They are pretty funny guys. As a sales incentive they said they would take us on the bike for a coffee.. we were really excited, hopped on and they fired the underpowered chopper look a likes up and drove us 3 metres to the coffee shop and said “we’re here, get off”.
First day.
We started at a prompt 8.30 and had 220 kms to cover. This seemed like a small ride to me, but soon realised it would take us until 5 with the 35 odd stops they make for us on the way ..I think most of the stops are for their cigarette breaks.. in fact, they tend to stop quite often and get you to walk in sweltering heat for 500m or so for our legs, but we suspect this is their ciggy/toilet break.
This is a fantastic way to travel, as they take you to hill tribes and villages that you couldn’t imagine, let alone get to on a bus.. we were effectively off the beaten track in Vietnam. . and learning non stop. I feel we have seen the real Vietnam in many ways and was a invaluable experience.
I’ll list the trip and make some notes beside the stops.
- Gerbera growing fields – flowers, not much to say here except for the sheer beauty. These flowers can be bought for about 25c each.
- Silk farm – incredible! They have caccoons with worms in them, which they boil to kill the worm – then in the water the silk is threaded and pulled onto reams. From there they take them to these giant mechanical machines that make the fabric – patterns are created with punch sheets that are fed through – like automatic pianos.
- Elephant waterfalls – Amazing place – a giant waterfall that you have to clamber to down some treacherous steps. The only thing that wrecks this experience is the rubbish.. This is quite an important note to make. Vietnam road ways are a giant rubbish bin –the locals throw their rubbish out the window everywhere. When rubbish piles up too high someone will come along and burn it off in a roadside bonfire.. it’s pretty heartbreaking to see such a beautiful place be destroyed over something that can be easily remedied.
Buddhist Pagoda – WOW – you’ve never seen anything so big laughing at you! I wanted to climb up and give it the biggest NIPPLE gripple in the world for a photo – and now regret my resistance. A sad note to make here is that when trying to find the entrance Desh and I wandered down a dirt road behind the Pagoda. Amongst bits of rubbish were hyperdermic needles everywhere! When asking our guides about it later, their exprressions turned sad and they explained that the monks in Vietnam are addicted to heroin! Can you believe it?? Apparently it is really common that they turn to this addiction and are fed by Vietnamese smuggling it in from China. I guess you could say they are Monky Junkies.
- We drove through hilltribe villages next and observed from the road until stopping for lunch on the very peak of a mountain. We ate very very well here and have to say the food was the best we had to this point. It was a true feast and the bill came to $3 each. This is the view from our lunch table.
- The afternoon was spent stopping at villages, silk worm farms, rice wine makers, and minority villages (the kids are paid with lollies by us – the guide stated he was a god to them.. kinda wrong). We eventually pulled up to the hotel and got into drinking the happy water (rice wine) with the many easy riders and tourists that had pulled in for the night.
Day 2- Extremely hung over and not too stoked about leaving at 8.30.. but nonetheless we did. We first stopped at a minority village and walked about. They have elephants there to ride, but we weren’t happy about doing that as the conditions they live in as worker elephants aren’t that kind.
- We went to a local market which is where minorities come to sell what they make - such as harvested bamboo or brooms made from bamboo. There is loads of festering meat in the hot sun.. needless to say we didn’t stay too long.- We belted along the rice pattie roads trying to escape the hot sun. At about 9.30 we came across a man in the middle of the road swaggering totally drunk – my guide said many minority villagers get wasted as they have nothing else to do.
- We found This bombed out bridge and church next which I insisted to take photos of – as the Americans had bombed it 40 years ago and it seemed so preserved in a strange way… pointing high with pride.
- Next was a mushroom farm. This was a highlight as they had a pet python. Our guide hit the cage over and over saying a snake was within. I thought he was kidding until the owner opened it and pulled it out gesturing to me to take it. Hey, fine – it is only a 21kg python with the nearest hospital being who knows how far. She put it around my neck, and it strangely felt really safe – after a few seconds it felt fine to hold it’s head and direct it about – very cool and slithery. They made Ladesha come over and have a go also – which was fantastic – her reaction was priceless to start with, but she felt confident within no time also.
- These girls lived at the house with the snake and the mushrooms - they insisted they sing us a song - firstthey sang A,B,C - then they sang if you're happy and you know it. GREAT!
- After traveling long dirt roads we came to another waterfall down some secret ancient stairs – that apparently only easy riders know about? We went swimming here and cooled off which was super refreshing.
- Another waterfall followed – but the day was soooo hot at this point that we suffered badly walking about it.- We drove into the cooling heat through villages and towns until we got back to our next hotel.
Day 3
- First stop was some rubber trees. We were shown how to bleed the trees. Once again – there was a hyperdermic needle sticking into the trunk. My guide thought it would be funny to wipe the rubber on my arm hair. Lets just say that half my arm has no hair where I managed to get it off - the other half of the strip is covered in rubber and road dirt until petrol or wear and tear gets it off.
- Next stop was a peppercorn tree fram – we were explained that these are extremely valuable – more so than coffee.. Heaps of cicadas here. Our guide has no problem eating them – this shot is him posing with a beating cicada in his mouth.
- Rice paper rolling – yum yum – we ran out of gas right outside this shop that makes rice paper (like pancakes) so we stopped and ate here. The kids here are very cute – this one decided to smile for us when you point the camera at her.
- The rest of the afternoon was spent drivng fast and hard with 220kms to get done for our drop off at Jungle Beach. We stopped for lunch – and this place sold preserved snakes in a jar – just the same kind we get at home with the jelly snakes… hmmmm.. wonder which one I’d prefer to eat. A brick factory and kiln. Then we did the final 60kms in one hit with everyone with us anticipating the luxury of hutts on the beach with white sand and a jungle behind us.. and that’s just where we’re at right now.
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