The southern tip of Veitnam, southwest of Saigon, is an area known as the Mekong Delta. The countryside of Vietnam here is alive as it is in no other place. This is where the Mekong River finds its way to the sea carving out a throng of islands and little villages and intersting places.
Vinh Long is a nice place to spend a couple of days. The day we arrived we did a boat tour during which a low branch barred our progess and created some excitment and interest in figuring out exactly how to resolve the situation (lifting the branch using leverage over the roof of the boat was the way to go). However, the real attraction of Vinh Long is to get out of the town part and go to the island just off the coast for a homestay. I had previously done one of these in Sapa nearly a month before but this one was different. Our group of seven took up the entire homestay and the people running this one were much warmer. It was truly a family going about their daily business with the extra responsibilities of tending to our needs. We rented bikes and motorbikes (I had a bike) and spent most of the day riding and getting lost. The way it worked out, I ended up riding with the only person in the group who spoke almost no English so during our brakes from riding in conversation that consisted mostly of pointing in the direction and very simple English (point forward and ask "Yes?" then point backward and ask "Yes?" means "Do you want to continue going forward or would you prefer to turn around and go back?") It worked well enough and I had a good time and I found out later, through a translator, that so did my partner.
After the night at the homestay the group of seven returned to the main part of Vinh Long where we parted ways. The six of them need to get back to Ho Chi Minh City to catch a flight back to China and I needed to figure out how to get to Chau Doc so that I could make my way into Cambodia. After our good-byes I, once again, ventured off on my own.
Chau Doc is not much of place though it is a major tourist point because it serves as an in-between for travelers between Cambodia and Vietnam. The main attraction, the sacred Sam Mountain, is 5km (3.4 miles) outside the city center and why it is sacred I have no idea. The views are supposedly excellent but I could see anything not because of the weather but because the at the peak the edges of the mountain are so full of shops and carnival games that you cannot see much of anything.
No harm done, however, as I, like most travellers, am just using this as a launching off point to another destination.
19 February 2010
Dalat, Vietnam
I try to avoid quoting Lonley Planet in this blog but sometimes it just does a better job than I can and "bizzaro Vietnam" could not be better descriptor of Dalat. The air is cool, the land is hilly, the town is spread out but not huge, the architecture still retains much French influence, and foreigners are harrassed considerably less.
Quy Nhon remains my favorite place in Vietnam but if I had to live somewhere in Vietnam, Dalat would be the place.
The combination of the hills and the spread-out nature of Dalat lends itself nicely to renting motorbikes and we indulged. Dalat itself is a pretty good place but the surrounding area is where the real beauty is. Lakes, waterfalls, picturesque scenery, evergreen forests, hidden beaches with plenty of hammocks. Just riding and looking around was the best part.
Side note: The prevalence of hammocks in central and southern Veitnam is one of my favorite things about it. They are every where. While waiting for customers people sit/rest/sleep in hammocks in their store. At places that serve beverages along a walking path or a beach chairs are often replaced by hammocks. Never in my life have I seen more hammocks including the time I was in the hammock complex on third in the hammock district.
While in Dalat I had my birthday which this year coincided with Tet, the Veitnamese New Year, and the biggest and most important and popular holiday of the year and of course especially this year because it was my birthday and I was in town. Fireworks aplenty. Lots of fun to be had. Everybody celebrating and happy and excited. Certainly a memorable birthday.
Quy Nhon remains my favorite place in Vietnam but if I had to live somewhere in Vietnam, Dalat would be the place.
The combination of the hills and the spread-out nature of Dalat lends itself nicely to renting motorbikes and we indulged. Dalat itself is a pretty good place but the surrounding area is where the real beauty is. Lakes, waterfalls, picturesque scenery, evergreen forests, hidden beaches with plenty of hammocks. Just riding and looking around was the best part.
Side note: The prevalence of hammocks in central and southern Veitnam is one of my favorite things about it. They are every where. While waiting for customers people sit/rest/sleep in hammocks in their store. At places that serve beverages along a walking path or a beach chairs are often replaced by hammocks. Never in my life have I seen more hammocks including the time I was in the hammock complex on third in the hammock district.
While in Dalat I had my birthday which this year coincided with Tet, the Veitnamese New Year, and the biggest and most important and popular holiday of the year and of course especially this year because it was my birthday and I was in town. Fireworks aplenty. Lots of fun to be had. Everybody celebrating and happy and excited. Certainly a memorable birthday.
Mui Ne, Vietnam
An old-school beach town that has been converted into a resort town because of how beautiful its shores are. Fortunately for me, the economy is still slacking and even the Vietnamese are not sure they are still going to have a job next month. (This is a joke that nobody will get so allow me to explain: the unemployment rate in Vietnam is 2% basically always. This is true because the guy who awakes from his nap on his motorbike to yell/offer "motorbike" every three hours is employed. Everybody has a job but jobs often consist of doing nothing and getting paid nothing. Other jobs consist of working 14 hour days every day with two days off a month.) OK, because people are not confident in their inflow of income in the future they are more reluctant to take a vacation, especially one in a resort town and especially when they can go to their hometowns or Hanoi or Saigon (yes, they call Saigon) for Tet (New Year), which at the time was just a couple of days away. So, even though I was in Mui Ne during what is normally the high season the town was way less busy that it could have been.
The first night we pseudo-busted into a resort and swam in the sea in the moonlight. I say "pseudo-busted into" because we bribed the security guard to guide us through the maze of weaving paths that lead to water with a beer. It was memorable and awesome. The water is warm and the beach was completely empty other than us and the beer-drinking security guard who decided to spend some time on the beach as well. We built the Chinese city of Xi'an (which I visited) as it is the home town of one of the people in our late-night swimming session and has walls that are relatively easy to replicate with sand. This being said, our sandy Xi-an devolved into a bowl of noodles complete with chopsticks which made it look like a TV with rabbit ear antennas.
The next morning we returned to the beach and our Xi'an/noodles/TV remained. I guess people liked it.
Mui Ne is one of the best places in the world to kite and wind surf. I was ready to learn how to do at least one (I was leaning toward kite surfing since Mui Ne is particularly famous for it) until I learned it costs about US$300 to get started. This was way out of my price range so I took to jumping waves in the notoriously rough (read: awesome) sea with its large waves and strong ripe tide. Kite surfing is so popular here that several times I was able to count 50 kites in the area; and that at a time when the high season was not so high.
Our hostel was mediocre and the food is overpriced though good. Mui Ne is known for its sand dunes (red/yellow and white) but nobody had the proper footwear (closed-toe shoes, no sandals because the sand is so hot) so we did not go. We rented bicycles and went all over which was good fun. Mui Ne is more of a strip of beach than a town. If you go more than a few blocks off the beach there is almost nothing. The 11-15km (6.8-9.3 miles, depending on the source) is one of the longer beaches in the world and we went on bike to where beach-goers stopped going and there was not a person in site. It was nice and riding my rented bike on the sand/in the water was fun. Then I popped a tire and it was still fun.
The first night we pseudo-busted into a resort and swam in the sea in the moonlight. I say "pseudo-busted into" because we bribed the security guard to guide us through the maze of weaving paths that lead to water with a beer. It was memorable and awesome. The water is warm and the beach was completely empty other than us and the beer-drinking security guard who decided to spend some time on the beach as well. We built the Chinese city of Xi'an (which I visited) as it is the home town of one of the people in our late-night swimming session and has walls that are relatively easy to replicate with sand. This being said, our sandy Xi-an devolved into a bowl of noodles complete with chopsticks which made it look like a TV with rabbit ear antennas.
The next morning we returned to the beach and our Xi'an/noodles/TV remained. I guess people liked it.
Mui Ne is one of the best places in the world to kite and wind surf. I was ready to learn how to do at least one (I was leaning toward kite surfing since Mui Ne is particularly famous for it) until I learned it costs about US$300 to get started. This was way out of my price range so I took to jumping waves in the notoriously rough (read: awesome) sea with its large waves and strong ripe tide. Kite surfing is so popular here that several times I was able to count 50 kites in the area; and that at a time when the high season was not so high.
Our hostel was mediocre and the food is overpriced though good. Mui Ne is known for its sand dunes (red/yellow and white) but nobody had the proper footwear (closed-toe shoes, no sandals because the sand is so hot) so we did not go. We rented bicycles and went all over which was good fun. Mui Ne is more of a strip of beach than a town. If you go more than a few blocks off the beach there is almost nothing. The 11-15km (6.8-9.3 miles, depending on the source) is one of the longer beaches in the world and we went on bike to where beach-goers stopped going and there was not a person in site. It was nice and riding my rented bike on the sand/in the water was fun. Then I popped a tire and it was still fun.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (also called HCMC and still called Saigon)
Meh.
Several people Rachael knows from teaching English in China met up with her in HCMC and I stuck around as well. So, while in Vietnam, what was originally me travelling alone, became a group of two or three on and off, and was suddenly a group of seven. A group this big changes the dynamics of travelling. It is difficult to explain (decisions are made differently, people have pre-existing relationships, people have different wants about where to go, when to eat, how much to spend, etc). Also, while Rachael and I got to know each other decently over the previous 3ish weeks, she had known three of three of these people for the entire year she had spent in China and the other two for the last six months. They all knew each other better than I knew any of them and they all spoke varying levels of Chinese (from native speaker to slightly above my level of none). The group dynamics were weird and I often felt out of place. That said, I still had a wonderful time with them and was happy to meet them. I spent the rest of my time in Vietnam, except for the last destination, with this group.
In Vietnam, HCMC is highly regarded for its food, both quality and variety. I am not much of a foodie so this was almost completely lost on me. To me the food was no better or worse than any other place I went in Vietnam and though it is more varied that is expected from a huge city.
The War Remnants Museum is terrifying. While slightly anti-American, it is mostly pretty fair and keeps natural prejudices in check. Some of the photographs on display and exhibits will haunt my dreams. I rushed through it so that it would end sooner. The most horrifying thing was actually not something from the war era, it was pictures made recently by Vietnamese kids aged 8-13 (or something). I am not going to say much but I will say this: if those kids were in America and drew those pictures there is no doubt they would be sent to a psychologist and their parents questioned by Child Protective Services.
Reunification Palace was actually pretty good. Nothing outstanding but worth a visit if you are there. Plenty of statues of Ho Chi Minh, or as he is often called "Uncle Ho." (That makes me laugh.) The city is huge and very spread out. I really only explored what is called District 1, which is the "main" district, especially for tourists. I sure I missed some stuff but I do not think I missed much.
Yeah, that is pretty much it. As I said, meh.
Several people Rachael knows from teaching English in China met up with her in HCMC and I stuck around as well. So, while in Vietnam, what was originally me travelling alone, became a group of two or three on and off, and was suddenly a group of seven. A group this big changes the dynamics of travelling. It is difficult to explain (decisions are made differently, people have pre-existing relationships, people have different wants about where to go, when to eat, how much to spend, etc). Also, while Rachael and I got to know each other decently over the previous 3ish weeks, she had known three of three of these people for the entire year she had spent in China and the other two for the last six months. They all knew each other better than I knew any of them and they all spoke varying levels of Chinese (from native speaker to slightly above my level of none). The group dynamics were weird and I often felt out of place. That said, I still had a wonderful time with them and was happy to meet them. I spent the rest of my time in Vietnam, except for the last destination, with this group.
In Vietnam, HCMC is highly regarded for its food, both quality and variety. I am not much of a foodie so this was almost completely lost on me. To me the food was no better or worse than any other place I went in Vietnam and though it is more varied that is expected from a huge city.
The War Remnants Museum is terrifying. While slightly anti-American, it is mostly pretty fair and keeps natural prejudices in check. Some of the photographs on display and exhibits will haunt my dreams. I rushed through it so that it would end sooner. The most horrifying thing was actually not something from the war era, it was pictures made recently by Vietnamese kids aged 8-13 (or something). I am not going to say much but I will say this: if those kids were in America and drew those pictures there is no doubt they would be sent to a psychologist and their parents questioned by Child Protective Services.
Reunification Palace was actually pretty good. Nothing outstanding but worth a visit if you are there. Plenty of statues of Ho Chi Minh, or as he is often called "Uncle Ho." (That makes me laugh.) The city is huge and very spread out. I really only explored what is called District 1, which is the "main" district, especially for tourists. I sure I missed some stuff but I do not think I missed much.
Yeah, that is pretty much it. As I said, meh.
Quy Nhon, Vietnam
Easily my favorite place in Vietnam.
Racehael and I got semi-scammed on the our transportation here in that the bus let us off about 10km (6.8 miles) from the city center. We sort of hitch-hiked our way to where we wanted to be. I went partially insane during the bus ride to Quy Nhon; I could not focus on anything. I considered, simultaneously, extending my trip to decades instead of years and returning home as soon as possible. I was losing my mind and was in a terrible mood by the time we got off the bus (three hours after we expected to be). I immediately liked the place just out of spite. I do not know how to explain this but it is what happened. I forced myself to like it right away, based on nothing, and besides the fact that I was pissed at everything. It took Rachael it bit longer to come around to liking Quy Nhon but not much longer.
Quy Nhon is one of the less touristy beach towns in Vietnam. In fact, I probably saw about ten foreigners during the two days I spent there. The main beach is stunning but not great for swimming so we went to another beach that, as it turns out, is part of a leper colony. This beach was gorgeous. Getting there on bicycle was one of the physically harder things I have done; 2.7km (about 1.67 miles) on a crap bicycle up a hill that was tilted at about 15 degrees. (Going down was also one of the more dangerous things I have done in my life; calling my bikes brakes shaky would be generous.)
Here I think I got a better feel of what the real Vietnam is. At the very least, a better feel of what the real coastal Vietnam is. There was little to no price inflation for foreigners, meaning everything was cheaper because I was paying the same price as the locals, which, sadly, is not the norm in Vietnam.
Renting a bike and just riding was great. Going through side-streets and little-if-ever-travelled-by-tourists-allies was an experience.
To top it off, there is a statue of some guy flicking off China. This alone is enough to make Quy Nhon awesome. Seriously. There is a statue of somebody flicking off a country. I could not figure out how to get close enough to it to take a picture myself. I know you have to take a boat to get there but I could not find any such boat. I took pictures from a distance but you can only see the statue as a whole and not the intersting portion of it (the outstretched hand, of course).
Not much of Quy Nhon could be changed for it to be more perfect.
Racehael and I got semi-scammed on the our transportation here in that the bus let us off about 10km (6.8 miles) from the city center. We sort of hitch-hiked our way to where we wanted to be. I went partially insane during the bus ride to Quy Nhon; I could not focus on anything. I considered, simultaneously, extending my trip to decades instead of years and returning home as soon as possible. I was losing my mind and was in a terrible mood by the time we got off the bus (three hours after we expected to be). I immediately liked the place just out of spite. I do not know how to explain this but it is what happened. I forced myself to like it right away, based on nothing, and besides the fact that I was pissed at everything. It took Rachael it bit longer to come around to liking Quy Nhon but not much longer.
Quy Nhon is one of the less touristy beach towns in Vietnam. In fact, I probably saw about ten foreigners during the two days I spent there. The main beach is stunning but not great for swimming so we went to another beach that, as it turns out, is part of a leper colony. This beach was gorgeous. Getting there on bicycle was one of the physically harder things I have done; 2.7km (about 1.67 miles) on a crap bicycle up a hill that was tilted at about 15 degrees. (Going down was also one of the more dangerous things I have done in my life; calling my bikes brakes shaky would be generous.)
Here I think I got a better feel of what the real Vietnam is. At the very least, a better feel of what the real coastal Vietnam is. There was little to no price inflation for foreigners, meaning everything was cheaper because I was paying the same price as the locals, which, sadly, is not the norm in Vietnam.
Renting a bike and just riding was great. Going through side-streets and little-if-ever-travelled-by-tourists-allies was an experience.
To top it off, there is a statue of some guy flicking off China. This alone is enough to make Quy Nhon awesome. Seriously. There is a statue of somebody flicking off a country. I could not figure out how to get close enough to it to take a picture myself. I know you have to take a boat to get there but I could not find any such boat. I took pictures from a distance but you can only see the statue as a whole and not the intersting portion of it (the outstretched hand, of course).
Not much of Quy Nhon could be changed for it to be more perfect.
Hoi An, Vietnam
My affinity for Hoi An makes little sense. I did not see the chief cultural attractions because I had heard too many mixed reviews from other travelers and admission was unjustifiably high. The beaches are nice and good but there are better. One of the main attractions is bespoke clothing (more on this later), which entails a lot of decisions related to clothes (which I hate) and shopping (which I also hate). There are tons of tourists, foreign and domestic alike. (I do not think I have seen a high ratio of white-to-Vietnamese anywhere in Vietnam.) Still, Hoi An is one of my favorite destination in Vietnam and I do not know why. I think it just has a cool and relaxed vibe and is attractive and makes you just enjoy yourself.
Alright, I am going to get this out of the way right now: I did a good deal of shopping in Hoi An. I had three bespoke suits and six dress shirts made for me. I even went through the effort of buying the material seperately from where I had the suits made (cheaper and more fun/less excrutiating). I also had a silk robe made because I thought it would be funny. All this cost US$272. When I bought suits when I was working, I got off the rack suits from Brooks Brothers outlet store on some super sale for US$150 each. The suits I got in Hoi An cost $45, $80, and $81 and were made specifially for me. I must say I am pleased with how they turned out and hope I eventually have an opportunity to make use of them so they do not just sit in a closet.
Another highlight of my time in Hoi An was this little hole-in-wall "bar" we found. I know everybody always says those places are always the best, but this was even more hole-in-the-wall that those places. Calling this place a "bar" is not even accurate. This place was about 10-12 feet wide and 30 feet deep. Beer, the only beverage available, was served out of a keg was was sitting on the floor at the store's front. It was, however, great beer and cost 4000VND (under US$0.25) per glass. We went there on three different occasions. The sole employee knew not only us by face but the bicycles we rented. Every time I went there I had a good time casually (not heavily) drinking and talking to the people I was with and locals that were (heavily) drinking. It was good times all around.
Side note: Vietnamese drinking cultural in entertaining. Like much of Asia, they drink at all hours of the day. They almost never drink in mixed company. In places other than proper bars and clubs, instead of ordering a beer or a drink, they order a case of beer. They put ice in their glasses, which melts quickly not only because the air is warm but because the beer is not refridgerated. There is little talking among a group for extended periods of time but then they will erupt. It is entertaining to watch. It is also entertaining to be part of.
Hoi An is a cool place and one I would certainly be happy returning to. Especially if I need to have more suits made.
Alright, I am going to get this out of the way right now: I did a good deal of shopping in Hoi An. I had three bespoke suits and six dress shirts made for me. I even went through the effort of buying the material seperately from where I had the suits made (cheaper and more fun/less excrutiating). I also had a silk robe made because I thought it would be funny. All this cost US$272. When I bought suits when I was working, I got off the rack suits from Brooks Brothers outlet store on some super sale for US$150 each. The suits I got in Hoi An cost $45, $80, and $81 and were made specifially for me. I must say I am pleased with how they turned out and hope I eventually have an opportunity to make use of them so they do not just sit in a closet.
Another highlight of my time in Hoi An was this little hole-in-wall "bar" we found. I know everybody always says those places are always the best, but this was even more hole-in-the-wall that those places. Calling this place a "bar" is not even accurate. This place was about 10-12 feet wide and 30 feet deep. Beer, the only beverage available, was served out of a keg was was sitting on the floor at the store's front. It was, however, great beer and cost 4000VND (under US$0.25) per glass. We went there on three different occasions. The sole employee knew not only us by face but the bicycles we rented. Every time I went there I had a good time casually (not heavily) drinking and talking to the people I was with and locals that were (heavily) drinking. It was good times all around.
Side note: Vietnamese drinking cultural in entertaining. Like much of Asia, they drink at all hours of the day. They almost never drink in mixed company. In places other than proper bars and clubs, instead of ordering a beer or a drink, they order a case of beer. They put ice in their glasses, which melts quickly not only because the air is warm but because the beer is not refridgerated. There is little talking among a group for extended periods of time but then they will erupt. It is entertaining to watch. It is also entertaining to be part of.
Hoi An is a cool place and one I would certainly be happy returning to. Especially if I need to have more suits made.
Hue, Vietnam
The main attractions of Hue are the Perfume River and the Citadel and its Imperial Palace. The Perfume River was nothing special and almost was just an obstacle to getting to where you wanted to go. The Citadel is a good place to just ride a bike
around. In fact, doing this was the best part of my time in Hue. Going through tiny villages and getting a glimpse at how the Vietnamese that do not cater to tourists spend their daily lives was rewarding and interesting. The Imperial Palace was pretty
disappointing. Everything looked very new and we (Rachael, myself, and a guy we met on the train from Alaska named David) could not figure out why. That is, until we walked a little further and saw the enormous restoration project that was underway. Everything, literally, I think, in the Imerpial Palace was being restored, ruining its authenticity and charisma and causing things to look fake and unappealing.
I liked Hue more than that paragraph would make you think. This is true almost entirely because of the bike ride around the citadel. Hue is not a bad place, just the main attractions are not so major or are being made less major.
around. In fact, doing this was the best part of my time in Hue. Going through tiny villages and getting a glimpse at how the Vietnamese that do not cater to tourists spend their daily lives was rewarding and interesting. The Imperial Palace was pretty
disappointing. Everything looked very new and we (Rachael, myself, and a guy we met on the train from Alaska named David) could not figure out why. That is, until we walked a little further and saw the enormous restoration project that was underway. Everything, literally, I think, in the Imerpial Palace was being restored, ruining its authenticity and charisma and causing things to look fake and unappealing.
I liked Hue more than that paragraph would make you think. This is true almost entirely because of the bike ride around the citadel. Hue is not a bad place, just the main attractions are not so major or are being made less major.
Halong Bay, Vietnam
The Bay of Descending Dragons, as it translates to, is considered one of the most beautiful places in Vietnam. It is famous for its rock formations, which are the same as the ones I lived among when I was in Yangshuo, China, except that in Halong Bay they are set in water. Unfortunately for me, however, with trips to Halong Bay you get what you pay for so going there on a budget means you do not get everything you want. The trip I decided to do (again with Rachael and Tim) was for US$53, which is not the least expensive you can get but it is close. Most trip are in the US$80-120 range. I enjoyed Halong Bay OK but I know there is much more to be enjoyed and do that I did not. Given that, I still went kayaking, spent a night on a boat ("I'm on a boat!"), ate plenty of fresh seafood, some decent hiking, explored some caves, and played soccer with some locals. It was fine, just not great, but I knew this was going to be the case before the trip even started.
Sapa, Vietnam
From Hanoi I went with a couple people people I met in my hostel of Sapa, which is close to the Vietnam-Chinese boarder. Rachael from Iowa (with whom I would continue to travel with in Vietnam), Tim from Holland, and I took and overnight train to Lao Chi because there is not a direct route to Sapa. The most entertaining part of the bus ride was the Vietnamese guy in our sleeping compartment. His snoring was not especially loud but it sounded like the snoring equivalent of beat-boxing. It reminded me of Rahzel's If Your Mother Only Knew. It was so funny it was not even annoying.
Sapa is probably my second favorite place in Vietnam. It is famous of its rice terrace mountain range and for the various "hill tribes" the remain in the area. The scenery is stunning despite the prevalence of fog the obscured the view and pictures. Walking through the rice terraces is challenging and endlessly fun. Fortunately there are plenty of people from the local hill tribes that are there to lend a helping hand and just ask that you purchase some of their suvouniars when you get to a resting point. The locals providing assistance makes for some humorous situation such as when this 6'4" German guy we met was being helped by a woman that was no younger than 60 and also by a girl that was no older than 10. It is just a funny scene. I decided that I want to do it unassisted because it would be harder and therefore more fun and also so that I could say I did it alone. Also, in truth, falling down is part of the experience and fun and as long as you do not damage your camera there is nothing want negative that can happen other than getting dirty and/or wet. I managed to only fall a few times over the three excursions I went on and caught myself with my hands each time. So, no harm done and lots of fun. I did notice that I any time the woman who was making with me (even though I did not want her to and she was not helping me) complimented my rice-terrace-traversing skills I was considerably more prone to slipping. I attribute this to overconfidence. It was a good time.
Of the two nights that were spent in Sapa one of them was spent at what is called a homestay. It is kind of like hostel but it is basically somebody's house of which part is sectioned off for tourists to sleep in. In other words, it is a more authentic experience though not still completely and truly authentic. The homestay experience was a good one was a nice change.
The other night was spent in a hotel in more of the "city" part of Sapa (meaning not the mountains). During a free afternoon Rachael and I renting bicycles and went to Cat Cat Village. Here I witnessed people going about their daily lives of farming and tending to farm animals, plus the little kids asking for money and my OJ (not sure why they wanted my OJ). Cat Cat too provides some amazing scenery. The highlight of Cat Cat was what appeared to be a house ceased being constructed unfinished. It was on the side of a mountain near the top and allowed for some truly stunning views. The house was nothing but its cement frame so in the places where windows are likely intended instead is nothing but open air. This not only meant there was not glare on the pictures but meant that you could feel the strong winds at occur at that altitude. Very cool place. I kind of want to buy it.
Sapa is probably my second favorite place in Vietnam. It is famous of its rice terrace mountain range and for the various "hill tribes" the remain in the area. The scenery is stunning despite the prevalence of fog the obscured the view and pictures. Walking through the rice terraces is challenging and endlessly fun. Fortunately there are plenty of people from the local hill tribes that are there to lend a helping hand and just ask that you purchase some of their suvouniars when you get to a resting point. The locals providing assistance makes for some humorous situation such as when this 6'4" German guy we met was being helped by a woman that was no younger than 60 and also by a girl that was no older than 10. It is just a funny scene. I decided that I want to do it unassisted because it would be harder and therefore more fun and also so that I could say I did it alone. Also, in truth, falling down is part of the experience and fun and as long as you do not damage your camera there is nothing want negative that can happen other than getting dirty and/or wet. I managed to only fall a few times over the three excursions I went on and caught myself with my hands each time. So, no harm done and lots of fun. I did notice that I any time the woman who was making with me (even though I did not want her to and she was not helping me) complimented my rice-terrace-traversing skills I was considerably more prone to slipping. I attribute this to overconfidence. It was a good time.
Of the two nights that were spent in Sapa one of them was spent at what is called a homestay. It is kind of like hostel but it is basically somebody's house of which part is sectioned off for tourists to sleep in. In other words, it is a more authentic experience though not still completely and truly authentic. The homestay experience was a good one was a nice change.
The other night was spent in a hotel in more of the "city" part of Sapa (meaning not the mountains). During a free afternoon Rachael and I renting bicycles and went to Cat Cat Village. Here I witnessed people going about their daily lives of farming and tending to farm animals, plus the little kids asking for money and my OJ (not sure why they wanted my OJ). Cat Cat too provides some amazing scenery. The highlight of Cat Cat was what appeared to be a house ceased being constructed unfinished. It was on the side of a mountain near the top and allowed for some truly stunning views. The house was nothing but its cement frame so in the places where windows are likely intended instead is nothing but open air. This not only meant there was not glare on the pictures but meant that you could feel the strong winds at occur at that altitude. Very cool place. I kind of want to buy it.
Hanoi, Vietnam
After an, let's go with interesting, bus ride from Nanning, China to Hanoi, Vietnam, I finally arrived at my intended destination. I had been in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan for nearly all of the 90 days of my Chinese visa and it felt weird to be in a completely different place.
What grabs you first about Vietnam is the driving. While still in China I had decided that I was going to buy a motorbike and ride from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City (or HCMC, formerly Saigon) in the south. This is a very common route and buying a motorbike to make the trip is something many backpackers do. After crossing the boarder into Vietnam I almost immediately changed my mind. The driving here is madness. Cairo, Egypt gets close, but in my experience so far this is the craziest I have seen. What makes the driving here more hectic than Cairo is the heterogeneous makeup of the vehicles on the road. In Cairo it is almost all cars. Here there are more motorbikes than anything, but also a ton of bicycles and still plenty of cars. Also, as far as I can tell, there are no laws. Seriously. The only police I have seen in Vietnam are tourist police (basically there to help tourists and keep them in line) and only a few other cops that were literally sleeping.
Hanoi is a cool city with a good vibe. It is compact enough to walk around and, at least when I was there, the weather was pleasant enough that walking was nice. There are a few good museums and a couple of nice lakes and a handful of other attractions. Nothing is outstanding or a must-see, in my opinion, but there is plenty worth seeing. The best thing to do in Hanoi is just roam around exploring the character (and characters) of the city or sitting outside at some "cafe" sipping on some of the world's least expensive beer while people watching.
What grabs you first about Vietnam is the driving. While still in China I had decided that I was going to buy a motorbike and ride from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City (or HCMC, formerly Saigon) in the south. This is a very common route and buying a motorbike to make the trip is something many backpackers do. After crossing the boarder into Vietnam I almost immediately changed my mind. The driving here is madness. Cairo, Egypt gets close, but in my experience so far this is the craziest I have seen. What makes the driving here more hectic than Cairo is the heterogeneous makeup of the vehicles on the road. In Cairo it is almost all cars. Here there are more motorbikes than anything, but also a ton of bicycles and still plenty of cars. Also, as far as I can tell, there are no laws. Seriously. The only police I have seen in Vietnam are tourist police (basically there to help tourists and keep them in line) and only a few other cops that were literally sleeping.
Hanoi is a cool city with a good vibe. It is compact enough to walk around and, at least when I was there, the weather was pleasant enough that walking was nice. There are a few good museums and a couple of nice lakes and a handful of other attractions. Nothing is outstanding or a must-see, in my opinion, but there is plenty worth seeing. The best thing to do in Hanoi is just roam around exploring the character (and characters) of the city or sitting outside at some "cafe" sipping on some of the world's least expensive beer while people watching.
Nanning, China
Nanning is a gateway city to Vietnam. There is even a Vietnamese consulate to get a visa. This is the primary reason most backpackers go there and it was mine as well. In fact, it was one of three things I wanted to accomplish in Nanning. The other two were laundry (successfully completed) and trip planning (unsuccessfully started).
Getting the visa was easy enough and the laundry was probably the cheapest I have seen in China, which was a nice coincidence. The trip planning, however, is a different story. When I decided to not go to Europe and extend my trip much of the months of planning I did before I left the States became useless and I needed to figure out what my new plan was going to be. I have some estimation of it, but I figuring out some minute details, for example when I am going to India and Nepal, in advance will save me lots of money in airfare. So, I wanted (and still want) to figure that out.
The reason Nanning has a Vietnamese consulate is to attract travelers. (That is complete speculation. I have no idea if it is true but I would bet that it is 100% true.) In other words, few people go to Nanning for Nanning. The city is OK; it is known by its inhabitants as the "green city" because there are so many trees. While there are a lot of trees, there is also a lot of non-trees and gray. The park is subpar and the markets are nowhere near as intersting as other markets in China.
To be honest, the my favorite part of Nanning was this Muslim restuarant that was near the hostel I was staying at. So far when travelling I try to eat at a variety of places and eat different dishes as often as I can. This was not the case in Nanning. I think I had two meals during the four nights that I was in Nanning that was not from this Muslim place. It was great. Among the best food I had in China. I never got the same thing twice and every dish was at least good, often really good, and several times great. Two of the dishes I had are probably among the top five meals I have during the entire time I was in China. I made sure that the bus I was taking to Hanoi, Vietnam departed from Nanning at a time that was condusive to me getting one last meal from this place. It was so good that I have spent an entire paragraph writing about it.
Getting the visa was easy enough and the laundry was probably the cheapest I have seen in China, which was a nice coincidence. The trip planning, however, is a different story. When I decided to not go to Europe and extend my trip much of the months of planning I did before I left the States became useless and I needed to figure out what my new plan was going to be. I have some estimation of it, but I figuring out some minute details, for example when I am going to India and Nepal, in advance will save me lots of money in airfare. So, I wanted (and still want) to figure that out.
The reason Nanning has a Vietnamese consulate is to attract travelers. (That is complete speculation. I have no idea if it is true but I would bet that it is 100% true.) In other words, few people go to Nanning for Nanning. The city is OK; it is known by its inhabitants as the "green city" because there are so many trees. While there are a lot of trees, there is also a lot of non-trees and gray. The park is subpar and the markets are nowhere near as intersting as other markets in China.
To be honest, the my favorite part of Nanning was this Muslim restuarant that was near the hostel I was staying at. So far when travelling I try to eat at a variety of places and eat different dishes as often as I can. This was not the case in Nanning. I think I had two meals during the four nights that I was in Nanning that was not from this Muslim place. It was great. Among the best food I had in China. I never got the same thing twice and every dish was at least good, often really good, and several times great. Two of the dishes I had are probably among the top five meals I have during the entire time I was in China. I made sure that the bus I was taking to Hanoi, Vietnam departed from Nanning at a time that was condusive to me getting one last meal from this place. It was so good that I have spent an entire paragraph writing about it.
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