We had to cut across to the coast eventually and choosing the right route wasn’t easy. In the end we decided on a far northern road that ended in yet another dirt track. Battle hardened from our Da Lat adventure this was a doddle. Despite that, with nightfall in sight we went for the first guesthouse we could find. That turned out to be a bit of a hole: We had to ask for new sheets, the bathroom hadn't been cleaned, our aircon was leaking, regardless whether it was on or not. The icing on the cake was at 5:30 the next morning when what seemed to be an open air night club started playing happy hardcore with the volume turned up to max. Nevertheless, we had a very entertaining dinner, where we dined on meat which origin we could only guess.
We eventually arrived in the town Nin Binh. Having crashed the day before this was a welcome place to let my wounds heal a bit and get fresh first aid supplies. Laura’s bike also required some attention.
Ha Long Bay
With time pressing on we carried on to our most north eastern destination, Ha Long. One of the few spots where we arrived should have prepared ourselves a bit better. To see the bay properly we would have had to book an expensive tour locally or take a ferry to one of the islands.With me being crooked and us having an issue with time we regretfully decided to do neither. As it happened we split up from our group and drove towards Hanoi.
Hanoi
Hanoi. Certainly the most nerve wrecking of all cities we had ever encountered, with kamikaze style traffic, before-sunrise-blaring-loudspeaker-propaganda, practically no walkways and never ending hordes of people. It also proved to us that there are big differences between the South and North Vietnamese people as such. Here, it was hard to ever go unoticed as a Westerner, there were pestering sales people everywhere.I have to admit, it wasn't a place we thouroughly enjoyed. However, being a big city with foreign influence, Hanoi did have some benefits in form of facilities. Laura had picked up a parasite that needed treating and I still had my scuffs that I preferred to get checked up and treated properly as we where about to enter Laos - another country with very limited health care. So we paid an expensive but worthwhile visit to a Western clinic. It was so western even George Bush had been there once
Despite the madness, Hanoi also gave us a chance to relax and get away from sitting on the bikes all day.
To the Border
Without any particular sights in mind we carried on East and stumbled upon some of our last highlights of this diverse country. Along the beautiful mountain roads that carried us into the clouds and into the Mai Chau district. Here in a little Village that belonged to a Thai Hill Tribe, we found some accommodation of a different sort. Our first Home Stay. A beautiful experience; Not only did our 2 days there give us a glance into the life of these people, but also after a good bit of madness we finally found a place of peace and tranquility.
The last two days before Laos however have been a bit of a chaotic experience. It all started fantastic: Small roads, little traffic and stunning views turned the ride into a grand tour. But it didn’t stay like this for too long. Our ambitious target was to drive the 200KM from the Home Stay to the border. However a navigational mishap shattered these hopes. Instead of staying on the main Highways Google Maps highly recommended a short cut on a slightly smaller road. A tiring 50KMs after we entered the road it slowly started to turn into challenging mud track from hell.
Scarred from a similar experience a few weeks earlier, no chance of arriving at the border before it would shut and no accommodation in sight we were forced to turn back.
Yet Another lesson to be extra careful with navigation in developing countries. After a massive detour and a night in a forgotten town we did make it across the border the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment