Biking towards the coast -

The guys bundled our bags up and secured them to the back of the bike the next morning. I couldn’t help but pause to take in the view from across the road of our hotel.

I settled in for a long ride and was surprised that we hadn’t even left town when we pulled in for our first stop - a beautiful old wooden church.

Ian and I walked around the outside of the church peeking in through the wooden door. Owen and Tien encouraged us to go in but people were praying so we just stepped in the door and stood quietly for a while.

Our next stop was a ‘minority’ village on the edge of town. Small homes lined narrow dirt roads and as usual, kids came out to take a look at the foreigners. One little guy shot at us with his toy guy – nice.

The community hall towered above us at the end of the road.

A couple kids waved good bye and we headed out into the country, sun blazing.

Eventually Tien pulled alongside a river and Owen followed suit.  A suspension bridge stretched from the highway to a field that wobbled and shook as we walked across.

The bridge was the entranceway to a small quiet village. Kids yelled out from their doorways and giggled loudly when we responded in English. A path led us past simple wooden dwellings and small gardens to a community centre, much like the one we saw earlier.

We didn’t stay long and were soon back on the road, the landscape continuing to awe us. I took photo after photo of hills, fields, rivers, and rice paddies.

In the lowlands, the weather was warm but as we headed up into the hill and the clouds, it grew chilly and I had to don my warm coat again. Owen pulled over and pointed out the original Ho Chi Minh Trail…..

We made stops at villages, along the roads, at a waterfall, and for lunch in a small town not far from the borders of Cambodia and Laos.

Eventually we made it to Kham Duc, a very tiny town, and our hotel, Be Chau Giang Hotel. Rooms were small but clean but beds were rock hard. At first it was quite chilly in the room but after dinner the room warmed up. Dinner was hotpot soup: a pot of broth placed in the middle of the table over a flame. As it boils, veggies, ramen noodles, and meat – we opted for seafood – were added. It was quite yummy.

Our next day, our last, started early. Ian and I stepped out onto the tiny balcony of our room to take a look at our surroundings. It was great seeing the hills with the mist low over them.

My winter coat was needed for the first part of the journey and when I was finished with it, Tien took it to donate to a minority village. On route we passed waterfalls and a recently constructed dam. The picture isn’t the greatest but Owen said it was the first time he had seen the dam open.

On our left were the hills and on our right was the river. The drive was fantastic.

We headed to Hoi An, a small town on the coast of Vietnam just south of Danang, our final stop. Many tourists love Hoi An so I was quite intrigued with visiting there.  Getting there was hell though – we turned off a super smooth highway onto a narrow dirt road full of potholes and puddles. I was quite miserable as the bike bumped, jerked and swerved; my neck, back, and butt all hurt and I was quickly getting fed up. When Tien pulled over and Owen followed, I couldn’t get off that bike fast enough. Owen was disappointed because we were so close to Hoi An, he figured we should just press on.

We reached Hoi An in no time, soon pulling into a small lot next to a restaurant. This was the first restaurant we’d been to in days that served Western food so I took advantage and ordered veggie spaghetti and Ian ordered curry. After lunch, we followed Owen on foot to the tourist area of Hoi An.  

Hoi An located on the water was a trading village but in the 90s, it embraced tourism in a huge way. Its distinctive architecture has remained surprisingly intact and its narrow roads are car-free.

The town is shop after shop of souvenirs, clothes, food, spas, restaurants and boutique hotels. As we walked, I looked at Owen and asked: “is this what Hoi An is all about? Just shopping?” And indeed, that was what it had become: a town of shops. Mind you, the buildings are quite pretty, painted soft yellows, oranges, and blues with window boxes and shutters bordering the windows, and there is a distinct French feel to the place.

If you were interested in shopping or just chilling for a couple of days, eating good food and hanging out in a coffee shop reading, then I could see the appeal. It was definitely quaint but I had expected historic buildings and culture, not street after street of stores geared towards tourists.  

Our day was coming to an end and both Ian and I were relieved – we loved the experience but it was tiring being on those bikes on the rough roads. A nice hotel room and a good hot bath were what we wanted.  Danang was only a short ride up the coast from Hoi An and we were ready to say our good byes.

It was a fantastic trip and we were both very glad to have done it. What a great way to see the Central Highlands of Vietnam.

The bikes took us into the hills and luckily for us, there was only a splattering of fine rain. Water buffalo, cows, chickens, roosters, pigs, goats and sleeping dogs all share the road with us.

After some driving and a walk, Owen asked if I wanted to go to the snake farm. I love snakes so that was a definite yes. The bikes pulled into a compound where we saw two snakes: a small cobra and a very large heavy cobra.  The woman who runs the place took out the small snake and placed it around my neck, I was quite happy until she started manipulating the snake around my neck twisting it to look like scarf, then putting it on my head as a hat – they kept fiddling with it and it started making hissing sounds.

That was it for me and I returned it quickly. The large one was massive – I’d never been near one quite so big. Both Ian and I held it (unfortunately those photos didn’t turn out) and that’s when I noticed the poor snake’s teeth had been removed. Its mouth looked an awful mess and I couldn’t help but feel bad. The woman also owned scorpions and out they came, one onto Ian’s hand. They still had their stingers so I took a pass.

It turned out this was all there was at the ‘snake farm’ so we loaded onto the bikes and continued with our journey.

Lunch was at a nice clean restaurant where we had bitter melon soup (Ian described the taste as something close to cleaner fluid), rice and chicken. It was okay. After lunch we drove down a narrow bumpy road through some relatively flat land. Along the road ran power lines held up by an assortment of old trees, sticks nailed to tree stumps, or boards. Sometimes the wire was wrapped around live trees. It all looked unstable and dangerous.

We pulled into the lot of Dray Nur Waterfalls and followed Tien down a path having no idea what to expect. This is what waited for us.

In rainy season, water flows over the entire wall of rock. We clambered over some rocks and found this lovely little waterfall off to the side.

Over a suspension bridge (where we stopped to watch logs being collected and carried to shore) and down a path through the forest, we came across yet more waterfalls. The site was huge. Ian and Tien went for a climb to above the falls and snapped off a few more photos.

I had a nice sit in the shade watching the water. Tien found a small crab in a pool of water off to the side and we watched it try to catch a tiny shrimp. Following that, Tien pointed out a large tree that was totally hollow inside – it tried to eat Ian.

Don't worry, we managed to save him.....whew!

Tien was great pointing out things to us, particularly the small stuff like an army of ants carrying their eggs to a new site. Our next stop would be Dansam Hotel in Buon Ma Thuot so off we went.

Traffic picked up somewhat in the streets going out but overall, it wasn’t too bad. I was relieved when we pulled up to the hotel as my butt was quite sore. I am happy to say that the hotel was nice and beds relatively comfy.  Tien and Owen were down the street and Owen met us for dinner. We walked a short way to an outdoor restaurant where we sat in tiny plastic chairs and low metal tables. Ian couldn’t help but ask what was with the children-sized chairs and Owen said it was because the Vietnamese were so used to squatting this was close to that same level.

The food was fantastic (finally!):  squid that was delicious – cooked perfectly and not at all rubbery, scrumptious fried rice, chicken wings and I can’t remember what else, but it was all yummy, and cheap. As we ate, a scooter stopped with a speaker attached and Owen said, uh oh, wonder what they’re selling. A girl started singing and it carried through the speakers (like a karaoke machine) and she wandered around the restaurant with candy to sell. It was very odd.

Back in the room I discovered that Owen’s camera wouldn’t load properly – the photos came out with grey blocks across them so that was a bit disappointing. At least it didn’t happen to all of them. We had a good night and were ready for the next leg of our journey.  As we approached the red light, we noticed this man with live chickens loaded on his bike and Ian snapped off a photo.

Later, I caught this photo – 

It is truly amazing what they carry on their bikes – Owen told us he once saw a cow trussed up lying upside down on the back of a guy’s bike. Unbelievable.

Our first stop was a rubber tree farm. Rubber is collected much like our maple sugar – a slit is put into the trunk and white rubber drips slowly into a can and is collected at the end after a day. The trees must like this because they all looked a little dead.

Another crop grown here is black pepper. Pepper vines grow upwards onto poles.

As we drove through the countryside, we passed an assortment of homes. They are quite different than Cambodia – which all seemed to be built on stilts. Here, homes were one story and built on the ground. Most were wood or woven bamboo while others were brick and concrete and were quite small. The incredible thing was that no matter how small or humble the house seemed to be, everyone had a satellite TV. They might not have had glass windows or toilets that flushed or their own bedrooms, but everyone had a satellite TV (note the dish on roof).

Lunch was at a Pho restaurant and my chicken pho was yummy.  I loved being on the bike seeing all the stunning scenery – well, when the roads were smooth that is.

We pulled over at one point and Owen walked over to this amazing vista. This is the location of a major battle - Mel Gibson’s movie We Were Soldiers is based on it.

At this point, Owen was having a lot of troubles with his bike – something was rubbing on the rear tire making an awful racket and he figured his tire was too big so he wanted to buy a new one in the next town we were approaching. The traffic got a bit hairy at this point with construction and whatnot so I just avoiding looking ahead as much as possible. We found a garage and they assured Owen that they had a tire and could change it in an hour so we left the bikes and headed out for a coffee. Turns out they didn’t have the tire after all so we headed out of the city towards our next overnight destination in Pleiku.

We made a quick pit stop at a beautiful lake (can’t remember the name) where apparently a lot of couples visit for some romance….

We made it to Pleiku as the sun was setting and discovered that our hotel – Hoang Anh Gia Lai - had a fantastic view. The room was okay – beds were firm but it was fairly clean. We got cleaned up and met the guys for dinner. We walked to a tiny little restaurant that specialized in bun xeo, a dish that Owen was particularly fond of. The restaurant also served vermicelli noodles which I love so I ordered that and split it with Ian. The bun xeo was delicious. It’s made with ground bean sprout and vegetables. Owen likes his wrapped in rice paper and man was it yummy. Definitely a dish I’d love to have again.

Following dinner, Ian and I called it a night and headed back to the hotel on our own.

Travelling through the hills on a bike....

The Vietnamese People

When I started researching our Southeast Asia stops, Vietnam worried me the most. The literature spoke of aggressive, unsmiling, hard people, pushy touts and scam artists.  We had been in Saigon, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc and met only friendly folks and the Central Highlands was the same.  As our bikes sped along the narrow and seemingly deserted roads, Owen’s rumbling engine would draw attention and kids would come running. At the ends of their yards or from doorways, they’d jump up and down waving and yelling hello. Adults would look up, I’d wave and they would smile and return the wave. There was no doubt that we drew stares but once I smiled, my watcher’s face would break into a delightfully warm grin. Often, we’d hear the hellos and shouts before we could see anyone so I’d throw up my hand in a wave, not knowing where they were. Owen was right; there were times I felt like a queen – waving continually.

Highland Cruisers

As we rode Tien took the lead and when we stopped, he was the one to show us the site.  Each stop was fairly quick - perfect for us. We took many breaks along the road just to walk, stretch our legs and give our butts a break. One stop was a silk farm and we were astonished to see the amount of silk threads being gently pulled, ever so slowly, from the cocoons. Once a spool of silk was full, it was spun and dried. The photo below shows the cocoons in the trough and if you look closely enough, you will see the threads of silk being extracted.

The ride continued through the hills and the scenery was beautiful. Our pit stop for a walk took place on a bridge overlooking a river. The homes are those of fishermen and their families.

As we waited on the bridge, a group of Vietnamese went by pulled by a tractor. I’ve been dying to get a photo of their tractors to show you as they are quite unique.  The engine is a tractor engine but it can be adjusted so that it pulls a load or pushes machines used in the rice fields.  Farmers can use their feet to drive these things on the road.

After this, we walked to the end of the bridge and met Owen and Tien who showed us our next road – it was slick red clay with large potholes. Currently two tractors were trying to get up the small hill to the highway but were slipping in the mud. Owen encouraged us to walk down the road and said they’d catch up to us so off we went. At the base of the hill, a couple were getting their wedding photos taken – the groom in his tux and the bride in her WHITE wedding dress standing on this muddy RED road. The groom called us over like we were old friends – we went, congratulating them as we did. A photo was taken, me beside the bride and Ian beside the groom. It was quite funny.

Many couples are getting married right now – we must have passed dozens of wedding receptions. With Vietnamese New Years (Tet) approaching, it’s an auspicious time. Marrying now means newly married couples can produce a baby for next year’s Tet.  As so many people cannot afford large weddings and reception halls are very expensive – open air restaurants are transformed. Colourful tent like appendages are added to the front to make the restaurant larger, to add privacy, and to beautify the place.

Ian and I continued down the road which to be honest, wasn’t one I was looking forward to travelling on. Owen and Tien arrived and away we went. Tien and Ian had no problem managing the slick clay and the potholes but Owen’s bike was too large and too heavy. A couple times I thought we were going down and I hoped I’d land in the brush at the side of the road rather than in the red clay in my white jacket. We had no choice but to move slowly so I wasn’t worried about getting hurt. It was very rough going and there was a lot of slipping and sliding. Owen almost dumped the bike but his feet stopped it from completely falling over. It did however lean enough for me to slide off. I was fine, but that was it for Owen. We would not be continuing down the road.

Ian and I walked back to meet Owen and Tien at the highway. The road we had just left apparently led to a great scenic drive and to Tien’s sister’s house where we’d be stopping for a visit. I didn’t know what I was missing so I was glad to be back on the highway.  It looked like rain so we donned rain gear.

Lunch that day was on a hilltop at a huge open restaurant filled with metal tables and stools. The floor was absolutely covered in filth – napkins, scraps, etc. Staff wipe everything left on the tables onto the floor and at the end of the day sweep and hose down the floor. Efficient but doesn’t keep the flies away. Lunch consisted of several shared dishes and everything was cold. I picked at the food – nothing really appealed to me – still, it was better than dog meat offered at quite a few restaurants we passed.

We soon made it to Lak Lake where we’d spend the night. We made our way to the top of a hill to Bao Dai Villa.

It had a fantastic view but that’s about all it had going for it. I believe we were the only couple staying there – the room was incredibly basic and the bed rock hard – not something you want when your butt is sore from riding a bike all day. I tried to take a shower but the water went everywhere so I gave up. There were dirty handprints on walls, exposed wires and by Ian’s side of the bed, a section of broken floorboards left a nice sized hole!

Owen had said he was picking us up by taxi so I dressed for that – imagine my surprise when I saw the bikes (my butt wasn’t too happy – ouch!). We were headed to a local’s house for a dinner of duck and pork. I didn’t have the heart to tell Owen that neither Ian nor myself ate duck – I just hoped there was something else I could eat.  Hien the owner was pleasant and met us with smiles. We sat down in tiny plastic chairs around a low table to a dinner of spring rolls, rice, the pork and duck and low and behold - cauliflower and broccoli. I can’t remember the last time I’d had cauliflower and broccoli! I nibbled some rice, ate a few spring rolls and of course, the veggies.  Hien, Tien and Owen noticed the amount of food I ate, which was very little, but that was all I could manage.

There was another couple who joined us but we had no idea who they were – I don’t think we were ever introduced. They were drinking rice wine out of a bag (moonshine).

I remembered rice wine from when we lived in Korea so I wasn’t interested in any of it. I was glad that Owen had found us a ride back in a car so we could leave when we were ready. I was exhausted so we had a fairly early night. Unfortunately, sleep proved a challenge as it was so cold in the room and all we had was a sheet and thin blanket. I just kept adding clothes until finally I was warm enough.

We woke up to a bright sunny day and rainbows.

Breakfast was back at Hien’s house where we had omelettes and baguettes. Down the road, tourists could ride elephants if they wished but Ian and I had done that long ago and were not keen. It was interesting eating breakfast with elephants walking close enough that we could reach out and touch them.

After breakfast we went for a walk in the village of the Mang people (I think that’s right). The lane went to a large lake that provided fishing opportunities for the locals and was lined on either side with long houses. Houses had small pigs with babies and the animals roamed quite freely.

We got back on the bikes and headed out towards what looked like rain…..

The view was amazing and it easily distracted me from the possibility of getting wet.