Boog's Blog

Jan 24
Of food and costs.

Today is a wandering and shopping day. Nothing wanted except personal odds and ends; toiletres.

First the pastries. They are not good. Have tried them in several hotels and all are greasy without the goodness of butter. Found a high end French shop but there too no taste. Looks like the French legacy did not include pastries or bread.

Now the Pho is a different matter. It is available in HCMC at several levels. All excellent. Cha Gio – their spring rolls – are very special.

Went for lunch to Pho 24 a high end chain clean enough for Castro Street. Off the major hotel row. Paid less than $2 for the Pho a bit less for the Cha Gio and $.70 for the beer. Room service in the hotel is about twice the cost. On the street about half the cost.

My 90 minute masage cost $16. That was at the hotel. Available on the street for a lot less if one passes on 'special service'.

Randy: soups fruit and lower costs than Lee's. Your kind of place.

Sitting in a coffee shop writing this. US prices for expresso.

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Jan 23. 19:30 local time

Today started with a speedboat ride from Chau Doc to Can Tho and then the rest of the way by coach. Now a day in HCMC and then off to the "home" visit South of here.

The speedboat is pictured. Nice cool breeze as we motored along at 45 kmhour
Excellent views of the Mekong from the river. Many brick factories – each fueled by rice hulls that also move along the river in their own sampans.

Corn fields as well as long beans. This is very much an agricultural area and much of it is more visible from riverside.

After a ferry exit we stopped for coconut snack, see pic. Typical local resting, coffee, snack place especially near the ferries. There are a lot of ferries as bridge building is still in its infancy.

High level of service continues, belive that they "treat me like their father" meaning a lot of respect, not necessarily earned.

Lunch included very large prawns sardines eel fish soup and of course rice. Pics are in the camera. Included is picture of Bond (closest spelling) at lunch.

The fish, prawns sardines and eel were fresh moments béfore they were served to us.

Dinner after a enjoyable massage at the hotel.

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Jan 22. 16:30 hours

Great riding day, best so far. Usual heat but the roads were mostly rural (until the end of the day). Another 50 mile plus day as a loop out of Chou Doc to the Cambodian border area and return. Some hills, not too high, nice break from the flats.

Today is the story of butts, smells, service and rural roads.

Yesterday went to the pharmacy and got large, mentholated antibiotic bandages (bandaid type but stickier). Felt very cool on my butt. The wore two pair of bike shorts – both padded. Then sat on my newly padded bike seat (see section on Service) and found that I could ride most of the day focused on the road and scenery and not the pain in the butt. Welcome change.

I will try and bring some of these bandages home, quite interesting and good.

Service:
The service level of the three staff has been outstanding, and then even better. I suggested finding a mattress store to look for some extra padding to stuff into my shorts. They said wait. Last evening they showed me my bike. Thought that they had purchased a new bike seat. Nope. The went to a Honda shop (all motor bikes are called Hondas) had then put on two layers of foam and then hand sew a cover over the foam to make what looks like a new seat. Mine is, of course, located below.

The two layers foam plus the two layers of bike shorts and the bandages did the trick, or at least a long way towards the full trick.

The service was done not only well and without fuss but with respect for my age.

Oh… The total cost was 30000 dong, about $1.80

The ride today was mostly along the water. Reminded me of the ride along the big muddy (Missouri River). Calm, nice people, more rural with much larger homes.

The variety of smells. Yes, and most are not readlily know by me. Sweet, sour, fire, cooking, food, animals, river, decay and on and on. As people live on and in the river they cook and clean and use both the banks and the house fronts and of course the river.

Lunch shops goodies as picture.

Had eel yesterday and naturally they remembered how much I like it with chillis and lemmon grass; it was added to the menu today.

Tomorrow morning my time I take a boat to Can Tho and then a ride back to Saigon. One day intermettzo before my 'home vist'

I suspect that the ride we did today and earlier days could not be done in a few years. Already too many motor bikes for the 1.5 lane wide roads. As cars become more prevalent it will not be possible to have space, breath the air or navigate safely – barely safe now but generally ok if one stays alert.

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Jan 21. 15:00. Local time
(Libby – good suggestion)

Day started quite well with an excellent breakfast at the hotel. Make it yourself Pho, buffet style choice of ingredients. See included picture.

The morning toilette is long and involved, but suspect necessary especially in this Southern part of the Mekong. Shower, Malaria drug, sunscreen (do not miss the ears ) and a bit more sunscreen then grease up with deet paste and then put on cloths over this greasy mess. The others on the trip have been badly burned, especially on their arms – blisters and pain – so the motivation remaiins on my end. Havé avoided the burns and bites of mosquitos so far.

Into a small motor driven boat and off for a tour of the Mekong lifestyle in this area. More floating markets, a visit to a carp farm (local fish farming for local consumption – the catfish is for export ).

We then stopped at a town that is inhabited by the Chaum people. Came here from the central region in the late 19th century. Muslims. Went to visit their mosque, and sample their local weaving.

Met a young woman, from Holland, has been bumming about for almost six months. Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Traveling alone. Always puts any adventures I do in perspective.

Might have purchased a local sarong.

Then back to the hotel and a bus ride to Sam Mountain. First a stop at sevéral temples. The first for a general who captured back the area from the Cambodians. They honor and rever him.

Second to the "The Local Lady". Picture of an offering included. Massive donations and lots of visitors. Many from the South feel that they must come here regularly.

Pagoda's bring in a lot of money in donations. Trang told us the story of a local Pagoda that was set up as a sham. Brought in relics, experts with commentaries on the budda, monks. It was all a sham to take money.

Next an exciting motor bike ride up to Sam Mountain. The road is too steep and narrow for the car so we all jump on the back of a motor bike and hold onto the driver. Up the mountain to about 800 feet.

A visit to the multicultural Tay An Pagoda (Muslim, Hindu, Buddist, etc. ). Very nice.

Short visit to a market – cloths (second hand shop is filled with goods Americans donate to charity and then these goods get sold at low prices in developed world countries; looked for items we might have provided but none in this shop ).

Seem to have connectivity so will send this now

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Great day of riding, the best so far. Sore butt of course, used two pair of padded shorts and helped a bit.

Finally got to ride on rural roads. Few trucks or buses, wonderful people, beuatiful children, all smiles and happy to see us and share if we offered to share.

At a water stop – the service level from the 'staff' is outstanding and focused a bit on me as I am the oldest and this is very much a Confucian society. They even clink my glass towards the bottom to show respect.

One of the two attached pics is at a water stop. Very small road with limited traffic (except motor bikes ) and thankfully few honking noises.

Lost of chickens and roosters and small dogs on the road. All the dogs appear to be the same species. Strange.

The day's ride started with a ferry ride to the smaller roads side of the Mekong. Off the main highway. The first 26 km were perfect. The rest of the day almost perfect. The last 5km hell as a very rocky unpaved road.

Culturally the idea of trash here is strange to Western eyes. Was giving out gum to children or families. When stopping the bike to drink some of the almost gallons a day required I generally would give the gawkers something. Today gum. Sometimes the package (of 10 pieces) would have only a few left so would give the package with wrappers. The families would take the gum, appreciately with smiles and some giggles and then drop the detritus right on the ground, on their property or the dirt in front of their property. Happened more than once.

Staying three nights at this Victoria hotel a few km from the Cambodian border. Another in the chain of 5 star hotels. We will bike in this area, up to Sam Mountain I believe.

Clearly I have gprs connectivity in the hotel for now.

Second photo is arrival, with lemmon ginger tea, cool towels and lots of help at the front desk. The two seated men are the father and son along with me on the trip. They will leave towards the end and take a boat to Cambodia – then there will be three 'staff' to attend to me for a few days.

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Lost gprs connectivity in the evening before leaving Can Tho.

The ride today was mostly on QL -91 a main road without a real shoulder. Lots of trucks, buses, and other conveyences. Noisiest day so far. Hot of course but seem to be getting somewhat used to is as the heat was not nearly as debilitating as earlier in the trip.

About 15-20 km before Long Xuyen (a working city, not tourist and not a commerical center just a local or regional important city) we stopped to go the the bird sanctuary.

The road we were told is too hard to bike. Only one km by road but for some reason we took a boat rather than walked. Small sampan with a long tail, Thailand style or maybe Thais got it from the Vietnamese. Very versitile boats.

About a 25 minute ride on the very muddy household water supply Mekong. Families live on the water, in houses on stilts, and drink, bathe, defecate, wash and of course fish in this water supply.

Fishing is often of the basket on the end of a long pole type. Dip it in, wait a short bit and drag it out. Hard work. Then shake the basket the way one pans for gold.

Many catfish farms and duck herding on the river.

We get to the 'sanctuary' and like much of this interesting country it is not what it sounds like. Turns out to be a farmers home, albeit a home with extra land that is forrested with bamboo, an extra muddy tributary, and lots of birds.

We pay the farmer and climb to an observation tower. Children climb up with us – very happy giggly children. Left my pens at the other end of the boat ride as I did not understand we would have farmers offspring as additional guests.

White birds of the tree nesting type, mostly egrets I am guessing. Various types of egrets that have found this particular plot of land good to come to each year. Lower and higher dwellilng and nesting birds. Bigger black birds looked like storks.

Hard to know as no literature to identify the birds. Just a farmer's property and no government support or, I am guessing, way for him to put a brochure together.

Back on the sampan and ride to Long Xuyen. Long very straight road with continuous commerce. One of the few roads in the area.

At lunch met a South African couple that have been touring Thailand, Cambodia and now Vietnam for 3-4 months. Real adventure. Discussed some of what I will see in the North. Fewer people on the roads but even noiser drivers, love to use the horns for some reason. I am buildiing up a distaste for the noise.

The air quality is terrible by our local standards. When I discussed this at lunch with Scott, one of the two other riders, he thought better than Los Angeles area. Yikes! We would call this a spare the air alert for sure. Scott thought it was a clear nice day for riding.

Evening capped by a nice dinner, again too much food, but included claypot stew with various meats (did not eat them as just too much other stuff) catfish, squid, fried rice, what might have been pike. Mostly seafood and a lot of it, not all, deep fired. All with many dipping sauces.

The staff tried to show us how hot the local peppers are and burned their lips. I took their word for it.

Beer and then dark Vietnamese coffee for desért. Expresso strengh. Most added rice milk or soy, sweetened of course. I liked it black.

Hotel is a 3 star that we would call a 1-2 star. Best place in town. Large clean room just without any charm and few ammenities. Got spoiled by the Victoria.

Picture is the hotel in Long Xuygen

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Motorbikes. They are everywhere. One cannot just stroll the streets as they come at you on the sidewalks. No mindless strolling that is. Do not seem to hit people but one always has to dodge them. No rules.

Imagine the Palo Alto Arts and Craft market in late August. A very hot summer day with very clear skys. No clouds.

Now make some modifications.

-Get rid of the sourounding buildings as they are far too tall and cast far too much shade. Make them single story and move them back about one inch. Leave them there, the one inch is critical.

-Add humidity, the more the better.

-Add another row, a double row of course, of vendors on both sides of University Ave.

-Bring on the crowds. Lots of shoppers and buyers and gawkers.

-Add another row of vendors as it is not dense enough yet.

Now, squeeze yourself down the rows to look at the goods. Keep an eye out for the motorbikes squeezing past – in both directions. They have horns blaring just for background atmosphere.

This is a market area in HCMC or Can Tho or, I suspect, elsewhere.

The floating market was not much different except is was boats of a very wide variety of types.

After an afternoon stroll in the area and market it was time for a Vietnamese massage. An excellent one. Ah….

A short nap and then off to a dinner. Nothing special this time. OK dinner at the waterfront – tomato soup, pumpkin flowers deep fried, clay pot fish, string beans with garlic, pork with mushroom sauce (strange combination to me).

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AFter breakfast resolved trip planning for the next portion – the intermettzo.

The first trip will end on the 25th and the second trip will start in Hanoi on the 30th

Here is the schedule:

25th take private tour by boat from Saigon to small island and stay one night in a local family home, expected to act like one of the family in terms of cooking and cleaning. Spend day with their children helping them with English in return for cultural lesson.

Retun to HCMC and then 28th take 11 am flight to Hanoi to Sofitel hotel. Then transfer to train Victoria Express at 22:00 hours to Lao Cai. Arrive in far north early am and then bus to Sapa – an area of ethic groups hidden in the mist of the mountains.

Return for night of 30th at Sofitel.

Side note – just learned that tomorrow's bike ride has its first stop about 40km from here in a bird santuary. I was advised to bring my binoculars. Yeah!

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Early morning wake up for the ride to the floating markets of Can Rei. About a 30 minute san pan ride to the wholesale market. This one is not a tourist market but a working one so we have to go early so as not to interfere with the main part of the commerce at peak time.

We leave hotel at 5:30 am and get to river. Boat ride on nice cool day, it is about 10 degrees cooler today. Reminds me of the Bangkok river in many ways. Similar houses on stilts, people washing and drinking directly from the very muddy river. Long tail boats but here there are many many types of boats. Some like HK are living quarter for those who never live on land. They have a real problem with getting an identity card.

As we drove to the river for the boat ride we saw hundreds, maaybe more, taking their morning excercise. Not Tai Chi but either walking or dancing and moving their butts and arms.

Image 19 is in a private gardén that we visited after the market. The market pictures, many, with many bad, will have to wait until I can unload the digital camera. The morning light was not good and certainly not good enough for the cell phone.

Image 18 is me of course in the hotel before leaving. Image 21 is a monkey we fed some fruit and 22 is a view of this wonderful upper class hotel.

After returning to Can Tho took a motorized cyclo ride around the city, for about 40 minutes; cool weather, clean city and lots of activity made this a good ride.

Off to breakfast, hungry.

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Trip to Can Tho

My butt hurts; really hurts. Gentle reader do not laugh unless, like the QB who has been there. This seems worse – certainly the worst it has been for me. Just below or maybe at the raw stage.

How did it get that way? The statistics of the day will explaini a bit but it started hurting at the first km so it was a hard day.

Distance. 100 km plus a bit

Temp. Off the scale but think hot.

Humidity. Yes, full

Rain, some in the afternoon and it was a welcome relief except that one could steam veggies

Food – basically too hot to enjoy much of a breakfast or lunch. Ate some eggs and some fruit.

Hydration, maybe this says it all. Consumed 96 oz of water plus other assorted drinks at lunch time.

-altitude gained. Maybe 100 plus feet in 100 km. Not hard but no free ride.

Wildlife (using the QB system)
-birds. Roosters, chickens and not much else. A few geese.

-cows. Yes many on the side of the road. Grazing and very thin.

-water buffalo. One

-rice Think of the Midwest and covert the corn coverage to rice and you are on the right track. Quite pretty when green and interesting when being planted. Turns out this area can actually get four crops a year. The Viet word for rice, Com, means to eat.

-Driving and biking. I thought Amsterdam with its bike, pedestrian and roadways a bit challengeing, at least the turns. Nothing, nada, piece of cake. Two sides of the road as normal. Shoulder as would be expected. Rules of lane: none. One can and does cycle, drive, turn etc. As if there are really four independent two way lanes.

-Solution. Use a very loud horn, especially the buses. New York at is worst is quiet compared to a single road. One feels constantly assaulted.

So, all in all an exciting day. Long distance in heat and made it, could have easily continued except for the butt.

Tomorrow, the floating market, at 05:00 and then more adventure. Dinner tonite at a very good hotel. The hotel in Can Tho is 4-5 star and fairly rated (with US prices for washing a pair of socks, and I had a lot more than just wet socks. Loving it.

Notes – this is the first sending in three days. Havé not had connection to gprs for a few days – no mail or web.

No images in this post as was not sure if I would have a connection again for a while.

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