July 26, 2012 Into Laos (Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Plain of Jars)

    Our last experience with the Vietnamese was getting severely overcharged for our bus ride over the border into Laos. We thought we had agreed on a price before we boarded the bus, but found out that they wanted an extra 210 bucks. This was very typical of the Vietnamese (especially on the buses) and we had read a few horror stories about tourists getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere when they refused to pay the extra charge.
   After arguing with the entire bus for about 20 minutes, (no one spoke English on the bus) we finally convinced then that we didn't have any money, which was kind of true (we had been lucky there was an ATM at the border to pay for our visas). Then after driving a few miles after crossing into Laos they stopped the bus and told us we were at our destination. Brian was positive that it was not since no one else was getting off the bus and thought they we deserting us because we refused to pay the extra money. However, once we got off we found that we were actually in the right place, a little border town called Lak Sao.
   We immediately felt a totally different attitude in Laos. The people were much more laid back. It is crazy that two countries can be so close together and yet have such different demeanors.
   We found that many times the Vietnamese were pushy and loud and many times tried to rip you off (keep in mind the majority of places we visited were on the tourist route and these were our experiences with the people in these places). This definitely got old after awhile. We always had to ask "how Much?" before doing anything and sometimes they would pretend not to speak English in order to rip you off. We finally learned how to say "how much" in Vietnamese ("baw neo"), but couldn't say much else because the language is totally based on tones and it is almost impossible to pronounce anything correctly.
   Another note on Vietnam... I would suggest not to take an "Open Tour Bus" as a means of transportation in Vietnam. When we first arrived it seemed like a great idea because we heard it is the cheapest and best way to travel around, but this is not exactly true. You can definitely take a hard seat train for cheaper, although it may be more uncomfortable. The sleeper trains would be the best way if you're looking for comfort. The sleeper buses are just plain bad. They pack way too many people in them and, as a Westerner, you barely fit in the seat. Also everyone on the buses are predominantly Western and it makes you feel like you aren't even traveling in Vietnam. They all went to the same placed and you saw the same tourists everywhere! It felt very contrived.
   I think if we could do it again we would do it by motorbike and go to the less touristy parts of Vietnam where it feels a little more real. All in all Vietnam was a beautiful country, but we could have picked a more original way to tour through it.
   Anyways, after arriving in Lak Sao, Laos we found a local bus to bring us to Vientiane where we would being our bike journey.
   Side note: Because we are restricted by time, we have to throw our bikes on top of buses and sawngthaews (basically a pickup truck with seats and a cover over the bed) a few times in order to see everything we want to see.
   Vientiane was a beautiful city. It is the capital of Laos, but it is very quiet and laid back for a city (the population is only around 200,000). There is a lot of French influence throughout Laos, especially in Vientiane. Signs were in French, Laos and English and the city is well known for its baguettes and pastries (they were very good!).
   We decided to test out our new bikes by doing a cycle tour of the city. We saw tons of wats (Buddhist temples) which are scattered throughout the city, along with a visit to the Patuxai, a monument in the center of Vientiane that is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in France. The city is on the Mekong and you can actually see Thailand right across the river.
   After a couple days sightseeings in Vientiane we started the first leg of our biking adventure. We weren't exactly in shape for the endeavor and it turned out to be pretty exhausting, but somehow we ended up doing around 100 KM (70 miles) and finished in a small villages called Thinkeo. The views during the ride were incredible. We went through many small farming villages (mainly rice farms) and up through mountains (I was trying to enjoy the scenery through the burning in my legs). Everywhere we went people were always smiling and saying "sabai di!" (hellos in Lao).
   Everything seemed to be going well with our bikes until Brian's gears started to act up and he was not able to switch into low gears on the hills.
   The next day we decided to bike only a short distance and take a sawngthaew to our next destination in Van Vieng (wehre we hoped someone could fix Brian's bike).
   Vang Vieng was a very interesting place. Originally known for its cave and outdoor activities, it has recently become a tourist hub for partying. The second we arrived we were very aware of this fact. Most tourists rent tubes for the day and drive up the river to the drop off point where they proceed to float down the river and get wasted and then do it again all day. The town is also perfectly set up for your hangover the next day with every restaurant either playing "Family Guy" or "Friends" on full blast. people can actually lay down while watching and eating.
    At first, Brian and I thought tubing sounded appealing, but it ended up raining both days we were there and everyone seemed to be off the river and watching TV in the restaurants instead. We decided biking to a nearby cave was a better option. We ended up bike a few kilometers and then hiking a small distance into a dark cave with a statue of Buddha laying in the middle surrounded by incense and different alms. It was very peaceful. Afterwards we even got to swim in a turquoise blue lagoon at the foot of the cave with rope swings and all. All in all a pretty good day!
   Vang Vieng was beautiful, but the party scene definitely ruined it. It almost felt like tourists were going there to escape from the real Laos.
   The day we were supposed to start out ride up to Luang Prabang it was downpouring (we didn't take into account the fact that it was monsoon season when we bought our bikes) and we decided to change plans and take a bus to Phonsavan where we would see the mysterious Plain of Jars.
    It ended up ebig a 6 hour drive for only 15 minutes of looking a the jars, but they are definitely cool. It is literally a field full of large ancient jars that look like giant granite boulders from afar. The crazy thing is, is that no one knows what purpose they had or who built them. This was also the site where a lot of fighting between the US and Vietnam took place. Laos is actually the most bombed country in history, the majority of the bombing happening during the Vietnam War. They say that over 2,000,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Laos during the course of nine years.
    Today, there are countless UXOs (unexploded ordinances) scattered throughout the country that still kill or dismember people every year. Event the hostel we stayed at in Phonsavan used many UXOs as decoration, such as key chains, pots for plants and the pit for the fire. We read in our guide book that some hotels have UXOs on display that haven't been diffused, so we kept our distance.

July 25, 2012 Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Halong Bay, Vinh

    Hoi An was a quaint little coastal town in central Vietnam. Previously colonized by the French, the colonial architecture and style is still very apparent. The first thing we did on arrival was to head to the tailor to get some clothes made. Cat got fitted for two dresses, one of which is to be her bridesmaids dress for Sara and Pat's wedding. I decided to get a couple of suits and was helped out by the minuscule, but fiery Bich (that was her name). Over the next few days we had to return for several more fittings and we also decided to get some nice leather shoes made at the cobbler next door.
    Hoi An had a great selection of food as well, our favorite which was Cau Lau (pronounced Gow Lao), a local specialty. It is a noodle dish with special wide noodles said to be made specifically with water from the local well.
    The Full Moon Festival coincided with our visit to Hoi An and it was a fun experience. No electric lighting or cars were allowed on the main street along side the river so the area was aglow from candles and paper lanterns. We sat by the river and watched the myriad of floating lanterns drift downstream.
    After a couple of days, we headed north along the coast for a short distance to the city of Hue. We spent the first day seeing some of the local sites, including the massive walled citadel built sometime in the 1800's. Many parts of the walled palace had been destroyed by the Vietnam War and is still being rebuilt. The outer wall encompassed some 10 KM and there were two walled areas within. It was quite impressive.
    We then set out on a day long journey to visit the newly discovered Phong Nha Paradise Cave. It's thought to be the largest dry cave in the world and visitors can explore the first 1 KM. Despite the long journey (8 hour round trip), the cave was incredible. There were stalactites and stalagmites of all types and sizes. The cave itself was massive.
    That night we took another horrible sleeper bus north to the capital city, Hanoi. Hanoi was a very enjoyable city and we were surprised by the relative order and cleanliness. The local food options were boundless and we tried many new foods and developed a couple favorites. Along with eel rolls, snail soup and grilled dog, we tried Xoi Yen, yellow sticky rice covered with savory toppings, and Bun Bo Nam Bo, a
bowl of noodles with beef, fried onions and a delicious, almost sweet, broth (this was Cat's favorite). We also had some of our favorite our favorite coffee in Vietnam in Hanoi, including coffee with beaten egg whites and our favorite, coffee with yogurt.
    Another amazing experience was the Bia Hoi culture. All over the city there are small Bia Hoi shops with dozens of laughably small plastic chairs and tables outside, selling Bia Hoi. Bia Hoi is a locally brewed beer that is served by the glass instead of the bottle. It is cold and refreshingly delicious and costs next to nothing (about $0.25 per glass). During our time in Hanoi we spent many enjoyable hours squeezed into a tiny chair sipping cold brew and watching the local life.
   There are endless things to do in Hanoi from Temples to museums, so we did our best. We visited the Museum of Fine Art, the National History Museum, the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, the Temple of Literature (Vietnam's first national university built in 1070 that is now a temple dedicated to Confucius), and, of course, Uncle Ho at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Of these we really enjoyed the prison and seeing the living conditions of the inmates. The prison was originally built by the French and they used it for years to detain "enemies of Imperialism". When they left the Viet Cong used it to imprison their enemies, including captured US pilots. They even put John McCains flight suit on display and pictures of him while he was held there.
   Our visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was interesting. It is free to go inside, but under very strict conditions. They literally march you in a single file line inside while armed and uniformed guards keep a close eye out to make sure you aren't wearing a hat or putting your hands in your pockets (one of the many rules). Inside, completely and utterly against his wishes, they have put revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on display for the public. You might picture a skeleton or something, but no, the Vietnamese have embalmed their former leader so that when you look into the glass case and see him peacefully lying there he could be sleeping. Supposedly he is shipped to Russia for a couple months every year for "repairs and Maintanence".
   Our next venture was to Cat Ba Island in the picturesque Lan Ha Bay, directly adjacent to the famous Ha Long Bay. After two buses, a boat and a third bus, we finally arrived in Cat Ba town, which turned out to be the Vietnamese version of the strip at Hampton Beach (NH). We had been hoping for a quite laid back town...
   The following day we decided to go check out the bay. Instead of the uber touristy tour boats we thought that renting a kayak would be fun and more relaxing. It turned out to be a big mistake. We spent the first couple of hours trying to make our way out of the maze-like harbor and into the bay. Once we finally got out into the bay, we found that the waves were larger than we anticipated. Already exhausted, we decided to make for the first deserted beach we saw which ended up being covered in trash and debris (including a used syringe). Totally burnt out (literally and figuratively) and very frustrated, we headed straight back to the harbor.
   The next day we opted to pay more and check out the bay the easy way. So we boarded an overcrowded tour boat and set out for our second day on the Bay (one day is probably enough). The scenery was incredible, with thousands of small islands of limestone (karsts) jutting out from the sea everywhere you looked.
    While on the cruise, we met a traveling duo from Aus and the UK who were touring Vietnam on motorbikes. Their trip sounded amazing and we became inspired to do something similar. We decided to ship home our bags and get a pair of hybrid mountain bikes. It took us several says in Hanoi to get everything we would need for the journey, but after a bit of stress and a lot of interrogation we finally settled on what seemed like sturdy bikes. Cat ended up getting an Asam (we think it's made in Taiwan, but not sure) and I got a Giant bike built for me by a local bikeshop (which ended up not being the most reliable place).
   We then headed to the Canvas and leather street of Hanoi (every street in Hanoi is dedicated to selling one thing. You will find entire streets with shoes and every store next to each other have the same exact things. We don't understand how they make money). On this street we found the perfect bags (panniers) for the back of our bikes. After a few adjustments and strapping a plank of wood on the back of the bike to hole the bag we were ready to go.
   Our next stop was to head back south before crossing the border into Laos. We stopped in a small town called Vinh where we felt much more welcome and less exploited than in other parts of Vietnam. People seemed genuinely friendly and you could tell that few tourists passed through.

Saturday 6/30/12 - From Nepal to South East Asia

    We spent ten days in the laid back town of Pokhara in central Nepal. Positioned on the south east shore of the large Phewa lake, Pokhara is a big destination town for foreigners and Nepalese tourists alike. The big things to do there are para glide over the lake and rent a boat and explore the lake. While we had neither the interest nor the budget for the former, we decided to rent a small paddle boat and spent the day relaxing on a pebbly beach on the far side of the lake.
    After several less than impressive experiences at local restaurants, we decided our favorite place to eat was the Moon Dance Cafe. We ate several meals there until we were forced to leave due to a couple overly aggressive cockroaches.
    While in Pokhara, Cat decided to embellish on her current tattoo and had the Nepalese protection mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum" inked in a circle around the eye. The new tattoo turned out very well and she is excited about it.
    After finishing the book Born to Run (which is excellent, READ IT!!!), I was convinced that Cat and I could go on a day long run to see some of the local sites. After about five km though, she informed me that it was slightly overzealous; I relented.
    After much relaxation (and a little boredom), we finally took the bus back to Kathmandu and flew to Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam.
    HCMC was a very pleasant surprise. We had heard that it would be overwhelming with so many people and scooters as well as overaggressive vendors. To our surprise, we found it to be very clean with the vendors being not too difficult. After India, it was a piece of cake. We started experimenting with the local cuisine but it wasn't very long before I had my first debilitating food illness of the trip.
    After a full night and day of recuperation, we headed on a tour to the Cao Dai temple followed by the Cu Chi tunnels. The temple is the biggest temple of the Cao Dai religion in all of south east Asia. The religion is very unique in that it blends the beliefs and deities from several major religions including Buddhism, Confucionism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. The temple was very colorful and ornately decorated. We viewed a local prayer ceremony where some fifty parishioners, garbed all in white, kneeled in similar fashion to Islamic prayer.
    Next we headed to the historic Cu Chi tunnels. For those of you from my generation, these were a series of complex underground tunnels used by Vietnamese fighters and other villagers to escape from US bombing raids. Located about two hours north east of HCMC, the tunnels extend underground for some fifty km and are complete with rooms, booby traps, and three levels of tunnels. The most impressive part of the tour was seeing the many different types of booby traps inflicted on US forces.
    There were many different types, varying in complexity, but they all were very painful and very well designed. The majority included some swiveling contraption that was weight triggered and consequently would stab long steel poisonous barbs through specific parts of your body. The barbs were poisoned with cobra venom or when that was unattainable, the Viet Cong would use human fecal matter.
    There are sample tunnels left from the war that have been slightly widened for western tourists but even so it is a tight and uncomfortable fit.
    Next we stopped in the Mekong Delta, south east of HCMC, for a couple of days. We visited the towns of My Tho, Ben Tre and Can Tho. In Can Tho we got on a tour boat and floated amongst the largest floating market in the delta. There are copious amounts of boats selling and buying all sorts of produce; it's pretty impressive.
    We then booked an overnight sleeper bus ten hours north to the beach city of Nha Trang. There were fully reclining tiny little beds on the bus that would be perfectly comfortable for a a Hobbit but posed slight problems for Cat and I.
    In Nha Trang, I spent three days getting my Open Water Dive Certification while Cat snorkeled, sun bathed and picked up some of the local sites including a dilapidated aquarium set in a pirate ship and some impressive Champa ruins. Tonight we are taking another sleppless sleeper bus to Hoi An, where we will spend several days getting fitted for clothes, enjoying the local culinary experience, and taking in the supposedly beautiful and historic scenery. Cheers!