Self Portraits

Inspired by both an old PE teacher and Ken Farmer, I have decided to add burpies (unsure about the spelling) to my morning workout regimine. I arrived in Hue two days ago, my chest spotted with little red welts from the days dragonfly kills. Although Vietnam's north-south bloodline didn't provide constant beauty from Vinh to Hue the day was beautiful making the 6 hour burn tolerable and even enjoyable at times. Upon arrival we stopped at the first visible tourist cafe for a late lunch where we enjoyed banana pancakes and conversation with a US expat who was into some pretty heavy conspiracy theory. Both the familiar food and the english conversation with a stranger were welcomed after some difficult meals in Vinh. Hue has been a nice place to unwind, eat, and plan the next move. These main tourist hubs have both there advantages and disadvantages. The pros are definitely the numerous tourist cafes with competing prices and a wide range of dishes other then pho. The cons are the numerous beggars and moto-drivers who won't let you take one sidewalk step without hasseling you. There have been times when I felt myself beginning to transform into Michael Douglas from 'Falling Down.' No violent outburst yet though. I have also discovered the beauty of the balcony, which allows you to take in the action on the street below without actually being the action. Today Ramos and I strolled the 11km out to the beach where we enjoyed the peace of not being offered anything, it was amazing to experience some silence for a change. Tomorrow I am considering continuing south to Da Nang, we'll see what happens. NTC

The Beard at the Banana Mango Restaurant.

Ramos enjoying a beach moment.

Naren enjoying a beach moment.

Getting artistic.

The Beach

After a long hard day of riding we made it back into the sweat and dust of Hanoi. The original plan was for me to extend my visa while in Hanoi and then begin the trek south. I found out that it was going to cost more then I was willing to pay and would take four days to process. Realizing I couldn't withstand four more days of being covered in a thin layer of sweat we headed south the next day. The destination in mind was Vinh, where some of the nicest beachs in the north are located. After a 6 hour ride down highway 1, a road Robert Pirsig wouldn't have touched with a six foot pole, we arrived at our intended destination. The beach isn't the one that graces your dreams or even a post card, but the sand is almost white and the water is clean enough to splash around in so I really shouldn't be complaining. Today has been a struggle, one that has left me in a rather sour mood. It has been raining almost all day, destroying my hope of basking in the sun and relaxing. Instead I have been dealing with the usual struggles, trying to find food that I actually want without feeling like I am being blantantly ripped off. It has been enough to make me want to flee to the nearest destination that is overrun with tourist just so I can find a menu in english with something other then pho on it. After all my life is incredibly difficult, motorbiking around exotic foreign countries is really a chore. NTC

Sapa

Sapa has been the goal since leaving Hanoi five days ago. The journey to this remote mountain village (that is slightly overrun by tourist) has been incredible. Each day has posed new challenges and overcoming them has been rewarding. Day three, which was the day after Josh's slide, we rested in Son La where Josh played his bamboo flute and I cut my hair with my swiss army knife scissors. Day four the road deteriorated and we were met with a friendly rain shower. This put us through the dirtbiking section of our motorbiking course, which we passed without any major mishap. The scenery on day four was incredible with the windy dirt road lined with beautiful hill tribe women in long black skirts and brightly colored head dresses. The children come rusing out to wave enthusiastically to the foreigners, sometimes extending a hand for a drive-by high five. At first I felt as if I were being welcomed into the finishing gate after some long race, but then the children started swinging hard at my outstretched hand and finally I was pegged by some sort of fruit or nut. Now I stick to a more timid wave, scared I will invite unwanted violence. Day four came to a close in Lai Chau where our sleep was distrubed by a massive rat that kept pulling our snack food off of the table. In the morning I discovered that he had also used my toothbrush to grind his teeth down. On day five the ride began along a large and beautiful river, good pavement allowed us to make great time in the morning. After lunch in Phong Ton we headed off for Sapa, or so we thought. After a stunningly georgeous ride up through the rice terraces we were stopped by two police officers and asked to turn around. Finally after overcoming the language barrier we realized we had taken a wrong turn an hour before and had to trek all the way back down the mountain. Now on the right road to Sapa we pushed are little bikes up towards Vietnam's highest pass, the Tram Ton pass. As we began to climb higher into the mountains the rain began to fall creating treacherous riding conditions. I was taking the turns at a snails pace trying to ensure my safety. Then without warning my bike slid and without any damage to me was down flat on the pavement. I was completely unharmed except for a bruised hip, but Ramos was in agony. The bolts attaching the handlebars to the frame had cracked and there was no way of reattaching them. I flagged down a passing truck within a few minutes and was soon riding in the middle seat of the big rig with Ramos safely in the back. They took me the remaining 20k to Sapa and dropped me at a repair shop. An hour and 6 dollars later I kicked Ramos into gear and followed Josh to our hotel. Here we are, the first goal is complete and we plan on a few days rest here in the mountains before heading back to Hanoi. That's all for now. NTC

Pictures

Ramos on day of purchase.

Ramos taking in the scenery.

Roadside Child.

Me and Ramos resting riverside.

Josh and Ramos survey the landscape.

Ahh, the rice terraces.

The Northwest Trek

When you are stuck taking trains and buses you only end up where all the other tourists end up. On motorbike travelling becomes entirely different. Two days ago I left Hanoi with Josh, a friend from my hometown who I ran into on the streets of Hanoi. Five days ago neither of us had any knowledge of the other being abroad, but here we are motorbiking through northwest Vietnam. The first day on the bikes was incredible, the wind rushing by my fake RayBan sunglasses made me feel like a part of the scene. There was only one shock on that first day, which was a beautiful 18-hole golf course 60km outside of Hanoi in the middle of nowhere. The day finished over a breathtaking mountain pass then down into a stilt village where we put up for the night at a guesthouse. Day two began with less nervousness and more excitment. The plan was to trek to Son La, only about a four hour ride. The first two hours passed smoothly with the green scenery. I was focusing on Ramos, feeling out the turns and listening to the sounds of the engine. I pulled into a small village and shut off the engine, there was no sign of Josh so I decided to sit on the curb and rest. Maybe he stop to take a picture. Five minutes later I began to think something might have gone wrong and when a man on his motorbike pulled up and mimed a crash my worry became a reality. I kicked Ramos into gear and sped back along the road. Josh was nearly 5km back. He was walking his bike when I pulled up and seemed to be all in one piece. He confirmed that he was okay, just a few scratches and some shock. The bike looked to be in worse shape. We walked our bikes back into the small village and sat down to lunch. The only thing they seem to eat around here is pho, which is rice noodle soup with beef or chicken. They eat it breakfast lunch and dinner, I am sick of it already. After lunch we put our attention on the bike. It still started, but the gear shift was bent out of shape. After a few slight adjustments we were back on the road, trying to make Son La before sun down. Today we will try for Lai Chau, then on to Sapa from there. It will be nice to get this first trek under my belt before heading down the coast.

After much deliberation I have decided to go against my initial inclination of travelling blogless. To take care of some business first, the picture is from Yangshuo in China and is the most recent one on file although my current position is Hanoi. Ramos. The surname of my summer construction mentor and the now adopted name of my new Minsk motorbike. Tomorrow will be the first day of a country wide trek across Vietnam with our initial direction being northwest of Hanoi. As I have proven to be a horrible communicator expect the posts to be short and rare, not to discourage you from checking up on me. I will try, I promise that much. Up to this point I have had many adventures and seen and experienced many places, but none of them have led to the creation of any amazing stories. The idea is that with the possibility of a larger audience I will be under pressure to produce higher quality work. Well that is all for now.