by Jane | Dec 6, 2016 | Asia |
Let me take you on a photo tour of Hanoi, Vietnam.
I spent nearly 3 weeks in the city. It is chaotic and polluted, noisy and huge but at the same time there are pockets of quiet and green, temples and lakes.
I used a compact Panasonic Lumix camera and my mobile phone when I was in S E Asia. I wanted something that didn’t attract too much attention and that could be slipped into my pocket – you can find the same [easyazon_link identifier=”B00T53FY90″ locale=”UK” tag=”scajonblo0e-21″]via this link to Amazon[/easyazon_link]
street scene in Hanoi
People charge around like crazy demented ants and then they stop! They take a coffee on a dilapidated terrace or they squat down on tiny low stools for a lunch of the tastiest noodles ….before diving off headlong into the craziness again and continuing with their day.
Hanoi lake
Water features heavily and life revolves around the park and the lake. Turtles swim in the murky green waters and a temple floats etheral like in the mist. Groups of students gather here and will accost you at every opportunity begging to practice their languages and will proudly tell you about their culture and heritage.
The Temple of Literature
The Temple of Literature is both packed with tourists yet it also has a serenity about it. Incense burns in huge cauldrons and the vivid red paint has a dusty feel.
The Temple of Literature
Water, flags and lanterns are everywhere, jostling for space in the sky with electric cables, buildings and trees. This is the view of the awesome cable system outside my balcony. i stayed here at See You at Lily’s when I got sick. You can read my article on how to deal with sickness while travelling here and about the entrepreneurial Rezma, one of the owners of See you at Lily’s here.
Everywhere in Vietnam people are selling things on the streets. You can truly buy ANYTHING. But the fruit and veg markets are the best and are always filled with wonderful looking produce.
a typical street market in Hanoi
As well as buying anything on the street you can eat anything on the street. Street food stalls have their devoted followers and set up and are successful in the most improbable places. Any small space. verge or pavement will do.
one of THE best ways to eat in Hanoi
A visit to the mausoleum that contains the (open) coffin of Ho Chi Minh is an interesting experience. Sombre groups of visitors file past, watched by armed guards as they walk through the tomb. The whole complex is huge and is run with military precision to ensure that nobody misses their allocated time slot to view the body.
the memorial to Ho Chi Minh
Even in the chilly foggy spring days, people are out on the streets in Hanoi.
coffee culture Hanoi style
A few hours drive from Hanoi are the spectacular limestone karsts at Tam Coc which is near Nimh Binh. We had a fantastic day out here, arranged through Lily’s Travel Agency. The choice of tours and agencies is overwhelming but we couldn’t fault one bit of our trips that we booked here.
On our day out that we booked with Lily we went on a boat ride down the river. Huge karsts towered above us as our guide rowed us with his feet through low caves and along a magical waterway. Our day included a cycle tour among the paddy fields, lunch and a temple visit in the mountains.
The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology is well worth the taxi ride out. It is a very interesting museum about the people of Vietnam with the highlight being the reconstructions of some of the traditional houses.
And you certainly should not miss the fascinating Women’s Museum with costumes and insights into the lives of women – from the traditional to the role of women during the war
women are celebrated in the Women’s Museum
St Joseph cathedral was just around the corner from my hostel in the old town. It stood out among the temples and pagodas – and on Sunday evening while the church was packed, the square out front was also packed with an overflow congregation – but they were all sat on their motorbikes.
You would not know half of the little cafes exist unless you happen to glance up. I spent many hours up on this balcony overlooking the lake.
And drinking the spectacular egg-nog coffee. 
Hanoi has a strange ambience – like no other city that I have been in. Sadly the traffic pollution is high – and can only get worse if the government relax their rules on the new car taxes.
An oasis of peace in the craziness of Hanoi.
One of the little streets in the old town by my hostel. It was a buzzing, exciting and friendly area.
A group of travellers meeting up for a coffee. I wonder where everybody is now?
If you want to travel with me next year – then drop me a message. I am currently considering returning to Malaysia, exploring Myanmar and maybe getting over to see what Bali is all about.
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by Jane | Oct 13, 2016 | Asia |
We could have taken a series of night busses to get from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, but my friend Debs and I decided to go by train. It would take 33 hours!
Two months previously Gosia and I had entered Vietnam overland at the middle point from Laos and we had headed south in order to find some warm weather. We spent time in Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh city but I still wanted to visit Hanoi in the north. (As you can see there are a lot of letter ‘H’s’ in the Vietnamese language!). We could have flown.
all aboard
The observant among you will be noticing that Gosia seems to have been replaced by Debs. That happened in Cambodia. After meeting Debs in Siem Reap and spending time clambering around the temples I had to say an emotional goodbye to Gosia who has the rest of her life to get on with – and then on with welcoming my friend Debs who had come over from Spain.
one of the many rivers that we crossed
Hi Chi Minh to Hanoi
On the train we had reserved the top bunks in a 4-berth cabin which we were sharing with the sweetest young Vietnamese couple. The lady was nearly nine months pregnant and oh so shy. Her husband spoke very softly too and the pair of them slept for most of the journey while Debs and I kept our eye on the lady with the coffee trolley and the hot water urn in case we had to help with a birth.
2nd class recliners
I thoroughly recommend taking the train in Vietnam if you have the time as it’s quite an adventure in itself. We were in the better class of carriage – with soft bunks, although goodness knows how any of the smaller Asian people manage to climb up into the top bunks. It was a bit of a scramble for me and Debs and we are both quite tall.
our sweet travel companions
There was a middle class section on the train with reclining seats and the cheap seats with hard, wooden slatted benches. Because our companions slept a lot and we couldn’t really see the scenery from our top bunks, Debs and I spent a lot of time in the middle class carriage where there were plenty of spare seats.
somewhere from Hi Chi MInh to Hanoi
In our middle class carriage we were invited to share food with the other passengers and we were included in whatever they were saying and doing, not that we understood much at all, but it was a lovely community spirit. Passengers boarded the train and left throughout the journey so there was plenty of interesting people-watching to do.
3rd class – it later became packed to overflowing
We walked through the lower class carriages where we found people trying to make themselves comfortable on the floor underneath the benches. They were lying on sheets of cardboard and most had wrapped themselves up in fleecy blankets. A food trolley was pushed along the train at regular intervals by two of the grumpiest men ever. Despite their sour faces they did a roaring trade in instant noodles, some grey looking Vietnamese soup and crisps and crackers, although everybody seemed to have brought along their own picnics too.
dawn breaks somewhere between Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi
In contrast, the lady who was in charge of the urn of boiling water for teas and coffees was wonderfully happy and was soon pouring us her super strong coffee shots unasked and watching us until we downed them. That was great until it was time to sleep when it took an awfully long time for the rhythmic clicking, clacking and rocking of the carriage to finally trump our overdose of caffeine.
some of our passengers
We passed through some spectacular countryside where rural life carried on unchanged for centuries. Workers in conical hats waded knee deep in paddy fields and buffalo stared at us as we clattered by. Despite the length of the journey from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi and warnings about the rail system we arrived in Hanoi just 3 minutes behind schedule having travelled almost the entire length of Vietnam.
somewhere in Vietnam
Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and huge; yet unlike Ho Chi Minh City it really has a nice cosy feel to it. Or at least, it does in the old town where we stayed. Narrow little streets throng with daily life, obviously there are billions of motorbikes and street food stalls, but unlike Ho Chi Minh, the traffic seems to move a little less frantically and you can actually walk on many of the pavements.
you can walk on the pavements!
By now, we had finally perfected our Vietnamese road crossing skills.
This is an art in itself as rivers of motorbikes flow along. You need to trust to luck and simply step out into the road. Head up and look directly at the riders, put one hand in the air if it is particularly busy and under no circumstances, stop, hesitate or change your pace.
just step out and cross your fingers
They WILL go around you avoiding each other in the process but the minute you hesitate all can be lost as they in turn hesitate and chaos will ensue.
Useful information
For those of you who are interested in facts and figures how about these?
There are…
- 90 million people in Vietnam
- 8 million people in Hanoi
- 4-5 million motorbikes in Hanoi (39 million in Vietnam)
- Nearly everybody who rides a bike in Vietnam wears a face mask (to protect against the traffic fumes and the rays of the sun)
And while we are considering facts and figures…
- 9% of Vietnamese people are Buddhist – most don’t have a religion but they do believe in Buddhism
- There are 54 different ethnic groups
- Vietnam enforces a 2 child policy. Parents have to pay a fee or a fine for extra children but this depends on the ethnic group
- Over 90% of the population over the age of 15 are literate
After a couple of months in Vietnam it felt great to watch newbies hover on the kerbside for ages wondering how on earth they are going to get to the other side! And then to step out and sail past them (with fingers crossed, buttocks clenched and whispering a mantra for survival.
how about this for a front garden?
The weather was quite cool when we were in Hanoi and the skies grey. I got sick again and in the end I spent far too long in my hostel with bronchitis but the one thing that struck me was how varied the countryside and the people, the food and the customs and clothes are in Vietnam.
watch your step
by Jane | Sep 20, 2016 | Asia |
Vietnam is a country of contradictions and contrast; possibly more so than many other countries that I have visited – and here in Ho Chi Minh City the differences really stand out.
In the beginning I took some time to warm to Vietnam, but as soon as I acknowledged this juxtopostion (the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect) I settled down and I viewed the country and its people differently and I began to appreciate it. And to like it.
Take Ho Chi Minh City for example.
Many people think that Ho Chi Minh City is the capital of Vietnam. It isn’t – Hanoi is the capital city but it is understandable how HCM can lead you into forming this opinion.
a typical street scene in Ho Chi Minh City
To add to the confusion (or it confused me anyway) Ho Chi Minh City was formally know as Saigon but was renamed in order to honor Ho Chi Minh who led the country and defeated the Americans in the war. The name Saigon is still widely and fondly used in all circles – and at the risk of offending some people, you do have to admit that it sounds somewhat more romantic than Ho Chi Minh City.
With 8.2 million people Saigon is more populated that Hanoi. The roads are CHAOTIC. In fact the roads are so chaotic that the scooters have rat-runs along the pavements in order to beat the blockages at the junctions-. You have to keep your wits about you as sidewalks are used as bike-parks, shop fronts, street food eating areas and roadways.
This is the pavement not the road
It is steamy and sultry and hot in Saigon. People live side by side all crammed on top of each other with chaos and noise in a tropical sticky atmosphere. The pollution is horrible and the noise is dreadful but there are many reasons to visit this city.
The attractions of Ho Chi Minh City
First and foremost the best things has to be people watching and the coffee culture. Vietnam has the best coffee in the world and here in Saigon you can find coffee everywhere. It is served in the best coffee shops or for the best atmosphere sit on a tiny child-sized plastic chair on the pavement. Wait for the caramel, thick liquid to drip through your battered tin filter cup and ponder on the little known fact that Vietnam is the biggest exporter of coffee in the world.
The water puppet theatre
This was a real cultural gem. We had already seen shadow puppets in Laos and now we went to the theatre in Ho Chi Minh City. Musicians and singers lined the edge of the stage which is dominated by a shallow tank of water. Like the shadow puppets show in Laos I didn’t really have a clue about what was happening but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole event as the skilled puppeteers manoeuvred their puppets in the water, splashed us in the front row and dragons, dolphins and farmers acted out a story in front of our eyes.
the water puppets
The War Remnants Museum.
This museum was hard to deal with but I believe is a very important part of any visit to Vietnam. It tells the story of the Vietnam/American war with a lot of photographs and a lot of personal accounts.
Apparently the story used to be very weighted in the favour of the Vietnamese (but why not – it is their story to tell) but I understand that it is presented in a slightly more balanced way now.
But no matter because war is horrific no matter what side you are on and atrocities are always committed by both sides and it is important to see the pictures and hear the first hand accounts.
Snake wine
I was walking down to the river one evening with some friends and we came across a tiny little shop jam-packed with very odd things in jars. We got chatting to the owner and it turned out that some of the jars contained snake wine – used to treat a variety of ailments in the Chinese traditional way. Egged on by each other we drank a glass of the wine. Trying not to think about the snakes coiled up and festering in the jars I drank mine, only to discover that we had been given some ancient recipe similar to Viagra.
testing the snake wine
Cu Chi Tunnels
These tunnels are a minivan trip away from Saigon but are well worth the trip. Yes, they are touristic, yes they are busy but they also give you an excellent insight into certain elements of the war and I truly appreciated the hardships that the occupants of the tiny tunnels had to endure. You can marvel at the ingenious ways that the people disguised their tunnels and even more so, how claustrophobic the tunnels must have been.
these tunnels are tiny
Central Post Office
This vast hall is worth a peep inside just for a fantastic photo shot of the rather special ceiling. It often feels that there are more tourists than customers inside but you realise why once you are there with this glimpse back at this building with its origins in the French occupation.
the opulent post office ceiling
The parks
There are green spaces everywhere and people use them. You will see pairs of children playing a game where they kick a large badminton shuttlecock to each other and circles of teenagers playing keepsie-upsie with a rattan ball. There are of course men and women of all ages practising tai chi, we saw a salsa dance club and men playing Chinese chess under the trees. In a city where the pollution levels are so high, the parks are a welcome relief if only visually.
taking time out from the chaos
Walk along the riverbank
We wandered along the riverbank several times. At night the grassy banks were packed with courting couples sitting and cosily sharing picnics on their blankets. During the day Gosia and I got terribly lost when we crossed one of the bridges and turned right instead of left. As usual, we got lost in a down-at-heel, dodgy area where I guess few tourists wander. The people were rough around the edges, living in wooden and tin shacks and growing vegetables in the earth underneath the motorway but we were not robbed or beaten and they couldn’t have been nicer as they laughed at us and pointed us the way out of their area and back to the mainstream city.
Ben Thanh Market
This market is enormous. Under cover, it is a rabbit warren of stalls piled high with everything that you could ever need. At night, the streets that surround it attract more vendors firing up their burners and heating oil to sizzling point in their woks whole flies are attracted to their bright lamps in their millions.
The narrow lanes of District 1
Behind the chaos in District 1 which is one of the most popular areas for tourists, there is a labyrinth of narrow lanes where it seems that time stands still. Immediately after plunging into one of the alleyways the noise from the traffic is muffled. As you walk past tiny little homestays and bars you can’t help but peek inside homes where grandad is sleeps on a mat on the tiled floor and girls huddle over their homework surrounded by boxes from the family businesses.
the lanes of Saigon
Where did I stay?
As usual, we stayed in a backpackers hostel. Gosia and I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City without any accommodation and then had to walk for a couple of hours in the heat with our packs trying to find somewhere that wasn’t full (but was within our budget).
We finally came across the Hang Out hostel which had only been opened for a short while and was just perfect for us. It included a complimentary breakfast and free beers every evening and was a major hub for people gathering to buy and sell their motorbikes (next time I also want to ride the length of Vietnam under my own steam).
I stayed at this hostel each time that I visited Saigon and I would do so again. It was perfectly positioned with the myriad of interesting little lanes behind them and the vegetable market that set up on the pavement outside early every morning.
I want to go in THAT hostel
I hope that this article gives you an idea of some of the things to see and to in Ho Chi Minh City. Sadly I never got further south to the Mekong Delta and I never got up into one of the sky bars but I had a great time.
If you fancy travelling with me in in Malaysia and you want to join in the fun, check out my travel buddy information here. But remember, as this is a 1 to 1 experience it is strictly first come, first served so if you are at all interested, drop me a line and find out more.
And to round off this article I shall leave you with a few more pictures of the chaos that is Saigon.
traffic madness
traffic crazyness
quiet down an alleyway
water puppet actors take a bow
a fighting cock takes no notice of the traffic behind him
selling something tasty
the veg market
street traders outside my hostel
nobody bats an eyelid
snake wine anybody?
by Jane | Sep 6, 2016 | Asia |
Lak Lake in the Central Highlands of Vietnam is a magical place.
In this article the photographs will tell their own story about this wonderful region. Join me as I show you beautiful, tranquil images from this region I spent almost a week recharging my batteries with my friend, the extremely talented photographer Gosia, living in communal longhouses, cycling around dusty lanes and paddy fields and getting to know the local people.
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
It was here at Lak Lake that I finally, eventually came to love Vietnam. Most people live in traditional villages with the majority of the homes being the wooden communal longhouses. The residents are farmers, working hard in the paddy fields, walking their buffalo and cattle to the fields each day and rearing the friendly little black Vietnamese pigs and chickens.
sunset over Lak Lake
Dawn over Lak Lake
If you want the opportunity to travel with me and experience sights like this for yourself I can now offer you the chance. Read more about it on my Travel with Me page here
hard at work preparing the rice fields for planting
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
The lady above had childlike qualities. She would wander around the village muttering quietly to herself and moving with perfect grace and poise. Gosia gave her some biscuits. The lady sat down and seemed confused by this action which is when Gosia took this image of her.
taking the cows home through the town
taking the farm workers home
fishing on the shallow lake
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
I love the grumpy face on this market trader. She agreed to her photograph being taken but refused to smile for it.
we cycled several hours in searing heat to get to this reservoir
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
We stopped at a roadside cart selling sugar cane juice. These three little girls were playing outside their home and pretending to be shy. Their father (the juice seller) was encouraging them to come over and chat to us. This photograph was totally unposed
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
motorcyclists stopping for directions
transporting troops I think
another stunning sunset across the paddy fields
more transport options. Sadly the elephant rides were quite popular with the day trippers
31 people in a 15 seater minivan. For 5 HOURS!!! No air conditioning and copious vomiting by the Vietnamese
ladies herding their buffalo breaking for lunch in the shade
taking the kids to school
children playing in their family boat
a friendly goat
the wedding marquee set up in the main street
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
Drinking rice whiskey, rice wine and rice vodka at the wedding.
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
We stayed in three different communal longhouses. This was the first one
Paddy fields
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
traditional communal longhouses
Every village had its own customs, house designs and traditions. In some of them, the number of windows would signify the number of females in the home. Each time a girl was born a new window would be cut out of the side of the house.
Woller choosing his breakfast
wide load #noroadrules
nothing is impossible
I helped this lady load her motorbike as she couldn’t balance the boxes and tie them all down by herself. I watched her ride away with my heart in my mouth – hoping that I had strapped things down properly with her
problem? what problem?
our favourite breakfast stop in the market
This lady would bring all the other stall holders over to watch us eating at her place. She was so proud. And hardworking. In the evenings she ran a food stall out on the street with her children helping her.
hammocks outside a roadside drink stall. So sensible
cute little piggies
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
Another proud father on his motorbike who asked Gosia to take a picture of his daughter
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
roadside food stall
People hate the sun and wrap up tightly against it despite the heat. To be brown signifies to be a poor farmer. Pale is more beautiful
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
Would you eat your breakfast here? This would be a perfect food challenge if you are doing the Smash the Pumpkin Project. Read about that project here and find out how challenging yourself with little things like where you eat your lunch can boost your self-confidence and self- esteem
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
We gatecrashed a Russian tour group’s cultural evening.
rural life
view across Lak Lake
coffee blossom
The coffee shrubs were in full blossom when we were there. The scent was amazing – similar to jasmine.
drying rice in the road
cooking up the pigs lunch
stopping for a break
meeting the kids
We had stopped for a beer at a tiny hut by the road. I gave some old teeshirts to the mum. They were worn and slightly damaged but she dragged me over to see her sewing machine and then dragged the kids over to pose with me. She would alter them for the children
children by Lak Lake
kids are the same the world over
One evening there was a tap at our door and these two little boys came in. They poked around our bags and belongings and then spotted the computer. They only left when the battery ran flat
elephant rides at Lak Lake. Be a good traveller. Don’t ride elephants
another sunset over Lak Lake
staying at the hostel on Lak Lake
rural scene unchanged for years
funeral flowers at the cemetery
panoramic view at one of the reservoirs on our bike ride
Peace and quiet
cycling along almost deserted dusty lanes
green fields and lotus flowers in the lake
ordinary people living their ordinary lives
Photo: Gosia Czerwinska
You can read more about Lak Lake on my blog post at this link: Dalat Lake or Lak Lake. What’s the difference?
Thank you to Gosia Czerwinska for some amazing photographs and some wonderful memories.
by Jane | Aug 17, 2016 | Asia |
Lakes in the Central Highlands of Vietnam
Vietnam has lakes. Lots of them! Two of the most beautiful lakes – Dalat Lake and Lak Lake are in the Central Highlands – yet they couldn’t be more different from each other.
Dalat Lake
Dalat is a mountain town famous with honeymooners and romantics. At Dalat Lake manicured grass lawns sweep down to the water where boats shaped like swans float around and couples pose for selfies or drape themselves over each other dressed in beautiful wedding outfits.
Dalat Lake
On the hillsides above Dalat Lake you can catch glimpses of luxury villas which hail from another era. They are painted in subdued pastels and sit safely behind walls and gates. Dalat is sophistication rising above the chaos of a busy Vietnamese town.
The traffic spoils the peaceful looking views as it circles the main road around the lake. Lorries heave themselves out of the town coughing grim grey smoke into the air and motorbikes are a constant buzzing nuisance until you get used to them and then you hardly pay them any attention any more.
I had arrived at Dalat Lake on the night bus from Hoi An, breaking for a couple of hours at five in the morning at Nga Trang and switching to a mini van for the journey up into the mountains.
Not long out of Hoi An our bus hit something. It swerved and rocked violently and I was almost shaken from my precarious perch – top bunk in the centre. The driver slowed right down but never stopped and I do still wonder what we hit.
night bus experience
There is a problem in many countries in S E Asia with hit and runs. I am never too sure if it is an urban myth although there is stuff on the internet to support it. The rule tends to be that if you injure a person you are responsible for their medical fees and for the support of their family which can obviously run into thousands and thousands of pounds whereas if you kill somebody you get a one off fine of maybe five thousand pounds! Many stories circulate of drivers reversing over bodies to make sure of the fine rather than a lifetime of debt.
At night time the central square below the main market and close to Dalat Lake comes alive with street vendors selling food of all descriptions. The bars and clubs thump out their beat and spill backpackers and locals alike out onto the pavements and everybody promenades around the town just waiting to be seen
There are rooms here to be had for the taking, from hostels to luxury pads. Many places are advertised as homestays although in reality they are family run hostels.
Dalat Lake in the sunshine
Vietnam is a country with a coffee culture and everywhere vendors serve the best coffee in the world from tiny little shops or street stalls. People perch on their little plastic chairs while the caramel, smokey flavoured nectar drips tantalisingly slowly through the filter and into their cup.
There are many things to see and to do at Dalat Lake. There is of course the lake itself, there is the Crazy Hotel which a labyrinth of weird. Here tourists pay to wander around the grounds, tunnels and passages have been constructed throughout the building and across the roof stairways designed by goblins curl up to tiny little snooks in something that reminded me of Gaudi on acid. Outside the town there are a riot of waterfalls and beauty spots waiting to be explored. You can easily pick up a guide from one of the touts or tour operators in town and go off on an organised tour or hire a scooter and ride out yourself.
Crazy Hotel
Lak Lake
In total contrast to Dalat Lake, this vast expanse of water at Lak – the largest natural body in Vietnam – is edged by paddy fields, reeds and forest. The villages that surround Lak Lake are populated by some of the ethnic tribes who still live, for the most part in their traditional communities.
Long wooden communal houses on stilts turned silver in the strong sunshine blend with the trees. Buffalo and pot bellied pigs live underneath the homes, wandering along the dusty mud street looking for scraps while chickens squawk and chase each other, avoiding the elephants which wander along.
elephant crossing Lak Lake
Yes, you did read that correctly. Elephants are owned and worked here – sadly now for tourists to ride, but they have owners who commute on them and who ride them to their homes, tying them under a shady tree while they go and have their lunch.
Here the noise, depending on the season, is of the primitive looking tractors which plough up and down in the gloopy muddy water as the villagers prepare to plant the rice, the wind makes the ears of rice hum and the lake water shiver, the occasional ‘plosh’ as the fisherman quietly throw their nets from their wooden canoes and the grunting of contented, happy animals settling down under the wooden homes to sleep.
peace and tranquillity at Lak Lake
There is a tiny restaurant for when you want your coffee fix, or you could go to the local shop where the owner will drag her little table over to the edge of her patch and you can take your coffee with Lak Lake as a backdrop.
There is a lodge here which offers rooms – private and in a shared dormitory, a small guesthouse and there are homestays. These homestays are in the communal longhouses on their wooden stilts. You may end up in a large room with simple mattresses on the floor and mosquito nets all by yourself or you may be sharing with 10 other people and with the family sleeping behind a curtain at the other end of the room.
traditional communal homes at Lak Lake
There are a few bicycles for hire so take yourself off into the surrounding countryside. You won’t be bored as you cycle through the different villages each with subtle differences in housing and the people, through the rice fields where the workers always jump up and wave a cheery hello, along the forest paths or across the river on one of S E Asia’s floating planks ferries.
Evening entertainment for us was being invited to see a traditional dance and music presentation, sitting on a log by Lak Lake and watching the stars, wandering into the local town for unidentifiable but excellent street food and, on one very blurry night, being dragged into a local wedding party.
Every day a new tent would be erected outside a groom’s family home (or the bride’s, depending on whether the village people were a matriarchal or a patriarchal group). The basic marquee with brightly coloured curtains of fabric would then host a few days of serious drinking and partying and karaoke turned up at full volume which would blast across the lake.
Gosia and I were stood listening to a live band which was playing in one marquee and we were commenting on the numerous plastic water bottles which were on the tables when the drummer broke off his playing and came outside to drag us in.
the bride and groom
Sitting us in the thick of the celebrations we then became the attraction with the bride and groom and their family lining up to have photos taken with them, they brought us plates of food and people kept insisting that we drink the water.
Eventually, frustrated by our reluctance to just drink water at a wedding party, one guy on our table grabbed some shot glasses and handed them to us. Oh well, water shots was a new one on me but not wanting to offend I downed it in one.
Water? Seriously, this was rice whiskey at its roughest. Choking back tears as the liquid burnt my throat the ladies then brought over the gourd from which you drink from a shared straw. Rice wine, rice whiskey and lao cao, I’m not sure which was which by the time we staggered home but I woke up the next day with a hangover from hell.
Returning to the home with a tin of biscuits as a thank you present, there was no sign that there had been a party; just a family of the hairy black Vietnamese pigs snuffling about where the marquee had stood.
Which lake is the best?
I am going to sit on the fence here and advise you to visit both Dalat Lake and Lak Lake. They offer totally different experiences and the bus ride from Dalat to Lak is worth it just by itself.
Do stay in one of the communal longhouses in Lak and do go and get your breakfast at the local market. You really should cycle around the countryside and dodge the herds of cows which wander up the main street on their way to and from their grazing and you should certainly sample a Vietnamese pizza from one of the ladies cooking on the steps at the night market in Dalat.
bringing the cows (and the elephants) home
The minibus ride to beat all minbus rides
It seemed every minivan ride that we had taken in Laos and then Vietnam was squashed and oversubscribed so when we got into our fifteen-seater for the five hour ride back to Dalat and there were spaces to spare Gosia and I were overjoyed.
Just twenty minutes into our journey we stopped at a local ethnic community where three teenage girls were waiting with, we thought half of of the village gathered to wave them off
The three girls got on – and then the rest of the village until it was physically impossible to push anybody else in through the door. They were sitting in the foot-well, lying in the aisle and standing behind each row of seats holding on tight, occasionally collapsing onto the knees of the people behind them.
And then we continued, swerving around switchbacks for four and a half hours, my camera was passed around for hundreds of selfies and the plastic bags came out as just about everybody started to vomit.
There were THIRTY ONE people in a minivan for fifteen but not one person complained moaned or was miserable despite the vomiting and the cramped conditions. It is a lesson to us all – be grateful for what you have. The alternative was no ride to the town.
There is a transport challenge in the Smash the Pumpkin Project. I certainly think that this minivan ride would fit the criteria for that challenge.
Check out this page and discover how you can build your self confidence with a series of motivational challenges. I have also decided to plan my travels a little more so that I can give some of you the opportunity to travel with me (click here for more information).
I would love for you to join me later this year in Spain or early next year in Malaysia, but in the meantime, you can continue to get your travel fix by signing up for regular updates to my blog in the box on my website www.scarletjonestravels.com
I look forward to connecting with you. Thank you for taking the time to read my article.
Dalat Lake
by Jane | Jul 12, 2016 | Asia |
Let me tell you about the Central Highlands and how the Hoi An Easyriders Tour around this region finally made me love Vietnam.
Vietnam is a country of motorbikes.
A population of nearly 90 million people ride 38 million motorbikes and everywhere you can find tours on street corners offering you guided or solo rides.
Vietnam is a bike lovers dream
I was missing my own motorbike and the feeling of freedom that you get on two wheels so I approached the Hoi An Easyriders Tour for some information.
That was where I went wrong, because after chatting to Mr Nam Nguyen I was hooked and I simply had to sign up.
Despite missing my own bike I opted to ride pillion – that way I would be free to snap off photos on the move and I could totally concentrate on the scenery – as well as having a running commentary about the places that we passed.
Central Highlands & Hoi An Easyriders Tour
I am pleased to report that I wasn’t disappointed with the tour either. And thanks to that journey and Nam’s insight into the country, Vietnam was finally beginning to grown on me.
The Hoi An Easyriders Tour
At 8.30 in the morning I was met at my hostel by Nam on his maroon and black Honda Chapter (custom) 250 motorbike. His possessions were already stowed in the panniers and after my bag was sealed in heavy duty plastic and lashed down on the back rack I hopped on behind him and we set off.
Paddy fields
We passed rice fields being ploughed by buffalo and the village women squatting over cooking fires outside their wooden homes. Fields of morning glory (a type of spinach) and of course rice were everywhere as the town gave way to the countryside. The enterprising villagers had even dug up the grass verges in front of their houses along the roadside to plant vegetables and peanuts.
Cranes lazily took flight, launching themselves heavily from the land with long legs trailing and groups of school children shouted and waved as we passed.
a communal round house
A tiny cotton ‘mill’ in the country side which was like something out of a Dickensian film had one dainty lady running around in the cotton dust, changing bobbins and tying off broken threads. I half expected to see grimy little children crawling around on the floor collecting the lint. After our brief look around here we then rode on to our first proper stop of our day.
My Son
This was My Son which is one of the most important archaeological sites in Vietnam and it didn’t disappoint either. More than 70 Hindu temples and tombs are dotted around this large site.
They were constructed for the kings of Champa between the 4th and the `14th century. They were already falling into disrepair but during just one week of the American/Vietnamese war the majority were carpet bombed. Now giant blocks lie all over the place like scattered jigsaw pieces among the overgrown bomb craters.
I bumped into a guy from Argentina who was on his own motorbike tour and together we wandered around the site and eavesdropped on a tour guide from a large group of tourists. There is still an awful lot of mystery surrounding the whys and wherefores of this site, but with the saplings and brambles creeping right up to each dilapidated building there was a sense of nature trying to reclaim its own.
My Son
After visiting My Son Nam and I continued along dusty lanes to the wide, slow flowing river and the ferry. This was not much more than a punt with an engine that precariously putt-putted across the river – although it had an ingenious loading system. The motorbikes are driven on sideways as the ferry slowly moves along the river bank alongside the wobbly wooden jetty and then this procedure is reversed when you reach the other side which the boat going backwards. The riders have to be quick not to miss the jetty when it is their turn to ride off.
The ferry approaches
We stopped for lunch in a roadside restaurant which was run by people from one of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam. The restaurant was extremely primitive. The ladies cooked in blackened pots over charcoal and wood-burning open fires and they prepared the food on the floor. The toilet was nothing but a hole in a shed where chickens crowded around below waiting for lunch, but despite the basic surroundings the food was delicious.
yep! This is the loo
We were riding west from Hoi An and going deep into the Central Highlands where there was little traffic and even less tourists. This was the Vietnam that I wanted to see. I had wanted to jump off the organised backpackers’ route and find out what the Vietnamese people were really like and this adventure with the Hoi An Easyriders Tour was ticking all the boxes.
the scenery supplied the wow factor
We travelled deep in the mountains close to the border with Laos, criss-crossing the iconic Ho Chi Minh Trail where Nam stopped often to explain the history of many of the places that we passed through; such as Rockpile which was an observation post for the Americans during the war.
It was hard to believe as we rested high above a river-filled valley that the site had been a major battle site during the war because it is all so tranquil now, although the signs were there once you knew where to look.
Tangled trees and weeds struggled for space in the old bomb craters and entire swathes of mountainsides had a sad, dead look. I asked Nam why Vietnam was deforesting the countryside but he explained to me that I wasn’t looking at deforestation but the on-going after effects of the war with America
Nam sits and explains Vietnam’s history to me
Agent Orange and napalm.
In order to prevent goods and arms being transported along the Ho Chi Minh Trail the US sprayed Agent Orange from helicopters and they bombed the region with napalm. Agent Orange is a defoliant herbicide which causes leaves and trees to die back quickly and napalm is a chemical mix which makes things burn longer and hotter. The Americans wanted the tree cover in the jungles to be gone and quickly so that they could target the Vietnamese troops moving and living beneath, no matter that innocent people were suffering from horrific burns and are still now getting cancers and birth defects.
The mountains in the Central Highlands just go on and on, marching right across the landscape to the horizon which just brings home to you the scale of the devastation. People have claimed the land back and they plant small trees to feed the paper mills, pineapple plants line along the hillsides and farmers scratch out a living on their terraces; however the worry is that the dangerous chemicals are still in the land and are still causing many problems.
Scratching a living selling pineapples
Weasel balls
After a day on the road Nam stopped at a little workshop to get the tension on the bike chain checked and then we checked into our first hotel in the small mountain town of Kham Duc.
For somebody who usually stays in hostels this was quite luxurious and my room actually had a bathtub. We ate dinner in the hotel and we met with other people who were touring the region on motorbikes.
the bikes come inside at night. Even into the foyer of a 3* hotel
After dinner there was much excitement among the guides as it turned out that earlier that day one of the hotel staff had caught a weasel and a porcupine which were both trussed up on the bottom of a trolley in the kitchen, waiting for their fate.
Weasel balls allegedly give you strength and power and the guides were deciding how much they would pay for this delicacy. After we had trooped through to the kitchen to see the poor animals (no health and safety rules here), Noel and Fergie from Ireland, Alex from Germany, me and our guides all sat around a large table drinking beer and we swapped stories from our day.
Out on the open road in the Central Highlands.
The next day we woke to a damp drizzle and the mountaintops were hidden by low grey clouds but at least it was warm. Nam checked the bike over and then he burnt his customary incense stick (which he stuck in the headlight casing) for protection on the road, we dressed in waterproof trousers and capes and we set off on our second full day of adventure.
stopping for a break
As a bike rider (I own a Suzuki Bandit 650) I have to admit to being a little apprehensive about riding as pillion. I am usually the one in control but I have to say that Nam was brilliant.
From the off, I felt totally safe and confident behind him. He handled the bike, even on the poor road surfaces far more confidently than I ever could on horrible loose gravel and although we rode fast (WHOOP WHOOP!) he rode defensively (bikers will understand this terminology).
We soared up along twisting mountain roads, we swooped down into deep valleys and we clattered across very dubious narrow wooden suspension bridges with missing slats. We growled past isolated cemeteries and memorials to the war dead and we stopped to buy fruit from villagers on the side of the road.
war memorial
I had a permanent grin on my face for the entire duration of the trip.
Nam slowed and pulled over to allow an ambulance to pass us with its emergency lights flashing and then a hand came out of the window and numerous small bits of paper rained down on us like confetti. Nam explained that somebody had died and was in the ambulance and the papers were printed with blessings for luck and safety for our own journey.
We stopped for some fruit and Nam bought four large iguanas. He loosened the elastic bands which were cutting into their legs and he handed me the carrier bag to hold on my lap, until he could get to a town and find a box which he would later strap to the petrol tank. He said that they would be pets but I suspect that they would be dinner for somebody!
dinner?
We were detained at a police road block where Nam had to pay some money in order for our journey to continue and we stopped to look around a communal round house where meetings are held and the villagers spend their evenings.
We also stopped at one of the tiny villages to which Nam’s company donates money, food and time via the Co Tu Childrens’ Foundation. We witnessed the arrival of the man from the electricity company who handed out his bills to the kids that gathered around him and a lady graciously allowed me to peep inside her sparsely furnished home.
getting the electricity bills
At a small roadside cafe we were joined by a young couple who were CYCLING the length of Vietnam. They puffed up the hill and we chatted for a while and as we were talking about the rarity of long distance cyclists, blow me, a lone man also struggled up the hill from the opposite direction. He was cycling Vietnam too, but the other way around. We left the cyclists swapping notes about the routes that each other had covered and we continued to our hotel in the town of Prao.
swapping travel notes in the middle of the mountains
There was no bath in this one but we were again joined by other people on their own tours and as darkness fell, all the motor bikes were wheeled inside to the reception hall/dining area/bar.
Meeting a tribal chief
Our third and final day was a quieter affair.
I simply wanted to absorb the beauty of the scenery and to enjoy the open road. Nam’s iguanas were now travelling in a box tied to his petrol tank and the sun had come out.
The mountains stretch for ever
We stopped for coffee (did I ever tell you that the Vietnamese coffee is truly the tastiest coffee in the world?) and I got very excited because it turned out that we were in a village of one of the ethnic tribes that I had read about who store their coffins underneath their houses.
a collection of coffins
Two gentlemen were sat chatting over coffee and fondling a small python (the enormous mummy python was safely in her cage) and I walked over to talk to the men with the help of Nam who translated. The older man who was in his pyjamas and had an impressive long grey beard radiated calmness.
His name was Y Cong and was one of the leaders of the Co Tu tribe. He was sad that he was recovering from an illness and that he had been unable to greet me dressed in his normal clothes – those of a tribal leader – but he showed me photographs and he played a strange one-stringed violin for us.
an impromptu music session with a tribal chief in his pyjamas
When a man from the Co Tu people marries and sets up a home, one of his duties it to prepare for the death of himself and his family. He will carve out coffins for himself his wife and any subsequent children and these are then stored underneath the home.
I saw these coffins stored on their racks. It was interesting because you could also tell how big the family was from the number of coffins.
Y Cong kept his own coffin inside the entrance of his home and whereas his people had simple rustic coffins, his had beautiful carvings and the wood was far grander.
And then after our final meal inside the home of another tribal member we were on the homeward leg of our journey. We looped and switch-backed down from the mountains and back down to the coast and the town of Hoi An.
Y Cong
We had time to stop for a quick coffee and I thanked Nam again for a wonderful experience, before he hopped on his bike and roared off into the distance.
Finally I understand Vietnam
It wasn’t just the motorbike ride that I loved. it was the chance to see a region of Vietnam that few tourists visit and the chance to learn so much about the history and culture of such a diverse country.
I had begun to understand what made the Vietnamese people so different from the people in Laos.
When I first crossed over the border after a month in the quiet of Laos I struggled. The differences between the countries, their cultures and the people seemed huge and I wasn’t too sure if I liked the mad, brash Vietnam but here in the Central Highlands I remembered that people are all different and there are reasons why a society and a culture develops as it does.
adorable
As with anything in this world – and this is something that is so very relevant and topical in these troubled times – with education and taking the time to learn what makes something different we can understand and respect differences – and then we can embrace and enjoy them.
So if you are going to Vietnam, I certainly do recommend you contact Nam and visit the Central Highlands. You can find out more about him and his tours here – Hoi An Easyriders Tour. And if you doing what hundreds of backpackers do each year and riding your own motorbike through Vietnam, be sure to take in some of the route along the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Central Highlands.
Mr Nguyễn Quang Năm: Ho An Easyriders Tour, 132 Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Phường Hòa Hải, Quận Ngủ Hành Sơn, Thành Phố Đà Nẵng / Việt Nam Mobiphone : + 84 903 538 421
The one thing that I couldn’t get my head around in Vietnam was the copyright laws. It seems that anybody can open any business with any name and claim to be somebody else with no consequences. One problem for genuine traders is that once they are successful, people jump onto their bandwagon and claim to be them, so be very careful when you book or buy anything in S E Asia.
The one and only Mr Nam
You will be told point blank to your face that somebody is somebody else, so if you want a specific person or tour operator, check and check again that you are not being sold something inferior. Caveat emptor!
Transport and the Smash the Pumpkin Project
There is a transport challenge in the Smash the Pumpkin Project. The Smash the Pumpkin Project is an online course which can help you to develop your self confidence via a series of challenges which are loosely based around the medium of travel.
Click here for more information or email me at info@scarletjonestravels.com
Smash the Pumpkin
one of THOSE bridges!
If you want to travel with me next year – then drop me a message. I am currently considering returning to Malaysia, exploring Myanmar and maybe getting over to see what Bali is all about.
