Matt Fong’s Blog

Lonely Planet says the morning train to Pingxiang is most convenient for crossing the border so of course all the backpackers in town can be found on this one train. Finding fellow backpackers in Nanning isn?t as easy as in Hanoi where they are a dime a dozen but when you do find them they seem to be extra friendly. Anyway, the twelve of us backpackers crossed the border and eventually found our way to Hanoi.

I?m traveling the coast of Vietnam as quickly as I can, to meet mom in HCMC by Oct 27th. I?m taking a brief stop in Hue before heading on a 30+ hour bus ride for the remainder of my journey. My stop in Hanoi was also brief. Hanoi is full of westerners but I did get a chance to have several helpings of pho noodles at street corner stalls for around 60 cents. MMMMmmmmm?.

I caught the 2 hour express train from Hong Kong?s Hung Hom KCR Terminal to Guangzhou in China?s Guangdong province. Guangzhou?s east terminal and new subway system are modern transport facilities but once you step foot in the main train terminal, traveler?s receive a real look at Chinese lifestyle. Monuments of inefficiency (an old Chili?s slogan?) with passengers sitting on the floor, itself dirty and laced with spit from sunflower seeds. Assuming you speak Cantonese buying a train ticket can take hours as patient Chinese queue in long lines?if you only speak English your shit out of luck.

China doesn?t have the backpacker infrastructure that many more traveled destinations poses. Almost all the signs are written in Chinese characters and very few people speak English. In sharp contrast, Vietnam has a highly developed tourism industry which makes travel simpler than many parts of Western Europe. I wanted to catch an overnight train to Nanning (on the border route to Vietnam) and luck must have really been on my side because I managed to find a rail employee who spoke English, cut the queue, and purchase my ticket. I purchased a hard sleeper which I?m going to compare to 2nd class sleeper train travel in Europe with 6 berths in a section stacked 3 high. The toilets were squat but other than that the train ride was in everyway similar to its European counterparts.

In Nanning $10/night bought me a private room with a/c, hot water, TV, and in-room Internet access (and it was fast)! I could have done without the prostitutes calling every half hour but other than that, the room was ten times better than Chungking Mansions. Nanning is actually a large city in China with several high-rise buildings. Many parts are modern with a newly built riverside park but the old rundown wood boat houses that float along the river create a sharp contrast between yesterday and today. I enjoyed Nanning a lot but I left the next day on the morning train to cross the Vietnamese boarder.

I?m in Hong Kong for two main reasons 1) to pick up my Chinese Visa and 2) because it was the only mainland Asia award ticket I could find availability on. I didn?t have high expectations of Hong Kong from the start because my traveling record has proven that generally I dislike cities (in my view, once you?ve seen one city you?ve seen them all). The Hong Kong skyline boosts a majority of the worlds 20 tallest buildings and in fact the density and length of the central business district?s skyscrapers caught me in aw. This is the modern side of Hong Kong most visitors see?

Unless you?re on a shoestring budget?I spent two nights in the Kowloon district at both the Mirador Mansion and the famed Chungking Mansions. Lonely Planet calls these the budget accommodation slums and indeed that?s what they are. They are worn down old high-rises with what seemed like hundreds of different guesthouses or hotels. These were the WOREST accommodations I have ever had. The rooms were tiny, dorm mates (and even the staff!) were noisy and stinky, bathrooms and showers were grouse, 5 minute lines for the single elevator, and the whole place seemed like it could burn down in an instant. Avoid these places at all cost!

China is playing this tit for tat game with the U.S. state department charging a ridiculously high $590 HKD for a double entry tourist visa issued in 4 days (an additional $150 HKD for 24-hour service). $100 USD for a visa is an absolute rip off and had I known, I might have avoided China. Then again maybe I shouldn?t complain. For basically any foreigner to obtain a U.S. visa they are required to pay upwards of $100 USD for the application, be interviewed (often taking 2+ hours), and then be humiliated by being fingerprinted like a criminal. Actually a newspaper editorial I recently read by a foreigner who went through the process called the process ?efficient? but just think if you?d have to go through this process to enter China!

Overrated tourist destinations in Hong Kong: Peak Tram
Most enjoyable experience in Hong Kong: a nighttime stroll along the pier at the New World Center and Victoria Harbor

Incheon happens to be the island (technically it?s Yeongjougdo Island, and Incheon is the area) where South Korea?s new airport resides but is actually turns out to be a pleasant suburb of Seoul. Our weekend journey started with an hour long subway ride to Incheon station and a short taxi ride to Wolmido boardwalk. I don?t think it?s actually called a boardwalk, but it reminds me of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It has a well developed beach front and pier with restaurants and small amusement park. We were there to catch the 20 minute / 2000 won ferry to Yeongjougdo Island and Eulwangni Beach.

Eulwangni Beach is a small weekend getaway town for Koreans. Justin and Kate were the only Caucasian looking people around. Our hotel room was basic and the seafood dinner was really good but expensive. The beach lights up at dusk when everyone comes out with fireworks. It?s like the fourth of July except I think it happens every weekend. Anyway, Justin and I light off our fare share of fireworks.

The next day we headed to Jamjindo pier, just a few kilometers from Eulwangni, to catch another short ferry to Muuido. With fishing villages and beaches the island is worth a visit. At low tide you can walk out to a neighboring island called Silmido (apparently the place where a couple of motion pictures were filmed). Access to Silmido is via the Keunmuri Resort so bring 2000 won. The walk from the ferry drop off is under 30 minutes.

On the journey back to the apartment we stopped at the Haesupia Spa, a 5 minute shuttle ride from the airport. It?s a Korean style spa but well worth it if you have a long stopover in Icheon Intl Airport. The facilities are split and most westerners will probably feel slightly awkward with free displays of nudity. There are several salt water hot tubs (and cold tubs), saunas, and showers. Each sauna is different and each of the baths offers something unique (for example one was an herbal bath to cure the soul).

Pukansan is a National Park within Seoul. The hiking is more of an urban type with fellow hikers abundant. However the difficulty of the trail was quite difficult often requiring pulling yourself up cable ropes and the use of my butt. Amazingly enough there were several elderly couples making the same climb. Justin and I made it to the summit in 2.5 hours and the view of Seoul was gorgeous. Cityscapes are rare in Northwest hiking and actually being surrounded by a city at the summit is interestingly uniquely.

Badminton is like the national sport of South Korea and not surprisingly there?s a court about everywhere you look and Pukansan is no exception. While I didn?t get the chance to play badminton in the national park, I did have two experiences with the game. Apparently I?d be an embarrassment to the nation if I was a Korean as my badminton skills turned out to be less than par (actually, I think it was more of a problem taking the game seriously).

My stopover in Seoul was more to relax and hang out than a travel destination. Continuously traveling has taken its toll and I needed a break. Justin and Kate are teaching English to elementary and middle school students for the next year, so with the help of their apartment and cable modem internet connection?I simply chilled out. They live in Itaewon, the ?foreign district? within Seoul, which is next to the U.S. military base.

Kim Chee, Beam Bim Bop, Mandu, Soju, Rice Wine?you name the Korean food or beverage and I?ve probably been introduced to it. I like Mandu the most as Kim Chee and many other Korean dishes are too spicy for my buds. Mandu is a dumpling with a meat or vegetable filling that can be prepared in different ways and sizes. I?ve had several cravings for Mandu in hot soup since. Soju and Rice Wine are a totally different category as they are the preferred alcoholic beverages of most Koreans. Soju is like cheap vodka in both taste and price. $1 USD for a 750ml bottle! One of my two experiences with Soju didn?t turn out so happy J.

I needed a visa for Vietnam and Seoul was the place to get it. A normal 1 month tourist visa for Vietnam at the San Francisco consulate costs $65 USD but if you get it at a Vietnam embassy abroad (like Seoul) the price is often dramatically reduced, (rich Americans!) in this case down to $31 USD. Street numbers and names in Seoul are totally messed up. 32 can be after 84 and who knows what that means in Korean characters. The embassy was a little difficult to find but once I found it, my visa was issued in 4 days (actually it was issued in 15 minutes but embassy?s have a bad habit trying to extract rush service fees).

My flight departed Singapore early in the morning and arrived Tokyo?s Narita airport around mid-afternoon. Japanese immigration sent me through a secondary inspection process but eventually issued me a visa. I don?t think they are used to dealing with backpackers simply because the high costs strikes Japan from most shoestring itineraries. Then again, a ride on Tokyo?s underground even at odd hours of the evening produces hordes of businessmen dressed in suits & ties. In fact, I didn?t see any males between the ages of 20-65 that was not dressed in full business attire anytime during my 24 hours in Tokyo. So maybe the secondary questioning about my fiscal ability for a stay in Japan was related more to my t-shirt and sandals than anything else.

Japan surely isn?t cheap. You know you?re in trouble when the ATM only distributes money in the equivalent of $90USD (or 10,000 yen) increments. Imagine an ATM that only distributed $100 dollar bills!!! I decided I needed to be cheap in Tokyo because staying here a night was costing me many more nights of non a/c rooms and squat toilets in Thailand. I headed for a roomy Capsule Hotel?a hotel offering rooms the size of a large coffin for a whopping $30USD/night. It offered a quality sleep with built-in television and radio. Check out my newly uploaded pictures of Japan and you?ll see what I mean.

Northwest weather has been following me around Asia. First the monsoon season of Thailand and now apparently Japan?s worst rain for over a month?the same day I was set to see Tokyo. But I didn?t let the lack of an umbrella, oversized jeans, or cotton t-shirts slow me down, somehow I managed to run between attractions and joyfully saw most of what I wanted to see.

After the $40 train ride into town, $30 capsule room, $10+ meals, and $20 airport tax, I?ve decided that I could have probably skipped Tokyo. The 24-hour period I was in town simply wasn?t worth the hassle or the costs. On a positive note, I did get a chance to speak with Miho, a long lost logger swimmer living in Tokyo. Keep in touch Miho and glad to hear your starting engineering school.

Oh yah, Seoul has really fast internet access and I was able to upload all my pending pictures. Check em out

I seem to have caught a minor cold. It?s not the first time or sickest I?ve been abroad but it is pretty crappy. Last time I was sick abroad I had a fever and was traveling from Malaysia to Thailand during the SARS epidemic. If you think its hard smuggling contraband across the boarder, try concealing a fever.

Anyway, after spending time shopping in Bangkok and chilling out in Pattaya, I caught a flight on Air Asia to Singapore. Air Asia is sort of the Southwest Airlines of Asia?they don?t participate in the traditional flight booking systems but offer substantially discounted fares. My flight from Bangkok to Singapore was under US$50 all inclusive compared to $125+ for Singapore and Thai Airways. They cut corners more than any airline I have EVER flown. Forget the personal TVs, even forget about an in flight movie, forget about a meal or even a FREE drink (20 baht for water!), forget about a pillow or a blanket?shit I?m surprised they didn?t just scrap the lavatory too. There comes a point in any business where saving money isn?t always good for business. For example, instead of providing a ten cent airsick bag, Air Asia opted not too. Nothing happened but I was feeling sick to start with and it could have obviously turned into an unpleasant situation.

In terms of flyer amenities Asia Air sucks but the view of takeoff from BKK was AMAZING. It?s still rainy season in Thailand and just as we took off it started to rain. At about 10k feet the whole cabin had a gorgeous view of lightening storms only a short distance away. We emerged several minutes later out of the cloud cover over the Gulf of Thailand to a picturesque sunset?one of the prettiest I?ve ever experienced.

I just arrived in the city-state of Singapore. The cost of a hotel room is almost 4 times higher than I?ve paid for a beech side room in Cambodia. I?m traveling solo now, so slightly higher room rates are expected. Other than higher costs, Singapore is clean as can be. I haven?t seen a person spit or a piece of gum anywhere. Next I?m off to Tokyo and Seoul for a couple of weeks.