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Vietnam/Diện Biên Phủ Round the world trip 2008
3/22
Art is 65 YEARS OLD today!! And a STUD! We climbed to 1400meter Heaven and Earth pass from 600m in 11km on an old road spiced with 10% and 12% grades. The remainder of our 50kms were ridden on roads under heavy construction. We stopped many times to try to see the miles and miles of rumpled landscape, the mountains stretching further than one could see into the misty haze. Our destination was Son La, but we staggered into the village of Thuan Chau and began to seek a guesthouse for the night. After a few queries we were sent to a beautiful building. The language issue on our part was debilitating. They said yes, there was a room, then we understood “no, you can’t stay”. Then we were invited in for tea. Art and I sat and drank, looking at each other, wondering if they were just inviting us to rest, and if this wasn’t a guesthouse and if we had to ride the additional 55ks to Son La we needed to get going. Finally, a young lady using her English skills, taking her time, worked with us. We settled in a clean room and have made plans for dinner and breakfast – we think!? After a hot shower, we both laid down and read. Art had some terrible muscle cramps from today’s exertion. We will need to look for electrolyte replacement powder or drinks here in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese culture is different, the landscape is different, the villages and houses are different. Vietnamese people have different boundaries than we do. Giggling girls in the museum just took the guidebook out of my hands with no request; every man, woman and child touches everything on the bike, even hopping on the top tube or the seat to ride, often disturbing the mileage computers, Judee’s mirror, or the gears; and they don’t cue up for anything – pushing past you to be next in line or standing and watching ATM transactions over our shoulders.
We have been observing two distinct hill tribes differentiated by their clothing. One group is friendly, the other reticent. At first entry into Vietnam, we thought there was greater wealth; larger fancier homes, piped water, even hot water everywhere, electricity, sewers. But upon closer observation, the hamlets and the rural houses still are primitive, simple and spare. It is a wonder to see the beautifully coifed and fancily dressed women come out of the door of a wattle and dab, dirt floor hut. It is also startling to see these small women carrying astounding loads of wood on tumplines, balanced bars or bicycles.
The land here in North Vietnam still has forest portions, whether virgin or replanted; at least there are large tracts of trees. Areas of the mountainsides are scraped clean and the earth prepared for spring planting. The valleys are used primarily for the rice paddies. Some are planted and green, others being flooded and planted, but every lowland area is quilted in extensively worked paddies. Fruit trees, shrubs and vines, vegetables producing saleable crops are planted in plots higher on the hillsides than the rice.
3/23
Last night proved to be a delight. The family prepared us a nice meal. The building appeared to be new construction; TV just out of the box; new, clean, matching linens; frilly mosquito nets on an ingeniously devised track; and dirty floors as if the workmen had just left. In all of Asia, from Singapore through Laos, shoes are left at the door. Here people wear them inside and don’t have the tools to clean the floors very well. Mud gets slopped against the baseboards (actually tiles).
We were awakened at 5am by a loud speaker blasting music and four voices, two women and two men, throughout the town. What it was all about, we have no idea--Political? Religious? Announcements on electric, road, etc? Going on until 6:30am! Hello, Sunday.
The short ride into Son La was pleasant as we passed everyone planting rice in valleys surrounded by karsts formations rising 100’s of meters above the valley floor.
We have settled into Son La at the Trade Union Hotel that is government run. When we asked where to wash Bici and our panniers, the multitudes who work here took everything away, presumably to return it clean? Bici is sparkling. Last night was a light show accompanied by thunder and rain, finishing off with a bright full moon. The rain tamped down the dust, but provided puddles, so we really collected the mud. A motorcyclist gestured for us to stop, he approached with a rag and a bottle of motor oil. He was aghast at our chain, thinking it was rusted, we supposed. We said “no, thank you” and showed him our likewise muddy and dusty shoes and legs. We are thankful today was short. We understand from other cyclists the construction ends here on our route to Hanoi.
3/24
Awoken again at 5am by the loudspeakers which set off the crowing roosters and caged myna birds who raucously whistle. The motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars rev up their engines and begin their incessant honking. People shout, babies cry, water buckets are pounded and sloshed. Everyone is up and the day is bustling.
We are going to stay an extra day here to see the sights and try to use the internet to send some of the extensive journal. So far, the only internets are game stations and it is hard to get a free machine, the young people are spending hours at these games. None of the centers even have word processing, let along picture software, so far. (Note: We did not find a machine with Word or picture capabilities until Hanoi and there we found only ONE! We will probably not be able to send anything again from Vietnam.)
Son La is a pretty large and booming town. New buildings are everywhere. Most, placed on narrow plots, extend up for several floors, decorated with columns, balconies, decorative surface applications, all created out of cement and gaily painted like San Francisco’s turn-of-the-century houses. The sides and backs are unadorned and present a solid concrete wall to the rice and vegetable fields running through the center of town.
March 25 Vietnam/Yen Chau Weltreise 2008 >
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March 21 Vietnam Weltreise 2008
Art is 65 YEARS OLD today!! And a STUD! We climbed to 1400meter Heaven and Earth pass from 600m in 11km on an old road spiced with 10% and 12% grades. The remainder of our 50kms were ridden on roads under heavy construction. We stopped many times to try to see the miles and miles of rumpled landscape, the mountains stretching further than one could see into the misty haze. Our destination was Son La, but we staggered into the village of Thuan Chau and began to seek a guesthouse for the night. After a few queries we were sent to a beautiful building. The language issue on our part was debilitating. They said yes, there was a room, then we understood “no, you can’t stay”. Then we were invited in for tea. Art and I sat and drank, looking at each other, wondering if they were just inviting us to rest, and if this wasn’t a guesthouse and if we had to ride the additional 55ks to Son La we needed to get going. Finally, a young lady using her English skills, taking her time, worked with us. We settled in a clean room and have made plans for dinner and breakfast – we think!? After a hot shower, we both laid down and read. Art had some terrible muscle cramps from today’s exertion. We will need to look for electrolyte replacement powder or drinks here in Vietnam.
The Vietnamese culture is different, the landscape is different, the villages and houses are different. Vietnamese people have different boundaries than we do. Giggling girls in the museum just took the guidebook out of my hands with no request; every man, woman and child touches everything on the bike, even hopping on the top tube or the seat to ride, often disturbing the mileage computers, Judee’s mirror, or the gears; and they don’t cue up for anything – pushing past you to be next in line or standing and watching ATM transactions over our shoulders.
We have been observing two distinct hill tribes differentiated by their clothing. One group is friendly, the other reticent. At first entry into Vietnam, we thought there was greater wealth; larger fancier homes, piped water, even hot water everywhere, electricity, sewers. But upon closer observation, the hamlets and the rural houses still are primitive, simple and spare. It is a wonder to see the beautifully coifed and fancily dressed women come out of the door of a wattle and dab, dirt floor hut. It is also startling to see these small women carrying astounding loads of wood on tumplines, balanced bars or bicycles.
The land here in North Vietnam still has forest portions, whether virgin or replanted; at least there are large tracts of trees. Areas of the mountainsides are scraped clean and the earth prepared for spring planting. The valleys are used primarily for the rice paddies. Some are planted and green, others being flooded and planted, but every lowland area is quilted in extensively worked paddies. Fruit trees, shrubs and vines, vegetables producing saleable crops are planted in plots higher on the hillsides than the rice.
3/23
Last night proved to be a delight. The family prepared us a nice meal. The building appeared to be new construction; TV just out of the box; new, clean, matching linens; frilly mosquito nets on an ingeniously devised track; and dirty floors as if the workmen had just left. In all of Asia, from Singapore through Laos, shoes are left at the door. Here people wear them inside and don’t have the tools to clean the floors very well. Mud gets slopped against the baseboards (actually tiles).
We were awakened at 5am by a loud speaker blasting music and four voices, two women and two men, throughout the town. What it was all about, we have no idea--Political? Religious? Announcements on electric, road, etc? Going on until 6:30am! Hello, Sunday.
The short ride into Son La was pleasant as we passed everyone planting rice in valleys surrounded by karsts formations rising 100’s of meters above the valley floor.
We have settled into Son La at the Trade Union Hotel that is government run. When we asked where to wash Bici and our panniers, the multitudes who work here took everything away, presumably to return it clean? Bici is sparkling. Last night was a light show accompanied by thunder and rain, finishing off with a bright full moon. The rain tamped down the dust, but provided puddles, so we really collected the mud. A motorcyclist gestured for us to stop, he approached with a rag and a bottle of motor oil. He was aghast at our chain, thinking it was rusted, we supposed. We said “no, thank you” and showed him our likewise muddy and dusty shoes and legs. We are thankful today was short. We understand from other cyclists the construction ends here on our route to Hanoi.
3/24
Awoken again at 5am by the loudspeakers which set off the crowing roosters and caged myna birds who raucously whistle. The motorcycles, trucks, buses and cars rev up their engines and begin their incessant honking. People shout, babies cry, water buckets are pounded and sloshed. Everyone is up and the day is bustling.
We are going to stay an extra day here to see the sights and try to use the internet to send some of the extensive journal. So far, the only internets are game stations and it is hard to get a free machine, the young people are spending hours at these games. None of the centers even have word processing, let along picture software, so far. (Note: We did not find a machine with Word or picture capabilities until Hanoi and there we found only ONE! We will probably not be able to send anything again from Vietnam.)
Son La is a pretty large and booming town. New buildings are everywhere. Most, placed on narrow plots, extend up for several floors, decorated with columns, balconies, decorative surface applications, all created out of cement and gaily painted like San Francisco’s turn-of-the-century houses. The sides and backs are unadorned and present a solid concrete wall to the rice and vegetable fields running through the center of town.
