My Gibbon Experience

What can I say? After spending time as a challenge course instructor for high and low ropes courses for a little part of my life, how can I turn down an opportunity to play in the trees? That's what the Gibbon Experience seems like at first glance, a "summer camp" for adults, as a friend put it to me. After seeing the land, the people who frequent the space, the work being done by the Gibbon folks and the systems they have in place, I realize it is soooo soooo much more!

Traveling for an hour or an hour and a half East from the Lao border, the mountain climb steeper and steeper. A lot of land is being "managed" (if slash and burn is what one means by "managed") and huge swaths of forest have been removed and replaced with...well....nothing. In places, there are orchards of trees, but they were too distant for me to tell if it was revegitation work or agricultural land. There was quite a bit of forested lands in parts and thick jungle, so one could get a sense of how the land looked before it was "managed" so heavily. Some of the clear cuts were surrounded by some of that old forest space in stark stark contrast. So, taking a turn northward from the main highway and onto a dirt road was quite a relief, as we approached the National Conservation Area and the trees returned to their larger diameters and the undergrowth more and more lush. We got out of the trucks and walked into the jungle for an hour or so and how did that change. Such lovely land! At one point, we saw a man with a semi-automatic assault rifle and the guide said to us "ranger." Make note of that, I'll talk more about that later.

At last, we reached the "kitchen," an outpost in the jungle where the guides slept and much of the food was prepared. He we received our harnesses and instructions on how to wear them. We also got our treehouse assignments. I understood that treehouse 3 was the furthest into the forest we would be permitted to go, so I signed up for it. We walked further into the forest before our first zip which lead into treehouse number one. We received safety talks, again, from our guides and they watched as we clipped in and out of the systems. First zip was a short one, but a nice taste of what was to come. Lush jungle underneath a high treetop tree house with only one way to get in out: zipline! One really gets a feeling of being on an island in the forest with accommodations like this! We zipped out, followed by more walking before we reached the first big zips. More safety instructions. More observation. Two really great zips in the middle of which was a GREAT tree stand platform from which we were told was the best place to see gibbons in the morning. The zipping was fast and phenomenal! Great views of the mountains and the valley underneath, from above, that is.

Tree house number 2 was a little ways off, perched at about 80 or 90 feet off the ground. It was ideal for a couple as it slept only two and we had a couple who happily took the opportunity. More walking walking walking. Up huge hills and down others. Then tree house number three, home for a few days. We zipped in. A very fast zip and a very small perch on which to land on the underside of the house. With the house sitting at about 100 feet or so off the ground, this was quite an exhilarating to get in and out of the house! Our tree house slept five or six and we had two Cannucks and two Aussies and me (And only two hammocks? What will we do?). The zip in and out of the house was so much fun, the Canadians and I got a kick just out of going around in circles zipping in and out of the house (green line means "go", red line means "no," yellow line is safety...ingenious system with colored tapes). Our house had a decent view of the valley and was really high up! We had running water, a small kitchen with a burner and a sink, two hammocks and bug nets (though next time, I plan to bring my own, because their bug nets are more like canopies than nets and trap way too much heat at night) and a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower and two holes in the floor (Yep, jungle fertilizer! No paper down the toilet, please!). Great great spot!

The two Cannucks and I teamed up to run around and zip to our hearts' content. We went back to the central platform between treehouses 1 and 2 and zipped a few times before making a run to the long zip just beyond our treehouse and between tree house 3 and 5. So incredible, so fast, such brilliant scenary!!! You'll have to wait until I can post video soon!


So, how's it work? And why is it sooooo darn expensive? Who's making a profit here? I believe that this is locally-based ecotourism at its best (well, pretty darn good!)! The Gibbon organization provides the logistics and advertising and makes arrangements with folks interested in the experience (like me!). We each pay an exorbitant amount of money for a three day, two night all expenses paid eco-experience in the jungle. Each group has two guides, who are typically locals from the local Hmong community or local Lao communities. Jobs. The guides must first volunteer to learn about the org, the jungle, the systems and the clients. Once they're hired, they work in shifts, taking a few trips and then a few days off. The Gibbon folks work on their English and pay them a modest (very modest) wage, plus tips. The guides say the like it! They like the zipping and they like meeting all the travelers and working with them in the forest. It's clear from their response to the gibbons that they also really love the gibbons as well. Guides also learn and assist with new constructions. They install new zip lines and replace old ones, repair old tree houses and are working on another new one at present. Meanwhile, a whole corps of "rangers" (also paid, not sure how much though...Jobs) spend their days hiking the deep interior of the protected area, looking for poachers, miners and any others who would do damage to this fragile ecosystem. The folks in the office work with the government land management agencies to further protect the land and obtain funds for projects. It's pretty brilliant work.


So, Gibbons. Each morning, the gibbons are highly active and sing (and by sing, I mean SCREAM!). They call at about the same time each morning and their calls last for about six to fifteen minutes. During that time, their location is quite clear and while they're singing is the only time one may approach them. So, they sing, we determine their location. They stop, we're silent. They sing, we zip/run/move in their direction. They stop, we're silent. Eventually, it's possible, or so they say, to see them pretty close singing in the treetops. That's how it's supposed to work in theory. In practice, it's much much more complicated. First, gibbons move UNBELIEVEABLY fast through the trees. Much faster than I could ever conceive of sprinting on flat ground. Second, their range in the valleys is impressive. They can be on this side of the valley or that; they can be at the top of the draw or all the way down at the bottom. So, being lucky enough to be near where they are when they start singing is important (our guide says 100% of guests hear the gibbons and only about 50% actually see them). Third, with so many guests wanting to see them and zip lines being the fastest way to move around to get to and from places, humans make A LOT of noise in the forest. Attempting to "sneak" up on a gibbons while they're singing with two guides and five guests is akin to an elephant sneaking through a pile of leaves and dry twigs.

My tally: Well, the first day, they were so loud, they woke some of our group out of dead sleep. They sang a little early and were very very close to our platform. I believe the platforms have been constructed to be nearby where the gibbons typically sing in the morning, increasing the likelihood of seeing them. Their song was curious, very primitive, birdlike and extremely loud. I had never before had much interaction with primates (other than my other relatives, the homo sapiens sapiens I know), so this behavior came as quite a shocking surprise to me. We attempted to get closer to where they were singing, but the singing had ended before we made it up and out of our platform and by that time, they could have been a mile away dining on their favorite fruits. The second day, our group became determined to increase our likelihood of seeing gibbons and we obtained permission to zip in to the central platform in the dark, before dawn, and to wait silently until after sunrise when the singing would occur. Complications aside (like other guests zipping in just before the singing was to begin and while the gibbons were at the top of a tree very very close to us), our group got to witness an entire "family" swinging through the trees on the other side of the valley from where we were. They ascended this incredibly gargantuan tree and were getting ready to sing when they realized (because of all our noise) we were watching them, and they slipped back down underneath the canopy. We pursued their location, but we waited ten, twenty, thirty minutes after the normal singing time and no singing from our family of gibbons. We began to walk out when the faint call of gibbons rang out in the air. They had moved very far away from us before initiating their morning call. I ran back up to the zip line and zipped to the central platform just to have a clear opportunity to hear their call one last time. From their lccation, I could tell them moved far down the draw and crossed to the opposite side of the valley before singing (this is like a kilometer or two in under 20 minutes). Their song was, once again, lovely, startling, alien and amazing. It was this morning when I saw the whole scheme of the idea behind this ecotourism. There were three families of gibbons living "happily" in this immediate area. Forest protection and restoration is underway and the guests are the best form of advertising.

So, there were downsides to the experience (like the lack of protein the second day after all the walking/hiking/zipping we were doing, not everyone had forks or plates or cups on every platform at every meal, I didn't have a sheet on my bed, nor did I have a towel like others had, there weren't enough snacks to match the amount of physical activity we were undertaking, some platforms didn't have water during certain times of day, the drivers who drove a little too fast on the dirt roads with a songtau full of passengers and a high center of gravity), but if I was given the opportunity to go back, I'd do it in a heartbeat! Next time, if I can, I'd take the "Waterfall Experience" to have the opportunity to head deeper into the jungle and to experience some of the zip lines even further in. There are good things going on in that forest. For me, it was evidenced by how happy my guides seemed about their jobs and how affirmatively they spoke of their work when I asked them if they liked it. Seeing the armed rangers and knowing that they roam deeper in the jungle, where supposedly many other great beasts like tigers and bears wander, to protect the flora and fauna and knowing that even the Gibbon X folks are evolving (I heard that they are teaching rangers and guides basic GPS skills in order to map relevant events on the land), this is a really great opportunity for all.

I promise to post photos soon.

BTW, for the birders out there: birding in this lush a jungle was near impossible for me. It was all by ear and, unfortunately, the guides couldn't match the song to the bird for me. I was startled one morning by a flock of what the guides called "hard bills" which looked like toucans with huge tails! They were making all sorts of racket because I crossed underneath their flight path. I did LOVE the bird song and heard some amazing call and response. I was surprised that birds that were clearly of different species were singing in a similar key and their songs seemed to go together quite well. I ended up whistling back and forth with my housemates and with the guides, who also appreciate the calls.

Of Water and Stone, Boats, Breeze and Fellowship

Halong Bay

First, I must say that finding a reputable tour company in Hanoi is like finding a motor bike driver who DOESN'T say "Motobike?" when you walk by. It's damn near impossible.

I did a lot of online research and discovered that there are various "classes" of trips on Halong Bay, but that they basically break down into three categories: budget, mid-range and fancy shmancy (to quote a former coworker). I really wanted to have a good experience because I read some awful accounts of peoples' Halong experiences online and basically decided to go with one of the two most highly recommended upper-mid-range companies (I'm sorry, I don't have my notes with me for their names). I investigated both of their offices and discovered they each had excellent customer service. The prices were a little steep, but I was going to just go with it to ensure a good experience. Shortly after visiting the second office and while I was debating my decision, I ran into this nice Frenchman, Laurent Kiti (see Hanoi post), sat and had a drink and conversed a while before asking him if he knew a reputable company, JUST to get a third opinion. He introduced me to Thuy at GP Travel, who gave me his Halong schpeel before we starting just talking. We talked for like an hour or two, he was very friendly and the office wasn't too busy while I was there. It was a really pleasurable conversation. Afterwards, I went with my gut instinct...I liked him a lot, I liked what he had to say about his business and I felt he was pretty honest. Let me say, I was and am not disappointed. I was actually quite impressed with his honesty and openness about the business.

After the fact, I'm so satisfied with my experience that I must recommend him as a good, honest, excellent mid-ranged Halong tour operator and suggest anyone considering visiting Halong to consult him as one of your sources for information. I happily offer his contact info:

GP Travel
Thuy, owner (or speak to Vihn)
29 Hang Giay, Hanoi
Tel: +84 4 39263043
Fax: +84 4 39343797
Mobile: +84 983373387
I paid $85 + $30 (additional charge to have my own room) for two nights, three days (one night on boat, one on Cat Ba), kayaking, bicycling, island and cave visits and three star accommodations


Not only did I get what I paid for, I got a lot more than I expected!!! I had been watching the weather carefully for a couple of days, attempting to be strategic (I told one Vietnamese man I was trying to win the weather game...he responded, "In Vietnam, you can never win the weather game.). The day I booked, near typhoon force winds and rain battered Hanoi for a portion of the day. The computer forecasted sun and part clouds for the weekend, so I just went with it and hoped for the best. It was kind of the same with the tour operator. I booked it and just went with it.

For those interested in details, here was my itinerary: In the end I got a pretty standard Halong itinerary, but it seemed that there were a few added perks (and I'm not sure exactly why...not sure if I paid for it or if I got in the tour guides good graces by being friendly Jamie and he just let me get away with it!). The mini bus picked me up at my hotel. We drove all over Hanoi picking up irritated tourists who had been waiting for a pick up longer than expected. I was understanding, it's a big town and people stay all over the place,but I was one of the lucky ones picked up on time. We traveled to Halong, stopping at an arts center that supports people with agent orange poisoning, a center which practiced and retailed, among many other arts, production ceramics work. (BTW: It was really interesting to see the molds and slip casting in bulk in progress...never seen that before!!!) We got to Halong, our tour guide made arrangements and led us to our boat. We sailed in Halong, UNDER SUNNY SKIES (Yeah!!!), stopping at the "Surprise" Cave (ha ha, what a surprise *sarcasm*). The guide gave us his song and dance in the cave (I've seen the same song and dance now three times...they seem to all be "same same"). We had EXCELLENT food the first dinner, docked in a bay with other boats, but tethered to no other. My accommodations were quite nice, the dining room quite nice, the food excellent (soooooo much seafood!!!! and sooo well prepared). From there, I kayaked for part of a day, I visited Tetop Island, got dropped off at Cat Ba, took a spin on a bike around the island, stayed in a lovely place with 9th floor dining area, ate more great meals, took a long kayak trip with a new friend to Monkey Island and then motored home slowly. All this was followed by lunch on land at a HUGE dining area for tourists and one more stop at another art center and then back to Hanoi.

The boat was small and intimate, only eight rooms, I think. It didn't have the fanciest sun deck, but it was quite adequate for leisure and photography. At times, it was utterly quiet on the water, which was totally pleasant. Our boat had a group of French tourists, a newly wed couple, an Aussie chap with his Vietnamese sister-in-law and me. Pretty small and nice. I took pleasure in setting off in the kayak off one of the floating fishing villages and finding my way to a quiet cove to listen to the birds. There are so many birds in the crevices in the rock and I saw pairs of raptors here and there fishing (I don't think they were ospreys, because their wings didn't have that classic shape). Others on the boat had to pay if they wanted to kayak, but for me, the tour guide said I paid for it. OK. There was a big discussion about how the morning would work. At first, they said I'd eat breakfast earlier than the others and then get picked up by some other boat. Then the French folks said they wanted to stop at Tetop on the way out (I don't believe I paid for that). Then, more discussion in Vietnamese. They changed their minds a few more times. Later in the evening, they told me we would all go to Tetop Island for sunrise and then have breakfast and then they would drop me off at Cat Ba. This is what we did.

Tetop Island is an island that has a pagoda at the top with a great view of a section of the bay. I walked right onto the island with a ticket from the guide. He said I paid for it. OK. Nice view. OK hazy sunrise, but quiet and lovely and we were the first and only ones there so we had the whole scene to ourselves. Many photographs and videos ensued.

We motored slowly over to Cat Ba where my guide transferred me to another guide. I waited on the docks for a bit while other travelers arrived and, oddly enough, met back up with a gentleman I had seen in the morning before I left my guest house and who happened to be staying at the same guest house as I back in Hanoi. He was in my group. Interesting. We were immediately buds, seeing that we'd be paired up anyways with our tour guide. We drove to Cat Ba National Park where the guide said that I had paid for a bike rental. OK. I was feeling a little low in the morning and the suggestion of me having a bicycle to use perked me right up. Just what the doctor ordered! What, 20km to get around a loop on the island. Two hours. Up and down. No problem! And off I went, alone! It was sooooooooo sweet! I wish I had had my bike, because it would have been such a lovely ride with it. The rental bike seat didn't go up high enough for me, but beggars can't be choosers. The ride was utterly silent, jumped up over a ridge and then followed the coast up and down for a ways before jumping up and over the ridge again. I was invited by the security guards at the National Oceanographic Institute to join them for a cup of tea but I declined, sadly, fearing taking too long. I had no cyclometer, which I had grown so accustomed to using. This was my first ride in this trip with a time limit, which was strange! I didn't even really stop to take photos. That was fine for me, though, because I really needed a fast and furious ride! I got back feeling great and stoked that I got to see such a pretty place by bike.

On to the hotel. I got dropped at one, my tour mates at another. My hotel was "three star" which felt a lot more like four star to me! I was on the sixth floor and had a LOVELY room. I ate dinner on the patio on the 9th floor with a view of Cat Ba Cove! So lovely! One meal, I was the ONLY one in the restaurant and had three wait staff chatting with me and serving me. I felt like royalty! (I paid for this right?). The following day, my new English friend, Gareth, and I were motorbiked over to the harbor (I paid for this right?) where we were given a boat (and paid a little extra each on the docks to have our own boats) and set off with "directions" to find a place called Monkey Island. The guide said he would follow us, but he never came. This resulted in a MUCH longer kayak tour than he had intended for us. I had expected to see, like the previous day, HUNDREDS of boats and kayaks on the water as we paddled. Seriously, there was not a single boat on the water while we were paddling. It was eerie and eirie! SO UTTERLY SILENT, just the sound of our paddles dipping in the water and occasional "pinch me" conversation. We both couldn't believe where we were and what we were doing. We saw the monkeys on Monkey Island, but the adult would sit with it's back to us, preventing me from photographing its face, which I saw only a few times. I got lots of photos of the kids and adolescents playing in the trees. We hiked over the other side of the island, admiring the geology of the island and back to wander the beach and look at all the crazy shells and corals (and skip rocks, a favorite pass time of mine). We paddled back the long way, admiring vacant coves and little islands cackling with bird song from cavity nesters again. Such a delight. The wind kicked up a little as did the waves, provoking a little sea sickness from me (I did so well on the way over!), but not bad. The paddling was really choice. It would be lovely to take an extended journey with camping and paddling through the Bay.

I ate again on the 9th floor, this time with my own private restaurant and servers and then met Gareth to take a walk. It was a lovely evening on the Bay and the lights of boats was mesmerizing. There are many floating restaurants and bars, but we passed on those because you never no how things go when they hold the keys to the boat to get you back to land. We just chatted for a while and enjoyed the quiet night.

The following day was a slow motor through and out of Halong Bay, but a lovely overcast day. The Bay was calm and serene. What an unforgettable and seemingly unreal place!

Long post for a great experience!

Finding Buddha's Lost Children

After an absolutely incredible experience at the Gibbon Experience (deserves its own blog entry another day) and a quick visit to Luang Namtha to look at the road and scenary (in preparation for my next ride here and because I was so close), I looked into visiting the Temple of the Golden Horse, a monastery in the mountains near the Burma border, close to me and featured in the documentary entitled "Buddha's Lost Children" which Sharon and I saw at the Rafael last year or so. When I realized how close it was to me and that it was basically the same direction I was already traveling, I made the most direct path I could manage to go there.

I made it to the temple this morning by motor bike. The motor bike driver overcharged me, but it was so worth it because the road is very hard to follow and find. I'm in the middle of feeling so awe inspired to have had the opportunity to visit. On my way in, I actually saw the group of boys mounted on their horses and riding while singing. I believe they were returning from collecting alms. I followed them down a dirt path down a fairly steep hillside and into the main temple compound where there was a group of Thai tourists (I later found came all the way from Bangkok, some from Southern Thailand, to visit the center) awaiting the boys' return. I met and spoke with the main nun featured in the film and kindly had translation from another nun who has been at the center for four years and who speaks excellent English. Sadly, the abbot, Phra Khru Bah Neua Chai Kositto, was away meditating in the forest for a few days in lead up to a festival which will begin on March 30 and last for ten days and in which he will be leading over 150 children (with lots of community support). They invited me to return for the festival and extended the invitation to return to volunteer at the center and to learn Thai, kickboxing and meditation. Seeing the center and meeting these people who have near mythic status in this country, I can't tell you how tempting that sounds. I told them it would not be possible at this time, but it's certainly on my mind. I may rearrange my final travels in this country to make the festival on the 30th. It means a lot more bus time and a little less exploring, but it would be such a tremendous privelage and honor to meet Kositto.

I would highly recommend seeing the film (http://www.buddhaslostchildren.com/), which tells the story of this place and the monk and nun who run it and the work they undertake. The temple works with villages along the violent and quite chaotic Thai/Burma border. It accepts young boys, some of whom are already addicted to drugs, teaches them meditation, kickboxing (the traditional form which is not about violence, but about strength of character, the nun told me), Thai culture, normal school subjects and helps them to stay away from drugs and violence. They operate temples all along the border and have the mission of creating peace in this chaotic place. Kositto, a former Thai kickboxing champion, has been at the center for a long time and, like I said, has near mythic status in this country because of his work. He has mad many enemies, though, the nun told me, because of the work they do in helping people turn away from drugs and end their addictions. I really do believe these people are the real deal, present day saints, if you will.

It is highly likely I will return there, if I can manage my schedule and if I'm able to remember the way. It would be worth it simply to shake the hand of the abbot or to bow to him with highest respects.

Wow!

Uncle Ho and the Plight of the Dying Art

Hanoi (I'm trying to catch up!)

Hanoi is a work of art. Prior to arriving, it was etched in my imagination as one of the great cycling cities in Asia, second only to Beijing. In reality, my imagination has to strain very hard to imagine the streets, alleyways and boulevards filled only with bikes, cyclos, pedestrians and handcarts. If, in my mind's eye, I replace every motor bike with a bicyclist and every car with a hand cart, I see an image close to what I had initially imagined for this historic city. In reality, this is a town now dominated and overwrought by the motorbike, with a minor second player the automobile (I couldn't believe the comparative number of SUVs to cars...even BMWs!). They line the sidewalks, the fill the roads at stop lights, the rest on every street corner along with man and a cigarette who inevitably tauts me for a ride with the everpresent philisopical question "motobike?" There are bikes here. I see them now and then, but nowhere near as vibrantly as in my imagination. I strain at the stories told to me by older folks who remember a very different Hanoi, a nearly silent one in which bicycling was the only means of rapid transit. A silent Hanoi, nearly impossible to imagine. The minor back alleys in the Old Quarter, only sometimes three or five or seven feet wide are no deterrent to the path of motor bikes. They're everywhere!

I pedal around town for a few days, but give up to foot to take in the sites and attractions. I can't help but immediately be attracted to one of the main tourist attractions in Hanoi, the mosoluem of Ho Chi Minh and the Ho Chi Mihn Museum. I can't prove it with photos, because they took my camera from me before I enterd, but you'll have to take my word for it, "Uncle Ho," as he is affectionately known in (N.) Vietnam, is lying down there, under ground, in the mosoleum, dead as a doornail. I followed up my visit to see the good ol' Uncle with a trip to his house where a very nice young man from the university lead me around, practicing his English and tourism skills. He was very kind and at the end of the tour excused himself to meet up with another group, no upward facing palm. On from there to see the museum and to get my fair share of N. Vietnamese propaganda. I have to say, after my visit to the Uncle Ho Museum, I discovered a big respect for this very intelligent leader. I don't know exactly how to couch his politics or exactly what his politics mean in the contemporary world, but this is a man who wrote in various languages letters, articles and even poetry. I bought a book of poems he wrote in prison, a sort of collection of thoughts in confinement and solitude. Written originally in Chinese on glued together cigarette papers, I found them surprisingly thoughtful. I wasn't too keen on the translation which held pretty steadfastedly to rhyme schemes that felt forced and unnecessary, but the poems were interesting.

In the handful of days I spent in Hanoi, I sorta fell in love with the town. There are sections I really like in the Old Quarter and, with my strong magnetism to quiet calm places, I even found some very charming quiet places filled with others (both Viet and expat) who enjoy tranquil surroundings. I received an invitation from an abbot at a quiet little wat to return to speak English and share stories, this year, next year, any time. Again, even amid the chaos of the city, Vietnamese generosity showed its face and I dined a kind lunch with a Vietnamese gentleman who demanded to pay for my lunch as I was finishing eating.

I visited various museums: the war museum, uncle ho museum, fine arts museum, the "Hanoi Hilton" where Senator John McCain CLEARLY was incarcerated (they have many photos of him and even his entire flight gear retinue, including his parachute, flight jacket, breathing mask, boots, etc.), I visited the site of the first university in Hanoi called the Temple of Literature (which made me think of all my literary buff friends, he hem, Dylan and Devin) and simply wandered around a bit. I caught two shows at the water puppet theatre, something I recommend to anyone anywhere! The company often tours the world, so if you see it coming to a major city near you, get tickets and be prepared for a treat! I really enjoyed simply strolling around the lake! I caught it in the rain, on foggy mornings and, finally at the end of my stay, utterly clearly at night with all the lights reflecting! What a treasure!

My guest house wasn't that great, but it was cheap and not in the tourist books so it had very few farang hanging around, which satisfied my needs. The neighborhood was very downhome and it took me several days and the help of a new friend from London to even find internet there.

As far as cities go, not a bad spot! I had the great luck of meeting an expat man who I conversed with for quite some time before asking if he knew of a reputable Halong Bay tour company provider. He runs several restaurants in town and I promised him I'd stop in and dine at his place. Myraculously, when I showed up at the door of the restaurant he gave me a business card for, I had eaten there the previous night! I'll put a big shout out to Laurent Kiti and suggest to any traveler stopping in Hanoi to drop by his classy little restaurant called "Kiti" and in a GREAT part of the Old Quarter (38 Hang Hom Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). The Halong Bay tour company he offered me was very very good and I had some very nice conversation with the owner (about politics, the economy, culture, etc.) prior to deciding to book with them. And, in hindsight, everything he stated came true and more. But more about that soon.

Northbound

Train to Nam Dinh
Nam Dinh - Nimh Binh and Nimh Binh Environs
DATES
day:
cume:
avg:
max:
time:
highs: The solitude of the Ninh Binh environs away from the tourist routes, cool, foggy weather, "The Halong Bay of the Rice Fields," festival music echoing up an empty valley to the pagoda at the top of the hill I climbed
lows: LP FAILS AGAIN! CYCLISTS TAKE NOTE: No train will drop a bike in Ninh Binh and no train will pick a bike up anywhere this close to Hanoi, lots of tourist in Ninh Binh area




My northbound train ride was actually pretty nice! I felt, in many ways, the Vietnamese trains were much nicer than the Thai trains...they felt more European in that I was in a birth with four cots. I was with two Vietnamese ladies who slept the entire day and a couple other Vietnamese who came and went, but our car was mostly very very quiet. I slept pretty well through the night and woke in the wea hours of the morning to a remote coastal view out the window with waves crashing into a steap, jungley coast. I knew it, I just knew that we were negotiating Hai Van Pass!!! I had a feeling and felt so lucky to be able to see it from the train, which stays very close to the water most of the way and offers much better water views than the road. I knew that eventually, the familiar shape of Long Co Beach would come into view and the fishing boats of the fishermen I met. Low and behold, from behind the rolling jungle emerged the shape of land I came to know so well from days of strolling up and down its sands. What a treasure!

The remainder of the day passed with little scenary of interest. The skies were cloudy and the air misty, so I could only see rice fields and fog in the distance. I cracked open and nearly finished "The Kite Runner" on my top bunk, which was delightful way to pass a day. I went to the restaurant car where I had placed a yummy treat Chung gave to me before I left in the fridge. YUM! Rice noodles, rice milk, mashed bananas and peanuts! YUM YUM YUM!

I arrived in Nam Dinh in the evening, found a cyclo who I asked to take me to a CHEAP hotel and who brought me to the nicest hotel in town. It was late, I was tired so I haggled with the clerk until I got a more reasonable price and stayed in the lap of luxury for one night. I had to wait until morning to pick up my bike (in whatever condition I would find it) and, fortunately, when I arrived at the train station, it was sitting inside the rail office in the same shape I sent it in. After a spin around town and a few bowls of pho bo (beef noodle soup), I quickly loaded up and pedaled out of town to Ninh Binh, 30km away. A short ride, not too much traffic, scenary was not terribly interesting.

Ninh Binh was a nice stop. It was lovely. It was unexpectedly VERY VERY busy with MANY MANY buses plying its newly constructed straight shot roads through the rice fields. There were caves to look at, pagodas to visit and an ancient capital to see. The first day I was there, I discovered how insane the tourist traffic was and decided to skip most of the attractions and simply enjoy the pedaling. I did stop at a few pagodas and climbed a few stairs to see a couple views. But, it wasn't until the second day, when I left early with my full load of gear to ride to the ancient capital and then on to the modern capital, that I saw some real Ninh Binh scenary and landscape. I got off on a small, lumpy bumpy backwoods road and road through the rice fields and small farming villages. I ended up at a spot called the Mua Cave well before any tourist traffic arrived...the guard was still making breakfast at his house when I pedaled right by and went straight to the cave with a host of cheers and hollers. He ran after me and escorted me back to his house where I left the bike and all my gear under his watch. The valley was filled with music! Not recorded music, but LIVE traditional musics! Some festival was going on that morning and the pleasant, spiraling sounds echoed up the valley. I plied the hundred or two hundred some steps to the top of the hill to the pagoda for a view of the whole area and the notes of the flutes, drums and other instruments followed me! This was a lovely stop at this time of day. Everything, including the birds were still sleepy, though their singing from their nests within crevaces in the rock blended with the music to make quiet a lovely scene.

The remainder of they day brought more and more traffic. I stopped at the ancient capital, not much of interest and not entirely worth the 12 or so kms I went out of my way to get to it (I took a wrong turn somewhere and should have rode right by). I rode on to the next big town which was the last big town prior to the start of 60 kms of freeway leading into Hanoi. I had been warned more than once by cyclists not to ride in to Hanoi. With the help of five kind men, I hailed a local bus with a roof rack in Phu Li and got a ride the remainder of the distance to the nations capital. I will say, from my limited view from my plastic seat in the middle of the aisle on the packed bus, it was totally possible to ride this section of road. It was busy, but there was a very wide shoulder. The only thing is, there isn't food, water or a town alongside the road for much of the 60km of highway 1 preceding Hanoi. I was fine with the bus, I only had 2.5 hours to make the 60km and, in the end, arrived in Hanoi with plenty of daylight to ride the remaining 5 or so kms into the city center IN TRAFFIC!

WHOO HOO! Riding in Hanoi traffic is like riding a roller coaster! Exilerating! I'm EXCITED and PROUD to ride my bicycle in a place where automobiles are really third class citizens on the roads behind bikes and motor bikes (at the top of the totem)!!! YEAH!!! If only LA was like this!!!! There's so much motor bike traffic, cars are really forced to find small niches in traffic and ply their way carefully through the crowds, often being battered around by the whims of the motor bikes or the needs of the bicycles. This meant I could easily swerve around them, cut them off, ride ahead of them in traffic and the like (all the things I DREAM of doing back home!!!) because there was ABSOLUTELY nowhere for them to go and nothing to do except TAKE IT! Hahahhahhahaahahaaaaa (*evil laugh*)!!! This with a full load of gear, too!

I explored the Old Quarter briefly only to find prices way too high for my budget and resorted to the LP which led me to a guest house. Fortunately, that guest house lost standing with all the guide books and is no longer listed in new guide books and was mostly vacant of travelers! I got a cheap little mouse hole of a room with a TV and BBC and they had a place for my bike indoors. They said they'd keep it, too, while I was away at Halong, so I stayed.

Note: I'm growing increasingly concerned about slippage in the drive train on the bike. The cog set and chain need to be replaced before I move on to the high mountains and long long climbs. If not, I'll just have to ride around town and then bus or fly to my next destination.

Skipping ahead a bit

Hey folks,

I promise I'm gonna catch up my ride log, but I just wanted to put a shout out that I'm back in Bangkok. The cycling portion of my trip officially ended in Hanoi after more than 2800 amazing kilometers of pedaling in three countries. I made the call that both my bike and my body were telling me that this was enough mileage for this trip. I was really pushing for 3200 kms and the 2000 mile mark, but with slippage in the cog set (and no real parts available in Hanoi...I'd have to travel to China and there was no guarantee they'd have what I need) and some creaks in my body, I decided that the Northern ride would have to wait until next time. I talked with a really great tour guide (who in his free time loves motor biking all over his country) and he kindly hipped me to the best cycling spots in North Vietnam and the route he gave me could easily occupy a month or two (with typical stops to gawk at amazing scenary I love to make). This, along with the fact that I didn't give Laos nearly as much time as it truly deserves, ensures that a follow up ride is certainly called for. Perhaps next time, I'll be pedaling with one of you folks!

So, my bike is safely packed away in its bike box and I'm officially a true farang traveler, stuck on the bus, train, tuk tuk, songtao, etc. I really still feel the urge to pedal, so I'm going to be renting bikes in the places I visit for the remainder of my time.

I head next back to the Northern border with Thailand and Laos to go on the Gibbon Experience trip (http://www.gibbonx.org/). I'll then move on from there to spend a little more time in the far north of Laos and Thailand before returning to BKK to prep for my trans-Pacific journey back to lovely San Francisco.

I understand spring has sprung back in California. I look forward to returning home to my love, my cat and my garden. As soon as I can, I'm going to go back, edit and add photos to the blog. At that point, I'll put up a message that I've done so so you'll know to go back and look through the blog. Cheers for now!

Halong Bay

Hi all!

This is Sharon, just wanted to post this cool site I found with beautiful images of Halong Bay where Jamie is staying right now.  Be warned, my jaw dropped when I first saw these pics,

cause they pretty much look like something out of a dream!  See for yourselves....

And btw,  Jamie returns to the US. in just over two weeks!  Yay. 

So let's all send him our best travel vibes for a safe and amazing last few weeks!

Thanks to everyone for following his progress I know how much it means to him...

Cheers,

Sharon

http://www.halongbay-vietnam.com/photos/index.htm

  

Nha Trang: A Beach Town, A Family and Too Much Food

I have been procrastinating this post because I had such an unbelievably good time staying with my friends' parents in Nha Trang, I don't really know how to talk about it! It was kind of like the perfect dream in many ways. Here goes an attempt at least:

I rode into Nha Trang in the morning and went straight to the beach. I had to gander the lovely coast line I had heard so much about and it was really lovely (more lovely than My Khe in Da Nang, in my opinion). Whereas My Khe looked out on industrial Da Nang and bridges and such, Nha Trang looked out on islands and mountains and lovely open sea. It was the stereotypical coconut palm lined tourist area, but if you could get your mind out of that, it was truly a lovely place. It only got better from there.

Nha Trang is a pretty busy town, but not too too crazy with the horns and such. There are a lot of motor bikes and, surprisingly, a LOT of electric motor bikes. I took note to check with my local electric vehicle dealer to see if they had ever heard of these brangds: Asama, *****EDIT ADD BRAND NAMES HERE*******. I learned that they only cost from $500-1000 in Vietnam, which should translate to $1000-2000 in the US. They have a range of about 20km, which is not too far, but if you run out of juice, they have pedals and a crank and ride just like a single speed bike! How's that!

To sum it up without too many words, I stayed with my friends sweet sweet parents and sister-in-law for five or six days. Hue, the dad, is so much fun to be around! He speaks and understands English due to time spent fighting along side the Americans in the South Vietnamese Army during the American-Vietnamese War. This also means that he has sooooooo many stories and I just delighted any time he shared. We talked a lot about family, his time in the army and then in prison after the war (he spent 10 years in "re-education") and life after 1975. He has such a brilliant sense of humor and is such a giggler! He's very very gregarious and makes friends with people wherever we go with his humor---I didn't understand anything he'd say to others, but I'd still laugh because his giggle was so funny and others' laughter was so contageous! He is truly a fun soul!

The family not only invited me to the honor of spending time in the small apartment on the third floor of their home which is dedicated for use only by their kids (and me...I guess I'm the only one who has stayed there besides their kids!) when they come home for three weeks each Tet; they filled my time with interesting cultural experiences and the pleasure of experiencing their day to day lives. The first day I was there, Pappa Hue took me with him to a family wedding! This is something I had longed to see as I watched many wedding processions drive by on the roads! The following day, he took me to a memorial service for a relative who had died the year before (which included, consequentally, 200 other monks and visitors paying respects on that day and a WHOLE LOT OF GREAT FOOD!). Each morning, I woke at my usual time and then went with Hue for his sunrise walk on the beach. This was my favorite because he would share stories and I could ask a million questions! He was so patient with me and I delighted in our walks and his stories. Afterwards, they would take me to these little hidden holes in the wall where we'd get the most delicious breakfasts for next to nothing! I ate so many different things I hadn't even known existed. Each evening, except when we had something else going on, I'd travel with Hue to watch tennis matches at the local tennis courts. Apparently, up until ten years ago (he turns 81 on March 30), he played tennis with the same club of men who we watched each evening. I loved the banter from the sidelines from the onlookers and the competition was pretty good at times as well. Hue was definitely a dominant personality in the crowd of hecklers!

Hue and his daughter-in-law's brother, Minh, and I went on a few small trips in the area. We all took a Mamma Linh boat tour and LOVED it!!! So much fun! I was on a Vietnamese tourist boat, so the tour guide only spoke in Vietnamese to the crowd. Again, I experienced the Vietnamese heckling and it was just like a great big riot to watch them all cracking jokes and laughing the boat ride away while the tour guide introduced the history and ecology of the area. Hue would translate some things, but most of the time, I just enjoyed watching the tourquoise water slip by. We stopped for snorkeling with a boat load of Western tourists and I rented a pair of fins to go with my face mask and got to experience the best underwater scenary yet! The corals were vibrant and the fish were colorful and plentiful. The floor was down at like 3-7 meters and I delighted in being one of very few people cruising around the depths (most people just floated in tubes above drinking beers). Mamma Linn knows how to run a good tour! It was CHEAP (120,000 dong or $7 US), they took us to great places and they fed us SO SOOOO WELL! The best spread of food to date (excluding the wedding, which was ultra-special)! The snorkeling was great. Then, after lunch, the English speaking guides on the Western Boat brought out impromptu style instruments (including a bucket drum kit!) and an amped electric guitars and they proceeded to embarass people from every represented nationality by calling them up on stage and having them sing a popular song in their language in front of everyone! AND, the guides knew the songs in Spanish, English, Italian, French and Russian. To see the foreigner on stage light up when the song began and after hearing the guide speaking in their native tongue was such a treat! It was a hoot of a time. Happily, I noticed both Hue and Minh really enjoying themselves (and, luckily, I didn't get pulled up to sing "Yellow Submarine"). Very fun, very funny and I DEFINITELY recommend it!

Another day, I took some time to pedal around town and see tourist sites. I took in some temples and other spots, but relished finding a little hidden beach where only Viet on motor bikes were present just outside of town and the tourist areas. It was sweet, quiet and had not a single taut!

Another day, Hue, Minh and I went to a local mud bath! This was great! There are a handful of natural mud and hot spring resorts around, but the one we went to was really really nice. (I promise to ****ADD PHOTO HERE*******) We rinsed off in hot mineral water showers, soaked for a while in warm mud baths, rinsed again in warm mineral water showers before heading into the hot tubs and then on to the hot swimming pool. Hue had been to one of these places before, but for Minh, it was his first time and I could tell he was really enjoying himself! Unfortunately, the sun wasn't out, so we couldn't get the mud to dry into a hard shell around us before we rinsed off, but it was still lovely. I'd definitely return in the future and bring a book! Very relaxing.

The remainder of the time was spent relaxing, talking, sharing photographs and stories and eating. Nhon and Chung (mom and daughter-in-law) took it upon themselves to make certain I ate enough. But, they were the ones to define what was "enough'! Dinner was always comical when Chung would load up my rice bowl with a heaping pile of rice. I'd finish it and she'd ask for my bowl again. She wouldn't take "No" for an answer and would heap my bowl again! Then, they would just laugh at me! They were so sweet!!! Chung kept wandering to the market each morning and coming back with a different fruit I'd never seen, heard of or tasted before and offered that for desert after dinner each night. What a treat! I tried several fruit that were in season just for a short while. Hue taught me the names in Vietnamese (and/or French), but didn't know the English names for each one. I tried bread fruit, durien, longan, the best mangoes I've ever eaten, a fruit that looks like the scales of a dragon I still don't know the name of and a fruit called "vu shur" in Vietnamese (which translates to "Milky Breast" in English, Hue informed me) among several others. WOW!

I really enjoyed my time with Hue. I really enjoyed hearing his giggle at the tennis courts or in the kitchen when his wife made some wise crack comment. Mom made me promise that when I return I will speak some Vietnamese. Visiting with the family reminded me again how sad I am that I still have not yet followed through with my long time desire to learn the language. Perhaps this will be the final impetus to push me over to get the audio tapes or take the night language course at the community college, FINALLY.

Hue finally helped me negotiate the train station to get my bike and gear and myself to the north of the country. The famly came to the train station to see me off and was waving to me through my window as my train pulled away. This made me very sad to leave, because I had most certainly fallen in love with the family!

I do hope to fulfill my promise and fulfill it soon! After all, we're all not getting any younger.

So, off I went to Nam Dinh, Hue's "Motherland," to pedal through the "Halong Bay of the Rice Fields" in Ninh Binh and then on to Hanoi.

Comin' DOWN THE MOUNTAIN!!!!!!!!!

Dalat - Nha Trang
DATES
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I spent two days pedaling to Nha Trang. I think I could have made it in one if it wasn't so darn hot on this ride day. By the time I made it to _____***EDIT: ADD CONTENT***_______, I was totally wiped. It was ok, though, because on the first day, many great things happened.

First, taking the suggestion of a kind Dutch woman I met in the market who lives in Dalat with her husband, I took the new road. This was a total blessing because the new road is so new it's not entirely finished yet and, hence, not a major transportation corridor (YET...bicyclists, get on your iron horses and get to Dalat!!!)! This route is so incredible, I agree with The Dulwich Boy (http://dulwichboy.blogspot.com/) when I say this route BY BIKE is by far the PREFERRED method of transportation for anyone with even a hint of physical fitness traveling from Dalat to Nha Trang. It's possible to rent a bike, a guide and a van that follows you down this hill and scrapes you off the pavement when the temperatures in the low lands melt you into a puddle.

Second, the day was monumental because I got to experience it for the first time with another westerner (two in fact) by bike! Sure, I've ridden with countless Thai, Lao and Vietnamese kids and youth in the countryside, but this was the first time I felt like I was experiencing the ride with someone else. For this, I say, I had my first cycling partners of the tour, Fred and Daniel from London. Mostly, we just confirmed with each other over and over that, yes, this ride was so epic it was nearly beyond belief and, no, we weren't dreaming! I needed confirmation, truly.

Third, I'm awarding this ride the "Best Brake Burner Award" for my tour. I've ridden some killer downhills on this tour, but this one is just so epic and so fast and such good road quality and such unbelieveably expansive scenary and so little traffic (cyclists: read, " reroute your tour to hit this downhill! and do it soon!") and such good visibility for oncoming traffic. At 30km on the nose, this was truly truly a decent downhill. Starting at 1500 meters and dropping to I'd say near 50-70 meters at the bottom over a 30km decent that comes in several sections and traveling down a valley whose canyon walls are so steap, one would not thing a road travels through it....WOW...what can I say. Even thinking about it in hindsight exilerates me!

Fourth, as I said, the scenary was just phenominal. The downhill isn't until 50 or 60 km into the ride from Dalat. In that span leading up to the descent is some lovely lovely pine forest. The road skirts the shoulder of Mt. Longbian and travels through coffee lands and other ag lands before setting out into forest. In my imagination, I was continually transported back to the Plumas, a pine and cedar filled land in California now sacred to me. Fortunately, for the 20km uphill leading up to the descent, I had company which made the climbing SO much easier!

THE DESCENT

From the pass, I looked down on verdent green forests filling a steep ravine that dropped in the far distance into tree covered foothills and then a flatlands. That was if I craned my eyes and peered through the thick, moist air. In the foreground, there was nothing except space. The canyon walls are so steep, I spent most of the time looking off at the canyon floor down below, ocassionally getting a glance at the road WAY WAY down below and laughing that that was where I was heading. In some cases, it took five or ten minutes to get to that location because of switchbacks. There was so little traffic and such good visibility, I spent most of my time tucked and hauling, rarely touching the brakes. The road switches back across a cascade I later discovered falls over 3-400 meters down the limestone canyon wall and there are plenty of opportunities to stop for a photograph or a quick dip. There are several long sections of rapid descent followed by flatter or slower descent, as well as the ocassional hairpin switchback. Looking up canyon, it's just lush, dark green forest and jungle. Falling 500 then 1000 meters, temperatures began to substantially rise and the lovely pine forest turned into lush low lands jungle. Ciceda sound like I've never heard before emanated from within the trees (not ordinary cicedas, I'm sure, they sounded four times louder!). I stopped a few times to get shots up valley, but mostly enjoyed what I called "desert." Hey, I deserved killer downhill after all that climbing! This had a cherry on top because I didn't have to listen to horns or look out for mad truck drivers...there weren't any!

Arriving at the bottom, the river squiggled away down toward the beach, out of reach for swimming because of a steep embankment. The road began to go up and down the foothills and in the heat, the uphills were nearly unbearable. I broke my own rule to never ride after 11:30 as we continued on to a lunch spot picked out by my friends' guide. We stopped for drinks and lunch followed by 12 more kms and then my friends hopped in their van and left me for the sands of Nha Trang. I'd have to ride on for another 3km to find a place to stay (a total rat hole, let me tell you...for 100,000 dong? What?). It was just a place to sleep. I woke at sunrise and hit the pedals to find there was little to no climbing remaining. A short 35km of flat land and back in traffic landed me on the beaches of Nha Trang. I made it by 9:30AM.

Let me add one last thing. There is one unfortunate thing about this route. The "New Road" dead ends in the flat lands in the "Old Road." I'm having a hard time believing that the two roads have anything to do with one another, but it's true. Buses will eventually travel (if the road is not upgraded) at outrageous break neck speed (I did see a few buses do this) on a one lane, potholed, smashed concrete partial dirt piece of trash road that is in miserable condition for about 15kms or so. If your touring this way, don't say I didn't warn you! (it hardly matters, though...the downhill would make 35kms of nasty dirt or gravel road worth it!)

The sun was out in Nha Trang when I arrived. The water was glistening in the bay and around the offshore islands. It was hot! I took some time to mellow out before contacting my friends' family where I was invited to stay, still reminiscing Dalat.

Dalat and Environs

Well, anyone (Vietnamese or farang) who said so was right in suggesting that Dalat is the place for me! If it's any indication, I stayed six nights in Dalat! And, I'm not talking about the Dalat that's bought and sold in the downtown and that LP talks about (the kitchey part of Dalat that the Vietnamese tourists go for); I'm talking about the Dalat that is the city in the mountains at about 1500 meters in elevation with cool evening temperatures, lovely warm days, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and the ever present pine scent (once you get out of town)!

I found a decent place to stay on the third floor of a sunrise facing mini-hotel for $6 a night with a balcony, a comfy bed, warm shower, locking cabinets inside the room and a TV with BBC and HBO (partly a good thing, partly a bad thing). The owners spoke little to no English and were a friendly grandmother and her daughter. I had fun shuffling around the bottom floor with the granddaughter, playing silly games and laughing at one another. I liked it because it was so low key, in a quieter neighborhood and there were all the amenities I needed (except for a decent store, which exists in few places in Dalat anyhow) right outside the door, including a travel agent to extend my visa, a motor bike rental shop, a little low key restaurant with decent food at decent prices and an internet cafe with the best computers I have seen in the country so far (still only 3000 dong an hour, or approximately 20 pennies US per hour). Best of all, it was in a part of Dalat not terribly frequented by farang. I did see some now and then, but mostly Vietnamese tourists and locals traveled up and down my street.

I didn't do anything particularly special in Dalat. I walked/strolled around the lake and through the market. I read (Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"...so nice!). I watched BBC and movies. I ate (YUM...found a favorite cheap dive with GREAT food right near the university!). I didn't ride the bike, oddly enough. I was pretty tired from the climb and wanted time to recover, so I decided to walk everywhere. I walked through all the little neighborhoods, down little dirt paths between homes, wandered all over the outskirts of town and then found my way back to downtown and around the lake. This is a very walkable town and I loved walking everywhere. Well, that is until I hopped on a motor bike to explore the greater Dalat area. I had such a delightful time scooting around the mountains like many of the locals (ah...when in Rome/Dalat...). I traveled out from the center of town in every direction roads traveled: up to the gates of Mt. Longbian, down toward Lam Ha (where I found a GREAT alternative road I could have ridden rather than busy, loud, stinky highway 20, see earlier post for directions), out toward Nha Trang (on the road I had been suggested to ride to Nha Trang by a kind Dutch woman who lives in town) and back down highway 20. I also wandered around the prime agricultural areas within the greater Dalat region, peaking in greenhouses growing everything from strawberries to flowers to greens to roses. I did hit a few of the big tourist destinations including the pagodas, "The Crazy House," Bao Dia's "palace" (not nearly as lavish as those Thai palaces), the flower gardens and the central market. But, mostly, I just relaxed and enjoyed the cool temperatures. What a pleasant change from those insanely hot uphills in the Central Highlands!

One of the most beautiful places I found that I returned to several times by motor bike (and wished I had pedalled to) was the dam just outside of town, near which lie several resorts and a zen meditation center ****EDIT: ADD NAME HERE*******. It was also the end of the aerial tram (which I didn't ride) and the destination of many many tourists (mostly Vietnamese). This did not distract from the beauty of the temple and/or the region. Sitting in the temple, I closed my eyes and besides the sound of the gong the monk kept ringing (to offer a sense of sacred silence to the throngs of tourists passing rapidly in and out of the building to bow three times and offer inscents), the wind chimes calmly resonating in the gentle breeze and the sounds of Vietnamese voices and children playing in the garden, I heard an osprey on the wing. I determined on that first visit to return the following morning as early as I could escape my hotel (they lock the door with a padlock from the inside, something morning people like myself lament) and scoot on over to do some bird watching and see the temple early in the day.

I did just that, heard some great bird song while strolling a thin little trail on the south side of the lake and saw the temple early on. I also scooted around the lake to catch a view of some of the resorts, perhaps to catch some ideas for subsequent visit(s) to the area. Found a neat one with little grass hut bungaloes in a quiet cove. Pretty neat spot. This was Oscar night/morning (depending on whether you're in SF or Asia) and I promised Sharon to watch the winners together online. I hurried back to my favorite little internet cafe and discovered, sadly, ABC had barred anyone from watching online. So, we chatted and watched the winners as they were posted on the Official Oscars Website.

It was helpful for me to ride out of town by motor bike on the "new road" to get a sense of what would come when I finally pedaled out of town. I got my bearings straight, assessed at least the first 15-20 km of hills and rest stops and knew I'd have to leave early in the morning the day of my ride. It got me really excited for the scenary to come, but offered me absolutely no idea what was to come about 40 km into the ride. My friend Huang told me I better I have good brakes for that ride and that it was a great ride. He was totally right! (Wait until tomorrow's post)

Ah, Dalat!!! I was sad to leave, but I wanted to move forward to Nha Trang. I stayed as long as I liked, could have stayed another week longer in those cool temperatures, but once I hit the saddle and began pedalling the first uphill away from the lake in the center of town, feeling strong legged and stong backed from days of resting, I knew it was a good thing (both to leave and to have stayed so long). Definitely a place I'd return to!