Fullboy - China - Yunnan Province - Goat's Cheese, Hash Browns and Prostitutes!

Hekou

Next stop China. We'd been looking at maps and scratching our heads for quite some weeks before arriving at this colossal country and now we were finally here. The border crossing was smooth, efficient and very friendly, the immigration officers even gave us maps of the border town Hekou where we spent our first night in China. We didn't plan on staying but we missed the only bus of the day to the rice terraces, so Melissa waited at the bus stop while I found us a hotel for the night. I noticed that every hotel was offering an 'hourly' rate but didn't let this put me off and chose a fairly nice looking hotel close to the bus stop at a heavily discounted price . Our first meal in China was a breakfast of delicious wheat noodle soup with a fiery chilli oil condiment that gave it a real kick. It was cheap and delicious, everything a backpacker could need!
















As light faded, our hotel was giving up a few of the areas 'secrets' and we could see from our window the row of 'hair salons' that magically changed into mini brothels with scores of women standing around enticing men to enter for a 'special' haircut. It was all quite surreal, especially when we started to receive strange phone calls in our room and knocks on our door from scantily clad young women. I apologized to Melissa for checking us into a brothel hotel and we went to sleep.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces

The next day we managed to catch the bus to Yuanyang Rice Terraces, a bumpy, windy 8 hour ride into the hills of the Yunnan Province, deep in the Southwestern Chinese countryside. We found a much nicer little establishment to stay in upon arrival at Yuanyang with views over the hills to die for. The town was populated with Hmong people, a small ethnic minority group that dress in very traditional colourful garments, even the babies have nice clothes!















Our dinner was superb, a great selection of fresh vegetables, meats and salads, expertly cooked and extremely plentiful (probably enough for 6!). The stir fried pigs liver was delicious, and the 'twice' cooked pork had intense salty and spicy flavour. The pick of the veggies was the refreshing crunchy pickled cucumber that accompanied the strongly flavoured meat dishes well.


























We woke very early to catch the sunrise at the rice terraces, a spectacular insight into the sheer vastness of the country that lay before us. This remote, sparsely populated corner of China offered us some magical panoramic vistas of never ending rice fields and it was great to see such natural beauty in a country so often portrayed as the 'factory' of the world.





































Kunming

After one more night we caught the night bus to Kunming, the capital of the Yunnan Province and a bustling, modern city of over 1 million people. The bus was not pleasant and was full of people smoking and hacking up the contents of their lungs. We took a sleeper bus and arrived very early in the morning. Kunming couldn't have been more different from the countryside as the narrow country roads gave way to wide, paved dual carriageways and the small shack like buildings were replaced by large concrete blocks. We had pre-booked accommodation a hostel to save the hassle of finding a hotel in this relatively large city and we were located very centrally near the main square. The 'Hump' hostel was great and gave lots of helpful information about the area and how to get around. We were beginning to find that China could potentially be quite difficult to navigate with no knowledge of Chinese as the level of English spoken amongst the locals seemed very low. The locals that did speak English however were always more than happy to help.

The food in Kunming was fantastic and in the public square downstairs from our hostel, they had a great restaurant selling the speciality noodle dish called 'across the bridge' noodles, named after an interesting Chinese folk tale which you can see here. It was a new and great way of making and eating a noodle soup. The broth was really tasty and the bowls were humongous, increasing in price depending on the amount of side dishes you chose to put in. Our selection of sides consisted of a raw egg, greens, shoots, pork, chicken and a mountain of thick rice noodles, costing around Y18, (about 2 quid) a bargain because it was like breakfast and lunch in one delicious bowl.






















Another tasty local snack was the ganbei yangyusi, or put more simply, the Yunnan hash brown, fried, shredded potato covered in a unique sichuan peppercorn flavoured salt. These were sold at a bus stop on our way to one of Kunming's temple and it was the only place we saw them. They were fried on a griddle and placed in a plastic bag which made it easier for us to hold and grab pieces off. MMmmmm...














Goat's cheese is common in Yunnan Province dishes and one evening in a large food court, we tried it in an unusual deep fried form. It was almost like a thick, crispy, goat's cheese poppadum, with sugar on it!! It was interesting but I much prefer it in its original form. Still... we were pleased with ourselves for even finding goat's cheese after we were presented with about a dozen Chinese menus!! (at least we think it was goat's cheese???)



















We had a fantastic time in Kunming and the 'Hump' hostel was kind enough to let us leave our big backpacks there while we went on an adventure up into the mountains. Next stop... Tiger Leaping Gorge!!

Fullboy - Vietnam - Full of Pho!!

HOI AN

We arrived at Hoi An just as the sun was rising and managed to find a budget hotel (with a pool!!). We sat down and ate breakfast at a little cafe next door and tried two of the Hoi An specialities. I tried Cao Lau, a soup of thick rice noodles with a generous helping of sliced roast pork and fresh herbs. Melissa had the shrimp wonton soup. An authentic Cao Lau can supposedly only use water from a special well in the city!! Both were incredibly good and Hoi An was certainly living up to its reputation of having very high food standards.

































Walking around Hoi An's crumbling old streets was a wonderful experience and reminded me of Melaka in Malaysia, remnants of colonial architecture standing tall and proud, their weather washed pastel walls radiating Mediterranean ambience as the midday sun beat down. We took a break and tried yet another Hoi An delicacy, 'white rose', a plate full of delicately steamed rose shaped shrimp dumplings topped with shavings of crispy (onion)?, and of course an ice cold midday beer to wash it down. :-)
































The evening times were spent doing pretty much the same as we did in the day, strolling up and down the beautiful old streets. We ventured over a bridge crossing a river and found a large number of restaurants that looked unnervingly quiet. We were hungry though so we sat down at one of them and then, there was a power cut!! Staff brought candles to the table and we looked over the menu and ordered a selection of fried wontons, the lovely steamed 'white rose' wontons, and some succulent steamed squid with chilli and lemongrass, cooked in banana leaf. The staff were very attentive and kind, he had to go off on his bike to get the squid!! After a quiet, pleasant evening, it was time to go home and we walked back, via some stray cats that Melissa decided to look after (as happens in every town in every country we go to!!).























































HUE


The next few days in Hoi An were spent strolling around the streets and relaxing by the pool. Our next stop was Hue, a short bus ride away. Hue was more built up than Hoi An and not as pretty but there were some impressive tombs and remnants of old palaces that took a full days worth of exploring. The local noodle soup, Bun Bo Hue was a spicier, more robust stock with chilli oil and slices of roast beef, unfortunately no photo as our battery ran out! Hue is famed for its imperial cuisine which is noted more for its presentation than its taste. Food would be cooked and made to look beautiful for the old emperor and would be served in many courses. Knowing this prior to our meal at the fancy restaurant, we were looking forward to the spectacle of the meal more than the taste. Thin Gia Vien is one of the more famous restaurants serving this type of cuisine and we were treated to many courses of wonderfully presented food. Take a look at some of the 'not so great' photos, unfortunately our third camera was starting to pack up now, probably all the greasy fingers taking food photos!!






























































HANOI

The next bus journey was a long one... 12 hours!! The sleeper bus was dirty and overcrowded and people were finding whatever space they could to sleep. We had people on the floor next to our bed, backpacks in the aisle, a French man moaning constantly behind us because the bus 'wasn't what he expected'. We'd learnt to expect the unexpected and just got our heads down and went to sleep, hoping at least that our bus driver wasn't drunk and would get us to Hanoi safely! We got to Hanoi in one piece but both of us were feeling a bit under the weather. Melissa had the beginnings of an eye infection and my tummy was doing somersaults again. We had to get our visa for China processed here so we ended up staying for a week. We got some much needed rest and relaxation and ate countless bowls of beef and chicken pho to make us feel better, some of the best pho in all of Vietnam!!






























































SAPA


A week later and feeling well rested we headed up to the Chinese border on the train from Hanoi to Lau Cai. It was a peaceful journey in a clean ,comfortable sleeper carriage and we got a decent nights sleep. We got off the train as the sun was rising and found a mini bus to take us to Sapa. We sat on the mini bus and I reached to get some money out of my money belt.... where was it??? OH NO!! "Melissa" I panicked, "I've left my money belt on the train!!" Melissa's response was not what I wanted to hear... "ME TOO!!" she said. Now bearing in mind our money belts had our passports, cash cards and the bulk of our cash in them there was definitely reason to panic. I ran off the mini bus and back towards the station platform, looking like some sort of tall, demented, foreign mad man to the bemused locals looking on. One scruffy man decided to take it upon himself to help me in my mission to get our money belts back. I got to the platform and to my dismay, the train we were on was slowly moving away. I started running after the train, not really knowing what I'd do when I reached it, and then someone stopped me and asked me what was wrong. "MY PASSPORT'S ON THAT TRAIN!!" I panted. "Don't worry" said the station attendant, "the train is coming back". Relief was not the word as the train slowly moved back towards the platform. Me, the station attendant and the scruffy man found our sleeper carriage and waited for the train to stop moving. The scruffy man asked me to wait outside while he went in to get our money belts.... hmmmmmm, I was starting to suspect his motives for helping me. As we opened the door he somehow managed to trap his finger in it and break off his dirty fingernail, yuck! The attendant lifted the pillows where me and Melissa decided to 'safely' put our money belts and they were under them, with everything still intact!! I've always loved the 'lost and found' feeling and this has to be up there with the most ultimate. I returned to the mini bus followed by the scruffy man who was angrily demanding money for his broken fingernail. After giving him a quid for his troubles, I got back on the bus, happily showed Melissa the two money belts and we set off for Sapa. I was a very happy man but we learnt to never leave our important belongings under a pillow again!

Sapa was beautiful and we enjoyed the fresh mountain air for a few days before we headed back down to cross the border into China. We ate lots of fresh vegetables and found a unique stand selling purple potatoes that were actually purple on the inside! Chicken with bamboo shoots was one of our favourite meals but as a whole, the food we had in Sapa was very simple and nothing extraordinary. We had a great time shopping at the local market, buying from the local Hmong tribe people. Daytimes were fresh, temperate and a pleasant change from sweaty Hanoi. At night times we would look out of our window and watch the most spectacular lightning storms over the mountains. We soaked up our last few days of calm and prepared ourselves for.... China!

Fullboy - Vietnam - Saigon - Banh Xeo and Beat Boxin!

We arrived in Saigon, jumped in a taxi and found the lovely Miss Loi’s guesthouse hidden down a quiet alley away from the noise of the main roads. The room had much needed aircon and we were treated to a fresh baguette with cheese and a banana every morning for breakfast in the spotlessly clean reception area. We only had to step out of the door into the pleasant, shady alley and we were greeted by small food stalls cooking up steaming bowls of wonton soup and fruit juice vendors selling refreshing tropical iced drinks. The roads around the district came alive from 5pm onwards when scores of motorcyclists would drive up to the many vendors and pick up their freshly cooked food to take home without even getting off their bikes. On one such evening, we were feeling very tired after a night out partying with a Vietnam veteran music band so I joined the hordes of people picking up their dinner and took home some delicious chicken liver rice and BBQ skewered pork to eat in our room. With takeaway service this good on your doorstep, and so cheap, it would be tempting to do it every night!

































The next evening, we took a short walk down our alley and sampled a local seafood restaurant called Nhat Phuong. There were a dozen or so fish tanks at the front of the restaurant where you could just point to what you wanted. We had scallops, mussels, clams, a variety of vegetables and some wonderful lime, chilli, salt and pepper dipping sauce, all washed down with some ice cold Saigon beer. The pick of the selection were the scallops dressed with peanuts and spring onions, delicious!





















































Before even setting foot in Saigon, I’d read of the Bahn Xeo, a Vietnamese savoury pancake stuffed with pork, shrimp and beansprouts. I’d also read of a legendary establishment to try the delicacy, aptly named Banh Xeo 46A. We set off determined to find the place and, after taking several wrong turnings and walking round in a few circles, we finally found it tucked down an alley off another alley. We sat down outside and ordered a Banh Xeo each. After a short wait the pancakes arrived and were huge yet airy and light. The filling of raw beansprouts, juicy prawns and crispy pork was wonderfully fresh and the pancake tasted delicious with or without the great selection of dipping sauces provided. There were salad leaves you could wrap the pancake in but I preferred to just eat it as it was. The hunt for great food is always worth it!!









































We ended Saigon as we began it, with lots of eating, drinking and fun. We were lucky enough to be around when Kila Kela, a UK beatbox artist was performing at a small club and we had a great night that lasted well into the early hours. The roads were quiet when we left the club and we decided to say ‘yes’ to two motorcyclists who offered to give us a lift back to our guesthouse. We whizzed through the deserted streets , security guards asleep at their stations and the dawn light peeking through the darkness. We'll miss Saigon.

Good Morning Vietnam!

It was a peaceful journey into Vietnam on an old wooden barge. There were only around six passengers on a boat that could probably hold over 100!! We had the freedom of both the lower and upper decks and enjoyed our first taste of Vietnamese beer as we sat on the barge roof taking in the wonderful scenery of the Mekong river and being waved at by the many people, particularly children, who lived in tiny little houses on its banks.

On arrival we were met by a gang of men on motorbikes and we agreed for two of them to take us to a hotel. This was our first experience of Vietnamese roads and traffic, my driver could barely see over my big backpack that was between his legs and bicycles and motorbikes were whizzing all around us. There were a distinct lack of traffic lights and approaching crossroads with traffic weaving all around you from four directions was absolutely crazy. I swear my driver must have had bruise marks in his shoulders from where my fingers were digging in for dear life! We thankfully arrived at the hotel in one piece and then Melissa goes and burns the bottom of her leg on the exhaust when she gets off the bike. OUCH!!

We went for a walk around the town and had a delicious pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) whilst sitting at the side of the road on little baby stools, taking in the motorized mayhem. There was something refreshingly different about Vietnam compared to the other countries we'd been to, it seemed a lot busier and it was great to see everyday local life unfolding before our eyes and having that first time visitor feeling. Tourism is still fairly low key in this part of the country and it was pleasant finding our own feet without the hassle of feisty entrepreneurs always after a quick tourist dollar. Back at the hotel and Melissa's burn had gone from bad to worse. I went to get a snack to eat in our room, a fat steamed pork bun with quails eggs, sausage and pork meat inside. The sausage and the pork had different tastes, sweet, salty and very meaty. They were really really good and I went back for quite a few more because the stand was just outside our hotel. We went out again later and found a nice little night market where we sat down and had some lovely dried squid and cold Saigon beer and just watched the world go by.



























The next morning and it was time to hunt down some coffee which wasn't difficult in the coffee obsessed country that is Vietnam. I went downstairs and the kind lady at the reception desk understood my request as fortunately coffee in Vietnamese is pronounced 'Ca-fe'. The coffee arrived some ten minutes later along with a pot of jasmine tea which we later learnt is used to freshen the mouth after you've drunk the strong brew. We thought that Laos coffee would take some beating but Vietnamese coffee has to be the finest I've ever tasted. The coffee tastes so good, it's strong like rocket fuel, sweet enough to rot your teeth and just an amazingly pleasurable experience to drink. If I have to be honest, the Vietnamese and Laos people put way too much condensed milk in the bottom of the cup and I would make a point in the future of asking for slightly less.


















Our next stop was not too far down the road in Can Tho, the largest city in the Mekong Delta. We arrived just after lunch time and we were starving and decided to sit down at the first restaurant we laid our eyes on which was our simple looking hotel restaurant. We ordered fish fried rice and prawn noodle soup and enjoyed every mouthful. The food was wonderfully presented and amazingly fresh, the fish fillet meaty and boneless and the prawns juicy and sweet. The clear stock was delicately flavoured with shrimp and soy and the crunchy vegetables and soft egg noodles were slurped up with delight. Our first tastes of Vietnamese food were going down very well!





























We mooched around the city that day and found a wonderful Chinese temple with hundreds of hanging incense coils burning. Afterwards we drank coffee, wandered around markets and had a few bites along the way. Evening time was upon us and we sat at an incredible streetside BBQ restaurant that was just yards from our hotel. The smells were absolutely divine and we sat at a table outside, just next to the man in action on his bbq. The Vietnamese menu arrived and after spending a few minutes trying to decipher it I decided it would be better to just go up to the BBQ and point to the meats we wanted to eat. The first thing to catch my eye was a circular, rotating metal grill with lots of stuffed leaves on top. They looked very similar to Greek stuffed vine leaves so we decided to give them a try. The plate had about fifteen fat, juicy stuffed leaves and we bit into them to reveal some seriously juicy minced beef. They were delicious and after we had finished them we had to make room for the mouthwatering ribs that were to follow. If I could have fit more meat into my belly I would have and if ever I go back to Can Tho, I sincerely hope this BBQ restaurant is still there because I still dream about it to this day!! I had to go back during daylight hours to take a few photos of the glorious hanging meat.




































Vinh Long was our final stop in the Mekong Delta so we decided to relax and unwind in a beautiful homestay located on an island in the middle of the vast river. The islands are connected by a series of narrow paths flanked by fruit trees, only accessible by boat and bike. We had a little walk, found a little house selling pho noodle soup and sat down. Melissa opted for the tried and tested chicken soup and I went for the chunky ironman offal soup. I don't know what the different offal bits were or from which animal they came from but it was a very strong tasting, robust soup and was polished off with glee!
















We had a wonderful relaxing time at the homestay, walking around the fruit tree gardens and swaying in our hammocks to the sounds of tropical birds. Our lunch banquet was a feast for the eyes and mouth, meticulously crafted, the food looked so good it almost felt a shame to eat it. The highlight was definitely the crisp skinned, flaky fleshed mekong river fish which we wrapped in thin sheets of rice paper, added cucumber, sweet basil and Vietnamese mint and dipped in a sweet soy sauce.


































































































Thoroughly revitalised we returned to the mainland and enjoyed some more tasty treats for lunch at a restaurant close to our hotel with a very convenient point and eat system. The top pick was a tofu dish that was stuffed with minced pork and stewed with various vegetables, a fantastic way of using tofu which I'm going to try at home. I've loved these point and eat restaurants on our travels because even if you can't speak the language, everybody knows the finger language! Our evening meal was great, a lau (Vietnamese hot-pot) where a big, steaming pot of stock is placed in a hole in the middle of your table on top of hot coals. The raw ingredients are brought to you and you cook them as and when you want. We were presented with beef, prawns, chicken, squid, fish balls, mushrooms, leafy vegetables, bunches of fresh herbs and spring onions. The stock already contained various leafs and a juicy fillet of fish. We had some dried noodles to add for our carb fix, now all I needed was some of their special whisky. The funny thing was they wouldn't let Melissa have any because we think it was for the man's 'stamina'!













































Alas, it was time to say goodbye to the bustling yet peaceful Mekong Delta, a place that will stay in our memories for a long time. Our next stop would show us a completely different side to Vietnam, roll on Saigon!!