Minsking through Vietnam
Text and Photos: Christoff Aucamp and Gerhard Schröder. Article from the November 2012 issue of DO IT NOW Magazine.
The sudden pounding on our compartment door left us bewildered as the train’s iron wheels could still be heard thundering in the dark. “Dinh Lao Cai roi,” yelled the conductor again. We had arrived in Lao Cai! Our excitement grew and the confusion subsided. After a long-awaited two years, Gerhard and my plan of touring Vietnam on motorbikes was about to become a reality.
The previous day Gerhard and I arrived in Ha Noi, Vietnam’s capital. Gerhard had flown in from South Africa, while I flew in from Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon), where I’ve been living since 2006. It was a grand treat to have my best mate from school visiting me in this part of the world. We had scheduled this trip over the Tet holidays, which fell over the last two weeks of January. At this stage we had only organised two Russian Minsks (motorbikes) – not even a map. After catching up, all we needed to do now was get to Sa Pa and Ha Long Bay, and back to Hanoi within eight days, to catch our flights home. With time being of the essence, we took the overnight train to Lao Cai, saving us a two-day drive, and there was the extra benefit of waking up in the countryside.
Standing on the platform in Lao Cai at 5 a.m., we waited for our bikes to be offloaded. Despite being a major tourist centre, it was like a ghost town due to the Tet holidays. Everything had shut down for the two weeks and even the locals seemed to vanish into thin air. Adding to the mystifying mood of the place, we encountered water buffalo strolling through the empty streets unattended .
The drive up the ever-winding and picturesque mountain pass to Sa Pa was amazing. Gerhard referred to it as ‘little Switzerland’, as it’s a beautiful little town nestled in the mountains high up on the South East Asian mainland. It gets surprisingly cold in these parts, so our plan was to buy whatever else we would need here.
In Sa Pa, we quickly realised that Tet really is a family-orientated holiday, and business comes to a complete stand still, unlike Ho Chi Minh City where you would still find some stores open. Fortunately in Vietnam most people who own a small restaurant or store also reside on the levels above, so we were lucky enough to find some kind-hearted people who helped us. We had our first pho, an iconic dish of Vietnam, consisting of rice noodles with fresh meat and broth; the perfect remedy after a chilly morning’s drive. Finding thermal insulation was a priority, and we bought some of the best knock-offs we could find. The rest of the day was spent exploring the surrounding areas, visiting the more popular sites and places in town, and watching the local Hmong people in their traditional clothing making their way up and down the steep streets from the valley below. We found a backpackers, and for $10 a room, it had a balcony and incredible views. Brilliant!
The next morning we woke up to a cold and foggy Sa Pa and were on our away before 7 a.m. The dense fog resulted in us getting off to a slow start, and being stopped by the police for not having our papers delayed us even further. Fines are paid in cash and dealt with on the spot, which saves you time and money.
Motoring along on the busy highway to Hanoi the scenery rapidly changed to dense jungle and small narrow roads. As most Vietnamese villages are so small, some with no more than 50 people, they don’t appear on the map. This made it rather challenging trying to find our way around. After being on the road for the entire day we turned off and took a loop that led into the mountains in the north, hoping to complete it by lunch the following day. It turned out that all the villages on this route didn’t offer accommodation, and apart from the odd herder we hardly saw anyone. As the light started to fade we became more desperate and started asking everyone we saw where we could find a place to sleep. It seemed they were more fascinated by us than trying to help us. Eventually we found a group of kids playing soccer who told us there was a hotel in the town we’d just passed. The owners graciously opened their doors to us and at $10 a room, we were stoked to have a roof over our heads. We spent the night feasting on local fare, generously supplied by two friendly ladies we had met across the street. While enjoying this peculiar cultural experience, some of the locals also came to join the fun.
The next morning we woke up early and accepted a breakfast invitation from the locals, a courageous decision because it consisted of under-developed chicken eggs, pig intestines, rice wine and who knows what else. Not knowing when we’d find our next meal, we stomached what we could and got out of there.
Throughout the day we got caught up in rain and fog, and to make matters worse the weather turned very cold. If I hadn’t bought waterproof pants in Sa Pa I don’t know how I would have coped over the next four days. Continuing on the loop we came to an unexpected split in the road. After consulting with a passing truck driver, we realised that we were just 5 km from the Chinese Border. We took the other turnoff and made our way to Vinh Quang, where once again we couldn’t find a place to stay. Our luck turned and we found the only open hotel in Vinh Quang with the help of a German-speaking Vietnamese. We enjoyed another bizarre but entertaining evening, and as Gerhard and I could speak some German, we were able to get some food and gather lots of useful information regarding direction.
From Vinh Quang we aimed for Ba Be National Park, a well-known destination famous for its pristine, natural environment. Leaving the mountains behind us we enjoyed milder temperatures and straighter roads. You can’t imagine how welcoming this was after two days of slogging it out on the mountain passes, in fog and bone-chilling rain. Travelling much faster now, we managed to gain more ground than on previous days, and thoughts of reaching Ba Be well ahead of schedule spurred us on. Again we had some difficulty when the road split, not knowing which way to go. As not everyone here is familiar with a map, we had to rely on my pronunciation, which failed miserably. So we ended up taking a road that led us further into the mountains. Two-hours later, the road came to an end and we were faced with a massive climb up a steep gravel road. We decided to push on thinking that if the road wasn’t finished yet, surely it couldn’t be too long before we’d find the other end? With grinning faces we put our Minsks’ off-road capabilities to the test.
Before long the landscape changed from a construction area to one of wilderness, with only single track footpaths. Hazardous drops in some areas called for total concentration, and we were grateful that it wasn’t raining. I recall Gerhard saying: “Camp, the Angel of Luck is shining upon us today.” With the sun fading, we realised that we might have to sleep there or ride in the dark. Thankfully the footpath became a dirt road again, and just when we thought we’d made it, we reached a river and another dead end. We saw a few boats, but they were deserted. People started gathering after a while and then we heard the sound of a diesel engine coming from down river. Finally a boat came into view, its skipper still drunk from his own rice wine. After mentioning Ba Be, his gestures made it clear that it was not possible. He was, however, willing to give us a ride up river for $20. This was the pinnacle of our journey. We passed the most amazing rock formations that towered above the river like giant sentinels, the sky ablaze with colours of red, orange and pink. And if this treat from nature wasn’t enough, we saw an entrance to a cave that was probably 50 m tall and continued for about 300 m. Overjoyed with what we had just experienced, we offloaded the bikes at the other end and carried on. Almost immediately it became apparent that we were close to civilization, and 15 minutes later we found a tarmac road and then a backpackers. That night we recharged our batteries, ate like kings and wallowed in our delight.
The last leg to Ha Long Bay was through busy industrial areas, and after some near misses from trucks flying past us we eventually reached our destination. Ha Long Bay is magnificent, so we went exploring. We took a boat trip to one of the 1,600 plus islands just off the coast the next day, which is something I would definitely recommend doing. Lunch was bought alive and kicking from the local fishermen and prepared by the chef onboard. The fishermen live on little floating villages, and some that were born here have never set foot on the mainland.
After two fantastic days of sightseeing, we packed the bikes and made the long trip back to Hanoi, dodging trucks, busses and cars to catch our flights back home. The Tet holidays were over, and sadly so too was our adventure.
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