Hanoi

From Hue, we took another bus further North to Dong Hoi. Dong Hoi was pleasant, but there is literally nothing to do but lay on the beach, which we were quite happy to do. After a few days of resting we purchased train tickets for Hanoi. After seven hours on a sleeper train we arrived in Hanoi, and it was every bit as busy and bustling as HCMC.

As soon as we stepped out of the train station we were bombarded by motorbike taxis, and after some stiff negotiating, got a ride to our hotel. While in Hanoi we explored the usual tourist sites. We were really excited to visit the HCM Mausoleum, even though I think its a bit weird to have a body permanently laid out for public viewing. Unfortunately the mausoleum is closed until December, for renovations. We did, however, get to visit the HCM Museum, as well as tour his former residence. I know that I was in Vietnam, so I wasn't exactly getting an unbiased opinion, but HCM seemed like an alright guy, and the people genuinely seem to like him.

Me and Uncle Ho

The Hoan Kiem Lake was another great attraction in Hanoi. It was always full of people dancing, exercising, and chatting. One night Zoe and I sat by the lake drinking, talking, and people watching. I also went for a run around the lake our last day in Hanoi.

Of course Hanoi had its share of historical war sites. We pretty much had our fill in HCMC so the only one we bothered to visit was the Hoa La Prison, bka "The Hanoi Hilton." This is the infamous prison where John McCain was kept, they have even kept the flight suit he was captured in. The prison was a bit funny, only because of its clear propagandist purpose. Multiple exhibits showed America and its harsh treatment of Vietnamese prisoners. Meanwhile, they have pictures of American soldiers playing basketball, celebrating Christmas, and generally looking like they were having a grand ole time. As despicable as I find McCain and his politics, I believe his version of Hanoi Hilton.

McCain's flight suit

All in all Hanoi was cool, but I think I liked HCMC a bit more. From Hanoi we decided to move on to Cat Ba, which was to be our last stop in Vietnam.

Hue

After Hoi An we moved on to Hue, the base for the Nguyễn Dynasty, which ruled from 1802, until 1945, when Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh.

There wasn't anything in particular that we were interested in doing or seeing in Hue. Hue does have the Imperial Citadel, which they fancy as a smaller version of the Great Wall/Forbidden City, but I've been to Beijing twice and once you've seen one wall you've seen them all. Our first day we rented a motorbike and lazed about on the beach. The next day we decided to join a tour and go see Phong Nha Cave.

It was a long, (about 8 hours travel round trip) but rewarding experience. The caves were a bit touristy with their wooden walkways and lit up rocks, but our guide was hilarious and we met some cool folks.

We rested up the next day, celebrated the Jewish New Year, and I finally found a torrent of the On the Run HBO Special. The next day we headed to Dong Hoi, in what was to be our last stop before Hanoi.

Hoi An

After our time in Da Nang came to an end we continued on to Hoi An. Hoi An was a short 45 minute bus ride from Da Nang, but had its share of shenanigans. Hoi An is a bit touristy, but quaint. The whole city is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The main attraction here is the Old Town. Unfortunately as I mentioned, tourism has changed Hoi An. It's now full of restaurants, art galleries, and tailors selling low quality cheap suits. Zoe and I biked through the old town, and enjoyed visiting all the historical sites in town.

We spent the next day lounging on the beach. Hoi An was nice and definitely worth a visit if you're traveling Vietnam, but after two nights we decided that it was time to move on.

Black People

I can count the number of them I've seen in a month on one hand. The ones that I have seen have been African. Where are all my black American travelers?

On a totally unrelated noted Zoe likes, Blackish... sooo there's that.

Da Nang

After Nha Trang it was off to Da Lat. Da Lat is in central Vietnam and quite mountainous. Unfortunately when we went, it rained the entire time. There isn't much to do in Da Lat, and the rain spoiled what few activities we had planned. I can say that the people were nice, and the food was good. We recharged and left after two days.

From Da Lat we journeyed on to Da Nang, a coastal city further north. The trip took 16 hours. We took a sleeper bus, which was not made for my 6'4 frame.

 I got no sleep on this sleeper bus.

Sleeper Bus

Anyhow, we made it to Da Nang, and it ended up being my 2nd favorite city in Vietnam, behind Halong Bay. Our hotel was a short 5 minute walk from the beach and we were able to rent a motorbike for $5/day to get around the city. Traffic was much more civilized in Da Nang, so no accidents here.

Other than lounging on the mostly empty beach, we hiked up Marble Mountain. More like a mountain/park/cave we were able to stop and look at different Buddha statues and shrines on our way to the top. As you can see the views from the peak were absolutely gorgeous.

 

View from the top of Marble Mountain

We also rode out to the Linh Ung Buddhist Temple. Built in 2010, this temple featured a 67ft statue of Quan The Am, which was visible from the beach. We ended up spending four days here, and it was time well spent.

Nha Trang II

After the trauma of our motorbike accident, Nha Trang turned out to be alright. After getting lost on our motorbike for about three hours, with little or no help from locals, we finally found Yang Bay Waterfalls.  It was well worth the journey, beautiful, with almost no one else there.

Yang Bay Waterfall

Me, obviously, by the falls

We also had the pleasure of seeing the Po Nagar Cham Towers. Brick towers that were built between the 7th and 12th century, these were a wonder to see in person. The detail that goes into some of these things is amazing, and makes me that much more excited to see Angor Wat in Cambodia.

Cham towers

 Me, in font of the towers

         

We also squeezed in a visit to the Long Son Pagoda. The pagoda was established in 1963 to honor the monks and nuns who died demonstrating against the Diem government. The main attraction here is the 79ft Buddha pictured below.

Sleeping Buddha

Big Buddha. That black speck is me.

I have loads more pictures and they can be found via my dropbox here

Something for your Amusement

Hey guys! Currently I'm in Cat Ba, an island in Northeast Vietnam. It's been great, easily my favorite part of Vietnam. Since I'm a bit behind on my blog, I'll detail my time here later. The real point of this post is to share the email I received from the hostel we are staying.

Mr. Zoom Backpackers Hostel in Cat Ba

In China there is a term referred to as "Chinglish," for badly translated or just plain nonsensical English. I don't know if there is a Vietnamese equivalent, but I'm going to go ahead and call it
"Vinglish."

Chinglish examples

The funny thing is the Vietnamese speak pretty decent English, and I've had no problems communicating with the owner of our hostel. Anyway, here is the email below....

Dear guests



Special thank for your booking in Mr Zoom backer hostel, the
believable accommodation for western tourist in Cat Ba island.

As your booking, we will save a perfect room for you, clean, tidy,
airy and friendly.

Now in Cat ba island, there are some guest houses put the same name
as: backpacker hostel, Cat Ba hostel, family hostel …ect;

Mr Zoom backpacker hostel has only one adress at Number 25, Nui Ngoc
street, Cat Ba town, Viet Nam, and  a mr Zoom restaurant at Cat Ba
street foot. Up now, we have not opened branches at anywhere else in
the town; don’t miss it, we are opposite main tourist habour, it is
easy to recognize and find; (50 metter from tourist habour; or from
Hoang Long bus station, just keep straight and turn left at fist
coner, up 40 metters then you will find it on the left hand).

The other things, when you arrive in the town, just leave the bus or
hydrofoil after long jouney, there are a group of motorbikes taxi,
porter, seller and hotel’s guide around you, they try to invite you
using their services and try to get your money as they as possible,
let’s watch out of them. Any way, the stranger hotel’s guide will
offer you a dust cheap price room, when you got it, the thing will be
happen, some force you to buy  tours around the bay and the island
with incredible price (so they got big commission at that), if not,
you have to leave the hotel in many reasons as: rooms is booked today,
or the hotel is preparing today……..

At mr zoom backer hostel you will never meet that situation.

So I just want to tell you some thing before you arrive the island, do
some attention to have a good time in Cat Ba island.

Greeting welcome.



Hope you enjoyed. I'm on a bus for 24 hours headed to Laos tomorrow. I'll try and bring my travels up to date in the next few days! :)

Nha Trang

After taking in some museums it was off to Nha Trang for what was supposed to be some R&R. Nha Trang is a nice little beach town about 7 hours away, by train from HCMC. The train journey there gave us the opportunity to take in some spectacular views of the countryside.

Waiting to board the train

After arriving and settling in, Zoe and I did our normal routine of exploring the area and finding a bite a to eat. Nha Trang is somewhat touristy. Russians, in particular seemed to have taken a liking to the place. To get away from all of that we decided to rent a motorbike and set off for Ba Ho Falls. Ba Ho was a little off the beaten path, which made it a bit of a hassle to get to, but that's what we were looking for.

Ba Ho Falls

Me posing

After riding for about 30 minutes we made it, and it was beautiful. The best part is that we managed not to see anyone else until we were leaving. After leaving Ba Ho, we decided to go to the beach, do some swimming, and relax. We did did all of these things and left the beach feeling very happy and satisfied with our day. Unfortunately everything was about to go from sugar to shit.

On our way back to the hotel, a motorbike suddenly pulled out in front of us. I had two choices: run headfirst into it, or try and swerve. I chose the latter and we ended up falling on the left side. It looked a bit like this...




Bonus points for you if you can tell me what music video this is from.

It was a scary experience, but we emerged relatively unscathed from the whole ordeal. Zoe had a few cuts and bruises. I had the same, a bruised elbow, and mildly sprained my wrist. Still, it could have been a lot worse. The whole episode did compel me to purchase some travel insurance, which I had foolishly decided I didn't need.

   

Nursing our wounds...