Around

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Damned and blasted all my witty observation on my last two days got lost in cyber space, again.

Anyway here goes.

I arrived in Hanoi, rather worse for wear due to the Vietnamese sized sleeping accommodations on the bus.

My bike was ship shape but very empty of petrol. got to figure , not a very good idea to have 5 litres or so of petrol sloshing about downstairs in case of an accident.

I met up with my Czech friend Kryztof and spent a nice afternoon and a slightly wettish evening with him.

It did not rain.

The Hanoi I remember from 1983 is no more, it’s not a grey little village bereft of foreigners and colour as it used to be, now it’s according to the tourist info a vibrant city with a bustling life, they’re not lying.

Cars, motorbikes and shops and people all over and under and around you, its. packed.

I got my customary , favourite breakfast, noodle soup, what else. from a lady on the pave meant who brought her whole business in two baskets carried on a bamboo yoke.

Three kinds of of noodles and if you want, mystery meat.

I don’t ever have the mystery meat.

The next day saw in Ninh Binh a town about 100 km or so from Hanoi , famous for it’s Karst formations, limestone formations that just stick out of the plain, no foot hills no nothing, they’re there in your face and equally fast they're gone.

It’s very beautiful and a pleasure to ride around especially having your own wheels so that you can go on the small back roads where no tourist buses venture,

The first night was spent in hotel with hard a cold beds and it was not even the cheapest.

What was really bad was that they had a cat on a leash in the reception who started to wail and scream like a banshee at 5.30 in the morning, intercourse them and may the cat end up on a skewer.

The next day was spent riding around and enjoying the rocks and nature.

I found a new hotel. more upmarket, no cats and two bananas, for free in my room.

A extra duvet kept me above freezing.

It takes a long time to warm up a bed if you’re cold to star with, metal position to start with and then gradually you stretch out as the mattress gets warmed up by body heat..

Believe it or not it’s to cold to drink beer, at least for me.

The next day I went to Mai Chau some 150 km north of Ninh BInh, it only took 5hrs. the USB charger that provides electrickery to the phone also used as a GPS shat it's bed again, I bought a new one and had it installed the Vietnamese way, quick and dirty.

The bike rental company has made a very sloppy installation of a Usb port one the bike mine has broken down twice due to a crappy installation and probably the cheapest charger available.

It’s not only the lack of GPS that fucks up your trip but also the camera’s gone.

Man Chau has a magna cum laude tourist trap with home stays/ shops in wood houses on stilts where you sleep on the floor, no thanks.

I must look like a big black gorilla shagging a dachshund riding this little motorbike.

Hence I need some creature comforts after a long days riding aka a soft bed and I will not sleep on some dingy bed on a bamboo floor.

Riding past the rice paddy fields seeing people plant each and every plant , bent over the whole day with their bare feet in the submerged soil makes me yet again realise what a lucky bastard I am.

A hard days work for me would be a laugh for them.



And they’re at it 365 days a year.

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Photos

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Young rice plants