Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
When in Lao...
Our journey in Laos came to an abrupt halt in Vang Vieng due to the inexistent standards of eating, living, breathing, showering and any other normal daily activity. We were very excited to spend St Paddy’s Day tubing down the river, however weather conditions and stomach conditions left both parties in dire straights. After watching every Friends episode in the “TV Bars”, it was still monsooning and was a blistering 52 degrees, so we decided to catch the first possible bus out of town. We went to the local bus station, and made a game time decision to head to Chiang Mai instead of Bangkok not knowing what was to come on our adventure. 2 busses, 2 borders to cross, 1 minivan and a dinner stop for a complimentary bowl of fried rice later, we were on our way to Thailand.
As bad as Laos may seem we did have an amazing first stop in Luang Prabang where we checked out some of the stunning views and countryside. We anxiously awaited the arrival of Dunn and Gilson, and tried to get a lay of the land before they got there so we could show them around the small French style town. After a nice 16 hour bus ride they finally arrived in the morning! It was great to see 2 familiar faces. We hit the town early and decided it would be fun to rent motorbikes and drive 35 km to Kuang Si Waterfalls, which is one of the main attractions outside of Luang Prabang. After a great ride there and amazing time at the waterfall it was time to go home, not knowing how much of a pain this would be… Before we could leave the parking lot riding mates Dunn and Birmy realized they had a flat tire and it needed to be fixed immediately so after driving through the local village, and realizing that the flat tire had to be a scam, we found someone who could fix the tire. 45 minutes later, a beer each, and a shot of handmade rice whiskey (rubbing alcohol) we were back on the road for a whole 5 kilometers before the tire popped again. We were now in the middle of nowhere, with nothing insight but mountains and elephants, so we flagged down a tuk tuk threw the bike in the back and headed back to the main area of town. After we made it back we decided to shower up, and since we had such a great experience at Lao Lao Garden, we wanted to take Dunn and Gilson back before our much anticipated trip to Utopia.
After keeping things under control at Utopia and considering there is a 12 o’clock curfew in Luang Prabang we got a good night sleep in preparation of what was to come for the next 2 days in Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng is made out to be one of the biggest party towns in Southeast Asia, and makes Panama City look like Dubai, and Cancun look like the British Virgin Islands. Vang Vieng is a great town, but it was one of the dirtiest and unsanitary places we had all ever been. There are no health standards, laws, government regulations, or anything to make you feel comfortable. The weather did not help our cause seeing that there was a high of 56, and constant rain it was hard to have as much fun as everyone makes the town out to be. We spent the first night getting some questionable food at one of the local restaurants, and having our first experience with Vang Vieng “buckets” which did not turn out well for anyone. This was the first place in the world where shots are free and a refillable bucket costs 10,000 kip- 1 US Dollar. All buckets include local Tiger Whiskey which makes Ten High look like Crown Royal, and whatever mixers you want to put in your bucket. A standard bucket is at least 10 shots of whiskey, Red Bull, Sprite, Coke, and some fresh squeezed lime and at any time you can go back to the bar and they will actually give you the bottle, and let you tip it up for as long as you want. The buckets hit quick and hit hard and once again made for a very interesting night for the group and terrible morning for all. We had met some guys on the van ride over to Vang Vieng, who we spent the night and next couple of days with…needless to say they didn’t steer us wrong saying that the buckets were an experience. The rain had not stopped, and we all felt worse than if we were in Blacksburg and had each drank 3 Rails. But, we rallied and decided to head to the river- the real reason any backpacker would go to Vang Vieng. Once we made it to the start of the tubing course we realized how crazy this place was, since there were bars, rope swings, ski jumps, waterslides, buckets, fires, music loud enough to hear in Thailand, and crazy people all over the place on drugs we had never heard of. Some of the local Vang Vieng natives approached us to make us feel at home, when meanwhile all they did was scare the living shit out of us. Rain or shine these people are out at the river, drinking buckets of whiskey as if it was holy water. Some guy who looked and talked as if he was permanently electrocuted, informed us that he personally sells 8 kg of mushrooms a day and asked if we were interested; we passed, and moved on to the next bar for some more free whiskey shots. Dunn did the famous rope swing, and we danced with “Mama Lao”- hours passed and it took 4 bars before we decided no one felt good and Vang Vieng was really starting to take its toll on the 4 of us. After we made it back to town and spent a few more hours at the Friends Bar everyone started feeling sick and decided to take it easy that evening in preparation for celebrating St Pattys Day at the river. For the second straight day the weather in Vang Vieng did not want to cooperate…and our stomachs were a lost cause. Food, alcohol, Vang Vieng poisoning- whatever it was, rocked us.
11 AM St Patrick’s Day Vang Vieng, Laos- We hit rock bottom in tinker toy land and boarded on the first available bus out of town. Little did we know what was to come on our 16 hour adventure to Chaing Mai.
As bad as Laos may seem we did have an amazing first stop in Luang Prabang where we checked out some of the stunning views and countryside. We anxiously awaited the arrival of Dunn and Gilson, and tried to get a lay of the land before they got there so we could show them around the small French style town. After a nice 16 hour bus ride they finally arrived in the morning! It was great to see 2 familiar faces. We hit the town early and decided it would be fun to rent motorbikes and drive 35 km to Kuang Si Waterfalls, which is one of the main attractions outside of Luang Prabang. After a great ride there and amazing time at the waterfall it was time to go home, not knowing how much of a pain this would be… Before we could leave the parking lot riding mates Dunn and Birmy realized they had a flat tire and it needed to be fixed immediately so after driving through the local village, and realizing that the flat tire had to be a scam, we found someone who could fix the tire. 45 minutes later, a beer each, and a shot of handmade rice whiskey (rubbing alcohol) we were back on the road for a whole 5 kilometers before the tire popped again. We were now in the middle of nowhere, with nothing insight but mountains and elephants, so we flagged down a tuk tuk threw the bike in the back and headed back to the main area of town. After we made it back we decided to shower up, and since we had such a great experience at Lao Lao Garden, we wanted to take Dunn and Gilson back before our much anticipated trip to Utopia.
After keeping things under control at Utopia and considering there is a 12 o’clock curfew in Luang Prabang we got a good night sleep in preparation of what was to come for the next 2 days in Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng is made out to be one of the biggest party towns in Southeast Asia, and makes Panama City look like Dubai, and Cancun look like the British Virgin Islands. Vang Vieng is a great town, but it was one of the dirtiest and unsanitary places we had all ever been. There are no health standards, laws, government regulations, or anything to make you feel comfortable. The weather did not help our cause seeing that there was a high of 56, and constant rain it was hard to have as much fun as everyone makes the town out to be. We spent the first night getting some questionable food at one of the local restaurants, and having our first experience with Vang Vieng “buckets” which did not turn out well for anyone. This was the first place in the world where shots are free and a refillable bucket costs 10,000 kip- 1 US Dollar. All buckets include local Tiger Whiskey which makes Ten High look like Crown Royal, and whatever mixers you want to put in your bucket. A standard bucket is at least 10 shots of whiskey, Red Bull, Sprite, Coke, and some fresh squeezed lime and at any time you can go back to the bar and they will actually give you the bottle, and let you tip it up for as long as you want. The buckets hit quick and hit hard and once again made for a very interesting night for the group and terrible morning for all. We had met some guys on the van ride over to Vang Vieng, who we spent the night and next couple of days with…needless to say they didn’t steer us wrong saying that the buckets were an experience. The rain had not stopped, and we all felt worse than if we were in Blacksburg and had each drank 3 Rails. But, we rallied and decided to head to the river- the real reason any backpacker would go to Vang Vieng. Once we made it to the start of the tubing course we realized how crazy this place was, since there were bars, rope swings, ski jumps, waterslides, buckets, fires, music loud enough to hear in Thailand, and crazy people all over the place on drugs we had never heard of. Some of the local Vang Vieng natives approached us to make us feel at home, when meanwhile all they did was scare the living shit out of us. Rain or shine these people are out at the river, drinking buckets of whiskey as if it was holy water. Some guy who looked and talked as if he was permanently electrocuted, informed us that he personally sells 8 kg of mushrooms a day and asked if we were interested; we passed, and moved on to the next bar for some more free whiskey shots. Dunn did the famous rope swing, and we danced with “Mama Lao”- hours passed and it took 4 bars before we decided no one felt good and Vang Vieng was really starting to take its toll on the 4 of us. After we made it back to town and spent a few more hours at the Friends Bar everyone started feeling sick and decided to take it easy that evening in preparation for celebrating St Pattys Day at the river. For the second straight day the weather in Vang Vieng did not want to cooperate…and our stomachs were a lost cause. Food, alcohol, Vang Vieng poisoning- whatever it was, rocked us.
11 AM St Patrick’s Day Vang Vieng, Laos- We hit rock bottom in tinker toy land and boarded on the first available bus out of town. Little did we know what was to come on our 16 hour adventure to Chaing Mai.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Brief recap of Vietnam! More to come!
Vietnam. Vietnam. Vietnam.
3 times for 3 incredible weeks. From the second we arrived to Ho Chi Minh City to the second we left Ho Chi Minh Chi 3 short weeks later we had no idea about all that was to come in between. First and foremost, our guide Hilly was incredible, and was a person that we wish everyone could meet. Not only was he incredibly thorough, loyal, pssionate with Vietnam and world history, but he was interested in creating life long friendships, and making the experience very special for his group. He was a selfless man who really helped us truly understand the Vietnamese culture. They are peaceful, forward looking people, who are incredibly resourceful and hard working. It was an absolute pleasure to see the immense diversity of the 10th largest country in the world with over 80 million people. It’s an absolute must to travel Vietnam by Bike, and above all to visit Vietnam in general. We have found the experience of visiting our first 3rd world country incredible and memorable, not only because of the lush landscape, but because of the character of the people. We visited two of the world’s largest cities (Hanoi and Saigon), temples, hill tribes, plantations and fishing villages. This country is an unbelievable exporter of produce, grains, and nuts- only made possible by generations of farmers. Vietnamese take immense pride in there own country, and praise tourists. They are fully aware that their economy is thriving due to two major factors: tourism, and the recent opening of Vietnamese boarders to foreign investments. Even though Vietnamese are Communist, it has a very western-capitalist feel that is recognized by their work ethic and generational heritage. In Vietnam, regardless of your strengths, your profession is that of your parents, whether it be a farmer, fisherman, government official, or vendor. People recognize their capabilities in acquiring more from hard work- and that they do, all to pass it along to further generations.
Most backpackers, or travelers don’t have the opportunity to travel through the western region of the central highlands…because you can’t. For one-it was recently this year made open to tourists and two, because it is virtually impossible to reach this region…unless your on two wheels. Unanimously, this was a special experience for everyone in the group…however unanimously they were the most agonizing, most rewarding “rides” of the trip. We were riding through; well call them roads…for a couple days. We will highlight one day for you here for an example:
Day (x): Get up at 5 am (6). Force feed yourself endless amounts of eggs, dragon fruit, and bananas for fear of passing out in the 110 degree Sahara desert heat. 7:30 sharp (8:00) leave for a day of cycling, where Hilly would say there are “small hills” in the start, them some flat roads for 50 km until you deserved lunch. 8:15 feel very sore when you remounted your bike. 8:30 start crying because you reached your first hill. 8:35 curse yourself for ever starting this trip. 8:35-10 cycle through the most amazing sites while having the time of your life (sometimes). 10 ish- daily coffee stop along the road. Vietnamese coffee…has the strength of 5 red bulls combined with 6 starbucks coffees all in 6 sips, with a tablespoon of condensed milk. After our first couple coffee stops our group’s tolerance to caffeine was sky high, so after our coffee, we proceeded to do a team 250 ml red bull chug before we left for our bikes. In Vietnam you can get a red bull and a coffee for 20,000 dong, (1 USD). Dangerous for caffeine addicts. After our maaajjor caffeine buzz kicked in it was time to cruise for our pre lunch challenge. Normally after 2 hours of cycling hard we would reach lunch, and complete our morning cycle of 50 km. Around 1 we would always stop for lunch, which consisted of 8 courses of vegetables and fish, if we were lucky we would sometimes get a suspicious taste of various local mystery meat, with our own personal pound of rice. After a few days of “tuna in tomato sauce” the group grew somewhat sick of seafood, so everyone started force feeding themselves with rice for fear of what the afternoon cycle had in store for us…which was normally another 40-50 km up hill. Depending on the day 2-5 pm was spent at times going down a mountain for 3 hours, climbing Everest via bike, sweating, crying, crawling, and realizing that this bike trip was initially why we were doing this trip in the first place, and will continuously serve as a inspiration to continue cycling from here on out. Every second of this bike ride was filled with different scenery, sites, and smiles. Around 6 or 7 everyday we were always found as a group reflecting on the ride, over the famous Vietnamese BA BA BA bia, or a coffee. We would then transfer to our hotel, spend another meal together, and head out for a massage, drink, or back to our rooms for some sleep, all to have another amazing day to follow in the morning!
More details to come when we are not distracted by the blaring Shakira in the background of this bar! CHEERS!!
3 times for 3 incredible weeks. From the second we arrived to Ho Chi Minh City to the second we left Ho Chi Minh Chi 3 short weeks later we had no idea about all that was to come in between. First and foremost, our guide Hilly was incredible, and was a person that we wish everyone could meet. Not only was he incredibly thorough, loyal, pssionate with Vietnam and world history, but he was interested in creating life long friendships, and making the experience very special for his group. He was a selfless man who really helped us truly understand the Vietnamese culture. They are peaceful, forward looking people, who are incredibly resourceful and hard working. It was an absolute pleasure to see the immense diversity of the 10th largest country in the world with over 80 million people. It’s an absolute must to travel Vietnam by Bike, and above all to visit Vietnam in general. We have found the experience of visiting our first 3rd world country incredible and memorable, not only because of the lush landscape, but because of the character of the people. We visited two of the world’s largest cities (Hanoi and Saigon), temples, hill tribes, plantations and fishing villages. This country is an unbelievable exporter of produce, grains, and nuts- only made possible by generations of farmers. Vietnamese take immense pride in there own country, and praise tourists. They are fully aware that their economy is thriving due to two major factors: tourism, and the recent opening of Vietnamese boarders to foreign investments. Even though Vietnamese are Communist, it has a very western-capitalist feel that is recognized by their work ethic and generational heritage. In Vietnam, regardless of your strengths, your profession is that of your parents, whether it be a farmer, fisherman, government official, or vendor. People recognize their capabilities in acquiring more from hard work- and that they do, all to pass it along to further generations.
Most backpackers, or travelers don’t have the opportunity to travel through the western region of the central highlands…because you can’t. For one-it was recently this year made open to tourists and two, because it is virtually impossible to reach this region…unless your on two wheels. Unanimously, this was a special experience for everyone in the group…however unanimously they were the most agonizing, most rewarding “rides” of the trip. We were riding through; well call them roads…for a couple days. We will highlight one day for you here for an example:
Day (x): Get up at 5 am (6). Force feed yourself endless amounts of eggs, dragon fruit, and bananas for fear of passing out in the 110 degree Sahara desert heat. 7:30 sharp (8:00) leave for a day of cycling, where Hilly would say there are “small hills” in the start, them some flat roads for 50 km until you deserved lunch. 8:15 feel very sore when you remounted your bike. 8:30 start crying because you reached your first hill. 8:35 curse yourself for ever starting this trip. 8:35-10 cycle through the most amazing sites while having the time of your life (sometimes). 10 ish- daily coffee stop along the road. Vietnamese coffee…has the strength of 5 red bulls combined with 6 starbucks coffees all in 6 sips, with a tablespoon of condensed milk. After our first couple coffee stops our group’s tolerance to caffeine was sky high, so after our coffee, we proceeded to do a team 250 ml red bull chug before we left for our bikes. In Vietnam you can get a red bull and a coffee for 20,000 dong, (1 USD). Dangerous for caffeine addicts. After our maaajjor caffeine buzz kicked in it was time to cruise for our pre lunch challenge. Normally after 2 hours of cycling hard we would reach lunch, and complete our morning cycle of 50 km. Around 1 we would always stop for lunch, which consisted of 8 courses of vegetables and fish, if we were lucky we would sometimes get a suspicious taste of various local mystery meat, with our own personal pound of rice. After a few days of “tuna in tomato sauce” the group grew somewhat sick of seafood, so everyone started force feeding themselves with rice for fear of what the afternoon cycle had in store for us…which was normally another 40-50 km up hill. Depending on the day 2-5 pm was spent at times going down a mountain for 3 hours, climbing Everest via bike, sweating, crying, crawling, and realizing that this bike trip was initially why we were doing this trip in the first place, and will continuously serve as a inspiration to continue cycling from here on out. Every second of this bike ride was filled with different scenery, sites, and smiles. Around 6 or 7 everyday we were always found as a group reflecting on the ride, over the famous Vietnamese BA BA BA bia, or a coffee. We would then transfer to our hotel, spend another meal together, and head out for a massage, drink, or back to our rooms for some sleep, all to have another amazing day to follow in the morning!
More details to come when we are not distracted by the blaring Shakira in the background of this bar! CHEERS!!
Sa-by-dea!!
Incase you were wondering, we made it to Laos. However, we don’t know how. We bid farewell to our awesome Vietnam by Bike group, and were naturally running late to the airport in a mad craze to make our international flight to Laos. Ho Chi Minh City is not a place you want to be in rush hour-due to the fact that there are 9 million rabid motor bikes buzzing around the city, whether it is on streets, sidewalks, or people. Birmy decided it was good idea to hitch a ride to the post office 20 minutes before we needed to leave, to ship home all that he acquired in Vietnam. Luckily this was when our whole group was eating breakfast- we all had a nice view of Birmy frantically running down the streets of NAM to get a taxi, and we saw his return when he made it back to the hotel standing on a motor bike. Anyway, we made it to the airport and boarded our first of 3 Lao Airlines flights for the day.
Lao Airlines. Umm… this makes Ryan Air look like First Class Virgin Atlantic Airlines. We walked up the five step independent ladder and boarded our flight, with all of 17 people who were crazy enough to leave Saigon and head to Pakse, Laos. You could say the take off was rough. Then again any take off would be rough when your flying in a plane with wheels that belong on a skate board, an engine that couldn’t propel Thomas the Tank Engine, and plane sidings made of aluminum foils. The plane’s cruising altitude was 17,000 ft..and you knew you were in trouble when your neighbors on board where all laughing at the fact that it felt like we were on the Super Man roller coaster, because our stomachs came out from under us every five seconds, and the plane ride was turbulent for all of 2 hours. We descended and landed in all of 30 seconds and made it to Pakse. Palms sweaty, and pouring sweat for fear of our lives, we left the plane and entered customs. Even though Birmy did not have a valid visa, we successfully made it through “customs” because “customs” had no computers, or eyes for that matter, and stamped Birmy’s Vietnam visa for entry, when it had been stamped DEPARTING 3 hours earlier. Pakse International Airport can’t be explained so we wont even try other than it was no bigger than the Blacksburg 711, and there were no electronic devices in the building…we were handed a reusable laminated boarding pass. After then clearing “security”, we boarded our second flight. Made it to Vietiane, and then made our way on our last and final flight to Luang Prabang.
We were greeted with our first Tuk Tuk ride, a truck/1944 Harley/transport contraption whose average speed is about 4 miles an hour. After barely making it up a few rolling hills, we made it to our guesthouse. We toured around this lovely city for a few hours visiting the night market, some local shops and restaurants and realized we were in special place. There is a curfew in Luang Prabang, because it is primarily Buddhist (with a strong French feel), so the nights begin early. The streets here are lined with restaurant after restaurant, whose deals are continuously improving every step you take. This town definitely has the best bar scene we have been in, you can grab a beer in tree houses, beer gardens, docks overlooking the Mekong River and much much more. We had a quick dinner with some local Lao cuisine, and decided to have an early night in order to catch up on the sleep we lost in the pass 3 weeks in Vietnam. We both went for an hour traditional Lao Massage, 4 dollars each, and locked ourselves in our mosquito infested room.
Our following day was spent tasting various local coffees, and Birmy’s Michelin tire street meat. At this point, it felt weird to be touring without a bike, so instead we paid 2 dollars (20,000 kip) and rented 2 bikes for the day and toured the town. We cruised through streets, aligned with temples, and many Buddhists taking their alms and chanting throughout the day. 3 recommendations out of today are as follows:
1- Absolutely visit Luang Prabang, even if it means traveling via Lao Airlines
2- Stop by Utopia. A hookah/restaurant/lounge/bar etc. beautifully situated above the Mekong River in a tree house, where you can lay on giant indo-Chinese lounges and pass the day with a book or beer
3- MUST: have dinner at Lao Lao Garden
Traveling this city via bike allows you to uncover these hidden gems. Luckily, we found this place for dinner and had Lao Style Barbeque, where the regular set (all of 4 dollars) was self grilled chicken “served with mixed vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, glass noodles, tamarind/peanut sauce, lime garlic, chilies, and soup broth. In South-East Asia these are often called hot pots, where the chicken cooks on top of hot coals on a pot whose edges boil the soup and accompanying veggies. Great meal! Meeting up with Dunn and Gilson in a few hours, some college friends, for an awesome time in Laos. Will catch up with a Vietnam update soon!
Lao Airlines. Umm… this makes Ryan Air look like First Class Virgin Atlantic Airlines. We walked up the five step independent ladder and boarded our flight, with all of 17 people who were crazy enough to leave Saigon and head to Pakse, Laos. You could say the take off was rough. Then again any take off would be rough when your flying in a plane with wheels that belong on a skate board, an engine that couldn’t propel Thomas the Tank Engine, and plane sidings made of aluminum foils. The plane’s cruising altitude was 17,000 ft..and you knew you were in trouble when your neighbors on board where all laughing at the fact that it felt like we were on the Super Man roller coaster, because our stomachs came out from under us every five seconds, and the plane ride was turbulent for all of 2 hours. We descended and landed in all of 30 seconds and made it to Pakse. Palms sweaty, and pouring sweat for fear of our lives, we left the plane and entered customs. Even though Birmy did not have a valid visa, we successfully made it through “customs” because “customs” had no computers, or eyes for that matter, and stamped Birmy’s Vietnam visa for entry, when it had been stamped DEPARTING 3 hours earlier. Pakse International Airport can’t be explained so we wont even try other than it was no bigger than the Blacksburg 711, and there were no electronic devices in the building…we were handed a reusable laminated boarding pass. After then clearing “security”, we boarded our second flight. Made it to Vietiane, and then made our way on our last and final flight to Luang Prabang.
We were greeted with our first Tuk Tuk ride, a truck/1944 Harley/transport contraption whose average speed is about 4 miles an hour. After barely making it up a few rolling hills, we made it to our guesthouse. We toured around this lovely city for a few hours visiting the night market, some local shops and restaurants and realized we were in special place. There is a curfew in Luang Prabang, because it is primarily Buddhist (with a strong French feel), so the nights begin early. The streets here are lined with restaurant after restaurant, whose deals are continuously improving every step you take. This town definitely has the best bar scene we have been in, you can grab a beer in tree houses, beer gardens, docks overlooking the Mekong River and much much more. We had a quick dinner with some local Lao cuisine, and decided to have an early night in order to catch up on the sleep we lost in the pass 3 weeks in Vietnam. We both went for an hour traditional Lao Massage, 4 dollars each, and locked ourselves in our mosquito infested room.
Our following day was spent tasting various local coffees, and Birmy’s Michelin tire street meat. At this point, it felt weird to be touring without a bike, so instead we paid 2 dollars (20,000 kip) and rented 2 bikes for the day and toured the town. We cruised through streets, aligned with temples, and many Buddhists taking their alms and chanting throughout the day. 3 recommendations out of today are as follows:
1- Absolutely visit Luang Prabang, even if it means traveling via Lao Airlines
2- Stop by Utopia. A hookah/restaurant/lounge/bar etc. beautifully situated above the Mekong River in a tree house, where you can lay on giant indo-Chinese lounges and pass the day with a book or beer
3- MUST: have dinner at Lao Lao Garden
Traveling this city via bike allows you to uncover these hidden gems. Luckily, we found this place for dinner and had Lao Style Barbeque, where the regular set (all of 4 dollars) was self grilled chicken “served with mixed vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, glass noodles, tamarind/peanut sauce, lime garlic, chilies, and soup broth. In South-East Asia these are often called hot pots, where the chicken cooks on top of hot coals on a pot whose edges boil the soup and accompanying veggies. Great meal! Meeting up with Dunn and Gilson in a few hours, some college friends, for an awesome time in Laos. Will catch up with a Vietnam update soon!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Cycle from KonTum to Buon Me Thuat- Central Highlands
This morning cycle was one of our best. We had a nice 50 ks, in the hot sun through gorgeous mountain ranges, villages and coffee, cashew, black pepper, and rubber plantations. There are no pictures from the second ride that day because it was extremely challenging, and there is no way that while pedaling up a hill, with ditches, huge rocks, no pavement, and sand (that took two hours to complete) that pictures could have been taken! It was absolutely incredible to finish such a challenging ride, by after 60 miles- we were sure ready for a hearty meal and long night sleep....only to wake up for 65 more miles to follow at 7 am! Wow!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Keeping Busy!
We have been constantly on the run on this tour! 6 am wake up calls, call for some serious cycling, food tasting, and site seeing! Our first 4 tough cycles are down, and now it is time for the real deal. Even though Birm took his first tumble today (with others) into a sand pit during some intense off road riding, we are prepared for tomorrow! The lovely morning starts off with 15 km directly up hill...should make for an interesting day, when there is 60 miles more to come! Birmy has already assured the group that there may or may not be a "buddy" on the bus tomorrow. The cycling has been great- but then again anything is when you're constantly surrounded by the vibrant color and beautiful countryside like that of Vietnam. We have cycled now down south from Hue to Dan Nang to Hoi An (our absolute favorite); and today through the My Lai Village. We are headed inland tomorrow towards the central highlands of Vietnam! Should call for some more beautiful villages, wild elephants, spicy cuisine, and world famous coffee!!
Major Perk of Riding in Vietnam
Only in this country, can you be on the road cycling 50 miles with the constant presence of children yelling Hello! Our group of 12 can not get more than a kilometer(yes we have to use the metric system now), without getting approached by some beautiful child on the side. Kids here have obviously never seen digital cameras because if you even begin to take your camera out and take a picture they swarm you- screaming and laughing, dying for a picture to be taken to them. Their energy and excitement is captivating, and it has been incredible to see these kids because at the mere sound of the English language, or site of white people, children will proceed to run to the road yelling HELLO HELLO!!! We will see you again!! Glad to have met you!!
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