Our last ride this morning, we see another stunning waterfall and visit another village belonging to one of the 54 ethnic minority native Vietnamese groups. We visit a house which had been lived in by the same family for four generations. They survived entirely by hunting and a little bit of agriculture.
Once in Hoi An I said a fond fairwell to Lam, and immediately preceeded to hunt down some new suits. This was a bit of a faff, but I'm not the most patient shopper anyway so that was only to be expected. In the end I found a tiny shop run by an incredibly fun Vietnamese woman who seemed almost as excited as I was about the suits (although being passionate about clothes is probably a good thing in a tailor).
I made my order, and then bumped into Emma and Drew from the Easy Rider tour, and went out with them and their drivers for dinner. I arrange to see them again tomorrow night.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Friday, 19 June 2009
Kham Duc - Up the Ho Chi Minh Trail
After a breakfast of very spicy noodle soup (those crazy Vietnamese...) it's on the road again.
We stop at Hill 601 which was strategically important in the American involvement, as it overlooked most of the province. We also stop at a war memorial, and at the airfield near Charlie Hill where the Americans first landed. It's now deserted, but apparently there's generally someone poking around looking for dog tags.
After a few more klicks, were join the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail. Well, the trail itself is several trails, and they are mostly dirt paths. But we join the recently created road which follows the same route as the trail, and that's good enough for me.
We see the Scorpion waterfall, so called because it looks like a scorpion, which is probably the second best reason it could be called that. We also visit a village where they still support themselves traditionally - hunting, a little bit of farming, etc. This is the kind of place where children get no education because there are no schools nearby. I make friends by bribing kids with sweets.
My last night with Lam has us enjoying a banquet of the finest Vietnamese food. It costs two pounds each and we can't finish it. Win.
We stop at Hill 601 which was strategically important in the American involvement, as it overlooked most of the province. We also stop at a war memorial, and at the airfield near Charlie Hill where the Americans first landed. It's now deserted, but apparently there's generally someone poking around looking for dog tags.
After a few more klicks, were join the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail. Well, the trail itself is several trails, and they are mostly dirt paths. But we join the recently created road which follows the same route as the trail, and that's good enough for me.
We see the Scorpion waterfall, so called because it looks like a scorpion, which is probably the second best reason it could be called that. We also visit a village where they still support themselves traditionally - hunting, a little bit of farming, etc. This is the kind of place where children get no education because there are no schools nearby. I make friends by bribing kids with sweets.
My last night with Lam has us enjoying a banquet of the finest Vietnamese food. It costs two pounds each and we can't finish it. Win.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Kom Tun - Eating my way through the animal kingdom
Today I saw some more of agricultural Vietnam, including cashew nut, black pepper and green tea plantations and a masive rubber tree forest. I also saw the effects of Agent Orange, where huge amounts of mountainside are completely devoid of trees.
We visited the Bana tribe, who also live in longhouses on stilts, and I talk to the local music player - he plays what seems to be a drumkit-xylophone combination. I have a go and it is good fun. Lam also shows me the orphanage - traditionally here, if a woman died in childbirth her baby was buried with her. A Catholic mission has set up an orphanage which serves the locality.
This evening I eat three animals I have never eaten before. First is porcupine, which is very difficult to eat even after you take the spines out. The meat is tough and full of tiny bones. I'm glad I tried it but I can see why we don't import them by the boatload. Second is deer, which had to happen sooner or later. Third is pigeon soup. I try it, but I have always thought of pigeons as rats on wings, so can't really work up any enthusiasm.
I'm looking forward tomorrow, the itinerary looks promising.
We visited the Bana tribe, who also live in longhouses on stilts, and I talk to the local music player - he plays what seems to be a drumkit-xylophone combination. I have a go and it is good fun. Lam also shows me the orphanage - traditionally here, if a woman died in childbirth her baby was buried with her. A Catholic mission has set up an orphanage which serves the locality.
This evening I eat three animals I have never eaten before. First is porcupine, which is very difficult to eat even after you take the spines out. The meat is tough and full of tiny bones. I'm glad I tried it but I can see why we don't import them by the boatload. Second is deer, which had to happen sooner or later. Third is pigeon soup. I try it, but I have always thought of pigeons as rats on wings, so can't really work up any enthusiasm.
I'm looking forward tomorrow, the itinerary looks promising.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Buon Ma Thuot - jungle boogie
Today started early - it gets warm when the sun comes up at about 5am, and animals wake at dawn and start making animal noises.
After breakfast Lam asked if I'd like to try his bike out. If course I am keen. Sadly 125cc was a little too much for me. It wasn't really that I crashed it into anything, I just sort of slowly fell off while moving at 5mph. The bike was probably worse off than me, which made me feel very bad. Lam has decreed that I will not be piloting his bike again, a decision I really have no choice but to agree with. Oh well, maybe I'll find a smaller bike later and play with that.
Lam takes me to a farm where they grow dragon fruit, mangos, bananas and... mushrooms. I head into the mushroom warehouse and manage to watch them for a few minutes. I feel pleased with myself. To celebrate not freaking out over some inoffensive little fungi, I wear a nine foot python as a necklace. They are very, very strong - I wouldn't want to do that without two others standing close by. It had a mass of about 45kg and that felt like all muscle.
The owner of the python, and the farm, used to be a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) captain during the American involvement. I have met a few people like this. He is very friendly - well, he let me play with his huge snake.
Lam takes me to some waterfalls which are immense. They are bigger in wet season, but I don't feel short changed. There are several waterfall lagoons around, and the only thing missing seems to be sultry maidens washing themselves. Happily I can provide more than enough sult myself. After a brief trek through the jungle (my first time in such an environment) we come to a cool, clear river which I happily jump in. I may have ruined a nondescript pair of boxers, a price I am more than happy to pay.
On the road again tomorrow.
After breakfast Lam asked if I'd like to try his bike out. If course I am keen. Sadly 125cc was a little too much for me. It wasn't really that I crashed it into anything, I just sort of slowly fell off while moving at 5mph. The bike was probably worse off than me, which made me feel very bad. Lam has decreed that I will not be piloting his bike again, a decision I really have no choice but to agree with. Oh well, maybe I'll find a smaller bike later and play with that.
Lam takes me to a farm where they grow dragon fruit, mangos, bananas and... mushrooms. I head into the mushroom warehouse and manage to watch them for a few minutes. I feel pleased with myself. To celebrate not freaking out over some inoffensive little fungi, I wear a nine foot python as a necklace. They are very, very strong - I wouldn't want to do that without two others standing close by. It had a mass of about 45kg and that felt like all muscle.
The owner of the python, and the farm, used to be a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) captain during the American involvement. I have met a few people like this. He is very friendly - well, he let me play with his huge snake.
Lam takes me to some waterfalls which are immense. They are bigger in wet season, but I don't feel short changed. There are several waterfall lagoons around, and the only thing missing seems to be sultry maidens washing themselves. Happily I can provide more than enough sult myself. After a brief trek through the jungle (my first time in such an environment) we come to a cool, clear river which I happily jump in. I may have ruined a nondescript pair of boxers, a price I am more than happy to pay.
On the road again tomorrow.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Lak Lake - Chocks away
Lam turns up with a motorbike, bang on time. Even better, it turns out Tony knows him, and respects Lam's driving skills, which makes me feel at ease.
Lam makes several stops along the way to show me, in his words, "the real Vietnam". It seems pretty real - I see a fish market, how incense sticks are made for Buddhist ceremonies, the entire brick making process from clay to finished product, lots of rice paddys, granite mining and plenty of winding country mountain roads.
We stop in a small village after braving the rain - it will probably tip it down every afternoon for half an hour or so. It's all part of the fun. What's also fun is that I'm so far off the tourist route that little kids are surprised and slightly intimidated by me. I get a hello of a lot of waves and "hello!"s. It's all very friendly.
This evening I'm staying in a bamboo cabin on stilts.
Lam makes several stops along the way to show me, in his words, "the real Vietnam". It seems pretty real - I see a fish market, how incense sticks are made for Buddhist ceremonies, the entire brick making process from clay to finished product, lots of rice paddys, granite mining and plenty of winding country mountain roads.
We stop in a small village after braving the rain - it will probably tip it down every afternoon for half an hour or so. It's all part of the fun. What's also fun is that I'm so far off the tourist route that little kids are surprised and slightly intimidated by me. I get a hello of a lot of waves and "hello!"s. It's all very friendly.
This evening I'm staying in a bamboo cabin on stilts.
Monday, 15 June 2009
Nha Trang - Bad News
Today was exceptionally strange.
I woke up this morning to find I have misplaced my hat.
This is a huge shame. I like my hat. It has been many places with me. It keeps the sun off my head, and when it rains it shelters my spectacles so I can still see.
There's no time to mount the rescue operation before diving, which is great again. I play with a sea cucumber, see schools of rainbow fish, a few really big fish, some blue starfish, some bright yellow needle fish - lots of fish, really. That's kind of the point of diving.
In the afternoon I start hat hunting, retracing my steps from last night. I take a wrong turn and end up a fair way away, when I spot a huge sign saying "massage". The place seems pretty legit (not that I'm an expert on spotting dodgy massage parlours, oh dear me no) and I think a back rub could help console me, and also loosen me up for the riding tomorrow.
Everything starts off pleasantly enough, I'm shown to a sauna, steamroom and shower before being given some gym shorts and shown to my massage table. It's here when the first difference between Vietnamese and, say, Turkish massages becomes apparent as my massager is a woman. By the way, in much the same way as being massaged by a bloke is Totally Not Gay, being massaged by a girl is Totally Not Cheating.
The next surprise was the range of the massage. It seemed that my entire back was a target for pummeling - so far so expected - but the range extends a few inches lower than I was entirely prepared for. It would be unfair to label it a bum massage, but the top few inches of arse got more attention than they are entirely used to. Thank God for the whole thing being Totally Not Cheating.
About three quarters of the way in, I was asked a question. Not speaking Vietnamese I needed a little clarification. Now I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure from the associated gesture that I was asked if I'd like her to massage my willy. Of course I politely declined, but I'm very pleased she asked. Had she just jumped in there I may have assumed it was all part of the standard massage, and could have been too embarassed to make a scene. Dodged that bullet.
I woke up this morning to find I have misplaced my hat.
This is a huge shame. I like my hat. It has been many places with me. It keeps the sun off my head, and when it rains it shelters my spectacles so I can still see.
There's no time to mount the rescue operation before diving, which is great again. I play with a sea cucumber, see schools of rainbow fish, a few really big fish, some blue starfish, some bright yellow needle fish - lots of fish, really. That's kind of the point of diving.
In the afternoon I start hat hunting, retracing my steps from last night. I take a wrong turn and end up a fair way away, when I spot a huge sign saying "massage". The place seems pretty legit (not that I'm an expert on spotting dodgy massage parlours, oh dear me no) and I think a back rub could help console me, and also loosen me up for the riding tomorrow.
Everything starts off pleasantly enough, I'm shown to a sauna, steamroom and shower before being given some gym shorts and shown to my massage table. It's here when the first difference between Vietnamese and, say, Turkish massages becomes apparent as my massager is a woman. By the way, in much the same way as being massaged by a bloke is Totally Not Gay, being massaged by a girl is Totally Not Cheating.
The next surprise was the range of the massage. It seemed that my entire back was a target for pummeling - so far so expected - but the range extends a few inches lower than I was entirely prepared for. It would be unfair to label it a bum massage, but the top few inches of arse got more attention than they are entirely used to. Thank God for the whole thing being Totally Not Cheating.
About three quarters of the way in, I was asked a question. Not speaking Vietnamese I needed a little clarification. Now I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure from the associated gesture that I was asked if I'd like her to massage my willy. Of course I politely declined, but I'm very pleased she asked. Had she just jumped in there I may have assumed it was all part of the standard massage, and could have been too embarassed to make a scene. Dodged that bullet.
Continuting the hat hunt I retraced my steps to the local restaurant I'd eaten in the night before and, oh joy of joys, they had my hat waiting for me. I was so overcome with gratitude I hugged the waitress. The poor girl looked terrified.
As I was making my way to a smoothie bar to celebrate I got talking to a Thai guy on the street, who told me his sister was moving to England and wondered if I could talk to her. Being an easy going fellow I went back to his place, where he gave me a few tins of beer and introduced me to his family.
In particular he introduced me to his brother in law, who very early on stared talking about his job in a casino, and how he had a scam running to make money. Now thanks to being a fan of The Real Hustle I'm well aware the only person who can lose money here is me, but I'm genuinely curious to see where in the scam I would get stung. I am also very vaguely wondering if there is any way I could scam the scammers, but that's a bit advanced for me.
Before long the brother is showing me some card sharp skills, then asks if I'd like to play against, and help him scam, a 'friend' who is coming over. This has got far too real - I don't want to do this, but it's very hard to excuse myself, and as soon as I start voicing doubts the friend arrives, which I find suspicious. Eventually, just before the 'game' starts I ask to use the toilet, and once out of sight leave quickly.
I'm fairly sure the whole casino thing was always bollocks, and they were going to make money from me off the card game - this despite the brother giving me his money to play with, and saying he doesnt mind if I lose it. I am a little shaken so decide for tonight to screw finding Vietnamese cuising, just heading for the middle of the tourist distric and having food the in the most neon-lit restaurant I can find.
While eating there I meet Andreas, who I met in Mui Ne and who arived yesterday. This is a shocking coincidence - we have a drink and make vague plans to meet again in Hoi An, along with a new traveller Andreas has met.
Back at the hostel I relate my casino story to Tony, the Irish ex-pat owner, who tells me he's heard similar stories before which turned nasty. I'm a fool for staying past the point I knew it was no longer a social call, but feel glad it wasn't worse - I'm sure had things gone differently I would have been frogmarched to an ATM to empty my account.
I hope Lam turns up tomorrow with a motorbike.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Nha Trang - Dive, Dive, Dive
Diving is an early bird game, so I get up early and make my way to the dive shop. The dive boat is incredibly well organised - usually, I believe, you have to sort out your own equipment, but here everything is done for you. My two dives go well - I see parrot fish, sea cucumbers, clams, schools of small quick fish, plenty of coral and scores of evil spiky sea urchins.
I had planned to chill on the beach in the afternoon, but a quick rainstorm puts paid to that idea. I go book hunting instead, and in the evening go for drinks with a few people who I met yesterday.
I had planned to chill on the beach in the afternoon, but a quick rainstorm puts paid to that idea. I go book hunting instead, and in the evening go for drinks with a few people who I met yesterday.
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