Bus ride from hell!

We tried to take the train...we really did! But because of the Tet holiday, the train was fully booked. So we had to take the bus, there was no choice unless we wanted to stay in Hoi An for a week, which we didn't. So we bought our bus tickets. The ride was from 6pm to 6am!! Dreadful!

We boarded the bus and drove around Hoi An picking up other folks at various hotels. A sreaming baby got on behind us, luckily the baby was escorted onto a different bus shortly thereafter, our luck would end there.

Driving in Vietnam is tough. There are so many mopeds and motorbikes that they take up both sides of the road, which forces any vehicles to drive in the middle, which makes it interesting when on-coming traffic arrives. Horns are constanly blaring and busses like ours are constantly dodging tiny motorbikes that weave in and out of traffic. Shortly after our journey began we tried to settle in, get comfortable, and sleep a bit. However, our bus driver and general traffic had other plans for us. Our driver was constanly blaring the horn and dodging motorbikes. At one point a bike veered right in front of our bus forcing us to swerve violently off the road onto the dirt shoulder narrowly missing the motorbike and continuing on our way. About an hour later we witnessed a bus that probably had a similar incident, but a tragically different result. The bus we slowly drove past was on its side in the ditch and the motorbike it tried to avoid was crushed, the motorbike driver laying in the road probably did not survive. I didn't sleep a wink after that.

Soon we stopped for a pitstop to get some dinner and change drivers. We grabbed a hot sandwich and were back on the road in 30 minutes. While at the pitstop, the drivers had set up a hammock for Driver #1 to sleep in while Driver #2 took over the wheel. The hammock stretched from the front seat to the bus door, right in front of the windshield. Driver #1 apparently has sleep apnea and snores like a champion! The entire bus was giggling at first, then realized that it wasn't going to stop. Every 30 seconds or so he would gasp for air and snort out a few short breaths. At least he was getting some rest...unlike CJ and me!

The horn blaring and motorbike dodging continued into the wee hours of the night and I watched all of it from my aisle seat. We stopped a couple more times for the restroom and then continued on. The drivers swapped spots a couple times and the snoring continued. Finally around 5am we could see the light of Nha Trang. We apparently were going to be early, which was fine by me! Before we crossed the bridge into Nha Trang, the driver pulled the bus over and parked in a lot overlooking the water. He got up and both drivers went to sleep. Apparently we were too early!! We sat in the parking lot for 45 minutes looking across the water at Nha Trang, our final destination, and watching the sunrise, which was pretty nice I must admit. Around 6am, the drivers woke up and we drover our last 30 minutes into town.

CJ and I jumped off the bus, grabbed our packs and went off to find a hotel to finally get some sleep!!

Motorbike excursion

After our Tet disappointment, we set out the next day to see more sights around Hue. We went to the old part of town and the Citadel. There are several pagodas, temples, and old royal homes in the Citadel area. After walking around there for a while we strolled over to the Dong Ba Market again to see if we could get some more delicious sweets. Unfortunately, it being the first day of the New Year, it was closed.

After lunch we decided to rent a motorbike and check out some sites outside the city. I drove and CJ climbed on the back as we scurried out of town. Actually, we first had to put some gas in the tank. Being our first time on a motorbike in Asia, we first had to find the gas tank and figure out how to open it. Once that was done, then we scurried out of town on our new wheels. We checked out the Thien Mu Pagoda, which is supposedly the most recognized structure in Vietnam. Then we continued along through rice fields and small villages to the Tomb of Minh Mang who ruled from 1820-1840 during the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. The only reason we found the place was because a kid shouted at us "Minh Mang!" as we scooted past it.

After the tomb we were heading back to town when we spotted a large statue of the female buddha on a hill nearby. We rode over and up the hill to check it out. Lots of beggars with the worst teeth I've ever seen lined the steps up to the buddha. Incense was burning all over the place as well. We had a short visit and got back on the motorbike and back to the hotel before dark. It was a good initiation to the motorbike scene in Vietnam. The roads were not very crowded when we started and by the time we made it back to town and into rush hour traffic we were pros. We were honking at everything, we fit in expertly. Only had one near miss where we nearly rear-ended another motorbike because I didn't see the red light. We returned unscathed though and thoroughly enjoyed it! Next stop....Hoi An!

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!!

We arrived in Hue by train and had a ride waiting to pick us up at the station which was nice. Having a place already booked saves the hassle of lugging our packs around looking for a place to stay. After resting and fueling up on some good veggie food near our hotel, we hit the town. We walked across the river and made our way to the Dong Ba Market. A really cool place, the best market we've been to so far. Quite large with everything available from touristy junk to clothes, fruit, veggies, fish, meat, flowers and sweets. The smells of the market were quite pungent. Some stalls smelled of rotting meat and decaying fruit, while others smelled of dead fish. Some perked up your senses with sweet fruits. The sights, smells, and sounds made it quite an event.

After walking around for a bit we came across a unique vendor serving Vietnamese sweets. We quickly pulled up some plastic chairs and surveyed our options. She was serving glasses with your choice of about 6 or 7 different options. They ranged from sliced bananas with coconut, some sort of purple taro paste, Vietnamese green beans, brown beans, bits of coconut meat inside rice flour balls that were then boiled, and larger rice flour balls stuffed with jack fruit. All of these were warmed by a small fire underneath them. You could pick and choose which ones you wanted in your glass, a bit of ice was added along with a splash of coconut milk and nuts if wanted. For a mere 3000 Vietnamese Dong (about 20cents) you had yourself a delicious treat. We had three glasses!

After wandering the market we headed back across the river and strolled the streets towards our hotel. It was the night of Tet so were interested in seeing what excitement would take place around town. We were a bit wiped out from walking around all day in the heat though. After dinner we laid down for a bit and were rudely awoken around midnight by popping fireworks over the river. We couldn't see them from our balcony so after a bit of rustling we hustled down the street towards the river to catch some fireworks. They lasted a good 20 minutes, but the last one popped just before we got within viewing distance. So our first Tet in Asia ended with us on the banks of the river in Hue smelling the fumes and seeing the smoke from the fireworks. Chuc mung nam moi! Year of the Golden Pig!

Halong Bay...you get what you pay for

After a fabulous trip to Sapa, we went a bit cheap on our Halong Bay trip and it showed. I guess you get what you pay for here in Vietnam. It started with a long minibus ride from Hanoi to Halong City. Its only 160km, but took us over 4 hours to make the trip. It can be difficult to get around here in Vietnam due to the mind-boggling number of motorbikes, mopeds, and scooters that line the streets. Add to that the fact that we're in the middle of the Tet holiday and it'll take over 4 hours to go 160km. More on the traffic in a later blog.

CJ and I didn't even have real seats for the journey, just the fold down type in the middle of the aisle. We arrived in Halong City and about 50 of us piled onto the boat that was supposed to hold 16 max. We weren't sure how everyone was going to get a cabin to sleep in, but we weren't worrying about it just yet. We had to make a french couple move over so we could fit at the table for lunch as we set out to check out Halong Bay.

Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only is it aesthetically spectacular with over 3000 islands, but its also culturally interesting as there are hundreds and perhaps thousands of Vietnamese living on the waters of Halong Bay. They make a living by fishing and selling things to tourists. Most have aquaculture pens surrounding their homes, which are literally on the water. Pretty crazy place to live, and just about each home came with a guard dog.

Our first stop in the Bay was a huge cave on one of the islands. I don't know much more about the cave as our tour guide wasn't much help. CJ and I felt that the cave may have been used as human habitation hundreds or maybe even thousands of years ago, but our tour guide said it had only been discovered in 1989. Don't think we believe that, but we stopped asking questions after that response. Maybe that's what he was hoping for.

After the cave we headed further into the islands towards Cat Ba Island. We were meant to sleep on the boat the first night, but as there were too many of us, we slept on Cat Ba Island the first night. Cat Ba Island is surprisingly large for being so far out in Halong Bay. There are many hotels, restaurants and karaoke bars lining the streets. We had dinner at the hotel and took a stroll down the main street. The local delicacy appeared to be some sort of gecko wine. Literally dead nearly footlong gecko's crammed into bottles of "wine". As tempting as that sounds, we didn't try any.

After breakfast the next morning, we went hiking in the Cat Ba Island National Park. At the top of the mountain there were great views of the surrounding islands. It was a cool day and a bit foggy, which gave the islands a mystic aura. After hiking we had lunch and took a nap before heading back to the boat for a kayaking expedition. For being a World Heritage Site, the waters in Halong Bay are not pristine. Probably due to the large number of inhabitants on the water and tour boats in the area. We kayaked around for about 45 minutes, checking out the islands up close and making the dogs bark at us. As we headed back toward Cat Ba Island we made a quick stop at Monkey Island for some folks to have a look at a monkey or two. We refrained. We then went back to Cat Ba Island to settle in for the night.

As I mentioned there were more people than the boat could handle so during the previous day our tour guide and other tour guides were making up stories to try to get people to stay at the hotel instead of on the boat. Stories ranged from a large storm brewing, to rats on the boat, possibly sinking boats, and horrible food. Some of the stories must have worked because come bedtime, there were 16 people on the boat and everyone had a pillow.

The next morning we headed back to Halong City, waited around for an hour before eating lunch and hopping back on the minibus for Hanoi. On the way back we were one seat short so I ended up sitting up front between the driver and passenger seat on a cushion. Quite comfy, but I would've done a mighty superman impression had the brakes been needed in a hurry. Saw a cockfight on the side of the road during our pitstop.

Once back in Hanoi we had 2 hours to collect our things, get cleaned up, get our train tix and get to the train station in time for our 7pm train from Hanoi to Hue. And the journey continues...photos finally up!

Maybe you buy from me??

Finally able to post again! A lot of the computers we've come across are either too slow or don't support this page so it has been difficult to post. A lot has happened since our last post.

We took a fantastic trip to Sapa in the northern mountains of Vietnam. We took the sleeper train from Hanoi to Lau Cai, about 3km from the Chinese border. Then we hopped on a minibus and drove into the mountains to the town of Sapa. From there we hiked into the villages in the valley below Sapa. There are several mountain tribes living in the area. We came across three in particular: Zay, Red Zao, and Black Hmong. There were several Black Hmong girls waiting outside the hotel where we started our trek. All spoke english quite well and were a bit sassy. I quickly became known as monkey face due to my beard. Three of the girls followed us on our trek and were quite amusing. Our guide was a 20-year old girl from the Red Zao tribe and knew the area very well. It was a beautiful day. The hills in the region are all terraced with agriculture, mainly rice production. All the tribes sell handicrafts to tourists to supplement their incomes. At first we were hesitant to buy anything, but caved by the end of our journey through the hills and valleys around Sapa. We had decided to do a homestay during our trip so after a full day of hiking we stayed in the home of a Zay tribe in the village of Lau Chai. Pretty basic living. Wood fired stove in the kitchen that belted out plumes of smoke. Certainly not good for the lungs, but it cooked the food and kept you warm. The week before we arrived it had snowed in the area! It didn't while we were there, but it certainly got cold at night. That wood-fired stove can still cook up a good meal too and we ate well. Spring rolls, stir fried veggies and chicken, along with steamed rice. We were the only two staying in the home that night, besides the family, although they had room for several others. We took advantage and stocked up on extra blankets to keep warm.

In the morning, we had crepes with bananas and honey before setting off for more hiking. We hiked to the village of Ta Van and had lunch before heading back to Sapa by minibus. When entering both Lau Chai and Ta Van we were inundated by villagers, mainly Black Hmong women, trying to sell us goods. They didn't give up! They're tag line was "Maybe you buy from me??" No matter how many times we said no thanks, they persisted! In the end we bought several items from them, but all were worth it and will be memorable keepsakes. The girls that followed us on our trek were quite good business women even if they were only 10 years old!

We spent a brief 30 minutes at the Sapa market before heading back to Lau Cai to take the train back to Ha Noi. The market itself was very interesting to see. People, mainly women, from all tribes interacting and selling goods to each other. We really enjoyed our time in Sapa and recommend the region to anyone visiting Vietnam. Our next stop will be Halong Bay! Hope to post again soon!

CJ bartering with Black Hmong women
















RJ sitting next to the wood-fired stove before eating dinner in the Zay home.
















So and Ha, the two Black Hmong girls that hiked down the valley with us. The one on the right is not smiling because we didn't want any of her sugar cane. She was sassy that one!
















The terraced hills around Sapa.
















Cooking dinner with the Zay family in Lau Chai

Xin chao from Hanoi!

After 36 hours of transit and about an hour and a half's worth of sleep, we were thrilled to finally see the sunshine in Hanoi. Except it was cloudy, but our smiles were just as big. Driving to the airport from San Diego to LAX is pretty much the epitome of the southern california experience...concrete, BMW's and road rage. Driving from the Hanoi airport to the Old Quarter is much different. We passed water buffalo, women riding bicycles on the side of the road with live chicken coops attached to their seats, but just a tinge of road rage. If you measure it in car horn beeps that is. Instead of large SUV's there are perhaps thousands of mopeds within eye's view, and everyone beeps for any reason, or no reason at all it seems...

The streets here are based on a french design, tiny alley ways every which direction that connect main streets. Our taxi driver dropped us off a few blocks away from our alley and pointed us in a direction. I wouldn't say it was the right one, but we wandered a bit, then finally found it. What a sweeet nap we had, then we hit the town when the smell of thit nuong hit our room.

Today we did a bit of sorting ourselves with some dong. We are millionaires today, dong millionaires!! Ahh it feels good. Except when we give out our money in the tens of thousands. Is this how it feels to be Paris Hilton?

Wandering the streets, the Tet decorations color the landscape. The lunar new year is the most exciting celebration in Vietnam. Businesses would rather shut down than work during Tet. (Hopefully that doesn't mean we'll be sleeping on a bench!) And Hanoi will be filled with fireworks and little red envelopes that say "chuc mung nam moi" (happy new year) next weekend.

Here are a couple pics from our wanderings today. Speaking of Hilton, we also went to the "Hanoi Hilton" where Senator John McCain spent a good amount of time. It's now a prison museum that shows how the pre-"American" war communist revolutionaries and American POW soldiers lived. It felt like a spooky energy lived in the prison, definitely haunted. When you read the narratives in the prison though, it seems like the POW's were on vacation there. I would say there's some quite evident bias, if i knew this computer weren't bugged.

Wandering through the markets on the street is a lot of fun, all sorts of spices, fresh produce, meats, fresh dau phu (tofu) and flowers. And who doesn't like ice cream fresh from the bike? Vietnamese ice cream men!

RJ and I are waiting for a pick up to the train station, we are taking an overnighter to the town of Sapa, a Black Hmong village about 50 miles from the Chinese border, up in the mountains. We are doing a trekking homestay, and on Saturday, villagers from all around come to Sapa. Should be a wonderful trip... Tam Biet (goodbye) for now.

Itinerary update

We haven't even left yet and things have already changed! We tried to use our timeshare somewhere in Italy, but the entire country was booked. All you Italians out there, don't fret, we'll still be spending a lot of time in Italy, but will have to find other accommodations. As a last minute replacement we landed a sweet spot in Ibiza, Spain!! We're pretty excited about that, neither of us have been to Ibiza so we'll have fun there for a week...again thanks mom! Cynthia has stocked up on her Imitrex as we've heard things can get pretty crazy on Ibiza!!

Also, we may not be going to the Czech Republic anymore, but may make a day trip to Romania....we'll keep you updated on that as the trip progresses.

We're set to go though, we have our plane tickets and our rail passes, we got some immunizations and malaria pills, and are packing as lightly as possible. The first leg of our journey will be the longest as we're flying LA - Taipei, then to Bangkok, then to Hanoi all in one go. We'll be a bit exhausted when we arrive in Vietnam, but we get there in the morning and already have a place to stay so we'll be able to rest our weary bones for a bit before exploring the city.

We rented a car and will be driving from San Diego to Los Angeles in the morning to catch our 2pm plane.

see you in Vietnam!