Easy Riders II

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Elephant crossing the lake

Our second day with Scimitar and Hien was again amazing. After rising to the sound of cockerels and piglets, we ate noodle soup before boarding a boat to cross Lak Lake. The journey to the nearby island was spectacular, with elephants crossing the deep water in front of a mountainous backdrop. Hien was very proud to show us round the island, claiming that no other Easy (or Cheesy) Rider knew of this place. We were taken to a "feeding hole", where the very superstitious villagers fed their dead relatives, for two to three years, through specially designed holes in their tombs! Hien told of how the villagers would be haunted if they let their dead relatives starve. Walking through the village on this island was just how we'd come to picture Vietnam - you never get tired of the women in conical hats working in rice fields. We were allowed into the village Chiefs house where Hien was keen to show us the wooden pillows they still used - this was a bit dubious as there were a few fluffy pillows lying about!

Leaving the village just before noon, we stopped at a couple of weaving classes on our way, where children were taught the traditional customs of the Vietnamese, as so not to lose these traditions through the generations. Driving through the countryside there are constant reminders of the American war, albeit subtle ones. We saw another area that had been destroyed by Agent Orange, as well as a church bombed by the Americans, believed to be sheltering Viet Cong.

Our day was rounded off with a trek through the forest, where we saw three more huge waterfalls, the biggest being Gia Long and Dvay Now. That night we stayed in the nearby "Gia Long Resort", where we played keepy up with the staff there, using a shuttlecock-come-ball, bought by Bex for Dom's birthday. This "game" is massive in Vietnam; you basically have to stand in a circle and kick the shuttlecock up in the air, trying not to drop it! It is extremely hard but we've bought a few more to use when we are back home, so we can become Pros!


The third and final day was a bit rushed as we had to catch the bus to Hoi An at 10.30am, despite this we managed to visit the Ethnic Village Museum, where we got to see pretty much all the stuff we'd seen for real in the countryside, behind glass cases! We also stopped at a nearby bridge that had been bombed by the Viet Cong close to the victory of the Northern forces over the Southern.

It felt like such a shame getting on a cramped minibus, after two days of freedom in the countryside on the back of a motorbike. We'd enjoyed every minute - despite having "Phil Collins - Easy Lover" (Dom) and some song with the lyrics "Burning up the highway" (Bex!) constantly playing in our heads! - Scimitar and Hien made this trip really special and we'd recommend the Easy Rider experience to anyone!

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