Pan-Asian Gallivanting

Hmmm….what is there to say about HCMC? It definitely is the bustling capitalistic heart of the country. While Hanoi is quite charming with colonial architecture, HCMC is a bustling metropolis with museums, skyscrapers and traffic…lots and lots of traffic. I ended up staying in HCMC for only a couple days. After being in Vietnam for about twenty days I was quite tired of the persistent heckling from touts and moto drivers EVERY STEP that I made. So, I felt it necessary to see what needed to be seen in HCMC and then move on to Cambodia.

While there I saw the War Remnants Museum which really shed light on the atrocities which our government carried out during the Vietnam War. The most disturbing aspect of all were the hallways and rooms lined with pictures of those effected by Agent Orange. If you’re unaware of Agent Orange and its effects I strongly encourage you to do a little research on it to understand how inhumane it was for our government to use this chemical weapon.

I stumbled into a tourist trap…eeeeeek! Hoi An has got mass tourism by the balls….and rightfully so. The small town is dotted with French colonial buildings which house tailor shops, book stores, restaurants, and souvenir bodegas. Although it was quite charming I ended up only staying one full day….mass tourism isn’t really my cup of tea. But hey…while I was there I had a jacket and a dress shirt custom tailored for $36!

After a little case of traveller’s diarrhea, which kept me in bed for 2 days, it was quite a relief to have energy and get back into the groove of things.

Following Ninh Binh I ended up in Hue, a quaint town with numerous pagodas and historical sites dotting the surrounding landscape. On the second day there I opted to rent a bike and pedal my way to all of the numerous attractions. However, once I reached my first destination I met an extremely friendly moto driver named Tran Van Thinh who offered me a tour of everything that intrigued me for $10. Since the bike rental only costed $1 I opted for his service. Boy was I glad I did.

Our itinerary for the moto tour included: Thien Mu Pagoda, Ancient Elephant and Tiger Fighting Pit, Elephant Tomb, Tu Hien Pagoda, American War Bunker, Trung Tam Van Hoa Huyen Tran, and Thanh Toan Bridge. Of course all of these sites were interesting and worth the visit. But what really made the day was the insight I received from Tran.

Despite losing his father, at the age of 11, during the Vietnam War he was very accepting of his circumstances and even humble towards how it shaped his life. Not once did he claim that his father’s death was the fault of the American’s. Rather, he emphasized that people’s preoccupation with greed and anger during the period was what caused his loss. Furthermore, he has accepted his fate and moved on with great strength and courage; much like the rest of the Vietnamese.

If you spend a good deal of time in Vietnam, one of the first things that you will realize is that the Vietnamese are mentally strong. Your first experience with this might be the aggressively weighted approach that moto drivers and shopkeepers take during a transaction. But if you look past that then you can see it in their faces and how they interact with others. There’s almost this stench of passion and devotion towards their country which trickles off of their bodies with every twitch, bead of sweet, or smile. Maybe it’s because they’ve been fighting various foreigners for the past couple centuries and now that Vietnam rests in the palms of the Vietnamese…they won’t give it up!

Currently I’m in Ninh Binh where unfortunately I’ve been stuck here longer than desired. I arrived on the evening of the 28th and after spending one night I rented a bike and pedaled my way outside of town and towards the older towns and pagodas. It was quite beautiful since the area is known for its Halong Bay like attributes, minus the ocean water. So there were numerous random karst mountains dotting the landscape.

The following day I went to reserve a seat with my open bus ticket but there were no seats available for the next two days. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy my New Years here in Ninh Binh? But no….I ended up getting quite sick yesterday on New Year’s Eve leaving me unable to eat, dehydrated, and going to the bathroom every 20 minutes. I think I ate something sour the day before :( So, instead of enjoying New Years in Vietnam I ended up passing out early due to exhaustion. But, I can’t complain because this is the first time that I’ve been truly sick the whole trip.

Tomorrow I will take the night bus to Hue.

As much as I hate packaged tours….I couldn’t resist taking one to see Halong Bay. First off, since I’m alone, joining a packaged tour allows me to view the bay at a rather cheap rate since I’m with a group of people rather than chartering a boat by myself. Secondly, I really wanted to sleep on the bay in a Junk. Thirdly, it included everything from transportation, meals, entrance fees, and a clean room on the boat. So, I forked over $28 for a two day one night excursion to one of the geological wonders of the world.

Despite it being quite overcast the trip was well worth it. Enjoy the photos!

Hanoi is a bustling capitalistic city with quite the traffic problem! Nonetheless I found Hanoi quite charming and would not mind spending many days or months living here, despite how outrageous it is that the Vietnamese tend to rip foreigners off on absolutely everything. If you ever come to Vietnam, which I highly recommend, make sure to bargain for absolutely everything! Whether you’re purchasing a meal on the street or a soda in a convenience store…it’s free game to bargain upon. The only time it is unnecessary is if the price is displayed. But this is rarely the case.

I spent the first two days of my time in Hanoi on a bicycle purposely getting lost and then figuring out my way back to the Old City. This was quite an experience since the streets are flooded with 110cc scooters and there are no traffic laws. Luckily I made it safely through the two days with only the fond memory of crashing into another cyclist who cursed me out in Vietnamese.

Here are a few pictures of my time in this beautiful city:

nice company name huh?

After receiving my Vietnam Visa in Kunming I ventured south to Jianshui which houses a giant Confucious temple and other religious sites. I spent a couple days there and then headed south towards the Yuanyang rice terraces.

I did some hiking…rode in some vans….and was able to see these spectacular views of water-filled rice terraces. Since the town was quite cheap and I needed a place to camp out until my Vietnam Visa became valid, I stayed in this small town for a couple more days.

On the 19th I woke up early and started a long series of van rides and a bus ride to the border. Once across I hitched a ride to Sapa and spent the night. The first meal I had in Vietnam was Pho (and it was Phoing Amazing! and only 80 cents!)

I’ve been in Sapa for the past two days but I am a little disappointed because it has continued to rain and the fog here is hindering me from viewing the scenery. I thought about renting a motorcycle (well a moped with no clutch but gears) for 7-10 days and tour around but then I realized that I’m pretty tired of rice terraces to be honest. I think I need some warm weather! So tonight I will take a sleeper bus to Hanoi.