Back On Two Feet

Arrived safely in Hoian after 6 amazing days riding around the Central Highlands on the back of a motorcycle. This is one of those posts I wished I was able to include maps and labeled pictures and such but unfortunately have to do the best I can from the phone!

In a nutshell - amazing. Mentioned earlier how we took a day trip around Dalat with a couple of Easy Riders who are local Vietnamese tour guides who drive you around on their motorcycles and show you the local area. We got along great with our guides (Quy and Tan) who speak excellent English and have a wicked sense of humour. So rather than get back on the bumpy bus to Hoian, we decided to take the much more scenic route on motorcycle, driving through villages and towns well off the beaten tourist track. Many of the people we saw rarely see foreigners, and waved at us like celebrities. The kids would run to the side of the road to say hello. Very cute.

The drive itself was an incredible experience, allowing us to take in the sights, sounds and smells of the countryside. We would stop often, where we would be told about the history of the area. Many of the stops were related to the war, whether it was a monument to unknown soldiers, a battlefield, or part of the Ho Chi Minh trail (used by the communists to travel to the south). Sometimes we would stop at a roadside building and view people making things such as rice paper, incense, wood carvings and pagoda drum making. We also stopped at 5 different minority villages, getting the opportunity to see how the different minority groups live.

And the food! We stopped for lunch at (very) local cafes, sampled fish wrapped in forest leaves that they picked while we saw the farm, at roadside fruit stands, everything. And for dinner, the most amazing local restaurants (pretty much just a room with a few plastic chairs) where we tried deer, goat, pork and beef using coal BBQs on your table, along with the most fresh veg and herbs you could imagine. All washed down with plenty of Saigon Beer or "Happy Water" (rice wine). Getting a bit tipsy with Quy was an experience in itself, listening to his take on modern Vietnam and his own story (he was orphaned during the war very young). Lots of hugs after our final beers in Hoian. He would especially miss "his baby" with the diamond eyes. Fi would do well here :)

Can definitely say we experienced a more authentic Vietnam - for better or for worse. Sometimes the poverty of the villages and farms were a bit overwhelming, but talking to our guides and the people we met along the way was such a great way to hear about their lives while sharing something about ours.