Ancient Civilisations

What a glorious morning to wake in Nha Trang!  Not a cloud in the sky and the slight breeze from the sea made the already high temperatures more comfortable.

Though we’ve travelled around Vietnam quite a bit, this was our first time in Nha Trang itself and we looked forward to filling in a gap in our knowledge about the Champa people who featured prominently in the history of this area, which is why we chose the “Ancient Civilisations” tour for this morning.

It was another tendered port, so we watched as the boats were launched.  Be careful with #8!

As we stood waiting for things to happen, life in the wide open bay went on.  Ferries were crossing to the Vin Pearl Island, a five star resort and theme park just over the water.

Smaller, passenger ferries buzzed to and fro and we got our first glimpse of this very well developed Vietnamese beach resort which over the last twenty years has grown at an incredible rate.

Evidence of former traditional lifestyles remain on the edges, where fishermen live in simple homes in the same way as they always have.

But driving out along the seafront, the large part of central Nha Trang is now reminiscent of beach resorts the world over with wide open promenades and a broad, sandy beach.

We’d not gone very far when, stopped at traffic lights, we acquired a little friend.  “Wanna buy Polo shirt?”

We love Vietnam!  The colour, the life on the street and the vibrancy of the people provide a stark contrast to the quiet, controlled atmosphere of Brunei and we are so thrilled to be here.

Some things haven’t changed since we were last in the country!

And though NhaTrang appears to be developing fast, there are still signs of the old, traditional ways.

Outside our first stop, the Long Son Pagoda, this woman had set down her yoke full of cooking things and was taking a small break on her tiny red plastic stool.

The pagoda was interesting and rather attractive, though full of tourists including a large number of Russian visitors.  We noted many signs in Vietnamese, English and Russian and the destination of direct flights to the airport here is an indication of where the main tourist business is to be found.

Inside the Buddhist temple was a colourful affair.  Very photogenic and more vibrant than some we’ve seen recently.

There were three Buddhas here, each one in different style indicating the age of the figure.

Whilst the others climbed to the top of the hill (200 steps) to view the large white marble Buddha, I chose to mooch around and take some photos, spotting these Chinese characters made up in mosaic.

Each one different, I really liked the pattern and the carefree way they’d been assembled.

You know how it is, too, that once you start spotting things, it’s hard to stop taking more photos?

Until you come across another little distraction.

Or rather, another series of interesting things.

Good advice I think!  

The others were staggering down the steps by now and it was time to move on.  As I did, I got a photograph of the marble Buddha – surely better from here than from up beside it!  (Or am I simply justifying my inertia today!?)

Actually, I woke with a cough this morning and am doing my best to rise above it and not allow it to stop me having fun.

Our next stop was right up my alley even if we’ve seen several similar places before.  Nevertheless, a short stop where people are working with their hands is always fascinating to me and we hoped it wasn’t going to be one of those hard sell places.

Actually, the XQ Historical Village turned out to be interesting and proved popular with several of our group who purchased embroideries here.  The work was of a high standard and shown off to best potential, though I have no idea of prices.

We perused the shop before leaving, though, and I thought these small jewellery pieces were an interesting and very saleable development of the techniques.  Not my kind of thing at all, but attractive and wearable, I’d think.

As we waited to climb back onto the bus, I spotted a little something there in the boot.  A small cage with a bird inside which seemed to be the driver’s pet.  Having noticed it here, we continued to watch throughout the morning as at each stop, he opened the compartment, took the cage out and hung in on a nearby tree until it was time to go, when it was carefully returned to its place in the boot and closed up for the journey.  What fun!

At this point, I’ll admit to getting grumpy.  Our guide had told us that we’d be able to view the fishing village from the large bridge which crosses the river and I looked forward to getting some colourful photographs which would inspire me and add to my collection of “pictures to play with”.  But though other groups were walking on the far side of the road and able to get a clear, uncluttered view of the village, our guide told us not to cross the road, but to stay on this side.  We’d get another chance he said – but we couldn’t work out why we were walking over here if the whole point was the view the village!

Maybe I’m getting a little weary of being told what to do, of following instructions!?

Not only that, but we’d hardly seen any ancient civilisations yet, had we?  But looking over onto the hillside we spotted what we thought was a Champa structure and hoped we’d be heading there next.

TaDah!  Sure enough, the Po Nagar Tower, which had been built by the Champa people around a thousand years ago was our next stop.

I loved the ruined parts where additional pieces had been fixed.  Our guide told us that there had been an attempt to clean the tower and restore it, but the restorations fell apart more quickly than the original structure, so now, it is merely tended to and only preventative work is done.

There were two or three small chapel like structures, each with a dark and gloomy interior that invited the curious to step inside.

But in order to do that, those with short sleeves and uncovered knees needed to wear a robe.  I wasn’t feeling much like dressing up today, but my hero volunteered to step inside and take a few photos for me.

Now, of course, I rather wish I’d made the effort!

Had I been working, at this point I’d have questioned the title of the tour today and asked, did it really reflect the content?  Ancient Civilisations?  Because here we were at the market now.  Not that we minded.  Our guide had managed everything efficiently and we hadn’t been left hanging around anywhere for an unreasonable length of time.  Most of the group were delighted with the content of the morning and so it appeared to have hit the spot with the majority – maybe it was just we who would have liked to have seen more/learned more along the way.

It’s also tricky when one is already familiar with a place.  We knew what to expect on a Vietnamese street and though we still get a buzz from standing on the corner watching life go by, it’s not quite the same as experiencing it for the first time.

As we’ve discovered too, people like to shop!  Though we bought a couple of packs of the sesame/peanut snack we’ve enjoyed here, we weren’t looking for copy handbags, pearls, souvenirs or anything else.

And although we could use some fish sauce at home, perhaps we don’t need it in quite such quantity!

Still, I can always amuse myself with my camera.  Mary, do these shoes look familiar to you?

I love the colourful plastics!

And watching a motorcycle rider have his load secured before driving off is entertaining, too.

Watch out everyone, wide load coming through!

There was one thing I could use.  I stepped inside the pharmacy and asked for cough medicine.  Receiving a puzzled look, I coughed…aaaah, “syrup?”   A short while later, I took a wary sip of the linctus – perfectly fine and tasting exactly like any other cough syrup I’ve tried.  But it’s no Benylin, sadly.

The last stop of the morning was at the “Four Seasons”.  That’s “A” Four Seasons rather than “The” Four Seasons of course.

Situated directly on the beach, you knew what I had to do, don’t you?  (And yes, I was extremely careful with my camera!)

The sand was extraordinarily hot but the water cool and refreshing.

I could quite see why NhaTrang is such a popular all year round resort.  Years ago, we stayed at DaNang, a little further north and visited China Beach which was deserted but for a single building site.  I wondered what it’s like now?  What it will be like in another twenty years time?

A refreshing coconut drink hit the spot and it was time to go back to the cool white ship. As we boarded our coach for the last time, our persistent T shirt salesman, who had followed us to every stop this morning on his moped, made a few last sales. Full marks for perseverance!

So much for Ancient Civilisations.  When we chatted to friends over lunch later, we discovered that all the tours had included several common features, regardless of the title.  Whilst the tourist industry in NhaTrang is developing fast, maybe there’s still a little way to go; a little confidence to develop in recognising the things which tourists/travellers are keen to see and to learn about.

It’s great to be in Vietnam again though!

Not really near the Spratley Islands

Years ago, travelling through Hong Kong on our way to places with Edward, there always seemed to be some news about the Spratley Islands in the South China Morning Post and the name just hit the spot with him.  The Spratleys, the Paracels and other small groups of islands in the South China Sea are still a focus for discussion in this part of the world and every time I hear the name, I think back to a small boy and his interest in them.

So, looking out over an empty sea this morning, I wondered if we’d be sailing anywhere near these islands and thought I’d go and take a look at the nautical chart to see.  The Captain must have been reading my mind however, for before I had chance to do that, he explained in one of his daily announcements that we’d not be sailing anywhere near them.   A shame – but never mind. Perhaps it’s wise to steer clear of disputed waters.

We’ve been at sea all day today, on our way to Nha Trang in Vietnam.  On the programme this morning was a lecture we thought might be interesting, so we spent an hour learning a little more about a country we really love.  I’m not sure we learned anything we didn’t know already, but it piqued our imagination and got us in the mood, which was good!

The other activity for the day was a tour of the galley with the Executive Chef.  I’ve done this on previous cruises and I’m not sure these things change, but it’s always a privilege to be invited behind the scenes and this morning was no exception.

First stop was the wine store – not the main wine store, needless to say, which is somewhere down in the depths of the ship, but today’s wine selection, which is the 350 bottles or so which we will work our way through during the day.    The Head Sommelier was on hand with a bottle of champagne too, which was a fine way to begin our tour.

The chef was relaxed and happy to answer any questions we had whilst explaining how each area worked.  Here, we’re in the patisserie/bakery which operates 24/7 and where everything is made from scratch with one exception – the bagels.  Before moving on, he passed round those two plates of petits fours because it must have been at least an hour since we had eaten anything!

Around the corner was the main hot area, where the bulk of the main course dishes are created.  With an hour or so to go before lunch, it was fairly quiet, as the chefs prepared the sample dishes for today.  I hadn’t realised before but every day, before every meal service, a sample of each dish on offer is prepared and presented to the restaurant staff who familiarise themselves with it in order to be able to advise diners when making their choice.

Somehow I managed to avoid including those ten sample plates in my photograph which is annoying!  At this point, the chef tastes everything to check that it meets his exacting standards, too.  Such small but significant points which are key to making sure everything is first class.

Last but not least, the cold prep area, which was completely quiet at this point but which was about to swing into action, so we needed to be moving on.  Actually, a huge pan of paella was being prepared on the deck, so though the offer of brunch was there in the restaurant, we decided to go on up and enjoy the sunshine – and possibly the paella too

The Sangria wasn’t half bad either!

As I got ready for dinner this evening, I looked out from our balcony, wondering if there might be sight of land of some kind.  But not a single Spratley was to be seen.

Just one single ship, sailing along the horizon heading who knows where.  We too were heading towards the Horizon…bar that is, in our case!

Life in Brunei

A day here only scratches the surface of course, but we left feeling a little more knowledgeable than when we arrived.  We’d known about Brunei because it's a  a member of the Commonwealth and a former part of the British Empire.  The Sultan of Brunei is one of those people we’d heard of due to his links with polo, with our Royal Family and naturally , as a result of his immense wealth.  But we knew little more than that.

Driving through the capital Bandar Seri Begawan from our port, Muara this morning gave us chance to learn a little more.  There’s fewer than half a million people living here and those who are native to the country receive benefits which can only be envied by the immigrant workers.  Native Bruneians pay no tax, receive more or less free healthcare (they pay $1 each visit to the doctor, including all medication) free education (including higher education wherever in the world they choose to study) and clearly, the standard of living is high.  Most of the homes we passed had large porticos with multiple cars parked in the shade.

Because Brunei’s wealth comes from oil and gas, and petrol costs just 50c a litre, the price never having changed in the last twenty years.  There’s no competition – only Shell has the licence to sell petrol here – and little public transport.  So, everyone drives their own car.

When I say everyone, perhaps that’s not quite true of the people who live on the water.  Many of the Bruneians choose to live in water villages where their needs have also been well taken care of.

There are schools and other community facilities to enable them to live in the same way as they always have.

And government “shared ownership” schemes entitling everyone over 18 to buy their own home by paying rent over a period of time.  Here, the houses are part of a water village.

But there are similar government scheme estates on the edge of town, too.

Zul told us there are strict rules governing who may take advantage of the scheme – no buy to let and suchlike.  Oh, and of course, only native Bruneians are eligible.

The country’s wealth is apparent throughout the city, where large, lavishly decorated structures stand side by side.  This is part of the complex built for the last coronation of the Sultan.  I’m unsure what it’s used for now, but there appeared to be no shortage of facilities for hosting these huge events.

In a week or so, there will be a royal wedding here.  One of the Princes will marry a young woman from a wealthy Bruneian family with Royal connections.  It’s an arranged marriage, Zul told us.  So, here and there, we saw lavish preparations being made, one of which is the white structure lining the sides of the drive to the Sultan’s palace.

He lives here, in his 1800 roomed palace which is open to all Bruneians for three days once a year.  Zul told us that he’s amenable to receiving letters from his people and reads them personally.  If someone has a concern, then all they need do is write to him…

Because the assembly meets just three times a year and the Sultan is really the one in charge here.  What he says, goes.  Still, there’s a beautiful Assembly building for those meetings.

Most of the population is Muslim and since three years ago, when the Sultan introduced Shariah Law, there have been two Supreme courts here – Civil and Shariah, each of which stands in a prominent position just outside the city centre. 

During the day, we visited two enormous mosques, though didn’t go into either – just looked around the outside.

I approached this one down the East corridor, noting the signs on the sides as I walked.

At first, I wondered if these were significant inscriptions, perhaps some kind of equivalent to the Stations of the Cross, which the devout would use as prompts in preparation for entering the mosque?

Then I saw the sign.  “Eastern Shoe storage area”. 

Duh!  Of course, if the capacity four thousand people were attending a service, then there’d be a need for somewhere to store eight thousand shoes.  Unless there’s a system, how on earth would you ever find your own again?  So, there were four of these corridors, each lined with shoe racks above which was a number.  All I’d noticed was the arabic numeral and nothing more.

Silly me!

I did notice the lovely mosaics, however, but could go no further because I wasn’t dressed appropriately.

So, what more to say of Brunei Darussalam?  Well, it’s an interesting place and I’m really pleased we’ve been here.  Would I return?  Well, probably not in a hurry although we’ve had a really fun packed day.  I think that, for native Bruneians, life is pretty good.  Most work for the Sultan in some way – in government related jobs.  But for the Indian shopkeepers, the Indonesian service workers and other immigrants who don’t share the same entitlements, I think life would prove to be very second class.

Of course, for one person and his family, life is tickety boo to the extreme.  I’m really not sure how I feel about that.

The waterfall

Suitably equipped then, in rubber shoes and with our lifejackets all fastened and secure, we boarded the long-tailed boat and headed up river.

The water was indeed fast flowing and at times, the little outboard motor struggled but we kept going, our experienced boatman knowing the river well enough to avoid the really tricky bits.

I’m pleased to say the rain had stopped by now but that didn’t mean we weren’t getting wet!

But it was warm and we were enjoying the ride.  What harm did a little water do anyone?

Unlike the boats we rode on in Myanmar, though, these were rather less stable.  We needed to sit right down in the bottom and the slightest wiggle from any or us would make the thing wobble.  It brought back memories of rowing in a four at college, though the plank of wood we each got to sit on wasn’t quite as comfortable as the seat in a four.  Still, so far, the bottom was (relatively) dry, and sitting cross legged for a short time was ok with me.

Soon, we spotted activity up ahead.  The National Park is a popular place with visitors mostly coming from Australia and mainland China and we weren’t the only group moving around in small boats today.

We scrambled out, looking for the jetty or the bank to step onto – but there wasn’t one.  OK, so that’s why we needed the rubber shoes?  Quickly rolling up trouser legs or, in some cases, just not caring about getting wet, we waded in.

At least we could take off our lifejackets, which made it a little more comfortable and we’d been given plastic bags for our cameras, too.  So, time to concentrate, to focus on where I was stepping and make my way to a dry(ish) bit and take a photo.  The rocks and boulders in the picture are typical of the terrain along the riverbank.  Walking was tricky, especially in unfamiliar shoes which were now squelching and full of water, but with a little care and a deep breath, it wasn’t so difficult.

At this point, we turned left and began to walk up the riverbed.  I couldn’t take many photographs because I was worried about slipping on one of those large boulders and falling in.  But from time to time, I stopped, carefully took my camera from the plastic bag and took a quick snap.  Most of the time, the water was no more than six or eight inches deep, flowing quite fast and clear enough to be able to see where to place our feet.  But at times it was rather deeper – at least, knee deep – and in these places it was more tricky, because the water was muddy and concealed the odd tree root or similar hazard.

Along the way, the sun came out, bringing a bit of sparkle to the occasion.  We were rather enjoying this and I was trying very hard to look up and to notice things rather than spending the whole time focusing on where I was putting my feet!

Our goal lie just a little way ahead.  There, in the middle of the jungle was a lovely waterfall.  Some just dived right in there to the deep water pool, enjoying a cool, refreshing dip.  Those of us who didn’t quite fancy the idea of spending the return journey sitting in a puddle of wet clothes simply stood and savoured the moment.

Making our way back to the boats was rather easier; after all, we were seasoned river walkers now and were a little more familiar with the hazards.

We scrambled back into the boats and sped back downstream.  Fast flowing rivers make one half of the journey easy, at least.

We were soon back at the centre and on dry land again. 

We put our shoes to dry and washed off our feet before a delicious local lunch.

I thought the map might be helpful in working out where we’d been but I’ll need to do a little work on that one later!

On the way home, we stopped at a longhouse, owned my members of the tribe which used to be headhunters.  They were playing a traditional song of welcome which I’ll try to recreate next time I get out all my pots and pans at home and have a wooden spoon to hand.

Mother and son danced.

The neighbours looked on.

Granny played the drum.

It was incredibly hot in here and once the welcome song was over, Zul explained how these people live.  This is actually four homes – which was obvious once he’d pointed it out, and four families live side by side in this stilted house in the middle of nowhere. 

Though, amusingly, one of the group was taking pictures of us on her tablet!  Perhaps they are not quite as cut off from the world as we might think?

Anyway, it was an interesting diversion and we had all dried out a little more in the heat!

Back then, to the jetty for the speedboat ride back to Bandar Seri Begawan.

Feeling thankful we hadn’t needed the emergency call button.

For most of the way, there was the quiet sound of the afternoon nap until we reached the suburbs of the city.

With a jolt, Zul, who had been sitting fast asleep next to my hero, woke up and sprung to his feet.  We weren’t due back till 5 and so we had an hour or more to have a look around the city.  Did we want to see the Sultan’s Palace and other places?

Of course we did!

The best day

Sometimes, as the day begins, we feel a little ho hum.  A little weary of early mornings, being given directions and told what to do.  When we opened the curtains this morning and saw the rain, it only added to the temptation to stay at home today, to take an easier, shorter, less strenuous tour.  But you know, we are so glad we went with our original plan, because really, we had the best day!

I’d popped out first thing when I’d heard a commotion outside early on.  Sure enough, there was the pilot’s launch.  It was warm and sticky, even then, and my camera immediately fogged up.

But it was raining, and though we kept our fingers crossed that it would fair up once the sun rose, as we gathered our things together and watched as we neared the dock, it was coming down more heavily if anything.  No dancing girls here in Brunei, just a man in a yellow kagoule.

Even the welcome poster didn’t have the right name of the ship on it.

However, after breakfast, we joined a group to visit the Temburong National Park and found that, once we were outside, it was so warm that the rain didn’t really wet us, if you know what I mean.  We began by driving through the affluent neighbourhoods of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei and listened to our guide tell us about life here.  I’ll share that in a future post, because really, it’s rather interesting.

It being Sunday – Easter Sunday, in fact, the streets in the city centre were quiet.  No market today and not much traffic either.

Zul, our young guide told us our boat wasn’t quite ready, so he’d take us and show us the mosque.  By the time we’d looked around there, hopefully all would be ok.

No, that’s not our boat, but a concrete, mosaic covered structure in the middle of the man made lake which surrounded the main mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan.

We were advised that it’s the best place to take a photograph and sure enough, there inside it was a small platform specially constructed for the purpose.

Eventually, I got my turn.

Even more interesting was the clothes rail with black burkas hanging there.  I rather liked the sign too: “Please take off your shoes” and underneath the step with a pair of shoes on it, “Thank you for not putting your shoes on the stairs”.

Ok, so no time to go inside, even if we had all got ourselves togged up appropriately, so off we went passing by the Sultan’s field just opposite.

At the jetty, we boarded a medium sized speedboat equipped with two powerful engines and squeezed ourselves in for a 45 minute ride.

We passed by the water village, where homes are built on stilts.

But soon, we were out into the jungle, making our way towards a different state of Brunei which involved us sailing through a little part of Malaysian water once again

Our driver was a casual sort of chap, sitting back and navigating the river with ease, in spite of some tricky areas of rapids. 

From time to time we’d pass another, similar speedboat and both would slow down to minimise the rocking and rolling.

There were lifejackets stuffed into a rack above our heads, but we hoped they would not be needed, especially when Zul told us about the crocodiles in the river.

Once back into Brunei waters again, he pointed out the emergency beacons on either side of the river.  On the top is a button to be pressed in the case of an emergency.  What worried me was how on earth I’d shin up that green pole to reach the button – although as my hero pointed out, the crocodiles in the river might well provide a bit of an incentive in the case of such an event.

45 minutes later, we arrived at the boat jetty where a bus was waiting to take us on to the National Park station.  Here we were given lifejackets of our own to wear, given strict instructions for the next part of the adventure, which was to take place aboard smaller, five seater long tailed boats on a fast flowing river with rapids here and there, too.

For some reason, too, we were given a pair of rubber shoes to wear as well and advised to leave all our belongings and our own shoes here, before continuing on the next part of our journey.  We had no idea why we needed rubber shoes, but it was too late to find out more.  We simply did as we were told and boarded the small, long tailed boat.

With fond memories of our travels by boats like this in Thailand, we climbed aboard and sat tight for the journey. 

I’ll tell you all about the rubber shoes in the next post!