Motorbikes, clothing, and market food

It's been a bit since I've been able to write. Traveling through the land of slow to no internet access will do that. Since my last update in Hanoi, I've covered quite a bit of ground. Vietnam is loooonnngggg, meaning too many uncomfortable 12 hour overnight bus trips. Thankfully, as I am now in Nha Trang and closer to Saigon, there will be no more of those.

After leaving Hanoi I stopped for just one day in the little town of Ninh Binh. Just after arriving I met two lovely girls, Jenny and Petra, who planned to see the same sights as I the next day. We hired two motorbikes for the trip. After my adventure on Koh Tao and having just come from Hanoi traffic, I wasn't sure if Ninh Binh was the right place for me to make another attempt at driving, so I hired a driver along with my bike. Although it turned out that I could have handled the drive, I really didn't mind having the driver. Not only did he take us through a bunch of local towns that we would never have found on our own, his driving allowed me to snap pictures from the back of the bike. In my opinion, seeing Vietnam from the back of a motorbike is definitely the way to go.

Limestone cliffs over rice paddies, shot from the bike.

Sweet old man who took me on a tour of a temple

Gateway in the ancient capital city of Hoa Lu

The three of us left Ninh Binh that night, after a bit of hassle with the bus company, and arrived in Hue the next morning. Sadly, bad weather struck at that point. Hue was cold, grey, and soggy with rain. We made one good hearted attempt to see the city, since Hue has a buffet of ancient attractions to take in, but turned back before long due to the miserable weather. We hunkered down in our hostel and were back on the bus by the next morning.

Awesome main gateway to the citadel, the ancient royal city (as seen through rain).

Petra and I trying to stay dry in our awesome polka dot ponchos

That bus took us to Hoi An, wonderful land of tailors and clothing made to measure. Most people can't help but do some shopping in Hoi An, despite best intentions not to. It's just too tempting, seeing beautiful dresses and coats on display, all custom made for you to your specifications, all at much better prices than you'd pay in the States. Men get suits and dress shirts, women pick up nice dresses and winter coats. I myself walked away with some new heft in my backpack. It couldn't be helped.

Beyond clothes, Hoi An is simply a lovely city. We stayed there for 4 and a half days, which was a well needed respite from constant movement. When you've been living out of a backpack for quite some time, it is amazingly nice to really spread your belongings out for a bit.

Anyway, back to Hoi An. The streets are lined with French colonial architecture, bright yellow paint, cobblestone side walks, and leafy green arbors. Although motorbikes are ever present, many more people choose the good old fashioned bicycle, adding a calm air to the streets. At night the river front restaurants emit a gentle glow from their many red and gold lanterns. There is a big central market, where you can buy anything from fish to fruit to home goods. Then there are the market food ladies. Oh, how they tempt me with their nameless, sometimes unidentifiable food! Yummy Vietnamese rice pancakes and sweet, sweet goo that can not be described (trust me, that's a good thing). To top it off, the sun came out on our last day, leading us directly to the most beautiful beach I've seen in a long time. Warm waves, seashelled sands, and good company.

Can you tell I really enjoyed that city?

 One of the many dress shops

Store front display of coats

Typical building, with a lovely green awning

The market

Colorful lanterns. I love, love lanterns and they were everywhere.

Jenny and I at the beach

We left Hoi An Tuesday night and arrived here in Nha Trang Wednesday morning. Nha Trang is a much larger city, but still very calm at the moment, since it is low season. Mainly a beach resort town, the city itself leaves much to be desired. If the sun comes out, as it is desperately trying to do, we'll be spending some well wanted time on the beach. Heck, we'll be on the beach, sun or no sun.

Yesterday included a rather fun trip to a mud bath and mineral spa. I've never done a mud bath before, but it was cool. It also helps when you've got good company. Tomorrow, on to Da Lat.

My muddy group, sans me, since I took the picture

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Dare I say it...

I actually had a great time in Hanoi today! Although I was lazy and spent the most of it watching movies, I decided that I should give Hanoi one more chance with the time I had left. In the afternoon I set out walking to the Literature temple, a place that is considered to be Vietnam's first university. Getting there was fun in itself, as I passed through the "normal" parts of the city where everyday life and commerce takes place, such as tire stores (gotta keep those motorbikes on the road!) and paint shops. I love seeing people going about their everyday lives. The women selling food, walking with huge baskets balanced on their heads. The men lounging on their motor bikes. The children walking hand in hand with grand or perhaps great grandparents. I like the fact that, while I'm obviously noticed, they allow me to blend in with the rest of the city, giving me the opportunity to step away from "tourist" and just be me again. I get a feel for the real Hanoi this way.

The museum itself was beautiful. This is the Asia I've always admired, with red lanterns and banners, dark woods, and beautiful architecture. Vietnam draws much of its influence down from China, so all of this is noticeably different from Laos and Thailand. Though official Vietnamese no longer uses a kanji type script, this older language is still visible at the temples, adding even more to the charm. I very much enjoyed what I saw there, if for no other reason than it was nice to see some age and history in this very modern city.

The walk home was perhaps my favorite part of the day. In places the stores have expanded past the sidewalks, forcing you to walk in the street with the motorbikes and cars for a bit. It was as I was walking there, becoming part of the crazy street traffic, that I realized that the insanity of Hanoi had somehow drawn me in and was actually becoming fun! I noticed that the horns honking were becoming background noise (still a loud, annoying background noise) and that somehow you instinctively hear only the horns that are actually directed at you. I found myself laughing as I stopped short, narrowly avoiding colliding with a motorbike that came flying out of an invisible alleyway. Crossing the street has become a bit of a dance which begins the moment I step off the curb. The bikes and cars become my dance partners; we whirl and twirled carefully and complexly around each other until I am safely on the other side. Around me, others are also participating in this dance, and I have yet to see anyone miss a step.

To top off the night, I stopped into a small Italian style Gelateria and Cafe for dinner before catching my bus to Ninh Binh. I had delicious seafood cream soup with french baguette and an iced Vietnamese coffee. The food was delicious, the service so incredibly polite. I couldn't help but grin my entire way home, often prompting smiles in return from those around me. I was undeniably happy.

So Hanoi, perhaps I was hasty in my judgment of you. You've redeemed yourself a bit today. Good for you. Still, I look forward to what the smaller towns have to offer. No offense.

Flower vendor's bicycle

Sidewalk - place to walk, place to park

Temple structure

Traditional musicians

Pretty little girl with Dad (Grandpa?). Wish I had the camera up in time to catch her from the front.

Ha Long Bay

I've just returned from 4 days in Ha Long Bay and tomorrow I'm off again. Hanoi just isn't where it's at. While I have wifi from the comfort of my hostel, I thought I'd get a few pictures up. Ha Long Bay was just as amazing as I hoped it would be. We got to see the bay and all of the amazing limestone islands from one of the many junks that travel the waters there. We walked through an awesome cave that actually housed people during war time, kayaked a bit, and even saw some monkeys. We spent one night on the boat, then the next two nights on Cat Ba island. Cat Ba was supposed to be a beach retreat for me, but we were unfortunately presented with a bit of rain and chill. No matter. I still met some fantastic people and had a relaxing time.

Of course, this means my pictures didn't come out as beautifully as I would have liked. I don't think you can really get an idea of just how beautiful this place was, with hundreds of small limestone islands rising from the water. Ha Long means "descending dragons", and I can certainly see why. It's not hard to picture the many islands as humps in a swimming dragon's back. In the mist, its magical.

While on Cat Ba, since the was no sun for a nice swim, I instead took a walk and strolled through a more residential, non touristy area. I had a great time, as the locals eagerly asked me to take their picture wherever I went. They had me smiling the whole time.

I returned today. Hanoi has surprisingly gone from unbelievably warm and humid to a bit chilly in a rather short period of time. Winter is setting in, apparently. So I think I'll follow the warmth and head south from here. I'm really looking forward to discovering what the smaller towns of Vietnam have to offer. Stay tuned :-)

Cruise ships with the misty islands in the background.

Cat Ba harbor

Sunset from the beach

Some locals live and work on these smaller boats

Fisherman and dock workers that wanted their pictures taken

Local kids playing soccer

Beyond first impressions of Hanoi

I'd like to write that Hanoi simply made a bad first impression and has since charmed me off my feet. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. It's not as bad as it first seemed, but still nothing that's going to keep me around. It is, simply, a very large city with tons of people and little to see or do. I've walked around a bit and even found that the streets manage to get a bit calm(er) later at night, took in a museum, and found a swimming pool to cool off in today, but mainly have stayed in my hostel, lazily enjoying the movie room. I'm not the only one. Most people I've met seem to agree. Hanoi doesn't call to them, so the movie room is a popular place. Not to mention the supressive heat and humidity make you instinctually seek out air conditioning.

Tomorrow I'm leaving on a cruise of Ha Long Bay, the reason most people come to Hanoi. It's an incredible land of mist shrouded islands and archipelagos, and is what is becoming my new favorite thing: a Unesco World Heritage site. So, three or four days without internet or communication, but I should have some darn good pictures when I get back.

Hanoi Traffic. Imagine this times thousands, with constant horns honking. Wish I could get the video to load.

A game the men play on the streets

Vietnamese woman

No folks, those aren't shadows, they're power lines and they hang as low as my head. Scary.

Another planet

It's quite possible that I've been flown in a mere hour to another planet. Or at least another dimension. You know my last post, describing the lovely calm that Laos is infused with? Throw that out the window, I'm now in Hanoi, Vietnam.

My taxi driver got lost, so I spent an hour driving through Hanoi, my head splitting from the constant use of the horn. I'm now on the sixth floor of my hostel and I can still hear the horns honking on the street. There are no traffic laws, just thousands of cars and motorbikes going in any direction they please at any time. Twice my taxi driver pulled u-turns in the middle of the street, in reverse. In all the countries I've been to, driving here is by far the worst. The few people I saw cross the street basically just had to step out into the meley and pray.

I did see one of the most amazing sunsets ever, just like you see in all of the pictures of Vietnam. Hope I can catch another on film. Now, off to find some food somewhere out in that insanity.

Leaving Laos

I spent 3 full days in Vientiane, arriving Friday evening and leaving Tuesday afternoon. If anything, my stop here was a refreshing break, a good resting point before undertaking the insanity that is Hanoi. As tourism in Laos has only really picked up in the past 6 years or so, Vientiane is still refreshingly small and quiet. A city of roughly 500,000, it simply doesn't strike you as the capital of an entire country. A local told me that 10 years ago Vientiane still had quite a few dirt roads. Now thoroughly modern, traffic is still light enough that you can cross the street without waiting for the lights and like the rest of Laos, everything closes down between 10pm and midnight. In the day time, the slight hustle of the streets is a mere buzz in the background, the honking of a vehicle being the loudest sound you'll hear. Come night time, the city goes absolutely silent. This is a strong reflection of the traditions and culture of the Laos people, who are also extremely polite and quiet. It is rude to yell or raise your voice in public, even to call to someone at a distance. Even the tuk tuk drivers are considerate, taking a polite no as an answer, in contrast to the drivers in many parts of Thailand who persist until you are out of earshot.

As there are not a wealth of attractions to keep you running from place to place here, I allowed myself time to sit for hours in cafes, sipping coffee and browsing the internet. I walked quite a bit, taking in a few monuments and temples, including That Luang, the national symbol of Laos. I was lucky enough to sit in on various Buddhist ceremonies, including a large all night worship designed to welcome new Buddha statues into the temple. I had a great time walking a location here known as the Buddha Park, a collection of eclectic and whimsical cement creations that incorporate both Buddhist and Hindu figures. I even took a yoga class. My muscles are still complaining two days later :-)

Right now I'm passing the time in the international airport, an airport consisting of a whole 3 departure gates. I'm flying to Hanoi today, following the recommendation of many fellow travelers, rather than enduring the 24 plus bus ride. I'm very much looking forward to Vietnam and can't wait to see what it has to offer. By the time I get this posted, as the airport has no wifi, I'm sure I'll be well on my way to finding out.

Independence monument, built in the early 60's and unfinished to this day

Street vendor, carrying sticky rice baskets

Sticky rice baskets

That Luang by day

That Luang by night

Gate detail in front of a lit statue. Idea for this picture courtesy of Melody K.

Two old men at a monk ceremony

A participant of the night long worship welcoming the new Buddhas. Hundreds of people dressed in white sat beneath thousands of white threads, all of which lead back to the Buddhas.

Me, being a little silly at the Buddha Park

Inhabitant of the Buddha Park

Reclining Buddha in the Park

More park inhabitants

Something to look at

I've found myself a much faster connection, so here are some pictures to correspond with recent posts.

Me on the small boat that takes you to the big boat.

The boats that take you up the river

Traveling down the Mekong

Motorcycle powered tuk-tuk

Path up a hill to an old temple. Hundreds of stairs!

French colonial style in Luang Prabang

Aprentice Monks

Tiny Buddha tokens, found in an old temple

Monk robes hung to dry

Waterfall wonderland, one of the many lower pools

Monks coming in to recieve morning alms

Women lined up to give alms to the monks

Chilies drying in the sun

Grill at the night food market in Luang Prabang

Floating down the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng

Beautiful mother and child that I passed while floating

Well, there, that's done finally. It was a week in coming. Honestly, this is just a smattering of the beautiful things I've seen here. It's a nice place.