Randi and Yaacov – On the Road

We adjusted to the pace of Hanoi and zipped through the sites quickly.  In the  Old Quarter where the streets are small and chaotic we  walked down red lantern street, then turned right onto shoelace street, then another right onto motor bike seat cover street, and a left onto the fresh market street, all while avoiding the overpriced backpackerstreet to find the place that sells Burritos. Our heads were spinning as we tried to wrap our minds around the Temple of Literature, built in 1070, where the students of  Confucius memorized the edicts of a fulfilling life written on stone tablets.  Then we jumped back to present day and visited the Fine Arts Museum after slurping down a delicious taro and coconut tapioca “bubble” tea.

The next morning we met some fellow Americans on our way to Halong  Bay.  We hit it off immediately and after finding a cheap $6/night hotel room we head for some noodle soup and fresh local beers.  The next morning we woke early and headed to the Cat Ba National park for an incredible 4 hour trek.  We hiked  over jagged rock cliffs in the jungle while I continually questioned my sanity and decision-making abilities.  In retrospect, the  views were amazing and the experience one to remember.  After a few more local brews that night and some cometitive card games we woke up the next morning to take a foggy boat ride through the dramatic cliffs of Halong Bay.  With our new friends we had a private boat that stopped at an impressive cave with enormous stalactites and stalagmite formations lit in psychadelic colors. Then we braved the cool misty fog to kayak through rock formations and spotted beautiful coral. As the sun peeked through the clouds we decided to jump off the roof of the boat into the cold salty bay.  Check out our friend’s  photos in the Cat Ba link  to see us frame by frame fly into the water.

Yesterday we returned to Hanoi to visit the sarcophagus of Ho Chi Minh which reminded me of a pale wax museum exhibit except much, much creepier.  We listened to great live jazz with an amazing percussionist as we said “Goodnight Vietnam, it’s been fun.”

We are now in the modern metropolis of Singapore marvelling a the clean streets and organized layout.  The subways, everyone speaking English, delicious vegetarian food, and the very high prices remind us of home.  We will just have to be careful about the $500 fine for eating on public transportation and the $1000 for jaywalking… we miss you NYC!

We made it! We are in Hanoi after biking over 500 kilometers (about 320 miles) and we are TIRED! Actually we both rode much better than we expected and quickly got in shape to have the strength for the many miles.  We have uploaded many, many photos of our journey (click here).  Some of the highlights included:

• Hai Van Pass: a 10km uphill ride into the fog and clouds.  Along the way tourists in coach buses took photos of us and locals gave us a giant thumbs up. At the top we saw an American Bunker and drank water from coconuts.  Then the fun 11km downhill to the beach
• All the children screaming “Hello” as we rode past.  They liked giving us High-fives and wanted to practice the English that they learned in school
• Racing along broken roads through small villages where cars can not access
• Scenic riding through rice paddies, on dirt roads,  over several small bridges, along the beatiful coastal roads, over mountains and to the middle of nowhere
• Bringing our own veggie lunch to a local restaurant and asking them to cook it for us despite not being on the menu
• Trying every fruit that grows in Vietnam: more than 25 new fruits including milk apple, custard apple, dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, 12 varieties of bananas, 2 different types of pineapple, yellow and green mangos, red and yellow papaya, and countless more
• Stopping at the markets, a wood carving factory, tea plantations, ceramics factory, shrimp farm, coffee factory, and bamboo farms
• The beautiful sunset in Nha Trang, the river at night  in Hoi An, and oceanside lunches along the ride
• Visiting the sites of My Son ancient ruins and the Citadel in Hue (pronounced Hway)
• Being silly, exercising, getting a rediculous bike jersey tan, and simply having fun!

We have completed Day 4 of our bike journey along the coast of Vietnam.  So far we have had an amazing experience seeing the country from a different perspective… on 2 wheels.  The day before leaving we stopped at the “factory” where they produce bike jerseys.  It consisted of several sewing  machines  in the front of a small house in the middle of a market.  They were busy producing the jerseys for the national Vietnam cycling team.  We got ourselves some professional gear and we all set for our ride. We headed out from Saigon and drove several hours through mountains to the hill top town of Dalat.  Nestled among flower farms and serene lakes the cool breeze was perfect.  We cycled for a short while to get used to our bikes and to see the area which was covered wiin fields of giant artichokes and other veggies.  We saw the sights at night and visited the “crazy house” similar to Gaudi’s architecture  the next morning .  Then we finally started the uphill journey.  And it was a looong and tiring uphill ride for two out of shape backpackers.  We stopped at a coffee plantation and factory and watched them process the beans.  Next we peddled past a landslide being cleared.  Then as I was exhausted in the support van, Yaacov had the downhill 30km ride of his life.  He zipped passed all the cars along the mountain road for the adrenaline high he will remember forever.  We ended the day, exhausted, in the beautiful beachside town of Nha Trang.  A walk in the powdery sand brought us to a local brewery and tasty treat after a hard days work.

Luckily the next day was about beaches and relaxation.  We went on a private boat tour of several islands near Nha Trang.  We visited an aquarium shaped like a shipwreck then went snorkling to find the fish in the sea.  The colorful coral in the clear blue-green water was beautiful.  We then went to a white sandy beach where we relaxed, had lunch, and swam the afternoon away.

Today we left Nha Trang early and rode through some small villages off the main road.  We passed many rice fields and met a group of school children along the way.  The children only go to school for 6 half days a week because they don’t have enough teachers for full time school. We cycled through the fields on dirt paths and waved to the locals along the way.  We stopped for a delicious beachside lunch and then we were back on the road. We started winding downhill to come to the ocean road.  We cycled along the seaside with our mouths open as we marvelled at the beauty.  We stopped at a shrimp farm and chatted with the locals.  Then we visited a cashew factory where they were shelling the nuts by hand.  No wonder cashews are so expensive!  Now we are in a non-touristy town full from a $15 feast dinner for four, ready to collapse. 

The next few days should be long but beautiful.  You can see our photos on flickr.com or check out vietnambackroads.com and click on video clips. ”Van the Man”, our guide, is not only an excellent cyclist but also an aspiring paparazzi photographer. 

Check off another crazy experience on the Randi and Yaacov adventure honeymoon tour.

Good Morning Vietnam! After a long and slow bus ride from Kep, we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City just after midnight, hailed a cab and quickly collapsed in our hotel room in the heart of the backpacker district after a late night sticky rice and coconut snack. Bright and early at 7AM we awoke to children screaming and playing in the nursery school 10 feet away from our window. Add that to the list of things to check out about when looking for a hotel room.

We quickly found food and great Vietnamese coffee before setting off on a walking tour of the city. Nearby is a fine art museum with paintings and sculptures from the past 100 years and several art galleries. It’s fascinating to see how the times were portrayed during different ruling parties, countries and wars.

Then we went to the botanic gardens and zoo where there were more sculptures of animals made from flowers and topiary than live animals.

We had just missed a flower festival and the Vietnamese new years. One can only imagine how beautiful it must have been.

The next day we visited the Reunification Palace which was used by the South Vietnamese during the Vietnam war and where the North Vietnamese tanks rolled through ending the war. Inside we saw the offices of the president, meeting rooms with war maps, the rooftop ballroom and helicopter landing pad, and the bomb shelter. Afterwards, we walked to the nearby War Remnants Museum which focuses on the brutality of the war and it’s aftermath with many photos and stories from soldiers, villagers and others.

Many of highlights of our trip so far have been while hiking, kayaking and biking. After a quick google search we found a local tour company with a tour leaving in a couple of days for a bike ride through the mountains and up the coast all along the back roads and ending up in Hanoi 12 days later. I spoke with the guide and it sounded perfect so we booked it.

Having a long weekend to fill we set off for Mui Ne the closest beach to HCMC early the next morning. The bus dropped us off on the main and only road through town and we checked in to the closest hotel right on the beach with views of the sea and the most kite surfers we’ve ever seen in one place.  Mui Ne has the perfect strong and steady onshore wind for kite surfers to do endless jumps 20ft into the air and other tricks. We didn’t have enough time to learn kite surfing so I took a couple of windsurfing lessons and can now make turns without falling of the board.

The highlight of Mui Ne was walking up the Fairy Stream through white and red sands dunes and attempting to sled down the dunes. The ostrich ride was also fun.

Here’s our itinerary for the next couple of weeks. We leave early tomorrow morning.

Day 01: Saigon-Dalat (B/L/) (35 km)
Have breakfast, check out and leave Saigon for Dalat by transfer, stop at Bao Loc for lunch and enjoy coffee, green tea. Continue transfer to Dalat. Pedal loop 30 km in rural of Dalat, pedal pass vegetable and flower beds and strawberry plantations. Have dinner and overnight in Dalat

Day 02: Dalat-Nha Trang (B/L/) (80-100 km)
Start to ride from your hotel to Nha Trang, ride rolls through hills among mountains rang and valley. Have a picnic lunch in Khank Vinh town. In the afternoon, we ride on the backroads through villages to Dien Khanh where we get on van/bus and transfer to Nha Trang in a short time. Overnight in Nha Trang

Day 03: Nha Trang city tour (B/L)
Enjoy a whole day with boat trip to Islands for swimming, snorkeling relax on beach. Overnight in Nha Trang

Day 04: Nha Trang-Phu Yen (B/L/) (80 km)
Transfer out of Nha Trang city, pedal on quiet country roads by the ocean. Have a pinic lunch, then continue pedaling to Tuy Hoa. Stay a night in Tuy Hoa town

Day 05: Phu Yen-Qui Nhon (B/L/) (80 km)
Transfer to an hour to Chi Thanh where we avoid heavy traffic on the high way. Ride rolling up hill on back roads and dirty track along railway through mountain region, rice fields and sugar cane plantations. Transfer to Qui Nhon city in late afternoon

Day 06: Qui Nhon –Quang Ngai (B/L/) (100 km)
Transfer 30 minutes of out busy city of Qui Nhon. Begin with cycling through rice-paddy to mountain areas. Cycle passes many little villages to ocean roads. Today you will have the opportunity to admire beautiful coastal roads. In the afternoon, cycle through uphill through mountain, rice fields and coconut plantations in Binh Duong. Transfer in late afternoon to Quang Ngai

Day 07: Quang Ngai – Hoi An (B/L) (80 km)
Have breakfast at hotel start to ride to My Lai village from the hotel. Have a short visit and talk to locals about the massacre of more than 504 locals in 1968 .Continue riding to Chau O, and transfer to Tam Ky town for lunch. Then cycle on ocean dirty track to outskirt of Hoi An.  Overnight in Hoi An

Day 08: Hoi An-My Son (B/L) (40 km)
Ride from Hoi An to visit My Son the capital on Champa Kingdom, stop to visit Thanh Ha ceramic & pottery factory before riding on rural roads to My Son. Transfer back to Hoi An for lunch in the afternoon. Stay one more night in Hoi An

Day 09: Hoi An-Hue (B/L/) (90 km)
Van/bus takes you out Hoi An,  have a little time to warm up your body before pedaling uphill to the peak of Hai Van pass. Then off roads to ocean way keep cycling through fishing villages and ancient burial-ground of Hue (ghost city is called by locals) to Hue city. Other ways, keep biking on a little country roads to Hue city

Day 10: Hue-Hanoi by night train (B/L/) (30 km)
Ride to visit forbidden city, the capital of Vietnam from 17-20 century, continue riding on single track  to the Royal Tombs of Nguyen Dynasty. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant near Vong Canh hill (the old US Army base). Ride on different back roads to hotel, free time for shopping until has transfer to railway station. overnight on train to Hanoi capital

Day 11: Hanoi city tours (B/L/) (no cycling)
Spend a whole day exploring Hanoi capital, visit the Temple of Literature, One Pillar Pagpda, Old Quarter of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh complex. See the Water Puppet Show in the evening