Catching up - Final thoughts on Vietnam

Back to Helsinki. It's freezing cold in here. But in a way I am glad to be back! Although, what a difference from all those countries I've been to in the past months... Will have to adjust myself to "back to reality"... Anyways, meanwhile I've put together some thoughts on Vietnam, Shanghai and Hong Kong - last destinations of our Asia journey.

Vietnam

Vietnam has left an ambiguous impression. It is in much better state than e.g. Cambodia, but it is still very much of a developing country. Bloomberg was recently giving advices on how to invest in Vietnam, due to its economic growth. Well, there is much room for it...

Saigon was dynamic and wild, and also modern, though definitely had all attributes of developing Asian city. Small cities on the cost line were quite interesting, although one of them reminded on some Soviet resort - red flags everywhere, huge hotels, empty restaurants and no people around. Maybe it was due to off-season.

Hanoi over New Year's Eve was truly weird. No single firework. Maybe they celebrate Chinese New Year in a more appropriate for a capital of a country way, but for the New Year's Eve they just shut down lights on the place, considered to be a center of the city: Hoan Kiem Lake. People were just walking around, and policemen were shouting something into their megaphones. They then just started push people away from the lake. I think it was the weirdest New Years Eve I ever had. But somehow it was still fun! :)

People in Vietnam were quite different depending on the location. In tourist places everyone wants to sell you something, and at some point it becomes quite annoying... Quite often you get a feeling they just want to rip you off... In more local places people treat you well, despite the fact you don't even speak their language. Then, once you stay in a place for couple of days, relationships start forming up, and people turn out to be very kind and warm. Once they stop seeing you only as wealthy foreigner with a dollar sign on a forehead, and recognize a person behind this sign, things change.

I don't know if I am coming back to Vietnam any time soon, but I believe it's still an interesting country to visit and experience.

More is still to come...

Everywhere in Vietnam...

Motorcycle diaries - Halong Bay and farewell from Vietnam

On January 2nd, after our bike arrived to Hanoi by train, we started driving to Halong Bay, and managed to get lost several times on the way, since road indications were merely non-existent. We both were covered with mud from passing trucks and busses. It was the first day, when fun of driving with a bike was very conditional - mud all over and freezing even in a warm bubble of winter jacket, hat, mask, glasses and gloves. I looked like I was going to conquer North pole and unite with polar bears and pinguins...

Next day we took a boat trip around Halong Bay: it's nature is very beautiful, with all those rocks in different shades of grey, foggy sea, floating fishermen's villages and wooden boats all around. The trip itself was very relaxing. Since currently it's off-season, many boats have only few travellers on board. We, for example, shared our boat with just one couple from the US.

Meanwhile we stayed for 2 more days in Halong Bay, trying to sell off the bike. We decided to end our bike odyssey in Vietnam and continue by plane to China and Hong Kong, since weather conditions are not very favourable, and we would probably have much trouble crossing over the Chinese border by bike. Selling the bike was indeed an experience. I think Ilkka has more to report than me, but myself was e.g. participating in bargaining with a brothel owner in Ha Long, a quite attractive young woman. Unfortunately, her offer was too low. She didn't get our bike :)

We didn't find a buyer in Halong, and headed back to Hanoi. Now our bike is in good hands, our pockets full of USD, and tomorrow we're flying over to Shanghai :) I am happy to leave this communist country with red flags all over the place, and head over to another one - but hopefully with a bit more of capitalism flair...

Motorcycle diaries - Vietnam East coast continued: Hoi An

Today we came to a famous silk city of Hoi An (not that I knew about its existence before our journey). It's lovely - many restaurants on the river, dark streets lighted just with Chinese paper lanterns, where local people play mah-jong and some instruments I couldn't identify... There're silk cloth and fabric shops everywhere, since it's an old silk trading city. Very nice. Lots of tourists as well (probably this place is indicated in the Loney Planet travel guide :)

We let the candles float on the river, and it looked so romantic - dark river full of shimmering candle lights in the colourful paper flowers. We also took a short ride on the old wooden boat, and city looked beautiful in the darkness, under the almost full moon, and with all those shimmering lights around...

To say the truth, we were really happy to come here, and finally get our pizzas and glass of Bordeaux wine! In the last 2 days the only food available were the variations of noodle soup. Funny, but we're truly children of civilization. Not that we didn't like it, being in all those local places, being the only Western people and trying out only local things. We did enjoy it! But then, when you want to have your pizza or burger, and it's just not there, you appreciate it so much more, when you finally get it :) Our first stop in Hanoi will be in McDonalds or Burger King, I assume :)

Hoi An

Motorcycle diaries - Vietnam East coast

We left Saigon and continued towards Hanoi along the coast line on the road AH1. Landscapes at the beginning were quite boring, and traffic was really mad. I think we survive only due to excellent driving skills and reactions of Ilkka. Why so many Finns are such good drivers? :)

We reached city of Phan Rang by night, and the last 2 hours of our ride were really scarry. Ilkka got a wound on his finger responsible for pressing the break. And our bike got a wound on a place responsible for a clutch :)

In Phan Rang we got a room in the city's only hotel, and went to eat in a local street food court. People were very friendly, but we anyway felt ourselvs like two aliens :)

Today we drove until small coast city of Quy Nhon. Landscapes have changed, and now they are incredibly beautiful. Azure blue sea, colourful fishermen's boats, mountains in all shades of grey and brown and endless rice fields... Scenery changes after every turn of the curly mountain road. It's wonderful!

 

 

 

Motorcycle diaries - Good morning Vietnam! - Saigon

"There are 9 million bicycles in Beijing"... And there is at least 1 million motorbikes in Saigon!

Now, we are in Vietnam. While crossing the border, officials told us that we can't enter and drive in Vietnam with Thai motorbike: Vietnam has transport agreement only with Cambodia and Laos. They suggested us to leave bike and get to Hanoi to arrange necessary papers. We were quite a bit embarrased. We sat down and thought in silence for a while. Both of us went through possible options. And then... then we took a bike and just walked through the border. Next second we hopped on the bike and drove away. We didn't look back. No one stopped us. Crazy feeling! Our first illegal border crossing! :) 

Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City

Amazing city. It's alive: it's moving all the time, it seems to be a living organism! All those bikes move around nonstop. Local people use their motobikes as we use cars: often you can see the whole family on a small Vespa, dressed nicely and driving to eat in a restaurant. Many bikes are also pimped up: they have Burberry or Gucci seat covers and nice tapes all over them :)

Streets of Saigon are full of people: young and old, locals and foreigners, many couples, many with little kids. People smile and laugh, talk, joke around. They look happy.

Funny, many local women wear pyjamas on the streets, it seems to be their normal daily outfits. They also wear those cute looking rice field hats and drive their old bicycles, selling lottery tickets.

There are not so many sightseeings in Saigon, but there are many nice small trade corners, and streets with colourful funky looking houses. And it's great just to walk, look around, smile to locals, have a small talk, sit down for a break and have an incredibly tasty and strong ice coffee... Just enjoy time in this city!

Food here is amazing, especially from those street stalls where most of local people dine. You just sit down at one of those small baby-kind-of chairs, point at the meals that others around you are having, and after some minutes you get your dinner - I don't know how all those dishes are called, but they taste delicious!

We both enjoyed this city, and it definitely has a soul. Air is charges with electricity of emotions - good emotions: love, joy, happiness. It's full of life! And I wish to come back here!

Tomorrow we're heading off to the North Vietnam (Hanoi) through beautiful and scenic coastline road.

Night traffic

 

Mini Notre-Dame in Saigon

 

Selling rice in a rice hat