Phnom Penh, Cambodia

April 2015 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia before crossing the boarder to Vietnam. 

We left Siem Reap at 1 PM on a $7 bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The road was pretty rough and slow going. We booked two nights at Velkommen's backpackers and arrived around 9 PM. If the road was a legitimate and proper 2 lane, paved highway connecting the country's two largest cities, it would have taken half the time. We got settled and walked up the river to the night market where we ate some cheap noodles while sitting on a mat on the ground. The riverwalk was nice (except for the rats) and reminded us of Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Alex didn't hesitate to jump into the old ladies dance/aerobic group on the boardwalk of the Mekeong River.  

The Phnom Penh Grid

It got a little windy by the market.

People purchases birds to set them free. 

It was Khmer New Year and everyone came to make donations of rice and money.  

Close contact with a monk. Was he a monk?

Alex was given a red bracelet, was blessed and then was asked for money. 

We woke up the next day and hired a tuk tuk for $17 for the day. It was time a horrifying and depressing history lesson. We first went to the genocide museum which was an old school that was converted by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge to a prison, interrogation and torture facility called S21. This was some real heavy history to read about and it was frustrating to read that the world was in the dark or in denial during the time of the Khmer Rouge. During this brief period of time, almost 3 out of 8 million Cambodians died by execution and starvation under Pol Pot and his regime. When they came to power they chased everyone out of Phnom Phenh and demanded that they triple the rice harvest. Tens of thousands of those came through S21. Most of these people were educated and seen as a threat to Pol Pot's control. Many of those were teachers, which shocking as Pol Pot was a teacher himself. We saw the rooms where people were tortured, read about the methods and saw the faces of hundreds of Cambodians who were taken here for questioning. Some appeared angry and defiant, some were terrified. However, many looked as though they had no idea of their fate. Only 7 people survived S21. Everyone else was taken quietly in the night in trucks to the Killing Fields.

The Killing Fields is about 15-20 kilometers outside of town and the area with the highest concentration of mass graves. During the Khmer Rouge, there were 20,000 mass graves and over a million executions. The admission was $6 and included a well done recorded audio guide of the grounds. Every track was worth listening to as it explained the history of the mass graves and had first hand accounts from survivors. The place itself was peaceful if not beautiful so it was hard to imagine it being a place of hell on earth. Thousands of people were brought here by truck load to die within a day of arrival.

Mass graves a the Killing Fields. 

There were big beautiful trees on the grounds that seemed docile, however, they served a sinister purpose. The largest tree in the center had speakers mounted to it where they would blast patriotic music to mask the sounds of people's screams. Another tree was next to a mass grave full of women and children. The Khmer Rouge used this tree to bash babies heads in by swinging them by their legs before throwing them in the pits. We were told if you look closely you can still see bits of bone and brain. Horrible. Barbaric. Tragic. I don't have the words to describe this place. But I think we all need to know what happened here and talk about it to prevent this from happening again. Although, it's difficult to understand how this happened for so long without the world knowing.

There was a Swedish journalism group that traveled to Cambodia at this time and was led to believe all was well in Cambodia. The reporters then told the world that there was no truth to the rumors of violence, fear and murder. One of these journalists has since admitted he made a mistake and feels remorse. In addition, I found it hard to believe that for ten years after this atrocity, the Khmer Rouge was still sitting at the UN. Worse still, Pol Pot managed to die of old age in his 70s. I don't get it. 

It was an enlightening, educational, moving, and exhausting experience. We left after 2 hours and our tuk tuk was pissed. Whatever, he was not upfront with us and we weren't going to rush through that experience. 

We headed back and spent some time by the river. We walked around a local market and checked out a temple that had some type of holiday celebratoin. The following day we were leaving for Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam.

We were sad to leave Cambodia. We loved the country and its people. Things are not easy for Cambodians. They have a sad history and are very poor. However, they are such a nice, happy and welcoming people despite it all. We will be back one day. 

Next stop, Saigon. 

Mae Hong Son Loop

The Mae Hong Son loop is an incredibly scenic and thrilling motorbike ride through the rural mountains of Northwest Thailand. The full loop is over 600 km featuring 1,864 curves, some of which are steep hairpin turns that get your heart pumping. There is little traffic and the roller coaster scenic roads make you feel like you are in a motorcycle commercial. I had heard about the Mae Hong Son loop from fellow travelers and as my confidence on a bike has steadily increased during our 10 weeks in Southeast Asia, I was highly interested.

We rented a 125cc semi-automatic Honda Wave from Mr. Mechanic in Chiang Mai, as this place was the cheapest and was the only place to have the semi-automatic bike we wanted and insurance. With insurance, it came to 230 baht ($7) a day. We ended up deciding to do the 510 kilometer loop for 7 days. The trip can be done in as few as 4 days but we didn't want to rush it. We opted to take the slightly shorter route as it cut through the Doi Inthanon national park, home to the highest peak in Thailand and many waterfalls. This would also give us more time to hike, explore along the way and chill in Pai for a few nights at the end of our trip. 

Day 1 - The Near Death Experience

Rain. Lots of rain. After an hour and a half of an easy ride south on the major highway my fears quickly became a reality. We climbed through the hills and as the wind grew colder, the rain grew stronger. We were soaked. Once inside the Doi Inthanon national park, the rain let up in time for us to check out a couple of waterfalls. However, the skies opened up once again as we made our ascent up the highest peak in Thailand. 

We originally wanted to hike to the top, but you would have to walk along the road as there are no hiking trails. At one point the road turned into a shallow river. We leaned forward in first gear and tried not to make any sudden jerky movements. When we arrived at the top we realized we were the only crazy visitors. Shivering and dripping we ran to the "highest point in Thailand" sign to snap the obligatory picture and retreat.

On the way down I instinctively gripped the brake as if my life depended on it. When I finally let up on it at the first flat section, I quickly realized we had no brakes. While my initial reaction was to crash on purpose before we got going any faster, I was calmed by my better half behind me, who convinced me not to panic. We put our feet on the slippery road to try and slow the bike. Luckily our plan of patience was rewarded by a heaven-sent dip in the road. The slight uphill slowed us to a stop. We were alive! While pushing the bike 2 kilometers to the ranger station checkpoint, I realized the brakes had come back. I wondered if it was because I didn't pump the breaks. A nice man at the checkpoint looked at our bike. He said it was fine and added that I should pump both the hand break and the foot break as well. Foot break? Oh, that's what that is. How embarrassing. Lesson learned. Get a thorough tutorial before riding a new style of bike.

We safely made it Mae Chaem after some seriously dangerous, steep, curvy and wet roads. Day 1 complete. Crisis averted. 

Day 2 - The Wild Elephant

Our second day started off great. We had delicious noodle soup in town. We hit the road at 9 and within an hour it was cold and raining. Not again. We rode slow and steady through the slick curves praying for a roadside coffee stand that never came. On one of the many shivering hills I heard Alex's surprise, "oh my god, oh my god!" She spotted a wild elephant standing amongst the trees just off the side of the road. It was big, beautiful and close (5-7 meters away). We were later told by a tour guide that we saw one of the 3,000 wild elephants left in Thailand. After spotting this rare beast, our trip started turning around for us. We stopped at Khun Yuam for an accidental order of preserved egg (don't ever order this) and continued North to Mae Hong Son. We arrived in the sleepy, beautiful city and settled into The Like View guesthouse. We briefly considered doing a guided trek through the indigenous villages, but after doing some research we decided we didn't want to be a part of that type of tourism. We could do a cheaper trek ourselves by continuing only 60 kilometers to Soppong in the direction of Pai. Although we loved the low key feel of Mae Hong Son, we decided to spend the next night in the more remote, jungle village of Soppong. 

Day 3 - The Hot Spring

We had a delicious breakfast in the market, and a quick look at both the temples on the lake as well as the temple on the hill. Afterwards, we got green teas (in thai iced tea style), our bags and we were off. Alex took the handlebars and 12 kilometers later we turned off towards a hot spring. Alex got a mud mask for 80 baht and I had the hot mineral outdoor pool all to myself for 60. It proved to be one of our better detours. We then went to the Fish Cave which was disappointing and not really worth it as you didn't actually enter a cave. We arrived in Soppong in the late afternoon and moved into a guesthouse 10 minutes before it began to rain. We then stumbled next door to a restaurant that only served spicy pork noodle soup. We ordered by saying "two please" and it was one of the best soups we had in 3 months in Southeast Asia. Our luck had officially turned around. 

Day 4 - The Cave

We got an early start and headed 10 clicks back from where we came to seek out Mae Lana Cave, the longest cave in all of Asia. We rode back up a series of steep hairpin turns and turned off the main road following signs for the cave. The road to the cave was littered with deep pot holes and had some of the steepest sections we had driven. After 5 or 6 kilometers, we went through a remote village where there were breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Here the untraveled road was full of chickens and sleeping dogs. We followed a sign and turned right onto what looked more like a cement sidewalk than a road. It was narrow, muddy and steep. 

A kilometer of white knuckles and fast heartbeats later, we arrived at a gate for the cave. There we paid a guide 600 baht to take us in for a two hour exploration. At this point my stomach was in a knot just thinking about the ride back. Our guide gave us water shoes, opened the gate, and we followed him on motorbike on an even more treacherous stretch of this cement sidewalk. Slow and steady. We made it down to the bottom, were given headlamps and climbed down into the cave. We were instantly knee deep in water, walked down a river in a cave. At points, the water was almost up to our waste and we had to hike up our shorts and tip toe to higher ground. We saw tons of stalagmites and stalactites, spiders and bats. The bats swooped inches from our faces. I felt like Indiana Jones. We were the only people in the cave and I have never felt further away from civilization. We walked for an hour before turning around. On the way out, our guide spotted a bright green snake. This was one of the coolest experiences of our trip.

The way back was another story. It was so steep that our bike couldn't get us up a straight hill in first gear. We started rolling backwards. I grabbed the hand break yet we kept rolling. Alex tried to jump off and in desperation I hit the foot break (the rear break) which lifted our bike up like a wild stallion. Rather than have the bike do a backflip and land on me, I jumped off too and threw the bike to its side. We both had a few scrapes but we were okay. The bike also had a scrape or two but no big deal. Our guide heard the ruckus and came back to help us. He put Alex on the back of his bike and I followed them back up. After knowing our bike's limitations, I had an easier time than expected of getting us back to the main road from there. All in all, that was one of our craziest outings. 

We then headed to yet another cave, just past Soppong where we hired another guide, took a short bamboo raft trip into the massive cave (again with a river through it). The cave was significantly wider and taller and at points felt like we were inside a stadium. It was however, much easier to get to with paved roads all the way and hence much more touristy. There were other tour groups inside and our guide seemed to be on auto pilot like she'd done this 20 times already that day. It was nothing compared to our adventure earlier that morning. We did however, see a cave painting that was thousands of years old. Pretty cool. 

Afterwards Alex drove us to Pai. We arrived in the late afternoon and found a huge, clean and comfortable bungalow on the river at Golden Hut. We would get a break from riding and spend the next 4 nights in this beautiful, country, hippy town. We loved Pai so much that we extended our bike rental by one day and spent one less night in Chiang Mai before our train to Bangkok.

Pai was a lot like Vang Vieng, Laos. It was a hippy town surrounded by mountains and divided by a small, clean river. There were tons of foreigners (even though it was the low season), delicious restaurants, shopping and plenty of daily excursions. 

Day 5 - The Waterfall

Our best hike was here in Pai. Alex found a trek to a waterfall on a blog and we followed suit. We took the motorbike over the bridge and turned off the main road by the Fountain pool. Within a few kilometers we made it to a motorbike parking by the river. There was a sign warning of the length of the hike and encouraging people to bring water. We brought 1.5 liters for the two of us and that was about 1/3 of what we should have brought. The hike was beautiful and took us 2 hours into remote forest. We had to cross the river maybe 2 dozen times to stay on the path. Luckily we were wearing our hiking sandals. This is not a hike to do in sneakers. We were often getting our feet wet while using stepping stones to cross the shallow creek. However, the water got deeper the further upriver we went. 

After about an hour and a half of zig zagging across the river in beautiful scenery, we arrived at a sign that pointed us up a steep path claiming one hour more to reach the falls. Ugh. Lucky for us, we moved quickly and made it in a half hour to one of the most beautiful and remote waterfalls I've seen. There we met 3 cool people who had made the hike also. We hung out for a short while and swam in the falls before realizing we were desperately low on water. We sadly had to leave prematurely. We promised each other we would go back one day and do this hike with sufficient water and food to spend the day there. It was paradise. 

Day 6 - The Cooking Class

The next day we took an afternoon cooking class at the Pai Cookery school. We had planned to take a famous class for twice as much money in Chiang Mai, but decided that saving money and spending an extra day in Pai was a win win. We were the only two signed up so we got a private lesson. We learned to cook pad thai, tom yum, tom kah, green curry, sweet and sour and mango and sticky rice. We also got shown around the evening market and she pointed out all the spices we would need to cook these dishes back home. It was a fantastic experience and value and we can't wait to try cooking these ourselves. 

Day 7 - The Elephant Bath

The following day we headed 20 minutes out of town to find elephants to bathe with. We settled on Twin Chang elephant camp because they all seemed the same. We were looking for an elephant reserve where the elephants were well cared for but that experience was astronomically more expensive. So we settled for this. We rode our elephant bare back for 10 minutes to the river where she climbed in and immediately threw us off. We took turns taking pictures on her and when it was my turn she reared back and threw me back into shallow rocky water. I landed on my wrist and it was swollen but okay. Our guide had one of those sharp hammers and the whole experience was kind of a bummer. It was cool to be so close to such a powerful animal but it felt a little off. I couldn't tell if she threw me to be playful or if she was just sick of it all. 

After that we went to the hot springs resort to use their pool and hot spring pools to both cool off and loosen up. At only 100 baht ($3) it was a far more relaxing experience than going to the official government run hot spring for 300 baht. The resort was beautiful and empty and the pools were beautiful and clean. 

Day 8 - The Canyon

It was sadly time to leave Pai. We had to get back to Chiang Mai by 6 PM to return the bike and we had a train to Bangkok the following evening. On our way out of town, we stopped at the beautiful Pai Canyon. There were paths with many narrow ridges and cliffs on both sides. At times we had to essentially rock climb up and down to continue on the path. It was exhilarating. After about an hour in the sun, and once it got steep with loose gravel, we turned back. We continued on the road to Chiang Mai. 20 or so kilometers later, we stumbled on a sign for a geyser in a national park. Since we had time we decided to once again go off the path in search of adventure. This semi-paved road was similar to the last with a few kilometers of pot holes and steep curves. We made it to the ranger station and paid the entrance fee of 300 baht each. We considered not paying that much but figured we were already there. It turned out to be worth it. We parked our bike and walked to a hot geyser. We then had a nice hike into the park and ended up at an empty hot spring facility. The water wasn't too hot but it was fun to explore the different pools. We dried off, hopped on the bike and within an hour and a half were back in Chiang Mai. 

This was a blood pumping, eye opening, living on the edge adventure that I wouldn't trade for the world. If you get a chance (and feel comfortable on a motorbike) I highly encourage you to do this loop. It was without a doubt a top highlight of our 3 months in southeast Asia. 

Next stop, Chiang Mai to Bangkok to NYC, our new home.  

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand and certainly has it all. The old city is a manageable size and visually pleasing square region with a moat and remnants of the old wall. It certainly caters to tourists as there is a great night bazaar, plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels and even sadly a McDonald's and a Burger King. However it feels much more local and Thai compared to Bangkok as there are few tall buildings. It's a city for action and an adventure enthusiasts base camp. There are tours for all types of excursions from trekking to extreme sports such as bungee jumping, zip lining, 4-wheeling, dirt biking, paint balling and more. It seems like a great place for a bachelor party. 

We got to town early after not really sleeping on our night bus from Udon Thani. Upon arriving at our guesthouse, Hollanda Montri, we were relieved our room was ready. We cleaned up and borrowed the 'free' bikes that required a 500 baht deposit (the bikes were barely worth that much). We spent over a half hour trying to find bikes that functioned properly and finally settled on two mountain bikes. 

We visited the two most popular wats (temples) and found The Vegetarian Society that had incredibly cheap meals. Alex was in heaven. 

We had been contemplating doing the famous Mae Hong Son motorbike loop from Chiang Mai around northwest Thailand but first wanted more information. We visited a bunch of rental shops and inquired about bikes, cost, routes, etc. We were convinced.

Next stop: the Mae Hong Son motorbike loop.

Vientiane, Laos

I gotta admit, I was not looking forward to stopping in Vientiane but it served to break up our trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, which was our next destination. Everyone I talked to who went to Vientiane said it wasn't worth the stop as its a city without much to see or do. The one thing that seems worth it (that we didn't get to) is the Buddha Park. It's simply a park full of stone Buddha statues an hour or so outside of town.

We found a suitable guesthouse and went to the bus station to inquire about tickets to Udon Thani, Thailand, where we would then catch an overnight bus to Chiang Mai. They only sell tickets the day of so we'd have to go back the following morning to get tickets for 90 baht (our guesthouse was selling them for 250). 

We went on a wild goose chase searching for a fancy my facility for Alex to use. We failed. My sandals were hurting my feet so I head back while Alex continued to sightsee. However, I got horribly lost without a map and Alex ended up beating me home.

That night we met Alex's friend at the night market whom she met while volunteer teaching in Hanoi. We found some pad Thai and walked around for a bit. I bought a beer Lao t-shirt like a tourist.

The following day we geared up for a 19 hour trip to Chiang Mai.

Next stop, Chiang Mai!

Vang Vieng, Laos

Vang Vieng is a fantastic place for outdoor enthusiasts. It's a small town situated in between beautiful limestone mountains and intersected by the incredibly clean Nam Song river. The river is used by locals for water and bathing and by tourists for kayaking and the famous tubing. There are numerous caves scattered throughout the surrounding area to explore as well. The town is a bit of a party scene due to the draw of tubing and day drinking on the river but there is plenty of quiet, serene nature if that's not your scene. 

We arrived in town about 12:30 PM and checked in at Pan's place. This is a well reviewed hostel that's great for solo travelers or for people looking to mingle and party. The staff is incredibly helpful and they have everything you need. However, a night there we moved across the street to Kamphone hotel as they had $10 rooms with AC. 

After settling in we rented bikes across the street (20,000 kip each) and headed north out of town in search of caves. We reached the caves near Elephant cave, found a required guide (50,000 kip) and marched toward the water cave. This would prove to be one of the highlights of all of our SE Asia trip. We locked up our valuables at a nearby restaurant, grabbed tubes and headlamps and got in the water. After biking almost an hour, this cold water felt like perfection. We pulled on ropes to guide us through the cool shallow cave. Luckily, we had the whole cave to ourselves and it was such a refreshing, eerie and thrilling experience. At one point we turned off our headlamps and were guided by the whistling of our guide. 

We then explored two dry caves on our own which was once again trilling. There were massive ballroom like areas that blew us away. It was so quiet and peaceful to walk through with no sound other than the shuffling of our feet and drops of fallen water. If you are ever in Vang Vieng, put down the beer, get out of the tube and check these caves out. 

The next day we figured we had to try tubing. The way it works is you rent a tube and get in a tuk tuk that takes you upriver. You get in the water and float with the current until you come to a bar where they throw you a line and reel you in. We read that the party has become significantly less crazy since the government cracked down on it some six months ago. There were too many bars, drunk swimmers and deaths. There used to be zip lines and slides used to re-enter the shallow waters but no longer. Now there are only 5 bars open daily and each day they rotate which bars are open. 

We were reeled into the first bar by a cowboy hat wearing local who called Alex sexy. He then called me sexy and himself sexy. In hindsight, that may be the only English word he knew. This bar was all about beer pong and flip cup. The next stop had a basketball hoop, boxing over water, ping pong, bocce and mud volleyball. This was much more my scene. The third bar was nothing special and the last we had to skip to return our tubes by 6 pm so we'd get our full deposit back. All in all, I wish we had taken the tubes the 3 hour ride down the river rather than stopping off at bars at all. Either way it was an experience worth having.

The next day we rented bikes again and tried making it to the blue lagoon. We rode down bumpy dirt roads around cows and stopped at Lusi cave. This was another large cavernous cave with high ceilings and steep drops. We walked until there it was roped off with a danger sign and turned around and exited.

We continued our journey and stopped at yet another cave that had a sign by the road claiming a beautiful swimming hole. It was super hot and we needed to cool off. Plus the roads were terrible and another 5km to the blue lagoon seemed unnecessary. This cave required a guide once again who led us in. We right away left everything behind including our shoes and shirts in anticipation of the swim. It was, however, a 5 minute walk on slick clay to the pool. At one point a 3-4 foot snake slithered slowly past Alex's feet. I kind of freaked out but neither Alex nor the guide saw it. He didn't believe me. We got to the end where there was a ladder leading down into a muddy bathtub about 3 feet wide and 10 feet long. I was pretty freaked out after seeing that snake but Alex jumped right in. She coaxed me in, we dunked and got out. The end farther from the entrance was kinda deep. It was really cool water and an even cooler experience. It revived us from our heat stroke. On the way back out, I stopped and looked where I saw the snake escape to earlier and sure enough it was just sitting there coiled and looking at me. I pointed it out to the guide and he seemed surprised. He told us it wasn't poisonous. Satisfied, we found daylight and rode home. 

The following morning we boarded a minivan for a 3.5 hour ride to Vientiane.

Next stop Vientiane!

Luang Prabang, Laos

After a miserable trip (see previous post) we arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos around 11 PM. We had planned on arriving before 5 PM so we didn't have a guesthouse booked. We intended to shop around. There were only a couple open at that hour and one asked "why so late?" Don't get us started. We opted for LPQ backpackers because the other place was floor mats only. 

The next day we changed guest houses to Suan Keo as it was cheaper, with a more comfortable bed and ensuite bathroom. We then walked around the hot, sleepy town to get our bearings. We climbed up to Wat Phusi which had a great panoramic view of the city and the Mekong River. 

This town is really low key and relaxing with great food, a great night market and fun excursions to take during the day. The sandwiches here were excellent with so many choices from 10-20K kip. We found one stand that we became regulars at for both breakfast and lunch. 

The night market is extensive and a sweet reprieve from the hassling at markets in Vietnam. At the Luang Prabang market, its a relaxed, no pressure atmosphere with interesting and good quality goods for cheap prices. I bought a couple pairs of pajama pants I didn't really need just because it was so comfortable to look around. 

The night market also featured a covered food section running perpendicular to both the market street and the river. This place featured tons of choices but the real find halfway down is the 15,000 Kip ($2) buffet. You can fill up a massive bowl with your choice of rice, noodles, potatoes, spring rolls, fried mushrooms, greens, fruit, tofu, etc. It's definitely the best deal in town but it does get pretty hot under that low, aluminum roof. 

Our second day in town, we hopped in a tuk tuk to the famous Kuang Si waterfalls. There we met a cool group of people including a couple from Israel, Mor and Yarden, and Bart and Manook from the Netherlands. As we approached the waterfalls, I was surprised to see a bear rescue center and many signs about the importance of conservation. 

There were many many waterfalls, all with beautiful turquoise water. A few of the falls had swimming holes. The best and most crowded pool had a tree overhanging it and people were jumping off the tree. My new friends Mor and Bart happened to be the craziest jumpers. There was also one old European guy who had balls but lacked form. 

That night we met up with the waterfall gang at Utopia, a cool bar on the river with music, hookah, thai pillow cushions, a garden and even a sand volleyball court. Afterwards, before the 11:30 PM curfew shut down the bars, we headed to the late night bowling alley for some barefoot bowling. Alex was smashing pins. 

The following day Alex and I rented bicycles, rode along the Mekong, and tried finding another set of waterfalls. We hiked through an overgrown path with trees fallen across it in a big loop to realize that the waterfalls were pretty dried up. We then met a nice couple from England and together we searched out a wading pool and finally settled on the one within eyesight of the entrance (ugh). 

The next morning we left at 8:30 AM on a 3-4 hour mini bus to Vang Vieng. 

Next stop Vang Vieng!  

Sapa to Luang Prabang

The journey from Sapa, Vietnam to Luang Prabang, Laos by bus was an epic one. Let me start by saying if you are making this trip, look into flights. We heard it could take almost 24 hours so we decided to break it up by stopping in Diem Bien Phu near the border of Laos. 

We were picked up at 8:30 in a minivan which we assumed was just a shuttle to our big comfy bus that we had booked. However, the minivan blasted past the bus station. We figure we may change buses in the next town, yet that comfortable transition never occurred. We weaved down and trough the mountains for 7 hours. The roads are bumpy and windy so if you get carsick, this is the place where that will happen. The road was under construction and there was even a point where construction (or a landslide) left the road impassable. A bulldozer was clearing a path by carving into the side of the rubble laden cliff. Traffic (all of 12 cars) was stopped on both sides waiting for a safe path to be completed. 

We arrived at the bus station in DBP, where we were told they do not sell tickets to Luang Prabang. We needed to get back there at 6 AM and hope for the best. We checked into our guesthouse we had reserved and explored the tiny town. We climbed the steps to the monument which commemorated a decisive victory over the French that led to Vietnam's independence. It was the iconic statue where on one side there was a man holding a little girl waving the communist flag and the other side featured a man yielding a massive machine gun. The view up there of the sunset was definitely worth the climb and there was a spacious park to walk around. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me so you'll have to imagine (or look it up). 

The next morning we got to the bus station at 6:10 AM and were told there was no bus. The bus left at 6. We missed it. We had to take a mini bus at 6:30 to some other city and then change buses for Luang Prabang. It was the same price as the big comfortable bus ($25) except significantly less comfortable and slower with many more stops picking up and delivering goods to various venders. No one spoke English so we just hoped for the best. An hour and a half later we crossed the border. We paid $41.50 each with all of the added "fees" and were expecting it to be $35 so we were running low on cash. We didn't have enough for our bus. We told the driver we needed an ATM and he stopped at 4 different locations before we had success accessing our money. That was close. 

At 1:30 PM we switched buses and had to wait an hour and a half until it departed. This minibus was older and more cramped than the first one. At 3 PM when we finally left, it was packed with people, produce and various goods. The seats were all taken and the isle was stacked with burlap sacks. There was no AC and the bus was in poor condition. We had to stop occasionally so the driver could pour water on the engine to cool it down. The driver once pulled over by a creek and was literally splashing water up to the engine. What a mess. We were told that this bus would be 4 hours to Luang Prabang but it wasn't almost 11 PM, 8 hours later that we arrived at our destination. 

In short, we overpaid for potentially the worst day of travel of our lives. The only thing that compares is when we went from Cuzco, Peru to Huanchaco, Peru on two back to back buses totaling 34 hours. Except with that, we at least had comfortable seats and space. 

Sapa, Vietnam

Our overnight train to Sapa from Hanoi was expensive and mediocre. It cost $30 and took almost 9 hours. We were in a small cabin/room with two bunkbeds that we shared with a nice French couple.  The AC wasn't working well and the beds were too small but it was better than a bus through the mountains.

At 5 AM, an hour before we arrived, they began blasting traditional Sapa music along with what sounded like communist propaganda. They came by and woke us up to the tune of "morning coffee" which sounded great, until they asked for 20,000 VND for the instant coffee they handed us. That price would be expensive anywhere in Vietnam for fresh drip coffee. Again, not impressed. 

We exited the train and found a man holding a sign with my name on it. Each hotel would pay for and coordinate a pick up for their patrons. The train station was in a town called Lao Kai near the Chinese border and it was almost an hour from Sapa by minivan. We arrived around 7 AM at our fantastic and cheap hotel, Sapa Stunning View. We were greeted by the incredibly nice Mr. Kuan who we loved from the start. He was so accommodating, helpful and gave such great information without being pushy to book a tour through him or irritated at our slew of questioning. He really did everything he could to help us enjoy our stay and he went well above and beyond. He gave us an upgrade to a room on the top floor, and yes, the view of the mountains across the valley was absolutely stunning. 

After dropping off our bags we set out for the market to get breakfast, explore the town and look for a guide for the following day. When booking a guide through a hotel, the hotel gets a majority of the money as a booking fee. We wanted the money to go directly to the guide (as well as to save some money). There were dozens of indigenous women walking the streets and hassling people to buy something and asking if people needed guides. As we exited our hotel, we met one of these such women named Mu. She seemed very nice and offered us a two day, 1 night trip where we would hike for 5 hours and stay in her home in her village. We liked what we heard and asked for her number. We said we would call her if we were interested in going with her. We continued our quest through the town, past the church and around the lake to the market. 

The market was new and less than half full as it was recently relocated. Alex bought a beautiful necklace and I was tempted by all of the machetes. The food was slim pickings and we even walked past a dog carcass at a butchers stand. Gross. We found some bahn mi and headed back.

On our walk back we found another friendly indigenous woman, Suzie, who offered us a similar trek and homestay for $20 less. We confirmed the trek with her the following morning. That night we ate a delicious authentic Vietnamese dinner and upon returning to our hotel, found the staff playing guitar and singing on the porch. They invited us to join them and we immediately sat down and participated in singing the English songs they knew. I tried to play guitar and they seemed to appreciate our effort. The day ended on a very positive note, in which we were able to cross cultural barriers, as well as the proprietor vs. patron threshold.

The next day, on our way to meet Suzie, we ran into Mu. She was furious we didn't choose her for our guide and followed us 500 meters to our meeting place hassling us the whole way. She laid on a heavy guilt trip and we told her we were very clear that we would call if we were interested and we didn't call her.. She insisted we promised and called us liars. She even went as far as threatening to call her husband and have him come find us. When we got to Suzie, Mu began fighting with her as well. We tried to start our trek and repeatedly asked nicely for her to leave us alone. She was adamant so we apologized to Suzie and left the scene. We wouldn't be doing a guided trek to a homestay. It was very upsetting. Mu isn't necessarily a bad or mean person, but she is a product of what is happening in Sapa. It's way too touristy and the indigenous people are not getting their fair cut of the revenue. We now know why people advise not to get involved the way we did. 

Back at our hotel, Mr. Kuan was very concerned about our experience and settled us down. We wanted to leave Sapa at this point and he was so helpful in changing our plans. He booked our bus the next day and found us a place to stay that night as his place was full.

At this point, things started turning around for us. A very kind French couple, Lora and Armand, who had overheard our difficulties, introduced themselves and invited us to join them on an independent hike through the valleys, which they had already mapped out and planned on leaving for shortly. We accepted their invitation and commenced a truly hot and grueling trek set on spectacular scenery. We weaved down through rice paddies to the river, where we crossed jumping from stone to stone. On our way up a hill we saw a bunch of boys swimming in a swimming hole in the river below. We turned around and found our way to a well timed break cooling off in the river. 

In addition, Lora and Armand engaged us in great Spanish conversation, since they had been living in Barcelona for the past 16 years. Upon our return to the hotel, we decided to meet up with them again for dinner at a tasty and affordable restaurant, "Little Sapa" after we had changed rooms and taken a short siesta. It was a bad morning turned great day, and with that success it was time to leave Vietnam.

Next stop Laos!

Cat Ba Island, Halong Bay

We arrived in Cat Ba after a 5 hour multi-step process, starting with our shuttle bus pick-up from our hostel where we were introduced to the man who would be explaining the trip to us as well as apologizing for getting to drunk the night before and showing up with only one ticket for the 12 of us. Therefore, we picked a "leader" to follow for each leg of trip who would be responsible for our ticket. He was Russell Brant's doppelgänger and stood,out in a crowd. From here we boarded a bus to Haiphong (2.5 hours), bus to Haiphong port (.5 hours), high speed boat to Cat Ba (45 minutes), and lastly a bus to the center (.5 hours), which conveniently dropped us off across the street from our guesthouse. (We decided to book ahead as we were aware that this was the last night of Independence Day holiday and were told all vacation hotspots would be packed). 

During the 5 part trip to Cat Ba, we made some foreigner friends who informed us that not only were we arriving for the last day off the Vietnamese holiday, but it was also the last night of the first ever full moon party on Cat Ba island. While the likes of us don't often seek out these types of parties, we figured "when in Rome" and began preparations for the inevitably long night ahead. 

Mr. Khan, the owner of our guesthouse, recommended a "good and cheap" vegetarian restaurant nearby for dinner. Those words were music to our ears and we immediately began the short walk up the hill to Buddha's Belly. This became our go-to eatery which we frequented twice a day for the duration of our stay on Cat Ba. It was owned by the coolest monk you'll ever meet and the food is as fresh and healthy as it gets while filling your belly with massive portions. We opted for set meal, which is different everyday but always includes rice, vegetables, some form of vegan protein and a soup for 30K VND (about $1.50). 

After loading up on sustaining ingredients, we grabbed red bulls and hopped on the free shuttle to the full moon party. We immediately felt the anticipatory energy in the packed bus, where we grabbed the last two seats. There were young backpackers toting their newly purchased Vietnamese water pipes (intended for tobacco), as well as Vietnamese vacationers looking to have a good time. We sat next to a young, red faced, Vietnamese man who proudly announced to us that he was police and showed us his picture in uniform. He was quick to clarify that he was not going under official business, which was obvious enough by his slurred speech. 

Upon arriving we were happy to realize that entrance was free because not that many people had shown us as expected for this first annual festival. we entered a beautiful cove surrounded by steep cliffs secluded from any residential area. There was a massive stage on the beach with DJs and dancers facing the sea. First we checked out the bar where we ran into our friends from the bus, Martyn and Olga. We then spent most of the evening dancing by the water. All in all, it was a great experience and we were relieved it was as tame as it was. We were happy to spend time with older, like-minded travelers and made plans with Martyn (Scotland) and Olga (Spain) the next day. We took moto taxis home around 2 am and slept off the 2 for 1 vodka drinks. 

 

After a late wake-up, we rented s $4 motorbike and headed to the national park. We climbed to the top and sweated gallons. On the way back we stopped in a creepy bat infested cave. I wasn't sure about walking under them to the end but Alex encouraged me to face my fears of getting pooped on by a bat (again). Bats were flying close to our face and we ducked to avoid both them and the low ceiling.  We ended the day by meeting Martyn at the beach and catching some waves.

Our last day we booked a private boat with Martyn to kayak in Lan Ha bay and explore monkey island. The bay was full of breathtaking, limestone mountains emerging out of the blue water for as far as the eye could see. That night we met Olga and Martyn for dinner and 25 cent Bia Hoi (draft beer).We ended the night at our favorite place enjoying smoothies and complimentary traditional snacks served by the monk.

The next afternoon we did the reverse trip back to Hanoi to then catch the night train to Sapa. 

Next stop, Sapa. 

Hanoi

After an 18 hour bus ride from Hoi An I finally arrived in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi. I immediately noticed less homocidal motorbike traffic than Saigon and decided to walk to the hotel where I was to meet up with Alex, Little Hanoi Diamond. This well staffed sister hotel of Little Hanoi hostel was in a great location in the old quarter near many must-eat local restaurants, as suggested by lonely planet. They also had an incredible and free buffet breakfast that made it worth paying a little extra for the nice private room.

It had been a week and a half since I saw Alex and it was so great to see her and catch up on our solo adventures while walking the city. We didn't have much of a plan so we ended up walking the streets in search of great food and the best deal on North Fake jackets. We ended up finding both. 

We tracked down a couple places from our guidebook that were supposedly the cheap local hotspots. We had both Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) and Pho Ga (chicken noodle soup) and we recommend the Pho Bo because it's less fatty. We also had Bun Cha which is BBQ pork with doughy rice noodles. These are often served with crab spring rolls which are decent. Our last night we tried the Bun Bo Nam Bo in a packed restaurant. This was beef, noodles and greens topped with fried garlic bits and crushed peanuts in a sweet sauce. For dessert we had Sua Chua which we think is frozen condensed milk. It was super refreshing and cheap. 

Another traditional dessert, which Alex enjoyed, is Che. This is the Vietnamese version of "bing su (Korean) a shaved ice dessert found in most Asian countries. In Vietnam it's topped with your choice of sticky rice balls, jellies, and various fruits and covered with, you guessed it, condensed milk.  

Finally, we drank Bia Hoi (draft beer) with the locals on street corners and watched the motorbikes go by. The beers were less than fifty cents and hit or miss. The good ones were cold. Regardless, it was a fun experience sitting on plastic stools on the sidewalk, attracting stares and trying to make friends with the locals. 

You'd think it may be weird to camp out on a sidewalk but in Vietnam sidewalks are hardly ever used for walking. They are always full of stools, vendors and parked motorbikes. On old, narrow roads, the Vietnamese treat sidewalks the way we'd treat a lawn, driveway or even porch. It's an extension of the building behind it and pedestrians are forced to dodge the traffic in the street.

We weaved around motorbikes for blocks on end looking into almost two dozen North Face "outlets" and decided on the one with the best selection and perceived quality. It was called the Outdoor Shop Original located at 5B Ly Quoc Su Street. Mr. Tuan was the owner and he told me he wouldn't bullshit me. I told him if I am cold in NYC next winter I'll call him and he encouraged me to do so. We both ended up with a down jacket which, real or not, seemed like good quality at a fraction of the price we'd pay in the States. We are preparing very early for another Northeast winter.

Feeling like we properly ate, drank and purchased our way through Hanoi, we set out for Cat Ba island in Ha Long Bay where we booked a room in a guesthouse for three nights.

Next stop, Cat Ba Island.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Rolling into Hoi An on the back of a motorcycle was a pretty cool introduction to an amazingly beautiful old city. This little city is full of life, lanterns, expert tailors, cheap fresh beer, delicious food and photo ops. What it's refreshingly not full of is sky rises. The tallest building I saw was 3 stories. The low rise old buildings with peeling yellow paint promotes a timeless feel and a relaxing atmosphere. I could have definitely spent more time here. 

I settled into the Hideout Hostel which was in a great location across an old narrow bridge from the old city. The view from the point was great. I sat and watched the old ladies set out their fishing nets and the ferries roll up and down the river.

One of my roommates was an Australian named Jeremy who had also recently finished teaching in Korea. We hit it off and spent most of time together. He showed me the famous bahn mi restaurant, Bahn Mi Phuong, where Anthony Bourdain ate while filming an episode of No Reservations. Instant friendship. We ate here at least twice a day from there on out. Amazing Bahn Mi options and Cao Lao, a pork and doughy noodle dish. Tip: if you go, walk in and sit down and be vocal with someone about your order. Your food will come quickly. Don't wait outside for take out. It takes forever. I waited for 40 minutes in a line of 8 people my last day trying to get a quick bite for my bus.

We spent most of our time walking around the old city taking pictures, sipping coffee by the river, and drinking 4,000 VND draft beer. My second day we rented bikes and explored the city. Also, no trip to Hoi An is complete without seeing what the fuss is about with all the tailors. I had just got a suit made at my guy in Bangkok so I had no need for a suit. With all the fake North Face around it reminded me I've wanted a nice winter coat. So I started asking around to find the place. I ended up at Kimmys as it was recommended by two Brits in my room and had phenomenal reviews on trip advisor. After seeing another place that didn't seem to make many winter coats, Kimmys was the place. They had lots of fabrics, colors and expertise. They told me they could do a two layer thick 100% wool with an inner liner to make it warm enough for down to -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit). I had a specific idea in mind and they helped me develop it every step of the way. Diep was the lady's name who was my tailor and she even let me see their warehouse and factory where I saw a guy named Hong sew the inner liner into the jacket. It came out great and I couldn't be happier. We will have to wait and see if it can hold up to an NYC winter.

On the third day we rented a motorbike to share. Jeremy hopped on the back and we zipped up the coast to Danang where we saw the Marble Mountain, the beach, and the lady Buddha. Marble mountain hosted a massive temple grounds on the top full of intricate carvings and many caves with passages leading to massive Buddhas in alcoves. I was surprised at the scope and detail of the place and was very impressed. It's definitely worth a look. We continued to the beach where we could see the Lady Buddha calling out to us from the distance. She is apparently there to guard the city. We heard her call and continued the 15-20 minute ride to her. She is absolutely an absolutely stunning and massive, marble carved, 67 meter high structure. The view of Danang and the bay from up there was crazy as well. Afterwards, we downed a quick iced coffee at a very local spot and headed back before the sun set. We had to battle some serious traffic as there was a massive fireworks show in Danang that night to celebrate the 40th anniversary of America's departure and the reunification of Vietnam. 

That night I picked up my jacket (or shipped it home rather) and we grabbed one last beer by the river and yet another street bahn mi. The next morning I checked out and got ready for an epic 18 hour bus ride to Hanoi to meet back up with Alex.

Next stop, Hanoi, Vietnam.

The Central Highlands, Vietnam Easyrider Motorcycle Tour

I went outside my comfort zone on this one a little bit. Normally, I wouldn't volunteer to be behind a stranger on a motorcycle for days on end. Normally, I would book a tour like this through a reputable agency who would assign me a guide. I also would not normally spend more than my daily budget and have made very few exceptions so far on this trip. This was one of those well worth it exceptions.

As I mentioned in my previous post about Nha Trang, I had recently been considering a motorcycle tour as I wanted to see the central highlands while in Vietnam. My father was stationed there as an American communications specialist in the army during the war and I wanted to see where he was and learn more about the history. Within hours of giving this adventure any serious thought I was walking towards the beach and heard, "hello! Handsome man!" He had my attention.

Mr. Bang approached me with well-played small talk and we got to chatting. He told me he was a tour guide via motorcycle and asked if I was interested in seeing more of Vietnam. He wasn't pushy and we ended up sitting on the sidewalk and talking for an hour about the American War, his experiences, and potential itineraries. I ended up taking a risk and changing my plans around so I could go with Mr. Bang from Nha Trang through the central highlands to Hoi An. I had an open bus ticket to Hoi An I ended up ditching. Within two days we set out for a 4 day 3 night trip. The risk totally paid off.

Mr. Bang is an energetic, eager to laugh and learn, and knowledgeable Easyrider. These are guys that offer tours of rural Vietnam, which are growing increasingly popular with backpackers and tourists. Mr. Bang is very flexible and he basically created an itinerary for me to try and track down some of the places my father may have been or may remember. He would make sure to point out battlefields, victory monuments, and memorials as well as any structures or locations at were crucial during the war. He also knew I was interested in photographing the rural Vietnamese and he would slow down next to people he thought I would want a picture of. He even got them to wave and laugh to make for better pictures. He would ask if I got the shot I wanted and If I missed it, he would happily turn around and try again. He is a fantastic biker, safe and focused and I was really never worried. I taught him all the English phrases and expressions I could and he soaked it all up.

I taught him what frugal meant and said I wanted to eat where he eats: good and cheap. He took me to some incredible local spots. Some of the pho we had was the best I've had in Vietnam and everything was 15,000-25,000 VND. I was spending $3 a day with him and eating well.

Each day we covered between 170 and 220 kilometers. It was a lot of riding through beautiful landscapes, small towns with kids waving and yelling "hello" (or just staring and pointing). We rode along rivers, through winding mountain roads and misting jungle. I was afraid the people wouldn't welcome me but my fears couldn't have been more misguided. I was greeted with smiles everywhere.

The first day we rode to Buen Mi Thuot. This region is known for its coffee and chocolate (and coffee that's infused and roasted with chocolate). We stopped by fields of coffee beans and cacao. 

That night we arrived at a nice guesthouse and went out for street pho (beef noodle soup). The next morning we went out for breakfast and coffee. The coffee is incredibly strong, like espresso, drip coffee usually served win sweetened condensed milk. Coffee here cost 8,000 VND. It was so good I bought a half kilo to bring home. This was a commitment as I still had 6 weeks left of traveling left and have to lug it around. I think it's worth it.

That day was the longest ride of 220 kilometers. We rode through Pleiku which was where my father was stationed. We tried finding landmarks that may still be standing from that time so I could take pictures. While taking pictures of what they call Dragon Hill where a lot of fighting went down, a guy came up to us on motorbike and told us to be quick about it because the police were near. There is still paranoia and fear with the police and government (for those who supported the South) about certain places and topics relating to a divided country. We then went to Sea Lake and kept moving toward Kon Tum where we spent the night. We ended up eating at a delicious dry noodle place with another Easyrider and his client, Thomas from Germany. We would end up playing leap frog with them the rest of the way. Each time we saw them the guide would yell at me, "good morning America!"

The following day, day 3, we climbed up into the mountains where the air was cool and fresh. I was cold but it felt nice after 2 months of heat. We stopped at a famous old US airstrip at the base of the even more famous Charlie Hill. This hill was a hotspot for fighting and many died in both sides here. Mr. Bang told me there is a famous song about a South Vietnamese officer who died here. The airstrip was apparently used for U.S. Bombers. Its now used to dry tapioca in the hot sun.

That night we stayed at a beautiful hotel in a tiny town of which I can't recall the name. It was up in the hills, cool and quiet. We went out for a noodle dish that Mr. Bang loves and he said was a specialty. Afterwards, I was still a little hungry after the long day of riding so Mr. Bang was helping me search for something else. He asked some girls where to go. They walked with us to show us a place. They spoke a little English and said they were in the 8th grade. I said "oh my god, me too!" They thought that was hilarious. My beard is getting intense. They ended up bringing us to a BBQ rice paper omelette place and it was delicious.

The next day we headed out in the misting rain for our last and shortest trip to Hoi An on the coast. We descended the mountains, rode through the wet jungle and stopped off for coffee a few times along the way. At our last stop, we stumbled into a family's house with 5 kids. There was a 4 year old boy I was playing peekaboo with and 9 year old twin girls who I helped with their English homework. There was also an aunt who was obsessed with taking pictures with me. Next door was also a pineapple farm and truck loads of pineapples. Overall, it was a pleasant pit stop to end on. We said goodbye and finished out our journey.

Mr. Bang dropped me off at my hostel in Hoi An and we said our goodbyes. It was a bit sad to see him go since we got along so well and he showed me such a unique and genuine Vietnam experience. If you are ever approached by Mr. Bang on the street, be flattered, say yes and hop on.