Name: Niall Preston Role: Cameraman / Sound

Hanoi to Hong Kong

This was the first of four trips I would be filming for MNE. I didn’t take the prospect of filming the entire series lightly. In fact, I thought about it for a full 3 seconds when asked if I was up for it. I knew it was going to be tough but couldn’t wait to get started!!

After staring at a huge kit list for about a fortnight, I had the task of condensing into 3 rucksacks: 2 cameras, matte box, filters, sound equipment, tripods, monitor, batteries and more tape stock than you could ever dream of using, but we were going to be a very long way from home and anywhere you could comfortably order a cup of tea let alone walk into a shop and say “Yeah hi, I’m looking for some Sony DVM63HD tapes… the hour long ones, do you have any?”

After a week of packing and re-packing we had something that resembled a manageable shooting kit and we were off to the airport to start our very long journey to Hanoi via Dubai and Bangkok.

We had been traveling for about two days and had finally landed in Vietnam in one piece. The journey was a good time to get to know the other members of the crew as I had never met Anne or Seoras before, and MM’s impression of me before now was of someone obsessed with frantically packing and repacking rucksacks. We all got on really well and I knew it was going to be an enjoyable trip.

I was nervous upon approaching the Vietnamese customs officer. In my experience, it is never easy travelling with so much camera equipment. There are always lots of questions. I approached the desk and handed the officer my passport. He studied the back page for about a minute before asking where I was from. “Scotland” I replied. “Ah” he said… “You, no qualify” “You’re having a laugh!!” I thought to myself as he handed my passport back to me. I thought there must have been a problem with my visa or they didn’t like the camera, which was slung over my shoulder. “Sorry?” I said, “You, no qualify…no qualify… Scotland, Euro Cup!” I was utterly relieved and stunned that this guy was talking to me about Scotland not qualifying for Euro 2008!! After a brief exchange about Rangers, Celtic and the SPL I suddenly didn’t feel so far from home.

My own personal bag didn’t turn up at Hanoi airport, so my first task in Hanoi was to find clothes that were going to do me for a very cold couple of weeks in china. I think MM would have liked to see me having to settle for some traditional Vietnamese mountain-wear along with a Non La hat!! Luckily, I found a shop, which sold a more western look.

That night, we met the rest of the group who were going to be travelling with us. They were all pretty easy going and were not at all put off by the camera. I was very conscious not to be too intrusive so stood back slightly. It was a good chance to see how Anne and Seoras interacted and got on with there fellow travellers.

The bus to Halong Bay was incredible. This was to be our first real experience of the roads in Vietnam. From 5 people hanging onto small mopeds, to men riding bikes with trees the length of buses strapped to them. The constant sound of high-pitched horns tooting and chickens trying to escape baskets tied to bikes. This was rush hour in northeast Vietnam, A rush hour, which never seemed to end! Even when we broke free from the towns and cities there was still a bustle of noise weaving its way through the countryside.

We arrived safely in bai chay, and I was slowly getting used to the attention the camera was generating amongst the locals. We boarded a boat, which was going to take us round Halong bay and eventually onto Cat Ba Island the following day. As nice as it was to get off the roads, the harbour was just as chaotic. As we moved out, I was very aware of a crashing sound and the smashing of glass followed by many irate men in sailors’ outfits dancing around another boat shouting at one another. Thankfully, it had nothing to do with us. We quickly joined the fleet of other boats moving out to explore Halong Bay.

The scenery here was like nothing I had ever seen before. The islands rose dramatically out of the water behind a vale of mist that clung to everything, the whole bay had a real sense of mystery and beauty. Something I don’t think I would ever tire of filming.

The bustle here was very different. We sailed into a large bay through a narrow channel between two islands and a whole community began to unfold. Families were living on these enormous pontoons anchored to rocks. The men were out fishing as the women and children raced from tourist boat to tourist boat in small wooden ribs selling everything from toilet roll to chickens feet! A good combination I say!!

Cat Ba Island is obviously one of the more commercial islands in Halong Bay. A comfortable hotel and bars along the tourist centre of Cat Ba town. A place that is probably very busy during the hot summer months, but it was pretty quiet and cold out here in January; I was beginning to wish I had my own clothes now! We got to explore the island over the next couple of days where we encountered villages with the most amazing and friendly people. We visited a cave, which had been used as a hospital throughout the Vietnam War. It was such an amazing place. It had an X-ray department, Operating Rooms and even a swimming pool. Hidden by trees and bushes, you would never know such a place existed. Unfortunately filming within the cave itself was limited due to the very humid conditions. My first case of warning lights and a steamed up lens!!

The most amazing thing happened later on that day when I received a phone call to my room and was told to go to reception. A wind swept man was standing just inside the front door shouting “Mr Niall… Mr Niall” I couldn’t believe it when I saw that he has holding up my lost rucksack!! It had been couriered by bike, boat and moped all the way from Hanoi! Brilliant!

It seemed that my bag had turned up just in the nick of time, as the next stop after leaving Cat Ba Island and Halong Bay, was the town of Lang Son. A very small town about half an hour from the Chinese border. We had travelled sufficiently north for the temperature to drop considerably. Our hotel in Lang Son looked great from the outside, but when we went inside, it was actually colder! There was nothing we could do to heat up. No hot showers or bath to get into! I did however, take this opportunity to charge batteries and organise the equipment for travelling into China the next day. I knew that if the equipment was going to be scrutinised in any way, it would be going into China. I was aware that it was shaping up to be a very cold winter in china and the prospect of power cuts was high so thought it would be wise to charge all the batteries in case it was the last power we saw for a while.

That night we went out for dinner and once again, the building, with no heating, was like a fridge! Huddled together in full winter gear, we ate a fantastic meal! I think that was one of the more surreal moments of the trip so far. This was quickly superseded by a sample of the popular Vietnamese art of Karaoke, which took place in a private room for 12 people above the dining room. I’m sure I could have forgotten about the cold at this point had I not been so very aware of the five layers of clothing and gloves I was wearing. 

The next day was our border crossing to China. After another dose of wacky races and an issue with a member of the Vietnamese government who had been causing us bother throughout our stay, we made our way across the walking border into China. The two sides were vastly different with Vietnam being very basic and run down but China displaying wealth and grandeur with imposing statues and a huge archway welcoming you… we were in China. The whole border experience was not too bad. There was a bit of hassle with our carnet in that the official didn’t really know what he was to do with it but eventually, he was happy and waved us through.

My first impression of china was a real contrast to the ever-present bustle in Vietnam. With our first stop, a place called butterfly valley, I knew that China was going to be different. Everything seemed so calm and peaceful out here in the countryside. We were staying in small two bed huts on stilts and lined with small lanterns. With the temperature dropping slightly from the last couple of nights, an open campfire was a very welcome addition to our first night in China.

As we travelled on, we were hearing news that it was set to be the coldest winter china have had in the last fifty years. This made our stay Liuzhou all the better. Liuzhou was the first big city we had experience in a while and a night in a proper warm hotel gave me the opportunity check all the camera equipment and charge all my batteries (sorry seoras for not letting you charge your ipod!).

The next day, left Liuzhou for Chengyang and it was another crazy battle to get aboard a taxi and make to the bus station in one piece. The bus ride was a few hours with a couple of toilet stops. Not the cleanest toilets in the world and a quick peek in was enough to make me hold on until we get to Chengyang! Our accommodation was in a big wooden building that had recently been built which made up Mr and Mrs Wu’s guesthouse. Once we got some heat out of the air-con unit on the wall of our room, it was pretty comfortable. We took a walk around the Dong Village, which was just across the river from where we were staying. The people from the Dong community are famed for their amazing “wind and rain’ bridges which link the villages. I was amazed at the architecture on the bridges and a lot of the buildings. The weather got worse and after another night of sleeping with 7 layers of clothing, we were told that we could not leave due to the worsening conditions of the roads. We were basically snowed in… pass me the bottle of rice wine!!!

We were stuck in Chengyang with no electricity for 3 days in total, which was longer than we had planned. This, along with the icy road conditions meant that we were unable to travel to the rice planes in Longji, which was very unfortunate as they are meant to be absolutely amazing.

This gave us an extra day in Yangshuo. This was quite a touristy town with a lot of westerners working here. With heating in our hotel and warm showers, we were able to thaw out and change out of the clothes we’d had on for the last few days (it had just been too cold to change before... Honest!) Seoras and Anne took part in a tai chi lesson, which was hilarious at first but I think they both got into it by the end.

The next day, we took a trip around the town market… not for the faint hearted! All sorts of animals were on display. All either dead or soon to be! I think its is a place that Ann would rather not have entered. It was quite a harrowing experience that set us up nicely for a cookery lesson later on that afternoon!

Our time in china had come to an end and we travelled to Hong Kong where we were finishing our journey and flying home. What an incredible place Hong Kong is, it certainly didn’t disappoint. We only had one night there and we were flying out the next evening so we had to make the most of the little time we had there. One of the best ways to see the city is to take the funicular railway to Victoria Peak. The views from up here were absolutely stunning. You can see the whole of the city skyline, which has to be one of the most amazing in the world. This was a perfect place to reflect on an amazing journey.