Another overdue blog entry but I do have a really valid excuse. It was very hard to find time to blog after cycling all day followed by hot shower to keep the muscles in relatively little pain followed further by lovely dinners where we explored the best of the best of local cooking and tasted local beers or surprisingly nice Vietnamese wine from Dalat. So here I am typing this blog already home in Poland in the middle of Christmas preparation and finalising it while waiting in Madrid for our flight to Buenos Aires and publishing already in Chile.
Cycling
I am not sure where to start, so much as happened in these two weeks! We started easy with a 20km ride from Ho Chi Mingh to the Vietkong tunnels where the purpose of the ride was to get a feel for the bikes. And since then every day was more difficult but yet more rewarding because despite more and more sore muscles I could feel the ability and fitness rising with every km on the bike. To the point that when on the 10th day of the trip (from Hoi An to Hue) when we climbed up the Hai Van pass at 500m I (couch potato) thought it was not that difficult. But do not get me wrong a continued clime 10% for 10 km was hard! But as always with this kind of effort the views on the way: jungle forest, coffe and dragon fruit plantations, rice fields, the fishing villages with its blue boats and beaches (including the famous China beach) plus the satisfaction you feel at the end of each day where very rewarding. 
Another reward was the Vietnamese kids in the villages along the way. They did not let us pass without screaming hello or trying high five. Occasionally they would try to race us a short distance on their simple, no-gear bicycles and sometimes they would win! Or as on one break they would just hang around with us being so excited about every gesture of interest.
Hardest Day
While Hai Van pass was possibly the biggest climb in the trip for me two other days were much harder to cycle. The hardest by far was 80km day from Nha Trang to Quy Nhon where we cycled all afternoon in the rain and into a head wind. The head wind was so strong that at some point where we turned around the mountain ridge I could not balance myself on the bike and had to walk a few meters until I was able to shelter behind the next turn. Even at some downhill slopes I had to pedal because otherwise the bike would have come to a standstill!
Easiest day (supposedly)
The 100km day from Dalat to Nha Trang started with a 50km downhill ride. Supposed to be nice and easy way down yet it was another hard day for me but not necessarily for my fellow cyclists who seem to have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. The top of the mountain was covered in the incredibly dense jungle mist with the visibility of not more than 5 meters. It was for me as nerve wrecking as a rollercoaster. At the bottom of the mountain the visibility and the weather improved somewhat but still the pace of downhill was a bit much for me so I rode slowly on the breaks (probably a cycling crime) and arrived last at the lunch break some 20 minutes after the rest of the group! Later I found out that the trip mechanic who had to stay behind me all the way was previously a racing cyclist. I could only imagine how painful it was for him to go so slow downhill yet he patiently followed my turtle pace.
Spookiest day
In the trip we had two days break from the bicycle designed to see the best of the Vietnamese costal town, or maybe to get some time lying on the beach which we could not enjoy cause of the rainy weather) or maybe just to give the butt a rest from the saddle, which my backside was really grateful for. We stopped for a day in Nha Trang and Hoi Anh. Nha Trang is not a very exciting place with a temple with a giant Buddha and a site with well-maintained Cham Towers but it has mud baths. We awarded ourselves with an afternoon soaking in the mud and mineral tubs watching the rain dropping on the jungle covered mountains and really good massage.
The other day break was in Hoi An, very cheerful somewhat touristy historical town set on the river banks. Sightseeing was interesting, the Japanese-Chinese friendship bridge, temple and ancient houses and the wonderful market. We also made a half day trip to My Son, a not very well maintained and damaged in the war site of Cham constructions from about the same time as Ankor Wat (though those who have been at Ankor Wat said it was not as good). Anyway, the day in Hoi An was all about shopping! Hoi An is the shopping capital of Vietnam. It has tons of trinket but also lots of hidden treasures and I ended up spending some money from ‘the other budget’.
The trip finished with a night train ride from Hue to Hanoi where we transferred for a one day/one night cruise on the Ha Long Bay, one of the new 7 natural wonders of the word that defeated Masurian Lakes in the vote. It would have been probably much nicer if the weather were more considerate of our short stay in the bay. It rained a little bit but it was overcast, grey and a bit cold. Yet, I dared to swim for a few minutes in the bay given that it was my last to swim in the South China sea.
On our last day in Vietnam we went to a Pho restaurant for our last pho. We were sat at the two empty seats and picked our beef style for the pho when we were joined by the English man with his Vietnamese fiancé whom we already met for lunch the day before in the local Bun restaurant… Rather uncommon encounter in the city of 10mln people. If you meet strangers two days in a row it is time to chat. We found out that they are getting married in January and their biggest decision was where to settle in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi. I so could relate to their hardship in making this choice. Both cities are vibrant, full of life and motorcycle traffic, but Ho Chi Minh City had slightly more European feel to it with is wide avenues and western style shopping malls, large and expensive hotels. Hanoi appeared to have kept its Asian fare busy with small family run businesses. So it is a hard choice to pick either to live in. Luckily as a tourist you can visit both and there is no need to decide which one is the favourite! I liked them bothJ
Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi is a tough call; it seemed to me however that everybody was either a Pho or Bun person. Pho is a clear broth with white noodles served either with slices of different styles of beef of your choice or chicken which you then spice yourself with a bit of chilli and lots of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and lime. Bun is slightly more complicated dish and involves more effort from the ‘eater’. All the ingredients are served separate: cold noodles, fried pieces of pork in the slightly fatty broth, garlic crushed with chillies and a plate of fresh herbs (of course) that you put in the bowl as you like it. 
For those that cannot decide the favourite between the pho and bun there is also a dish ‘in the middle’: Cau Lau served only in Hoi An. It is made of thick noodles (slightly similar to the german spatzle for my germanofil friends) served with sauté pork and its jus, and as always with some herbs and lettuce. Unlike pho or bun it is served ready to eat so there is no work before diving into the bow. I do not think I liked it more than pho or bun but yet I had 3 times in a row while we were in Hoi An considering that it is confined to such a small area that I may not visit again (or at least not for a long time).
Generally the food in Vietnam was wonderful. We enjoyed every single meal whether in posh or street restaurant. The only exception was the food on the train from Hue to Hanoi but that often is the case when it comes to train food in any country.
At the end of the trip when we said our good byes to the fellow cycling tourist and our wonderful trip crew we had to fill out the trip evaluation. One of the questions in the form asked what was the highlight of the trip. It was very hard to answer because every day was different and equally wonderful! And such was my response. Today I can also easily conclude that Vietnam is my favourite travel destination, beautiful and varied landscape, different and interesting culture, lovely people, exciting shopping and wonderful and really varied food… and contrary to my expectation it was much more to it than the world famous fish sauce!
To all my friends: Start planning your trip to Vietnam, it does not have to be cycling, however you travel I am sure you’ll have wonderful time!
Cycling
I am not sure where to start, so much as happened in these two weeks! We started easy with a 20km ride from Ho Chi Mingh to the Vietkong tunnels where the purpose of the ride was to get a feel for the bikes. And since then every day was more difficult but yet more rewarding because despite more and more sore muscles I could feel the ability and fitness rising with every km on the bike. To the point that when on the 10th day of the trip (from Hoi An to Hue) when we climbed up the Hai Van pass at 500m I (couch potato) thought it was not that difficult. But do not get me wrong a continued clime 10% for 10 km was hard! But as always with this kind of effort the views on the way: jungle forest, coffe and dragon fruit plantations, rice fields, the fishing villages with its blue boats and beaches (including the famous China beach) plus the satisfaction you feel at the end of each day where very rewarding. 
Another reward was the Vietnamese kids in the villages along the way. They did not let us pass without screaming hello or trying high five. Occasionally they would try to race us a short distance on their simple, no-gear bicycles and sometimes they would win! Or as on one break they would just hang around with us being so excited about every gesture of interest. Hardest Day
While Hai Van pass was possibly the biggest climb in the trip for me two other days were much harder to cycle. The hardest by far was 80km day from Nha Trang to Quy Nhon where we cycled all afternoon in the rain and into a head wind. The head wind was so strong that at some point where we turned around the mountain ridge I could not balance myself on the bike and had to walk a few meters until I was able to shelter behind the next turn. Even at some downhill slopes I had to pedal because otherwise the bike would have come to a standstill!
Easiest day (supposedly)
The 100km day from Dalat to Nha Trang started with a 50km downhill ride. Supposed to be nice and easy way down yet it was another hard day for me but not necessarily for my fellow cyclists who seem to have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. The top of the mountain was covered in the incredibly dense jungle mist with the visibility of not more than 5 meters. It was for me as nerve wrecking as a rollercoaster. At the bottom of the mountain the visibility and the weather improved somewhat but still the pace of downhill was a bit much for me so I rode slowly on the breaks (probably a cycling crime) and arrived last at the lunch break some 20 minutes after the rest of the group! Later I found out that the trip mechanic who had to stay behind me all the way was previously a racing cyclist. I could only imagine how painful it was for him to go so slow downhill yet he patiently followed my turtle pace.
Spookiest dayOn a way to Hue we cycled flat. It was nice and easy 100k ride among… graveyards! Apparently people around Hue (former capital of Vietnam) are very superstitious and believe in worshiping the ancestors and build them incredibly ornamental and often very large (larger than their own home) expensive graves. They stretch along the road and sometimes in the middle of rice fields. It was quite spooky experience to see nothing else for some 20 km but graves… Not to mention trying to find a spot to pee in the emergencyJ that would not offend the ancestors!
Non-cycling days 
In the trip we had two days break from the bicycle designed to see the best of the Vietnamese costal town, or maybe to get some time lying on the beach which we could not enjoy cause of the rainy weather) or maybe just to give the butt a rest from the saddle, which my backside was really grateful for. We stopped for a day in Nha Trang and Hoi Anh. Nha Trang is not a very exciting place with a temple with a giant Buddha and a site with well-maintained Cham Towers but it has mud baths. We awarded ourselves with an afternoon soaking in the mud and mineral tubs watching the rain dropping on the jungle covered mountains and really good massage. 
The other day break was in Hoi An, very cheerful somewhat touristy historical town set on the river banks. Sightseeing was interesting, the Japanese-Chinese friendship bridge, temple and ancient houses and the wonderful market. We also made a half day trip to My Son, a not very well maintained and damaged in the war site of Cham constructions from about the same time as Ankor Wat (though those who have been at Ankor Wat said it was not as good). Anyway, the day in Hoi An was all about shopping! Hoi An is the shopping capital of Vietnam. It has tons of trinket but also lots of hidden treasures and I ended up spending some money from ‘the other budget’.
The trip finished with a night train ride from Hue to Hanoi where we transferred for a one day/one night cruise on the Ha Long Bay, one of the new 7 natural wonders of the word that defeated Masurian Lakes in the vote. It would have been probably much nicer if the weather were more considerate of our short stay in the bay. It rained a little bit but it was overcast, grey and a bit cold. Yet, I dared to swim for a few minutes in the bay given that it was my last to swim in the South China sea.Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi
On our last day in Vietnam we went to a Pho restaurant for our last pho. We were sat at the two empty seats and picked our beef style for the pho when we were joined by the English man with his Vietnamese fiancé whom we already met for lunch the day before in the local Bun restaurant… Rather uncommon encounter in the city of 10mln people. If you meet strangers two days in a row it is time to chat. We found out that they are getting married in January and their biggest decision was where to settle in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi. I so could relate to their hardship in making this choice. Both cities are vibrant, full of life and motorcycle traffic, but Ho Chi Minh City had slightly more European feel to it with is wide avenues and western style shopping malls, large and expensive hotels. Hanoi appeared to have kept its Asian fare busy with small family run businesses. So it is a hard choice to pick either to live in. Luckily as a tourist you can visit both and there is no need to decide which one is the favourite! I liked them bothJ Pho, Bun or Cau Lau
Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi is a tough call; it seemed to me however that everybody was either a Pho or Bun person. Pho is a clear broth with white noodles served either with slices of different styles of beef of your choice or chicken which you then spice yourself with a bit of chilli and lots of fresh herbs, bean sprouts and lime. Bun is slightly more complicated dish and involves more effort from the ‘eater’. All the ingredients are served separate: cold noodles, fried pieces of pork in the slightly fatty broth, garlic crushed with chillies and a plate of fresh herbs (of course) that you put in the bowl as you like it. 
At the end of the trip when we said our good byes to the fellow cycling tourist and our wonderful trip crew we had to fill out the trip evaluation. One of the questions in the form asked what was the highlight of the trip. It was very hard to answer because every day was different and equally wonderful! And such was my response. Today I can also easily conclude that Vietnam is my favourite travel destination, beautiful and varied landscape, different and interesting culture, lovely people, exciting shopping and wonderful and really varied food… and contrary to my expectation it was much more to it than the world famous fish sauce!
To all my friends: Start planning your trip to Vietnam, it does not have to be cycling, however you travel I am sure you’ll have wonderful time!
No comments:
Post a Comment