Sa Pa

Arriving back in Hanoi after leaving the islands of Halong Bay, Jazz and I booked a bus to the northern reaches of Vietnam. Sa Pa, a town at an elevation of 5000 feet, is located just south of the China border. The area surrounding the town is beautiful with green mountains and terraced hillsides used for rice farming. The population of Sa Pa and the surrounding area is unique in that the majority of the population are not the ethnic Viet people but the Hmong and Dzao (pronounced Yao) and other smaller ethnic groups.

One can tell which ethnic group one belongs to by the clothing worn by the people. The women especially dress in traditional garb, with both the Hmong and Dzao people wearing handmade indigo clothing, while the Hmong wear indigo hats and the Dzao wear red scarves on their heads. While the town itself has been opened to the tourist market, there still is a feel of an older time with the many people in their ethnic clothing.

Upon arriving in Sa Pa, the difference in weather was immediately apparent from the rest of Vietnam. With so high of an elevation, the temperatures never crested 20 C. Fog covered the area the entire time we were there and it rained on and off, from a misting to outright downpours. Though the weather far from ideal, I welcomed the cooler temperatures and finally used my winter jacket that was unused since my time in Tedim, Myanmar back in February.

Jazz and I rented a motorbike for two days and explored the winding mountain roads, taking in the breathtaking scenery. We wandered about the town, eating almost exclusively pho and pineapple. At one small restaurant, we noticed an unusual platter filled with dark cuts of meat and four paws. Immediately I thought that it had to be dog, which is served throughout Vietnam, especially in the north. We tried a small bit each and I ordered a bowl of dog pho, more so for the experience of trying dog. The taste of the meat was okay at best to me, but to many Vietnamese this meal is a delicacy.

After three days in the cold of the mountains, we booked a bus back to Hanoi where I will stay the remaining days until my flight back to the States on May 1st.

Halong Bay

After leaving Dalat, I split up from the two Germans and headed to Hoi An, a World Heritage City on the coast about half way up Vietnam. Hoi An is famous for its many tailors where one can buy custom fitted suits, dresses, leather jackets, boots, shoes, etc. With over 300 different tailor shops in the small city, the merchandise will run you a fraction of the price it would back in the States. Seeing this as a perfect place to buy a custom fitted suit to replace my $10 Goodwill jacket and pants, I purchased a perfectly fitting navy blue Italian cut three piece suit with turquoise silk lining, a burgundy shirt, and turquoise tie. 

I spent three nights in Hoi An, geting into a routine of going to the local gym and lifting with dozens of shirtless and sweaty Vietnamese men. Here also I befriended two Americans, and a Dutch guy, all of whom were motorbiking all of Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. My days were spent lifting, eating several meals of pho, chicken and rice, and bahn mi's, swimming in the ocean, and drinking 14 cent beers at night. Yes, the beer, Bia Hoi, are sold as low as 3000-5000 dong (14-19 cents).

After a few days in Hanoi, I took a long bus to Hanoi with Jazz, an English girl whom I met along with the two Americans. We spent a day in Hanoi in the beautiful Old Quarter before bussing off to Halong Bay.

In Halong Bay, Jazz and I avoided the expensive boat tours and cruises and took a slow ferry to Cat Ba Island, one of the biggest islands in the bay. Here we swam in the ocean, relaxed on the beach, and ate dozens of cheap and delicious pineapples. We also rented a motorbike and spent the day cruising around the beautiful island, visiting the Cat Ba National Park, which is home to the endangered species of orange and white langurs. While passing through a construction site, we passed some workers on the side of the road burning what seemed to be a small deer carcass. They saw we were curious and waved us over to investigate. The animal turned out to be a goat that they had just killed and gutted and they were burning off the hair before gutting it and cooking it further. They offered for us to stay and eat with them but with the butchering and cooking process in the early stages, we decided to continue on our motorbike journey.

Staying in the Halong Bay area for three nights, Jazz and I soaked up the ocean for one last time before heading back to Hanoi and to the mountainous region of Sa Pa.

Mui Nei & Dalat

After leaving Ho Chi Minh City, I took a bus northeast to Mui Nei, a tourist strip of a town on the ocean. On the way I met two German guys. We quickly became friends and hung out together during our time in Mui Nei.

One awesome attraction in Mui Nei are the sand dunes outside of the city. Renting motorbikes, we cruised over to the White Sand Dune, a vast dune resembling something out of the Sahara Desert. The rest of our time there was spent relaxing on the beach and eating a variety of Vietnamese and Indian foods.

After Mui Nei, the two Germans and I took the bus to Dalat, a city located in the mountains. Dalat is named "Little Paris" with beautiful winding streets, hundreds of cafes, and much welcomed cooler temperatures. Our days in Dalat were spent drinking lots of wonderful coffee in its many cafes, eating dozens of banh mi's (Vietnamese sandwich on a baguette), and going on a canyoning tour in the nearby river. The canyoning was truly awesome. We belayed and swam down waterfalls and jumped off an 11 meter high cliff into the water. A big adrenaline rush of a day.

Ho Chi Minh City & the Mekong Delta

Arrived in my final country of Vietnam on April 5th. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is situated in the south of the country and is the largest city with a population of 7.4 million people. Spending three days in the city, I really came to enjoy my time here, walking around the motorbike infested streets, lively markets, and quiet city parks.

In one park in particular, local university students come in the afternoon to find tourists to speak English with. Seeing groups of students crowded around individual tourists on my first night, I walked to the park on my second night in an attempt to attract a group of students to talk to. Only 30 seconds after sitting down, two students walked up to me and we began talking. Over the course of the next four hours, I spoke with a group of twenty students. With varying degrees of English speaking skills, the students were interested in American culture, while I asked many questions about Vietnam and their lives. Students pulled out their English text books and I helped them with some exercises they struggled with, while one girl going to a job interview asked help in pronouncing words for her interview. I also taught them new words such as sibling and likewise, while they taught me different words in Vietnamese.

I went to the park two nights in a row and each time spent over three hours in the park talking with over a dozen students. Each night I also was invited by students to get dinner and some drinks at local restaurants. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in a native English speaking country because all across the world people are trying to learn English. In all it was a wonderful experience and a great way to meet the local people of Vietnam.

During my time in Ho Chi Minh City I also took a tour of the Mekong Delta where many people make their living fishing and selling goods on floating markets.

Cambodia

Video of some clips of Phnom Penh and the beaches of Sihanoukville and the island of Koh Rong. Like my days here in Cambodia, I am too lazy to write much, so just a video.

Siem Reap & Angkor

Siem Reap (See-um Ree-up) was my first stop in Cambodia. Spent four days there, with two days touring by bicycle the Angkor Archaeological Park, the number one tourist attraction in the country. It did not disappoint, with some amazing views of the ancient temples.

Siem Reap itself turns into a great night market in its downtown near the river every evening. Lots of food stands, massage places, and plenty of things to buy. Also there's Pub Street. Draft beer can be bought for 50 cents a mug of national beers Angkor, Anchor, or Cambodia.