After breakfast, Linh and I headed south. I wasn’t sure where we were going but about an hour later we arrived at a small forested mountain. The weather had not been good and it was raining off and on the whole way there. We started going up the mountain on a trail of concrete and rock steps. The higher up we got, the more wet it got. It was now raining a lot and not great for hiking. I wasn’t cold, but we were both wet and uncomfortable. I told Linh it was her call if she wanted to continue or not and she decided to go back down, that was fine with me. On the way down Linh spotted a long wormlike creature on the ground. I didn’t even notice it but Linh had good eyes for spotting small critters. It turned out to be a type of hammerhead worm. It was the first time I had ever seen one. I first learned about them on Project Noah and was really excited to see one for myself. It was still raining and Linh convinced me to carry the worm on a leaf down the mountain to a place with cover so I could photograph it.

It had finally stopped raining when we left. We drove a backroad to a lighthouse. Linh’s plan was to spend the night here in one of the rooms at the base of the lighthouse but the weather was still unpredictable and we decided it best just to go back to Tuy Hoa, instead of being cooped up in the room if it rained more. The wind was intense. On the small platform at the top of the lighthouse, it felt like the wind was going to pick me up and blow me off! The lighthouse was built by the French in 1890 and restored in 1995.  The rain let up a bit while we were here and we ate our lunch of fruit and sandwiches here. It was a popular spot with young people. One group of about 20 high school students were really interested in me and stopped for a chat. I was again a ‘superstar’! They even sang to me!

We took a different way back to Tuy Hoa. It wasn’t raining but the wind was still very intense. We went to Linh’s house for dinner. It was another amazing meal and the brandy washed it all down. Linh’s mother was so generous and always made sure I had more than enough food. After Linh dropped me off at the hotel, I spent the rest of the night watching movies on HBO and Star Movies, which is what I do most nights before crashing. I’m really appreciating and taking advantage of the movies available. After 2 months virtually movie free in China, it was great to watch some films again.

Comments (0) Jan 29 2012

After our breakfast at a coffeeshop, Linh drove us 40km north of Tuy Hoa on her moto to a really cool and unique place. It’s called Rock Dish reef in english and it resembles the Giant’s causeway in northern Ireland. It’s a small area right on the coast created by volcanic activity over 200 million years ago. The lava was kind of forzen upon eruption in the sea water and turned into hexagonal columns. I’ve never seen anything like it and really liked it. It was very busy with Vietnamese people. I was the only foriegner there and got a lot of looks and even some people talking to me, asking my name and where I was from. Linh summed it up best I think, she said I was a ‘superstar’ here! This turned out to be the case nearly everywhere we went the next few days.

The Rock Dish reef is not in the Lonely Planet guidebook and I’m sure very few travelers have been here. It was a great surprise from Linh and nice place to see on my 35th birthday.  Linh is 30 years old and like most Asian women is very tiny. She is at least 25cm shorter than me and about 22kg less than me in weight but I have to say she is an experienced moto driver and handles the insane traffic here smartly and safely. The are no rules or reason to the traffic here and Linh offers me to drive the moto a few times but I don’t feel comfortable driving the both of us around. In a quieter place I would, but don’t want to take any chances here.  I must clarify too, when I say motorcycle. They are more like a big scooter with 4 gears and 100cc engines, with no clutch, so very easy to drive.

We drove back to Tuy Hoa, I showered and then we went to Linh’s for dinner. Her mother is an amazing cook and the food was always tasty and there was always so much to eat. They opened up a bottle of local Vietnamese brandy. This stuff was absolutely awesome! The taste was sweet and it was not too strong. I’m not sure of the actualy percent but even after drinking quite a few small glasses, I wasn’t too buzzed. I could drink this all night. It’s one of the best alcoholic drinks I’ve ever tasted. Whenever Linh offered it to me at her house with dinner, I could never refuse.

That night after dinner, the lights went out and Linh, her sister and mother came into the room with singing Happy Birthday to me. They had a cake with candles and everything! It was very kind,sweet and thoughtful of them. They actually had 2 cakes! I couldn’t believe it. One was a traditional dessert cake, the other was more like a European dessert, like baclava or something like that, I’m not good at describing food. It was really thoughtful of them. Linh’s mother even gave me a small handmade souvenir of a little dog made with beads that she put together herself. It was a really fun birthday

Comments (0) Jan 29 2012

I was at the train station at 6:15 for my 7pm train to Tuy Hoa. At first I wasn’t sure if I was in the right place. The station was very small and there weren’t many people there. There were actually more foreigners than Vietnamese! I’m not sure if this was because it was the Tet holiday or what but I was really surprised. I was so used to the Chinese train stations that are huge and crowded with thousands of people and I never saw a traveler at any of them. The station here was so calm and small. Since I had a long journey ahead of me, I opted for the soft sleeper berth, 4 bunk beds instead of 6. The train car I was in was filled with foreigners. I thought it would be cool to share the berth with some fellow travelers for my long trip south but when the train left, I was only one in my compartment! It’s funny, I had always wanted my own berth when traveling in China and it never happened. Now, when I wouldn’t mind some company, I get the whole thing to myself. It was still good though, as I got to close the door and lock it while I slept and didn’t have any security concerns.

This was the first overnight train I had been on in Vietnam. It was a little more expensive than in China and not as nice, but it would do. The next day we passed through a lot of weather, sometimes raining, sometimes sunny. As we got further south, though I could feel the warm air coming in the windows in the hall and it felt great! A big group of foreigners got on the train in the morning. I chatted with some of them in the afternoon. We finally arrived in Tuy Hoa at 6:33p, exactly 23 and a half hours after leaving Hanoi. It was the longest train ride I had ever done. The receptionist at the hotel in Hanoi checked her train timetable book before I left and she told me we would arrive at 6:30pm in Tuy Hoa. We were right on schedule.

I called Linh and her sister picked me up at the station. She took me to the Cong Doan hotel where I stayed 2 years ago. It is a 5 story, 2 star hotel right across the street from the beach. It’s a great place with really nice rooms. I had a large room on the fifth floor with a balcony facing the beach. Their prices have not gone up much, I still only paid $10 for this room.

Linh and I went back to her house and had a delicious dinner. After we went out with her friend and sister to a coffee shop. These places are really popular in Vietnam. They range from small places with a couple tables in front of someone’s house, to a set up on the street with some small chairs and tables, to huge places with multiple levels, indoor and outdoor seating with a lot of potted plants around adding to the ambience and privacy.  Tuy Hoa has about  100,000 people and Linh estimates there are about 100 coffee shops in the city. We would visit a few different ones during my stay.

Comments (0) Jan 29 2012

There were only 2 buses a day from Ba Be to Hanoi. The first was a direct bus but this left at 4.30am and I didn’t want to take it. The next was a bit later at 5.45am but I would have to transfer once, that was okay with me. I got up at 5.20am and the bus was right on time. It took us 4 hours to reach Thai Nguyen, where I would transfer to a bus to Hanoi. A teenager brought me to a bus going to Vietnam but when I asked the price, it was more than double. I said I would pay the real price but he shook his head no, so I looked for another bus. A minute later the driver of another bus asked me where I was going while he was just pulling out of the station. I told him Hanoi and he said the real price, so I jumped in.

On the way we were stopped by a traffic jam. There was an accident up ahead. A large truck was being moved off the road after having smashed into something. What, I’m not sure, that’s all I saw. The funny thing here (and in China) with vehicles waiting for the road to be cleared.  Many new drivers that just arrive think they are better than waiting and that they don’t have to wait in line. So they drive up on the opposite side of the road, along traffic to the front of the line. This happens on both sides of the accident. When the accident is finally cleared and the road open, there is so much traffic blocking both sides of the road, it takes a while for either side to pass by.

We passed another accident just down the road. This time it was a car that had hit a bicycle. There were a few people standing around but I wasn’t sure if anyone was really injured or not. We arrived in Hanoi two hours later.

I had called my guesthouse of choice, Manh Dung, because I had stayed there two years ago when I was in Vietnam. I reserved a room last night but when I got there, they didn’t have a room for me! They showed me another hotel nearby which I didn’t like and then another which I did like. They said I could move to their guesthouse tomorrow but when it came down to it, the price was the same and I ended up just staying at Tung Trang Hotel.

I did get Manh Dung to help me purchase a train ticket to Tuy Hoa. I grabbed a dragonfruit and a mango for lunch and then took a nap. I was feeling pretty tired from getting up early for the bus. That night I ate noodles at the same small street vendor I ate at two years ago. I spent the rest of the night chillin in my room watching HBO and Star movies. Vietnam can be great for getting my movie fix!

While walking around Hanoi the next day, all the memories were coming back to me. I was recognizing places I ate and shopped at. The weather was not bad at around 18C but very grey with a light mist in the air. There were many foreigners walking the city. Some were treating the weather a little warmer than it was with short shorts and t-shirts. With my train ticket secured for the south tomorrow and the definite promise of warm weather there, I was finally ready to get rid of my warm weather gear. Though I only purchased my winter coat I had been using just before my trip at a second hand store, it was a great quality coat and I had become very attached to it. I didn’t want to give it away. For only $16 I could send it back home by sea mail and that’s what I did!

Back at the hotel I overheard some travelers asking at reception where they could buy some rainpants. I had brought a pair of rainpants and hardly used them at all. I told them I had a pair and grabbed them plus my longjohns and scarf to see if they wanted them too. They were on their way to China and I told them they would need them all! They even offered to buy them from me. I asked them to make an offer. They offered about $10 and I happily accepted. I would have accepted $5 if they started with that but they got a good deal for the price. They were happy and I was happy that someone was going to get some more use out of my gear. All my cold weather gear is now gone and I’m ready for some tropical weather in the south.

Comments (0) Jan 22 2012

I slept in and after breakfast spent a few hours updating my blog. I walked around some of the roads leading into the small villages around the park entrance. Locals were very friendly and many said hello. While walking back later I even got a few offers of a moto ride. I don’t think they wanted anything, just saw me out walking and thought I might like a ride back but I was out to walk. It was a beautiful sunny and warm day. On the way back, a moto pulled over. I was thinking ‘Who is pulling over to see me?” Then I saw it was a couple of foreigners. They asked where I was going. They were really surprised to see me, as I was them. They were on a 3 day moto tour of the north and were actually on their way to the guesthouse. We had dinner together. They were the first foreigners I had spent some time with in Vietnam.

I liked the area I was in but being a little disappointed with the park and with Vietnamese New Year approaching, I thought it was time to leave the park tomorrow. Vietnamese New Year, known as Tet, was on Jan. 22 but the whole thing was celebrated for a like a week before and a week after.  It’s much busier during this time and prices for everything skyrocket. I didn’t want to be traveling much during this time.

Some friends I had met 2 years ago in Vietnam invited me to visit them during Tet and I was happy to accept their offer. My plan was to go to Hanoi and then take an overnight train to their small beach town, Tuy Hoa.

Comments (0) Jan 22 2012

I checked out of Post hotel and went to the backpackers guesthouse down the road. Tru and his wife welcomed me warmly. Tru was a former guide in the park but now had his guesthouse. He was still able to organize activities in the park though and today I was going to go on a trek with a guide he knew. Tru drove me on his moto the 2km to the pier. I met my guide, Twat ( I kid you not! Hey, that rhymes! Hahaha!). Probably not spelled like that but that was what his name sounded like.  He didn’t speak english but seemed like a nice guy. We took his boat on the lake for 30 minutes to reach the trailhead.

Ba Be park is composed of rugged limestone mountains covered in rainforest. The trail was steep and we were going uphill for a while. Although it was only about 22C, humidity was about 800%! I was drenched in sweat in no time. It felt great though after all the freezing I did in China, I welcomed any sweat. I was finally back in my element, hiking and sweating in the rainforest. The forest was also a hotspot for Amorphophallus species, also known as Stinking Corpse Lily. These plants have the tallest inflorescence in the plant kingdom, up to 2m high. True to their name, they also stink like rotting meat to attract their fly pollinators. I have seen different species of Amorphophallus before in Asia but never in flower and it didn’t seem like that was going to happen here either. The plants send up their huge flower spike and then the petals wither and the plant goes to fruit on its huge stalk. Then they enter their vegetative state.  Most of the plants I was seeing here were in fruit, easily over 2 dozen of them.  The others were in the vegetative state. Judging by the different foliage, I saw at least 2 different species. The giant flowers of the Stinking Corpse Lily would continue to elude me!

While hiking I started to notice a few land leeches. I have plenty of experiences with them but haven’t seen many my last few trips. I stopped a few times to take a few off of my boots. I was almost happy to see them.  Leeches don’t bother me much and to me, they are more a sign of wet and healthy forest. I pulled about 10 of them off of my boots. Even at the end of the day none of them had fed on me. Except one! I picked up a larger one that had been on my boot, quite fat and about 5cm long. I put it on my hand to take a photo. This leech didn’t waste any time though. While I was photographing it, it bit into my hand. I could feel it slightly and when I was done photographing it, I pulled it off. It left a curious little bit mark, a small circle with 3 lines meeting in the center. I took a photo of that too later!

After about 2 hours of nearly constant uphill, we reached the first village Tru told me about. I didn’t bring any food and was hoping we could stop for lunch.  I communicated this to Twat and we went to a friend of his house.  The guy’s wife kindly cooked us rice with some very salty eggs and greens to go with it. While we waited for lunch, our host brought out a 2L bottle of local rice wine. This is strong stuff and normally  I don’t like to drink during the day, especially while trekking but I thought I would be polite and at least do one shot. Well that wasn’t enough for the host.  He poured another round minutes later but I firmly refused. I was not going to drink more and all the urging and pressure of the host couldn’t make me. Twat, on the other hand, kept drinking. We were there for about 45 minutes and he must have had at least 8 shots! At the end even he was refusing drinks but the host was persistent. Twat was a bit wobbly on the trail but otherwise okay. I would have been plastered!

We walked through villages the rest of the way. There were fairly small but spreadout. I saw a cool few butterflies around and then a praying mantis right on the trail in front of us. I lied down on my stomach to get a cool camera angle, the whole time Twat was chuckling at me but I didn’t care. I was a little disappointed though. I thought we would have been hiking through more forest after passing through the villages but we didn’t. We crossed the lake and I started walking uphill towards the guesthouse. It had been nearly seven hours since we started the trek. I hitched the 2km back to the guesthouse and got a free ride on a moto.

I washed all the clothes I was wearing and just relaxed till dinner. Tru invited me to eat dinner with him and his family and even gave me a free beer. Dinner was delicious. Thinly sliced potatoes with dill, meat and gravy, warm salad and rice. One of the best meals I’ve had the whole trip.

I wasn’t sure of my plan for tomorrow. My other options included a pricey boat ride around the lake for the day, which didn’t interest me much, or a guided hike outside of the park to a viewpoint. This was mostly through villages and cultivated land and didn’t appeal to me either. Maybe I will just have a lazy (and cheap) day? Write some blog and relax.

Comments (0) Jan 22 2012

I rented a mountain bike from the Post Hotel.  My plan was to ride the few kilometres to the park and walk some trails but first I had to find out what my options were at the park. I knew there were boat trips on the Ba Be lake but I was more interested in trekking. I asked at the park office and they told me there was a party today and no guides were available. Okay, but are there any trails I can hike on my own? They told there were a few down by the pier, 2km away. That sounded like something to start with but before I did anything, I wanted to figure out my accommodation for the night. I rode to the backpacker guesthouse I saw on the way in last night. It was much closer than I remembered. I talked with Tru, the friendly owner there. He told me about a few more longer trails I could hike and suggested that I just hike and leave the bike behind.  He also offered me a better price on the room at his place and said they could cook for me too. I decided to stay one more night at Post hotel and move to his place tomorrow.

I returned the bike back to Post hotel and walked to the trailhead. The trail was a concrete path through forest growing on limestone hills.  It first led to a cellphone tower and a viewing tower with views of the lake below. It must have also been the local love spot as there were at least a dozen used condoms littering the ground. Gross, I know, but at least they are practicing safe sex!

I followed the trail slowly for the next hour or so looking for any spottings. It ended at a cave, just up from the road that hugged the lake. The cave had a large mouth and some cool sparkling formations but was not very deep. I walked the road back and stopped to admire a few of the lake. As I did I looked down and saw a really cool slightly large pill millipede about the size of a chick pea. It curled up when I picked it up but I waited patiently and it did unfurl again and I got some photos of it walking. I came to another trail along the road. I followed this to another viewing tower. I saw a very strange insect flying around with a red flat body, 2 black wings and huge, feathery antennae. I had never seen anything like it. Then I noticed about 5 more of them flying around. After getting some photos of them, I walked back to the hotel. I dropped off my pack and then went down the road to the backpackers for dinner.

Since Tru didn’t know I was coming, his wife just cooked a quick dinner of fried noodle, beef and greens. I told them tomorrow morning I would check out Post hotel and come to their guesthouse. Tru was much friendlier and spoke better English than the woman at Post hotel. I found her very unfriendly and that she just wanted to get as much money out of me as possible. It was quite humorous actually when she was telling me about the different rooms at the hotel last night. She had rooms in the concrete block at the front and then cheaper rooms in raised wooden rooms out back. I told her I would go with the cheaper room out back. Trying to convince me to stay in the more expensive room, she said that the rooms out back were cold! I almost laughed out loud.  Vietnam has been nothing compared with the cold I endured in China. She wasn’t selling me on that point. The rooms were no doubt the same temperature or perhaps a degree or 2 different. Nothing to justify the higher price in my mind. I was glad to check out of their the next morning.

Comments (0) Jan 22 2012

I didn’t know it at the time, but it would take me all day to get to Ba Be park. It was a good move taking the 8am bus to Cao Bang. We arrived in Cao Bang four hours later. From there I had to wait about an hour for my next bus to Na Phac, which surprised me at being another 3 hours trip. I was just going by the connections the guidebook said I had to take to get to the park, they didn’t mention all the distances.

Na Phac was a small village at a bend in the road. I was really surprised to see a couple of Australian backpackers there when I got off the bus. They were waiting for a bus to Hanoi. From Na Phac I had to take another bus to Cho Ra, but this was only about 25km away.

The one thing I hated most about Vietnam was the blatant and ever prevalent overcharging for foreigners on bus rides, food, hotels, taxis, just about everything. I always tried to find out the real price before doing anything and bargain hard until I got it. Though this does happen in other countries, I just found a lot more of it going on it Vietnam and at higher stakes. They sometimes charge two to ten times the actual price! I had a few honest bus drivers already in Vietnam but the young kid on the bus to Na Phac was a real prick! He wanted over 3 times the actual price and when I offered him the true fare, he turned it down! No problem, I just put the money back in my pocket and waited. Eventually he came around and accepted the money. People say ‘Oh, you can’t blame them, they are just trying to make money and see what they can get away with.” But I say screw that, I can blame them. There is no need for all this extreme overcharging. It’s just a game I have to play while I’m here. Every traveler knows too, it’s not about the money, its about the principle. Why should I charged more because I’m not from Vietnam? Anyway enough about my ranting about overcharging.

I got dropped off in Na Phac and now I need a moto (xe om) to take me the last 15km to the park itself. Of course this again started with motos offering the ride for double the price. I was in no rush though and walked around looking for a better price. One driver in particular followed me around. He finally kept coming down in price and I went up a tiny bit until he accepted it and took me. The sun was setting and it was now nearly 6pm.

Once in the park I was shocked to see that room prices had more than doubled since the guidebook. I could not afford a room here and eat and do some activities. I found a hotel with better prices just outside the park. It would do for the nigth. Down the road we passed a backpacker guesthouse which I will check out tomorrow. At least I made it to the park!

Comments (0) Jan 19 2012

Jan 15

I entered Vietnam with no problems and went to the little town of Dong Dang, 3km from the border. From there I took a van to Lang Son. I was hoping to catch the 2pm bus to Cao Bang but I missed it so I got a hotel in Lang Son for the night. The hotel was decent with TV and bath and cost as much as my cheapest room in China. Accomodation is certainly better value in Vietnam than in China.

As I walked the streets in Lang Son I was reminded of all the crazy motorcycles and scooters everywhere. It’s something I really missed…..NOT! I figured out the bus to Cao Bang left from a different station to the one in the guidebook. At least the one that left at 8am did. They took a while to figure out. Thankfully the receptionist at a hotel I checked out but skipped because it was too expensive, spoke English and sorted me out. I did something stuff online for a while and then ate fried rice for dinner. So far the food has been better value in China for local food.

It had been a long day of traveling. I spent the night watching movies in my room. I did miss Vietnamese satellite and the movies it showed, they have HBO, Star movies and Cinemax! It’s so strange that this morning I was in the forest watching monkeys and now I’m in a different country in a noisy, dirty city. My first destination in Vietnam is Ba Be National Park, which I hope to get to tomorrow.

Comments (0) Jan 19 2012

Jan 15

I’m up at 6.45am to check the weather. It’s still dark and raining. Mo said that sometimes the monkeys get up and hangout on the ledge for a while before leaving for the day and that is one of the best times to see them. I got up again a bit later but it was still raining so I stayed in bed till breakfast at 8. There was no one around for breakfast. I ate quickly and then walked to the viewing tower. It had stopped raining now. The tower is right in front of the ledge a troupe of monkeys sleeps on. The monkeys hide themselves for a while but finally a bunch of them come out to the ledge. I am a bit far away but see many of them. I zoom in as far as my 250mm lenses will allow and get some okay photos.

The White-headed Leaf Monkey is one of the rarest primates in the world. It is only found in southern China with population estimates of only about 1000 individuals. It’s a medium sized primate, nearly all black with a white head and white tail. Though Chongzuo was my last stop in China, it was one of my most anticiapted. I’m even happier than yesterday that I got to see and photograph the monkeys this morning. I could probably stay all day in the watch tower but my 60 day China visa expires today and it’s time to leave!

My ideal plan is to get to Cao Bang in Vietnam on the 2pm bus from Lang Son, but if that doesn’t happen, I will spend the night in Lang Son and go to Cao Bang tomorrow. I leave the park and take a bus back to Chongzuo town. From there I take another bus for 2 hours to Pingxiang. From the bus station there I take a taxi to the border. It’s a fairly quiet border. No crowds and no hassle. I exit China quickly and painlessly.

After 2 months in China, I’m ready for a change even though I really enjoyed it here. I’m looking forward to some warm weather though in Vietnam and seeing some old friends. China is definitely a place I would love to come back to. There are many places I missed this time. I also found the food great and the people friendly and helpful. The wildlife is very elusive and hard to find but that’s a challenge I’m always up for! I already know some of the places I want to visit next time. The major downfall being the cold and dreary weather, since I can only travel during the winter. Every place I went, guides would say, “Oh you should see this place in summer! There are so many flowers, insects, mushrooms, etc!” Yeah, I’m sure there is and maybe one day I can visit in summer.

Comments (0) Jan 19 2012