On my first day in Hoi An, I finally succumbed to the Easy Riders (Vietnamese motorcycle guides) and booked a two-day moto trip from Hoi An to Hué. It was a good thing that I planned my exit from Hoi An early - I could have stayed there and shopped forever. My driver Thong picked me up on Saturday morning from my hotel in Hoi An, strapped my pack to the back of his bike...and we were off!
Taking the back roads on a moto, you see the real countryside. This is very different from bus trips along Highway One. My driver took the route westward, up through the mountains toward the border with Laos. We stopped at a remote waterfall and Thong motioned for me to wander down a dirt path. "You take your time, no problem." Everything was no problem for Thong. I scampered down the path, over rocks and through the woods, and came to a remote waterfall. The water was fresh and cool in the pool below and I took a refreshing dip. Later, I sampled the freshest pineapple ever at a collection station where pineapples are brought down from the high hills to be loaded on trucks and taken to the cities. Thong peeled the pineapple and I ate the entire thing. Then, we strapped one onto the back of the bike: a pineapple for the road.
The rest of the trip is a bit of a blur: riding up and up we wound our way along proud mountains in the Vietnamese countryside, visited minority villages, stopped for delicious meals and coffees, etc. The trip was too short and I would have continued for another week if I'd had the time and money. On Sunday afternoon, Thong took me to the beautiful tomb of a Bao Dai, the emperor of the Nguyen dynasty. Then it was a short ride along the Perfume River to hip hip Hué, the Imperial City! I didn't have much time in Hué - less than 20 hours to have a lovely dinner with Dana and Graeme and tour the Citadel of the Forbidden City in the morning.
I flew to Hanoi on Monday because the flight was the same price as the train (and 12 hours shorter). The Old Quarter of Hanoi is a warren of winding streets, full of life: motos, people, vendors, colour, noise, smells. Each of the 36 streets in the Old Quarter specializes in the sale of a particular item and is named after its merchandise. My hotel is just off of Hang Thiec, which is "Sheet Metal Lane" - my dad would love it! There are also streets for bamboo, for watches, for cafes, for flowers, etc.
I've met some new friends in Hanoi: Nathaniel from San Francisco and Marcel from Switzerland. They are very adventurous travellers, always looking for an interesting experience or a good bargain. We all took an overnight boat trip together to Halong Bay to explore the caves and go kayaking. Back in Hanoi, we've had many meals from street-side vendors, squatting at low tables over bowls of soup or fried noodles or Vietnamese coffee (super strong and super sweet). We went to see the Vietnamese Water Puppets show and I even ventured to the outskirts of town with the boys to sample dog meat! It was pretty good, but kinda freaky to if you think about it too much.
Life speeds on here on the road and the time is passing quickly. Tomorrow my Vietnam visa expires and I fly to Bangkok for a month in Thailand. Lots of love to everyone back home.
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