Sage on sail

Phew! Am I ever glad the day is over. Leaving Hue after only one night, we were warned that it was going to be a long day.

On the road at 0730hrs and everyone groaned but complied! We were gathered at the front of the hotel and instead of a trip on the bus to get out of town we mounted our steeds right on the dot of 0730hrs –  no laggards suprisingly enough.

The day included cycling out of Hue, a cycle though the rice paddies then a 10 km ride around a lagoon followed by a 10km straight uphill section with no breaks and then 10km downhill where we would be picked up a dropped off at the hotel in Hoi Ann. All together at 90km cycle ride and an elevation gain of 500metres!

Oh god, are we all going to make it! Slow ride out of the city through the rice paddies and the shrimp farms

A stop at the market

Lunch and then a trip around the lagoon.

And then the gruelling 10km straight up hill – unfortunately no pictures of the group at the top. With 5 on ebikes and 7 on pedal bikes everyone made it. Everyone got cheered as they completed the uphill grind. I was too exhausted to get up off the ground but the thought of 10km downhill got me excited and up off  my ass.

Finally arrived at the hotel at 1900hrs with everyone stumbling off the bus and staggering up to their rooms to get ready for dinner and bed. Thank god we all chose a restaurant only 500 metres from the  hotel.

And here are a few odd pictures from around Vietnam

Our day started with a departure time of 0730hrs. That meant get up early enought to pack the bags, have breakfast and pay any outstanding bills!!

Departure 0730hrs

1.5 hours of bus travel

16km of cycling till coffee break

another 16 km after coffee and then a break for lunch

phone dead

2 hour bus drive after lunch

another 20km and we reach the homestay. Pile out, unload luggage, sit around and chat with a beer or….

Find the bed — one big room for everyone! 12 of us sleeping together. Yes, our one homestay, then back to hotels.

Of course we missed our afternoon nap and we’re ready to crash but dinner at 1830hrs so have to be patient and am sure will crash soon after.

Tomorrow – repeat. Yes, first a bus trip of 1 hour, cycle for four with a coffee break then lunch. Another 3 hour bike ride till we clamber back in to the bus for another 1 hour ride in Ninh Binh and our hotel.

They keep us working – never a slow moment and we’re exhausted already and have another 7 or so days.

A few pics from the previous 2 days.

Yesterday was a trial run. We gathered for a one hour introduction to our ‘steeds’ and a dressing down of our responsibilities.

Like the flock following the goose, off we headed into the jaws of Hanoi’s traffic. Dodging wagons full of birds,

scooters, pedestrians, trucks etc we made our way along the shores of the largest lake in Hanoi.

Finally got back to the  hotel safely and today off on our first full day cycle in the country.

Up until yesterday, we walked miles every day. Lots of stops at cafes, museums, street stalls, galleries and benches. It’s been quite exhausting as maneuvering the sidewalks and roadways is a challenge as the scooters use the sidewalks as parking zones pushing pedestrians out onto the street to dodge the cars, buses, trucks and scooters.

Yesterday, we decided to do a scooter tour of some of the unique and local dining spots. A little reluctant to put our faith in a young scooter driver we headed out into the mayhem. I kept telling myself that in the 6 days we have been here we have never seen an accident so we should be OK, and we’re.

I thought pehpaps it best to show a short video of what it was like on the back of the scooter and a picture or two of the street scene.

Am not sure if it’s propoganda, a holiday, or just something that is here, but there are flags everywhere.

Another day of slogging throught the streets of Hanoi.  It’s more a dash through an episode of the Squid Game. If you survive you get to move on to the next episode but if you don’t survive then you might get lucky to be be sent home on a stretcher.

Connie says that for every car on the road there are 100 scooters. They are everywhere – they are parked on the sidewalks so one has to walk on the roadway. Crossing a street is like being a skittle and the ball is rolling towards you. The only advantage you have over being a skittle is that you can try and move out of the way but that doesn’t always work. Today we survived.

I think it was another 12 mile walking marathon taking us past all sorts of stores. It appears that goods are sold in clusters. That is, walk down one street and it specializes in Christmas ornaments. Walk down another and they specialize in Ao Dais. I wish there was a map that dilineated the areas where products were sold. However, I’m not buying anything except food! I hunt for the galleries and museums but being Monday many of them are closed.

However, we started off the day in a gallery around the corner from where we are staying. It was a photo exhibition displaying the work of Andy Soloman. He lived in Vietnam about 30 years ago, took pictures of lots of people and then recently returned and took photos of them again holding pictures that had been taken in the past. Beautiful black and white photos and fascinating.

we walked and walked and walked stopping every once and a while for a coffee and/or cold drink and finally collapsed back at the hotel at 1500hrs trying to gather strength to head out for dinner and another walk around the lake.

A great day.

Yes, we are on the move again. This time a cycle trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh. Then a couple of weeks to explore the Mekong and head up to Siam Reap and Ankor Wat. At least that’s the plan and so far we’ve made it to Hanoi so hold tight for photos and a few stories.

First off was a gruelling 16 hour flight to Singapore from Vancouver and then another 3 hours to Hanoi with a 1/2 hour break at Singapore airport – definitely not for the faint of heart. One nice point to make though was the transfer from Air Canada to Singapore Airlines. They had added Christmas wreathes to the cabin sides – attention to detail that make flying a little more pleasant and small things make a difference.

First day – up at 0400hrs for a walk around the lake to see people practicing tai chi and take advantage of the early morning cool temperatures. Then breakfast and a 4 hour stroll with a stop to watch pickleball then on to the infamous train tracks to sip a beer and be pressed against the walls as the train passes by – tourists do strange things!!

Back to the hotel by 1400hrs and slept to 1930hrs and off to the Jazz  Bar. Back by 2400hrs and here I sit typing on the balcony of our hotel room. Are we crazy?

That’s it for day one!