Monthly Archives: August 2009

Moto Vietnam: Day 4 – Nha Trang to Da Lat

Posted on by
Reply
Fishing boat

When the boat comes in

Today required another early start as we had to make it all the way to Dalat – we set off just after 8am. Being that it’s up in the mountains, we wanted to ensure we caught the good weather. Dalat has a much different climate to the coastal areas, with lower temperatures and some chance of rain. Also, the roads would be heading “up” and we weren’t sure how the bike would cope with the additional gravity.

The route isn’t too complex and there is a new road in place which reduces the distance to around 130km. Head around 20km south of Nha Trang then turn right. It is signposted, but only just! Just follow the road you join in a more or less straight line until the first signed junction (a left) and from then on, keep going.

Nha Trang Cathedral

Cathedral and flags

It’s a good road – very smooth for the most part. But what makes it is the scenery. It’s simply mindbogglingly beautiful. There was little traffic on the road as we passed through so there was no problem stopping to take pictures now and then. Do note the distinct lack of crash barriers on the mountainous parts though. Staying awake is a very important part of the drive.

We stopped for breakfast at a small cafe before we hit the mountainous areas. Given that we weren’t anywhere near a tourist area, we received a fair bit of attention due to me looking somewhat different from everyone else! Pho Bo was the dish, and we ate it surrounded by a horde of local kids who were waiting for what I think was their lift to school.

Amazing scenery

Just staggering

As we approached Da Lat the temperatures definitely dropped and there were even a few spots of rain. Fortunately, the heavens didn’t open on us and we managed to find a hotel not far from the lake. Cheap room, good view and a hot shower! All in all a 6 hour journey which wasn’t too bad at all.

After the long ride, we treated ourselves to the chocolate buffet at the Sofitel. There was less choice than the Hanoi equivalent, but it also cost a little less ($21.04 inclusive for two people).

Dribble...

Natural shower

We then wandered over to the chopping area so that I could pick up a jumper. It’s fine for walking around, but while riding the bike I was getting a tad chilly. Thao was very impressed with my haggling abilities as I got a sweater down to 120,000D. She said she’d have given up and got it for 160,000D. We also grabbed some fruit and went back to the hotel as the rain started to come down more heavily.

We chilled and watched TV for a bit and then went for a stroll, eventually finding the Peace Cafe with its incredibly genial hostess.

I was tempted to stay up till 3:30am to follow the NUFC v Sheffield Wednesday game on my mobile (via the free wifi) but for some reason I was rather tuckered out!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Moto Vietnam: Day 3 – full day in Nha Trang

Posted on by
2
Ship-shape aquarium

Ship-shape aquarium

Today we opted to spend a full day in Nha Trang and go on one of the popular boat trips. They’ve been $6 for years and this hasn’t changed, though it seems they’re adding other little charges now which weren’t levied before.

We moto’d to the pier area and parked up then selected “Number 4 Boat Trip” hosted by Monkey Boy and Lady Boy. These two Vietnamese guys were a right giggle and great hosts. The trip encompasses three islands, two of which you walk on and the other you just moor off for a while.

First stop was an aquarium built to look like a huge ship. The entrance was through the mouth of an enormous lion fish and the decor just kept getting better. As an aquarium it’s a little lacking, to be fair. The tanks seem a bit crowded which is a shame as the actual building is very impressive – they’ve just blown the money on the wrong thing.

We them pitched up in a snorkelling zone where the first of the new charges was levied – 40,000d to be allowed into the water. Some official-looking tickets were passed out (I didn’t swim due to my eye op) but there were grumbles from Thao and others as this did sound somewhat dodgy. It seems all the boats are doing it now, though.

I chilled and read my book in the sun while most of the rest of the boat tried not to drown after half a dozen beers on empty stomachs. After everyone came up, we moved the boat elsewhere and moored up for lunch which was quite plentiful – and crap if you didn’t like seafood. I think I had three bananas and all the tomato I could pick out of the salad.

Bopping boat

Bopping boat

As lunch was tidied up, jet-skis appeared and we were told it was “only” 400,000d for 15 minutes. This is really expensive compared to the likes of Phuket. Not surprisingly, nobody was interested. What did perk them up was a few songs from the Boys and the crew followed by a “free bar” in the water. Mulled wine was free if you swam up to the “bar”, though beer was still 20,000d a can.

It was fun, though, and I weakened. Despite not having trunks, I just wore my trousers, emptied the pockets and jumped in from the roof. Three times. The heat was such that once I go out, my trousers were dry within an hour. And my skin was red. And ouchy. Whoops.

Our last stop was at a resort island which cost us 20,000d to set foot on. And 10,000d more for “sports” which we didn’t use as there seemed to be further charges once we reached the beach. This was a relaxing stop with a nice beach being cleaned up by staff as we sat there. Thao wandered off to take some photos and I did the same once she collapsed in her deck chair (another 10,000d per person…).

Ribbit

Ribbit

After reading, listening to music, chatting and staring at tourists in small bikinis for a couple of hours (that last was me – Thao slept) we were ferried back to the mainland where we grabbed a shower then located a restaurant for dinner. Tonight was Vietnamese night and we biked around for a while looking for a place that Thao had been recommended.

It took us a while, and we’re still not sure we got the right place. As ever, there were several restaurants with the same name. However, I’ve got no complaints with the one we chose. It was “roll your own” spring rolls with fresh, crispy ingredients and at a bargain price. We even had a cute little baby to wave at while we ate.

Our day off was almost over. A quick internet check and a couple of cold beers at a bar down the road rounded it off nicely.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Moto Vietnam: Day 2 – Mui Ne to Nha Trang

Posted on by
Reply
Cute pedestrians

Cute pedestrians

We got up at 8am and the first thing we did after checking out was to hit the shops. I needed sun lotion, mainly as my face resembled that of a red superhero wearing a white Zorro mask. Not flattering, but at least I knew my sunglasses were working.

Our route took us back onto the road running past the orange sand dune and on towards greener land. The lush green plant life contrasted strongly with the orange sand it seemed to be growing out of.

The rest stop was to be Trap Cham, about four hours up the road. Just outside the town is the Po Klong Garai, a collection of three Cham buildings up on a hill. The cost of visiting these has recently risen to 10,000d – double that listed in the current Lonely Planet. One of the buildings is currently used and we had to ask someone to unlock it so we could see inside.

Commuters

Commuters

The heat was incredible so we had a quick siesta before remounting the bike and starting the last leg towards Nha Trang about 100km away. On the way we stopped for an hour for an email check at a very swish cybercafe. Big comfy armchairs, LCD screens, working keyboards, aircon and only 4500d per hour. Well cheap.

We’d traveled maybe 20km north of our pit stop when – would you believe it – the back tyre went flat again. Fortunately we’d once again come a cropper right by somewhere we could have it fixed. This time the fault was diagnosed as being the inside of the tyre itself. Some wear on it was rubbing on the inner tube and creating a hole in it. Solution: new tyre. Cost: 250,000d. Ah, well.

Cham tower

Cham tower

While we were waiting, I was invited to sit with about a dozen men who were sat – topless – eating and supping on rice wine. As usual, I was offered a shot glass full of wine. As usual, I necked it in one – to a cheer and cries of “very good!” Conversation was limited due to my complete lack of Vietnamese, but it was – as ever – humbling to experience such a welcome and generosity.

Thankfully that was our last stop until we reached Nha Trang. We picked a guest house a little way from the tourist bustle and settled in. which is where I wrote the draft for this post. Next stop would be somewhere selling food. After a long day biking I was starving!

We went to the Texas Steak place down the road (26a Tran Quang Khai St – no web page!). A bit pricey at first glance, but great quality and generous portions. The owner is a genuine American who’s been in Vietnam for 2½ years. Nice guy.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Moto Vietnam: Day 1 – HCM to Mui Ne

Posted on by
Reply
Puncture number 1

Puncture number 1

We set off at around 11:30 after going to Thao’s to repack our things into small bags. Thao had had a friend check out her motorbike and he deemed it satisfactory for our journey – no need to rent others so a huge money-saver!

Aiming for the 1A main road, we zoomed east for about an hour until the bike started to wobble. Badly. The back tyre had punctured. A great start! Fortunately, we were a stones-throw from a repair shop, and even closer to a guy who was sat under a tree with some spare parts. He sorted everything out for us, including getting is a new inner tube and charged us around 65,000d (about £2) for the privilege. At least breaking down isn’t expensive here.

Two on a bike

Two on a bike

After a lot of driving and swapping roles (front seat is far nicer on your bum than the back), we got to Phan Thiet at 3pm where we visited s small temple that houses a complete whale skeleton – apparently the largest on display in Vietnam. They also have the largest publicly viewable collection of whale bones in the country, a fact attested to by a trophy and certificate from the Vietnam Book of Records!

Despite the bonkers signposting (or lack of it), we reached the outskirts of Mui Ne about an hour later. We ignored the junction to head along the lovely new (and very empty) bypass and check out the orange sand dunes for which the area is famous. The skies were just starting to darken which allowed a wonderful contrast between the deep orange sand and the deepening blue sky.

Whale-y big!

Whale-y big!

We doubled back and checked out some guest houses before settling on a nice one run by a lovely little old lady who was fascinated by my passport. I think she generally only hosts Vietnamese holidaymakers and had never seen a Vietnamese tourist visa before!

Dinner was at the Wax Bar further along the road where a young girl stood taking sneaky photos of me. I talked to her very briefly and found out she was from Belgium, but she didn’t speak French or very much English. Instead she showed me all the photos she’d taken. Cute kid.

Mui Ne orange dunes

Mui Ne orange dunes

Her (I think) cousin appeared and we sat talking to her and her boyfriend for a while. We had a great chat and a lousy game of pool. Seriously I don’t think I’ve ever played to bad in my life!

The guest house had a TV in the room so I got to watch a fair bit of the Liverpool v Spurs game before I slept. Very soundly. Sitting on a bike all day is a lot more strenuous than you may think.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

After the engagement

Posted on by
Reply
How to relax in Ho Chi Minh City

How to relax in Ho Chi Minh City

In the afternoon, we headed back to our resective homes (Thao her place, myself to the hotel) to get changed into something more comfortable. Well, for me that was just another shirt as I was all out of trousers havign ripped the crotch of one pair wide open getting onto her bike the night before.

As such, our first stop of the afternoon was a supermarket where I picked up two pairs of rather decent shorts (XL size, naturally) for a little over £3 each. Bargain.

Now I wrote in an earlier blog post that crossing the road in Vietnam is like dropping a pebble into a bowl full of fish. The fish simply part and swim round you as you continue on your way. Today I was one of the fish.

We drove north east out of the city centre towards the Binh Quoi Tourist Village. This is mainly for “local” tourists rather than foreigners but it’s a beautiful spot to spend an afternoon. The most common usage locally is for wedding photographs and we saw many couples being dragged around by teams of people and bent into shape as they had their pictures taken.

Wedding Photo Central

Wedding Photo Central

The whole place is pretty artificial, with “old” walls in the middle of fields, bridges, waterwheels, unused fishing nets and the like. It’s still tranquil and beautiful and is a great place to go for dinner. There’s a 100,000d eat-all-you-can buffet from around 5pm with a huge variety of dishes from all over Vietnam available to try. Be aware, though, that very little English is spoken and you’ll be taking pot luck with a lot of the food!

Thao realised that she had a class that evening which she’s forgotten about, so we bolted the food and hopped back on the bike. Somehow I managed to get her to college just on time without killing us both despite the amazingly busy traffic in the city centre. She told me to go out and see the area while she was in class. Using her bike. On my own.

I wussed and sat and read a book for a bit until she came out during a break and chastised me. I mounted up and wobbled into the traffic.

Obviously things went OK or I’d not be typing this up now. In fairness, the locals treated me like some kind of backwards cousin who didn’t know what the hell he ws doing and I’m sure they gave me more leeway as a result. For this I am grateful as it allowed me to ease into the whole experience of being on my lonesome in a very confusing city.

I'll have a leg, please

I'll have a leg, please

I managed to find a garage and filled up, and a corner store round near the backpacker area to grab some munchies. Then I returned to the college where Thao was later coming out – but I sat at a cafe opposite and watched the footie with the staff instead. As ever, being sat in a generally non-touristy area, I had someone approach me and chat about the football for a while.

Eventually Thao appeared and I drove us to the hotel where she regained control of her motorbike and headed home. The fast, free wi-fi in my room meant I got to watch us crush Reading 3-0 on a dodgy streaming site. A good end to a good day.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]