Wow, that was quite a day! At 8 a.m. I was picked up for my first scuba diving experience, something I actually wanted to do for a very long time. The last time I tried to go scuba diving was when I was about 13 or 14, but the diving school did not let me due to my age. Arriving at the Hoi An pier, we took a 1-hour boat ride to Cham Island. During the boat ride we got first instructions on how to breathe, equalize our ears, and more importantly, what to do in case of emergencies – not that I was worried of course. One of the instructors explained that most people have problems equalizing the pressure in their ears when descending to deeper depths. If you can’t equalize your ears then you cannot or should not continue the descend or otherwise your ear drums could poop.

Once we arrived at the island, we put our gear on and jumped in the water. Right from the start I had trouble staying afloat. Normally what you do is inflate your vest, which I immediately did after jumping in the water. But for some odd reason I was struggling to stay above the water. Remember, without some air in your vest to compensate for the heavy equipment you have on, you go down like a rock – really fast. I then noticed some air bubbles coming out of my vest. Was this normal? Was this something I should be alarmed about? So I was flapping my fins quite hard at which point I told one of the instructors about my problem. He said it was fine and I had nothing to worry about. After a few minutes nothing changed, so I asked another dive instructor to take a look at my vest. He did and told me to go back to the boat right away and put on some new gear, because I had a leak in my vest that was draining my air supply. Oh great, I thought, what a fantastic start. I was just glad I was persistant and realized the problem before we hit depths of 12-18 meters.

Returning to the group, we started our dive in the shallow waters and did a few exercises such as reaching for our air intake, clearing our masks of water and communicating in sign language. Before we knew it, we were finally under water. I looked at my gauge and read 3 meters, 5 meters,…man this was blast! I luckily didn’t have any problems with equalizing the pressure in my ears. We continued our dive to about 12-14 meters and before we knew it, it was all over. In total we spent about 45 minutes under water, which seemed like 10 minutes. Reaching the surface I knew I was infected! The diving bug has bitten me.

Despite the limited visibility under water, my first scuba diving lesson was a fantastic experience. I’m sure I want to continue with scuba diving, either with a PADI open water license or a NAUI license (NAUI courses are often considered of better quality, as they are a non-profit organization, unlike PADI that is a profit-oriented organization) once I get the next chance.

After scuba diving some of us went to another island and engaged in a little snorkeling and chilled out in the hammocks afterwards. At around 4 p.m. it was time to go back to Hoi An and from there to the Da Nang airport to catch my flight to Ho Chi Minh City (a.k.a. Saigon).

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Scuba Diving on Cham Island

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In morning after my arrival in Ninh Binh I setup a tour with my hotel to see the Tam Coc area, which turned out to be one of the nicest tours during my time in Vietnam. The mode of transportation was on the back of a motorbike – the best way to experience the scenery around Ninh Binh.

One thing I noticed right away, was that the people in Nihn Binh and Tam Coc were extremely friendly and welcoming, greeting me and the French couple I was with. This was the total opposite from what I encountered in Hanoi. The people in Hanoi were extremely pushy, unfriendly and sometimes even aggressive, though not violently. I’ve spoken to travelers I met along the way about my experience with Hanoian people and they seem to all agree with my observation. I’m not saying that every person in Hanoi is this way, but it sure seems to apply to most people living in this city. So you can imagine it was truly refreshing when people starting waving at me.

Well what should I say about Tam Coc? It was so beautiful that it’s really hard to describe. It was a mixture of Thailand and the mountain hills of Japan like you often see in the movies. So here are some pictures and videos, which of course can’t do this region any justice. There are also some pictures of a village I visited, where I had the opportunity to take a photograph of a lady preparing dog for dinner. So be sure to check out the pictures below. Enjoy! Oh, if you want to the receipe for the dog dish, drop a message I’ll send it to you.

Tam Coc

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A few Short Clips of Tam Coc

I was very glad I came here. Ninh Binh is not your normal tourist destination and I only saw a handful of tourist all day. This is generally were you meat locals. So definitely visit Ninh Binh if you want to go off the beaten track on your Vietnam tour.

In the evening it was time to catch a soft-sleeper train to Hue – a 12-hour ride. At least I got to sleep on the train and save on the hotel cost.

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It was time for something different, new and exciting! Before I went on this trip I decided I wanted to go rock climbing and kayaking in the Halong Bay with a company called SloPony, which was also mentioned in the bible of travelers (a.k.a. Lonely Planet). Slo Pony is also the company that first pioneered rock climbing in the Halong Bay. I contacted SloPony a few weeks before I left and the response I got back from Brian was extremely insightful with a lot of great information. I can highly recommend Slo Pony to anyone wanting to do something different while visiting Cat Ba Island or Halong Bay. The people that work there are very professional and honest. You won’t be disappointed with their service.  There are also other activities you can book through them. Just check out their website at www.slopony.com.

I arranged breakfast with Mark (I guy that I met on our boat trip to Cat Ba Island) that day and asked him if he would like to join me and go rock climbing/kayaking in the Lan Ha Bay (considered the most beautiful part of the Halong Bay). He initially wanted to go on a 2-day cruise in the Halong Bay, but couldn’t find a boat on that short notice, so he tagged along with me. Slo Pony was extremely accommodating at adding Mark and I to list of people wanting to go rock climbing/kayaking that day.

In the morning we went  kayaking, which was pretty fun and had some lunch on our boat. And it was also during our lunch when our Aussie climbing guide came on board and introduced herself explaining the agenda for the rest of day. On the way to our climbing site we had the opportunity to take a swim, which was refreshing, even though it was a little fresh outside. Most non-Europeans (=wussies) would have considered the water temperature to be cold.  Our climbing site was extremely peaceful and quiet with a beautiful scenery at our feet (once your reached the top).

The group decided that I had to go first and climb the hardest rock on the cliff, because they thought due to my previous (and I might add limited) indoor climbing experience with my past girlfriend, I would be the best at it. I eventually gave into the peer pressure and did as I was told.

A few hours and climbs later, we all went back to the boat and cruised back to Cat Ba Island, laying on the top of the deck with cold beers, in my case, a hot tea and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Rock Climbing and Kayaking with Slo Pony

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Approximately 6 hours before my plane left I’d had to pack. I know, I was definitely cutting it short this time. And of course it had to rain like crazy on the day of my departure, but who cared, I was leaving Germany – at least for two weeks. During that time Germany could go blow an egg

Anyway, a couple of hours before boarding time, I arrived at the Frankfurt airport. The first announcements I heard at the Frankfurt airport went something like this: “Passengers traveling to the US, please take in account longer check-in times…”. And as if this was not enough, it was repeated every minute. Remember, this was due to the stricter security guidelines put in place after a allegedly failed terrorist attempt to down a Detroit-bound passenger plane (Northwest Airlines Flight 253) on December 25. I was just glad that I wasn’t traveling to the US. Poor bastards couldn’t even read books after the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority announced an airplane book ban on December 28th, which caused some confusion among publishers. But luckily books are now permitted on U.S.-bound planes

My luggage check-in went fine, but I have to say the security checks were quite enlightening on my flight to Hanoi. But, first things first. As I was passing through the metal detector the alarm went off, which is unusual for me, as I normally pass security checks with flying colors. I had to take off my shoes and have them X-rayed. Apparently my shoes had metal strips in their soles?! Never had problems before…And then, to top it all off, I had to part from my shampoo, even though there were only 20–30 ml left in the 125 ml container. Of course, the nosy and curious person I am, I had to ask why I could not take this bottle on board and was given the reason that the bottle has a capacity of 125 ml and only 100 ml are allowed.  As an American (we always demand transparency), I wasn’t satisfied with that answer either, so I pressed harder and questioned the security officer on the logic behind this, as it was very obvious that there was not much left in the bottle. He couldn’t offer me an explanation and simply replied: “I don’t understand the regulation either, but it’s an EU regulation.” Oh great, just what we need – more senseless out-of-control bureaucracy from Brussels that tries to ruin everyone’s security check-in experience. Where’s the customer service terrorists deserve these days? In the end, the security officer gave me two options: I can either check-in the shampoo with my other luggage or throw it away. Naturally, to avoid hassle I chose the second option. The minute I passed the security checks, I thought to myself: Next time I’ll just scratch off the container capacity on the bottle. Then let’s see how good our security officers are at distinguishing between 100 ml and 125 ml. :-D (On a side note: To this day, nobody, no even authorities, can give an explanation why fluids of more than 100 ml are banned on flights. There has NEVER been a terrorist attack or hijack on any flight using fluids.)

Just before boarding time my name was suddenly called up through the intercom. At first I thought they would wanted to see my Visa again, because the lady behind the ticket counter earlier had to ask her supervisor if they can accept a pre-approved Visa for Vietnam, which I provided. (Most people traveling to Vietnam are not aware that you can get something that is similar to a Visa-on-arrival, it just works a little bit different and it’s significantly cheaper too). But instead, a couple wanted to sit together and I was asked if I would be willing to change seats with the women. I reluctantly agreed, as I specifically booked seat 42B on the Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (777) after consulting Seatguru.com. I got seat 38C instead and changed seats on board once again, because a boy wanted to sit together with his mother, which was fine with me at this point. Now, finally seated, I took a good look at my original seat. Oh boy, did I make a big mistake giving that seat up.   Well, now I was stuck in this seat that had some kind of permanently installed contraction under the front seat, resulting in me not being able to fully stretch my legs out for 9 1/2 hours…Bon Voyage!

There were some highlights on my flight however. Wet towels for example. How long has it been since I received wet hot towels at the beginning of a flight? There used to be a time where Lufthansa didn’t give out these refreshing items anymore, at least to my knowledge. One more reason why I don’t like to fly with Lufthansa. According to SKYTRAX the few 5-Star airlines include Asiana Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Kingfisher Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and of course Singapore Airlines.

The service around the meals was also really good. When I initially booked my tickets I ordered a special low-sodium meal (LSML). Why? Simply because during flight, your body get’s extremely dehydrated through the recycled dry air on the plane, making jet-lag even worse than it should be. Consuming a low-sodium or vegetarian meal before and during your flight helps your body to stay hydrated. You should also try to set your watch at the beginning of your flight and adjust the meals you consume to the time zone you’ll be visiting.

Another advantage that these special meals have, is that they are usually prepared by hand and are considered of better quality. Plus, the flight attendants generally serve these special meals first no matter where you are on the plane. Other passengers will hate you for it (as on my flight to Vietnam ), but it gives your flight a touch of First Class. Try it next time you fly.

You should also drink at least 8 oz of fluids per hour flight time, preferably water to keep your body well hydrated. Avoid coffee or alcohol. I also used a natural sea salt nasal spray every few hours for the first time and I’m glad I did. It was also my first time combining all these provisions to cope with jet-lag and can now say that I didn’t experience any jet-lag whatsoever during my entire vacation!

In the upcoming weeks I’ll post a separate article with my ultimate jet-lag tips. So stay tuned!

What’s your ultimate traveling story? Have you had any funny or annoying experiences during your travels? Comment and share!

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After checking the health risks that I may encounter in Vietnam, Malaria is one of them, according to the German Department of State (Auswärtiges Amt). By the way, checking for specific risks that you may be exposed to during your travels is something you should always do before you leave home. And do it well in advance so you can take the necessary precautions like getting vaccinated, if you believe vaccinations gives you protection.

Because I’m generally a very critical and cautious person, I did a thorough risk analysis to see what precautions I would want to take. Let’s start with Malaria, shall we?

Let’s see what Mr. and Mrs. Wikipedia have to say about Malaria. How about a nice map to start with?

Frequency and origin of malaria cases in 1996

|||| High Risk

|||| Medium Risk

|||| Low Risk

|||| Very Low Risk

|||| No Risk

Source: Wikipedia on “Malaria” based on the data from CHU Hôpitaux de Rouen. Fréquence et origine des cas de paludisme

OK, according CHU Hôpitaux de Rouen Vietnam is classified as a “Low Risk” malaria region. Next up, let’s see what our folks from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) say. I’m sure they also have a nice chart prepared for us, yes?

Alright, so the CDC classifies Vietnam as an epidemic malaria country, but at the same time states that in most countries the malaria risk is limited to certain areas.

We therefore have two different independent sources of data and above that, from different years (1996 vs 2003). We’ll disregard how the data was collected and for simplicity purposes just assume that both data sources are reliable and were collected in the same fashion. We will further assume that the CDC is a reliable and independent source information (cough ). I know, sometimes you have to stretch your imagination For the people that don’t know what I’m taking about, let’s just say that in the past and very recent history the CDC has been known to have very tight ties to the pharmaceutical industry. So overstating the malaria risk would be in the interest of the CDC.

We therefore need a more detailed breakdown of the malaria regions in Vietnam to make a better decision. Let’s try the following site: http://www.malariahotspots.co.uk/facts-maphotspots.asp

Malaria Hotspots sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline

This website rates malaria in Vietnam “Extremely High”, even though it states that “[...] does not necessarily mean that the entire country is affected, as malaria may be restricted to certain areas or regions.”¹ Personally, I think this website seems to exaggerate the risk of malaria, as it’s based on WHO data and is sponsored by, oh you guessed it, a well-kwown pharmaceutical company named GlaxoSmithKline. It’s nothing we haven’t seen countless times before – the WHO teaming up with pharmaceutical giants. We all know very well what happens when pharmacetical companies pay World Health Organization advisors to tell the public how extremely dangerous diseases, such as the bird or swine flu are, right? Damm, I haven’t gotten my flu shot yet!

Let’s look at one last website – Traveldoctor.info. Traveldoctor.info has a nice Google map incorporated into its website here that gives a detailed breakdown of the malaria regions in Vietnam, even though some of the information on their website is  also based on data from the WHO. Our Traveldoc sums up the malaria risk in Vietnam nicely by saying the following²:

“The risk of malaria in Vietnam is low and is mainly found in the central highlands [...]“

www.traveldoctor.info on this risk of malaria in Vietnam (29.12.2009)

Traveldoctor.info also offers some very good advise here for people considering taking malaria medication during their travel abroad. They recommend the following:

Drugs used for prevention

• Chloroquine
• Lariam
• Malarone
• Doxycycline

Lariam is more effective against Chloroquine resistant malaria than Chloroquine and paludrine. There has been some discussion about side effects from lariam, but two thirds to three quarters of all users apparently have few problems.

Malarone is a new drug combination and can be used for both prophylaxis and treatment. For prophylaxis the dose is 1 tablet daily from the day before entry to 7 days after departure from the malaria risk area. Malarone is primarily an alternative to Lariam and Doxycycline. Malarone is also an alternative to Chloroquine and paludrine for short stays, if you want to avoid taking tablets 4 weeks after departure from the malaria risk area.

Doxycycline is an antibiotic which can be used to prevent malaria resistant to other drugs. There is less experience with Doxycycline than with Lariam and Malarone. The side effects are mostly an allergic rash on areas exposed to sunlight.

Side effects

Comparing Chloroquine and Paludrine and Lariam the risk of mild side effects are about the same, but lariam users have up to four times higher risk of experiencing neuropsychiatric side effects of which difficulty with sleeping is the most common.
Overall 2% to 5% of all users, no matter which drug they use, experience symptoms, which are suspected to be side effects from the drugs and lead to cessation of medication.

Our attitude to malaria prophylaxis

• In general the traveller should be offered the most effective drug taking the destination, mode of travel and length of stay into consideration.
• In areas with very low risk like for instance Thailand, drugs are not recommended for prophylaxis, only traditional methods like repellents and impregnated mosquito nets.
• In area with a high degree of resistance against chloroquine, like tropical Africa and part of South America and South East Asia, we recommend Malarone as first choice for short-term travellers, and Lariam for long term travellers, both withdoxycycline as an alternative.
• Protection should be as good as possible, but it is unacceptable to have the travel spoiled by side effects, if the risk of infection is low.

http://www.traveldoctor.info recommendation on Malaria

I can also highly recommend the Malaria Information System provided by the University of Bonn, Germany. Here you can zoom in on the countries of interest and select and deselect layers that  you’re interested such as regions where prophylaxis is recommend or resistance to medication is known.

At this point I have enough information and have concluded  that I’ll be taking a wide variety of safety precautions towards Malaria and keeping my immune system in tip-top shape, which include:

• Natural Insect Repellent (”Care Plus Natural Anti-Insect Spray”. Can be purchased at Globetrotter.de)
• Chemical-based Insect Repellent based on Icaridin (”Nobite Sensitive”. Doesn’t have the negative side effects of DEET and it’s just as effective as DEET. It ca  also be purchased at Globetrotter.de)
• Mosquito Net (I originally wanted to purchase an impregnated mosquito net, but I thought that was to expensive for two weeks in South-East Asia and the fact, that I’m not going to visit the high-risk areas in Vietnam such as the Mekong-Delta. So that didn’t justify the price for me. But it’s still a good investment if you plan to visit high risk areas for longer periods of time)
• Sleeping Air Conditioned hostels or hotels only
• Wearing long and light-colored sleeve shirts and pants
• Sodium Chlorite / MMS (as my stand-by Malaria protection)
• Propolis (Research shows it offers antiseptic, antibiotic, antibacterial, anti-fungal, and even antiviral properties. Propolis is Nature’s premiere preventive.  It is so powerful in action, it is often called Russian penicillin in acknowledgement of the extensive research the Russians have mounted on this wonder worker from the bees. Propolis demonstrates strong antimicrobial properties against various bacterial and fungal infestations. Even streptococcus bacteria have been shown sensitive to propolis.)³

And as my generic antiseptic:

• Hydrogen Peroxide (H₂O₂ is one of the most powerful oxidizers known – stronger than chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and potassium permanganate)

I’ve also increased my daily intake of freshly pressed vegetable juices to give my immune system the extra horsepower. @Stephan, you know what I’m talking about

Combining these safety precautions, should provide me with more than adequate safety. Personally, I believe I will be more in danger of getting run over in Vietnam, than anything else. And lo and behold the U.S. Department of State agrees with me on this one.

“Traffic in Vietnam is chaotic. Traffic accidents occur frequently and the most common victims are motorbike riders and pedestrians. At least 30 people die each day from transportation-related injuries and many more are injured, often with traumatic head injuries. Traffic accident injuries are the leading cause of death, severe injury, and emergency evacuation of foreigners in Vietnam. Traffic accidents, including those involving a pedestrian and a motorized vehicle, are the single greatest health and safety risk U.S. citizens will face in Vietnam.“⁴ [emphasis added by me].
U.S. Department of State on Traffic Safety and Road Conditions in Vietnam (August 28, 2009)

Mhh…does that mean that if I travel with my German passport, instead of my U.S. passport, I’m less likely to be exposed to this kind of risk? We’ll see, as I’m actually traveling with my German passport this time.

* * *
And before anyone feels tempted and tries to sue me, here’s the standard disclaimer:

Statements contained within this article post or blog have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any of the aforementioned remedies or substances are not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. And as always, please consult your health care professional before changing any medication or adding supplements of any kind to medications…yadda, yadda, yadda….

Have you had any previous experiences with malaria medication? Or what are your safety precautions that you took? Let’s hear about it in the comments. And don’t forget to bookmark this article if you enjoyed the read!

1. http://www.malariahotspots.co.uk/facts-maphotspots.asp
2. Malaria in Vietnam, http://www.traveldoctor.info/trip/result.1.154.1.html, Retrieved 2009-12-29
3. http://www.draperbee.com/info/propolis.htm, Retrieved 2009-12-29
4. U.S. Department of State on Traffic Safety and Road Conditions in Vietnam, http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1060.html#traffic_safety

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