the cemetery is Bronte Beach; a cafe lover's haven where I had my choice of ten or so cafes. I didn't notice the name of the one I'd selected until after ordering - The Bogey-Hole Cafe. Is this a reference to golf or something altogether too disgusting to think about when waiting for food?

Back on the track, the very pretty walk hugs the coastline and dips in and out of alluring beaches. Interesting rock features abound. On a previous visit I walked from Coogee to Bondi Beach with my friend Ross. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hot that day and unfortunately we were under time pressure so couldn't stop for long anywhere. This time though I was able to take as long as I liked.

So, after sustenance at Bronte, the Tamarama Beach Cafe beckoned me. Tamarama Beach has been nicknamed Glamourama because of the beautiful people who frequent it but this day they were obviously enjoying a champagne breakfast elsewhere. This pocket sized beach has a couple of volleyball courts marked out and some fit enthusiastic foursomes played competitively.

As I sat there on the edge of the beach, relishing my excellent long black and enjoying the spectacle before me, I contemplated the world yet again. I felt no desire to swap places with the energetic foursomes. Would my feelings about swapping, I mused, be any different a few decades or so earlier....during the time I sauntered around in short short skirts? ....I doubt it. I like this stage of my life.

I'm enjoying.......exploring new places. I've been getting off the bus a few stops before the Uni and wandering around Randwick.

Taste sensation.........gorgeous rock melon.

I'm reading what book?.......A Parrot in the Pepper Tree by Chris Stewart. He's the author of Driving over Lemons which is a best seller about setting up an organic farmlet in Spain. It's great.

I'm surprised........over a news report stating Australian's have about 50-60% of their wealth in superannuation. Oh my...wouldn't kiwis love to be in that position?

Very special.......one of the lovely ladies at work gave me a CD the other day. It's Gunyah by John Williamson. She gave it to me because of the song about Emu's and Kiwi's. The lyrics go something like "the Emu's and the Kiwis stick together like glue - when tempers fray on a summers night if you pick on one you pick on two....the Kiwi's and the Emu". It's lovely and all the more special because Maria gave it to me.

Idyllic Bamboo Island

I am at writing this from Sihanoukville which is a popular beach area a 4/5 hour bus ride from Phnom Pehn and close to the southern Vietnamese border.

Clearly it is too long since I’ve been out on a boat. I was off for a day trip to Bamboo Island (one of the many islands just off the coast here at Sihanoukville) and to board the boat I had to wade into waist deep water.

Already the boat is full when it’s my turn. I climb up the rusty metal ladder (boating friends I cannot even remember what this is called!) which is positioned very close to the bow. Once I am on the top rung a lovely man holds out his hand for me to grab so that he can help to pull me over the top. There’s nothing else to hold onto on the flat deck. The boat pitches awkwardly and rolls, my hand slips, I am thrown, from the top rung, rather ignominiously, into the water, back first! My back-pack and I are fully immersed. It must have been a very funny sight to all those on board already.

I am very concerned and as I hit the water and I’m sure several choice swear words escape my delicate lips. My back-pack holds many of my valuables – passport, money and camera!

My next boarding attempt goes smoothly and I quickly delve into my pack to check the damage. I am surprised to see that my camera is totally dry. Phew….the relief. Thank goodness for Kathmandu’s great gear, and my good sense, for buying the water proof pack. A chap sitting next to me on the narrow wooden planks, our seat for the day, checks out the zips and expresses surprise that they are water proof too.

It is only later that I realize the bottom of the pack is not waterproof and some of the things I packed first got wet, but nothing much that mattered and my camera and passport are dry!

We get underway and stop at an island for some of the passengers to snorkel and then we chug noisily to Bamboo Island. What an idyllic paradise this wee island is. There are a couple of places to stay and it looks divine. The beach is nice and long with squeaky white sand; the water very warm and inviting.

Lynda (a lady I had chanced upon the day before) invited me to join her on this trip and we spend a wonderful day together. Just as well we have each other for company as there are very few other English speaking people aboard. We meander through a bush track to reach the other side of the island and an even nicer beach and go for a lovely pre-lunch swim.

This is truly a wonderful place to go for the day or even better several nights.


Taste sensation…….lunch on Bamboo Island which is included in the $10 ticket price. (Breakfast was too!) I relish my lunch - a long crusty roll, marinated then barbequed barracuda and salad cut up like coleslaw. Superb. We sit on woven mats on the beach under the filtered shade of casurina trees. Life is great.

I’m enjoying………chatting to Lynda – another traveler from Canada. Meeting up with her is like talking to an old friend and aside from the day trip together, we have dined out too. Tomorrow we go our separate ways, she back to Thailand and me to Laos via Phnom Pehn.

I’m reading………..Lonely Planet Laos so I have some idea of where and what I want to do while I’m there. I’ve added Laos to my original plans so I’m playing catch up. I need the title/author of a great yarn I can read….any ideas anyone? Do let me know.

I’m missing…………not much at all………….

Bargain of the moment……Dinner last night. I had a glass of red wine (only my second glass the entire trip!), barbequed vegetables and fish (OK it WAS barracuda again). I ate this sitting on the second story of a restaurant having climbed up the rickety wooden stairs. The sea is at the bottom of the road, I have stimulating company and I watch an orange coloured full moon rise high in the sky. Price $4.75 but really the overall experience is priceless.

Best coffee…..yes….yes…..YES….I’ve found some here! Starfish Café who serve Bon coffee which is from Thailand. It is excellent coffee.

I’m surprised…….that I’ve been on the road now for about seven weeks without a backward glance or a single doubt about what I left behind (aside of course from the givens - family, friends and my pillow – oh and the certain knowledge of where I can get a great coffee).