Vietnam - how to ride 2000km and not die >> PART 8

[Misty]

Awesome stuff, what a lekker adventure!!! 

 

[BjornB]

:sip:

 

[Phula]

:sip:

 

[Would I?]

:thumleft:

 

[landieman]

awesome!!safe travels

 

[Fuzzy Muzzy]

Vietnam is on my bucket list..  :sip:

 

[LouisXander]

Lekker Andre. Gooi daai fotos. Dis nou een RR wat ek na uitsien.

 

[MrBig]

PART 5

Dalat to Nha Trang

Distance: 160 km

The oil leak worried me but I knew that today’s ride would mostly be downhill towards the coast and as long as it doesn’t get any worse we should be fine.
I also had a tube of liquid gasket maker with me and worse case could do a repair if needed in Nha Trang.

Before checkout we rode up the hills to the outskirt of the city and took the cable car to a Monastery on the other side of the valley.
The Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery is known for its amazing gardens full of landscaped shrubs in animal form.
It also offers a magnificent view over the dams and farmlands below.
We figured as it’s still early (and we’re at 2000m) it won’t be very warm but damn we nearly cooked in our riding kit!

I’ve heard about the road from Dalat to Nha Trang and also remember seeing it featured in the Top Gear Special a few years back.
Although those guys had it bad and had to endure torrential rain -  for some reason they only made it to Nha Trang after nightfall as well!  ???

It truly is a stunning road with wonderful scenery and by a long stretch the best leg of the trip so far.
The landscape shifts from rocky outcroppings to highland desert on winding, made-for-touring-bike roads.
The first 15km or so from Dalat is a bit gravely and bumpy but it opens up after that into a beautiful ride.
The road is only about 5 years old and although there is the odd bus it’s not nearly as crowded as the highway route and you mostly only see the odd scooter.

We stopped a few times along the road just to admire the scenery.

As we came down in altitude we could feel the air warming up  –the bike kept running nicely and we kept going without any drama.
We stopped for a cool drink in a small village about an hour from Nha Trang. The heat was only barely durable when moving and we were looking forward to get back to the coast.

Nha Trang is Vietnam’s most famous seaside resort-town.
It's more lively and urban in character than other beach destinations like Mui Ne and Phu Quoc. It's also the scuba diving center of Vietnam.
It has developed into a popular destination for international tourists, attracting large numbers of backpackers, as well as more affluent travellers on the Southeast Asia circuit;

One thing that you notice immediately is that especially in the southern part of town where most of the tourist infrastructure is shop signs are in Russian as well as Vietnamese.
Almost all restaurants have menus in Russian and we found Russian speaking guides at all the dive shops and travel centres.
I’m not sure if the Russians are bolstered by old military ties but they seem to be streaming to Nha Trang in hordes.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that Russians outnumber other tourists by 4:1  :biggrin:
Even the locals will open a sales pitch with some Russian lines!
It’s probably pretty good for the local economy but sadly ruins the feel of the place a bit. 
(We later learned that there are four direct flights a day to Nha Trang from Russia.)

It’s also a place that can be a bit hard on those that consume too much alcohol and frequent the late night bars.
Most of the city shuts down by 10 pm and all the opportunists and thieves go where the tourist money is.
A common tactic is apparently for beautiful women to rub up against you while relieving you of your possessions on the sly.

Not that we had any of these problems though as by day, the city has plenty of charm and most people are very friendly.  ;D

We stayed for 2 nights in a great little hotel down an alley right next to the foreshore promenade area called City Lights for $18 (double room en-suite Breakfast included)

Just down the road we found dozens of dive shops and booked ourselves for a double-tank dive the next morning.
Close off-shore from Nha Trang sit a series of islands that offer decent diving and snorkelling, easily accessible by day trip.
The city has loads of dive shops, making for fierce competition and great value.
We were extremely impressed with the quality of the trip and for a total of $60 per person (gear, dive guide, transport, meals and drinks included) it was an outright bargain.

As can be expected fish life is sparse due to decades of over fishing but most diving is around Hon Mun Island Marine Park which offers protected waters which helped tremendously to stimulate sea life.
We were lucky with weather conditions – visibility was up to 30m and the coral is some of the beat I’ve ever seen.

After our dive we contemplated our next move..
In theory it’s possible to ride from Nha Trang to Hoi An in one day but it’s a 500km slog on the national highway (A1)
It will take the best part of 12 hours and will be a constant battle for survival. It was a kak idea and never part of the plan.

The alternative was to head inland from Tuy Hoa and ride via Pleiku and Kon Tum – effectively stretching the distance to just under 700km.
Although this was the original plan the knowledge from the last weeks’ worth of travel has taught us it would take at least 2 days and in all likelihood 3.

We hatched a scheme to book ourselves onto an overnight train to Danang instead and hopefully convince them to load our bike on the same train.
It was optimistic but worth a shot and we swung past the station. Language proved to be a major stumbling block but eventually we walked away with 2 tickets for the following nights train.
There were no sleepers left and we had to settle for “air conditioned soft-seats”  - how bad could it be? We had to go past the Goods Platform to reserve a space for the bike which surprisingly went without a hitch.
Very chuffed we treated ourselves to some amazing Bun Thit Nuong at the night market. It literally means "grilled meat on noodles" and is a popular Vietnamese cold rice vermicelli noodle dish topped with grilled pork, fresh herbs , vegetables roasted peanuts and dressed in a nuoc cham sauce. You will only find it in the South of Vietnam by this name but there are similar dishes in the North.

Our last day in Nha Trang we spent sleeping late (bliss!) and going for an early lunch after which we went to drop off the bike at the train station for ‘packing’.
The exchange with the Goods Master went something like this:
“We bring moto to put on train tonight”
“Okay”
“It’s okay?”
“Okay but  cannot tonight”
“What?”
“Cannot put moto on train tonight”
“But we booked space yesterday – here is ticket”
“Sorry we cannot”
“But we booked space!”
“Sorry cannot – no space”
“But…”
“Sorry but we put moto on next train – get to Danang 2 days later”
“No we booked space for train tonight!”
“Sorry cannot”
“Yes you can”
“Sorry cannot”
“YES YOU CAN”
“Sorry cannot”
“YES YOU CAN”
“Sorry… okay wait here”
(5 minutes later)
“Okay we put moto on train tonight”

Fark me that was almost a serious disaster.
The irony was that we speculated on this as a possibility the previous day and voila!
I watched them wrap the bike in cardboard and stuck a waybill on it before finally feeling semi-certain that the bike might actually make it.
We still didn’t REALLY know for certain though as they could’ve told us anything to get rid of us at that moment and there was no guarantee that our bike would arrive in Danang with us.

Nevertheless, crisis averted for now we took a cab to Thap Ba Hot Springs which was a fun place to get dirty in a mud bath! 
There are loads of mineral water baths and swimming pools to hang out at after a good mud soak. Great place to relax and spend an afternoon for as little as $7 per person. Highly recommended. They also have a shuttle service which will pick you up and dropp you off at your hotel for around 60000VD

 

[subie]

Pragtig!

Ek sien daai ou met die blou scooter met sy seuntjie voor is ook n Wilddog. Sticker voor op vurk.

:ricky:

 

[Karel Kat]

Even the locals will open a sales pitch with some Russian lines!

That's what you get when you look like an old-style KGB enforcer from the movies, Mr Big! Enjoying the RR very much.

 

[MrBig]

PART 6

Nha Trang to Danang

Distance:
470km by train


The train to Danang was due for departure only after 10PM and we had to hang around the station for a couple of hours.
It gave us the opportunity to watch people on the platform going about their business and witness a Vietnamese phenomenon we have seen all over on our trip…

In Vietnam QEUEING is a four letter word
Queuing is a nice idea that is widely practised in many western countries but it is little understood in Vietnam and certainly rare.
Western people are famous for queuing. We queue everywhere. We queue just to get into another queue!
We queue to ask about where we should queue. We separate queuing people with ropes and guide them with signs.
We spilt queues when they get too big and start them again on somewhere else. We zig-zag queues to accommodate all the queuing people.
In some countries like India people pretend to queue. They form orderly lines until the bus or train arrives, whereupon it all collapses into a mad scrum but they still queue.
The Vietnamese people do not queue. AT ALL.
They will push and elbow their way to the front and even if another person is in the process of being served by someone behind the counter they will shove they’re hand / ticket / whatever in between and demand attention. They will not wait for others to get out of an elevator before pushing inside. They will squeeze past people trying to exit a doorway - whether it’s a bus a train or a shop.
They do it to foreigners and they do it to their fellow Vietnamese. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to put in fuel at a garage, draw money from an ATM, check in at the airport (I kid you not), pay in a shop or buy a ticket at a booth - prepare yourselves for the worst.
There is no aggression – merely stupendous oblivion and a total lack of respect for others.

This attitude is indicative of the way they drive as well – almost like an extension of the culture if you will (with hooting added).
There is no order on the roads and if you believe someone will give you a gap you will wait until hell freezes over before that happens.
Stops and traffic lights are treated as optional and it’s a mad jostle to squeeze past each other at intersections. If the intersection is full – no problem – just hop on the sidewalk and hoot pedestrians out of the way!
It’s a peculiar phenomenon and unfortunately for the semi-organized westerner a completely mind-boggling experience.

There are plenty of explanations around as to why this happens as Vietnamese supposedly used to queue a lot during the era of rations and government subsidies 30 years ago.
Some say that it’s a “lack of awareness” or perhaps a “lack of self-discipline” or “cultural rebellion against forced queues” or even “the belief that if you are in front you’re status is better”..

Frankly I reckon it’s mostly due to a lack of consideration and respect for each other. Even the most civilised or disciplined nation won’t work without consideration and respect for fellow citizens.

So if you come to Vietnam leave your manners at home and get in there elbows first! If you can’t beat them join them.

Our train arrived on time and we jostled our way into our assigned carriage. Just to find other people in our seats ;D
It proved an arduous but interesting 11 hours. The smell of noodles and loud talking woke us up just before 6 am.

Fortunately the views from the rolling train were sublime rolling green farmlands and villages passing by.
Not a moment too soon we arrived in Danang.
First thing I did was walk down the platform to the goods cars to see if I can spot Jerry.
It was with great relief that I saw the familiar silhouette being offloaded next to the train. Phew..

We exited the station and near the goods area found a Café serving coffee.  Lisa was left guarding our kit while I went to find the Dispatch Manager.
When the bike eventually arrived I first had to cough up a ‘release fee’ (ja right) after which they promptly started unwrapping.
As soon as the first piece of cardboard came off I spotted the broken clutch lever taped to the seat. You have to be kidding me!
Ranting and raving only got me blank stares and I eventually gave up and wheeled the bike to the Café where Lisa was waiting.

Fun fact – before putting a motorbike on a train by law it needs to be drained of all fuel. As you need to actually ride it there you can’t exactly arrive with an empty tank.
So the station workers do you the favour of emptying the tank for you – in a communal container - for free.
Now when you arrive at your destination you have a problem. Your bike’s tank is empty. But fear not! Someone (guess who) will sell you the content of a 750ml bottle at three times the price of a litre of petrol!
Failing that you’re welcome to push your bike down the street in search of a fuel station.

I digress..
With nobody speaking a word of English someone eventually grabs me by the hand and lead me down the road;
pointing to a small, dark, grease and oil covered Sua Xe ( something like our local garage mechanic back home with a little less equipment and a lot more ingenuity). Usually I can easily find rapport one-on-one with the Vietnamese but this time it was different. A friendly chubby chap was sitting on the greasy floor surrounded by parts from a starter motor he was umm… fixing.  Another guy (who appeared to be the boss man) was less taken by my presence and gave me some evil stares.
Through the magic of sign language we agreed that they will fix/replace (who knows) the broken lever for the princely sum of 100 000 VD. (About R45).

Mr Angry jumped on a scooter with broken lever in hand and disappeared down the street. I hung around not sure what exactly was going to happen next.
After about 20 minutes I gave up and walked back to the station to tell Lisa what’s going on. She just had to sit tight until I can get the bike running again.
Upon my return the angry one came back – wielding a decidedly 2nd hand and slightly rusty clutch lever. Not one to be put off by such minor details and excited at the prospect of getting back on the road I walked closer to express my enthusiasm as he fiddled with the clutch cable. I was met with furious gesturing towards a stool in the far corner and what I figured the Vietnamese version of ‘shoo-ing’.

Clearly the guy didn’t appreciate me watching his every move.
Which is understandable but these guys aren’t exactly known for their finesse.

In fact another peculiarity of the Vietnamese is their ‘quick fix’ mentality.
You know, if it works it works no matter how you get it to work! Or what it looks like.  ;D

The lack of attention to detail is rather astounding and visible almost everywhere in Vietnam. Just look around you and you will soon realise what I mean.
Regardless whether it's a up-market hotel or inside a family shop. I have found the origin of all those "There I Fixed It" photos!

The ‘new’ lever didn’t fit but it didn’t seem to be a problem as Mr Angry immediately started adjusting it with a hacksaw and old file.
With the file clearly not producing the desired results he proceeded to rub the lever vigorously on the sidewalk..
When he brought out some more tools – a hammer and vice grip – I really started to worry.
After what felt like hours he grunted something and motioned me over.
The lever was so stiff that Hulk himself would’ve had a hard time changing gears but I faked a smile, paid them and hurriedly pushed the bike away before he came back for more hammer time.
Back at the Café I got my tools out and adjusted the clutch as best as possible and we finally got out of Danang. Phew.

I wish I had taken some photos of this little episode but alas when the going gets tough the cameras remain forgotten in the bag. 

Danang’s a major port city and the largest city of the South Central Vietnamese Coast. It is located close to a number of UNSECO heritage sites and tourism is a big part of it’s industry.
We didn’t plan on staying over but instead drove about 50km south to the Old Town of Hoi An.

Once over the bridge we followed a wide dual carriage road out of the city and soon saw “Marble Mountains” or Ngu Hanh Son (Five elements mountains). It’s a cluster of five marble and limestone hills just south of Da Nang. The five 'mountains' are named after the five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of one of the peaks. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can be found within the mountains, making this a famous tourist destination. After our delayed departure from Danang, lack of sleep we weren’t up to much sightseeing and settled for stopping next to the road below one mountain where various artisans produce marble and limestone sculpture and artwork. Direct rock extraction from the mountains is banned and all materials are now being transported from quarries further away.

Next up Hoi An - the Disney World of Vietnam  ;D

 

[N[]vA]

This attitude is indicative of the way they drive as well – almost like an extension of the culture if you will (with hooting added).
There is no order on the roads and if you believe someone will give you a gap you will wait until hell freezes over before that happens.
Stops and traffic lights are treated as optional and it’s a mad jostle to squeeze past each other at intersections. If the intersection is full – no problem – just hop on the sidewalk and hoot pedestrians out of the way!
It’s a peculiar phenomenon and unfortunately for the semi-organized westerner a completely mind-boggling experience.

hahah we call it the Vietnamese "Fuck you , me first!"

Honestly I still feel for the most part its a shitty passive aggressive place... not even gonna get started on that rant

 

[MrBig]

PART 7

Danang to Hoi An

Distance: 45km


A few kilometres further down the coast from Danang we came upon Non Nuoc Beach. It’s a long, white sandy beach renowned for both its spectacular beauty and for its history as an R&R destination for American troops during the Vietnam War, when it was known as "China Beach". Nowadays its home to mostly fancy resorts and sections of it is pretty much deserted.

It was well past lunch time and as we rode into Hoi An we decided to grab something to eat before checking into our hotel. We found a local eatery next to the river serving only a handful of dishes.
All delicious!

By now we were all too familiar with “Pho” (pronounced Ffua) – a staple of Vietnam apart from rice.
It consists of broth, rice noodles, a few herbs, and some meat.
Very simple but you will find good renditions and also some very bad ones.
In the region of Hoi An there is a local variation called “Cao Lau” - also rice noodles but not quite as slippery as ‘pho’ and a bit closer in texture to pasta.
It’s topped with slices of roast pork and dough fritters. Absolutely delicious and by far the best version of Pho in Vietnam!

We found a good deal at the Pho Hoi Riverside Resort (rather swanky) for 2 nights.
Double room en-suite with buffet breakfast for $25 per night.
They also had a lovely pool and is located right next to the river across the bridge from the Old Town so we could walk everywhere.

Hoi An Ancient Town is (was?) an well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique place. The heart of the city is the Old Town, full of winding lanes and Chinese-styled shop houses, which is particularly atmospheric in the evening as the sun goes down. While almost all shops now cater to the tourist trade, the area has been largely preserved as is, which is unusual in Vietnam, and renovation has proceeded slowly - it's mercifully absent of towering concrete blocks, neon signs and karaoke parlours.

If ever Disney wants to build a Vietnam Theme park it will probably look like Hoi An.  ;D

However I’m certain the culture & heritage that UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the old Town was trying to preserve has long since gone - because these things happen. The community, and with it their culture and heritage, has gone and in their place are only shops, restaurants and art galleries, etc. There are literally hundreds of tailor shops in Hoi An all selling similar products to ever reducing numbers of Western foreign tourists.

Literally almost every building in the downtown area of Hoi An that isn't a restaurant is a shop selling one of the following: clothes, shoes, souvenirs, bags, or jewellery. These places are pretty much entirely geared to sell to tourists – definitely not to Vietnamese. Prices are often inflated compared to the rest of Vietnam because of this, and are quoted in dollars (the 1st place we found where this was the case during our travels and usually a bad sign), so haggling is very necessary.

Hoi Ann was also the place where we found the ‘sales technique’ of shops owners and assistants to be the MOST aggressive of anywhere we have ever experienced before. Generally Vietnam is quite bad but here it was on a level approaching absurd. We often speculated how it could possibly be a successful tactic and how they could not realise that by giving patrons a bit more space (and less pressure) sales may actually be more forthcoming.
Even merrily walking down a street don’t be surprised if someone approaches you wanting to guide you to a shop. On every street corner there’s a guy offering the same thing “you want moto?”.  :

Walk past a shop (or heaven forbid the market) and a chorus will sound out: “Madame! Madame! You buy! You buy! What you looking? You want!? You want!?”. It’s utterly exhausting. When you DO spot something and you stop to have a look the frenzy is taken up a couple of notches. Even when holding something in your hand or looking at something specific, assistants will attempt to shove items in front of you or try to hand it to you chanting the familiar “You want? You want? “.  ;D

Bargaining in Vietnam is a lot trickier than what we have found in other parts of South East Asia. Custom dictates that if you ask for the price it means that you are ready to buy and all that is left is negotiation. Asking for a price and merely walk away is considered to be rude and you will feel the wrath of the shop owner following you. Unfortunately opening prices are sometimes ludicrously high and gives no incentive to start bargaining - which complicates matters further.

If you are used to the Thai way of friendly bargaining you might also be surprised at how different the approach is. It may be because we are tourists but the general feeling is that they’re doing YOU a favour – not the other way around – and even when you buy something the attitude is less than forthcoming.
Unless you really know what you SHOULD be paying for certain items you are probably better off sticking to “fixed price” stores. We have seen the same items for sale at “touristy” markets like Ben Tanh (in Saigon) for 500% more than other places. Even if you manage to bargain it down you’re still being ripped a new one.

That being said there are some real bargains to be had all over Vietnam. Hoi An has a long tradition of copying and then rapidly making up new garments for travellers.
You can bring in clothes (or even a picture of clothes) that you want copied to any tailor shop and they will try to imitate it. You can often choose the type of fabric and the colour you want. All the shoe shops in Hoi An will make custom shoes for you. You can ask them to make you a style that you see there, or one in a catalogue or picture – ready for collection the following day.

But I digress..
Hoi An as a tourist destination is extremely pleasant.
Parts of the Old Town are pedestrianized after a certain hour every day and there are often live music and games on the streets.

Loads of restaurants offer great value or you can sit next to the river on tiny chairs and enjoy the sunset with a couple of beers and amazing food.

After dark the Old Town lits up under hundreds of lanterns and Vietnamese girls in traditional dress sell floating lanterns to tourists.

Truly a stunning spectacle.

next up - Hai Van Pass to Hue

 

[Would I?]

:thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: :thumleft: Great keep it coming!!! :thumleft:

 

[EssBee]

Brilliant RR mr. Big....so nicely written....have had some good chuckles :biggrin:

 

[the ant]

:sip:

 

[grizz]

Great RR

Great avontuur.

 

[GenXX]

:sip:

 

[Dirt Junkie]

:thumleft: very interesting

 

[YellowFever]

Great ride report man :ricky:

Ek sing sommer die Intenationale  :confused2: