Our Farewell to Vietnam - Wow!

Traveling in SE Asia has been an exciting and uplifting experience and we would highly recommend it to our readers. We have had the luxury of time so that we were able to be more spontaneous with our plans. This has allowed us to spend more time in places that appeal to us: Hanoi - 11 nights, Luang Prabang,Laos - 10 nights, Siem Reap, Cambodia - 8 nights and Ho Chi Minh City - 9 nights. This creates of feeling of stability and avoids the tedium of hopping from one place to another. Spontaneity came to our rescue on our visit to Hoi An, Vietnam recently when it became clear that the 2 days we had allotted to it was not enough.

Hoi An

This UNESCO World Heritage Site stands out as our number one choice of all the places we have visited so far. What makes it so appealing is its small town charm. We selected a hotel that turned out to be a real gem and offered us the luxury of being close to the market, the historic sites, river walks, excellent restaurants and great cycling opportunities.Hoi An is a good base to do excursions which are very affordable. Perhaps the main reason why people come here is for its reputation as the tailoring capital of the world. We met one lady from Australia who comes here once a year to update her wardrobe. The money she saves on clothes pays for her trip. The city has grown so much since Doug visited in 1998 when the city had a population of 10,000. Now the population is 100,000 and growing.

Nha Trang

We made a bus connection from Hoi An to Nha Trang and 16 hours later we finally arrived at Nha Trang. It was a poorly maintained sleeper bus with questionable standard of cleanliness. That is now behind us. Nha Trang is a beach community with a reputation as party central. We both had colds so the partying did not happen for us and that is our excuse. We loved the beach and we enjoyed some good meals for two days.You could spend more time if you wanted a beach experience. It does not have the same cultural aspects as many other places in Vietnam.

Dalat

The next bus ride - not as onerous and even enjoyable for only 5 hours - took us to the Paris of Vietnam, Dalat. We stayed here for 3 nights and this allowed us ample opportunity to explore this area of outstanding beauty. The high altitude gives travelers a break from the tropical heat. It was so comfortable that we did a 20 km hike. We chose a hotel recommended to us by a fellow traveler in October and he said be sure to stay at the Pink House and we did.
The hotel offers a motorbike tour that is only available to its clients. Needless to say I did not ride on the back of Doug's bike and yes it was not without incident. The leader's instructions were not too clear and guess what happened. Doug motored off all by himself and within 20 minutes ran out of gas. Meanwhile 3 people went looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. Three hours later Doug found the group and we continued on to have an amazing tour. We explored coffee plantations, a silk centre, a market, a cricket farm and the centerpiece of the tour was a visit to our leader's mountain village where we met some extraordinary people. Returning was a scary experience since the roads were poorly lit and people were burning garbage along the way which made visibility difficult. There was no buddy system so people did not ride together. There was a sign of relief when Doug got in last because the traffic on the narrow streets was heavy and made it easy to get lost. All said it was a great day and a great adventure. We found out at the end that the previous day there had been an accident and one person was injured. We left Dalat with good memories and after an 8 hour bus ride we arrived for the last hurrah in Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh City. Tomorrow we leave for Chiang Mai, Thailand and a week with the elephants. More on that in a week's time.

Motorcycle Diary - Hue to Hoi An - January 3 and 4, 2012

So often on our trip we have come in contact with people who have influenced our decisions and such is the case with this motorbike trip from Hue to Hoi An. Last October we met a young woman who told us about her upcoming trip and this is where the idea camr from for our trip. It has turned out to be a trip highlight. Although it must be said it was not Club Med experience. After all you are sitting on a motorbike for 6-8 hours a day for two days.

Day One

I was nervous and concerned about safety when I saw the small 125cc Motorbikes pull up next to our luggage. Doug had assured me that these were large motorcycles so much for his credibility. However, after meeting the two upbeat, charming and funny drivers we were off and what turned out to be an incredible excursion. Luckily the sun shone dor most of our first day which made a favorable impression on the countryside. Our first stop was on the outskirts of Hue at one of the elaborate burial tombs of the last king of Vietnam. Most of the day and indeed the trip wa spent on the Ho Chi Minh Trail that is really a roadway not a dirt trail. You are either climbing or descending and it is dangerous with many rock and land slides along the way. Since it is a remote area we had the road to ourselves. The bookend of the day was a wonderful stop at a mountain village and school. We purchased some pencils and books that we gave to the children. Day one ended at a very basic hotel in another small mountain village. We ate with the family who prepared a very tasty meal.

Day Two

Unlike day one it began with a heavy overcast that soon became a steady rain that printed our drivers with many challenges and for us an exhilarating, exciting and for me a scary scenario. You can well imagine how dirt roads can quickly become a quagmire but the drivers were skilled at manouvering through the mud. Throughout the trip our safety was their priority. In spite of the weather especially when it stopped raining we were able to ride out into the rice paddies and backroads to witness rural Vietnam as it really is. It was an exceptional education for us. One of the outstanding tourist destinations in central Vietnam is the World UNESCO Site - My Son; it is often compared to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia but My Son is on a much smaller scale. This site is located in the jungle and the misty rain added to the enjoyment of the day. Our trip ended late afternoon when we arrived in historis Hoi An where we will be for the next nine days. Next blog - Hoi An



Trip at a glance

Weather - last 7 days only one day of sun -mix of rain and clouds - average 22 Celsius

Easy Rider Tour costs - 2 days/2people - $240 including overnight accommodation - meals extra

Hue - The Imperial City

Hue lived up to it's reputation as one of the must dos on a trip to Vietnam. For us the climatic change was dramatic and most welcome from daytime highs of mid 30s to the high teens and low 20s with a misty rain. This allowed us to put in 2 - 5 hour walking days in this pedestrian oriented city. It is a city with lots of atmosphere reflected in its buildings which are mostly low rise. The highlight of our time here was a tour of the Citadel and Imperial Palace which we did on our own without a guide and it worked well for us. Sometimes guides are important but not always. The palace covers acres of land where architecturally stunning buildings were created to blend with the landscape. We will never forget Hue if for no other reason than that we arrived just prior to midnight New Years Eve and had the good fortune to find a lively French Restaurant where we tipped our glasses to the New Year. Hue is noted for it's excellent cuisine and we will never argue with that claim. Our hotel was great and it was here that we had a meeting with our motorcycle guide representing Easy Riders. We will have more to say about our trip with them in our next blog.

HCMC Revisited

If ever there was a time to visit HCMC, it is the festive season Christmas and New Years. The excitement is contagious as the streets become alive with holiday merriment. For example, across from our hotel there is a park that extends for several blocks and this became a center for music,art, displays and performances also there was no shortage of foods representing the tastes of SE Asia. One of the things we enjoy about all the places we visit is the time on our own to observe the comings and goings of people. We often comment when we are home about how quiet our streets are but that is not true here. Perhaps it is because of the warm climate or that people do not have large living spaces. The focus of our return was a tour of the Cao Dai Temple and the Cu Chi Tunnels. The temple was an amazing site and the fast growing religion is fascinating as it represents a fusion of Buddhism, Daoism, Confusianism, Catholicism and Islam. We had the pleasure of attending a service that has given us a lasting memory. We capped off the day with incredible Cu Chi Tunnels. There are over 200 km of tunnels that served as homes, hospitals, school,and military camps. We were introduced to an array of booby traps and various defensive techniques to defeat the Americans. We highly recommend the tunnels visit to anyone coming to HCMC.