Day 12 & 13: Disaster In Pakse

We had an early, relaxing final morning on Don Det, and made our way to the mainland around 10:30 AM. We caught a van to take us up the highway to Champasak, once an ancient Khmer capital, and now a peaceful riverside town whose only claim to fame is Angkorian temple, Wat Phu. We arrived around 3:00, which gave us just enough time to head out to the ruins and see what all the fuss was about.

Sun shower and some really old buildings

Though it was obviously no match for the ruins at/around Angkor Wat, it was certainly impressive to see a structure over 1000 years old still standing. The stairs I could've done without... but some temples don't just give it away, you gotta earn it.

I love steep, shallow rock stairs as much as the next guy, but I felt bad for all the Asian ladies in their heels...

So with that checked off our list, we headed back to the guesthouse. Our room was pretty dingy, but given the price of $3.75 a night, we weren't complaining. On top of that, the food from the restaurant was super cheap (not necessarily common in Laos) and super good (not necessarily common in cheap hotels), so we were satisfied.

The next morning we woke early to catch a tuk tuk in to town, which the very lovable man in charge flagged down for us without us even having to ask him. By 9ish we were in Pakse, ready to quickly take care of our visas for our impending return to Vietnam, then rent bikes and go enjoy the mountains and waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau.

Things are operating smoothly for our heroes. What could possibly go wrong now?.....

We get a ride to the Vietnamese Embassy, and begin filling out the paperwork for our visas. Then Dan realizes he doesn't have his passport.

Gone.

Well damn. Did NOT see that one coming.

We had no reason to use our passports since we had entered Laos, so we had no idea of where he might have lost track of it. Neither of us had any recollection of taking either passport out after the first day in the country, but we started calling guesthouses and restaurants regardless. None had seen the missing book, and with nothing else to go on, it was concluded that we were not going to be able to track it down. TOTAL BUMMER. Total.

Dan now had to trade a date with the Plateau for a date with Vientiane: Laos' capital, my arch-nemesis, and the only city in Laos with a US Embassy. While I wanted to be a loyal travel partner and accompany him, I was not going to make my 5^th trip to such a boring, expensive city, especially with it so far away and the Plateau sooooooo close. I offered anyway, but Dan rightly insisted that it would be a total waste of money for me, and I should just explore the Plateau on my own.

So with that decided, we made some effort to get organized, arrange onward travel (overnight bus for Dan, motorbike for me), and get movin. I rode out of town around 12:30, as Dan waited for his 8 PM bus. Once again, a hugely unfortunate situation but.... you know.

So it goes.

This Mekong Sunset was actually captured in Don Det, I just felt like this post needed a happier ending...

Tune in next time to find out what I forgot to do in the midst of the confusion in Pakse. Yikes!

Days 10 & 11:4000 Islands: Chill, Chill, Chill....

After trials, tribulations, and a whole lotta bus rides, we were finally on the most popular of the 4000 Islands, Southern Laos' top tourists destination. You might have noticed that we've reached day 10 already, and none of these days involved sleeping in the same town more than 1 night in a row. So we were happy to get the chance to slow down, chill out, and enjoy the culture and sights of a place that we had heard so much about.

Don Det and its neighbor Don Kone (Don means “island” in Lao) are well known for their laid-back atmosphere. The area has become something of a backpacker mecca, especially for those making the trip from Laos to Cambodia. or vice versa. When we arrived off of our 27 hour travel marathon, we were more than ready to test just how chill this place could be. With the Mekong sliding past our bungalow, and hammocks a permanent fixture, things were looking up for us battle-hardened heroes.

If this picture doesnt make you giggle then we have different senses of humor

Our plan was to stay 3 nights (nights 9, 10, and 11) then head back up to Pakse to get our Vietnamese visas done before forging in to the mountains. We planned to spend this time doing nothing in particular, soaking up the good vibes and enjoying the view from our hammocks. We also had heard that the kayaking tours are quite worth the $25 price tag (ouch), both from old friends and our new friend from the truck from Pakse, so we decided we would try it out the last day we were there. Seeing waterfalls, freshwater Irrawaddy Dolphins that live in the river, and mastering the mighty Mekong armed with nothing but a plastic boat and paddles seemed like a good way to spend a day.

Read on to see if it was a good way to spend a day, and see some pictures!

Day 8 & 9: Travel, Travel, Travel: The Road to Si Phan Don....

So Day 7 did not go quite as expected, and as a result, Dan and I spent the night in Lak Sao, a small town 34 Km from the border that we so unceremoniously were made to leave our beloved motorbikes at. Disappointed but undeterred, we woke up early-ish to go check out the schedule at the bus station for whatever vehicles were headed our way.

We showed up around 8:45 to find the bus station already very busy. We'd missed several trucks going in the right direction, but there was one leaving in 35 minutes that we could jump on. We hadn't prepared for such a quick departure, but the iron was hot and only getting colder, so it was time to strike. We grabbed a bit of food, then the truck drove us by our guesthouse to quickly pack up our stuff, and we were off.

A thoughtful man

The drive was pleasant enough, and though we still missed our bikes, we were thankful not to be driving through the rain on this cold wet morning. After a couple hours we pulled in to Vieng Kham, then immediately got on another truck headed down to the larger town of Tha Kek, which houses, among other things, a bus station with overnight departures to Pakse, the southern capital of Laos.

Read on to see if more misfortune befalls the daring duo, or if this is just a boring post about bus rides.

Day 7: Change of Plans

On night 6, we put our bikes and ourselves on the train to Vinh, and it must have been Official Take Your Young Children to Vinh Weekend, as our car was chock full of families and their kids heading south. We settled in to our 3^rd tier bunks (a huge improvement over the benches from the train to Lao Cai) and got some good sleep. We arrived in the morning, got some gasoline, some food, and some coffee, and headed off towards the Laos border.

Because there is not much to see between Hanoi and Hue/Danang/Hoi An, (aside from a very long stretch of highway separating them) we decided to go south through Southern Loas, which contains some fabulous natural attractions, affordable accommodation, and PEOPLE THAT CAN SPEAK THAI! Hooray!! So it would be a few days working our way down south, a few in the 4000 Islands region, on to the southern capital of Pakse to take care of Vietnam Visa stuff, then several more days in the mountains of the Bolaven Plateau. The trip would conclude by leaving through the southernmost checkpoint between Vietnam and Laos, which happens to be quite convenient to the Plateau as well as the citys of Hue, Danang, and Hoi An, our next destination.

We would be riding our bikes into Laos, as we had heard several 1^st and 2^nd hand reports of how easy and cheap it is to bring bikes across the border. We were eager for a change of scenery, and made our way as quickly as possible to the checkpoint, but the roads did not allow for very high speeds. Dodging pothole after pothole, and trying to get by big trucks on small roads was not our idea of fun. But once we got out of the villages and into the mountains, things changed drastically for the better.

The colorzzzzzzzz

Let's be honest: that guardrail wasn't gonna help anybody.

The roads were great and the scenery baffling, and we couldn't wait to see how things continued on the Laos side. We were in high spirits as we pulled up to the border. We went up to the office to get stamped out of Vietnam and pay whatever customs tax we owed for the bikes.

And then they told us that we could not take our bikes into Laos, and would have to leave them at the border.

Ssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Fantastic.

What will Ian & Dan do?? Will they get out of this pickle? What about the bikes?? Read on to find out.

Day 5 & 6: A Bit Hanoi-ing...

Though we originally had a nice, relaxing, scenic 2-day ride back to Hanoi planned, it had to be scrapped, thanks to a certain highway construction effort 21 Km west of a certain national park.(if you haven't heard about it, go read here, urbody talkin bout it). Our only viable option was to call it a loss, and get back to Hanoi about 18 hours earlier than expected. So we turned our handlebars in the direction of the capital city we had been residents of for the previous 2 months, and were off.

The drive started nicely enough, but soon turned to boring highways lined by small towns, farms, and factories. It threatened rain all day, which actually made for a comfortable driving temperature, and once we got on to the bigger highway, the sailing was smooth for the 100 Km into Hanoi. We took a long lunch, avoiding a short but heavy rain shower, and got in around 4 PM.

Northern Loop completed (kinda).

Sunset view from our favorite bar in Hanoi. This is an old picture... but still appropriate for the post i think

We were disappointed to have not been able to complete our Loop as planned, but it was nice to at least be back in familiar territory, and we had a short list of things to get done (and a long list of things to eat) before we left town

Read on to find out if anything on our to do list was interesting!

There were just a few errands we had to run while we were in the big city, nothing exciting or interesting. Bike maintenance, currency exchange, and saying hey to certain friends were the priorities, as well as various restaurants and eateries that needed to be visited before leaving Hanoi for the foreseeable future.

I felt some of the biggest culture shock I've had since being abroad while taking care of one of our top priorities: see the new Batman movie in a real theater. And the theater was real. So real, I felt like I was back in The States, and it was... weird. And expensive. Not to mention the theme of the movie itself; if you haven't seen it, you should, and not just because of the effects. The whole “1%/99%” social phenomenon is one that peaked while I was abroad, so I'm a bit detached from it. Regardless, it should be noted that by a global standard, the USA is the 1%. Even the people in the US complaining about the 1%. You are the 1% to a lot of other people.

Some cultures who aspire to our particular version of capitalism admire our wealth; others don't. Still, it was a bit unnerving watching the movie in a country whose none-to-distant past involved class tensions, foreign invaders, and bloody domestic war. It's shaped the culture in many ways, often for the worse. I wondered what the Vietnamese people in the audience thought about watching the same scenario unfold in Gotham, especially as many of the victims were of the upper class (something the audience also had in common).

We checked all the boxes on our list, in plenty of time to say some final goodbyes to some of our best friends in Hanoi, then were off on the night train to Vinh, a town about 6 hours south of Hanoi.

The Plan: From Vinh, drive west to the nearby border crossing with Laos, and enjoy a glorious 10 days driving through Southern Laos's 4000 Islands and Bolaven Plateau.

Peace Vietnam, see you soon. Time to get our Laos on ya'll!!

Day 3 & 4: The Quest for Ba Be

Sleeping in was all part of the plan the day we headed for Ba Be National Park, in nearby Bac Kan Province. We grabbed a late breakfast, throughout which a few local truckers insisted that we eat the various pig organs and body parts they had on their plate, while also attempting to get us as drunk as they were. Though it could've been a good time, we had some highways calling our names, and couldn't afford to get wasted at 10:30 AM. We escaped, having only had 3 small shots of rice wine (not whiskey) and a bit of pigs foot. Bags packed and secured to the bikes, we headed down the road toward the our restful lakeside destination.

Ba Be National Park consists of 3 interconnected lakes, all surrounded by steep limestone peaks and a forested area that has a diverse wildlife population. Relaxing by the lake, swinging in a hammock, with ambient jungle noise in my ears, and not a single automobile in sight sounded like the perfect way to spend a couple days. With this restfulness in mind, we powered on through the once again blazing midday heat (I'm never leaving a place at 11 AM ever again. What were we thinking??) on winding roads, which provided beautiful scenery, but at a much slower pace than expected.

a lot of this. we weren't mad

After making our way through a particularly spectacular valley hosting a particularly rugged stretch of highway (if its made of dirt, do you still call it a highway?), I looked over at the mile marker on the side of the road and realized that we no longer on the road we were supposed to be on. Again, we knew we would be coming to a turn in our route, but without a good map, it was hard to say where exactly our turns would come, and we often depend on highway signs and locals to help us out. Neither could do so this time, and the very kind people we went to for help couldn't actually pinpoint where their town was on the map... Despite it all, they seemed cautiously confident that we should continue in the direction we were heading in the first place, and once we convinced ourselves they were right, we headed off.

Did we get the right directions? Read on to find out the not soo shocking answer, then later: a twist!

Day 2: Headed For Ha Giang

Well rested, energized by the beauty of the scenery we'd already taken in, and excited by the prospect of what was to come, Dan and I were ready to eat up some road on the second morning of our trip. After a pleasant breakfast and a cup of coffee, we checked out of our very comfortable room, loaded up the bikes, and hit the road. The weather high in the mountains was gloriously pleasant, with zero humidity and a temperature around 70 F. We dressed appropriately.

The jeans and long sleeves we felt were appropriate for the mountain weather felt less and less so with each kilometer we traveled down into the valley back to Lao Cai. By the time we arrived at the train station in town, we realized the temperature OUTSIDE Sapa was searingly hot, rising above 100 F, and the heat showed no signs of abating, as it was still only around 10:45 AM when we got into town.

so peaceful. minus the sweltering heat

As I mentioned previously, we were lacking a sufficiently detailed map, and finding our way from one highway to another could be a bit tricky at times (see Day 1) so we stopped quickly in Lao Cai to get our bearings and have someone point us in the right direction. In doing so, we ended up starting a pretty rowdy fist fight between 2 motorcycle taxi drivers, who were both trying to give us directions (and turn a small profit from the favor). As they exchanged blows to the head over $2.50 that we weren't going to give them anyway, we climbed back on our bikes, and set off towards what seemed like the right direction based on what the men had told us before the punches started flying. We still don't know who won the fight, but my bet is on the chubby one.

Did we start any more fights? read on to find out

Day 1: Welcome to The Alps of Tonkin

The second I arrived in my room in Sapa, a small mountain town in the far north of Vietnam, my plan for the day was clear: Shower. Eat. Sleep till 4 PM.

Doesn't sound like your usual travel itinerary? Missing some context? Alright, lets Terantino that opener real quick.

Previous to Day 1, Night 0 was spent on an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, with an arrival time around 6 AM, set to be in Sapa at 8 via leisurely motorbike ride through the mountains. Literally hundreds of tourists do this every night, and some might even describe it as the most comfortable train ride they'd ever taken. They didn't take our train -- the budget train.

Does it look grungy and depressing? Good.

OUR overnight train involved metal benches with token plastic cushions that had long lost they're cushiness. Our bench faced another, with a particularly good looking Vietnamese girl in it, but once it became obvious that she couldn't speak any English, and was somehow immune to my good looks and boyish charm as a result, she was suddenly very much in the way of my leg space. The train of course rattled, creaked, and lurched all night, and the metal curtains that covered half the window limited sightseeing, yet allowed in plenty of mountain air to make the journey a fairly chilly one.

read on to hear more tales of woe and misadventure!

New Beginnings: My Glorious Return to Blogdom

The Blog is Back

I have various excuses for why my blog, briefly revitalized in the Autumn of 2011, was so abrubtly and cold-heartedly abandoned. But you know what they say about excuses: Excuses are like (insert vaguely obscene body part here): everybody's got one, but nobody wants to read about yours.

So instead of talking about the past, I'm going to talk about the present. I am currently sitting at a shop that sells beer for 50 cents a bottle in Hanoi. I have just completed 2 months of working, playing, and living in this fast-paced city, sitting on the precipice of another 2 months of travel, and perhaps more.
Hanoi has been... different. At times fantastic and mind-opening, at times frustrating and bewildering, but not once has it been boring, and that certainly counts for something. I'm grateful for my time here (and the money that it made me) but totally ready to get out and see what the rest of Vietnam's got.

Takin the Long Bien Bridge out of town. So long Hanoi, hello open road.

The “plan” is as follows: 1 week in Vietnam's mountainous North, then back through Hanoi en route (yeah, I write in French. So??) to the Laos border. This of course will be followed by a couple weeks in Southern Laos, where the Mekong River is arguably at its most fascinating and scenic. From there, we head back in to Central Vietnam, then hug the coast for the next few weeks, making the well traveled journey south to Saigon. I say “we” as I will be traveling with my good friend Dan, another teacher I met my first day here in Vietnam. We both own motorbikes, small though they may be, and apart from a couple train rides, our entire trip will be made on our trusty Honda stallions.

This is my cordial invitation and urgent notice to you: Join me! I'm going to attempt to make up for my months and months of blog neglect (Bloglect if you will?) by delivering on as regular a basis as my predictably spotty internet access will allow. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell your whatever-you-call-your-friends-on-Twitter people:

It's goin down.

Be there

Love,

ian

P.S. There will be pictures