The Hairy Bikers!

We board the night train ....carriage No.9 beds 21 (bottom) and 24 (top) the train is quite old and consists of 4 bed cabins or little compartments. We shared with a Chinese girl who was asleep before we boarded and left at an interim station so we didn't meet her. The young backpackers were excitable...and so was Deb!! but things soon settled down and we got a bit of sleep. The carriages are like something from a murder mystery, it has a nice vibe. As the early sunrise streams through the window I sit watching a new section of Vietnam reveal itself to me. After an 11hours of clippity clack on the tracks we arrive in Hue.

Each carriage has private 4 berth cabins

Debs gracious clamber!

Our little room for the evening....we were both on top bunk in the end

5am Views from the train.....watching the sunrise.

Hue is a 'rest town' stopover mid waypoint for many travellers / back packers before heading off to Hoi An. It doesn't have a great deal of historical buildings. Much of this former capital was lost in the war and the existing remaining monuments and points of interest don't appear to be well invested in. We have a wander around the town and visit the Citadel but theres nothing worth showing.

We manage to find a great hotel ....sooo cheap and after a sleepless night on the train I take full advantage of a good nights rest.

Trip on the dragon boat...The lady behind tried desperately to sell us goods throughout the short trip!

Next day a couple of easy rider motorcyclists pull up after breakfast. They are our to be our next mode of transport. We are to be 'biker chicks' for the day on the 130km next leg through the mountains to Hoi An. Deb was eager to do this .....I wasn't as keen (from a budget perspective) but knew this was the sensible opportunity (whilst in a pair) to take on this alternative and adventurous method of travel. Motorbikes are more on my radar as time passes. I think this is the best way to see a country allowing the freedom and flexibility to go anywhere. We sit back hold on and relax into a new experience of travel....hair blowing, breeze whistling across your body and the sun shining. My first thought of the day.....I WANT ONE!!

Our first stop was to a waterfall....it was a bit commercialised but was to be memorable for the all the wrong reasons! As we get changed from a swim I hear the crack underneath me and suffer the next few seconds knowing I've just split my pants!! Not in a nice clean cut along the seam but straight across the backside....there's no way out of this I'm thinking. It takes me a few minutes to muster the courage to confess to 

to my easy rider and request he unpack my backpack to allow me to change. He tries not to laugh but in the end he cracks up and hides his face in his scarf to conceal his laughter. Deb pleads I show her the damage and is hysterical when I lift my modesty towel to reveal my whole backside hanging outside my trousers......ahhh very funny.... what is it with my backside on this adventure?!

The bikes wind through the mountains revealing stunning views. It's an incredibly liberating experience. I would recommend anyone travelling to experience this at least once (note it is a much more expensive mode of transport though).  

We stop at different landmarks having a few beers as we go with the final destination at marble mountain. We visit the caves and are somewhat disappointed at the ancient monuments being lit by tacky coloured LED strips?....this place was very strange?. There wasn't a clear story. Women being sawn in half, children strung up. It was creepy, but I think this sums up Vietnam's ancient treasures. They've not truly invested in them, they're not well kept and Vietnamese attempts at tourist attractions are half hearted. It's a shame that such a beautiful country is failing to look after and present their heritage in its true glory. 

I know what your thinking....stop it....its an ancient monument!!

WTF!!

We arrive in Hoi An and the accommodation is the best I've seen on my travels so far. The extension where we are staying was only completed one month ago and everything is clean a new. A big spacious room overlooking a pool.....I'm in heaven and feel a long way away from the many flea pits I've experienced thus far. It's £23 a night (£11.50 each) including breakfast. A lovely big family own the property and describe the build/business plan, big mortgage and 1000% interest they're committed to for the foreseeable. Competition makes it impossible to improve their rates. I feel really sorry for them. They're all hard workers and I would love to see this business succeed. As part of the fee they also host an evening where they cook traditional cuisine for their guests allowing them an insite into Vietnamese customs and cuisine and provide an opportunity to share travel adventures with other guests. We had two evenings with the family...what a lovely gesture!

We have a week in total in Hoi An and spend much of it on the beach and exploring the town by bicycle. It's such a cute little place which comes to life at night. The streets are filled with colourful Chinese lanterns. It's very beautiful.....but very touristy!

The little town comes to life at night....it's beautiful.

We shared an amazing meal at the swish 'Morning Glory' restaurant in town...the food was amazing!

The local speciality 'Ciao Lai' a thick noodle with pork...mmmm delicious.

Towards the end of the stay we are chatting casually on our beach sun loungers. A Vietnamese lady trader (Ann) comes over. Deb fatally engages pleasantries with her. I give her 'the look' of concern. Deb soothes me with a silent look and nod which said "don't worry, I've got this under control" ....after a few more sentences Ann had Deb on the ropes, her rehearsed story so sad and sorrowful even the wizard of oz's scarecrow (without a heart) would have purchased this woman's merchandise!

Negotiations begin and Deb chooses some novelty magnets and convinces herself she can make use of them as gifts for friends. Ann's opening price "200,000 dong" (£7). In the moment Deb forgets to calculate the price in pounds but barters her down to 150,000 dong (£5). After agreeing the price Deb then realised she's paying (£5) for tiny magnets of tat. Hastily trying to retract and reducing the offer Ann ups her game pleading "no...lay down your heart lady!" Debs was broken and knows the game is up...Ann is victorious and Deb left reeling that's she's just been completely outwitted by this sweet little radiant lady with a beautiful smile. Their parting communication.....Deb:"enjoy your lobster meal on me tonight Ann" ....Ann: (with a big grin) "you're so funny".  Ahhh one of the funniest things I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. 

Ann....who could refuse this smile?...still laughing to myself about this!

Our favourite little spot on Cui Dai beach

I finish with goodbye and a very big thank you to Deb for taking the time to share a small window of my adventure with me. We have unforgettable memories of our time together in Vietnam.....Cheers mate!!!

xxx

Just another day in PARADISE!

The world is a different place in a pair. People's reception to two is different, they're less threatened, wary and more accepting and sociable it's noticeable. I begin to observe and puzzle why? 

I honestly believe there's still a stigma attached to the lone traveller. The older lone traveller is still not entirely accepted I feel....it's fine for the younger generation (and to be fair if the opportunity arises this is when is should be done), you witness the enrichment it brings to young lives. The scars of life in the older generation is evident though and I've witnessed first hand on many occasions now personality disorders of lone co travellers....'The Sociopath': taking what they can from you and moving on to the next victim, 'The Loner': they do not wish to make 'small talk' with you and 'close you down' at every attempt of a conversation and 'The Lonely Heart Club': I've met so many people escaping their world following a break up. The latter being the most common. Often the primary motive here is to demonstrate to their 'ex's' their inner strength and how 'over them' they are. Two beers later however the 'ex' is all they talk about....and are able to tell me their ex's every move through 'stalking' behaviour on social media. They're convinced the ex will return having seen the 'bold, fearless and brave new me'. Every version of this story is the same, just subtle twists....we're only human I guess.

It's great to have some company and we spend a day in Hanoi sampling the street food, walking and talking by the lake then have an afternoon at the 'lotus flower water puppet show'. It's a traditional theatre with wooden puppets, demonstrating the story of Hanoi's history of evolution. It was a little weird. We were both falling asleep but managed to capture a glimpse of the local traditions. 

Deb wasn't too impressed by my suggestion of the water puppet theatre.....but she got into the swing of it after a while as you can see!!

  

1.          

We hit the busy and bustling nightlife of Hanoi enjoying a few beers on our last night in the sky bar. 

Sampling the street food ...mmmm this was a Lao...a traditional hot pot type dish...you cook it as you eat it. The street food in Hanoi is amazing!

Next day we're on the move and I find us a cheap alternative to the hotel bus service. We board a local train...walk to the port and catch a speed ferry to Cat Ba island. It's only a few hundred yards to our ropey hotel from Cat Ba port. The intention whilst here is to visit Ha Long bay. Most travellers I've met have stayed overnight and did the whole experience by boat, but the starting price for a decent one night trip is £150. We get from Hanoi to Cat Ba for £11, hotel for £10 per night (we stay two nights - £5 each per night!) and do a long day tour for £15 each. Tourist route £150 pp (for one night) Williams tour £35 pp (for two nights).....get in!!! 

 

On arrival at the hotel it's clear we're about to experience 'budget' to the extreme! we are marched up four flights of stairs with our back packs to room 403. On the way up a strange local observes our accent from his doorway. I can't look at Deb ....I know I'll laugh! As she opens the door the pungent smell punches us in the face. Happy to be able to remove the back packs after 5 hours of travel we sink onto our beds. The hardness of the mattress verses human impact ricochet's through our bodies....we laugh...what else can you do! 

The hotel advertise AC and WIFI throughout the facility....basic measures I always look for. It had neither. I ask the lady "no WIFI ?" She replies "it's broken"....a standard response in Asia to deviations from the advertised booking criteria. We put things into perspective (we are paying £5 a night) and accept our fate. We had two disturbed nights in the room....horns honking, music from the karaoke bar, a local party, dogs barking ....and as Deb keeps reminding me...my snoring!!! Something I've discovered first hand out here everyone does at intervals through the night. 

We tour Ha long Bay the following day...a full day on the boat in glorious sunshine. Visitors flock to Ha long bay and consequently there's concerns over the impact of high volumes of human presence, trash and so many boats and diesel fumes are having. Ha Long is a UNESCO heritage site so some protection measures are in place thankfully. It is beautiful and we were fortunate not to experience some of the horrors some co travellers described but recognise this area should be preserved. It was a full day of kayaking, swimming (we even jumped off the boat!) visited monkey island and floating village. It's one of those days that's etched in your mind forever....a perfect bank holiday Monday....the day ends with some delicious home made food at a back street family run restaurant ....we both reflect feeling fortunate to have experienced this day.

Floating Village

The Famous Candlestick Island

               

      

Monkey Island view point

Cat Ba Beach

Tomorrow we move into Ninh Binh a little village inland south west of Ha Long.....I'm going to try to get Kempy on a bike....watch this space....

Ninh Binh is simply AMAZING! After a bus and boat we board our final 4 hour 'cronkey' bus journey. The driver is hot headed and whilst in the beginning his antics and rantings were amusing, well into the journey he began taking unnecessary and reckless choices. It was scary at times. Eventually we stop and he turfs everyone off the bus. I know we're not where we need to be...we're about 5km from where he should drop us. Once all the bags are off I ask him to take us to the town. He signals 'no english' then blanks me. I ask a crew member and he knows I know he should be dropping us in town. He tells us to get back on the bus....a young Canadian couple tag along. When the furious bus driver gets back on I ask for assurance "you drop us at bus station right?" He rants in Vietnamese but in the middle of the sentence and crystal clear the he calls me an 'asshole' ....we all hear it and crack with laughter...knowing what we just heard. We got where we needed to though so a little victory for me....I was so chuffed!!

The 'asshole' bus!!

I manage to convince Deb that the cycling will be better than a taxi tour of the town. We both find it difficult to believe the promised land of stunning beauty is only a couple of km away from the smoggy and plain little town we're staying in. we head off on a couple of hired mountain bikes. The sun is beaming ..It's very hot. The sense of freedom this brings is incredible....I feel free...navigating yourself around a foreign town and country is incredibly liberating....my love of cycling returns for a short while and I immerse myself into the incredible feeling as we pedal up the miles. We have some loose instructions from the hotel and little paper map and weave our way out of town. The further out we get the clearer the skies, cleaner the air and greener the land. It was as if someone opened the curtains to reveal one of the most stunning back drops I've ever seen. We arrive at An Trang, the attraction here is a boating lake. We buy tickets from a very rude lady at the ticket office and clamber into a four man boat with two Americans and the Vietnamese lady rower. She couldn't speak English and began prodding me aggressively in the back to communicate. This tested my patience to its limit....I was not happy! But after a little while I settled down realising this couldn't spoil what was unfolding before me. Still, crystal clear waters, 200m of cave tunnels which you had to duck through, huge mountainous rock formations, and temples. It was beautiful, tranquil. We were on the boat for approximately 3 hours and were strongly encouraged by the 'sergeant major' at the helm to row ....there was no debating!

The Sergeant Major / professional prodder!

We head off further on the bikes but the soaring heat eventually takes its toll. We take a pit stop then take an alternative route home via a little village track. We were both struck silent by the landscape that greeted us. Green arable land, still waters, dramatic rock formations covered in greenery and life forms fortuitous enough to have created a life for itself in what I think and feel is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I fall in love with it. I immediately know I will return to this place in the future. It's indescribable in words or photographs. 

We park up the bikes and I meander around a local dwelling and manage to negotiate with a young local and his son a couple of beers. They were thrilled and seemed honoured we stopped at 'their place' and brought out a couple of chairs to make our stay more comfortable...it was so touching. All through the journey locals shout 'hello' gigging and waving as we pass. It is a warm and friendly place. We sit by a stream in the middle of nowhere, dumb struck sipping our beers in disbelief at what we've just witnessed, agreeing the beauty of this little place is possibly unbeatable. A precious shared moment. 

Taking a roadside break....with a stunning view below.....

Ninh Binh town in the distance.....then this less than a mile away...Incredible!!

We finish the day stopping en route for a final beer in town....again the lady at the place we stop fawns over us, lighting a fire to deter mozzies and bringing fruit for us to try....it's such a friendly place. I don't want this day to end and I know inside I've just stumbled on my Shangri-La. This is my favourite place visited in Vietnam.

Thank you to the Polish Man 'Jaras' (I met in Sap Pa) for recommending Ninh Binh. These recommendations are truly the little gems worthy of that little extra effort.

We shower and change at the hotel and our next adventure awaits......the night train to Hue!

To be continued........