Vietnam (+ Cambodia Journey) October 2008

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Hello

This is another of 'our' travel stories. 'Our', being 'us' - Judy & Bruce

It describes our journey from our arrival in HaNoi (in October 2008) to our departure some 6 weeks later from Siem Reap. For us, we wanted to 'do' the tourist circuit from HaNoi, through the north-west, Halong Bay, and south through the tourist 'icon' places. That we had a visa for 4 weeks, but gave ourselves 6 weeks in the region, we decided to head over the border to Cambodia: essentially to view the Angkor ruins

Essentially, we travelled what is called the 'banana pancake route'. This is a derogatory term used for popular travel routes as identified in Lonely Planet. The critics say that that westerners (or should we say 'travellers'😉 have so stuck to the 'banana pancake route' that a whole industry has developed in the cities along these routes, and that the 'banana pancake route' traveller gets very little engagement with locals. After this 'route', we'd generally agree, but the 'route' isn't without enjoyable sights and experiences (thus explaining why Lonely Planet suggested the route). Nevertheless, the criticism is probably valid for those that track the route, don't get out and around, and choose not to go outside the 'banana pancake route' cities to meet and experience locals.

As you might discover if you read on, we write of our travel enjoyment/s after arriving in HaNoi, our 'journey' of discovery (for us) as we bounced around the scenically spectacular north-west. And, the luxurious contrast in Halong Bay. We then describe our trials and tribulations as we moved southwards by train, motorscooter, and in various buses. We also recount our river journey to Cambodia, and the challenging attributes that confronted us in Phnom Penh. The Angkor 'story' is brief. We'd rather tell it by depicting several of our all-too-many photo's: Cheers - Judy + Bruce

As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture,
click it to enlarge.

Ha Noi

We've arrived in HaNoi, in luxuriant greenery, steamy temps, and a raucous hectic streetscape. Wow, it's really a great contrast from the Gold Coast (Australia, where we live), but while we love it, we're not sure how long we could 'live' in this space.

We flew with Air Asia X, and found the experience better than Jetstar. We're not sure whether the Malaysians are as attentive to aircraft maintenance as the Australians are supposed to be (recent disasters at Qantas has certainly opened our eyes!!!!), but with newish aircraft, all seemed well. The food was Malaysian, and yummy, and overall the staff were as good as we'd expect from a low cost carrier (ie, same as, or better than Jetstar).

We arrived at KL in the late afternoon to 30+ temp. Judy felt it was oppressive, I liked it. Being the LCCT (beside KLIA), and largely the domestic terminal, the front end was hectic. But, a shuttle to KLIA ($1) had us then picked up to our hotel. Loved the beer, and peanuts, and quickly got into enjoyment with satay and a seafood laksa.

An early start back to LCCT, saw us herded off to HaNoi. Like Jetstar some years ago, no seat allocation. Thus, when the gates opened, the herd of largely VietNamese nationals stampeded. We'd asked whether the plane was fully booked and were told no, about 60%. So, as we strode to the plane we laughed at the Vietnamese pax (as against the largely conformist Malays) typically with boxes, bags & wot-not thinking the rush would get a good seat. People!!!!

A hotel pick up car greeted us at HaNoi and the driver attempted to negotiate the 35km to the city. While four lanes, the outer lane was for motorcycles, and the inner lane for cars. But, like China, each driver takes risks to get in front of the next car that leaves us shaking our heads. The trip reminded us so much of our car ride from Beijing Airport to the Beijing city, except the highway was instead like a goat track in comparison. And, instead of 120+km/hr, here we were lucky to get to 60km/hr. The driver said he was a bit late for an appointment so would we mind if he sped a bit. We said OK, and giggled as he tried to gain nothing in a traffic jam travelling at an average of about 45km/hr. The similarities to Beijing are the way cars, bikes, pedestrians just go everywhere / anywhere, without any hint of signal as to intended direction (or so it seems to us).

Like the HaNoi airport, the road shows considerable signs of aging. We'd read the freeway from the airport to the city is the best road in Vietnam. Mmmmm... This is the capital, so we're now somewhat frightened as to what might befront us.

After booking into our hotel (good room, cental location), we headed off for a bowl of Pho (noodle soup) and a wander around this hectic place. We also discovered that HaNoi has brilliant coffee. Having a French background, we should have expected it.

A 'quick' trip around the north-west of Vietnam

As strange as it may seem, we've returned to HaNoi and we feel as though we've returned to a sane place. Of course, the paradox is that HaNoi is an immensely crazy place; its just that where we've been was even more crazier.

We'd learnt that the Vietnamese gov't won't allow foreigners to self drive. So, in a bid to see the countryside, we hired a driver and a 4 wheel drive. We left HaNoi last Saturday. When booking, we were told we'd be picked up at 7:30 - we left after 9:00!!! We also asked if we could have a driver that had some English comprehension - he had virtually none!!! "Oh, well" we confided to ourselves, "It'll turn out OK" Mmmmmm!!!!!

The exit from HaNoi was more crazy than could be comprehended. We'd experienced the chaotic traffic of China - where drivers have a sort of rule system (he who is in front, even by a whisker, has right of way) , and Thailand (he who is ignorant can do whatever he likes, even if it is to take a slow moving tractor onto the motorway at right angles to the 100km/hr traffic flow), but the outskirts of HaNoi is just plain incredulous. It's not about speed; few vehicles can get to anything more than about 40k. Rather, it's about the chaotic movement of drivers as they each jostle for that bit of open pavement that appears to possibly give them a fraction of a second advantage. No signals! Just do it!!

To put it into some sort of context, at one stage we got stuck in a traffic jam. OK, what's new!! But here, at a road cross intersection there were 6 cars all facing each other with the corner bumpers just about touching. It appeared each wanted to proceed in a way that the others didn't comprehend. And, because the following car/truck/motorbike drivers were intent on proceeding towards their destination, none would allow any of the 6 to reverse. As our driver went past, it sort of appeared as if the 6 cars were a bit like a roundabout - but because it wasn't formalised, the cars/trucks/motorbikes were going around in all directions with no apparent pattern of flow. Just plain crazy.

After some time, we eventually edged to another 'blockage'; a toll booth. In typical communist manner, the driver edged to the first booth to pay the money and receive the 'ticket', then on to another booth to return the ticket. This double action process has been adopted everywhere. For example, when going to a museum, one must pay the money and take the ticket, then two paces later, pass it on to another. I suppose it keeps people employed. But the additional silliness, is that the person taking the money MUST be supervised by 2 other people in case they might pocket the cash. Clearly, the concept of receipt accounting has yet to reach Vietnam.

After leaving the urban, we sat back to a seemingly pleasant journey along a reasonable (for Vietnam standards) highway. Before long, 4 lanes reduced to a divided 2way road, and then to a 2way 'open' road. The driver decided to take us on an adventure, but without our knowledge. We think he didn't like the 2 way road, so used some back roads. Wow, travelling along VERY narrow back roads past paddy fields and villages (hamlets?), and having to frequently brake to avoid an obstacle - often a truck, but also oddities like rice thrashing, or mortar making, or some other 'domestic' event - was an interesting and unexpected 'adventure'. Through hand signs, and the 'translation' of textbook words, we gained the view that the driver believed the main highway was in an unfit condition for travel. That said, from time to time he'd reconnect with the highway and it appeared great to us. After some 10 hours of driving and through some of the roughest conditions (we felt as though some of the roads hadn't been repaired since the American bombings, some of the potholes were immense), we eventually arrived at a little village called Bac Ha.

Bac Ha

Bac Ha is high in the mountains (900m) and near the border with China. It is also a major hilltribe trading centre.

We'd read that Bac Ha has an amazing Sunday market and though full of anticipation for the unexpected, we really weren't prepared for what lay before us. The main hilltribe (a Vietnam minority) group here are Flower H'Mong, and their clothing is amazingly colourful. Like most markets, this one consisted of clothing, food and animal trade. The animal trade was something else. Elsewhere, animals would be somewhat orderly arranged for sale. Not here! Animals were all over the place - large pigs tied up and lying on the road waiting for a bidder, ponies tied to trees, poultry in cages, etc. etc. No order, the animals were just wherever the seller wanted to place them while he waited for a buyer. But to give a perspective of the 'character', for example one motorbike driver had a small cage with mother goat, and countless kids all squashed inside. Another had a small pig tied up and stuffed into into a hessian bag with only the snout visible; this was to ensure it could be weighed. All this, and more, all over the central town area. The only 'defined' marketplace area was for the dry goods, the buffalo trade, and 'fast food'.

Neither of us were interested in the 'fast food'; buffalo offal (and blood) was being stewed in a giant wok, with both the meat and the liquid holding appeal to the hilltribe people!! But then, we supposed that once anyone had smoked their fill of opium (another 'fast food' treat beside the offal and rice), they'd not be too caring of the diet.

But, this market had a special attribute - the Flower H'Mong brew a potent alcohol that has a wide ranging following. We tried some - whew!! it was pure alcohol - and some!: we felt that methylated spirits is a weaker drop!!! We came away not quite sure whether the pandemonium (to our orderly way of constructing reality) was a result of culture, opium or moonshine. Maybe we are being too rational - it was precisely a result of all three attributes!!!

We left Bac Ha for SaPa - an ex French hilltop retreat (at 1200 metres)! The road from Bac Ha went via Lao Cai (on the Red River, which flows from China's Yunnan Province and then onto HaNoi), before winding back way up to the mountains. After the hilltribe 'experience' we were amazed at the modernity of Loa Cai. We later learnt that when Vietnam entered Cambodia against the Khmer Rouge in 1979, China began hostilities with Vietnam. The Chinese bombarded Lao Cai and surrounding areas such that nothing was left but rubble. So, Lao Cai had to be rebuilt, and to their credit, the Vietnamese have done a good job. But, then, Lao Cai is also the rail border crossing point. Clearly, economic trade facilitates more than politics ever will.

It was strange travelling along the border, knowing that locals could wander across, but not us. The scenery around the area is breathtakingly stunning. The stepped rice paddies, the distant vista's, etc. left us gob-smacked. Every time the driver would turn a corner, there was another equally stunning view.

Perhaps the only drawback was that the use of wood for fuel filled the valleys with hazy smoke - and this stayed all morning till the afternoon breezes carried it away (only to begin later in the day).

Sa Pa

SaPa was delightful. Tourists are encouraged to travel to Lao Cai via the sleeper train, are picked up in buses, and transported to SaPa. Thus, its a tourist town. Even so, the Vietnamese government has been encouraging the hilltribe people to partake in tourism rather than opium (or at least the west has been forcing Vietnam to address the opium matter). The predominant hilltribes in SaPa were Black H'Mong, White H'Mong, Red Dzao, and some Tai. The hilltribe women have been encouraged to 'sell' their handiwork; scarves, pillow cases, etc. In reality, the goods on offer are mass produced in China, and the hilltribe women target tourists to buy these 'handiworks'. The prices are outrageous, but that's the dilemma. These people are really poor - being (1) sidelined by their own culture from the 'progress' of capitalism (even Vietnamese style) and (2) located in a far flung corner of the nation and (3) having cultural ties that are more Chinese than Vietnamese (they are in SE Asia & Vietnam largely because the Han Chinese stole their lands), and (4) a focus of 'ethnotourism': where westerners come to geek and giggle, but do little if anything to engage and understand!!. Do we continue the charade of buying crap at high prices to assist their income, or do something else. We chose the latter. We 'befriended' some Black H'Mong and arranged to visit their hamlet.

As the hilltribe peoples live in the 'rural' areas, they must walk for 2 - 3 hours to get to SaPa to 'sell' their 'handicrafts'. We felt that if we could get a carload of them into the 4WD, we could take them home (a treat) and see 1st hand their situation. The 4WD travelled only about 20 minutes before we all alighted and began walking on dirt track to their village. After 40 minutes along the steep track, we arrived at the hamlet. The 'house' was but 2 rooms, a dirt floor, an open fireplace, and a 2" plastic garden hose type pipe for water (and that was when the creek flowed, much of the year it was a bucket brigade along a steep 5 minute path).

While these villagers sell imported crap, they still wear homespun clothes. The 'traditional' material is hemp (ie. marijuana - grows like a weed everywhere) dyed in indigo (a plant that, when soaked in water, releases a very dark blue colouring). In fact, blue jeans were the French 'fashion' result of using indigo dye, coupled to the American cotton Moleskins. So, all adults have dark blue stained hands. This hemp cloth is used as the base for other fibres to be applied. All their clothes are so so heavy - and the climate is so so hot, and they have to travel up so so many steep hills, etc. Mmmm- karma!

We couldn't get our heads around the fact that these people are ALWAYS happy and cheerful. Very quietly spoken, nearly always with a smile, nothing seems to change their cheerful disposition. AND, DO THEY KNOW HARDSHIP!!!

Our feelings (but especially Judy's heart) were everywhere - here was mum with 4 kids - oldest 12, youngest 8 months and still being breastfed. As soon as mum appeared, the grandmum 'delivered' the youngest for a feed. For Judy, it wasn't the food, it was the lack of bonding time while mum had to go into town to try and supplement the family income. How could 'we' live as we do while these beautiful people not only incur great hardships, but are all smiles ALL of the time. Rather than buy 'artifacts', we left a large donation.

Dien Bien Phu

After SaPa, we headed south-west to Dien Bien Phu (via Lai Chua and Muong Lai). Dien Bien Phu was where the Viet Minh defeated the French in 1954. A little history - the French displaced the Chinese, and while brutal against dissenters they were marginally preferred to the Chinese. During WW2, the US trained Vietnamese to fight the Japanese 'invaders'. But, when the Vietnamese sought US help to establish their own 'nation', the US sided with France and left the Vietnamese to their own fate. The Russians supported the Vietnamese (more in ideology than materially) and so began the Viet Minh. The French had many 'conflicts' with the Viet Minh, and it all came to a head at Dien Bien Phu. Dien Bien Phu is a large valley that was a meeting place for the trade routes from Loas (and onto to India) and China. The French sought to 'hold' Dien Bien Phu to restrict Viet Minh (and communist) activity in the larger region. Ho Chi Minh & General Giap brought in a huge force, through unbelievably rugged terrain (the French controlled the lowland roads). Importantly, the French didn't believe that the Viet Minh could bring in heavy artillery: they did, dismantling the guns and re-assembling them when in position. With US assistance, the French airlifted some 9000 paratroopers for the 'fight'. In the lull before the storm, the Viet Minh dug tunnels under all the Frenc positions, and of importance, under the central (fortified) hill the French used as command headquarters. While the Viet Minh had to deal with the human cost of 'taking' the heavy fortifications, they had an advantage of 'listening' to all the French tactical conversations!!!!

When the 'day' arrived, the Viet Minh opened fire at dusk, and by next morning the French realised they were 'goners'. Even so, with more paratroopers, the battle lasted for many weeks.

But, get this, the French asked the US for assistance to bomb the Viet Minh, but US President Eisenhower ordered that the only assistance the US would supply was atomic bombs. Apparently the US declared that the atomic bomb was the only way to effectively deal with the Viet Minh. Clearly, even facing defeat, France was not going to sacrifice some many thousands of soldiers to US political interests.

The battle raged for several weeks, and concluded the day before the Geneva talks were to start to 'resolve' the SE Asia 'problem'. The French were willing to allow a unified Vietnam, but not so the US.

What also 'got' me was that 15 years later, the US entered Vietnam (in the south) and thought it could 'win' a conflict using conventional military tactics. Looking at the ways in which the Viet Minh (later Viet Cong) undertook tactics, we (US, Australians, NZ, etc) should have known what we were facing. Clearly the American Generals learn nothing from non-US history.

Mau Chai

After Dien Bien Phu, we headed south towards Son La (Green H'Mong, Red H'Mong, and Muong) overnight and on to Mai Chau (via Yen Chau, where the Australins have set up a successful dairy industry).

At Mai Chau, we stayed in a traditional White Tai (stilted) house in the hamlet of Lac. The floor was split bamboo, a thatched roof, and (for us) very basic conditions. But, the people were so, so, friendly. That afternoon and the next day we went walking around the hamlets via the rice paddy 'embankment' paths. We were frequently invited inside the thatched stilted houses for a cup of green tea; we declined all but one as we felt this was largely a gesture of hospitality (as in Oz). But, as we learnt, it was also an opportunity for them to sell their 'artifacts'.

Sadly, but eagerly, we arrived back in HaNoi yesterday. Sadly, to leave the fascinatingly beautiful, mountainous hilltribe area. Eagerly for an end to 4WD travelling, a return to good food, and a decent hotel (and aircon).

Halong Bay

It's extremely hot, and we're back in HaNoi after a sojourn in Halong Bay. We're told that part of the reason for the heat is that there is a typhoon 'brewing' in the area and will dump on HaNoi around Thursday. Given that, we're so glad we got in a trip to Halong Bay.

After our (mis?)adventure in the North-west, fascinating as it was, it was still very base, dusty and hot. Given this, we wanted to spoil ourselves a little.

As we learned when looking at options, and later had reinforced when in the Halong Bay area, there are so many boat operators (each with multiple boats) that one is not short of options. We wanted to opt for an 'out of the way' solution as we heard that it was a very crowded place. We also didn't want to partake of the Cat Ba Island scam (tourists are told "one night on boat, next on Cat Ba island", with pictures of beaches and rainforest, only to discover a mega-hotel situation in a concrete 'jungle'😉. Fortunately we found what we wanted.

As I'm sure you'd know, Halong Bay is a karst (limestone) outcrop. So, like Guilin, the fascination is towards the eroded limestone 'pillars' (sized from 'row' around and a few metres high to kilometres around and dozens of metres high) jutting up from the landscape (here water). Wherever one finds a karst landscape it makes for a dramatic scenery . We'd encountered quite a few karst formations around HaNoi in our travels.

After being picked up by mini-bus from our hotel, we were taken some 3 1/2 hours towards Haiphong (harbour area/city) at the mouth of the Red River delta, to a large provincial city - Halong City. We embarked on a nice wooden junk which for us looked large. But, in comparison with all the other boats in the area, was small. The junk promptly set course for a cave (Hang Dau Go) to join every other Halong Bay tourist in a scramble through well traversed paths. There were dozens of boats moored up, even more at anchor and hundreds of tourists being 'escorted' up the 90 set flight of steps and through the appropriately lit caves. If there hadn't been so many galah's, and the limestone not degraded by every second nong wanting to touch it, the place would have been attractive. We couldn't wait to depart. As well, it was time for lunch; a feast - and indication of what was to come (yuuu-uummmm).

The company in charge of the boat assured us that they had paid a premium to gain single vessel moorings. So, out towards the Gulf of Tonkin we headed. Eventually we moored in isolation surrounded by karst pillars and largely only the sky as a 'distant' canvas. We settled down for a late afternoon of ice cold HaNoi Beer and sunset. Again, the food did not disappoint (the 'cook' was actually a chef)!!! And, Judy really enjoyed some light bright Italian red wine!

On the am, after breakfast (fresh fruits & coffee), we headed for a little fishing village to kayak through aqua waters. In places the limestone karst had been eroded such that there were grotto's, arches, and tunnels. With a guide, we enjoyed large water expanses to intimate little (often enclosed) 'ponds'. Quite surreal.

Once back on the boat, we showered and enjoyed some amber sustenance while the captain motored the boat to a secluded little sandy beach hidden in a small deserted bay. Once there, we went swimming in the warm aquamarine waters. The crew set up a table with 2 chairs under a large spreading shady tree and proceeded to 'set' it with white linen tablecloth, sterling cutlery, polished wood chopsticks, and glasses. We were gobsmacked. At the appropriate time, we were called to be seated, and we were served with BBQ'd prawns, stirfried vege's, and an array of other wonderful food delights. As usual, we finished with the most amazingly red, sweet and juicy watermelon. We were so overstuffed from such wonderful food that all we could do was waddle over the white sand and flop back into the brilliant blue water.

After lunch, the afternoon became a little circuit of swim, climb back onto the boat to lay down on a large white sheeted mattress set out under a large tarpaulin, sip on beer, and in due course return to the water to repeat the process. Oh, we did do something to change the 'routine'. The captain produced a little bamboo boat (more like a very short sided bamboo bathtub) and we rowed out along the karst limestone cliffs to view the local marine life, and listen to the dragons (slow wave action into small caves - crrrrumpah, crrrrumpah, crrrrumpah).

Eventually, the captain indicated that we had to move the boat back to a quiet area. So, we showered and got ready for another spectacular feast. We had to go via the area where the 'hoi-poloi' were moored - what a multitude of boats flock the area. We thanked our choice to go with an operator who had a licence to 'park' in seclusion (we learnt that we were closish to Bai Tu Long Bay, rather than Halong Bay). The am today saw another 'kayak' run before heading back to Halong City for the drive back to HaNoi.

Please don't get envious - we're still pinching ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming. Once in a while it all comes together - and this was one of those times.

Hue

Hue was a ball. History tells us that it is the 'Ancient City' of Vietnam, and was the seat of power from 1740-ish to about 1940something (when the French took over).

There are ancient ruins everywhere, some of which have been repaired by the current administration. After the Vietnamese bombed it, the French had a try, then the Japanese, followed by the Americans. Sadly, there's more ruins than 'replacements'.

Essentially, the Vietnamese built in timber (even emperor palaces) but erected huge tombs in stone (later brick). So, the 'ruins' are really only mausoleums. The opulence displayed in the tombs shows how affluent the 'royalty' was, and by corollary, how poor the peasants.

We decided not to 'do' the tombs thing (in full) and instead hired a bike. While neither of us have ridden a motorbike before, with the traffic it was a 'in the deep-end' learning experience. Judy told me that for the first half hour she just closed her eyes and hoped!

We had decided to travel south along the main highway to Suoi Voi - a natural area. Not long out of Hue, we were accompanied by a Vietnamese lady (Roi) - same age as Jeremy - who asked if she could join us to help learn English. We said OK, but we're not buying or selling today!

Along the way, Roi said we should visit a lake nearby, but it meant a U-turn. Judy & I thought "what the heck!". So, we tried to do a U-Turn. Unfortunately, Judy thought it best if she leaned 'out' from the turn. It made the turning circle huge. I knew I had to stop and try and manouevre by hand, but as I went for the brakes, the engine revved up greatly. Having the brakes on hard, the engine revving and heading towards an abyss really made for some quick thinking!!!

Being a novice, I thought the best thing was to aim at the roadside post. But, in true Vietnamese style, while some 6 inches square and some 900mm above ground, it was only stuck into the ground about 100mm. That went flying, and with the bike careering over the edge, I aimed at the next best thing - a banana plant. Beside the banana plant was a huge green slimy pond!!!

Fortunately we bounced to a stop off the banana plant, and though our hearts were racing ten to the dozen, we were OK. Now just had to get the bike back up the embankment. Fortunately, many Vietnamese came rushing to our aid and we were assisted in getting the bike back on the road.

MMmmmm! what was that about holiday insurance??

Anyway, after a few moments rest, we continued on. We got lost, found our way, got lost again, and eventually found our destination. What a lovely place. Cool, crystal clear water cascading over large boulders. After the oppressive heat, we were just glad to go swimming in the VERY cool water; we were in heaven.

Sadly, all good things must end, so we dried off and headed back to Hue. Roi took us to a Tomb that's off the beaten track and the last one constructed (about 1935). WOW, absolute opulence. Roi then took us back to her house (shed a more apt description) for some tea and the obligatory 'woe is me message'. Her life has been hard, and there have been complications. We felt sad, but we had said 'no sell no buy'. Anyway, we left some money as 'thanks'.

Roi wanted to take us to another place the next day so she took us back to our hotel so that she could meet us the next day. That night we rode around town looking for a meal, and coped well. We were having a ball.

The next day arrived and with Roi we went to some hot springs (not on the tourist map), and though fenced by a Vietnamese entrepenueur (and so an admission charge) it was still enjoyable to jump from a heated pool to a cold pool, etc.

Left there and had lunch at a roadside stall. Relying on an enthusiastic Vietnamese has benefits.

After a visit to another Tomb, Roi took us to her place to have 'peasant' food. It was really YUM!! Small amounts of rice flour, spring onions, pork and shrimp combined and wrapped in banana leaf and steamed. Another was cassava flour (goes into jelly) and shrimp. Pity about the lack of cold beer!

After a while, we headed back to town and again a criused around town for dinner & beer.

Today we rode west to the border with Laos to a place called A Loio. It was the centre of some very intense fighting during the American war (as its called here).

Talk about 'rustic' roads. Very pretty countryside. Pity the gov't is subsidising farmers to destroy native vegetation and replace it with wattle. The wattle is used for woodchip for Chinese papermaking, so other than the farmer getting paid to destroy rainforest, plant, and maintain the monoculture, the ecosystem is on a one way path. What the farmers will do in the future is unknown. The hilly area is a hilltribe area, so they will be the ones most affected.

After a few hours riding, our bums are very sore. Oh, well, enjoyment isn't only pampering. It isn't is it?

Hoi An

With wet weather, we left Hue by bus to Hoi An via Danang. Danang was a large US base during the American war and remnants are still very visible. It's located on China Beach but on a wet day, it certainly looked miserable (at least from a bus).

After booking into the hotel (huge rooms, cheap prices) we went wandering the Hoi An streets in our 'raincoat poncho's'. We bought these on a wet day in HaNoi and they have certainly come in handy along the way. The rain became more and more intense.

After a while, we were walking in ankle deep water. As it was beer time, we really had no option - beer it was!!! (Oh, these decisions are so hard sometimes).

When we we went back to the hotel and looked at the satellite photo's on the pc, we learnt that the 'cause' of the rain was an intense rain depression app. 150km across. Predictions were that it was travelling at 5km/hr and would be in the area for 5 or 6 days. We decided that if that was correct, we'd skip our paid-for accommodation and head for Saigon (HCMC). Fortunately, the next day opened up sunny. Apparently, the 'low' picked up speed overnight and travelled north-west out of our 'domain'.

Given our 'enjoyment' of the motorcycle in Hue, we went and rented another. We headed for some Champa ruins at My Son (pronounced Me Sun).

Champa is the Vietnamese term for the Vedic (Hindu) 'occupation' of parts of Vietnam. The Vedic's also occupied large areas of Java, Cambodia, Thialand and Myanmar. So, this was perhaps the first event of a global type 'empire'

Though old - like from 2nd century to 14th century AD - the French did a lot of archeological studies of the Champa sites. There were 26 sites of considerable interest (and relatively good preservation) until the American Army decided they were a VC stronghold and bombed them. According to Lonely Planet, the bombing hardly affected the actual ruins, so the military went in with choppers and landed engineers there who purposefully destroyed many. The (then) most intact temple was considered to be in better condition than any in Cambodia, Java or Thailand. But, to the Americans it was a VC refuge, so was totally destroyed. There are now only 8 ruin sites left. What makes us bitter towards the US is not only was the destruction in vain, but that when an ancient ediface was blown up in Iran (some 5 or so years ago) it was the US that bleated the loudest.

The valley in which these ruins are located (and this was merely a very religious site of a larger habitation area) has been 'declared' as a UNESCO site so Vietnamese farming is prohibited. Given this it is a lovely lush green valley that has been purposefully planted with trees. For me, the heat, and very high humidity (after the intense rain) was a very intense reminder of my time 40 years ago in southern Vietnam.

Wednesday opened into another sunny day, and we headed for the Danang area. Along the way we 'detoured' to China Beach and had a great swim. When I say 'detoured', one needs to comprehend the 'situation'.

The US had 'secured' the entire length of the beach (some 40km) and inland for about 2 km. There they erected (or had Vietnamese erect) a continuous 6ft high brick wall to keep locals out. When the north over-ran the south, this 'ex military' area wasn't 'home' to Vietnamese; largely because the north wouldn't let 'resettlement' there, and anyway being sandy it was hardly fertile. So, it didn't get resettled.

The Vietnamese Gov't has built a 4 lane divided road parallel to and some 3/4 kilometre from the beach. On the oceanside, they are contracting with big name resort operators - mostly Asian, but some 'round-eye' based - to build resorts. These resort operators get complete access to the beach. They charge 'visitors' some US$10 to make their way to the beach. Where there are no resort developments (yet?), the land lies unused. Thus, it was this unused land that we traversed as an access 'detour'. Much fun trying to ride a bike through sand: bogging and twisting...

After a swim, the intense heat restricted any thoughts of sunbaking, so after getting dry we headed for a roadside 'cafe' for a cool drink. Following this, we headed towards Danang along the beach 'boulevard'.

Near Danang is a large promontary and some 1000 metres high. We saw the road appear to circle the promontory. In fact, we could only see the beginning bit, but it was of a very high standard so we just figured it did. Anyway, as we rode along, we came across evidence of major mud slides, etc., and eventually the road was barricaded. The 'guard' advised that there was no road (still under construction) and we should turn left onto the track. Well, the track turned into a 6 foot wide concrete pathway, which after a short time began rising rapidly. The more we proceeded the more the track got steeper, and overgrown. We thought "he wouldn't have suggested this if it wasn't an access route, and the construction is very good (for Vn standards)". Even so, the overgrowth became more and more intense. Judy was not a happy camper, and I was worrying that if we had to backtrack, the extent of slope coupled to dense vegetation on the track would have made braking virtually impossible. Eventually the track opened up to a normal width road, but still there was little evidence of much use. We were now in dense rain forest (beautiful, but we admired with some trepidation).

After a while, the road got to the top of the hill we were going up, and we entered the cloud zone. Funny to be sweating like mad one minute, then feeling so cold the next. After a while, the road entered an open area with a tall communications tower. "Great", I thought, "the road from here must be the service track and what we'd been on the extension for a future tower". This turned out to be the case. But, we still meandered across the top of the ridge in and out of cloud. Once we'd reckoned on being 'saved', we started to really enjoy the scenery, the absolutely huge and amazingly coloured butterflies, and the birdlife (so absent elsewhere).

From time to time we'd get an opening in the foliage to gain wonderful views of Danang, its river delta, and the beaches on each side of the prom. The ride down was quiet, and greatly enjoyed. Once back 'on the flat', we just cruised back to Hoi An.

The next day opened up wet (again). The night before we'd been befriended by an older Vietnamese who asked us to come and visit his village. By now, we realised this was a ploy to get us to part with our money. But, in any event, we reasoned that if someone wanted to take the time to guide us through a village, then the 'price' may just be worth the experience. Riding through the rain, our poncho raincoats kept us largely dry. The absence of windscreen wipers for our glasses was a bit of a nuisance!

Mr Phoung took us to his (very) rural village and showed us through his house, introduced us to the family and other villagers, those in the market, some elderly that cared for temples, etc., etc... Witnessed 'progress': a villager winnowing rice using a household electric fan. Sure beats tossing & catching! We went back to his house and his wife had cooked us a wonderful lunch.

In our conversation we learnt that in his late teens he was at Uni in Saigon (this area is below the DMZ) and got roped into the army. He made the most of it and spent 2 years becoming an officer. He then spent a year fighting before the north invaded. He was put into a re-education camp for 12 months. The reason it wasn't longer is that his father was a village 'head man' with the VC and his brothers were either with the VC or NVA. On his release, he was allowed to return to live in his village, but was only allowed to undertake labouring work. His brothers were OK to do any work they liked. Being 55, he trained himself to learn English (sort of) and decided that 'guiding' people through his village was more profitable and a lot less strenuous than labouring. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is that we were at a dinner table with ex-VC, North Vietnam Army, Army of sth Vietnam & an ex-Australian Army. All the time, conversations were about the past, but never any recriminations. The Vietnamese appear to have decided just to get on with life. There was much more we learned, but space here restricts.

Today we went to a place called Marble Mountain (in fact five craggy peaks), and walked through the caves. It is close to Danang, and the caves were used by the VC as a hospital, and a lookout over the US base below. Its odd that the VC had a hospital so close to a US base and they didn't know anything (I suppose its not really odd knowing the American way of operating). That said, the historical importance of Marble Mountain is the spiritual aspect, with each craggy peak representing one of the Chinese elements. We came across several 'actors' representing religious symbols: the most engaging being a 'monkey man'.

Nha Trang + beyond

Since our last 'travelogue', we've explored much 'territory', and covered heaps of 'miles'. We'd have liked to have gained access to a pc before now, but we've been going like a 'bat out of hell', or been nowhere near a pc when we did have time.

Our last 'contact' with you was when we were at Hoi An. We left Hoi An for Nha Trang on a night bus. Mmmmm!!! What an experience!!! Would we do it again? Maybe. The price is OK, the quality OK, but the 'hassle' was in our heads! A night bus is a bit like a double decker bus, but the seats are constantly in recline (to almost horizontal) and in effect the bus remains about the same height a Greyhound bus in Oz.

Why were we hesitant? We'd come to the view that the first driving lesson for an aspiring driver is how to use the horn. Everyone constantly uses it. We noticed that many motorcyclists don't have rear vision mirrors - they rely on approaching vehicle drivers to alert them. Thus, our foray into the night bus travel mode was one of trepidation as to how we'd sleep/doze with such 'noise'.

We chose to stop at Nha Trang as that is where the night bus stopped, but we were really intent on getting to Dalat. As the Dalat bus left at 8am, we didn't think much of getting out of a night bus and stepping into a day bus for another 5 hour of travel. Also, Nha Trang appeared to have some great tourist 'interests'.

We 'solved' the 'night bus' matter by each taking a sleeping tablet. We both awoke at dawn sort of rested, but ready for a shower. When we reached Nha Trang at about 7am, we immediately hired a motorcycle and headed for the (pre-booked) hotel. After a shower, and breakfast, we headed for a 'look see'.

Nha Trang is located on a large stretch of alluring ocean, with countless island across the eastern horizon. Given this, the place is home to many 'expats', most having entered business (tourism) to gain an income. The 'mayor' or precinct leader has done a great job keeping the city clean, well paved, and relatively open (ie, not filled with squatter sellers). Thus, it holds great western tourist appeal.

Lonely Planet referred to a Cham temple in Nha Trang that was really well preserved, so we headed for there via a Buddhist temple on a hill with supposedly good views of Nha Trang. The temple was filled with beggars - and tour group members - and the trees blocked the view. The fact of so many beggars suggests it is an organised event.

The Cham towers are a little outside Nha Trang and are in very good condition. The Buddhists or the Vietnamese gov't has done a good job making the area clean and accessible. History suggests that the site was a prayer/temple centre before the Cham - from about 200AD. Originally it was made of timber, but the Cham built the temples around 400AD. Interestingly, the site has been constantly used for prayer ever since. And, has been used by pre-Confucianist's, Confucianist's, Islamist's, Buddhist's, Taoist's, Hinduist's and, for a short time after the Communist's entered the city, Christians. Apparently, the only religion in Vietnam temporally not represented are Cao Daists. We both found it amazing that a site can be constantly in use for 2000 years, and be used as a place of worship by so many religions (albeit over time).

The insides of the temple walls are thickly covered with incense and candle soot. And, though there are signs asking worshiper's not to light candle or incense, most do so without apparent fear. Then again, the monks will sell candles and incense at a price (we assumed they had to live too, or at least pay for their mobile phones)!!!!

Later in the day we headed for a respite from the heat in a mountain stream and rock pool area (Ba Ho falls). This place was some 20km from Nha Trang, and along the highway (before heading inland) we stopped off for a bite to eat. We chose fish porridge - which was great with a cold beer. The track to Ba Ho falls was spartan (to say the least), but great motorcycling fun. At Ba Ho falls, the walk into the falls area was hot and humid, so when we reached the falls swimming area, water was lovely and cool (even icy) compared to the heat.

Back to Nha Trang and an evening meal overlooking Hon Chong Beach (about 2 km north) for a non-western food encounter: great, yummy, wow!. The main 'strip' of Nha Trang is very western, with all the major hotel groups either with new, or building new, multistory 'resort' buildings (to our 'senses', yuk).

To Dalat

We left Nha Trang the next day for the ride up the mountains to Dalat - and what a ride. The bus ground its way up and up, and up and up. For about 2 hours, the bus ground its way at snails pace up a very windy and somewhat narrow road. Eventually we arrived at a plateau and temporarily gained some speed, but not for long. Again, the road went further up and up. After 5 hours, we arrived at Dalat - to a very cool environment. On one hand we felt YES, on another BRRRR!!! About an hour after we arrived, a big thunderstorm and downpour 'arrived' and cooled the place even more. We were both COLD!!! At the time, we were wandering around the place, so had to find refuge in a local 'pub'.

The next day we hired a motorbike and headed 'bush' We were having a ball. We just went to the tourist attractions (that didn't seem to be on the tourbus circuit). With all the hills, sometimes we found ourselves out of town, then back in because the roads all appeared to radiate from town across the ridge tops. By early afternoon, with another thunderstorm sky threatening, we visited a 'crazy house'. The 'owner' holds a PhD in architecture and is besotted with bohemianism and surrealism. She 'designs' her buildings in 2 dimensions - a sort of Gaudi meets Alice-in-Wonderland - then constructs the necessary architectural plans to ensure a physical outcome. Her father was Ho Chi Minh's successor so while the whole structure is 'counter-revolutionary', she's been able to succeed. The only way to describe this place is to say it is truly 'unbelievable'. Corridors run at weird angles (in fact most surfaces do), with openings in odd places, paint colours out of who-knows-what, but together the 'experience' works.

While there, the huge thunderstorm 'broke' and the downpour was incredible. This was a 6 inch an hour storm!! Once over, we again "moto'd" around town. Judy felt like a drink so we stopped at an up-market place for coffee (in Vietnam, Ca Phe). WOW!!!!! We have never experienced coffee like this. It was so smooth, so strong, so velvety creamy, and was almost Mocha but still very rich coffee. We'd heard about coffee from a place called Buon Ma Thuot (on the highland about 100km from Dalat), and now we were tasting it. After this, you can keep your Italian espresso, French latte, etc., this is a world beater. It was just heavenly.

The next day we headed out of town to a place called Elephant Falls (Soui Voi Sa) some 30 km from Dalat. We (again) got lost and found another beautiful place (right off the beaten track). When eventually back in town to 'start again', we decided to have another wonderful coffee. We were torn between touring and coffee drinking. We ripped ourselves away and again ventured forward. This time we got onto the right road and to the nearest 'village'. We'd stopped and checked the map, and were about to start when a Vietnamese "Easy Rider" went past and said "follow me". We did, and visited an incredible 'landscape' - a waterfall in flood conditions. The 'Easy Rider' situation is that some 15 years ago, a few Vietnamese banded together to take tourists to out of the way places on half decent motorbikes and called themselves 'Easy Riders'. Profitability showed the way and there are many copies.

When we got to the waterfall, we started talking to the English couple being taken around. That ensured that the 'Easy Riders' wanted us to join them to make our way the the bottom of the waterfall, a very treacherous journey that we would never have undertaken alone. For whatever reason (but most probably that I gave the 'Easy Riders' a donation as thanks), we were invited to tag along for the remainder of their journey. We went to a silk worm farm, a silk weaving factory, a mushroom growing farm, and a temple. Then, the afternoon thunderstorm 'commenced' so we had a rain soaked journey 'home'. But great fun.

Saigon + beyond

The next day saw us off the Saigon - a 6 hour journey. About an hour out of Dalat, the main fan belt of the bus broke (apparently again), and so we were stranded on the highway (if one is compelled to call it that - more like a back road) while we waited for 'something' to happen. A Vietnamese lady knew a little English, so I was able learn that a replacement bus was to be sent. In time a small 20 seater bus turned up to ferry the 26 or so passengers - supposedly to meet a bigger bus. I finished up in a front seat, Judy was stuck on a bench at the rear. The Vietnamese took it in their stride, the big fat Australian's on the bus whinged (we figured that they'd now be 'experiencing' the Vietnamese "way"). With a 'new' driver that knew no English and the Vietnamese lady, I was able to keep people 'informed': "here is a toilet stop - 15 minutes, here is the lunch stop - 25 minutes, the 'other' bus has been sent to meet a third bus that's broken down so this is our vehicle till Saigon, etc". As it transpired, Judy had a good time interacting with the Europeans, I with the Vietnamese, and well, the other Australians had their own journey.

We stayed only one night at Saigon. We'd decided that after Dalat, the big hectic city might be too much. And, anyway, our Visa's were due to expire. The next day saw us on another bus heading for the Mekong River. We'd booked a boat trip along (up?) the Mekong River to Phnom Penh (Cambodia) as our 'exit' method.



On reflection, we have decided to remove the Cambodian 'leg' of our journey onto another blog. For those interested, go look here .





😊

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Photos

HaNoi Traffic
And, this is NOT peak hour!!

Family travel - HaNoi style
Imagine, new rules mean all adults must wear a helmet. But kids don't count!

Around HaNoi district
Karst feature near Hoa Binh

North East Vietnam
Main Highway!

North East Vietnam
A 'better' road!!!

North East Vietnam
Entry to a village (across a river). Locals use this bridge for motorbikes, small cars and bullock wagons without (apparent) fear!

Bac Ha Market
Nearly everything is for sale!

Bac Ha market
MMmmmm!!

Bac Ha Market
Lunch anyone?

Black H!Mong SaPa
In Cat Cat village, a local H!Mong talks to H!Mong girls visiting from Lao Chai hamlet

Terracing near SaPa
Rustic scenery abounds

Hamlet near SaPa
2 room home, at Lao Chai hamlet, near SaPa

Near SaPa
Threshing rice - baby in tow!

North East Vietnam
Near Dien Bien Phu - corn for Chinese alcohol.

Dien Bien Phu
Hill A1 - this French fortification was undermined by Viet Minh using tunnels to listen!

Ban Lac
Near Mai Chau

Beautiful HaLong Bay
Everywhere is a photo opportunity!

Sunset in Halong Bay
The end to another delightful day

Kayaking in Halang Bay
Through caverns and into bays...

Lunch beside the sea in Halong Bay
Does it get any better than this?

Hue
Perfume River at Hue

The 'Accident'!
Sorry about the post!!!

Suoi Voi, near Hue
Suoi Voi = Elephant Springs: cool & clean

Hue Temple
Many temples are restored...

West of Hue
The countryside 'reeks' of hardship

Hoi An
Vendors seeking custom

Hoi An
Heritage Street

Champa Ruin, My Son
It's not the ruin [i]per se[/i], rather the atmosphere.

China Beach - Danang
A beach without tourism!

Nui Son Tra
Nui Son Tra = Monkey Mountain. From here, everything appeared OK.

View from Nui Son Tra
Looking down on Danang from Monkey Mountain

Marble Mountain
The 'Monkey Man' of Marble Mountain!

Nha Trang
Overlooking the city

Biking it in Vietnam!
Don't laugh, we were enjoying ourselves!!!

Cham towers - Nha Trang
Perhaps the oldest continuous religious edeface in SE Asia

Bo Ha Falls
One of several in the gorge.

Hon Chong Beach - Nha Trang
Great seafood cafe's

Riding up the range
Yes, that's the road down there. And, it's only just a very small part of the long long trip!

Crazy House - Dalat
Yep, it's a window - resting area on an internal walkway, overshadowed by an 'insect' window, while at the same time a giraffe sentinel (also a stairway) watches over. Surreal!!

Dalat
Nestled in the hills, is Dalat

From Dalat to Saigon
Attractive, but no 'highway'