18 Sep – Hanoi and the end

Well, our 3 week trip to Singapore, Siem Reap and Vietnam is now very near to the end.  After a couple of really interesting days in Hue, we packed our bags for the last time on the road, and headed to the airport for our flight to Ha Noi. 

Hue is a real historic gem, with lots of temples, tombs and pagodas, which our motorbike tour only scratched the surface of - a great day's outing, nonetheless.  Once again, the city was completely changed from the one we remembered 20 years ago, and it was only the odd bridge, Minh Mang’s tomb and the Thien Mu Pagoda that we could remember.  The hotel this time was far more memorable, with a very nice light room, views over the city and a roof top restaurant and bar on the 12^th floor.

Arriving into Hanoi, at its very modern airport, we were whisked along the motorway into the city.  Our hotel is in the historic quarter, which is good because it is where we stayed 20 years ago – the quarter that is, not the hotel.  The centrepiece of the historic quarter is the Hoan Kiem lake with the Ngoc Son temple, which is set on an island.  As we had the afternoon free, we went for a walk around the lake (not a big task in itself).  On our previous trip, this was the start off point, and our first experience of children selling post cards and other tourist trinkets on the walkway around the lake.  On that trip, the children were very persistent, but this time, the only children we encountered today were there to practice their English on the tourists.  All the people selling things were, as we've experienced everywhere on this trip, only mildly interested in us, and not concerned if we weren't buying what they had to offer.

The bridge and Ngoc Son Temple

Gardeners dilligently replanting the grass beside the lake

The entrance to Ngoc Son Temple

The entire area around the lake is full on hustle and bustle, with heaps of traffic, and a never ending selection of shops stretching out into all the neighbouring areas around the lake.  Historically, this area had streets where all the vendors in the street sold one particular item – watches, shoes, clothes etc.  Our memories of the area were having to clamber over people just to walk down the street because most of the business was done out on the street and the people lived, ate and slept in the backs of their shops.  The streets are still named after what their speciality is, but now there is a much more diverse range of goods for sale on each street, and the vendors have all moved off the street, to be replaced by an even greater number of tourists.

Visiting the temple, we had spotted what appeared to be a bar set right on the lake’s edge, so we headed there for a late afternoon beer.  The bar created a nice sound barrier from all the traffic noise going on just 20 metres away, and it was a nice environment to sit by the waters edge, have a cool beer, and quietly contemplate the 3 weeks holiday we’d just had.

By now, we were well used to both the Vietnamese traffic and torrential down pours, however, Hanoi felt that we once again needed to be treated to a deluge, and to observe the traffic chaos in the middle of a rain storm, so when we left the bar at rush hour, the scenes of scooters by the thousand ploughing their way through streams of water was an entertaining site.

Our final day all together in Vietnam offered a 20k bike tour on the outskirts of the city, or a city tour.  We opted for the City Tour, and got to learn all about Ho Chi Minh, the temple of literature and the central prison.  Before the cyclists and non-cyclists headed their separate ways, we had a last team photo in our two different outfits - one for Ride Holidays - Our New Zealand trip organiser - and one for Wide Eyed Tours - our Vietnam Tour Operator.

Ride Holidays

Wide Eyed Tours - with Cuong and Diep

Our hotel - Tall and narrow, like all the buildings in Vietnam

The tour took us to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, but he doesn't work Fridays and Mondays, so once again we didn't get to see him.  Apparently, Ho's wish was that he be cremated and his ashes be divided into 3, with one portion going to the south, one to the north, and one going to central Vietnam, so that all the people got an opportunity to pay their respects - remember this was a poor country, and people wouldn't be able to afford to travel to Hanoi.  He also wanted cremation, as it was more hygienic, and didn't use up farmland, however the government didn't comply with his wishes.

Vietnamese Independence - September 2, 1945

We then went for a wander around the grounds of the Presidential Palace, and saw the various austere houses that Uncle Ho lived in.  He never actually lived in the Palace, but met foreign dignitaries in the Palace.

The grounds of the Presidential Palace

Ho Chi Minh's Office in his house

Before lunch we visited the Temple of Literature, which was Vietnam's first university founded in 1070.

Anne in her very stylish poncho - they're all the rage in Vietnam

A pond at the temple of literature

A temporary pond - we did get some rain

Not to Chorus standard

For lunch we went to KOTO Restaurant. KOTO stands for Know One, Train One, and is a project to give street kids skills so they can get a job, and get themselves off the street.

After lunch we visited the Central Prison, which the French used to rather gruesomely lock up, torture and execute political dissidents during their reign.  The treatment was appalling, but sadly, probably in keeping with what was done at the time.

Due the Vietnam war, the prison was used to house American pilots who were captured.  The most famous of which was John McCain, the US Senator, who spent 5 1/2 years there.

Prisoners were kept shackled all day

We had our final dinner at a local restaurant where we gave gifts to our local guides - Cuong and Diep, because they'd given us such a great holiday - Cuong, as our cycling guide, as Diep as the chief guide on the Lady Bus.

I'm now finishing this in the Koru Lounge at Auckland Airport.  Anne and I have had an amazing trip, and really enjoyed our first group tour since we were last in Vietnam.  It was great being in a group of people we'd had a couple of chances to meet before we went on holiday, and having cycling and Wellington in common, gave us some common ground, rather than just being 20 people who wanted to go to Vietnam.

A cycling holiday is certainly a fun way to see a country, and with this group, it would be even more so.  We now have the first re-union dinner to look forward to, whenever and wherever that will be.

Ciao.

16 Sep – Motorbike Touring in Hue

Today, we are on a different sort of bike, one with an engine and a rider.  We are being taken as pillion passengers on a motorbike tour of Hue.  Motorbikes in Vietnam, as I have mentioned before, are all small capacity machines, and my trusty steed for the day was a Kawasaki 110cc bike.  My rider spoke no English, so that was fine – he rode, I sat on the back, tried to go with the flow whenever we went around corners and did my best not to look terrified when we were in the traffic.

Actually, the traffic was pretty OK, and in the day I had on the bike there was only one incident where I thought we were in trouble, but we got through it OK, and I didn't need to swear, so all in all it was good.  What I hadn't quite expected, however, was that Vietnam’s roads are really more like bush paths, and that we would be spending most of the day on a combination of narrow smooth well-formed concrete paths, narrow potholed and in desperate need of repair paths, and basically dirt tracks with a fair amount of water pooling on them because of the deluge that we’d suffered yesterday.

Pictures tell the best story for the day, so you can see what we got up to by clicking here

The ride had various stops, which was good, as the seat was not the most comfortable I’d sat on, and although it had suspension, unlike my pushbike for the last two weeks,  after 20 minutes or so of bouncing over bumps on our journey from place to place, I was well ready to get off each time and go for a wander.

Some of the crew hadn’t been on motorbikes before, so I had to give a couple of them advice about how to get on and off the bikes.  For the taller ones (my height), the seat was pretty low, so it was better to stand on the ground and throw your leg over the seat, then put your feet on the foot rests.  For the shorter ones, this was a mission, so it was better for them to put a foot on the left pedal first, their hands on the riders shoulders, then push themselves straight up, so they were then at full height on top of the foot pedal, then throw their leg over, put it on the other pedal, then sit down.  Easy techniques when you’ve made all the novice mistakes, but good to point out to people before they did that, and they were all soon fully competent to get on and off the motorbikes.

Helmets on - ready to go

So, off we went, firstly weaving our way through the Hue traffic.  It’s amazing what you can do with a 110cc motorbike, and the little machine seemed to have no problem taking me and my significantly lighter driver round the streets of Hue.  Soon enough however, we got off the main road and onto the little concrete paths that seem to make up a fair chunk of Hue’s commuter network.  It was great fun zooming round on these little paths, and we would spend most of the day going from sight to sight, travelling through small local markets, going completely off road at one stage to stop and look at the rice paddies, and the water buffaloes wallowing in a mud bath. 

Close formation through the markets

These are two way tracks for people, bikes and scooters

Ladies at the market

Scooters will go anywhere

A mud bath anyone?

At one point, we headed out onto the motorway and the speed got up to 60 kph, which was a bit unnerving, given that the only safety equipment I had was a pair of gym shoes, and a fairly rudimentary helmet.  I got to see close up how the Vietnamese traffic sometimes doesn't work, as one of the people crossing an intersection in front of us decided that the 4 foot gap between my scooter and the one in front was the one that she was going to cut through.  The driver had to break very hard, then turn towards the street the woman was heading into in order to avoid hitting her.  It was all a bit too close for my liking, but we got away with it.  The first principle of driving in Vietnam is obviously don’t hit anything, rather than who has the right of way, and that is how the whole system works.  And generally it does work very well, however, the statistics aren't good, so you can’t go on the “Buddha is on my side” philosophy all the time.

The main attraction of the ride was the visit to tomb of Minh Mang, which is a huge complex with lots of pagodas, statues, lakes and gardens.  Walking from one end of the complex to another took us about half an hour, and we enjoyed the setting of the place – it had a very peaceful feel about it.  We had visited it on our last trip, and this was where we found the most desperate, destitute people – the children all grabbing your hands as you left to take them to their mother’s stall to buy a can of coke or fruit.  There was none of that this time, and the place was almost deserted.  There were still a few people selling drinks – out of a fridge, so things have certainly changed for the better in the 20 years.

After another blast on a bit of motorway, and through some back country lanes, we arrived at lunch which was an all vegetarian affair, which was really enjoyable. I even enjoyed the soup, and many of the dishes were very creatively prepared and presented, so it was a very varied, and tasty meal.  The restaurant was at a monastery, so we got to look around at the statues, and even ring the lunch bell, which was fun.

The first stop after lunch was the lookout for the Perfume River. 

We then went on to a temple which has the car of the monk who burnt himself to death in 1963 in protest at the South Vietnamese Government's treatment of Buddhists. The event occurred at a busy Saigon intersection - the monk had driven himself there, sat himself down in the middle of the intersection, poured petrol over himself and then set it alight.  The pictures of the event went around the world, and led John F Kennedy to declare that “"no news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one."

Finally it was back through the rush hour traffic into Hue for the end of a very enjoyable days motorcycle touring, site seeing and eating.

15 Sep – Hai Van Pass

I’m writing this blog after two very exciting days, although there was a little bit of sadness thrown into the mix as well – only a little bit though, as our holiday draws to a close.

After 3 days in Hoi An, it is time for us to get back on our bikes for a big days cycling, which will include the 10 kilometre, 500 vertical metre ascent of the Hai Van Pass on our way to Hue.  After yesterday’s weather, we were seriously expecting to be taking the bus all the way to Hue, but after a wild day of torrential rain, and cyclone winds which toppled some of the palms at the resort, we awoke this morning to find the resort grounds staff righting all the toppled trees, the wind down to a gentle breeze, and the day dawning bright and beautiful.

All hands pitching in

The cyclists were in for a good days cycling, and we kicked off from the hotel promptly at 8:47 ish – you don’t get to exact on times or distances in Vietnam, which can be a challenge for some of the party, but in general, we all go with the flow and let the day unfold to what the day will unfold to.

The first couple of kilometres saw our group start to fragment, and not wanting to drop off the leading bunch, I put in an effort to catch Cuong and the riders that were attentive and diligent enough to have stayed with him.  This proved to be a good move, as Cuong gradually increased the pace, and soon enough my GPS showed that we were clipping along at 37kph, on our hybrid bikes with their commuting tyres.  I was determined to stay with this group of about 6 or 7, and we had a great ride for the first 30ks.  For a while, I was riding 3^rd wheel, but the pace really was hot, and at the first sign of me slipping back the rest of the group jumped past me, and I was relegated to tail end Charlie and holding on all the way to Da Nang. 

As we reached Da Nang, the skies greyed, then blackened and in short order, we were cycling in the middle of another torrential down pour.  As luck would have it, the bus had stopped at the side of the road, so we took shelter in a layby by the beach while the weather passed.  While we were there, a bus load of Aussie tourists stopped, so a few of the group leapt onto their bus to ask who their Prime Minister is today, as Tony Abbott had been dumped from the job overnight.

After the weather cleared, we took off again, but this time the pace was much more sedate and we were cruising along under Cuong’s guidance at a much more leisurely 22-23.  Another 10ks in, and the rain was starting again, the roads were wet, and just as we came into a small town we started hitting the painted judder bars that are a feature here, and the combination of the wet, the paint, the bumps, and I think a truck going past caused Dennis, who was two riders in front of me, to hit the tarmac.  This was the first accident of the holiday, and Dennis was fortunately only cut and bruised.  Being South African tough, Dennis was immediately on his feet and ready to hit the pedals again.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, and the Doctor was called for to apply antiseptic and bandages to ensure that Dennis would be riding another day, as well as today.

While we waited for the wounds to be cleansed and bandaged, the heavens again opened and we were treated to yet another aquatic display Vietnam truck and motorbike style.

A dry road just a few minutes earlier

The site of the accident was just two kilometres from the bottom of the Hai Van Pass, where we had agreed we would do a handicapped time trial, with the intention that we would have a staggered start and all meet at the finish line together.  Stuart was master of ceremonies, and had us all leaving the starting point at various intervals to ensure the desired outcome.  I started well, and caught several of the people who had left in front of me, but then the hill came, and 10ks of uphill is quite a lot, and have I mentioned the heat and humidity, the quality of the bikes, and my fitness. 

In true professional cyclist style, I avoided all performance enhancing drugs, and tackled the challenge with enthusiasm and determination, until I spotted some not to be repeated photo opportunities, where I stopped and took photos.  This ultimately cost me a place, but provided you with this wonderful photo of the route that I had just ridden, and the view that I was getting to see.

Panorama of the view from the best spot, but not the top of the Hai Van Pass

Built South African Tough - battered, but now bowed - Dennis on his way to the top

Arriving at the top, it was great to see everyone else who had already completed the ride, and to get to wait for the other riders who were soon to complete it.  The break gave yet another opportunity for food and drink refreshments, and for the heavens to again open, and the fog to roll in.

As we left the top of the pass, it wasn’t possible to see more than about 30 metres, and given the amount of diesel I’d seen on the road, I was worried what the descent – all 11ks of it – was going to be like.  I need not have worried however, as the fog soon cleared, the surface, although wet, was abrasive and the descent very safe.  I did have to pass a pig truck at one stage, but the driver seemed keen to be shot of all these cyclists, so we were soon past him and on our way to the bottom and lunch.

The view on the dsecent

Wildlife of all description to distract us as we headed for lunch

Lunch was again the end of cycling for the day, and we were lucky to stop at a resort for lunch that gave us towels and let us use their poolside changing rooms to have a shower, before we got in the bus for the ride to Hue.  Some people were keen to do more riding, however it would not have been possible, as yet again, you guessed it, the heavens really opened this time, and we were driving down rivers on the road, which would have been impossible to ride down.

Roads were flooded by this

We have now arrived in Hue, and are staying at a nice hotel - the Romance Hotel, where we ate dinner because it was just easier, rather than taking a bath in the rain outside.  We've been very lucky in that the rain hasn't stopped us doing anything, and today's ride was the longest I'd done at 70ks, and also gave a real sense of achievement, going over the Hai Van Pass.  It might not be up there with the European passes, but it was great for me to ride it, and great also the have the challenge of the time trial thrown in.

The sadness I mentioned at the start of the post, was that the holiday is now starting to draw to a close, and today we said goodbye to our two bus drivers, who are going back to Hoi An, and the truck driver and the mechanic, who are taking all the bikes and driving all the way back to Hanoi.  We will be in Hue for two days before we fly to Hanoi, but today was the last we see of those four members of our crew, so it was sad to say goodbye to them.