Ho Chi Minh City

We arrived this evening in HCMC via bus. It was a sleeper bus, even though we rode on it during the day and it was a fairly comfortable experience. The best part was that it picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off a block from our hotel in HCMC. We decided to book a room before we arrived to dodge the touts. And we are pretty happy with how that worked out, especially since we arrived fairly late and it was awesome to just walk in, set down our bags and head out to dinner (Indian, yum!). Tomorrow we need to see about getting our visas extended before we decide what to do next...

Motorbiking Dalat to Mui Ne

Our Motorbikes with bags strapped on the back

Well, we arrived safely in Mui Ne this afternoon and had a blast motorbiking with our guides Mr. Hiep and Mr. Sao. Yesterday we did the countryside tour of Dalat and went to Elephant Falls where Dyanne got pretty wet venturing too close to the falls in the cave underneath them, the Happy Buddha, more falls, a rice wine "factory", and a lot more.

Elephant Falls

Climbing under Elephant Falls

Happy Buddha

Pongour Falls

Then we continued on to Di Ling where we spent the night. In the afternoon, it started to pour down rain and we pulled over to don our rain gear. My guide (Mr. Sao) was really well prepared and had rain pants and a poncho for me (plus a rain jacket which I didn't use because I had my own).

In rain gear

Our guides were really good drivers and kept us safe driving in the rain and the windy roads we drove on today to deposit us safely in Mui Ne where we are staying in a quaint (basic) bungalow on the beach. I think we'll explore here tomorrow and head down to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon) tomorrow.

Nha Trang

We made it to Nha Trang where we realized that we aren't really the hardcore budget travellers we would like to think we are (I know, not all of you are suprised by this conclusion). We arrived at about 9pm and checked into a budget hotel which we promptly checked out of the next day because there was no power. Nha Trang doesn't have enough power, so there's only power every other day until the end of the month (in case you are curious, they use a lot of hydroelectric power and the dams are pretty dry because the monsoons haven't hit yet, I think). Now, we could have survived without a/c (although it was really hot) and a hot shower (unnecessary because it's so hot outside), but we needed internet because we had to re-route our ticket. So, we checked into a mid-range hotel complete with generator (advertised as a "fully working hotel") and spent the day tossing coins to decide whether or not Africa is still on the agenda. And we realized we were much happier in the slightly upscale hotel. In our defense, we were even ready for a splurge and checked out the Novotel, but luckily (at $130 per night) it was full. The next day we rented a cataraman for an hour and spent some time on the beach (Reid also went to the doctor and he doesn't have anything serious, just a cold).

We got on a bus for Dalat today and arrived in the afternoon. We booked our hotel for tonight before we left and had a ride waiting for us--two guys on motorbikes (like Easy Riders) who sold us on a two day motorbike trip to Mui Ne leaving tomorrow. We'll spend tomorrow touring the countryside and get to Mui Ne the following day. We'll each be riding on a bike with a guide/driver and our bag strapped on the back. I'm really excited because I've wanted to do more motorbiking, but we haven't quite figured out the best way to do it, so tomorrow we'll get a chance to experience a bit of Vietnam slightly off the tourist path. Not sure about internet until we get to Mui Ne, but I'll try to do more of an update from there.

Via Seamail

We didn't end up getting photos of our clothes in Hoi An because they were all neatly packaged to be shipped home. A lovely lady from the post office came out to our hotel (and brought boxes) and packaged everything up for us. Here she is departing the hotel with one of our two boxes that should be arriving in Virginia in about three months.

Hoi An

Reid is off picking up the last of our custom made clothes--we already brought home two big bags on the motorbike we rented (and, really, riding a motorbike laden down with packages is a cultural experience). We are in a bit of a rush, because we need to get it all packaged and in the mail this evening because we are leaving on the train at 10:00 am tomorrow morning for Nha Trang.

We didn't end up doing much here in Hoi An other than shopping, which was a result of Reid only feeling about 50% for the past couple days (cold or flu bug we think) and our constant fittings (our own fault for not ordering more up front). So, we don't have many pictures. Which is sad, because I have had to jump on the back of a motorbike (or, yesterday an electric bike) to go to the tailor factory to show the guys actually making my suit the problem (the bust has been a bit of a challenge) several times. The shopping has been fun and we did make it to the beach one afternoon and our hotel has a pool which we've enjoyed several times.

But, we are pretty excited about our haul. Reid got four new suits and a pair of grey slacks and a brown sport coat as well as 12 work shirts and 5 more casual shirts. I got three suits (including slacks and a skirt), two skirts, a casual dress, two formal dresses, three work dresses, and ten shirts. It's definitely weird to be spending so much money in one fell swoop when we've been on a travel budget, but I'm sure once we're back at work, we'll only regret not getting more. And, it'll be fun to remember the experience each time we wear one of our pieces to work and to share the story whenever we get complimented on our suit/dress/ shirt (good interview material for Reid, maybe).

In other news, we need to re-route our ticket in the next couple of days, so be on the look out for an update on where we'll be going. Teaser: last check, Africa was out and Sumatra is in.

Hoi An

Well, we're still here in Hoi An. After a bit of a slow start, we have finally embraced all the tailoring there is to be done. With a fitting every day we've spent most of our time choosing fabric and styles and being pinned. They do let us out to grab a bite to eat and we even made it to the beach yesterday. We're having a blast and sweating a lot. Our hotel has a pool, so we've hung out there a bit as well. We'll have to post some pictures of our clothes before we ship them all home. At last count:

Reid - 4 suits, 11 shirts, 1 tie, 1 slacks, 1 sport coat

Dyanne - 3 suits, 2 dresses, 1 coat, 6 shirts

Hue

We boarded the night bus from Hanoi yesterday and arrived at Hue at 10:00 this morning. We found a nice little hotel and booked a half-day motorbike tour for tomorrow that will take us around to the sights. Reid's not feeling well and neither of us got a great night's sleep, so we've head a low-key day today and are crossing our fingers that Reid's feeling better tomorrow.

Bac Ha Market

We returned from Halong Bay on Friday and were hoping to jump on a train to Sapa (in North Vietnam near the Chinese border) that night, but the train was sold out. So, we ended up going up Saturday night and arrived in Lao Cai (the train station about 40 km from Sapa) Sunday morning. We wanted to go to the market in Bac Ha on Sunday morning and heard that we needed to get their early to experience it before the tourists arrived, which was why we wanted to get there on Saturday. Our train arrived at 5:15 on Sunday morning and we got almost immediately on a bus to Bac Ha. We were charged 75,000 VND for the local bus, which was supposed to be 50,000 VND... oh well! The bus ride took about 2 hours and along the way we picked up a number of locals headed to the market.

The draw of the Bac Ha market are all the Flower H'mong (an ethnic minority group) that come in their traditional wear. We were not disappointed. It was a rainy day, which was a bit of a bummer, but we had our rain jackets and rain covers for our bags and just toughed it out like the locals. We got to the market at around 8:00 am and got to observe the locals conducting their business--socializing at the food stalls and buying and selling goods. They trotted their water buffalo up the stairs to the livestock market where they were tethered to rocks waiting to be appraised. There were puppies and dogs for sale (and, no, I don't think they were for pets), ducks and geese.

Water Buffalo at the Livestock Market

Dogs - Sold!

Flower H'mong Ladies

Petrol Station

At around 9:15 the locals started turning their attention to the gathering groups of tourists touting their bags and other goods. So, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed for the bus. Although we were only charged 50,000 VND for the return trip to Lao Cai, we were crowded in to the minivan with several locals standing and about three chickens stashed under the back seat. We also took a break about half way to Lao Cai where the driver and several other men sat down to drink tea and play cards. Turns out, we were waiting for a connection that was delayed by and accident. An hour later we were back on our way to Lao Cai where we found a bus to Sapa, about an hour from Lao Cai.

Chickens on the Bus

We were greeted by stunning views of rice terraces along the mountains on the way to Sapa. We were able to find a comfortable hotel room for USD 15 that had a shared balcony with a view of the rice terraces (when we weren't sitting in the fog). We got settled in the hotel room, just in time for me (Dyanne) to be sick. I'm just grateful that we were able to enjoy the market before I started feeling really poorly.

Testing

Back in Hanoi

After a couple days in Sapa enjoying the views (and Dyanne being sick) we're back in Hanoi. We're headed to Hue tomorrow night to arrive the following morning.

Hi all, we are enjoying a lazy day at La Place, a comfortable little cafe/restaurant in the center of Hanoi's old city. Lonely planet mentioned that it had tasty food (which is true), but left out the fact that there is a great little rooftop deck, wifi, and a comfortable airy second floor lounge with lots of outlets. It is the perfect spot for us to spend a few hours relaxing and catching up on some blogging, banking, and assorted other e-activities (e-tivities? That sounds too much like nativities...).



The bells of St. Joseph's church are ringing across the square. St. Joseph's is a pretty catholic cathedral in the center of the old city. Vietnam is about 10% catholic, the second biggest catholic population in asia (after the phillipines). On our second day in Hanoi, we decided to attend the 6pm mass there.

Lonely planet mentions that the congregation spills out into the streets, so we arrived a healthy 45 minutes early. We were greeted by an enormous crowd of people in the square watching some type of nativity play.



There was dancing, singing, wisemen (with pasted on mustaches), and more girls in blue waving flowers and fans than you can shake a stick at (also, it is rude to shake sticks at people in church). I joined in some of the vietnamese hymns by peaking over the shoulder of the girl in front of me. Every now and then she would fan herself with the lyrics and I would have to make up words.

I loved the spectacle and the feeling that we were participating in a local event, as opposed to having something staged for our benefit. But I was also hungry and hoping that things would move along quickly, so I was glad when the play ended and the altar boys arranged themselves to pick up the huge palanquin with a statue of Mary that was the center piece of the play.



I thought we would be headed into church soon. I was incorrect. Instead, the altar boys tried very hard not to drop Mary while several orders of nuns, monks, flower girls, and assorted others lined up for a procession around the church. The procession became a parade when a military band started playing and joined in the march.


Eventually, everyone worked their way around the block, returned, and the monks, nuns, and assorted others followed Mary into the cathedral. Then the crowd started to line up at the doors, some people running and pushing, trying to get inside for a seat. This process was complicated by the people trying to carry stacks of plastic stools outside through the same small doors.
We eventually worked our way inside and found seats in a not-too-crowded pew towards the back. There were several fans nearby, but none were pointed in our direction. The little old vietnamese women on either side of us were kind enough to fan both of us periodically with their large (and effective) hand-held fans.

Mass was ... long. The sermon was (I believe) deep and meaningful. It was also in Vietnamese. I lost track of what exactly what was happening. There was a great deal of singing, including something that I think might have been a national anthem (or at least a prayer that included the words "Vietnam" with some frequency). We left during communion (along with a lot of vietnamese) and got to see a crowd of people sitting in the square on their motorbikes, all wearing ponchos against the rain, listening to the mass on the loudspeakers. It was a very different and cool experience.



After Mass, we had some pretty good tapas at "La Salsa" across the street. We ordered a cheese plate that came with blue cheese and goat cheese. It was twice as expensive as the other dishes and only had two small pieces of cheese. We both thought it was the most delicious thing we had eaten in weeks. It turns out that there isn't a lot of cheese in asian food (i.e. none). Then we met up with our Irish friends from Gibbon and joined them for a "last supper" (and drink), since all of us were heading off to Halong Bay with separate tours the next day. It was fun and a bit sad.

A Few Photos

Hi all. While we're catching up on our posts, I thought I would share a link to a few of our favorite shots from the trip so far. This gallery should update as we go, so check back every now and again.

Where to Begin?

Our apologies for the dearth of blog entries and photos. Since we left China we have been travelling on and off with various friends we've met along the way. It has been a blast, but hasn't left much down time to fill everyone at home in on the details. In Vientiane, we decided to fly to Hanoi.

After a couple death-defying bus rides in Laos we decided the night bus wasn't a great idea. We were able to get our visas to Vietnam changed to allow us to get into the country a couple days early and flew to Vietnam on May 29th. We then quickly booked a Halong Bay cruise where we were carted to Halong City and got on a boat to cruise around the bay for a day and spend the night on a boat before going on to Cat Ba island. It was beautiful, but basically they just herd all the tourists onto buses and boats and take them out into the bay. When we arrived on the island, we ditched our organized tour and had a couple days to ourselves and boy were we relieved to have some time to ourselves. We had a good time exploring the island and hanging out on the beach before heading back to Hanoi.




Tonight we are getting on a night train to Lo Cai. From there we're heading to Bac Ha for the Sunday morning market. It's the biggest market in the area and we are looking forward to it. From there, we'll go to Sapa to trek through some rice terraces and enjoy the views. After that, we'll return to Hanoi for a night or so before heading down the coast to Hoi An to have some custom suits, dresses, shirts, and maybe even shoes made to fit.