I Heart Laos

We arrived in Laos from Hanoi just over a week ago after an action-packed couple of weeks making our way up the coast of Vietnam.  We had heard great things about Laos from friends who had travelled here and from fellow travellers we’d met in Vietnam. The theme was consistently that Laos is one of the most laid back places to visit and as soon as we got here, that was clear to see. Don’t get me wrong, we had an amazing time in Vietnam, and particularly enjoyed immersing ourselves into the hecticness of its capital city, but the peacefulness and laid back nature of Laos was a welcome change of pace and we’ve had no problem embracing this way of living.

Upon our arrival to the Luang Prabang airport (Laos’ second largest city and former royal capital), an unusual thing happened. We were warmly greeted by a smiling immigration officer – this only a few hours after being angrily scolded by the Vietnamese officer at the Hanoi airport who was pissed that we approached his counter together rather than one at a time. After that episode I had asked Dave why all immigration officers are so mean and scary. But this officer was genuinely happy to welcome us into his country.  I knew right then and there that Laos was a special place…

We hopped into a tuk-tuk (Laos’ equivalent to a taxi) with 3 other travelers and watched as the airport virtually shut down behind us. It was only about 7:30pm and we were the last arrival of the night!  Our tuk-tuk driver was so friendly and great – and gave us an introduction to a certain “Lao-ness” that many people here possess. He just couldn’t wait to show us the ins and outs of his city.  In fact, he even stopped several times along the way, pulling the tuk-tuk over to the side of the road, turning off the engine and getting out to walk around to where we could hear him. He was eager to orient us and show us a couple of “must sees” while we are in town.  He didn’t need to say too much, though. As we drove into Luang Prabang, the town’s charm immediately revealed itself.

What is that sound?? Another thing we immediately picked up on was the quiet nature of the streets. We had gotten so used to the sound of motorbikes zooming by and the constant honking of horns. It was such a sharp contrast to the streets of Vietnam, it felt like the soundtrack was missing or something.

We checked into an adorable guest house where the guy working there was so relaxed and smiley. One thing  I have noticed on this trip is that it usually takes me about a day or so to warm up to each new city after we arrive and get my bearings. I actually felt the opposite in Luang Prabang, though, and it was the first time I’d experienced that on the trip so far. The people made you feel so welcome there that it only took a couple of minutes to warm up before I felt at home. This town really makes a good first impression.

We decided to take a stroll into town our first night…so adorable. There is a lot of French influence in this town which is reflected in its architecture, restaurants, and coffee and pastry shops.  I was happy to get a glimpse of the dimly lit restaurants and cute shops and couldn’t wait to explore further during the day. Wait, what is that colorful oasis in the distance?

We approached the Handicraft night market, the best outdoor market I have ever seen and apparently one of the best in all of Asia.  It takes place every night in Luang Prabang from 5pm to 11pm. There are dozens upon dozens of vendors selling everything from beautiful fabric to silk scarves to a large variety of t-shirts to jewelry to bags and a whole lot more. We immediately noticed the different personality of the merchants here as opposed to those in Vietnam.  As with the rest of Laos, the market was really laid back, no aggressive selling and no putting the article on you and then asking you to pay. There was no hassling and no guilt trip at all if you looked and did not buy.  Also the crafts were really interesting and nicely done.  We had fun looking at all of the different crafts for sale and spent a good couple of hours each night walking through it.

 

The glowing night market in Luang Prabang

 

Tons of colorful t-shirts in the night market

Another difference I noticed immediately between Laos and Vietnam was the food. Vietnam certainly has Laos beat on this front. (Please see “I Still Got Love Pho the Streets” for more details on us chowing down in Vietnam.)  Though often adorable from the front, the food in the restaurants was nothing to write home about and we stuck to the $1 chicken sandwiches from the street, freshly made in front of us with just-off-the-grill barbequed chicken, chili sauce and our choice of other toppings all squeezed into a fresh French baguette and wrapped up and handed over with pride, sometimes even with a free banana thrown in. We had these sandwiches at least a couple of times in Luang Prabang and agreed that they were probably the best meal we’d had.

In another example of the Lao niceness, during our second day we rented bikes and were riding around exploring the city and visiting temples.  These bikes they rent to you are so old and crusty and falling apart. Nevertheless, it costs you about 15,000 kip which is only about $2 and it lets you make your way around town and cover more ground so you hop on and hope the thing gets you to your destination. Low and behold, Dave’s crappy bike kept losing its chain and at one point got stuck in the frame such that we couldn’t get it loose. When it first happened, a little boy came running over to help. The next thing you know a woman riding her own bike pulled over to the side of the street to see how she could be of assistance. After a couple of minutes of Dave, the young boy and the woman working on the bike, they had fixed it. They were genuinely happy to have helped and went on their merry way.  I was struck by how nice they were to volunteer their help without asking for anything at all in return.

 

A little teamwork gets the job done

 

Riding bikes through the streets of Luang Prabang

Throughout the rest of our stay in Luang Prabang, we had a great time visiting temples and the waterfalls, two of the area’s main attractions, But we also took the time to absorb the different culture of Laos and soak up the laid back nature of it all.  This included watching some of the locals place Petang for hours (petanque in French and similar to bocce), getting hour-long massages two days in a row, viewing the beautifully colored flowers sprinkled throughout the town, walking through the local food markets and sitting outside recapping the day over some cold Beer Lao. Some of you reading might wonder what might happen to Dave if he gets any more laid back.  Well, let’s just say that this country is a good match for his personality!  Before getting too mellowed out in Luang Prabang, we decided to explore the country a bit further.

 

In the pretty garden of a temple

 

Enjoying a cold Beer Lao

Our stay in Vang Vieng pleasantly surprised me. Although admittedly, I was initially “anti” the place, it grew on me in the few days we were there (much more on that in ‘What Happens in Vang Vieng stays in Vang Vieng”). From Vang Vieng, we headed to the capital city of Vientiane.

The city features a street with an arch at the end that is somewhat reminiscent of the Champs-Elysees and L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  The beer gardens that line the Mekong River made for a great place to watch the sun set and there are also some really good restaurants, the best yet we’d experienced in Laos.  We also hung out with a few nice Aussies at the beer garden who praised our home city and gave us a good recommendation for dinner for authentic Laos Cuisine. The place was called Makphet, (www.friends-international.org) a restaurant with a lovely atmosphere which trains homeless Laos youths to cook and wait tables. The hospitality was second to none. We had a great meal there and were happy to contribute to the betterment of the Vientiane community.  Though our stay in Vientiane was brief, we felt as though we got a good feel for the city and we were ready to move down south.

Yesterday we arrived in Si Phan Don (the Four Thousand Islands) in the south of Laos. The Four Thousand Islands are located in the widest part of the Mekong river (stretching to almost 14km during the rainy season).  We are staying on the island of Don Khon which is pretty close to the Cambodian border. Our guidebook had told us that the further south you go in Laos, the more laid back it gets. I’d say that this has been consistent with the experience so far. We have enjoyed riding bikes around the island through bumpy trails and farmland, cruising past dozens of friendly cows and buffalo and the occasional sleeping pigs.  The dogs are pretty friendly too and they sometimes follow you, as if to escort you to your next destination. We’ve enjoyed passing through the local villages and observing what life is like for the locals and have done a lot of exploring, crossing into the neighboring islands.  The kids here run around with endless energy and everyone here gives you an enthusiastic “Sabqai-dii!” (hello) as you pass by.  We happen to be staying in one of the three nicest rooms on Don Khon island which is located in a converted French-era hospital.  And it only costs us $23 per night (breakfast included)!  The lizards and spiders have paid us an occasional visit, but overall I’d say we have a pretty sweet suite and, no surprise, the staff is really nice and accomodating too. Other than that, there’s not much else to do, as the island basically closes down around 9:30 so we are forced to chill out and chill out some more…Not bad!

Its been a great run in Laos and my initial impression of the country – the charm, the relaxed nature, the nice people – held true throughout our visit. 

A few more days here in Si Phan Don and then off to our next adventure, Cambodia. It might take us a few days to get there as we’ll be travelling by bus, but we will write soon enough!

xoxo, LWA

What Happens in Vang Vieng Stays in Vang Vieng

Wow. 

Vang Vieng is such a weird and whacky town.  I’m reminded of Bosch’s triptic named El Jardin de las Delicias (The Garden of Earthly Delights) which was in the early 1500s.  The first panel represents beauty and purity, the second represents the excesses of mankind, and the third represents the downfall of civilization. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden of Earthly Delights

 

 

 

 

 

Vang Vieng embodies all three of these elements in such a way that that we left this town totally bewildered and somewhat uncertain as to our feelings towards this  place.  The  setting is really majestic as  the town sits along the Nam Song River with lush limestone mountains that shoot straight up across the river.  Then there is the hedonistic infrastructure that lines the river which is one of the most awesome parties we’ve ever been to.  The town itself is a real hell-hole, and you feel like you’ve gone to a bizarro world as thse dumpy bar/restaurants line the streets, most of them serving crap food and blaring rerun episodes of the TV show Friends as patrons/zombies/backpackers lie down on cushions and veg out for hours.  I’ll focus this entry on the second panel of the triptic above, its like nothing you’ve seen before.

Lauren and I had heard about Vang Vieng from friends and fellow travellers, and most strongly urged us to  swing by (others advised to avoid the town at all costs).  Vang Vieng is on a major tourist corridor between Luang Prabang and Vientiane, Laos’ two most famous cities.  Originally known for its beautiful scenery, tough treks, kayaking and caving, Vang Vieng developed into a stopover town for backpackers looking to break up their trip between these two cities. Now the major pleasure sport is tubing down the Nam Song river.  Lauren and I heard about the tubing, and thought it might be amusing to float down the river, but we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. 

First you rent your tube in town and hop into an oversized tuk-tuk (essentially a covered pick-up truck with benches) with 10 other people (mostly Irish and English lads) with 10  tubes strapped to the roof. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tubing Tuk-Tuk

We take a 4km drive up the road to where the tubing begins.  But the tubing doesn’t begin just yet.  We step out of the tuk-tuk, we hear the thumping of techno music, and we are immediately greeted by a guy pouring free shots of this  rice whiskey called Lao Lao.  Down the hatch! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are two outdoor bars that are sitting 10-20 feet above the banks of the river. The floors are made of mud, bamboo, and some wooden planks, and the river rushes below you.  It’s only noon, but people are dancing, and partying very hard, covered in body paint.  Uhhh… did we come to the right place?  I thought this was going to be like the Lazy River at Atlantis in the Bahamas.  Maybe not. Even though it seemed like we might be a little old for this crowd (most people seemed to be in their early 20s), what the hell, let’s have some fun.  “Beer Lao please!”

This bar also happens to have a zip line, which begins after you climb up a bamboo ladder at the bar, and ends with you falling into the river, and washing ashore after having been dragged downstream a bit.  I watched several people go first, and learned the necessary manuevers, and after a little “liquid courage” I was a regular Tarzan. That was fun.  I was beginning to think this would be a pretty fun day. 

Let’s go tubing!  After splashing around a bit and flipping over a couple of times, we were gently floating downstream, away from the craziness of the previous two bars.  But, after only tubing for 100 meters or so, we see another bar, and someone throws us a makeshift life-saver, we grab it, and he tows us into the bar.  Round 2.  This bar was more relaxed I initially thought because we were leading the pack down the river, and the crazy partiers hadn’t caught up to us yet.  But this place had a volleyball net and bunch of hammocks by the river, so Lauren and I chilled out a bit.  We saw a bunch of locals swimming across the river to the bar we were at, and they immediately started playing volleyball.  I joined in, and played a few great 4-on 4 games with 7 other locals.  It was pretty cool.  They only knew a couple of words in English, and I spoke no Lao, but hand signals did the trick.  The court was dirt/mud floor, and our side was particularly muddy.  Not the kind of mud you get stuck in, but the kind that makes you slip around, like stepping on a banana peel.  So everyone on our team was slipping and sliding around and falling in the mud.  By the end of the games I was covered head-to-toe in mud, but the sun was so strong that it had already caked on to me.  Sweeeeet.  Once the games were over, we shook hands, and the locals left as quickly as they had come, swimming back across the river. 

Across the river there was yet another bar, except this one had a much larger bamboo ladder leading up to a type of trapeze apparatus.  People were swing back and forth, and then would drop 20 feet into the river.  Some  people were hanging by their legs, or going two at a time, asking for trouble, as the rocks were smiling below them closer to the edge of the river.  No-one we saw got hurt, and everyone was having a good time.  Lauren and I decided to join the party across the river, so we did as the local did, and swam across.  We made sure we started far enough upstream so that we drifted down towards the bar. No problem.

There was a bridge at this bar connecting to yet another bar, and another.  Most drinks at these bars are of the normal variety, except that they are served in buckets, instead of cups or glasses. So one drink really equals 3 drinks.  They also serve some fruit shakes, which are commonly served throughout Laos.  Yet at these bars they are called “Happy Shakes” on their menu.  The happiness that these drinks provide are of the herbal, funghal, or poppy variety.  They seem to be a crowd pleaser, as people are looking more and more faded as we progress down river.

The next bar was more sophisticated, as it abandoned the bamboo construction in favor of a concrete structure that formed a water slide, except  the mouth of the slide ended 20 feet above the river, and instead of the mouth opening into the river, it actually curved upwards at the end, for maximum propelsion.  Again, I watched as person after person was shot out like a cannon ball from this slide, flying through the air before crashing into the river.  Guys, girls, and this one 60 year old man were doing it.  My turn!  I made sure to lay all the way back to pick up speed , and really went flying.  I must say the landing did hurt a bit… 

Then,  it started to pour.  We took cover under a little hut with another couple.  They were Irish, and were on the tail end of a 6-month trip that resembled our plans closely. We chatted about the different places they had been to until the rain let up.  Time to move on. 

We walked back across the bridge to where our tubes were and saw the group of 19 year old Irish and English lads we had taken the tuk-tuk with, and they were totally smashed. One guy asked us if we voted for Obama, and then gave us huge hugs when receiving the answer.  Then he slipped in the mud and fell on his arse.  Ok, we really need to go now.  We hopped back into our tubes and began to cruise down the river again, Beer Lao in hand.

We rejected the offers to come to the next few bars that we floated by, and then there were no more bars.  The mood just mellowed out, and now we finally had some welcome peace and quiet, looking up at the mountains as we floated by a couple of houses sitting next to the river.  We thought we were close to the end of our journey downstream, but we did not see any of the landmarks we thought we would see.  45 minutes later, we started to worry that maybe we had missed the town completely, and had broken off on to another part of the river.  In fact, we almost did. 

The riiver was much wider(about 100m)  at this point, and we were on the west side, and I spotted a small sign on the east side that said “End of Tubing”.  There was no way we were going to make it by using our arms as oars. We saw a couple of local kids, who looked to be around 6 years old, playing on some rocks in the middle of the river.  They must have sensed our concern, or known we were in trouble, because they dove into the water and swam towards us.  One kid grabbed Lauren’s tube and the other grabbed mine, and they swam us across the channel as we were being pushed downstream.  As luck would have it, these kids saved the day, and got us right to the point where we needed to go.  After getting out of the water with our tubes, and after a round of high fives, the kids chanted “Money! Money!” We gave them whatever small amount of wet bills we had on us.  It reminded me of when I was younger, and me and my buddy Mike would wait for an awful snow storm, then show up to his neighbors homes  and “rescue” them by shoveling their driveways and walkways, for a hefty fee, of course. 

Aside from one of us having a cut on the foot, and the other with a scraped and bruised butt, we made it back to Vang Vieng town intact.  Like we mentioned above, this town is so strange with these TV bars that play Friends all day long.  You can hear “I’ll be there for youuuu” all through the streets.  It’s awful. At least some bars have changed it up a bit with non stop reruns of “Family Guy” or “The Simpsons”.  This I can handle somewhat more, but it’s still so weird.

We were offered free “buckets” of whiskey at a couple of these outdoor bars, but stayed only for a short time because we were wiped from the day.  We woke up the next morning and like bats out of hell, we took the first bus out of town onwards to Vientiane. Great memories, but good riddens Vang Vieng!

Our Trip Map

We’re in Vientiane right now on our way down to Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands) to the islands of Don Khon and Don Det.  We’ll update later on our previous travels in Laos.

View Larger Map

I Still Got Love Pho the Streets

We’ve quickly discovered that Hanoi is the city to eat your face off.  The restaurants are general cheap when compared to US standards, as appetizers are normally $1-$2 and a main course is usually $2-$6.  Initially we went to a couple of the guidebook recommended restaurants, and we were actually somewhat disappointed with the cuisine.  Then we decided take the advice of many travelers, and forget the restaurants, and eat on the street.  Not only does the cost of a meal (apps, mains, and drink) drop from $5-$10 per person to $1-$3 per person, but the quality and variety of the food actually increases significantly.  Some might be worried how street food will challenge their intestinal fortitude, but we’ve been ok so far.  Anyway, why waste all of this  Imodium, Pepto, and Cipro we brought along with us?  We didn’t dive right in to the street meat scene, we started a bit slowly, and then yesterday morning, it was the beginning of a no holds barred day of feasting on the streets of Hanoi.  Here’s how our love affair (really just my love affair) with the street food scene unfolded…

After arriving back from Halong Bay, and having 2 days full of fried seafood and sleeping aboard the Aloha Junk Boat, we were happy to come to Hanoi, and chill for a few days, and really sink into this town.  Our first meal was Pho based.  Pho is a rice noodle that is probably the most ubiquitous dish served in Vietnam.  It comes in a variety of forms.  Mine was fried with chicken, and Lauren’s was in a soup with veggies.  Both were decent.  The second day we participated in our hotel’s free breakfast, which had good fruit (love the dragon fruit) but very poor omelets.  Starting to get ticked about our consumption choices, I knew we needed a change.  To avoid giving our stomachs the shock and awe treatment with an initial whacky street meal, we opted for one street kitchen that supposedly served a mean Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup, Vietnamese style).

Most of these street kitchens (aka food stalls) have a couple of cooks in the front with a huge pot or pan of something cooking. 

This is where the magic happens

We sit down at a long table with other guests sitting at either side of us.  We sit on a mini-plastic chair that you might find in a kindergarten classroom that sits only 10-12 inches off the ground.  So my knees are bent about chest high as we sit, order a Tiger beer and a 1.5 liter bottle of water (still hot as hell outside), and wait for a menu.  Oh, that’s right, there are no menus.  This place only serves one dish, the Pho Ga.  Without our server saying a word, two bowls of Pho are delivered to our table.  Before we eat, I take a ladle of red hot sauce and pour it on top of the concoction of broth, chicken, noodles, vegetables, herbs and spices.  Then I squeeze a couple of lime slices into the soup as well.  Ok, I’m ready to eat. With chopsticks in my left hand, and a spoon in the right, I dig in.  Honestly, this dish was better than any similar chicken noodle soup you could have in the US.  It was soothing, crunchy, sour, spicy, and super tasty.  Ok, what’s next?

Dinner time rolled around, and I had heard about this fantastic restaurant from a variety of sources named Cha Ca La Vong that only serves a fried fish dish.  It was ok, but a little too greasy for me.  It went against my instinct to stick to the streets, so I decided not to make that mistake again.

To wash down this meal, a couple of beers were in order.  We combed the streets for the much talked about Bia Hoi bars.  Bia Hoi translates to Fresh Beer, which is essentially cheap keg beer served to groups of people on the street.  We found this one intersection that happened to have a Bia Hoi Bar at each of the four corners.  We’ve come to the right place.  We staked out an area for ourselves at one Bia Hoi Bar that wasn’t overcrowded. The same kindergarten chairs accompanied by an even more miniature table made me feel confident that this experience would not disappoint.  “2 Bia Hoi please”.  Two glasses poured straight from the keg were delivered in 6 seconds.  We were dumbfounded that the cost for one Bia Hoi beer was only 3,000 dong, which at a 17,700 dong to $1, this beer cost 15 cents.  It’s officially the cheapest beer in the world.  I’m in love. 6 beers (shared between Lauren and me), and less than $1 later, we retired for the night.

The next day, we woke up a bit late so we missed our mediocre hotel breakfast.  We hit the streets in search of a nice way to start our day.  Nothing says breakfast like a Vietnamese empanada, spring rolls, and fried dough balls with a pork filling, right? Right.  These snacks were served with Pho, some greens, a bowl of watered down vinegar, and hot sauce.  We take the spring roll, add some hot sauce, dip it in the vinegar water, grab some Pho along with it, and eat, repeating this process as necessary.  This place on Ly Quoc Su Street was so delicious, that we couldn’t just stop there, we were getting in a groove.  

Having breakfast with miniature furnitture

I heard of this great place for a good beef dish, and even though we just ate, I figured we should at least scope the place out.   We got there half an hour later, and we couldn’t say “no”.

Same drill as lunch the day before.  Sit down in the miniature dining room, don’t say a word, and 10 seconds later, two bowls of Bon Bo Nam Bo arrive at our table.   This is good stuff.  Greens coat the bottom of the bowl, and then a healthy dose of Pho is placed in.  After that the bean sprouts and lean beef are put on top, followed by fried onions, peanuts, and one big ladle full of beef broth.  Then I put some hot sauce and squeeze some lime in, and we’re ready to go.  This dish had less broth in it that the previous day’s Pho Ga, so there was heavier chopstick usage in the beginning.  The dish was the perfect balance of crunchy (bean sprouts) and chewy (beef and pho),  and I was happy to see the broth sitting there towards the end, waiting for me to slurp it up.  The broth was so flavorful, that the first gulp actually lit up my eyes as my stomach warmed.  So good.

Ok, we couldn’t eat anymore.  We had breakfast and lunch in a span of one hour, and we needed a break.  We walked around for five hours and toured the city, until we finally stopped for a little snack. Thanks to the French Colonialists that occupied much of Vietnam back in the day, Hanoi has adopted a café culture, which is non-existent in many parts of Vietnam and throughout Asia.  In addition, you’ll find many patisseries and boulangeries in the city.  Baguettes, cakes, tarts, croissants, and other tasty treats are found all over Hanoi.  We wanted a little something sweet, and hadn’t seen any of these baked goods elsewhere in Vietnam. 

Lauren already found a new job here.

It was certainly welcome.   Then we walked some more, until it was dinner time.

Psyched to go 3 for 3 for the day eating streets meals, we swung by this corner that was packed the night before to get some more local grub.  This time, we had a choice, but it was mostly beef dishes (I stayed away from the pigeon and frog that was offered).  The last meal of the day was a sautéed mixture of beef, scallions, and crunchy noodles.  Simple, quick, tasty.

Yummy!

Chowing Down

The food at the three meals we had today (for two people) cost a total of 116,000 dong, which is about $7.  Drinks tacked on another 50,000 dong, which is about $3.  Not bad for a day of good eating.

We had to end the night at another Bia Hoi joint, where Lauren and I played some Gin Rummy.  The current game count has Lauren ahead 10 games to 6.  We’ll keep score throughout the trip.

We leave today for Luang Prabang in Laos, but we couldn’t leave without having some of the famed Che, a drink/dessert served in Hanoi.  We approached this one street stand that only served Che, and we weren’t sure what we were getting ourselves into. 

Lauren getting some Che

Che is a mixture of over 15 ingredients including fruits, juices, jams, jellies, vegetables and beans that are combined into a glass and eaten with a spoon.

Lauren eating some Che

We could not discern most of the ingredients, but the ones that we did recognize were coconut milk, corn, kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas.  The rest had tangy, chewy, and mealy textures, but combined was a really interesting concoction.  Definitely something to taste. 

Can you tell what we were eating?

Unfortunately we won’t have time (or the inclination) to eat all of the unique foods that Hanoi has to offer (apparently dog and rat are local specialties).  We’re off now to the next country with new sites to see, new people, new foods and new flavors.  Looking forward to it! See you there.

Going With the Flow

Hello from up north!  We are in Ha Noi where we have settled for the next three nights after about a week of jumping around from place to place. We have been having so much fun and are definitely getting into the rhythm of this trip, becoming better travelers by the day, making plans for each next move at the last minute and going with the flow.  It still hasn’t hit me that we will be travelling for such a long time and right now feels like we are on a 2-week vacation — definitely a special vacation, perhaps something of a second honeymoon —  and as though will be returning home to NYC soon. Of course we are being much more conscious of our budget than we were on our real honeymoon last year at this time. To that end, I write from our lovely hotel room costing a very affordable 20 USD per night, very clean, and beyond adequately equipped for our needs, with a powerful A/C unit (very necessary!) and our own desktop PC with a fast internet connection .

When you last heard from us, we were on our way up to Hue. After a nice day of touring the city we began our journey to the north.  A busride, a couple of taxis, a flight and another busride later, we had arrived to the center of town.  As Ha Noi would be somewhat of a “base” city for a couple of other destinations (Sa Pa and Halong Bay), we strategized on the way up that it would be better to visit Ha Noi for a few days at once rather than break up the visit in between these trips, as it would allow us to get to know the city more intimately. So, at the last minute we planned to head up to Sa Pa that night immediately upon our arrival in Ha Noi.  

We got dropped off in the center of Ha Noi at around 7:30pm, strangers in a new city, and made our way to the train station in hopes that we could jump on a 9pm train. The sun had already set but in classic “Vietnam in June” fashion it was still 100+ degrees and we hadn’t had a proper meal since early that morning. Hungry, hot and tired, and with a map in hand, we made our way to the train station in our first real “backpacker” experience. We probably walked for a good 30-40 minutes in the sweltering heat with our backpacks and throughout the walk, all I could imagine was what we would look like if this scenario played out in our home city. I pictured us getting dropped off in the center of NYC lugging these backpacks and trying to find our way to Penn Station asking random New Yorkers every couple of blocks “Which way to Penn Station??”  That mental image made me chuckle, lightened my mood and made the walk a bit easier.

When we FINALLY got to the station, we were disappointed to learn that all of the trains up to Sa Pa that night were booked. Plan foiled? Not yet… Very quickly, observing that we were unable to get on the train we wanted, a young Vietnamese guy approached us and asked us where we wanted to go.  He told us that he might be able to get us on a train and to “wait here”.

Let me set the stage…It was hotter than you can imagine, we were sweating like crazy – did I mention hungry yet? – and it was an utterly chaotic scene in this un-airconditioned and very dirty train station.  I must admit, I was ready to give up, but decided to “go with the flow” and wait for the young man who promised he would return to us in just a few short minutes. And sure enough, he did.  He was dressed in black and reminded me of a club promoter-type in NYC if that makes any sense. “Follow me”, he said. Next thing you know, we were walking across train tracks, Vietnam’s official train-boarding method, and arrived on the train’s platform.

We quickly caught on. Though the trains were officially sold out, to make an extra buck, the conductor’s were willing to sell additional seats “under the table”. Guys such as our friend helping us would find additional passengers , passengers sometimes desperate to get onto a particular train, and these passengers would pay a discounted fare. The conductor would pocket the money and pay the “broker” a generous tip.  Quite a nice operation!  We were certain that this very scheme was the guy’s job and he probably does quite well doing so.

The first option our friend came up with was the conductor’s sleeping quarters.  It was the size of a very small closet…air conditioned, yes, but Dave and I quickly decided that this would not be a comfortable option.  After we declined, he offered this wonderful accommodation to another couple standing behind us, a very visibly pregnant woman and her husband, and they accepted.  Crazy! Different standards, I suppose.  We watched as the man paid the conductor with the money from the couple and she in turn tipped him. We were right.  Upon our rejection of the first option, we were quickly presented with a second option. Time was ticking and we had to make a decision quickly. The guy walked us onto the train to show us where we would be staying – in the dining car! With the train departing in about 5 minutes, we paid the man and sent him off to his next “client”.

Onwards to Sa Pa! As the train rolled away from the station, we looked at one another both thinking the same thing – “its going to be a long and uncomfortable ride”.  With 5 conductors smoking cigarettes around us and our un-cushioned seats, it was just that. Yet we made the best of it and found a lot of humor in the situation. The night started out with our long awaited dinner, instant ramen noodle soup (reminiscent of my Camp Akiba days). Delicious indeed.  We each worked throughout the night to get comfortable, waking up each hour and finding a new soft object or article of clothing to lie on.  At various points throughout the night, other local passengers would sit down next to us while we were sleeping, making for some awkward sleeping moments.  David asked one of the conductors if there were any beds to switch into, and  was given a little stool to rest his feet on.  Just as well, I guess!  Somehow we both got some decent sleep and at around 5am, we arrived in Lao Cai, a town just a few kilometers from the Chinese border, where we would board a bus for a 90-miinute drive up to Sa Pa.

The long, uncomfortable ride was well worth it because once we got to Sa Pa, we were captivated by the breathtaking views of the mountainous region of North Vietnam.   

Standing at the top of a waterfall

After a well-deserved nap in a real bed and a much needed shower, we set out for the day. We were quickly greeted by the girls of the Black Hmong village, clad in their signature blue robes, ankle wraps and lots of self-made silver jewelry (these girls were pretty stylish, I must say!) who befriended us, genuinely, but with the ultimate goal of selling us some of the jewelry and handicrafts they make in their village. I was quite impressed with their selling skills and persistence. One young girl who knew very little English would repeat incessantly “You buy this from me, I sell you very cheeeeeeeeeeap”.  I took a liking to one other girl in particular. She was a young girl, full of energy and personality and quite likable. She was 20 years old, had married at age 16 and had two young children. Her English, which she had taught herself by interacting with Sa Pa tourists, was pretty good. Her husband was at home watching the children while she would come up from the village and into the town to make a daily living for her family.

With the Black Hmong Villagers

That day we completed a 6 hour guided hike through Black Hmong, Zai, and Zao villages through the vast valleys of Sa Pa.  The scenery was absolutely beautiful .

The next day, we set out on our own, this time to a different village called Ban Ho where we went on another hike, this time through the rocks, streams and rice paddies.  Some highlights included my graceful fall into a mushy rice paddy –oops! — and Dave swimming and jumping off of rocks with some of the local kids.   

Swimming with the village kids

In the rice paddies

Climbing on the rocks

 Sa Pa was great and we could have probably spent another day or two there for a few more adventures.  But we’re moving on to the next destination and the next adventure…I know that this trip is going to present us with some surprises and sometimes some uncomfortable situations, but I think as long as we keep going with the flow, we’ll figure things out.  More details about our post-Sa Pa travels very soon.

Keep checking back!

xo,

LWA

Hoi An-niversary

We’re on the bus to Hue from Hoi An, where we spent the last three days.  Really charming town.   We felt like we would have been happy to stay there for a couple of more days, and just cruise around on our motorbike, get a few more articles of clothes and shoes custom made for us, hit the beach, and eat some more delicious Cao Lao or White Rose.  Aside from the numerous ancient temples that Hoi An exhibits (which we failed to visit), it is a hub for custom tailors (probably a couple of hundred of them in a small area).

We arrived on our first wedding anniversary, June 7^th.  I asked around for some suggestions for a romantic place for dinner from our hotel manager at Thien Thanh Hotel (a great little hotel at a fantastic value that actually fits our budget).  The place she recommended was several  kilometers away, so as we walked into the main town to figure out how to get there, we were offered to rent a motor bike (its like a Vespa).  About 20 seconds later, we were off, cruising on our new hog (with helmets, of course, for those who may be concerned), on our way to Full Moon Town Restaurant.  Our dinner was awesome, the setting by the river was beautiful, but nothing in comparison to my lovely wife sitting across from me.

Back to our bike… while the traffic situation in Saigon is totally crazy, as traffic laws don’t seem to exist or apply there, we were comforted by the fact that Hoi An traffic scene was more subdued and managable.  Having a motor bike is definitely liberating, as you can cover more ground in a short period of time, explore  the outskirts of the city, and get a welcome breeze in the truly oppressive heat (yesterday the temperature was about 100 degrees).  We also we also able to cruise out to Cau Dai Beach, and go to some spots where the locals hang out, eating and drinking on the beach by latern light at night and being fed by locals who are whipping up meals right on the beach. On our second day, we thought see what all the fuss was with these custom tailors. We went to one of the fancier looking places, hoping that paying a little more would get us something of superior quality and something that we would actually wear.  Lauren had three dresses made, and I had 2 shirts, a cotton jacket, and a pair of shoes made.   The first run of clothes were made from scratch in about 6 hours, and we came back for our first fittings. The next fitting was the next day, and we kept on trying the clothes, making adjustments, and coming back every few hours until they were complete.  In between fittings we’d have a meal, have a beer, walk around, then make our way back.  Lauren had four fittings for her dresses, and the garments were finally perfected in only 30 hours (compare that to the months of wedding dress fittings at $300 a pop, Oy.)  While the clothes were great quality and very reasonably priced, we now have extra cargo in our backpacks which are beginning to be filled to capacity.

So far, we’ve found all of the shopkeepers, restaurant owners, hotel workers to be extremely friendly.  While it becomes somewhat of a nuisance to reject the hundreds of solicitations to buy food, clothes, foot massages, motor bike or boat rides, everyone in Hoi An has a cordial attitude about it.  This city really has a unique character by the river, with the old merchant houses, temples, pink flowers everywhere, a few km from the beach.  But, we’ve decided to move on, and now we’re really starting to get into the groove of this trip. See you up the coast.

Cruising...

Mrs. Saigon

Its about 4am in Ho Chi Minh City and I somehow managed to screw up my sleep schedule which was already heading for perfection  just one day after arrival (and by “screw up” I mean I fell asleep yesterday evening for a “nap” at 5pm and woke up – and have been up since – 2am this morning). Oh well! Last June 7^th I woke up early as well but it wasn’t because of major jetlag…it was because I was very excited that it was our wedding day! Happy 1^st Anniversary, D! I am pleased to say that as hot as it was that day in the garden of the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, it does not at all rival the heat here in HCMC. Given my inability to sleep (and the fact that the city is quiet right now which is quite a rare phenomenon…usually you can at least hear the sound of a few motorbikes,which means that breakfast is still at least a couple of hours away) I thought  I would take this opportunity to update you on what we’ve been up to.

Yesterday was an eventful day. We woke up bright and early after a good night’s sleep and met Trang. When we got in touch with her about a week ago, Trang eagerly offered  to meet us at our hotel at 8am on Saturday morning to take us around and show us her home city.

The tour started at the War Remnants Museum where we were able to view artifacts, photographs, and other memorabilia fromwhat is known here as the “American War”,  Outside, we were able to see planes, tanks and bombs used in the war as well as replicas of war prisons and torture units. Inside told the story of the war, before, during and after, from a Vietnamese perspective through graphic pictures and stories about Vietnamese civilians. It was very interesting and somewhat disturbing at the same time.

We continued exploring the town by foot and went into several markets where we were greeted by many Vietnamese merchants looking to sell us any and everything – a knock-off Gucci handbag, many a fake Lacoste polo – you name it, they have it. I thought to myself “this is my industry’s worst nightmare!”

Throughout the day, I got used to crossing the street amidst many motorbikes.   When we first arrived to this part of the world in Taipei, I was struck by the number of motorbikes in the city. When we arrived it Saigon, the number of motorbikes seemed to have grown exponentially. Everyone gets around on a motorbike, men, women, children, babies even. Sometimes you’ll see a whole family piled onto one of these small vehicles and other times you’ll see the most unusual things piled high such as large pieces of furniture or the morning beverage delivery to a local restaurant. It is really a sight to see.  There are tons of bikes with a few cars interspersed and then of course the many pedestrians. And somehow everyone cooperates and the traffic moves so gracefully. I have finally gotten used to crossing the streets here. You basically just walk cautiously and allow the traffic to move around you. What was seemed very unnatural and a bit challenging at first now seems quite simple.

Wedding Floral Delivery

Traffic moves in all directions

This morning, we are leaving Saigon to fly to Denang. From Denang we will be heading to the small town of Hoi An, known for art galleries and its many custom tailoring shops. We’ll also hit the pretty beaches. Not a bad way to spend our 1^st anniversary, I suppose… We’ll see you there!

-LWA

The Trip Begins

We arrived last night in Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon) in Vietnam. It was fairly grueling trip to get here. Being the thrifty budget conscious travellers that we are, we decided to book the cheapest flight available, which had convenient stops in Anchorage, Alaska and Taipei, Taiwan. Our Taipei layover was a generous 7 hours long, and we were actually able to sneak out of the airport for a visit to Taipei 101, currently the world’s tallest building.

David next to Taipei 101

Coming in at 508 meters or so (you can do the metric conversion), it makes the Empire State Building look like a dwarf. We went to the observation deck close to the top, which had pretty sweet views of the city and suburbs. If you ever have only 2 hours in Taipei, we’d recommend going there, since we weren’t able to make it anywhere else. Lauren was able to locate the Burberry and Chanel stores, and hopes to do some serious “market research” in the various Asian cities we visit.

Lauren's former employer

 We had our first travel issue in Taipei, which could have left us to miss our flight to Saigon. We hailed a cab to take us back to the airport in Taipei after seeing Taipei 101, and the only word our cab driver understood was “Airport”, although un beknownst to us, there are 3 or so airports in the vicinity, and we actually had no idea what the name of our airport was. After 20 minutes of failed communication attempts pouring over receipts and boarding passes, we still had no idea where we were going. Then, ‘Eureka!’. Lauren had taken a photo of me in the airport, and in the background was the name of the airport (see photo below).

Thanks to Lauren for taking this pic!

We were happy to solve the problem with some serious sleuthsmanship (yes, of course that’s a real word). Lauren’s eagerness to documents even the seemingly mundane moments of the beginning of our trip paid off big time. We made our connectiing flight, and now we’re here in Saigon. We purchased this nifty Acer laptop that we brought with us, and I’m currently writing on it in our hotel bedroom. Lauren is still “sleepster”, as she likes to say. We’re staying at the Liberty 3 hotel on Pham Ngu Lao (the backpacker district). While this place is not what I’d call “fancy digs”, it’s still way past our budget (ideally $75 or less per day including hotel, food, activities, and regional travel). I’m getting the sneaking suspicion that we’re going to blow right through this. If we do, I guess like our student loans, mortgages, etc, we’ll try to make it back one day! We’re meeting up with a woman named Trang this morning, who was working as a translator for a Habitat for Humanity project in the Mekong Delta (south of Siagon) that a friend of mine participated in. I believe she’s going to show us around the city. Also we hope to meet up with a friend of a friend of a friend of Lauren’s father, who apparently has a boutique hotel business here in Saigon. That will be my “market research”. So as you can see, both Lauren and I are hard at work. We’re hoping that these posts serve a not only a way for others to get a glimpse of our travels and thoughts, but also for us have a record or diary of our travels, that we can refer back to when we’re old and gray. Feel free to post comments on our blog or shoot us emails, as we’d love to hear from you along our trip. Forward the blog to others if you think they’d get a kick out of it. See ya!

-DA