Vietnam 2008 - Day 3: Motorbiking to Ba Be

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[youtube=Ccn5cfoA_E4][youtube=FoUXiwsCf0s]

Today was our first day of the motorbike tour. Ha arrived with another guide - someone with motorbike experience, but the kid didn't look a day over 18 to me. We needed to get helmets, since we didn't want to lug our existing helmets halfway around the world. We also didn't bring our motorcycle jackets, figuring it would be too hot, didn't want to have to pack another suitcase and that we wouldn't be going very fast anyway. Um... more on that later.

I can't exactly remember the bike guide's name. I think it was something like "En-Yu," so for convenience sake, that's what I'll use in the blog. En-Yu had me take a test ride around the block since I'm used to an automatic scooter. These bikes were sort of a scooter-motorcycle hybrid. They were 125 CCs, with a foot shifter, but no clutch. So you just sort of let up on the gas to shift gears. It was easy enough to get the hang of, but then there are no "blocks" in the Old Quarter of Hanoi! It's more like a spider web of skinny streets and back alleys. So... I got lost going around the block. I had no clue where I was. I remember from some Outdoor Life-type article that if you ever get lost in the wilderness, it's best to stay put to get found. So I stayed put and sure enough, eventually En-Yu found me and led me back to the hotel.

We rode our motorbikes without helmets around the corner and down a few streets to a helmet shop. OK. There is dancing in a pit of rattle snakes. Playing Russian Rullette with a 45. Pulling out the yellow wire (or is it the green one?) attached to a time bomb. And riding a motorbike without a helmet on the insanely busy and chaotic streets of Hanoi. All things that chance your life on a roll of the dice. Thanks to good karma we really don't deserve, we made it and quickly purchased the best helmets we could buy - about $15 each.

Ha and En-Yu were riding together on one bike, while Paul and I were instructed to follow on each of our own bikes. I was in the middle and Paul followed me. OK. Trying to follow En-Yu in Hanoi traffic was like trying to follow a raindrop that fell into a pond. He was just GONE. There were billions and trillions of honking vehicles and bikes and dogs and carts and trucks and buses and ahhhhhhhhhh!

But, we somehow managed to catch up to him and blend in with the traffic, curving the round-a-bouts and zipping over a bridge to what I hoped would soon be open rural spaces. No such luck. We were pretty much in white-knuckled riding mayhem for about an hour and a half. But ya know, after the initial shock - I kinda grooved on it. It took constant concentration and it was a thrill every time I passed a vehicle without getting hit or crashing face first into the street.

We finally made it into a more rural area after riding through the city of Thai Nguyen. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined. Huge, jagged mountains covered in lush foliage surrounded us. Kind of looked like Godzilla had laid down on his belly for a nap with his spiney back plates towering up from the ground. We stopped by a rice field to see how the rice was collected. It's a hard life - entire families, from little children to elderly grandparents work up to their waistlines in water and muck, using a sickle to cut the rice into small bundles that were then carried over to a cart, usually pulled by a small horse or big ox. Or, occasionally, a young kid. It's humbling to think that this is how the majority of rice in the world is harvested - all for less than a buck a bag at the grocery store.

We stopped for lunch around 2 p.m. at a local diner. Ha didn't seem much enamored with the place, but I thought the food was pretty good.

We got back on the round about 3:30 p.m. and rode into the mountains. Lots of fun, but as if the sharp curves weren't enough of a challenge, we had to watch out for carts, geese, people, dogs, etc. as we rounded the bends. It was incredibly beautiful and I wished we could have gone a little slower and made more stops for photos, but it was getting dark.

Yes - getting dark and the headlights on our motorbikes were about as effective as flashlights. It was now getting close to 7 p.m. and we were still about a half hour away from the homestay at Ba Be Lake. I was pretty tired and eager to make a landing. We were going through the 100th small village when I suddenly noticed, too late, that a sandbar was covering the road. I'm not sure if I hit the brakes or just plowed into the sand, but in either case, the bike slid out from under me and I crashed on my left side. It took me a second to register that I'd fallen, then another second or two to realize that I hurt like hell - which was actually a bit of a relief - at least I was THINKING and I could feel everything. I had hit my head on the ground and was very, very thankful for the new helmet. My left forearm was scraped up and bleeding. Note to self - don't be an idiot - when going on a motorbike tour, always always always wear a motorcycle jacket, even if it means an extra suitcase! Next thing I noticed was a sharp pain along my left side and it was hard to take a breath - likely due to a cracked or bruised rib.

Still, it could have been much worse and I was feeling relieved that these were not serious, life-threatening injuries. Of course, that was before En-Yu got some water from one of the villagers to pour over my bleeding arm. Water that who knows how many of the local fauna had used for their own purposes. Still - it was a very kind gesture and both En-Yu and Ha were quick to provide care. As, of course, was Paul. I was embarrassed by the fuss, but hurt too much to protest.

I got on the back of En-Yu's bike and Ha rode mine. We made it to the Ba Be village about 20 minutes later. The homestay was really cool - a stilt house with about 4 rooms for guests. There was a group from France there, so I was able to use one of the three or four French phrases I know - "Bonsoir, como sava? J'ai mal" which I think is close to "good evening, how are you? I'm not well." The bleeding arm was a giveaway.

Paul rinsed my abrasion with warm water (tourist quality) and cleaned it with an anticeptic wipe. Ahhh - refreshing! It was a long night - I had a hard time sleeping with the pain.

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Photos

The Viet Anh Hotel
Nice place. They have a great breakfast spread and friendly staff.

Hanoi streets
Took this photo from the helmet shop.

Isn't he cute?!
Handsome hubby applies sunscreen.

Following the leader
This was harder than it should have been. En-Yu was very friendly, but I don't think he had a whole lot of experience leading a group. I'd follow him around a truck, only to find another vehicle heading right for me.

Getting a bike fixed
En-Yu blew a tire.

Taking a break
Relaxing a minute while En-Yu gets the tire fixed on his bike.

Truck stop
That's what Ha called the place. It was a local eatery. I thought the food was quite tasty. Paul digs in with chopsticks.

Rice kernals
Ha shows Paul how the rice kernals look and feel.

Outstanding in the field
Paul and I hanging out in the rice field. Vacation is GOOD.

Fresh fruit stand
Pomelo and some other fruits. The fruit in Vietnam was fantastic. My favorite was dragon fruit - kind of tastes like watermelon, only not so sweet and full of little crunchy seeds you can eat.

Trying to keep up
En-Yu drove really fast, except in places you would expect, like a highway.

580 channels
Typical Vietnamese thatched roof home with typical sattelite dish.

In the mountains
Isn't this amazing? I loved being up in the mountains. They were like huge, hulking beasts, covered in palm trees and jungle stuff. The mist just made it all more mysterious and beautiful. Sigh.

Vegetation
I'm not in Nebraska anymore...

The bikes
We rode Honda 125s. Mine was a devil machine - the throttle kept getting stuck in second gear and it would shift only when it damn well felt like it, regardless of how hard I hit the shift lever.