Advertisement
Published: December 29th 2007
Happy Holidays to all!
Those who have known me for years as the uber organized planner who's always planning are going to truly love this one.
Although sad to be saying goodbye to Sydney, I packed up my gear in eager anticipation for the adventure that awaited me in Vietnam. I would be meeting up with old friends from Boulder, Jenna, who happens to be a Sydneysider now too and Ryan who is an established resident of Ho Chi Minh and therefore the official tour guide for the first leg of the journey. Jenna departed Sydney a few days before me so they awaited my arrival so we could embark on a journey to the east coast beaches. At least, this was the plan...
I stepped up to the Singapore Airlines check-in desk and handed over my passport. As the woman flipped through the pages she said, "Where's your visa for Vietnam?" "Uh, visa? I was told i could get one upon arrival in Saigon." Not so much. After a well-timed nervous breakdown and a few unexpected tears I made the decision to get on my flight (i mean I was on the acclaimed A380 after all) and
Phan Thien - The Boy Scouts
Local boys patrolling the beach at our resort.at least get to Singapore. From there it was just a big unknown. Thanks to the help of three men in three different countries - Simon in Australia, Dad in Thailand and Ryan in Vietnam, I arrived to discover that I would indeed have to stay over in Singapore and head to the Vietnamese Embassy to beg for an expedited visa. I was told simply that lots of American $$$ and the proclamation of a life-threatening emergency would be helpful in this process. I had to surrender my connecting flight to Vietnam (i will leave out the explicit arguments that led to this and to the refusal of Jetstar to give me credit for this flight), find a place to stay and put into effect a contingency plan for how in the world I was going to get to Saigon once I got the visa, which mind you could be anywhere from 3 hours to 5 days according to the authorities. The men in my life continued to furiously help with this dilemma and thanks to Ryan and his girlfriend, Thi, they managed to get me a letter from the Vietnamese Embassy granting permission into the country. Now I just
Jenna & Ryan
It was a gradual entry to Vietnam with poolside cocktails and afternoon massages! had to wait for this letter to be completed and faxed to Singapore. I had been told this would likely take a day, so I excitedly made plans to fly out the following afternoon and did my best to enjoy my evening in Singapore. I woke up the next morning and literally stared at my blackberry for 4 hours straight waiting for the email confirmation that the letter was on its way. I was putting off purchasing my ticket until the last possible moment (two hours before the flight left) since it would be nonrefundable and nontransferable once issued. By 10:10AM the email still hadn't come so I took my chances and headed to the airport to buy the ticket...I had 30 minutes to spare. My taxi driver took his "step on it" instructions very seriously and had me there in 15 minutes which was less than 1/2 the time I had been told it would take. I held my breath as they ran my credit card at the ticket counter, still with no visa letter. While I was sweating bullets in Singapore, Ryan and Thi were doing the same in Saigon, frantically trying to get the office to fax
Dalat Countryside
Views of the rice fields and other local agriculture around Dalat. me the letter in the 15 minutes that remained before they closed check-in for the flight. With 11 minutes remaining the fax was received ...one slight problem, the letter stipulated entry on December 5th. Oh did i mention? It was December 4th! So I got a second unplanned night in Singapore and with much ado and anticipation got on the flight to Ho Chi Minh the next day. The saga wasn't over however and after arriving in the airport it still required $50 AUD and the promise of my first born to an immigration officer to get me into the country. With a start like this, I knew this was sure to be a memorable adventure.
While I was supposed to have a couple of days exploring Ho Chi Minh, the untimely visa issue meant I had a mere 12 hours before our train departed for Phan Thiet. My first impression of HCM city went something like this, motorbikes, more motorbikes and sh*t i am going to be killed by a motorbike. As most of you know I have spent my fare share of time in Asia, but HCM puts all other cities to shame with their use of
this crafty little vehicle. The bikes with 5 family members complete with newborn baby and household pet are all over the roads, but it's the things they carry on them that really raise your eyebrows. I think my favorite was a refrigerator. Just think of hopping on a scooter and propping your kenmore on the seat behind you with only your right hand to hold it in place...not exactly your everyday moving service.
After my brief stay in HCM, Jenna, Ryan, Thi and myself hopped the train the Phan Thiet where we enjoyed 2 glorious days basking in the sun on this lovely little beach about 200 km northeast of the city. It was the "splurge" part of our trip which we suspected may have been poorly wasted at the beginning, but what can you do?
After adding a shade to our tans, Jenna and I sadly bid farewell to our two friends and headed for Dalat. Upon arriving in Dalat we looked around a little confused. It seemed that somehow our bus had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the French Alps. We were assured however that we were in Vietnam. Dalat is a lovely
Trace & Jenna
Before the unexpected tea ceremony, spiritual journey and meditation. little mountain town where the weather tends to be cooler, necessitating the use of a hoodie, i repeat a hoodie. The locals however seemed to be experiencing a different climate as every man, woman and child was wearing not only parkas, but ski pants, scarves, mittens, woolies...the works. Perhaps the Vietnamese also thought they were in the French Alps? The Eiffel Tower replica that stood in the middle of the town didn't exactly help the confusion.
We had been told that the thing to do in Dalat was seek out an Easy Rider tour guide and go strolling through the area on the back of a motorbike. Why not? We easily found a driver named Vu who spoke impeccable English and promised to pick us up with a second driver the following morning. Turns out the second driver was also Vu so we set off on this lovely Sunday morning with Double Vu in anticipation of what the countryside would reveal. 33 different minority ethnic tribes live in the hills surrounding Dalat and thanks to the Vus we were able to get a good taste of such communities. Although many have abandoned farming for selling such novelties as the
Tracy & Vu on the Road
This was my home for 5 days! I miss it already! "Starf*cks Fo Free" jumper we found in a local market, the traditions of both silk and cotton weaving are very much in practice and the resulting scarves, table clothes, clothing, etc. are stunning. You will soon see as I bought you all one for Christmas.
After a visit to the Lat Village, we headed to the Elephant Falls, impressive curved falls that cascade into a gurgling creek below. Unfortunately the water wasn't the only thing falling...i took my own nasty spill while navigating the hazardous path at the base and weeks later still have the bruises and scabs to prove it. Somethings never change for old Tracybird.
As we sat with our drivers eating lunch and overlooking endless rice fields I had a thought and asked the Vu's what their plans were for the next 5 days. Turns out they had none and thus born the planning of a 5 days motorbike tour of Vietnam's central highlands. Before launching into the amazing tales of our motorbike tour I must make mention of our last evening In Dalat. We excitedly met up with Jenna's friend from Univ. NSW and a few of his hotel mates, one of which had
Travelling Salesman
We stopped on a mountain road so Vu could check out this merchants blanket offerings. Who needs a storefront? been staying in Dalat for a month and basically moved himself into the attic room in the hotel. He generously invited everyone up to his room to enjoy a few beers and thinking nothing of it we happily agreed. Upon arriving at his door however, we found he had rapidly changed from his sweater and jeans into a traditional silk tunic and yogi pants and far from a drinking haven we stepped into a tea ceremony setting complete with new age music and other unknown relics. Being Boulder kids, Jenna and I were able to go along for the ride with little difficulty, but I must admit I was shocked to find that the other guys were able to brave the spiritual evening that ensued. I will not drag my readers through each and every detail but suffice it to say the evening ended with everyone meditating to Hotel California. Definitely one for the record books.
Back to the motorbike tour...I cannot explain how amazing this experience was for us. In my 10 years of backpacking I can't think of a single other travel experience that rivals "easy riding" and would recommend it to absolutely everyone irrespective of age,
health, size, interests...you get the point. I have mapped out our route as I am sure most of you are not familiar with Vietnam, particularly not the unbeaten paths we took. We quickly realized we were getting a tour of this beautiful country that few people get as we went 3 days without seeing a single other western face. As to date there is still no formal company arranging such tours, should you be interested in such an experience please contact me or our drivers directly: vuhoangvu_dl73@yahoo.com or h_vujs@yahoo.com, both are named Vu.
Day 1 we tootled through some villages meeting various locals including a dog that prays while holding incense. I kid you not. See photo below. Around midday we stopped at Dantanla where there is a Vietnamese version of an alpine slide. By Vietnamese I mean there is, from what we could tell, no safety restrictions enforced on the drivers. AKA death is a definite possibility. Unlike the ones I have been on in Colorado, these carts are on tracks that meander down the steep mountain. We were pretty sure that had we not adhered to the "brake" signs that were posted on sharp turns we could
Vietnamese Moving Service
Look close and you will see even the family pet is squashed in there! have had a very different route down the mountain. Alas we survived. Continuing on our path we were introduced to some of what would become common sights along the road. At dusk we drove into our first cattle herd, carefully weaving in and out of 25 cows who seemed completely unconcerned by the motorbikes. As we drove into our destination we turned a corner to find 3 elephants strolling down the road toward us. The concept of a traffic jam was redefined for both of us. Over the next 5 days we had to watch for cars, trucks, motorbikes, tractors, bicycles, children, water buffalo, cows, elephants, dogs, chickens and pigs. After a villager took us for a lovely paddle in a traditional boat in Lak Lake we became acquainted with the exhaustion that would follow each of such days on the bike.
Day 2 began with a climb up Elephant Rock which is basically a giant volcanic rock in the middle of rice fields. I recalled my spill the first day and decided to leave me and my havaiannas about midway while Jenna and Vu#1 hiked to the top. From there we headed toward Buon Ma Thuot stopping from
time to time to learn about the local customs and traditions. When all was said and done we saw first hand virtually every industry that is present in Vietnam. Coffee and rubber are two of Vietnam's primary crops and both kinds of plantations were abundant throughout the countryside. We also learned how to make rice paper, rice noodles, silk from the worm to the finished product, rice wine & black pepper. The day finished with a trek through the stunning Dray Sap & Gia Long falls which although not as large, are Vietnam's own little Niagara.
Day 3 & 4 brought us to the Ho Chi Minh trail which we followed for both days. The landscape is absolutely stunning and one can't help but marvel at the distances this trail covered and the people who risked their lives each time they travelled on it. It crosses steep and variable mountains, often times flooded by heavy rains or socked in with fog. We got a little taste of both and I can say with all certainty that motorbiking in the rain is not a favorite pastime. That said it was all just part of the experience. With stops in two
Rickety Bridge
Although told motorbikes once rode across this bridge, we were barely comfortable walking out far enough on it to take this shot. small towns - Kon Tum and Dak To we got more experience being the tourist attractions for the locals. It never ceases to amaze me that people are so entertained by just staring at us.
Our final day we left the HCM Trail behind and set off for the seaside town of Hoi An. It's the oldest port in Vietnam and known to many as the home of China Beach. Known to me on the other hand as the capital of tailored clothing. I quite literally had a whole new wardrobe designed and made there and start to finish it was all done for me in a mere 20 hours. This was the conclusion of our South Vietnam tour. We sadly said goodbye to the countryside we had become such fans of and prepared ourselves for our journey north. Hopefully you were all looking for a distraction today and therefore didn't mind spending hours reading this novel but I will save North Vietnam for a separate entry. Happy Holidays to all and keep your comments coming...at least so I know a few of you actually read these!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.098s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 8; qc: 54; dbt: 0.0537s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Brooke Faulkner
non-member comment
Hey Trace! I actually do read these, word for word! You are a great writer and I really feel like I'm there with you...in fact I wish i was there with you. What a fun journey you just had. Hope everything is going well for you! Love ya, Brooke