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Published: August 9th 2007
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Blue and Green
Sprawling rice fields near Buon Ma Thuot. I guess I mentioned at the end of my last blag that I would give you gusy some sort of fashion show. Well, sorry to disappoint (I doubt anyone really cared). As much fun as it was getting tons of custom fit clothes made, I thought it would be a bit lame to post a dozen photos of me dressed up in different attire. I may have been a wee-bit over-excited about visiting Hoi An when I last updated the blog. Anyways....
A beautiful town filled with century-old buildings that date back to the French colonial days. The influence on the architecture is very much noticeable. I spent several days wandering the old town and visiting various tailor shops to find a place to make me clothes. There are over 400 tailors in Hoi An, all specializing in custom clothing, so it took me a while to find one that suited my desires. The first days was all about choosing fabrics and getting sized up. I put in several different orders for suits, shorts, shirts, pants, jackets, you name it I had it made. My favorites are the linen suits, who doesn't want a few well-tailored linen suits. I picked
Da Lat Countryside
At the beginning of my Easy Rider trip. up a few but the one in the photo is just a bit crazy. I thought I'd buy one that was totally off the wall. You'll also notice in the photo that I offed the beard. The temperature along the central coastline and further south is averaging 98 degrees during the day, just too hot to have a face full of hair. I could go on for days about how much fun Hoi An was, but I'll just leave it at that. If anyone ever visits Vietnam, make sure Hoi An is on your list of places to go.
From Hoi An I jumped a night bus to Nha Trang. Same old story with night buses in Vietnam, NOT comfortable. But one night and it's over. I arrived in Nha Trang exhausted, found a hotel and caught a few hours sleep. Nha Trang is nothing incredibly special, just lots of beaches, bars, and restaurants. I found a nice eatery with a pool, a bar, and umbrellas. I spent a few days laying in the sun and reading, just enjoying my time and relaxing after several grueling days of shopping in Hoi An. I also re-crossed paths with several people
Silk Worm Factory
All those little white things you see on the bamboo baskets are silk warms. Those little critters sit in their cacoons for a about one week and spin silk, 1 worm produces 80 meters of thread! I met in Hue, including the friendly German fellow, Wolfgang. We all hung out a few nights and share some good laughs and a few beers.
From Nha Trang it was off to Da Lat. A beautiful vacation spot set in the hills of the Central Highlands, Da Lat has become the premier destination in Vietnam for those looking to escape the summer heat and relax in the mountains. The town might be a bit too romantic for a solo traveler such as I, but I nonetheless enjoyed wandering the city and having a few cups of the coffee that Central Vietnam is famous for producing. Another thing that Da Lat is well known for is the infamous motorcycle group known as the Easy Riders.
Most of the Easy Riders are ex-soldiers or just Vietnamese who don't feel like holding down a real job. In fact, for what these guys charge per day, the probably make more than going to work in an office. Nearly all of the them ride either German, Russian, or Japanese vintage motorcycles, often dating back 50 years. The idea with the Easy Riders is that you hop on the back of their bikes
Go Moto
How an Easy Rider gets around Vietnam. and they cruise off through the Central Highlands, visiting local spots and getting way off the tourist track. I spent 3 days with an Easy Rider and I'll have to say I did just that. Because they spend most of their lives cruising around Vietnam by bike, they know everywhere pretty damn well. I only did a few day trip but many people opt to spend weeks on the back of their bikes. I visited a ton of spots filled with tragic and sad war history. Stopping in local villages along the way made for some interesting experiences. Many of the older men living in villages throughout the Central Highlands are ex-Vietcong soldiers. Living off government pensions most of them just live as farmers and try and forget the past. And let's just say they DO NOT like Americans. So for the first time in 4 months of traveling I had to lie about where I was from. My guide and I stopped for coffee in a place filled with ex-Vietcong. I'm sure some of them even killed American soldiers. Following the advice of my guide, when asked, I told them I was a student from Canada. I felt a
Silk Loom'
After the workers collect the silk from the worms, off to the loom it goes. little ashamed to lie but it was better to be warmly greeted than told to f-off before I could finish my iced coffee. So that's what it's like sometimes to be from the big, bad ol' USofA. Not everyone likes you. Too bad I wasn't even born when the war happened but these ex-Vietcong soldiers wouldn't really care either way. An American is an American right? We all think alike, look alike, talk alike, love Bush, yada yada yada. But I'm in no position to object. I'm in their country and fully recognize that I should respect the people and their history.
For several days I cruised on back my guide Hieu's old Honda motorcycle. I had a great time seeing the "real" Vietnam as Hieu called it and getting off the beaten tourist track. It was really lovely and if anyone visits Da Lat, go easy riding, sure to have a great time. I just got back to Da Lat and am looking forward to relaxing for a my kind of R&R (reading and relaxation).
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