Goooooooood Morning Vietnam!
Bonjour everyone, time for a bit catch up!
I'm just reading over my last post and giving my head a shake for the time I said I was going to leave, and the time I actually did leave. After Halong Bay, salty and sunny and partied out, I planned to buy a motorcycle and hit the road. Two days turned into almost two weeks because I got lost in a flurry rooftop barbecues, 50 cent beers and the good vibe that is Hanoi city.
I highly reccomend Hanoi backpacker hostel because, even though the rooms are a whopping 6 bucks, the energy and party on that street is just stellar. I will admit it is not 'real' vietnam, which I am currently in, typing on a keyboard that spits out vietnamese, but it offers up the same party with new faces each night. People of all walks of life gather on the rooftop bar, kick back with happy hour beers and burgers and make multitudes of friends. I'd say the first 3 nights would have been plenty but then I had a birthday coming up so why not stay a couple more nights? Then I gained some travelling partners, so why not stay a couple more? Then I had to buy a motorycle, so a little bit more time wouldn't hurt....No worries! People eventually came up and asked 'Hey, how much for the water?' and I would say 'Oh sorry I know I blend into the wallpaper perfectly, but I don't actually work here' So you can see the excellent trap that I had fallen into....Groundhog Day, only I'm Bill Murray from Canada, eh, with a much higher capacity for late nights and cheap rum. It would have been much easier to leave if it was the same hum drum every night, but new faces equals new conversations and adventures! A special thanks to Chau (and Leah and Martha!) for showing me around and hanging out, you are an excellent scooter driver and host!
The day finally came when we left the backpacker district (FINALLY!), and as we sat in a row getting some photos, aviators on, looking cool as a can of baked beans, I think one out of four bikes would start up. Tres embarassing oui? I actually had to go the ghetto route of getting a push down the hill then kicking it into gear, like some Kazikstani moto taxi rolling into town to buy oats. My mates are Nick, Ben and Spencer and they are a solid travelling crew because I'm beginning to realize patience is a virtue when you plan on biking the whole of vietnam on a 12 year old, 300$ motorcycle. No one has lost there cool yet, even though we have travelled only 120 km in almost two days. We've been to the mechanic four times today and he is an absolute gem ...for all you people that break down in Mai Chau go see the dude across from the market/football field, a regular miracle worker.
It is now pissing rain, getting dark and there is some intense lightning happening over the surrounding mountains...so I'm going to go out on a limb and say we are NOT going anywhere tonight. C'est La vie mes amis. Even when things don't go as planned, you find yourself eating shaved beef soup and drinking beer with your buddies, playing with little vietnamese kids, or doing quick language lessons with the locals. Life is good. Until next time.
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