Goodnight Laos,
Good Morning Vietnam!, Vientiane, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam February 25, 26,27 2012
The bus to Vietnam is a killer. It takes somewhere in the ballpark of 25 to 30 hours; by far the longest I've been on a bus so far. I reckon that if my bankroll was more substantial I would just fly, then I dismiss the thought. You can fly a helicopter to the top of Mt. Everest but then what's the point. Also, I want to save my hard earned cash for something more exciting.
The journey starts in Veng Viang but the bus ride to Vienetiane is pretty uneventful. Most people on the bus have been tubing and partying for the last couple days and everyone attempts to zone out and sleep when the bus starts moving, myself included. In the evening the bus arrives Vientiane where I pick up another bus to Hanoi. I meet couple of Europeans and we chat for awhile. As we make our way to the bus, we realize that we are the only foreigners on the bus. Our seats are all together in the back of the bus. We joke about being discriminated against and how racism is still alive and well. We plot some Rosa Parks style civil disobedience, refusing to sit in the back of the bus. We will not stand for this injustice!
In the end though, we just slowly fall asleep. I wake up at some point in the middle of the night, and realize the bus is stopped somewhere on the side of the road. This turns out to be a good situation because I have to go to the bathroom. Hopefully, I can find a way to open the bus door and sneak out for a bit. Sure enough the door is wide open and I hop out into a dense fog. I'm not sure where we are but assume we are waiting at the border crossing into Vietnam. It doesn't open until the morning. I look down the road and see a long line of buses and cars that have queued up. I do my business and climb back into the bus in a sleepy haze. Maybe this is a dream.
In the morning people on the bus start to stir and our group makes our way out of the bus and into the immigration office, passport in hand. There's a mob of people gathered inside around each window. There's nothing which even remotely resembles a line. We join the mob at the foreign window pushing their way up. People push their way in through the crowd with no regard for the others that have been standing waiting. They act as if it was their god0given right to jump in from of everyone waiting; no one else seems to care. Odd. We of course, start to get angry after the 4th or 5th person does this and respond with a liberal use of our elbows. It doesn't work. We later find out that if you put a moderate amount of money in the passport (a bribe), push through the crowd, and and deposit your passport at the window you get preferential treatment. These are things you learn.
After a series of other hoops, we get back on the bus and continue on in Vietnam. We arrive at the bus station at night and are greeted by a couple taxi cabs. They all have meters which we decide is a nice surprise. We hop in two cabs and head off to the hostel. We notice that our meter is rapidly going up like a progressive slot machine in a casino. And just like being in a casino, we are losing money rapidly. Our meter is rigged! We discuss telling he driver to pull over and let us out, but we are in an industrial-looking part of town so we decide against it. We talk openly in the cab about being ripped off, and the driver almost imperceptibly cracks a smile. He doesn't speak any more English the rest of the trip. We arrive at our hostel and pay the driver expecting some change. He plays dumb and drives away. It's almost comical at this point and we laugh because it's better than getting angry. The other cab fared worse. Thank god I didn't take a plane. ;)
In the hostel we tap our much needed beers together: "To having a good time in Vietnam" Cheers.
The Bay Of Dragons, Halong Bay, February 28,29 2012
I reckon the best way to experience Halong Bay is to cruise around on a boat for a couple days. It turns out to be a good decision. The boat only holds about 15 people so everyone becomes friends quickly. The bay itself is a series of limestone outcrops. There are thousands of them jetting out from the bay. It's quite a sight.
People in the Hills, Sapa, March 1,2 2012
I take the train north to a small town called Sapa. It's near the border with China. I stay in a train car with three people from Malaysia traveling in Vietnam. Their English is good and we talk for hours about my trip to Malaysia, their government, life. They are particularly interested in my stint at the Buddhist monastery in Thailand. We arrive in the morning to a frigid fog. It's winter time in the hills!
I plan to do some trekking outside the town to visit some small tribal villages outside of town. I hire a local guide. Some things to note:
Back in Hanoi after the trip to Halong Bay and Sapa, I take a tour of Hanoi and outlying areas.
The bus to Vietnam is a killer. It takes somewhere in the ballpark of 25 to 30 hours; by far the longest I've been on a bus so far. I reckon that if my bankroll was more substantial I would just fly, then I dismiss the thought. You can fly a helicopter to the top of Mt. Everest but then what's the point. Also, I want to save my hard earned cash for something more exciting.
The journey starts in Veng Viang but the bus ride to Vienetiane is pretty uneventful. Most people on the bus have been tubing and partying for the last couple days and everyone attempts to zone out and sleep when the bus starts moving, myself included. In the evening the bus arrives Vientiane where I pick up another bus to Hanoi. I meet couple of Europeans and we chat for awhile. As we make our way to the bus, we realize that we are the only foreigners on the bus. Our seats are all together in the back of the bus. We joke about being discriminated against and how racism is still alive and well. We plot some Rosa Parks style civil disobedience, refusing to sit in the back of the bus. We will not stand for this injustice!
In the end though, we just slowly fall asleep. I wake up at some point in the middle of the night, and realize the bus is stopped somewhere on the side of the road. This turns out to be a good situation because I have to go to the bathroom. Hopefully, I can find a way to open the bus door and sneak out for a bit. Sure enough the door is wide open and I hop out into a dense fog. I'm not sure where we are but assume we are waiting at the border crossing into Vietnam. It doesn't open until the morning. I look down the road and see a long line of buses and cars that have queued up. I do my business and climb back into the bus in a sleepy haze. Maybe this is a dream.
In the morning people on the bus start to stir and our group makes our way out of the bus and into the immigration office, passport in hand. There's a mob of people gathered inside around each window. There's nothing which even remotely resembles a line. We join the mob at the foreign window pushing their way up. People push their way in through the crowd with no regard for the others that have been standing waiting. They act as if it was their god0given right to jump in from of everyone waiting; no one else seems to care. Odd. We of course, start to get angry after the 4th or 5th person does this and respond with a liberal use of our elbows. It doesn't work. We later find out that if you put a moderate amount of money in the passport (a bribe), push through the crowd, and and deposit your passport at the window you get preferential treatment. These are things you learn.
After a series of other hoops, we get back on the bus and continue on in Vietnam. We arrive at the bus station at night and are greeted by a couple taxi cabs. They all have meters which we decide is a nice surprise. We hop in two cabs and head off to the hostel. We notice that our meter is rapidly going up like a progressive slot machine in a casino. And just like being in a casino, we are losing money rapidly. Our meter is rigged! We discuss telling he driver to pull over and let us out, but we are in an industrial-looking part of town so we decide against it. We talk openly in the cab about being ripped off, and the driver almost imperceptibly cracks a smile. He doesn't speak any more English the rest of the trip. We arrive at our hostel and pay the driver expecting some change. He plays dumb and drives away. It's almost comical at this point and we laugh because it's better than getting angry. The other cab fared worse. Thank god I didn't take a plane. ;)
In the hostel we tap our much needed beers together: "To having a good time in Vietnam" Cheers.
The Bay Of Dragons, Halong Bay, February 28,29 2012
I reckon the best way to experience Halong Bay is to cruise around on a boat for a couple days. It turns out to be a good decision. The boat only holds about 15 people so everyone becomes friends quickly. The bay itself is a series of limestone outcrops. There are thousands of them jetting out from the bay. It's quite a sight.
- I meet a French family on the boat; a husband and wife with three kids, 13, 14, and 17. They tell me over dinner that the husband has sold his business and they have been traveling the world as a family for about 7 months with 3 more to go. At first I was astonished that they could make such a decision, but after awhile I think it is amazing. The husband and wife tell me they want to spend some quality time as a family before the kids grow up ad move away. If this is their goal, there is no better way to do it than exploring the world together. It's one long field trip for the kids. The mother teaches them as time permits so they don't fall too far behind in school.
- I meet a couple of Danish guys who want to buy a motorbike and ride it through Vietnam and Cambodia, then sell it at the end. This will be quite an adventure for them. There are times when people test your limits of what you though were feasible and possible in the world. This is one of them for me. I don't know if they will have the best time or the worst time with this decision, but wither way it will be memorable. I wish them the best. They are fun to hang out with on the boat.
- We take a trip to a local floating village. At one time they lived on the floating bamboo boat houses and fished for a living. Now I think the business mostly revolves around renting kayaks to tourists like me. Either way living on a series of floating bamboo houses should be an interesting life. Also, most of the houses have dogs and cats. It must be interesting for them as well.
- We take a trip to a cave system and wander around for a couple hours. Our guide points out the various animals and dragons in the cave formations. Imagination required.
- I try squid fishing on the boat at night. It involves a bright light and a line with a lure on the end. I don't catch anything; I don't even get a bite. Such is the way with fishing though.
People in the Hills, Sapa, March 1,2 2012
I take the train north to a small town called Sapa. It's near the border with China. I stay in a train car with three people from Malaysia traveling in Vietnam. Their English is good and we talk for hours about my trip to Malaysia, their government, life. They are particularly interested in my stint at the Buddhist monastery in Thailand. We arrive in the morning to a frigid fog. It's winter time in the hills!
I plan to do some trekking outside the town to visit some small tribal villages outside of town. I hire a local guide. Some things to note:
- The fog rolls into Sapa in the morning and the sun tries desperately to burn it away in the afternoon. There's never a clear winner.
- Despite having dirty feet and hands, the people in villages are beautiful in a way I can't describe.
- In one village we see a small motorcade of bikes zoom by. There are a bunch of young, drunk guys operating them. On the last bike a girl sits crying. Our guide informs us that they are getting back from the arranged wedding. Perhaps the girl didn't want to get married at this particular time.
- Many of the women have babies tied to their backs. None of them ever cry for some reason; I assume any other variety of baby (American, Dutch, take your pick) would not put up with this for long. I hear a rumor that they are drugged, but I cannot verify this.
- I see a chicken escape it's cage and run for freedom, only to be caught a minute later and taken to the 'back room'.
- We hike through rice fields, past streams, past goats, pigs, over bridges. Our guide and 6 or 8 friends trek with us to 1) keep us company, and 2) try to sell some of their wears. They are mostly fun to have around. Nice people.
- There is a mysterious absence of men in the villages. We learn that the men mostly work in the fields which haven't been planted yet. I assume they will awake soon to plant the first rice in the fields.
- The markets are very raw in Sapa. Animal parts are simply strung out over the tables in the market and fish are kept alive in large bowls. The markets here are colorful.
- The Pho here is absolutely great because it is cooler. I eat at the market most of the time. I realize that all of the ingredients were also purchased at the market; beef included.
- I see a full pig roasting in the street.
Ho Chi Minh And
a Bicycle Ride, March 3,4 2012
Back in Hanoi after the trip to Halong Bay and Sapa, I take a tour of Hanoi and outlying areas.
 |
| Water Puppets |
 |
| Pagoda |
 |
| awesome hat |
 |
| Riding bike through rice fields |
 |
| Rice fields |
 |
| Boat Ride |
 |
| Through a cave |
"I don't know if they will have the best time or the worst time with this decision, but either way it will be memorable."
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you realize it, but you have some powerful statements casually placed in the middle of a lot of your posts. Can't wait to hear about India.
India was the wildest country I've ever been in. Hands down.
DeleteI don't know if you plan to travel south in Vietnam, but a couple of places I would recommend are Ban Me Thot (in the central highlands) and Nha Trang (beaches on the coast). Everyone is really enjoying your journal ... thanks from all of us for sharing your adventures with us this way.
ReplyDeleteUncle Fred
Glad everyone is enjoying it. It's quite a bit more fun in the first person I assure you. I went to Da Lat in the highlands (which is near Ban Me Thot) and Nga Trang was a nice place for the beaches. It will be great to talk to you about the other places we've both visited in Vietnam. Adios!
Delete