Sapa Revisited...

7/13 and 7/14:



Curses. Drat. And yes, even a rare "fiddlesticks!"

My weather luck chose a bad time to run out... after fantastic weather on Kilimanjaro, near Everest, and throughout Vietnam, the rain finally caught up with me.

For my second day in Sapa, I was filled with grand aspirations to go hiking up north to some more remote villages, or failing that, picking up with a trekking group near Cat Cat. Truly, an excellent plan.

Instead, when I woke up and looked out the window, I sure as heck didn't see the amazing view from the previous day. Nope, it was solid gray out there, with some serious rain.

So, intrepid adventurer I am, upon reflection, I, ah, decided to explore the interior of...well... the bar. So, it was an easy afternoon of computin', drinkin', readin', and writin' – sort of a backpacker's version of the 3 R's.

But the next day was much better – after seeing this sort of dawn...



...I met up with a combined walking tour, and we headed out east of Sapa to explore three villages.

Sure, it was a bit contrived, and very commercial, with lots of opportunities to 'interact' with the locals (basically meaning buy stuff from them), but still a great experience. The unique thing was that the local Black Hmong girls were out of school, so they were able to meet us at the start, then follow us all the way.

In fact, three of the girls had met me at my travel agency as I was making balloons for another kid, and they kept hounding me in such a funny way, that at their suggestion, I “pinkie swore” to buy from the, if anybody. Pinkie swear – not the phrase I expected to hear in the mountains of Vietnam!

The Hmong were very persistent and clever saleswomen – each sidling up to tourist and starting to chat in charming broken English, all the while setting us up for the sales opportunity at the end. But, even though we knew what was going on, they were still lots of fun, and also a source of good info about the villages. For example, school ended at 14, with girls getting married around 15-18... in the off-season, the boys helped out the fathers in the fields, and the girls got to sell to us.

I was pretty good at not buying, but a cute girl at our rest stop had some neat handwoven ornaments that would look great on a Christmas tree, so I bought a few for about $.75. She even threw in the photo op – and loved seeing herself on the screen:



We ended up seeing three villages all told. Our group ended up merging with two others, and that, combined with the very slow pace of the now 60 people, was irritating. I kept my normal hiking pace and just kept waiting up for them.



This meant that my Hmong woman seller was my guide, and she was a great source of info. We both had a chuckle when we were the same age, and she had a hard time fathoming why I wasn't married by now – the concept of Western-style waiting for 'the one' in your late 20's and 30's is a foreign concept.

Some other highlights... a rare sight of seeing a baby waving a hemp leaf (legal to grow, but not to smoke), growing naturally:



And a demonstration of what happens when the "honk and pass anytime you want" strategy fails:




Plus what has to be the smallest gas station... EVER:



But, my guide was great company, and after lunch, I ended up giving her money, not for products but just for the guide services.

Unfortunately, the three girls from the beginning saw me, and were upset that I broke my pinkie oath! I tried to explain that I was only paying for guide information, but that didn't seem to work, so they gave me a bit of the ol' stink-eye as we left. Not to disparage the effectivene3ss of their glares, but they looked so cute but determined, I couldn't help but inwardly grin at the display.

Lunch was a bit surreal, with all of the tourist groups packed into a riverside restaurant. Passing Hmong and Dzao kept stopping on the bridge, and it was an open question as to who was observing whom:





The rest of the afternoon was spent with a quick free shower at the agency, then a pizza and a coke to fuel up. I was facing another shuttle bus, with an overnight train ride back to Hanoi, ready to fly out to Sydney!

Sapa - Hilly, Pretty, and Very, Very Green

7/12 to 7/14: Sapa – or how I ended up being pretty dang close to China...



You know, there are two major schools of thought when it comes to traveling and planning – some folks love the security of a firm itinerary, with every destination planned out. The other side is more of a 'fly by the seat of your pants' variety – just making things up as you go.

I'd have to put myself in the middle. Both of my folks are excellent planners, sketching out travel routes in broad outlines, (and with my Dad's military background) often with one or two contingency plans in place.

But on the flip side, once I have the general plan in place for a trip, I do love adjusting as things go... because you never know when you're going to learn about an amazing new destination you've never heard of.

That brings us to Sapa – a complete surprise addition to my general plan of meandering up the coast to Hanoi. All throughout my trip, I kept chatting with fellow backpackers, and almost invariably, every one of 'em was heading up there, so I decided to check it out.

And, boy, was it worth it... Sapa is a town in the mountains NW of Hanoi, very close to the Chinese border, and has pretty much everything a backpacker could want in a destination:

* Amazing scenery? Check – from mountain villages to spectacular terraced hillsides.
* Exotic people? Heck yes – the Sapa region is home to four major indigenous tribes, even featuring great sounding names like the Black and Red Hmong, or the Dzao.
* Bars and other rehyrdation points? Yes, yes, dear God, yes.
* And, most importantly, prices that won't crush your travel budget? Check this out – my large hotel room with floor to ceiling windows and view of the mountains set me back a whole $10 a night.



'course, perfection does have its price, and in this case, it's geography. It takes a fair haul to get up to Sapa from Hanoi, and I chose to go for the slightly posh tourist sleeper train. With a bunk bed, AC, and even plastic flowers for a slightly cheesy touch, it was the best way to go. Plus, at $25, it both saved a day of travel and a hotel cost at one go. Sounds perfect...

...except for one wee thing... our train gave us the unexpected surprise of randomly blaring out LOUD blasts of static at odd times, just to keep us on our toes. Just when you were drifting, drifting off to sleep... the speaker right by your head would treat you to 20 seconds of *KHHHRRRREEEAAAHHHHHKKKK!*

Unlucky us. Within 30 minutes, even the most mellow of us were giving serious thought to creative vandalism to the speaker system.

Arriving in town after taking a shuttle bus from Lao Chai, I sorted out a hotel room, and napped a bit, before hitting the town.

Sapa is perched on a steep hillside, overlooking a gorgeous mountain valley. Right away, you feel its own unique vibe that really captures you within minutes of wandering about. Seeing the locals in their distinct costumes, stocking up at the local market, or selling craft to the tourists, all with a stunning backdrop, well, I was already kicking myself for only spending three days here.

Breakfast was an unexpected bonsu – some pho of course, but also my favorite spring rolls EVER... a funky shrimp/apple combination that worked out surprisingly well.

Then, I headed off around the town.

Which took about 45 minutes tops (Sapa really ain't that big)...

So, just like the proverbial water rolling downhill, I found myself on the path to Cat Cat village about 3km away at the base of the valley. This hike was one of my favorite walks in all of Vietnam, as it took me past views of rice terraces:



… to sharing a smile and broken English with a friendly Hmong woman as I showed her the pics of a nearby dragonfly:




… or the local handicraft shops, with their own incredibly cute kitten, or a woman hard at work weaving a new creation:




Sure, any one of these would be special, but it was when I came across a group of kids playing and brought out my balloons, that made it one of those unforgettable days...

The kids were great – one had been left behind his slightly older buddies, so I figured I'd give him a balloon. He tried the whole “Give me money?” in broken English that kids seem to memorize for tourists... “sorry buddy, but how 'bout this?”

And, just like everywhere else, I was soon swarmed by giggling, laughing kids. The only difference was this time, I had planned a bit – I made sure that I only had a good-sized handful of balloons available, so I could actually leave gracefully when they were gone.



… I don't think they've ever seen this sort of thing before, as they were initially skeptical until they saw that the long balloons could be twisted about.

The rest of the hike was gorgeous as well, taking me into the local village and past waterfalls and pools filled with kids swimming and having a great time.



By the time I finished, I was more than ready to head home – when I wimped out. Looking up at the nasty 3km hike uphill, it was a short internal discussion before I decided that spending $.75 for a scooter taxi was the right call.

Back in town, it was time for more lounging, including scoping out the local handicraft markets and stores for the amazingly detailed fabrics. Dinner was a tough choice among so many good options, but I settled down with a good wood-fired pizza and a drink at the well-regarded Delta restaurante, and tried to make inroads on my blogging backlog. As I'm writing this more than two weeks after the fact, you can see how effective that's been...

A Happy Birthday in Halong Bay and Hanoi

7/11: As far as birthdays go, there are definitely worse ways to celebrate your 37th than on Cat Ba Island... our last day in Halong Bay was a free one, and I took advantage to go explore the Nature Reserve further inland.

Feeling like an old hand on motor-scooters after my trial by fire in Hue, I had a nice walk past the harbor in the early morning:




… and rented a scooter for a whopping $5 where, wonder of wonders, they also had a helmet that actually fit my noggin. Vietnam is a bit, um, lax about certain details, so with nary a Western-style insurance form to fill out, or even a deposit, I was off.

Cat Ba is an interesting island – it's pretty big, so once you are away from the water, it feels like part of the mainland, with rice paddies, small towns/villages, and so on. And the scooter is a perfect way of checking it out – as you are able to zip past wheezing buses working their way up a slope.

The other plus side is that a scooter has its own wind-generated AC – a key feature that was to be a godsend down the road.

I rolled into the park, and opted for the climb up to the peak of the tallest mountain. Even at 9am it was already incredibly hot and humid, and it would only get worse.



A quick aside – this sign made me chuckle... making the claim that buying drinks was good for the environment and park!

The hike was both fun and a real butt-kicker, with about an hour of near-constant ascents. I'd like to say I handled this no sweat, but that'd be highly, highly inaccurate. I don't think I've ever had cause to sweat so much before, where even as you wipe your brow, it's instantly slick with moisture.

Let's just say – I've even more respect for anyone who had to fight in country like this, lugging massive packs for 20 miles a day!

But, all the moisture expenditure was put to good use and I reached the peak – with magnificent 360 degree views of the rugged landscapes.



There was even a bonus climb; a five story iron observation tower. And, just to make it interesting/slightly terrifying, it was rusting, would only accept the weight of five people max, and featured rotting wooden floor planks at the top.



But, what the heck – I was game, and headed up and was rewarded with even better views.



As a funny aside, and a good illustration of how the world views Americans, I got to talking to a 20-something Vietnamese tour guide up top. When he found out I was from the States, he was a bit surprised, and mentioned that I wasn't, um, “large” was how he put, motioning to his belly.



A much, much faster descent, and I headed back to the hotel with no problem, much refreshed from the 30 minutes on the scooter... then it was a grueling couple of hours on the beach and pool, getting my fix of squid and a surprisingly good tuna sandwich.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and our tour group headed back to Hanoi.

The first leg was via hydrofoil to Haiphong Harbor. The trip was fast... almost too fast, as within the space of 30 minutes, we went from a maze of virgin limestone islands, charming junks, and the odd jellyfish to, well, ugliness.

Don't get me wrong – Haiphong is an incredibly vital port to Vietnam, the entry point for much of the resources that drive its 6-8% annual growth. The downside is that it's ugly, with rusting derrick cranes loading up a long line of battered tramp steamers and modern container ships.

I couldn't wait to get out of there..

After hopping on the connecting bus, we headed back to Hanoi along the main road/highway. Like a lot of Asia, the concept of a US or UK style motorway is still a work in progress, so we found our bus sharing the road with pedestrians, scooters without number, and the odd buffalo-propelled cart.

The other noteworthy thing was that this road provided a clear glimpse at the forces driving change in this nominally communist country. We passed row after row of industrial estates large and small, with names like Canon, Brother, and other multinationals, all sending increasingly complicated high-tech work to Vietnam. This is fueling a middle-class, in turn prompting the development of Western-style suburbs and malls, just as I saw in Saigon.

And then, on the other hand, these factories were often right next to rice paddies, being planted by hand in a labor-intensive, back-breaking process unchanged for centuries.

The dichotomy was fascinating – the picture of a country in transition, and I can only imagine what's going to happen over the next 5, 10, or even 20 years.

Once we pulled into Hanoi, I had a frenzied two hours running down logistical stuff – picking up my forgotten mobile phone from the great hotel I stayed at, stocking up on cash for my trip to the ATM-starved highlands, and catching a quick dinner, all before heading to the train station for a 9 hour sleeper train to Sapa in the mountains by the Chinese border.

Halong Bay - Stunning, Pure and Simple

7/9 and 7/10: Halong Bay


Four months, four continents... now, I'd like to say that I painstakingly thought about each destination, researching and painfully narrowing down my shortlist to an itinerary realistic enough to accomplish, given non-comic book rules of physics.

And sure, mostly that was true... but Vietnam quickly jumped into one of the top spots for one reason and one reason alone – Halong Bay, that came in at #12 of the not very scientific, and kinda patriotically skewed "New Wonders of the World" competition. I might have been browsing travel guides when I first saw a picture of this natural wonder, and I was hooked. Vietnam – here I come...



Once I arrived in Saigon, the next question was trying to determine how to get out there. Vietnam seems to specialize in making travel incredibly easy for the tourist, and just like Saigon and Hue, there were dozens of companies offering a huge array of packages, ranging from the super budget “pack 'em in like sardine” type to the uber-posh, waiters at your every beck and call variety.

Since it's such a highlight, Halong Bay was a bit of a splurge for me; I opted for the middle to high end operator called Handspan, and man, did I not regret it. They have an impeccable reputation, and for $185, it covered everything from transport to our stay on a super nice junk, complete with mounds of fresh seafood at every meal. The only downside was that drinks were flippin' expensive, but not enough to dissuade me from my sunset G&T. :)




Once we got clear of the crowded port at Halong City, we got to get down to some serious lounging. Halong Bay is thought to be a sleeping dragon, with each of the thousands of islands the tip of his scales, and they provide a constantly changing view, minute to minute.



In the afternoon, we stopped off near a floating village in a sheltered bay – one of a handful, it's a fully functioning community from centuries past, complete with floating school. The locals raise fish in (what else?) floating fish farms, plus guide tourists around to check out the islands.




Of course, the mainland still figures in things – with fresh water, plus some other modern necessities:


… computers, pictures of the latest hot models, and other items critical to the modern teenager.

A swim off the junk, and then we headed off to our sunset spot for some dedicated lounge time...




Dinner was amazing - a six course meal, with fresh caught crab, shrimp and prawns coming in waves... I've gotten used to the idea that when eating in Vietnam, it's like an old school video game – if you don't keep up with each 'wave', you quickly fall behind and before you know it, you're swarmed under! An extra bit of difficulty is that all of the shellfish need to be de-shelled... we worked it out, but the aftermath wasn't pretty, with bits o' shell everywhere.

Let's just say we emerged victorious, but very very full... some rounds of Liar's Dice, and then we all decided to call it a day.

The next day was a bit more active – I woke up at dawn, and was treated to the sight of jellyfish cruising around the junk. I was thankful for two things – that I didn't see 'em when we were swimming around yesterday, and that we weren't in Australia, with its array of 'if you even come within a 5 foot r radius, you're toast' jellyfish!



It was pretty cool having the junk to myself – all of the other boats were quiet, and you could just sit and take in the scene... awesome.



After another big meal for breakfast, it was time to head off for a round of kayaking. I was really looking forward to this, since it was a much more active way of exploring the limestone karsts (islands), plus it would be a big help in working off some of the food...

We transferred to another boat, and after an hour, we pulled into another quiet bay -it was here that Handspan really separated itself from the other companies, offering top-notch kayaks from the States, with rudders and all of the other bells/whistles. With a fellow traveler from Quebec, we headed off, and were soon ducking through a low tunnel to check out an enclosed grotto, another floating village, and then relaxed at semi-private beach.



After another massive lunch, the rest of the group was pretty tired and crashed out – so I was able to take a single kayak out solo. Tours are fun and all, but having alone time to enjoy such a great environment was pretty special.



The afternoon brought us to Cat Ba Island – the largest of the group, where we transferred to a rather nice 4 star place, complete with beach view. It's pretty funny the range of accommodation you get traveling, from a dusty tent to crowded hostel to, well, this:



In what's growing to be a constant theme of my trip, I'm telling you – life is hard sometimes... throw in some concentrated pool lounging and a beer, then the most massive meal yet (with cornmeal crusted squid as my personal fav) and I really need to walk it off.

So, it was off to Cat Ba Town... a fast-growing development that has somehow managed to almost completely ruin the ambience of their gorgeous harbor. So *shudder*, a short stint was enough for me and I headed back... by this point the humidity was so high, that even a short walk left me dripping with sweat and it was a matter of counting the steps to yet another cool shower and AC!

Vietnam Photo Hightlights - Parts 1 & 2

And... to bring us back to Vietnam, here's a bunch of pics from this amazing country - taking me up to Nha Trang...



... and here's the next batch, up to Hoi An...

India Photo Highlights...

Hi all -

And, for a quick break from Vietnam, here's my photo round-up from my brief India trip...

Hanoi - Saigon's (Slightly) More Reserved Big Brother

7/8 – Hanoi

It's one of those immutable facts of travel – no matter how comfortable the bus, after 14 hours, the only thought a passenger has is... escape. Well, escape, and a hot shower... so, there are some extenuating circumstances for what happened next.

Now, I'm not normally one to fall for the various cons and tricks that can trip up a traveler, but you have to hand it to the taxi drivers of Hanoi – they're sneaky.

Popping into a taxi for the short 2km ride to my hotel, in short order, I was half-dozing in the warm sun coming through the window. However, as we pulled up into the Old Quarter, I noticed that the taxi meter was going fast... very fast. I even mentioned that to the driver, to be met by the look of perfect innocence you see on a 2 year old caught with a hand in the cookie jar. By the time we got to the hotel, it was reading 120,000 dong, instead of the 40,000 or so I was expecting.

This is the tricky part. Because it was a meter, it was hard to know FOR SURE that you'd been ripped off, and I didn't feel 100% confident enough to fight about it. However, to get my revenge, in best passive-aggressive fashion though, instead of merely rounding up as is customary, I made that guy return every last 500 dong ($.03).

Sure, Hanoi might have thrown a curve at me straight off, but to balance out this initial impression, my stay at the Hanoi Guesthouse was fantastic. I was met by the staff, a pair of the warmest, most hospitable sisters you could ever hope to meet and in short order, they had me checked in - yet another nice, clean AC room for $16...

Alas, the room wasn't going to be ready until noon, so I headed out for a walk about town. Hanoi is very different than Saigon- it's a bit like a more reserved older brother in comparison with Saigon's unbridled exuberance. Still busy and bustling with scooters, vendors, and everything in between – it's always with a bit less of an edge.

The Old Quarter is the center of all of the action, and it's a loose grid of 36 narrow streets, each named after an ancient occupation (like the Street of the Silks, etc.). 'course, tourism has come to Hanoi in a big way, and most of the streets are at least somewhat connected to satisfying the hordes of visitors each year.

A quick note... while a bit reserved, Hanoi is even looser in protecting copyright and trademarks than Saigon. Whether it was a coffee shop whose font looked suspiciously like Strabuck's, to blatant copying another travel agency's name, you quickly get used to it. On my first walk around town, I must have seen literally a dozen fake Sinh Cafe bus company offices, plus a few other Kangaroo Cafes and Farspan Travel, with each claiming to be the 'real' one.



To kick things of, I got a quick breakfast at La Place, with spicy Hue noodle soup and (even better) a stellar fruit smoothie. Fortified, although in somewhat desperate need of a shower, I decided to do the Lonely Planet walking tour around town. Being outdoors would at least avoid offending the noses of any locals – I hoped!

First, there was the near-obligatory walk around the central lake – accompanied by dozens of locals (Hanoians? Hanoists?) out for a morning walk, bit of badminton, or even tai chi. With a pagoda in the middle, it was a great place to survey the scene.



Next, it was time to check out the markets... from streets of shoesellers, to more traditional food markets, Hanoi seems to offer it all. It even had a block of funeral stone carvers, complete with a picture of the deceased.




I booked my trip to Halong Bay the next day at Handspan travel – a more upscale option with a great reputation, and tried a fresh pear/dragonfruit juice at their immaculate Tamarind Cafe next door.

Refueled, I headed out to the streets again. One of the great things about traveling – just getting out and walking takes you to so many unforeseen experiences. You never really really know what's going to happen – but something always will!

In this case, on my walk, I saw a funeral procession for an ex-military man, complete with his medals on display:



…got spotted taking pics of a kid zoning out, watching the constant stream of traffic:



-and went through an old school fish and vegetable market:



The central Hanoi market was also checked out – selling everything from knock off Nikes to a dozen varieties of rice, all in tightly packed stalls spread across two floors.

By now, I was really REALLY needing a shower, so I started heading back. The surprises weren't over though; I passed by a counterfeit money street – locals buy fake $1,000 or 1,000,000 dong notes to burn at funerals.

After a super long, super cool shower, I chilled out for a bit, and had a phone call with my best friend Dave and his fiancee Drea, who had pulled the trigger and decided to get married when they're back in the US in October. With only three months to plan, all the way from NZ, it has got to be some sort of record...

The rest of the day was spent checking out a local bia hoy joing – a local-institution of fresh-brewed beer that only lasts one day. The best part? Beers only cost 3,000 dong, or about (wait for it...) $.15!



Then, at long last, I got to see a water puppet show – another Vietnamese invention, originally created to entertain kids in the rice paddies. Dating from the 11th century or so, it's the only puppet show where the stage is a pool of water, and the wooden puppets are controlled by long metal rods from behind a curtain.



I didn't understand all that much, but the amount of expressions and actions they could make the puppets perform was amazing – an old man coughing after smoking a pipe (I'm not sure if he inhaled or not), plus arms moved, people danced, and fanciful unicorns played and tossed a ball.



Dinner brought another splurge at the highly recommended Wild Lotus. Featuring cutting-edge Vietnamese food, in an exquisite building with subdued lighting and tasteful art, they served up Hanoi spring rolls and a huge plate of clams in tart/sweet tamarind sauce that were awesome. My only regret was that I wasn't with somebody else, as for two people, they offer 10 course explorations of Vietnamese spices and tastes for $20.

Another lethargic walk back to the hotel, spiced up with a fruit ice cream at the Hanoi location of Fanny (yes, yes – it's a silly word. I already covered that a few posts back), to get ready for my long-awaited, much anticipated trip the next day to the incomparable Halong Bay. Hey, that rhymed...