What Sapa Ning?!

The motorcycle adventure has officially begun.  We headed north of Hanoi to see the mountain regions of Sapa and the northern country side.  We had heard the roads north of Ha Noi get a bit rough but the payoff of beautiful scenery and the countryside seemed like a fair trade.

Rest stop on a muddy and rainy day

The road

The set up...

The first day on the bike proved to be more difficult than we had planned.  Just getting out of the hustle and bustle of the huge city was a challenge and on top of that, the four of us didn't have experience on manual motorcycles.  After five hours, more than a few wrong turns, some rain, and mud, we stopped for the day.  It was slightly embarrassing when we realized we only traveled 66km according to the map.  The town where we stopped clearly does not see many travelers so there were some interested stares and curious children.  We stayed at the only hotel in town that was a massive building and also home to the manager and his family.  We were the only guests that night and the manager, Mr. Phu, who spoke no English knocked on our door at about 10pm and wanted us to go downstairs.  We weren't sure if we were being kicked out of the place or in trouble for something so we followed him to the lobby.  Next thing you know, we are sitting in the typical Vietnamese wooden furniture while he pours us shots of rice whiskey from a water bottle and skypes with his daughter who lives in Seattle.  His other 14 year old daughter was our translator and we exchanged stories until two bottles were finished and we had tried all the Vietnamese treats he brought out (freshly roasted peanuts and fried rice balls).  Thanks to Mr. Phu, we learned how to count to three and cheers in Vietnamese - Mot, Hai, Ba, Yooooooooo (one, two three, Yoooooo). 

Waiting for our bikes to be fixed, having tea and coffee.

A normal sight

A truck o' pigs

With a few more interesting stops, we made it up the steep, winding, foggy road to the picturesque town of Sapa.  The fog was so thick that we couldn't see the lake from our lake front guesthouse.  Sapa is known for amazing trekking and beautiful scenery but due to the weather we got comfortable in some cafes.  The morning we left, we realized what all the hype is about.  It was clear as a bell and absolutely gorgeous. Fortunately we had some amazing mountian views on the road out.

Warming up by the coals after a long cold day! They are preparing Pho in the background! Yum!

The main church in Sapa in the fog

The thick fog of Sapa.  This is in the towns main square!

Clear morning the day we left

We were finally getting into a groove and getting the hang of these bikes so when it was 3pm and we were 50km away from the next town, we decided to push on.  Little did we know that 40km of the road ahead was dirt and mud and under construction.  It felt like we were in a motocross tournament racing against day light, dump trucks, and other scooters to make it to the next town with promise of paved roads.  Although we lost that race (to the daylight, not the dump trucks) we stopped at the first guesthouse that was also a restaurant.  We sat down, opened a beer and at that moment the generator went out.  Note to the adventurous traveler: never leave home without a headlamp.

After the long, dusty road!

Fishing net and rice paddies

A typical lunch stop

Rice Paddies

A view from the monument in Dien Bien Phu

Rice Paddies

A guy with a tree on the back of his motorbike.  He has a light load compared to others on the road.

The rest of the loop was filled with spectacular vistas, mountain villages, small towns that fade into one another, mechanics, cafes with hammocks that serve tea and coffee, and Pho restaurants.  Driving into Hanoi was even crazier than when we left. We arrived at rush hour and joined the tens of thousands of other moto-commuters in the organized chaos known as Vietnamese traffic!  We hung out here for a couple of days to get the bikes tuned up and took a side trip to the famous Halong Bay.

 Halong Bay...

You may not be able to tell but this panel of the boat has been smashed in.  As we were disembarking, another boat decided to play bumper boats.

Good morrow Vietnam

That doesn't seem quite right.

Vietnam began with a bang. We had our first overnight bus in Asia after several from South America to compare it to.

We have come to call these rice frisbee treats.

The plan had us departing Tha Khaek in Central Laos and busing a reported 17 hours to Hanoi in Northern Vietnam. We awaited the bus that was up until now the stuff of legends because this route is not a common one from this departure point in Laos. The border crossing we would be going through was a bit of a mystery as well. We had long before set up our visas for entry which is one of few that is required before-hand. The question was, well, questions. Our Vietnamese is limited to one or two niceties from the back of The Lonely Planet and if there were any discrepancies with our paperwork or questions that the border agents had for us we were out of luck. Usually the staff manning the popular border crossings are able to get their point across in any language necessary but some of the smaller crossings may be unaccustomed to anyone other than Laotians or Vietnamese. Our bus arrived near the advertised time and we were unsurprised to find that we were the only foreigners along for the ride. What was a bit shocking was that the rear half of this full sized bus was full of luggage and wares. We took our rear seats only 10 rows back of the driver. There was lots of rice, some toys, large cross sections of some unknown tree, and buried somewhere back in the back I assume in a cage, a rooster, which commonly reminded us of its plight.

The bus from Tha Khaek.

Thus began our trip into Vietnam and the cold. We had for so long been in tropical weather that the mere prospect of long sleeves seemed absurd. Well consider us shocked because as we found out somewhere in the central Vietnamese highlands, sometime in the central Vietnamese night that the temperature was dropping dramatically and suddenly we were in winter. We arrived to Hanoi at about 6 am after little or no sleep and hopped a cab to find our new home in this new city and new country alike.

Vietnamese Sandwiches right outside our hostel

Hey, I found work!

The view from our room.

Hanoi as far as the big cities we've been to so far was pretty cool. No big high rises to dwarf the streets and a holiday feel to it. We stayed near the old quarter and Hoan Kiem lake for the central tourist experience. There were pretty good digs. Every hostel worth their salt has a free beer happy hour and breakfast which are two very nice amenities. As we got to know the city and some of Vietnam we came to realize that the traffic here is absolutely the most batshit insane way of driving possible. The rules are not even close to being rules and the life of a pedestrian is one of peril.

200kg turtle from Hoan Kiem lake.

Kelly's birthday was fast approaching and as it happens a new friend of ours who was also staying at the hostel had the same birthday. I don't know how commonplace the practice is, but the owner of the hostel bought a birthday cake for them and the touch was very nice.

Kelly and Steph. This dude is awesome. He used to live outside of Tokyo, Biked to the water and ferried across to China. Been riding south ever since.

While the traffic sucked, it was still a cool town to walk around in. Tons of shops everywhere peddling the best Northface, and Patagonia brand knock offs you can find line the streets as well as Bahn Mie (Vietnamese sandwhiches) vendors. There is a spot called beer corner where you sit on the tiniest little plastic stools and drink Bia Hoi (draft beer) on the streets. The going rate is about 5000 Dong (yes that's the currency)  for a glass or about $0.25.

Kelly hanging out with some Bia Hoi

Beer corner

Another refreshment on offer is lime tea which of course can only be consumed with a plate of sunflower seeds. The locals are crazy about it. We also had to get our hands on Vietnamese coffee. Of which there are many types to choose from. With milk means with condensed milk cause they don't really have too much of the fresh type. It's a trip, but effective and gets you on your feet and ready to dodge the assholes driving on the sidewalks again.

Caffeine

Another cool coffee addition that you can find here is Chon Coffee or Lewak Coffee. This is the same as mentioned in our Bali blog. Weasel shit coffee. They eat the coffee cherries and cannot digest the bean itself so when it comes out it is harvested and treated as coffee usually is. It is also quite strong and really delicious.

The beans.

Dry noodle lady down the alley from where were staying. Very sweet and has a cool setup every day.

Street fire

Burning fake $ for the ancestors.

We visited the "Hanoi Hilton" prison and were not too surprised to be confronted with quite a bit of propaganda about how well the prisoners were treated during their stays. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was also a necessary sight. Unfortunately cameras were not allowed inside, but the whole experience was surreal. The complex is probably about 1kmsq. and houses several museums and of course the man himself, preserved and enshrined in glass for all to see. We were reprimanded brusquely several times as the signage is pretty lacking in direction and there are many directions to follow. Once we figured out how to line up properly and wipe the smiles off our faces we were led in a procession two by two past the body and many many stoic guards.

Read #3 on the rule placard in front of the Hanoi Hilton Prison

One of many war relics around.

Big ol statue of Lenin

What else what else what else....Oh yeah we bought motorcycles. After the Tha Khaek Loop in Laos with David and Darryl the Canucks, it was decided that the best way to travel and see Vietnam would be on the back of our own rides. There was a bit of apprehension but the purchases were finally made and the four of us were bound to a life on the road. The Honda Win is the standard motorcycle here. The four we bought were all Win knockoffs but built the same way and therefore very very simple for any mechanic to figure out. There are more mechanics roadside here than restaurants so any time there is a problem or something surprisingly breaks off at speed it can usually be fixed for under $5. These bikes are basic and don't have working speedometers or odometers which is probably for the best. It is not too uncommon for travelers to go with this option here and we often run into others who've taken the same plunge.   

Cool

Even cooler

Part of the appeal for me was to learn how to maintain these bikes  and with all the issues we've run into so far it has been easier and easier for a person with no mechanical background to unlock the inner-workings of a motorcycle. Also after doing a scooter trip in Laos it is infinitely cooler to spend our time on the back of a proper motorcycle. The rumble of it and and stance of it is enough to make you feel like a complete badass. Next up, the ride begins.....