About the Scooter...

My trusty ride for the last couple of months has been this 4-speed emerald green Honda Wave featuring a manual gear shift and dual mirrors.  It costs me all of $55 a month and costs about $2.50 to fill the tank.

Speaking of filling the tank, while there are a handful of "regular" gas stations around Hanoi, they're relatively few and far between.  Even moreso once you leave the city and venture into the countryside.  Instead, all sorts of mom and pop shops sell their own gas out of these rather odd looking contraptions.  Best of all, it's full-serve!

Aside from gas, the only other requirement is a rain poncho.  Mine's this cheap yellow thing that came with the bike.  Most folks here have much more elaborate ponchos of sturdier material and which often cover the entire bike.  Motoring around Hanoi is a blast, but when it rains, it generally pours and that means, even with full poncho gear, you're usually pretty wet by the time you get to your destination.

Tam Dao National Park Part III

After spending a couple hours poking around Tam Dao village, the clouds started moving in and it began misting.  Afraid misting in the mountains might mean downpours on the route back to Hanoi, we decided to head back.

Fortunately, after a couple of minutes back down the mountain, the clouds broke and the weather cleared, so we stopped in a nice forested area at a roadside "cafe" for refreshment.  That meant two Red Bulls and a sugar cane juice. 

The juice was fresh squeezed with this handy grinder.  Off to the right, you can see a groom in white who was there with his bride who was getting her hairdoo touched up before they disappeared into the forest for their photo op.

At this point, it was well-past midday and Mr Thanh and I were both getting pretty hungry.  We talked while we rode about what we wanted to eat, but it was difficult to hear what he was saying given the wind and helmet and all.  I've decided that talking to each other while riding is pretty much just nodding and smiling because you really can't hear a thing the other rider is saying.

Anyway, we slowly drove by a couple of "interesting" looking spots before Mr Thanh decided on this particularly "interesting" looking spot. 

I'd have sooner driven my car inside to have it serviced than sat down for a bowl of pho, but that's exactly what we did.  The owner, I presume, leapt up from his spot on the floor in the back where he was watching a ping pong tournament on a flat screen TV which you can see hanging on the wall.  Frankly, I was a little nervous about this place.

Mr Thanh ordered up two bowls of beef pho, "pho bo", and a couple of minutes later, we were served.  It was the best pho I've had.  Big huge slices of tender beef and a delicious broth with a strong hint of ginger.  As Mr Thanh would say, "it was fantastique!"

On the left is the giant pot of broth the owner had brewing.
Underneath is a drum with oil can size brickettes which keeps the broth warm.

After we finished, the owner went back to his resting spot on the floor and finished watching the ping pong tournament.

Because we were travelling in a relatively rural part of Vietnam, we regularly saw loads of corn being moved here and there.  Mr Thanh asked if we had corn in the US so I told him that all summer long, Americans eat tons of corn on the cob with butter and salt and that whole states (not the least of which were Wisconsin and Minnesota) grew nothing but corn as far as the eye could see.  He was pretty surprised to hear this it seemed.

Shortly after, we came to a long stretch of highway were there was stand after stand of cornsellers who had fresh corn for sale.  Unlike the Midwest, however, they also had freshly cooked corn on the cob for sale.

'Corn's a-boilin' in the center pot with husk and all.
We ate it plain and it was good, but nothing like fresh sweet corn from home.

Our scenic roadside stool view.

On the way back, just before crossing over the Bac Thang Long bridge, a torrential downpour began.  Fortunately we had our trusty ponchos with us (as you must at all times around here) so we threw those on and continued through buckets of rain.  By the time we reached the end of the bridge, it had died down enough for us to finish the trip home.

I'll close by saying that at this point, I'm not surprised by anything I see folks around here toting around on their bikes. Someone said there's even a coffee table picture book with nothing but photos of Vietnamese scooters and their amazing loads.  It's definitely something I'll be looking for on Amazon. 

In the meantime, I think I found an excellent submission for Volume II.

 

Tam Dao National Park Part II

After our ca phe sua da, we continue north, entered the park and headed up into the mountains on the sole road to Tam Dao (which means "three islands" and refers to each of the three tallest peaks).  The tallest of the peaks is around 5200 feet, so it's quite a climb from near sea level to the top. 

Along the way were spectacular views, alpine-like forests (including pine trees, but only near the mid-section, not at the top), cool air and beautiful waterfalls.

At the top of the road we reached the village of Tam Dao and the day's market place was in full swing. 

Fresh vegetables on the left (XuXu) and fresh meat on the right

All sorts of good stuff inside the marketplace, under the tarp

This cute little old woman was basically baking rice cakes over an open grill

She'd fan the charcoals and turn the pancake over and over again.
The pancake itself was covered with something like sesame seeds.
We bought the one she's picture making and it made for a tasty snack.

Lots of bananas for sale; I'm not sure what the "produce" in front is.

A variety of herbal medicines of some kind.

Barbequed eggs.  Just like Hard boiled eggs. 
"Same, same, but different!"
We tried the small ones on the left and they were literally hard "grilled" eggs.
The big ones on the left were grilled alright.  But with a chicken fetus inside.
We didn't try those.

Pickled bamboo hearts.  With a bit of pepper flavoring?

After wondering through the marketplace, we walked around the village and took in the sights.

A very old church with what looked like a new steeple addition in the works.

Chickens in a pen sitting randomly on the side of the road.

Mr Thanh stopped to talk to these women for directions.
While they were talking, I used my Chapstick.  The woman on the left
proceeded to make fun of me for "decorating my lips!" 
They all had a good laugh at my expense I think.

Two very cute little pups who had no interest in any human interaction at all.
I suspect they've been told they could possibly be someone's dinner around these parts.

Tomorrow, the trip back home.

Tam Dao National Park Part I

Today we had planned to visit Cuc Phuong National Park, southwest of Hanoi.  But it would have been our longest trip yet by far and, given the weather, we decided to hold off and instead head north to Tam Dao National Park.

View Larger Map

Les and Steve weren't able to join us today, so it was just my friend, Mr Thanh (pronounced "Tang" - or at least that's how I say it) and I.  I should mention here that next to Chi, Mr Thanh is probably my closest Vietnamese friend here.  He's a great guy, always smiling and we laugh a lot, so obviously we have lots in common.  He's got a great Vietnamese English accent and says things like "ya, sure", refers to scenic places as "lovely" and replies with "wow, that's fantastic!" when I tell him something interesting.  He's become a good friend.

Today's adventure began before our adventure even began.  Mr Thanh dropped by my apartment at 7:30 for a relatively late start.  Of course, we were both hungry so he suggested a spot where we could stop for breakfast.

The place looked fine, if for no other reason than it had standard size seats, and he asked if I was feeling adventurous.  For me, that's a standard "yes" and he replied "good, because this place only serves one thing - eel".  Ok then!

A few minutes later, our waiter brought two bowls of Mien Luon Nghe An. 

Other than bean sprouts and some scallions, there wasn't much I recognized.  The noodles were translucent and the eel looked like slender mushrooms (Mr Thanh said it was a small eel).  After squeezing a couple of limes in for flavor, I gave it a shot.

It wasn't bad, but tasted a little soapy.  I wasn't sure if that was the eel or the bowl I was eating from.  I mentioned this to Mr T, but I think he thought I said "soupy" and agreed.  "Ya, sure!"

The streetside kitchen where the eel's goose is cooked!

After finishing up, we headed west for a bit before heading north on the Bao Thang Long bridge/freeway north out of town (and also the road to Noi Bai Airport).  To enter the freeway at this point, you immediately get on the Bao Thang Long Bridge, a huge monster of a span which crosses the Red River and seems to go on for miles.  Whenever I go to the airport, it always makes me nervous because it's always fast, congested and full of crazy drivers.   

Fortunately, we avoided all that as scooters have their own special lanes underneath the bridge to avoid having to mix with the larger, faster truck and auto traffic.

The on-ramp (regular traffic goes above)

Scooters travel underneath the main section of highway above.
Both north and southbound scooter traffic have their own separate "lanes".

View looking out over the massive Red River

Shortly after leaving the bridge, we turned left and headed northwest via a road which was largely under construction or should have been.  Because of the rain, there were massive potholes everywhere for quite some distance and it was quite the obstacle course weaving back and forth, attempting to avoid both the wet and the potholes.  At the end, Mr Thanh suggested in his great accent that we'd been "dancing with the street".  :o)

To reward our efforts, we stopped for a delicious cup of ca phe sua da at a nice little restaurant along the road. 

Ca phe sua da in foreground.  Mr Thanh in back.

Regular chairs!  Twice in one day! 

We're headed somewhere up there. More on that tomorrow. :o)

The Vietnamese Peoples have very small armpits (and other random notes)!

Apologies for the long absence.  Another busy week at work with late night birthday parties, Tropical Storms and one personal hygiene revelation!

The week's highlight was a midweek trip downtown (yet another fruitless venture to the HSBC bank branch; I may never be able to retrieve the millions - in Vietnamese Dong, that is - I've made here!).  While we were there, Chi thought of another dish we had yet to try, so we wondered around the corner.

 

(Yes, we ate here.  At the blue table in front)

Today's dish was Bun Moc (which I apparently missed on the awning as we entered).

To the naked eye, this might look like a typical bowl of pho.  Broth, check.  Noodles, check.  Onions, check.  Meat, check.  Looked like pho to me!

But it's not.  Bun Moc has mushrooms!  And pork!  Minced Pork shaped like boxes and pie pieces!  And neither of which you'd ever find in a respectable bowl of pho! 

It was fine.  Of course, I dutifully cleaned my bowl, not wanting to offend my culinary hostess.  I left the pork shapes, however.  And I'm afraid it won't make the "Craig's-coming-to-Hanoi-next-week-and-I'll-take-him-here-and-here-and-here" list. 

Meanwhile, it was the birthday of Air Mekong's CEO, Les, my boss (and the guy who's rearend was often featured in pictures I posted of our first weekend drive a couple of weekends ago).  There was nothing particularly Vietnamese about the celebration we had at work, except the small Vietnamese fortune Chi spent on this 3D cake, which was truly fantastic! 

That night, the Board of Directors took Les and I out to dinner at a restaurant on Ho Truc Bach, a small lake adjoining West Lake.  It was a delicious meal featuring shark fin soup (very tasty), several "Putinka" brand (?) vodka shots and a bocquet of flowers for Les which would have made any pageant queen proud!

In the meantime, Tropical Storm Haima threatened to wreak havoc at the airline yesterday.  Instead of making landfall at Hanoi, however, it veered south where it did quite extensive damage and killed 14 people (including four by lightening strike).

What that meant for Hanoi, however, was tons of rain.  This morning it was coming down in sheets the likes of which I've never seen.  I'm not sure what volume of water's fallen in the last day or two, but the Sudanese Embassy next door serves as a pretty good barometer.

Apparently residents of the Sudanese Embassy here aren't big swimmers because their pool is empty.  Or at least it was two days ago.

That's a regular size pool which I would guess is at least six feet deep.  It's at least 2/3 full now.  Anyone care for a swim?

Lastly, I finally ran out of a few sundry items, so had to run down to the FiviMart for some supplies.  No problem with the bar soap, laundry soap or tooth paste.  Not so for deodorant!

The FiviMart suffered no shortage of male hygiene products...lotions, colognes, soap...the whole works.  As I was searching the aisle for what looked like deodorant, I kept grabbing like-sized containers, only to find out that they were bottles of lotion.  Chi happened to be with me and pointed me instead to a vast selection of tiny dispensers that looked more like small chess pieces.  

(Small floss container provided for scale reference!)

That's all they had.  Plenty of selection, just all in teeny-tiny armpit sizes.  And in spite of their appearnace, I don't think these were designed to be single-use!  Its like putting on deodorant with a ChapStick dispenser.  :o/

Assuming the weather clears, tomorrow we'll be taking another Sunday drive, this time to Cuc Phuong National Park, southwest of Hanoi and in the same neighborhood as the limestone karsts Les and I found on our first venture out.  If all goes as planned, I'll have more pics to post early next week.

On my way from the gym

My gym is next door.  But to get there, the architects of this complex designed a virtual rat maze between my apartment and the weight room.

Every day I go out the door, down the hall, down 13 floors, out the elavator, around the corner, up another elavator, turn the corner, down the hall, make a right, up the corridor to the gym.  Got that?

Anyway, I usually try to get there at 6:00am so I can get my workout done, which generally means I'm finished no later than 7.  As I make my way back through the rat maze, toward the first elavator, there are always four or five plastic bags outside a door directly across from the lift.

This also happens to be the back door to the "My Way" Restaurant, a chain of eatery's here in Hanoi which serves mostly western-style Vietnamese dishes and a funky green papaya salad.  But that's another story.  It's a pretty big restaurant.

The funny thing is that these four or five plastic bags aren't linen or last night's garbage.  They're the days vegetables.

Potates, carrots, greens.

Every day.  Bags of vegetables.  Delivered fresh off the farm.  By scooter, no doubt.

Ba Vi National Park

Yesterday marked the second Sunday in a row I've been able to take a day and tour the Vietnamese Countryside. 


View Larger Map

We travelled west from Hanoi again, this time visiting Duong Lam, an ancient, authentic Vietnamese village dating back to the 1500s, then on to Ba Vi National Park.  I was accompanied by Mr Thanh, Air Mekong's Manager of Space Control (which sounds like something out of NASA and is non-existent in the US airline industry; his department is kind of a mix of Revenue Management, Dispatch and Scheduling functions for you airline readers) and Steve Banks, our VP of Maintenance.

Fortunately, it was another beautiful day here.  We left early to minimize driving in the heat, stopped for a bowl of pho on the way out of town and headed for Duong Lam.

Most of the drive was a mix of semi-suburban, industrial use development, so wasn't very scenic.  Fortunately, we saw plenty of agricultural landscape in between (which, in Vietnam, means lots of rice fields). 

On the way, we were able to see what these contraptions are used for.  I think they're rice thatchers?  Anyway, the farmers feed the rice plant into the top side and grains of rice pop out in the bottom front.  You can see the woven bowls they use to collect the rice as it comes out of the machine; once the bowl is full, they fill the sacks and it's ready to go.

An ox on the side of the road.

Eventually we arrived at Duong Lam.

We pulled into town at market time and it was very busy.  There were vendors there selling tons of fruit and fresh meat, all splayed out on wooden tables for all to see. 

We pulled into a center courtyard and sat down with an old woman and had a beer.  She had about three teeth and proceeded to tell us that during the war, the American's dropped food near her home there.  She was quite the chatterbox.

Afterward, we walked around a bit and visited two very old buildings.  The first was a residence built in the 1600s.  Inside we sat and had tea.

The entryway into the courtyard; a tunnel made of

the roots of plants hanging above.  Very cool.

That's dried corn-on-the-cob hanging to the left.

Next we walked to a communal house which dated to the 1500s and had a community well in front.

Before leaving town, we saw a couple of other interesting scenes...

A woman walking her cow through town...

Another woman selling chickens from the cage on the back of her motorcycle.

As I stopped to take a picture, she loaded 3-4 on the scale just behind her.

Somebody had chicken for dinner last night!

After leaving the village, we travelled back through the countryside, stopping at a roadside vendor for some fresh bread which was mighty tasty. 

And I can never take enough pictures of bikers with trees...

And on the way, we passed this interesting "orchard" of some kind; I have no idea what kind of trees these are or what grows on them.

Eventually we arrived at Ba Vi National Park and the scenery was spectacular.  Unfortunately, as we climbed the mountain (which should show on the Google map above, but I couldn't get the line to reflect our drive to work right), it got foggier and foggier, so not many pics I'm afraid.

By the time we arrived at the top of the park, the weather had cleared.  At the top of the road, there was a nice little park where people had brought picnic lunches and were enjoying the fresh, clear, clean rainforest air.

It also marked the entrance to a short hike to the top of the mountain.  It was all steps, straight up for 20-minutes, so it made for a great workout. 

At the top was a temple dedicated to Ho Chi Minh, "Uncle Ho", who's quite the cult figure here in Vietnam.  Not in a Kim Sung Il, North Korea cultish kind of way, just in an honored reverence kinda way...and likely more so here in North Vietnam than in the South.

You can see a gold statue of Uncle Ho in the center;

at the base were several people praying.  For a new pony, I think.

Unfortunately, at this point, my cell phone battery ran out, so that meant the end of any picture-taking.  Fortunately, there wasn't much new to take a picture of on the way back home.

It would have been nice to have a shot of the restaurant where we ate on the way.  It was a very nice place built over a small stream with a beautiful wood interior and Japanese style tables (so we sat on mats on the floor instead of stools). 

At this point, we were starving so ordered a full meal featuring chicken and sticky rice.  What we didn't realize is that our chicken was out clucking in the back when we arrived.  Yeah, that's how fresh it was. 

And just to remind me of his demise, they served him up fresh on a plate with his poor little grilled head staring right at me.  :o/

It was another great day of travelling the Vietnamese Countryside.  And best of all, there was another spectacular sunset waiting when I got back home to Hanoi.

Aaron, Jim, Sylvie and Amanda; this is for you.