Jungle Beach: wild and beautiful beach in Nha Trang. Jungle Disco Hell: What you need to know about the Vietnam War

Ilya Labunsky

The dollar is steadily rising, so instead of any Australia or Japan, Prospect Mira will tell you about much more budget direction- Vietnam. In the footsteps of John Rambo, our publisher Ilya Labunsky set off, who rafted down the Mekong in a boat and almost signed up for the partisans.

For those over 40

Today you can fly from Krasnoyarsk to the places of military glory of John Rambo by direct flight. There are no flights to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City), but if you follow the sales of cheap tours, you can snatch Krasnoyarsk-Nha Trang round-trip tickets for a charter for 20 thousand rubles. The package also includes a hotel. You are waiting for about six hours in a plane full of older people: there are almost no young people.

You will circle over the sea for a long time, observing rare fishing boats. There is a whole queue for landing, mostly charters from different cities Russia: tempted low prices at the end holiday season, people fly to grab the elusive summer by the tail.

Nha Trang is such a Pattaya for Russian pensioners, only without sex, drugs and rock and roll. Beaches, eateries, socialism. Anapa-86. Russian eateries feed homesick tourists with borscht and dumplings, Russian excursion offices take them to ride an elephant, look at a crocodile and drink vodka with a cobra. There is a water park cable car, trips to monkey islands

A separate item is seafood restaurants, where crabs, shrimps and other marine reptiles are taken straight from the aquarium and sent to the kitchen. It's all damn delicious, the main thing is to ask for a menu and demand to show the real price: otherwise you risk running into a double price

There are restaurants serving turtles, cobras, sharks and crocodiles. We solemnly ate the turtle, washing it down with local rum.

But from entertainment, perhaps, that's all. So it's worth running.

Songs of partisans, palm trees and fog

There are three ways to leave Nha Trang for Saigon: by train for $ 9 (in a shared carriage or, if you're lucky, in a reserved seat), on a slipbus (bus with sleeping places) for $ 11 and by plane ($ 25-30)

The bus and train arrive at southern capital early in the morning, but even at 5 in the morning life is already in full swing: the inhabitants of Saigon go out to exercise, in parks and squares - a full house.

Life here generally begins very early. Museums, for example, open at 7:30. The main exhibits are the American military equipment, selected or abandoned during the evacuation of troops. Helicopters, tanks, planes, helicopters, tanks. Rifles, helmets, machine-gun belts.

If you wish, you can visit the whole Kuchi fortified area, 60 km from Saigon. This is real underground city shorties: 250 kilometers of man-made passages, caves. Schools, living quarters, ammunition depots. And, of course, traps: pits with stakes, stretch marks, mines, cages with snakes falling from trees. An excursion to this wonderful place will cost you $ 5, almost the same amount will be taken for entry. You can buy an excursion at any travel agency, the whole trip will take about 4 hours (although everything can be delayed due to traffic jams)

Saigon itself is a hodgepodge of motobikes rushing at you, cars, street vendors of coconuts (we were so tricked into buying a couple of them from him), running schoolchildren, merchants of goldfish. There are probably too many bikes here. They, like giant midges, scurry around you, going around from all sides. To cross the road, you need to raise your hand and slowly start moving: no one will stop for you, but they won’t crush you either.

Food prices here are much lower than in resort area: lunch for two people will cost 3-4 dollars, there will be a lot of food. We ate mainly in street eateries, choosing them according to the principle “what more people- the safer. But on the 4th day of the trip, it is already starting to feel nauseous from the abundance of Pho soup in the diet.

With nightly entertainment in Saigon, it’s frankly so-so: there are either chic expensive bars in the center, or a dubious type of establishment where the local “intelligentsia” gathers, looking at you like cowboys in a saloon at an Indian who miraculously wandered there

In the hotel, a traveler who is hungry for affection will be offered a massage, a bath, or even a “boom-boom” at a price of $ 50, which is a real robbery with the current ruble exchange rate.

The banks of the Mekong

Mekong is one of the most major rivers V South-East Asia. Its source is in Laos, and it flows through Cambodia and Vietnam, flowing into the South China Sea. IN downstream The Mekong turns into a grid of canals and islands, forming a vast delta.

The delta is a mangrove, turning into a jungle, islands, villages, rice plantations. To get here from Saigon, you need to pay $20 at the tourist office near the bus station. You, like real white misters, will be pompously loaded onto a bus, and taken on a tour of tourist places and then returned to the city. However, you can not return to the bus, and plunge into local life with head.

Most of the major settlements on the river are floating markets and transshipment bases. Farmers come here from all over the delta, bringing sweet potatoes, sugar cane, rice and other agricultural products. Boats of different sizes, colors, models scurry along the canals, moor at the footbridges.
Small dugout boats scurry between them, from which brisk old women sell all sorts of food. Many Vietnamese live on boats for weeks and months, all the while traveling up and down the river.

On North

From here, from the town of Cai Be, you can go north to the border. With due luck, you can "fit" into the boat going up the river. A trip on a rattling vessel in the company of Vietnamese "pirate smugglers" can take several days.

If you have little time, then you can go further by minibus, which transport wandering Europeans from the neighboring town of Vin Long straight to the border Chau Doc.

The minibus from Vin Long to Chau Doc will crawl along Vietnamese roads six hours. The distance here is about 180 kilometers, but the path will be blocked by the numerous branches of the Mekong, which you have to force on the ferry, waiting for your turn

The area here is far from touristic, and rather densely populated. Outside the window settlements will flow from one to another: all life here is concentrated around the river and the road, which run parallel to each other.

As soon as the bus slows down, local beggars run towards it, who, seeing the white misters, immediately try to get a dollar or two

Today is exactly a week since I returned from a very exciting and such, today not typical for me, expedition to Southeast Asia, and specifically to the jungle Vietnam And laos.

Why not typical? IN last years I travel either individually with family members, or in a group of up to five friends, but on a self-planned itinerary. Here I was recommended to take part in the expedition developed by the Paganel studio team as part of a group of 28 people. I liked the program. Plus, there was a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to complete such a program on my own, and it looked painfully attractive in terms of content, and the price didn’t bite much ...

I conceived this material in the form of a diary-announcement of future notes. And here I will do the second thing that is not typical for me - I use more than four dozen other people's photos! (my photos will only be from already published notes). The creators and directors of the Paganel studio Andrey and Olga Andreev are professional photographers and travelers. Andrei verbally agreed to the publication of his photos, and photos of their employee Yevgeny Tsoi, which he posted on the Paganels Facebook page. Plus a few photos with me and my son Valik, taken by them during our expedition, he provided me personally. These photos will be an illustration of this material. I hope this does not violate the rules of the "Turbine". In the following materials, I will use only my pictures.

You can get acquainted with a beautiful blah blah description of our expedition, which also attracted my attention, on the page of the Paganel studio paganel.tv/en/schedule/laos20… It is written beautifully and not quite accurately :))) How it really happened, this will be discussed in this note.

The first day. Acquaintance with Hanoi, not planned, which is just a nice bonus. Initially, we were supposed to fly to Hanoi with a change in Guangzhou late in the evening. But a month before departure, they changed the schedule for us, gave us a direct flight, and we arrived in the capital of Vietnam in the morning. And despite the long passage border control, for serious delays in the sanitary procedures of the female part of the group after checking into the hotel, we still did not have much time to short tour around town. We managed to visit a couple of significant temples in Hanoi, drove past the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and ended the tour already in the dark on the shore of the Lake of the Returned Sword Hoan Kiem - Lake of the Returned Sword and its legend

Early in the morning, after resting at the hotel, we moved by bus to a unique a natural phenomenon- Halong bay. There, in the port, a ship was waiting for us, on which we made a 6-hour walk along the famous bay, which, by the way, is a UNESCO monument. At this time, spring begins in Vietnam, fog hangs over the bay almost all the time, but this does not prevent the pros from taking high-quality pictures (mine, of course, are much inferior to them ... check it out later if you want to watch my own reports)

At the entrance and exit of the bay, two rocks "Fighting Roosters" enjoy attention

Inside the bay there are several floating villages fishermen, from whom you can (expensively!!!) buy still alive fish and other seafood, which the crew of the ship will immediately prepare for you ...

And we called this frame "50 shades of gray." Coincidentally, it was the week of the premiere of this film, and four members of our group sat on the bow of the ship, and they all turned out to be gray. Then we added three more to them, and got such a "phototoad"

A visit to the bay is not limited to swimming among bizarre rocks. On one island, we visited a beautiful, well-lit cave

After spending the night at a local hotel, the next day we walked around the city of Ha Long, which gave the name to this bay. And the most curious part of the group, about half, climbed the steep slope to the "mountain of poems", from the top of which a great panorama opens up.

photo by E. Tsoi

photo by E. Tsoi

And then return to Hanoi and a night train ride in a compartment with three tiers of shelves to Dong Hoi. There we were met by a couple of minibuses, which took us to the nat. Phong Nha Kebang Park, and specifically to the Tu Lan Valley. There, the most desirable part of the trip was waiting for us - a three-day trip to the wild jungle with a visit to five wild, not equipped for tourists, caves (in general, there were six caves, but there was such a narrow gap in front of the entrance to the last one that I simply could not squeeze through) We were given helmets and speleological lanterns, gloves... drybags (waterproof bags) and special backpacks.

After all, we had to not only ford and swim the local rivers in order to get to the caves...

The most fascinating and attractive thing was that we had to swim along the rivers inside the caves, and the only light was a narrow beam of a headlamp...

And once we had to get into the cave on the water. We plunged into the river

and for about forty minutes they swam against a small current. Having got out on the shore, we found ourselves in the place where the famous photograph was taken by the photographer of the Natoinal Geografic expedition

photo from internet

Our organizers made an attempt to repeat this shot, and this is what happened

And what? Something, but we had plenty of human resources :)))

Spending almost all the time in wet clothes, it's so nice to change into dry clothes in the evening and drink hot tea by the fire...

Well, we had to overcome the distances between the caves along very difficult paths in wild jungle

These were the most interesting three days of our trip ... (my son can argue with this, because these were tracks and swims, and flights were ahead of us!)

But flights still need to be reached. Unfortunately, the places we visit are located far from developed tourist destinations so we had to use local transport. It so happened that more than half of the trip was spent on the road and waiting. But the end result was worth these logistical difficulties.

Coming out of the jungle by the afternoon of the third day, we put ourselves in order and immediately left for the train station for an overnight transfer to Hanoi. In the morning we flew to Bangkok. Bangkok was not the purpose of our trip, but it is through it that you can get to the region of Laos we need. A night journey of 13 hours on a comfortable bus was coming to the border with Laos. We transported things from the airport to the bus station and had about 6 hours of free time. Most people went to tourist street Koasan Road, where we visited the spas. and my son and I decided to go to the local "Hard Rock Cafe" - I replenished my collection with the 18th institution, for Valentine this cafe became a debut ... A cult cafe in Bangkok

Well, the night crossing is over, we arrived at the border with Laos in the city of Chiang Khong. Here, according to the program, we were expected to cross the famous Mekong River on a wooden boat, but in a couple of years the locals managed to build a bridge, and now a shuttle bass runs between the border points - no romance :)) Having passed the border formalities, we ended up in the Lao city of Huisai, where we were expecting a rest in a normal hotel, with a hot shower and a bed (we have not spent the night in a hotel for 5 nights: 2 times on the train, 2 in the jungle and once on the bus)

In the morning, after a briefing at the "Gibbon Experience" office, we went in open jeeps to the Lao jungle, now to learn how to fly ... An hour and a half along the highway, then fifty minutes on a broken dirt road uphill and we arrive in the last village. Further almost impenetrable jungle right up to the border with Myanmar. Then about an hour more to go base camp"Gibbon Experience" Mountain village in northwestern Laos

From the country of Gibbonia, we have already spent the night not in tents. Here, as on the most exotic postcards of Southeast Asia, we were placed on tree houses

Travel to the karst jungles of Vietnam, where the mountains are riddled with caves and rivers; to feel like a real pioneer; to fall asleep under the south starry sky in tents in the wild jungle...
To get across mountain rivers, swim in underground lakes and find treasure - an adventure!
Travel to the jungles of Laos to fly over the trees and wake up to the love songs of gibbons in a treehouse high up;
what could be more interesting?

Deep in the jungles of northern Laos lies an ancient forest, full of mysteries. There, people live in trees, and move from one point of the forest to another ... through the air! Surprised? There are no roads in this forest, in the usual sense of the word, and in order to get there, we also have to learn how to fly! We will stay there for a few days and experience this unique experience.

But before we get there, we will pass the path of adventure ...
In the outback of central Vietnam, among the mountains, jungles and rivers, a real underground kingdom with hundreds of caves has recently been discovered. The team of Paganels will pass through the stone mountain trails along the landscape peaks and wild caves. We dive into unique world underground rivers, multi-million cave formations and see the most extraordinary things that are hidden from us in the world of the mysterious Phong Nha Kebang region. We will enter the caves on one side and exit on the other, overcoming all the obstacles on the way.
We explore caves recently visited by BBC, National Geographic and our Paganel Studio team.
This is a real challenge to yourself and a real journey worthy of time and life!

Vietnam. Phong Nha-Kebang karst region with a unique ecosystem in which there are about 300 caves and grottoes with a total length of about 126 kilometers.
More than 96% of Phong Nha Kebang is covered with evergreens tropical forests, most of of which are primary.
More than 380 species of animals live here, sixty-six of them are listed in the Red Book of Endangered Species of Vietnam, as well as almost 260 species of butterflies and more than 72 species of fish, including endemics.

Laos is a land of jungles, elephants and gibbons. Gibbon Experience is the only place of its kind located in the jungle - high above the ground on the trunks of huge tropical trees. This place is made up of individual Asian-style houses, and the only way to get to each of them is by flying over the trees with a suspension device called zips.

Country: Vietnam, Laos, Thailand

Type of recreation: expedition, adventure, exploration, trekking, acquaintance with authentic cultures.

Required requirements: normal physical fitness.

Group size: 25 people

Duration: 15 days

The cost of participation in the expedition: 1980 euros (including all domestic flights, transfers, permits and permits, the Gibbon Experience program, the program in the jungles and caves of Vietnam, accommodation in hotels and lodges, excursions, services of guides, cooks, porters ... in general, including EVERYTHING and even meals during the mountain trips in Vietnam and Laos).

The thread of the route: Hanoi (Vietnam) - Halong Bay - Ninh Binh - Phong Nha Kebang - Hanoi - Bangkok - Chiang Rai - Huaysai - Gibbon Experience - Chiang Rai - Bangkok.

Expedition Program

Day 3 (10 February)- After breakfast at the hotel, we will head to the famous Halong Bay. More than 3,000 islands are located on the waters of Halong Bay, which makes it unique and unique. Upon arrival, we will board a small boat, on which we will be the only ones, and set off to explore the waters of this mysterious bay. Along the way, we will meet villages right on the water. fish markets and much more that will allow us to understand how the life of the people who live here flows. Dinner on the boat.
(Power B, L)

Day 4 (11 February)- After breakfast, we continue our tour of the land part of the city of Halong. Let's go to Buddhist temple and climb the mountain of Poems famous for that there are many verses carved on stone dedicated to emperors and other famous historical figures.

After lunch return to Hanoi. Free evening.

Day 5 (12 February)- Early in the morning, after breakfast, we will go to one of the most picturesque places in Vietnam - to the province of Ninh Binh. There between the mountains are located rice fields full of bright colors of green and yellow spikelets .. In the middle flows a winding river, along which we will go in boats along the karst mountains. We will sail through three large natural caves and visit the ancient Bich Dong pagodas built at the foot of the mountain in the 11th century.
Overnight transfer in a private bus with beds in central Vietnam where the mountain jungle expedition will begin.
(Power B, L)

Day 6 (13 February)- Acquaintance with the team of guides, porters and cooks. After breakfast, we take only the most necessary things with us and all together we go on a three-day trip to hard-to-reach Vietnam. Trekking through peanut and buffalo fields along narrow winding paths that will take us from the world of vanity to the world of adventure in an instant. Next, we will cross the Rao Nan River, climb the rocky slope and pass through the bushes. Journey to the foot of Mount Mango and swim to a small waterfall where we can swim. At the end of the day, tired and full of impressions, we will find ourselves in the Tu Lan valley where barbecue and camping will be waiting for us. Overnight in tents or hammocks in the middle of the jungle. On this day we will walk 8 km.
(Power B, L, D)

Day 7 (14 February)- This morning our task is to swim to two caves and explore them. One of the caves is the famous Hang Ken, a photo of which was published by National Geographic. After exploring the caves, we will return to the campsite, have lunch and continue our journey to the Mo Valley. The road will not be long, however, full of activities, adventures and discoveries! On this day we will walk 4 km.
Overnight in tents or hammocks in the middle of the jungle.
(Power B, L, D)

Day 8 (15 February)- It is already familiar to us that the morning begins with a swim, but this morning's swim we have to go against the current. Thus we get into one of the most unusual caves Hung Ton, where we will climb a 15-meter staircase and go to the La Ken valley. New day, new research and new emotions. On this day, we will walk 5 km and finish our exploration journey through the jungles of Vietnam by lunchtime. We return to our base. We take a shower. After a farewell dinner with the guide team, we will head to Hanoi on our sleeper bus.
(Power B, L)

Day 9 (16 February)- Early in the morning we arrive at the Airport, flight Hanoi - Bangkok - Chiang Rai. In Bangkok, we go through the formalities for opening a visa. We change to domestic flight to Chiang Rai. Transfer from the Airport to Huai Xai, Laos visa opening. Check-in at a hotel in Huai Xai. Free time to explore Huay Xai and its surroundings. You can visit the local Buddhist monastery on your own, sit by the Mekkong, meditate. Preparing things for the Gibbon Experience.

Day 10 (17 February)- In the morning, after breakfast, receive a detailed briefing on the rules of life and movement in the Gibbon Experience program. Luggage storage for backpacks and bags.
Loading into jeeps to get deep into the Laos mountain jungle. Start of the Gibbon Experience Expedition.
We drive about 2 hours in jeeps along the highway, turn off it into the jungle and move along a dirt road for about an hour to small village. There we leave the jeeps and walk about 40-50 minutes in the mountain jungle with our backpacks. We go to a point called "Kitchen". There our team will be issued necessary equipment for flights on zips, we get acquainted with our local guides, distributed to the houses in which we will live at night. From now on, we will start flying a lot, traveling through the mountain jungle, living like real gibbons))
It will be one of the most memorable adventures of your life...
(Power L, D)

Day 11, 12 (February 18, 19)- The second and third day of adventure in the mountain jungle of Laos is very difficult to describe in words. In the morning we will wake up to the love songs of Gibbons and look out from our houses to see them. We are provided with unforgettable emotions of delight and admiration for everything that happens to you.
(Power B, L, D)

Around lunch on the third day, we say goodbye to the gibbons and the forest, go down to the village near which jeeps are waiting for us. Return to the hotel in Huai Xai city. We pick up our things from the storage room, transfer to Chaing Rai. Overnight at the hotel.
(Power B)

Day 13 (20 February)- We will dedicate this day to getting acquainted with the North of the Kingdom of Thailand.
After breakfast, we will go to the world-famous temple, Wat Rong Khun. Or as it is also called the "White Temple". It is being built by a Thai artist with the proceeds from the sale of paintings. The artist refused sponsors and creates the temple as his soul tells him. This is the most unusual Buddhist temple in the world. In addition to the usual Buddha statues, there are scenes from the films "The Matrix", "Avatar", " Star Wars". The event of September 11 is also displayed here. And many other unusual details.
After, for the whole day we go to national park Phu Sang!
(Power B)

Day 14 (21 February)- Check out of the hotel in the morning. Flight Chiang Rai - Bangkok. Transfer to international Airport.
Flight from Bangkok to your city.
(Power B)

Included in the price:
- flight Hanoi - Bangkok;
- flight Bangkok - Chiang Rai;
- flight Chiang Rai - Bangkok;
- transfers to (from) the airport;
- Gibbon Experience program (3 days, 2 nights) with full meals and accommodation;
- Expeditionary travel program in cave Vietnam (3 days, 2 nights) with full meals and accommodation;
- accommodation in hotels at all stages of the journey;
- meals indicated in the program as B, L, D
- transfer and program to Halong Bay and Ninh Binh;
- all transfers and transfers on all sections of the route;
- services local guides, cooks, porters;
- all necessary camping equipment (tents, boilers for cooking);
- excursions provided by the program;
- entrance tickets to all objects of the excursion;
- English- Russian speaking guides at all stages of the journey;

Not included in the price:
- international air travel;
- entry visa to Vietnam, Laos, Thailand (2 entry);
- meals, except as provided by the program;
- tips to local guides at the rate of 30 dollars for the entire period;
- Supplement for single occupancy;
- insurance.

Since most of the expenses for organizing a trip are air tickets and travel documents to other modes of transport, accommodation, excursions, services of local companies and guides, etc. - is made by us in advance, long before the trip, the prepayment or payment for the trip made by you is not refundable in case of your cancellation of the trip. We just can't bring it back...

What you need to know before traveling to Vietnam-Laos!

WHY WITH PAGANELS?

WE ARE UNIQUE

For many years we have been traveling the world to the most remote and unusual places our little planet. We do not use the services of domestic travel agencies. The trips that We invent and carry out are always UNIQUE, have their own unique zest, charm and the right adventure spirit. They truly change your life. We personally know local guides, tribal leaders, owners of hotels and lodges. Therefore, each of our trips is an original view of the Paganels on a particular place that we want to show you. Look at our photo albums, films, read stories and you will understand what we are actually talking about...

CREATION

The first thing that interests us is creativity in everything. During the expeditions, we shoot a lot of videos, take pictures, write stories, draw pictures. If you are interested in a creative approach to life and travel, then WELCOME ... we are on the way.

LOW PRICE

Since we ourselves form the price of travel, negotiate discounts with airlines, negotiate with local tribes, guides, firms ... we refused the services of various intermediaries between us and you, it is cheaper than we, for the most part of the expeditions we offer, to you no one will offer. Ask online...

INTERESTING Dating

By joining our team, you join a kind of club-family, which already consists of several hundred people who are interested in discovering the world with us.

Be part of the UNIQUE.
Appreciate life, love, travel!!!

Southeast Asia is mysterious and interesting. It has a complex and intricate history, a difficult life there, a special culture. But another one of its fascinating features of Vietnam is its endless jungle tracts.

The jungle is like nothing else natural environment living according to its own special and very complex laws. Of course, it is very interesting to visit there. Such a walk, no doubt, will be very interesting and leave a lot of impressions. But, as in any difficult situation, a journey through the jungle requires careful preparation and attention to your safety.

In a warm and humid climate, a variety of infectious diseases. Before traveling to a country that is located in such natural and climatic conditions, you need to carefully inquire about what diseases are common there. And, it is very important in what way you can take preventive measures in order to prevent them. We need to figure out how to minimize the likelihood of contracting these diseases. Sometimes you need to take special vaccinations against them in order to develop immunity, sometimes you may need to follow certain rules of conduct. Sometimes, already during the tourist trip you need to take certain pills to reduce the threat of the disease.

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There are other equally important aspects of jungle safety. It should not be forgotten that this is a very densely populated place with all kinds of plants, animals, birds and insects. Therefore, here you need to protect yourself from snakes, wearing boots for this. To protect against all kinds of insects, you need clothing made of dense fabric that covers the body well. For this, chemical agents - repellents - will not interfere. Plants with sharp thorns can also be found.

In addition, there is another, very important source of problems during your stay in the jungle - this is your own curiosity. I think some will want to check the contents of a mysterious hole in the ground or see what is there, so incomprehensible in a dense bush. Such curiosity can lead to sad consequences. There may be animals or snakes, for example, and they may think that you are attacking them and take steps to protect themselves.

Also, one should not forget that one who is constantly on the move, in such places, is in much less danger than one who is motionless. Some jungle dwellers may quickly become interested in such an object.

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The jungle is beautiful place with an interesting and exciting life of plants and animals that inhabit them. But, being there, you should not forget about your own safety.