Matt Fong’s Blog

I hopped on an overnight train from Shanghai to Wuhan in the hopes of catching a boat up the Yangzi River. The most common boat trips for backpackers? starts in Chongqing and heads downriver towards Yichang and even onto Shanghai however I was going the reverse direction. After a 4 hour bus ride from Wuhan to Yichang, catching a 3-day river cruise boat was a snap. The cruises depart daily and there are several varieties to choose from.

The river itself and the Three River Georges have recently been at the front of much controversy. The Chinese government is currently building and expects to finish in 2009 the world?s largest damn which will effectively put much of the land (including the Three River Georges) upriver underwater. Environmentalists are going crazy but for the traveler its important see this world wonder before it becomes submerged.

I joined a traditional Chinese tour group mostly because I had few options. It was weird, not only because of the silly identical hats, flag waving, and mandarin-only tour guide but because its extremely unusual to see Chinese traveling solo (as I was at the time). I?m pretty certain I was the ONLY foreigner on this boat of like 300 people. I disliked the set tourist routine (which had us waking up at 5am in the morning!) but overall really enjoyed attempting to communicate with my shipmates and the gorgeous Three River Georges .

I was only in Zhuhai and Macau for a night to catch a flight back to Bangkok. Nothing was really spectacular about the town but I did have the BEST SEAFOOD of my life in Zhuhai. I think the Hong Kong area in general is really known for its fresh food.

I couldn?t find a craps table in Macau, otherwise I would have gambled a bit. I did however almost miss my flight because it took FOREEVER to hail a taxi in front of the Lisboa Casino.

I meet up with my mom again in Shanghai where we were staying with some close family friends who own an apartment in the vibrant city. It?s always nice visiting someone living abroad 1) because hotels are so impersonal and 2) BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE PLACE IN AND OUT. There were so many good restaurants, shops, and markets that we simply would not have wondered to without our friend?s help.

Anyway, I was happy because I was able to pickup a high speed wi-fi connection in the building but otherwise Shanghai was one of China?s more modern cities. Like many of China?s cities there are sprawls of high rise apartment buildings. However unlike other parts of China, Shanghai was extremely diverse. It wasn?t uncommon to run into Americans, Europeans, and other Asians from around the continent.

I?m traveling from Sapa to Kunming to catch a flight to Shanghai. I hoped on a sleeper bus once I crossed the border from Lao Cai to Hekou headed for Kunming. The road was bumpy and the sleeper was uncomfortable. The border agents at Lao Cai and Hekou were wonderfully nice and the bus station in Hekou was only a 5 minute walk once you exited immigration.

Traveling in China is tough not speaking Chinese but lucky for me I managed to meet a Singaporean who did. Anyway, while in Kunming we took a day trip to the Stone Forest in Shilin (about 2 hrs via bus from Kunming). The grey limestone pillars are unique and have been declared a national park by the Chinese. I however didn?t feel they were all that spectacular. The internet access in Kunming is ridiculously slow and overall the atmosphere is less desirable than that of Nanning. If you?re in the area drop by Shilin, otherwise I?d say it?s okay to skip it.

Most enjoyable part of Vietnam: Trekking around the Sapa Valley with an awesome locally hired tour guide.

Sapa and the surrounding valley offer amazing views of the mountainous terrain. The town of Sapa has quickly become a tourist magnet as locals from the surrounding villages still walk around in their traditional clothing. The eerie feeling and cool temperatures caused by the fog along with endless hills of rice patties and hundreds of hiking trails lined with basic villages makes this a welcome escape from the cities of Hanoi and the beaches of southern Vietnam.

As an outdoor enthusiast, having lived in the American Pacific Northwest for the past 4 years, I can tell you the backpacking around this area is top-notch. My tour guide, Chu, was wonderful (I?d recommend him to anyone visiting the area, email me for his personal email address). He grew up in the area and speaks most of the local dialects and English. He has loads of knowledge and I?d trust him taking me anywhere in the Sapa Valley mountains. At $4/day (although I think he should charge more) he?s well worth it!

Chu also arranged a homestay for me in one of the minority villages. Although I was disappointed by the ?tourist? feeling of the area (there were several other households in the village offering homestays) which detracted from the overall experience, I enjoyed communicating with the family.

After hiring Chu for 3 days strait and hiking over 35km I?m really glad I decided to stop in Sapa. If you are going to Sapa, hire Chu! (I promise you, I?m not getting a commission ).

We took an organized day trip to Halong Bay from Hanoi and as postcard pictures suggest, it was amazing. I would have preferred an overnight trip on a boat but time was an issue. The rock formations and caves were spectacular along with our on-the-bay fresh seafood lunch and boat crew.

Halong Bay is an UNESCO World Heritage Site meaning it holds unique qualities that should be preserved. I?ve visited many other World Heritage Sites and for the most part I support UNESCO?s efforts to preserve the locals. However I?m disappointed at how the Dang Dau Go cave was being preserved. Okay?I can understand the paved walkways that unnaturally protrude through the cave but colored lights and water pumps?that?s too much! The cave looks like an attraction at Disneyland, heck they might as well build a rollercoaster through it and call it the Matahorn.

All-n-all Halong Bay was an enjoyable experience and shouldn?t be missed.
Best part about Hanoi: Talking with locals around the Hoan Kiem Lake & Halong Bay
Worst part about Hanoi: The rude manager at Hotel Daewoo

Never ever stay at the Daewoo Hotel in Hanoi! Besides being the biggest rip-off in town, it?s a 15 minute taxi ride from the center of town and offers no value. The $150+ USD/night you spend for a room in this high rise hotel complex is smaller than can be had for $30 USD in town!

With any luck this rant will find its way to a corporate level executive with the hotel chain. The high prices of your hotel don?t bother me and your hotel undoubtedly has its place as Hanoi?s corporate meeting center. I DO have a problem with rude foreign managers who treat their local staff like dirt. The local staff employed by the hotel was kind and well worth my American style tips; however one receptionist made an honest mistake when checking us in and quoting the price for an extra bed. When the error was found, we had a discussion with this unsympathetic manager who cared more about saving $6 USD (keep in mind this is a $150/night hotel) than customer satisfaction. He then threatened to take the difference out of this poor employee?s salary who undoubtedly works harder at pleasing the hotel?s customers than this high level manager.

As a traveler who enjoys helping the local economy, it ticks me off when an overpaid foreign manager plays solitaire in his corner office while his poorly paid workers get paid pennies on the dollar and are then treated with such little respect.

The War Remnants Museum, aka the Museum of American War Crimes, is possibly the most unique tourist attraction in Saigon. Its alternative name speaks for itself but most historians agree the depiction tends to be slanted against the Americans. I?m sure there are other blogs that can give graphic details of photos inside but I?m just going to say it offers an extremely compelling case against war.

The Cu Chi Tunnels are a network of underground tunnels that are over 200km long. They were originally built to during the French war but were also re-dug and used during the American war. If Osama Bin Ladin is hiding in anything similar in Afghanistan, I think it?s going to be a while until America finds him. These tunnels are tinny, extremely well hidden, and worth the 2 hour drive from HCMC.

I managed to find my mom and aunt at the Saigon Airport so I kissed my diet of pho noodles and backpacker style hostels good-bye. They were staying at the Majestic Hotel and I came along too. The room was top-notch but there is little value in staying at ridiculously overpriced rooms while traveling in Southeast Asia. $100/night buys little more than $20/night and separates you from the local atmosphere. I was eating lunch at the poolside restaurant one-day in a traditional Hilton style hotel, and for five minutes I completely forgot I was in Asia and not in Orlando.

American style service still lacks in most 5 star hotels in Vietnam. In both hotels in Saigon and Hanoi I was disappointed by the level of service. Thailand has built a reputation around service, and Vietnam needs to follow suite. Certainly when you?re paying 50 times the average daily salary for a single room (keep in mind, I personally would never do this but my mom and aunt booked their pricey trip through a travel agent in the states) it?s ridiculous to have to wait in line to check-in or be asked to ?come back later?. But maybe the $100+ USD a night doesn?t go into human resources but rather the expensive booking engines and overseas investors who wish to reap the benefits of hardworking locals. An equally comfortable stay with real local flare can easily be had at family run hotels with your money trickling 100% back to the local people (and not some wealthy transnational investor) with a little effort.