OK, I get that this isn’t my usual travel blog. Earlier this year, I had a change of travel style and booked a guided tour through Travelmarvel to Vietnam and Cambodia. It had been a while since I had been overseas (a few years before Covid) and I must say, as the departure date approached I was feeling really apprehensive (OK, stressed!) about the whole trip. It must be an age thing - the 60+ travel alone syndrome because, as a younger woman, I didnt feel aywhere near as stressed as I did before this flight.

Well, I put on my Big Girl Pants, boarded the flight to Singapore (where I met up with a friend who flew in from Adelaide). It was a day flight because I didn’t want to arrive late at night. I flew Singapore Airlines and, although I did try to get an upgrade using the “old lady, nervous spiel”, I was sitting in cattle class but, fortunately, had an aisle seat and a small kid in the seat next to me so no encroaching on my space!

It had been so long since I flew overseas, I didn’t realise travel insurance had gone up so much. However, I went with RACQ travel insurance and I must say they were great to deal with and way cheaper than some of the other quotes I got. Everything seemed to be trickier including ensuring the SG Arrival Card was completed online. (gone are the paper arrival declarations)

Fast forward after an uneventful flight (lucky for that) and I met with my friend, “R” in Singapore at the check-in counter at the Crowne Plaza at Singapore airport. (A perfect choice as it was only a quick walk from the arrival gate - had to clear immigration but didn’t leave Changi Airport) A couple of glasses of sparkling and dinner at the hotel, my friend “R” and I convinced each other we were strong, intelligent women and were more than capable of doing the trip in our mid sixties! So now, we both have our big-girl pants on.

Well, the next day we departed Singapore for Hanoi and were met by our guide Johnny. What an amazing young man he was and he really made the trip an adventure. He was funny, passionate about his country, culture and family and taught our group so much about family life in Vietnam. More importantly, he was passionate about tourism and showing the World his country. Johnny stayed with our group until he dropped us back to Hanoi Airport to Saigon. He became very protective of our little group of Aussies & Brits and looked after us like a mother hen.

To say Hanoi was a culture shock is an understatement. It was crazy busy, noisy, traffic was unbelievable and the number of scooters was ridiculous. I thought they had a lot in Bali (LOL - not even close!) Traffic rules were non-existent and you crossed the road at your peril. However, Johnny explained how to do it and after a day or so I was crossing those roads like a boss! In my head, I was saying, “Bring it on. I have travel insurance and I know how to use it!”

We stayed at the Movenpick Hotel in Hanoi which was a little piece of serentiy in a mad mad world and also included an afternoon chocolate buffet! Yes, you read that right. What else could you ask for? The chocolate fountain reminded me of the Vicar of Dibley episode where Dawn French said, “I’m going in”! A visit to Train Street was a fun experience (although we missed the train) but like many places in Vietnam it was a bit dirty and very busy! The city has a variety of architecture including French (obviouly) but sadly, there are many slum areas around as well. The beautiful white building photo below is a view from our hotel room.

Our stay in Hanoi included tours of the major attractions including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. Had I have done earlier research I would have realised the tour included walking past the embalmed body of President Ho Chi Minh at his final resting place (mummified in a glass case). There were thousands of people lining up to visit the Mausoleum including school kids from all over Vietnam. I can recall thinking if the Australian people believed we had any leaders deserving of such reverence - couldn’t think of any! Security at the complex was fairly intimidating and my friend R had a cigarette lighter in her bag entering the complex - setting off alarm bells (well, not literally) Fortunately, it only got confiscated - nothing more serious. Our tour included a visit to the Temple of Literature - established in 1076 to educate the elite and dedicated to Confucius. The traditional architecture was beautiful and the gardens surrounding the complex added calm and serenity. The day included a visit to the One Pillar Pagoda - a unique structure and a symbol of fertility. (No offence to our group but I don’t think any of us had to worry too much about that). The pagoda sits on a lotus pond and is a really popular spot for tourists and locals.

A trip to Vietnam wouldn’t be complete without a Cyclo ride. I felt really sorry for my poor rider as he was an elderly gent and I am no light-weight. All I can say is, they need to get some e-bikes! It was a lot of fun with the odd scary moment thrown in but a great way to see a lot of shops and cafes within the Old Quarter. We got dropped off Hoàn Kiếm Lake, AKA the Lake of the Returned Sword and I am sure my rider/driver gave a sigh of relief!

A walking tour of Hanoi highlights included St Joseph’s Cathederal (Notre Dame lookalike), Hanoi Opera House, statue of Ly Thai To - a 10 metre high statue of the founder of the Ly dynasty. We walked around Hoan Kiem Lake and heard the story of the Emperor Le Loi returning the magical sword to the Golden Turtle God in the lake. There is so much history and symbolism in the City, it is hard to remember it all.

HA LONG BAY

We have probably all seen the photos. Beutiful emerald waters, blue skys and soaring limestone islands. I suspect some of the photos we see may be photo shopped (or maybe I was there at a really crappy time - February). I didn’t see blue skies the whole time I was in Vietnam, therefore the waters were not really emerald - more a murky green. Having said that, the low hanging, misty grey skies enveloped the entire area, giving it a truly mystical and enchanting feel. More concerning for me was the amount of rubbish including plastic bottles and bags floating in the water which really surprised me considering it is a famous UNESCO site. There were heaps of tourist boats in the water doing both day and extended trips. I tried not to think about where grey waste went ….. This really is a magnificent place (rubbish aside) and was a bucket-list item for me.

We took a bus trip from Hanoi to board the boat to Ha Long Bay. We certainly saw some very poor areas on our way but, surprisingly, when we arrived at Ha Long Bay there were many blocks of modern looking units and villas but the majority of them were empty. Lots of question marks??? On arrival, it turned out our boat had been upgraded and we boarded the “auco” by Bhaya for two nights. The boat was really lovely, the staff so friendly and accommodating and the food was fabulous with a variety of local and western styles to suit everybody. We had a number of excursions off the boat including a pearl farm, Sung Sot Cave (this was brilliant but a bit of climbing and walking and definitely not suitable for anybody with walking difficulties). We had a couple of traders come up to our boat selling their wares but our guide advised against purchasing anything. Having said that, “R” couldn’t resist a bargain and got some pearl jewellery which did look good. We also visited a floating fishing village which, although interesting, made me feel a bit uncomfortable observing the way they lived as though they were some type of exhibit …….. Honestly, if people drove past my home just looking in I would feel very exposed!

After a couple of relaxing days on Ha Long Bay eating and drinking and getting to know our little group of Aussies & Brits we bussed it back to Hanoi Airport to fly to Saigon AKA, Ho Chi Minh City. Our tour guide met us at the airport and his nick-name soon became the “energiser bunny” as he ran everywhere and talked so quickly most of us only understood snippets of information. That night we all survived the walk to the traditional restaurant for our welcome dinner. Considering the traffic, that was no mean feat!

The next day we stepped back in time to the Cu Chi Tunnels - built by the Vietnamese resistance fighters. There are around 250km of tunnels throughout the complex and we got to see just a small sample along with some of the torture methods. Certainly an eye-opener. They also have a cafe at the complex and, fortunately, some toilets! Don’t laugh - I need to keep these essentials in mind as I get older. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try out the shooting range while we were there as time didn’t allow it but please be aware, it is REALLY LOUD & NOISY and it’s located close to the cafe ensuring you aren’t going to have a quiet, relaxing coffee. If you wanted to try it, allow time to shoot an AK-47 or M-16.

I was only a young teenager when Australilan troops were pulled out of Vietnam and didn’t have any relations serve so I was probably a little ignorant on the details of the war but a visit to Vietnam as a whole and the Cu Chi tunnels certainly made me think about this period in a whole different light. In fact, the whole tour made me think more about the Vietnam war and communism a lot more than I had in the past. I have more questions than answers ……

Cambodia

A bit of a bus trip from Saigon to My Tho where we boarded our ship for a seven night Mekong River cruise. Be aware, you will have to hand over your passport to the Ship’s captain who deals with border security and you will receive it at the end of the cruise.

WOW! the boat was fantastic and the food, drinks and staff were amazing and incredibly accommodating. It was pretty warm in Cambodia so the pool was a fabulous spot to cool down with a drink and watch the sunset after a long day of touring.

Each day included a shore excursion which included Cai Be - French Gothic Cathedral and tallest church in the Mekong Delta plus a rice paper and coconut candy manufacturer. A rickhaw tour around Tan Chau to see how silk is woven was fabulous and they had plenty of locally made items for sale. As this is a social enterprise, tourists have the opportunity to support local women and children so it’s a Win-Win.

Phnom Penh - the capital of Cambodia was a really vibrant centre - again, incredibly busy with plenty of markets to grab a bargain (if you don’t mind getting pushed and pulled). A visit to the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was very sobering and provided a calm amidst a bustling city with many modern facilities. It blows my mind that this genocide was happening in my life-time yet I barely knew about it. Our guide was amazing and I believe his own family were victims of this genocide. Surprisingly, he is able to take tourists through the facilities and talk about his country and the passion he has for tourism and teaching others about Cambodia and the strength of the people. I took very few photographs as it felt disrespectful to the many thousands who died. I couldn’t resist the coloured tree as it felt like a positive sign amongst a very sad yet fitting memorial.

We visited the Royal Palace and home of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni. For the record, he didn’t come out to say Hi or anything. A little disappointing as we had travelled a long way to visit. The day also included a look inside the Silver Pagoda (named for the 5000 silver tiles on the floor). Keep in mind that visiting many of these palaces and pagodas, you need to adhere to the dress code of covering shouders and knees.

As part of a Travel Marvel tour, there were plenty of excursions available in addition to the included trips including Angkor Ban or the ‘Lucky Village’ - one of the few villages that survived the Khmer Rouge regime. Throughout the last days of the Mekong River Cruise, I started to feel a bit unwell as did many people on the ship. A lot of coughing, spluttering and boxes of tissues and plenty of lozenges didn’t really cut it. Fortunately, in Cambodia you can just go along to a pharmacy and get Antibiotics over the counter which many of us did. A bit of Dr. Google self diagnosis and voila - a weeks supply of antibiotics! As it turned out, I had bronchitis which I got diagnosed when I got home. Sadly, this did deter from my trip but as the saying goes, “I soldiered on”.

After disembarking the ship, we travelled by bus to Siem Reap. Finally, I was starting to see blue skies and the landscape looked more lush and rural and I noted a lot less rubbish. A highlight was a visit to Opportunities of Development through Art (ODA) which supports local underprivileged children. This is part of One Tomorrow the charitable fund of Travel Marvel and APT. We were treated to an amazing performance by the kids as well as a look around their facility. All of us bought paintings done by the resident kids. As a social enterprise, all money raised helps to get kids and teens into meaningful jobs so very worthwhile. Check out their website.

Angkor Archaelogical Park

It’s probably more amazing in real life than the photos you see. Here I am, channelling my innter Lara Croft, at Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom refers to what once was a great Khmer city and includes a whole host of temples and sites of historical interest. This was built in the late 1200s - so hard to believe that it has lasted this long and they had the capability to build something this amazing back then.

Angkor Wat

Angkor is one of the largest archaelogical sites in the World. Angkor Wat was built between 1113 and 1150, by the Khmer king Suryavarman II. It served as his state temple and mausoleum, later becoming dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu and eventually, a Buddhist place of worship. Fortunately, we had a local guide take us through the temple which was fantastic as he was able to explain a lot of the Hindu symbolism and stories depicted on the walls. Without the guide I think it could be a case of walking through “another temple”. Imagine that this temple was built in 30 years! No mention of their Work-Related injury rate though - perhaps I am a little cynical ……

Note: It is very hot and entails a lot of walking so be sure to wear comfortable clothes (covering knees and shoulders), wear a hat and take plenty of water (include some hydralite in it).

Siem Reap is a City of old and new with temples dating back to the 12th century living side by side with modern hotels, service stations, Land Cruisers and Tuk Tuks. We stayed at the Shinta Mani Angkor in Siem Reap and that pool was amazing along with the pool-side food and drink service.

Our tour finished with a farewell dinner (Khmer cuisine) and an Apsara performance at the Hotel. Apsara is a traditional Khmer dance (ballet) telling stories through dance and graceful movement.

After an incredibly cultural and eye-opening 16 days, our holiday came to an end where we said good-bye to our little crew of Aussies and Brits as we boarded flights to Singapore and beyond.

I have taken a while to write this blog as I was feeling so sick towards the end of the trip I was having difficulty remembering positively the amazing trips and places I got to see.

Both Vietnam and Cambodia have so much history (both positive and negative) and to see the people thriving and building their countries, particularly in the tourist sector, after facing so much adversity is a credit to them.

I am so glad that I did go through a travel agent, Phil Hoffman Travel and Travel Marvel as they really did take a lot of the stress out of the trip as everything was organised and ran really smoothly. Normally, I would just book through Webjet or similar …..

What I did learn though is the older I get the more I hate waiting around airports and long flights!

After returning to Australia, I spent a week at home resting from bronchitis and enjoying the beach. Then, we traveled to Blinman in South Australia, where the difference between the outback and South-East Asia was striking. There were clear blue skies and no traffic - pure bliss!

As I was still in tourist mode, I was lucky enough to do a cultural tour of the Flinders Ranges with Yura Artu Arts & Tours to Akurra Adnya (Arkaroo Rock) in Wilpena Pound. Rehanna tells the ancient stories through her eyes and brings the history of the region to life.