Bye Bye Vietnam

The last morning of my motorbike tour was great. We stopped off at the fishing village of Ho Tram for a fresh fish and clam breakfast. This was a real gem of a place, packed with locals and the food was delicious ( thank goodness by sickness was over!) it is not to be confused with the monstrous MGM resort which has been built about 2km up the road...looked like a prison.
The ride from Ho Tram to my final destination of Mui Ne was fabulous...empty coastal road, shimmering blue sea, fields of dragon fruits to the right a memorable end to my trip.

It was sad to say bye to Lee who has been good company and I felt a bit lonely for a while until I decided to go down the old pampering route again. A cut and colour, pedicure, manicure, fully body massage and facial later ( not all at the same time) all for around $30 was a good investment. I also followed the Liz Cook school of tourism by staying in the cheap but very comfortable guest house on one side of the road but using the seafront facilities of the much more expensive resort on the other side of the road. No one batted an eyelid as I lounged on the beach sunbeds and swam in the pool.  I have learned from the master.

I have just arrived in Saigon after a 6 hour bus journey, delayed by all the holiday traffic...yes 30th of April is a national holiday here, celebrating the unification of North and South in 1975 and I have a few hours to kill before I fly to Tokyo, via Shanghai later.

I shall miss Vietnam. It is one place I definitely want to come back to. Next time I plan to do another motorbike tour in the north. I shall not miss the bugs however...everynight I am savaged by a combination of mosquitoes and very small flying ant things...all this scratching is ruining my new manicure.

Highlands to the Mekong

Since my last entry we have been down the Hochi Minh Trail, got soaked in another rainstorm and spent the night in Dong Xoai town. This town saw lots of fighting during the war and during dinner Lee talked a lot about it. it was interesting to hear a Vietnamese view that wan't  the official one and it was a good reminder that in all things there are always many sides to a story and that nothing is simple and clear cut.

The following morning we went to visit the Chu Chi Tunnels, a  network of connecting underground tunnels stretching for over 200kms. they were used by the Viet Cong during the war and are now seen as an important historical spot where the heroes of the war are celebrated. It was an interesting place and the group of lively Indonesian tourists made it memorable. They laughed and sang through the introductory film and the explanations of the various traps and weapons used...it should have been inappropriate but they were lovely people. We then entered the Mekong Delta, took a ferry and  went through My Tho and Ben Tre before arriving at a lovely homestay on the banks of the river. We were made a home cooked meal and I spwnt the evening chatting to the French co owner. Lee and I got up at 1.45 to watch Dortmund thrash Real Madrid, much to the amusement of the owners.

We spent the next morning on a bizarre trip of the delta, taking a variety of boats and horsedrawn carriages. We stopped at a few local  cottage industries and were also entertained by singers...it all felt very made for tourists but I was the only tourist.We hopped back on the bike and made our way through the back roads of the delta, over rickety bridges, past paddy fields and grass pastures, a really enjoyable ride. Disaster struck just before lunch however when the bike conked out but as this is Vietnam there was a mechanic's workshop within a kilometre and the faulty ignition coil was repaired in 2 and a half hours. It was nice to be off the beaten path, we had lunch and relaxed in ever present hammocks while the mechanic did his thing. We finally arrived in Can Tho a little later than planned but did witness a stunning sunset. Can Tho is a lively place on the river bank in the Lower Mekong, and it had a great atmosphere. We had dinner on a big boat full of locals doing some sort of Karaoke...great fun.

Unfortunately whatever I had for dinner upset my stomach, actually my stomach was livid and furious rather than just upset and I had a very fitful night's sleep. I was woken at 5 for my trip to the floating market and I bravely got up and went out- it was worth it and I also met a lovely Vietnamese family with a cute baby. I felt better during the day but I ate very little, always a big sacrifice for me. I've been very lucky on this trip, a part from Annabelle's attempt to poison me with dodgy salad dressing I have had not stomach problems til now. It was a very long drive, all through the Mekong, skirting Saigon before we reached the coast at Vung Tau. It is lovely to be on the coast and yet again the accommodation is great. One more day with Lee before I spend my last few days here at the beach in Mui Ne. 

Easy Rider-Dalat to Dak Mil

I arrived safely in Dalat on Saturday afternoon, met my guide and driver Lee and spent the evening at the night market savouring more local delights.

My Easy Rider experience began at 9am on Sunday morning. My bags were strapped to the back of the bike and off we went. We did a few short stops near Dalat to get me in the mood. We visited The Hang Nga guesthouse originally built as a personal project by Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga and known locally as the Crazy House-you can see why from the photos. We stopped at a coffe plantation, a silk factory where I saw silk from worms transformed into material,  the elephant waterfalls and the Linh An Pagoda, home of the Happy Buddah. This was all great but firmly on the tourist trail.The heavens opened as we had lunch and this allowed me to wear the rathe stylish bright orange waterproof that Lee had brought for me. it was actually lotsof fun riding in the rain and certainly refreshing and cool. The low light also led to some nice photo opportunities at the  Bang Lang Dam and at Lake Lac, our final destination.We stayed in a traditional long house in the village of  Buon Yon, which was atmospheric and rural but full of other Easy Rider groups...all of us feeling intrepid I am sure but not quite escaping from the tourist trap.

This morning I was awoken abruptly at 5am by the sound of music and counting blaring from a nearby radio, apparently it is an exercise class broadcast evry morning!! Anyway it was a hot and sunny day and  there were hundreds of butterflies everywhere.  I  also came face to face with a few elephants, who used to be used by the farmers but are now a tourist attraction, We made our way slowly to the Draysap waterfall tand the Gia Long falls via a marble and granite masonery and a brick works, vietnam is a very busy place. We also had  a leisurely stop at a cafe with hammocks, where we chomped on green mangoes and chilli salt. We swam at the waterfalls which was lovely and we met up with another couple of Easy Riders.  The weather was so different from yesterday, today Vietnam was green and vibrant. We arrived in Dak Mil, a town close to the Cambodian border at about 5 and an early night is in order. it is great to be out of the big city and see some more of Vietnam. It is much quieter everywhere and although we have been on the tourist trail tonight is far from that.

Moving on

So my 2 week stay in Saigon has come to an end and I leave for Dalat and the highlands tomorrow. The whole experience here has been fulfilling and I am so happy I decided to volunteer. Working with the disabled children challenged me and took me out of my comfort zone, something that I wanted to happen during this year. It was hard not to be affected by some of them but I just hope that some of time I spent with them brought some joy; I certainly shared lots of cuddles and giggles and smiles with many of them. I have learned lots and I want to build on this in the future.

I've also really enjoyed spending time with Amber and Nhi and I look forwards to  meeting up with them in the UK in the future. Never has getting a hairwash been such a luxury.

My favourite smile of the day

Hai in a rare still moment

Cuon in a thoughtful moment

Nhi and Tchieng

butter wouldn't melt

The boys with their new building set

musical accompaniment

Love Chinh's killer smile

Ty poses as Ba looks on

Ba checking out the wheels again!

The expert puzzler

Nhi, Amber and Britta

My breakfast cook-makes me look like a giant