Well, for those following the story, work over the past year has been a less than joyous affair. For those of you new to the story, work over the past year has been a less than joyous affair… The soap opera office politics and poor conduct of management has me more and more jaded with the engineering world. It seems less and less plausible to find a satisfying job these days without ridiculous deadlines, constant technical, political, financial and efficiency based scrutiny. It all amounts to a high stress undertaking when all I want is a job to facilitate my life rather than dominate it. And this is where we kick off.
It was a few hours into the day and my boss sends out an email letting me know that there has been a management directive dictating all staff reduce their leave balances before the end of the year. I am told I have two hours to make up my mind on how I wish to do this. I have some 17 days owing to me and two months in which I can arrange to take it… My initial reaction was “what a bunch of dicks, they could have at least given me more notice!” So in an act of defiance I decided to ignore the request not to lump my leave into one block and I suggest a month’s leave in December. Expecting a rejection, I am surprised when it is granted. Not as surprised as my technical director though who later tries to revoke this approval. But before he does, I am locked and loaded with airfares into the south of Vietnam departing from the north nothing short of a month later. Time doesn’t favour those who hesitate. With my plans implemented, revoking my leave now becomes a task too hard for management to tackle.
And so I am off!
I arrive in Ho Chi Minh City on the last day of November. The place is a sprawl of motor scooters, the occasional car and truck. The streets are crowded with people tending their shop fronts, setting up impromptu stalls and laying down many a make shift alfresco street food affair. The tourist quarter is especially busy with people trying to sell many a ware to the cashed up tourist crowd. Everyone wants your attention on these streets and the interest is only skin deep. The discussions lasts up until the point you are asked to buy something and you manage to get the message across that you are not interested. Then neither are they and off they go, usually only a few meters, to start the whole ordeal again with the next person. It is a tiresome affair and very impersonal. It is also something that will plague your trip throughout Vietnam especially if you take no real time to settle into a spot.
Ho Chi Minh City is a great place to meet fellow travellers on the street. Hostels are in the most part replaced by hotels or guest houses which are mini hostels without the usual communal areas to meet and mingle. So it is at the street food cafes/stalls where you meet many a person. Meeting over a bowl of Pho or a cheap beer is a nice place to start. But the city was not for me. Like most cities of its kind, it is just crowded and busy and I find it hard to seek the adventure I like in these kind of places. So with considerable haste, I booked a sleeper bus to the smaller country town of Dalat.
Soon I realise that Vietnam is not set up for a 6 foot 3 inch bloke such as myself. The sleeper buses are not something you really want to tackle if you are over about 5 foot 5 inches. It is like trying to fit your fist into your mouth, it may happen but the outcome is not going to be pleasant.…
With the possibility of having another four people beside you, the back of the bus is your best bet for space....
Dalat is a nice enough place but in my opinion not anything too special. It is a big agricultural hub and the locals are famous for their flowers. I spent a few days here assessing my travel options, talking to others and making plans. It was here I had the unfortunate experience of trying dog meet. Something I personally do not agree with. Despite the moral objections, the taste was pretty ordinary. Dog is a very gamey meat with a very distinct flavour and aroma. I can pick it a mile away these days. The good news is however that there is always plenty of other options and with many a street food stall about the place. It is no little secret that the Vietnamese eat like horses, you will not believe your eyes at how much a 50kg Vietnamese person will pack away! So rest assured, there is food around, it is plentiful and also quite tasty.
I work hard to make these photos look pretty.
Taking the advice of a number of travellers I arranged a motorbike tour that would have me travel from Dalat to Hoi An via the back country of Vietnam. I met with a local Easy Rider guide by the name of Vu who I later chose to be my guide for this 5 day trip. My instructions were clear, “I don’t want the normal pre-chewed tourism that most of Vietnam runs on, I want something a little different”. That is how I told it and that is how it was to be. Taking Vu’s advice I opted to travel on the back of his motorbike instead of hiring my own simply so that I could communicate with him on the open road as we passed through the country. This turned out to be a very good move indeed.
The tour was such a breath of fresh air in what I considered to be a very scripted travel scene. The extra-long trip allowed me plenty of time to bond with Vu and become quite good mates. He explained to me so many aspects of Vietnamese life that I would have never learnt otherwise. We started the tour by visiting his uncle, a farmer on the outskirts of Dalat. We dropped in for an impromptu lunch and in one of my overzealous story renditions I fell through his couch while sitting on it…. Eap! But it seemed not to be an issue and when I later quizzed Vu about the whole visit he told me his uncles only comment was that he was disappointed I didn’t finish the litre of rocket fuel they call rice wine with him! Did I mention these guys really like to drink!
And so we travelled. The back country of Vietnam is to me far more interesting than the tourist strip along the coast. You will meet many of the 52 minority tribes which also call Vietnam home. In these places, a price is often the price, irrespective of you being foreign or not. People are happy to see you because they are interested in you and your stories. If you take the time and you stop to chat you will find yourself invited to celebrations, into people’s houses for tea and more. And with someone to translate and explain the customs, this is a great introduction to Vietnam.
The scenery in the highlands is also very nice but still dominated by farm lands and litter. Our first nights stop was in the commonly visited spot of Lak Lake. It was early the following morning that I decided to head out for a scout of the town. I often found that if you were up early enough you could find people doing their everyday duties without the need to chase down a foreigner for a sale. I found myself soon enough wandering down the main road. The streets are lined with locals sitting atop little plastic chairs socially having their early morning coffee or tea. As I look up down the road I see a giant bull elephant, full length tusks and all striding towards me with a handler atop. The elephant is so tall that the handler is constantly having to duck and weave under the power lines zig zagging above the road. As I stand there mouth open looking at this elephant swaying towards me I notice that despite the goings on everyone on the street are staring at me, including the elephant handler! Apparently the tall foreigner is more of a spectacle haha! With my camera in my bag I decide to leave it there and commit this moment to memory. Pretty cool.
And so we travel. Over the next few days I drink many a rice wine with many a local. I hear their stories and am impressed on their depth of though on many a topic. In particular the universal need for a person to be happy and what is necessary for this to be achieved. The patriotism of the locals is impressive as too is their social responsibility and sense of community. It is definitely something I wish western societies had much more of. Our adventures range from meeting bird hunters to war veterans, snake handlers to farmers, mafia men to jungle people. It was very cool. In the end, the best outcome of the trip by far was the friend I made in Vu. We spent many an hour talking, joking, messing around. People often commented upon how well we got along and when it finally came time to part ways in Hoi An, a tear was almost shed.
There is a Buddhist mantra on the three elements to a happy life that is widely practised throughout Vietnam. I would like to share Vu’s take on this:
A person needs three key elements to be truly happy. These are:
Firstly, someone to love.
Secondly, something you love doing.
Thirdly, something to hope for.
Short and sweet. Now you will not find me burning incense, parading around in Thai fishing pants and growing unnecessary facial hair. Despite my heritage, I am not getting all hippie and spiritual on you all. Relax :)
The road tripping duo.
Some of the many obstacles you will face on the roads.
After a big feed, there is nothing better than a hammock break. Pity about the driving instructor there with his pupils getting drunk and rowdy all while in class!
The reason I didn't eat fish in Vietnam. Aquaculture galore. And what do they feed the fish that live under their floating houses???
Mmmm pot belly pig... Come here little fella...
Feeding the elephant at the elephant parking lot. This one was getting treatment for an eye issue.
Swimming. Shame about the garbage.
I don't think you can find anything greener than tea country.
View from the road. The back country was by far the nicest.
And when I said "Vu, hold my camera, there is something I need to do"
