Ha Long Bay Booze cruise

On our boat tour to Ha Long Bay there were 5 English, 5 Canadians, 3 Irish, 2 Germans, 2 Spanish, and 1 Korean. This post will mostly focus on the English, Irish and of course the Canadians.

My bunk mate was an Irish guy named Phil (pictured below). That would be a 5 liter bottle of water he is desperately guarding. 

Phil now this guy is a legend

Some of us had a beer here and there waiting until the free beer it was a long hard wait until the free beer was starting. You can't have groups like Irish, British and Canadians together with free beer and not be in for a crazy night. All respective countries wanted to ensure they did not let their countries down. There was heaps of drinking games, dancing and a whole lot of laying into others countries about their ability to drink. Most of the night goes under the category of, "what happens on the boat stays on the boat". Yes there are more stories that could be told but I will leave it up to them to tell them or not. I do feel bad to any who cross their path and think they are light weights. 

I get up early and take a peek up on the top of the boat and there are 2 guys they stayed up drinking all night. Of course when I see them they have to rip into me stating Canadians can't drink. Apparently one of the other guys stayed up with them most of the night too. 

The picture below should be more than enough to show you what kind of night it was. One thing to remember, is when you are with people from other countries some of those countries can really hold their own when it comes to drinking men and women....

This was the first overnight trip on a boat I have done but it will not be the last.

My Life

My Choice

My Time

Tuna Tom

WARNING to all who may do farm work in Australia

Please read the article below and pass this around this is important!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/farm-employers-manipulate-backpackers-into-sex/6635252

Trip to Ha Long Bay

At the time of this writing 1 US dollars is equivalent to 21,725 VND I always use the following site or keep up with currencies on my tablet. 

http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/#

There are 3 different options for boats when you go to Ha Long Bay the cheap one (which is not recommended about 40 US, a 65 US, or a deluxe at 80 US. I opted for the middle one at 65 US. 

People either do a 1 or 2 night trip to Ha Long you could do a day trip on the water but that isn't worth it. I did a 2 day 1 night trip to Ha Long Bay. We got picked up at 8:00 am and it was a 3 and a half to 4 hour journey with one pit stop for bathrooms and lunch. 

The views were absolutely stunning and we did a hike through a cave which is pictured below. The room was decent and the food on board with the exception of breakfast really tasty. 

For 65 US you got picked up at your hostel/hotel in a mini van, one night on the boat, 4 meals and free beer for 3 hours from 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM or whenever the kegs went dry. Bring water with you as you only get one small bottle for free. There was access to kayaks, and some people jumped off the boat. You also received entrance into the cave with a tour guide. 

As for what happened on the boat that is for another blog.......

My Life

My Choice

My Time

Tuna Tom

One last thing if you expect to be on a boat or see the boat above you are in for a disappointment. Maybe there are boats like the one directly below but we didn't see any of them. 

6 months ago January 30th, 2015 the day everything changed

It was 6 months ago today my life was about to change forever, it was my last day with my former employer. I did my finally rounds of goodbyes to the people I worked with, many of whom I will never see or hear from again. I remember the excitement of knowing the journey was about to begin. I sent out one last final email saying my farewells and sending out my blog. I remember seeing emails coming back from people with last words of encouragement, jealousy, and their farewells. I held back any emotions I had so nobody can see anything except for the excitement. What exactly was I holding back? Fear.

I went from being well paid to homeless and unemployed. It was a big risk doing what I did, but if I could leave my job again would I? I would make the same decision a thousand times over. Before I left I was unhappy with the way my life was going. I do not know where my life is going today but I am ok with that.

I had asked someone I worked with to walk me out of the building and the elevator ride down and the way out it really started hitting me. When I left I started asking myself "what am I doing"? "how will I live"?, "what did I do"? "was this a mistake:? I was full of emotions then suddenly it hit me, I don't have time for this I need to get the rest of the stuff out of my apartment and finish getting ready for my journey.

Sometimes when I read my own blog I am amazed how much I have seen and done. So many stories I have likely forgotten. I have met so many people from throughout this world. Next week I head to New Zealand for a new journey and to begin to prepare for the next set of trips. What have I learnt so far on my journey;

Patience - This was not an easy virtue to gain but a very important one.

The ability to ask for help - At some point we all need help.

Compassion & helping people - These go hand and hand together. One important thing to remember is you can't help everyone.

Letting things go & smiling after a bad situation - I have many times where I was in an uncomfortable situation I kept my cool dealt with it and was able to smile after. Many people will get upset about a situation, or someone will rub them the wrong way, they will get angry and continue to talk about it and let it bother them. How many times have you repeated the same story about someone who was rude to you, or did something wrong and you went back to that event over and over again. When you do something wrong learn from it and let the anger from it go.

Dealing with muppets - Man I hate muppets.

Knowing when to help and when not to. Sometimes you need to let people make decisions and live with the results. There is an old saying "You can lead a jackass to water but you can't make him drink".

Controlling anger - Everyone gets angry but it is a matter of being able to use your anger in the right way.

Dealing with scammers - Some scams are easier to smell than others. Go with you gut and if sounds too good to be true you know what to do. Sometimes you are better off paying a little more money to ensure nothing bad happens. Ask your hotel/hostel for directions on places and be willing to walk.

Trust - After being robbed and scammed I had a hard time trusting people again. Sometimes you have no choice and other times you just need to be firm with what it is you want.

Dealing with other cultures - Some cultures do not understand sarcasm or anger. Some cultures will not look at your eyes and others do not know what personal space is. Try to look at things from someone else's point of view and sometimes you need to think about where you are.

How to adjust to new cultures - This goes along with the one above. A word like crazy has very little meaning to someone in Canada but a country like Laos that is a very big insult. When crossing borders in Canada or the US it is one at a time. In some countries you need to gather all of your travel companions passports put them down at once, then stand at the counter and ensure nobody gets in front of you.

The value of a dollar - This is different for everyone and every place.  If you are in most developed western countries 20 dollars will not go far but 20 dollars in other countries can go far. I have had people pay for a 1 or 2 dollar meal for me and that meant the world.

My Life
My Choice
My Time

Tuna Tom

Bargaining/negotiating

A lot of countries the price is the price unless you are buying major things like cars or houses. Throughout many areas of this world Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, etc if you want to buy things you have to negotiate the price. Speaking from a Canadian's point of view it is not something we are used to nor do we like it. There are a few things to consider when doing this in some of these developing countries;

1) 1 dollar to them could be the equivalent to 20 or 100 or more dollars for you

2) Be willing to walk away

3) They are always going to give you a really high tourist price first

4) Carry a calculator 

5) It helps if you can speak the local language or get a local to buy it for you
6) Carry smaller bills it makes negotiations easier
7) Make sure you understand what currency they are talking about

8) Most importantly have fun with it!

You may want to try going to a few vendors for the item you want. In Central America I usually pay around 4 or 5 dollars for a tank top or tshirt and in SE Asia around 2 or 3 dollars.

I was in San Jose Costa Rica one time and wanted a hammock. I knew someone from the tour who got a hammock and they told me they paid 20 US for one. The negotiations went something like this;
Me: How much?
Vendor: 40 US
Me: 20
Vendor: 30
Me: 20
Vendor: 30
This is when I proceeded to turn my back and walk away. The vendor called out to me and said ok 20.

Today I was lost and needed a ride back. I saw a guy with a motorcycle and he asked me where I was going. I told the guy and he told me a price of 200 VND (200,000 or about 10 US). I told the guy no and he dropped it down to 100, then 60, then 50 and said, it was a good price I then walked away. After a few minutes he drove by and called out to me and told me 40 (about 2 US). I might have been able to get a lower price but I just wanted to get back to the hostel.

Like any other skill some people are better than others at negotiating. When I am buying items such as clothing or art work I like to ask if I can take a picture of their shop or of them as well. I also like to get the people to teach me something whether it be language or something local. The pictures below are from a beach vendor I dealt with in Jamaica and a very nice lady with her daughter in Guatemala. There are going to be times when you pay more than others. No matter what you are getting a lot better deal than you would ever get back home. Sometimes I will ask them for something small lets say I am buying two tshirts I may ask for a bracelet, or something else for free.

Any one have good tips on how to negotiate? Something interesting I heard some countries you have to becareful when you negotiate as to insult the vendor. In some places to cut the price down by 50% is normal and other places that would be considered an insult.

My Life
My Choice
My Time

Tuna Tom

Sapa to Hanoi or vice versa

There are a few different times to catch a bus to Sapa or to Hanoi. I opted to take a sleeper bus to Sapa which takes approximately 6 hours. I was picked up by a mini van along with about 12 other passengers to be brought to the bus station. The sleeper bus left Hanoi at approximately 10:00 PM. The good news is they had wifi and that is where the good news stops. There was no bathroom on the sleeper bus although they made one stop. When you are a little taller than average around 180 cms you can't always fit into the sleeper section. We got to Sapa around 3 or 4 am but the drivers didn't tell us much, and when we got there they basically turned off the bus. Next thing we know we look outside and see ladies from the village outside waving at us. These ladies were looking at us to do a homestay with them and they are very aggressive when you get off the bus. Since for whatever reason we were not allowed off the bus we all just closed the curtains and slept until around 6:30 am. As soon as you get off the bus the locals will swarm you trying to get you to do a homestay I mean it when I say swarm you...

The price for either way is around 220,000-250,000 VND or approximately 10-12 USD. 

Bring water and snacks just in case you get hungry and you know you will get thirsty. The only stop we made there was no food. If you are taller either try to get a spot at the back (although you will have to share your bed with 2-4 others) or sleep on your side. Wear clothes that cover your whole body otherwise you will stick to the leather bed and that is not comfortable. 

If you have any questions please send me a message or write a comment.

Tuna Tom

Hike and/or homestay close to Sapa Vietnam

It cost 15 US for a hike through nearby villages with a guide or you can do a homestay for 20-30 US. There are heaps of places in Sapa to buy "North Face" gear such as backpacks, hiking boots and other outdoor gear. If you buy any "North Face" negotiate like mad as it is not real North Face. You can hire a local guide on your own or through the hotel/hostel. The hike I did was 12 K and a bus picked you up at the end of the day. Make sure you do bring lots of water with you!! Along the route there was one stop where you could buy snacks and drinks and we did stop for lunch (lunch was included in the cost). Our guide was a girl from the village she was 18 years old who had been doing this for the past 2 years. The views are quite stunning which you can see below. 

The hike is not a very difficult one but I also spend a lot of time hiking in the rocky mountains in Alberta & British Columbia Canada. The first part of the hike is downhill over some areas that can be quite difficult and slippery depending on when it last rained. As you hike along there will be a lot of ladies from the village with you and, are more than willing to help you down the slippery slopes if you need. Once you stop for lunch of course those ladies will then be looking to make a sale. Along the route there will be young girls trying to sell you bracelets and they will push you hard and have the sad puppy dog looks. I felt it would not be worth doing a homestay as I don't feel it would be authentic but that is just my opinion. 

My Life

My Choice

My Time

Tuna Tom

Sapa Vietnam

I am in the small mountain town of Sapa Vietnam just relaxing before heading back to Hanoi. Sapa Vietnam has features that remind me of Canmore Alberta with the mountain views, restaurants, hotels and trinket shops. It is quite the stunning place to be surrounded by the mountains. I had a private room for 2 nights which cost me a total of 16 US at the Sapa Queen Hotel. 

Decent size bed for 8 US a night

Typical bathroom where the shower is by the toilet watch where you put your stuff

Nearby are many small villages with people from the mountains. Ladies from the villages come here to make money one of two ways, they either sell trinkets or, have Westerners like me come for a home stay (20-30 US a night). These ladies speak flawless English and are extremely aggressive. The ladies bring with them their children. You hear many things like "where are you from?", "shopping?", "maybe later?", "promise?". I spent one day with a girl from the village to do a hike (writeup to come). There are heaps of options for hostels, and hotels depending on your wants and needs. The little girl pictured below comes from the villages close by. At the age of 4 she will start to sell bracelets and trinkets to people like me (I refuse to buy from young children). By the age of 18 this girl may be married with kids of her own. The majority of English they learn is from the travelers.

The age of 4 they start selling bracelets and other trinkets to foreigners

Do not expect a lot of good cheap options for food. Although I did find some places that would cost 3 or 4 US for a meal majority of the options were starting around the 5 US dollar mark. Is 5 US dollars expensive not in terms of western countries but when you go to Saigon and can get a meal for 1 US dollar you will understand. As for now I am going to go for one last walk around and pack my stuff for tomorrow. As always thanks for reading and check back often.

My Life
My Choice
My Time

Tuna Tom

Town Centre 

Stunning views of nearby villages

Various foods from a BBQ for 3 US

Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi is the first new city I have visited since a nearly month long journey in Vang Vieng Laos. When I walk down the street I can see the scams all around before they come around me. Any of the small scammers I politely smile joke with them and, say things like "Oh I know that one" they simply smile and laugh. Hanoi is quite the beautiful city but, one thing to watch out for is the scooters as they simply go on any side of the road and will just honk their horn. All day everyday someone is honking their horn here it does get tiresome. Spending a long time in Vang Vieng was the right choice for me. I now have the right attitude for traveling again and, have come away with being a more confident person. I think I will really enjoy my last few weeks here in SE Asia.

My Life 

My Choice

My Time

Tuna Tom

Not as good as Tim Hortons but it will do