Another Day, Another Adventure

Back in April, my dad came to visit me for a couple weeks.  We had an amazing time traveling to Hue, motorbiking through central Vietnam, exploring Angkor Wat, and boating around the Mekong Delta.  I asked Papa Baker to write his own version of the story.  Enjoy!!



On to another adventure with Sam. After a successful visit to Taiwan, it was time to return to Asia: Destination Viet Nam. Walter Cronkite showed me Viet Nam every night from 1965 til 1975. The names of the cities, villages and areas of Viet Nam echo in my mind.

Ready to fly

The flight from Atlanta to Seoul was all daylight. I saw the ice breaking up on Lake Superior and a lot of Siberia. Clouds closed in as we flew into the area where the snow had melted. No view of the Great Wall for me.

Ho Chi Minh City. The smell of the city hits you in the airport and follows you everywhere you go. I have never been anywhere that smells as good as Viet Nam. Someone is always cooking something just up there, around the corner, down that alley, through that door. Whatever it is, it sure smells good.

Food, food, everywhere!

Three days on a scooter built for a person 5’6” tall, 150 lbs. Three months later, I still have stripes on my feet from sunburn through my sandals. Seldom have I experienced the exhilaration I got from driving that scooter through Viet Nam. First time driving in NYC, maybe. Parasailing in Peru, probably. Buffaloes in the road. 10 meter visibility fog. Incredibly beautiful scenery on all sides.

We stopped at the Military Cemetery in Huong Dien. It struck me that I had the same feeling there that I had when I visited Arlington National Cemetery. Honorable men who died fighting for their country.

The tunnel complex at Vinh Moc, three levels dug by hand in solid basalt, were all I needed to see to understand why North Viet Nam was victorious. Iron will and determination proved undefeatable. I enjoyed going through the tunnels, but they are not for the claustrophobic. 1.5 meter tall, ½ meter wide in most places. I went through crouched and bumping the sides.

Watch your head

Down the Ho Chi Minh Trail to Khe Sanh, last stop on the gloom and doom tour. This famed trail is now Highway 2. Smooth, well maintained, with an occasional truck burning in the ditch. 

Ho Chi Minh Trail

On to Da Nang and China Beach. Marble Mountain of 4,382 steps. Many of the stalagmites look just like Buddha, amazing.

Spent a couple of days in Hoi An partying with Sam’s friends, mostly Brits, but fun to hang with. Eat, drink, rest and get a massage. The hot stone massage burned, hurt and gave me a killer headache. The next day, however, I felt great. $25 for a 40 minute massage. I highly recommend it.

Hoi An lanterns

The stuff of nightmares 

Coffee in Hoi An

Flying out of Da Nang for Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. The revetment for the F4 Phantoms are still on the tarmac at Da Nang. 

Traffic in Siem Reap was thicker and more berserk than any I saw in Viet Nam. The temples at Angkor Wat are beautiful, awe inspiring and overwhelming. After being surprised by elephants coming up the trail, the 112 degree heat became unbearable. Back to the hotel for A/C, shower and a nap. Khmer BBQ and Angkor beer for dinner. Very good.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat is worth the early start. Omelet sandwich and coffee for breakfast. Cambodian and Viet Namese coffee are the best. I wonder how they make it so good? Dinner and a floor show of Khmer song and dance. Tasty and entertaining.

We took a six hour bus ride to Phnom Penh. If you ever have the opportunity to make this trip, fly. Phnom Penh is a huge, bustling city. Some of the most interesting electrical systems I have ever seen hanging above a street. 

We went to the ferry dock on the Mekong in the morning only to find that the boat was late. Bar open, beer cold, wait OK.  During the boarding process, Sam went back to the office to get our lunches. Naturally, we left without her. Fortunately, we went back to the dock for her.

Left behind

The ferry trip down the Mekong is great. The river is alive with commerce. Ships, ferries, sampans, people and industry everywhere.

Mekong River

We arrived two hours late, but our guide, Mr Kao, was waiting to take us on a Mekong Delta tour. A two hour drive and ½ hour boat ride later, we arrived at our home stay and supper. Next morning, we went to the floating market for coffee, pineapples and souvenirs. Commerce never rests. After a walking tour of downtown whatever town we were in, we boated off to another restaurant for lunch and a tour of one of the Delta islands. And of course more food with tea and local honey. All I do is eat and drink. Life is good.

Floating coffee delivery

Back to the car for the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. We took the toll road, 62km at 60 km/hr. Highest speed limit in Viet Nam.

Dinner at the Ghetto Food Court. Three blocks from Sam’s house and I am completely lost. The last day and a half in Viet Nam are a blur. Went to the Post Office for trinkets and a book of inspirational war posters. Had weasel coffee, only $9 per cup. Probably more at their store in NYC. Took a tour of Sam’s school. A beautiful facility.

Weasel coffee

Ms Samantha's class

Happy hour at the Deck and dinner next door. Flagged a taxi, said goodbye and off to the airport. 29 hours on a plane and back in Alabama. I’m ready to go again. Riot Fest in Chicago, 12-14 Sep 14. See you there.

One last "cheers" to Vietnam!

Motorbike Diaries 2: Cruisin' Central Vietnam

After a quality night’s rest in Hue, we met Mr. Hai out in front of the hotel to begin our grand road trip.  Mr. Hai was recommended by a friend, and he lived up to all our expectations.  Our plan was to take the long way from Hue down to Hoi An, making a trip that usually takes only a few hours into an epic three-day escapade.

Even though I love riding my motorbike around Ho Chi Minh City, I was a bit anxious about driving the motorbike for three days.  But my dad seemed unconcerned, even though his first few moments with Mr. Hai went something like this:

Mr. Hai: “Oh, welcome to Vietnam!  Have you driven a motorbike before?”

Dad: “Yeah, yeah, no problem!”

Mr. Hai: “Oh... have you driven in Vietnam?”

Dad: “No, well... No, actually I haven’t driven a motorcycle in a while.”

Mr. Hai: “When did you drive last?”

Dad: “1975.”

Mr. Hai: “Hmmm.”

But, Vietnam is Vietnam, and driving experience is not necessary for driving.  Mr. Hai sent Dad off on a “test run” that involved Dad chugging the bike down the road to the corner, turning around and riding back.  Satisfied that Dad wouldn’t lay the bike out, Mr. Hai packed our bags onto the back of the bikes and we set off!

Mr. Hai gives a driving lesson

Locked and loaded

Our first stop was a military cemetery in Huong Dien, just north of Hue.  The cemetery is dedicated to men who were killed during the Vietnam War.  There were many tombstones without names, and several that had been “claimed” by families and bore hand-written names and dates.

Military Cemetery

Military cemetery in Huong Dien

Unknown soldiers

The next stop was the ruins of Long Hung Church in Quang Tri, which sustained eighty-one days of bombing during the War.

Long Hung Church

Bullet holes

Shrapnel holes in the tile work

Dodging busses and doing our best to steer our bikes ‘safely’ within the minuscule shoulder of famed Highway 1, we made our way up the coast to Cua Viet Bridge.  Here we happily dismounted the bikes and soaked in the ocean breeze blowing in from the South China Sea. 

Breezy driving break

South China Sea from Cua Viet

Fishing nets

Back on the road, we turned off Highway 1 and skirted the coast road up to Vinh Moc.  Quickly the terrain changed from beaches to thick woods and hills, winding along one-lane roads, until we took a seemingly-unmarked turn and arrived at the Vinh Moc tunnels.  

During the Vietnam War, over 90 families sought refuge from the constant bombing by burrowing into the ground.  The North Vietnamese villagers constructed a system of tunnels nearly 2km long, in three levels.  The families lived and worked in the tunnels for years, and the documentary that preceded the tour painted a grisly picture of life underground.

The tunnels are now open to visitors and are rigged with electric lights and some signs explaining the different rooms.  While the tour was impressive, seeing family rooms, toilets, meeting rooms, kitchens, school rooms, and even a make-shift hospital (children were born down there!), getting a glimpse into the reality of these people’s lives was sobering.

Bombshells

Tunnel entrance

Tunnel down to the second level

Model of a family room in the tunnels

Dad crouching in one of the family rooms

Leaving the tunnels

Exiting the tunnels, we came out into the daylight and to a beautiful ocean view.

Vinh Moc Beach

The final pit stop was the Ben Hai River and the 17th Parallel.  This is the sight of the Demilitarized Zone.  The DMZ was the dividing line between North and South Vietnam during the War.  Now the line is marked with a small museum and the old French bridge still stands.

Bridge over Ben Hai River, marking the
division between North and South Vietnam

Our first day of travel was nearly finished, but not before a drive over the river, through the woods, and across the Truong Son Mountains.

Roadside friend

Rice farmers

We arrived late that night in Huong Hoa, also known as Khe Sanh Town.  After a quick shower, we joined Mr. Hai in the restaurant next door to the hotel for one of the stranger Vietnamese dishes: a whole chicken deep fried in sticky rice!

Mr. Hai carves the chicken

The next morning, we downed our breakfast and an extra shot of ca phe sua da and set off for Khe Sanh Military Base.  Khe Sanh is the sight of the most famous siege of the War.  The difference in the number of soldiers and civilians killed varies greatly depending on which source you trust.  While the base was the sight of an incredibly bloody battle, it’s now very quiet.

Khe Sanh Town

Helicopter 

Khe Sanh Military Base

Runway

Propellors 

It was only 10am, but the sun was blazing and the heat was scorching as we crossed over the Dakrong Bridge outside of Khe Sanh.  We spent the rest of the morning and into the afternoon sweating and burning in the wind as we zoomed through the mountain pass.

View from Dakrong Bridge

Water break

Hard to beat the views

On the other side of the ridge, the weather turned cooler, but a storm was brewing.  In a matter of minutes, we went from this:

Fun and sun

....to this:

Ready for rain

For the next hour or two, we drove white-knuckled over the mountains through intense fog and pouring rain.  The roads were narrow and winding, and I had to ask Mr. Hai to drive slower so that I could follow close enough behind to see his taillights.  The fog was so thick, I could barely make out the white line marking the division between the road and the shear drop off the side of the mountain.  

And suddenly there were cows in the road!  Out of nowhere, herds of cattle would appear, chilling in the middle of the road, on top of a mountain, in a downpour, completely hidden by the soupy fog.  Whatever.

When we finally came out of the fog and the rain let up, the views were amazing.  Straight out of Fern Gully!

Fog lifting over the mountains

After the rain

Mountain in the mist

Because we’d been slowed down by the rain and fog, we had to drive an hour or so in the dark to arrive at our destination for the night, P’Rao.  Driving in the dark on mountain roads in Vietnam was an adventure I might not want to relive, if I’d survive it a second time anyway!

The last day of our journey started off on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  We made a quick stop at the Duong Ho Chi Minh sign for good luck!

Ho Chi Minh "Street"

Cheeeeeese!

Our final day did not disappoint, in terms of views or adventures, either one.  We wandered most of the day down one-lane backroads full of pot holes, through villages that rarely have foreign visitors, judging by the villagers’ reactions as we scooted past.  

Rural life

One-lane road

Valley

Rush hour traffic

Mr. Hai took us into one minority village and let us explore a bit on our own.  We crossed from the main road over a bridge into the village.  As we walked down a dirt road, we came up to a small school, and the children went wild waving and saying “Hello!” to us.

Bridge

Stilt house

School children

They loved looking at the camera to see
themselves in the pictures

I couldn't get enough of these guys!

We’d been pretty lucky up to this point, mechanically speaking.  But just to add to the adventure, Dad got a flat tire out in the middle of nowhere.  Mr. Hai made a solid attempt to fix the flat.

Mr. Hai at work

But before too long, the patch let go, and we had to make a real pit stop at a conveniently-located motorbike shop for a new tube.

AAA doesn't come out here

Waiting for the mechanic

Kids walking home from school

These boys found our flat tire hilarious

Back on the road, we made our way east to Da Nang.  We drove from the mountains, down into the foothills, past tea plantations, and finally back to the coast!

More mountain views

Dad and Mr. Hai at the tea plantation

Downhill

Foothills

From Da Nang, we hooked a right and headed back down Highway 1 to Hoi An.  Before we arrived in Hoi An, we made one more tourist stop at Marble Mountain.  Atop the large outcroppings are natural caves and several pagodas.  A little old lady made many attempts to be our personal tour guide, but we resisted, giving tired smiles and exhausted waves.  We gathered up every last bit of energy we had to climb up the thousands of stone steps to visit the sights.

The first of THOUSANDS of steps

Marble Mountain 

Dad converts to Buddhism

Marble Mountain

Cave

Pagoda

Marble Mountain

View of Da Nang from Marble Mountain

The sky was growing dark, and we had long-since grown weary.  As we mounted our bikes for the last leg down to Hoi An, I couldn’t help but think back over the last 72 hours.  The sights alone would make for some lasting memories, but sharing the adventure with my Dad and Lisa guaranteed an unforgettable experience!

Dad, me, Mr. Hai, Lisa
Finally arrived in Hoi An!