Government Propaganda Motorbike Ride Vietnam

Ha Giang Adventure Journal

Check out the Ha Giang day-to-day blow-by-blow journal for an indepth look at what the road was like.

Is the Na Meo border to Loas open?

Ever find yourself wondering this? Then you might be in our shoes. Turns out it is, according to the Laos Consulate this afternoon. An old building falling down just a little bit with one friendly man behind the desk helping eight or so foreigners towards the end of his shift at 4pm. Preparations are going well. Dropped roughly 30 USD on a multitude of spare parts for the Minsks. Clutch pads, brake pads, cables, handles, wires, electrical boxes, adjustable spanner, wires, ummm and some other stuff too. The nice guys at the motorbike shop also alerted us to a secret compartment in the Minsk for storing stuff. We took a look and Eline's bike had a whole 'nother assortment of bike parts and a leatherman that the previous owner had left behind. The bike mechanic dude took a very keen liking to it (and I felt like a dope for opening the compartment in front of him). "You let me have? You let me have." Sure, let you have, I already have one, thanks for all your help, see you later.

Drinking in Hanoi's gutter

Ta Hien is a bustling hub of Hanoi; tiny narrow streets crowded with Xe May (motorbikes) and vendors in every nook and cranny, not to mention the street. The favorite place to drink is a cherished Bia Hoi (fresh beer) joint at one particular corner. Beer poured into glass cups from homebrewed kegs are enjoyed in tiny plastic cars splayed out onto the street and over, yes, the gutter. It is a cold and misty night, again, where a scarf and gloves are recommended, not shorts and a t-shirt. Tip back a few pints at 2500 Dong each (15.5 cents) and talk to the locals, the bums, the other westerners, all while fighting off the peddlers of shoe cleanings or paperbacks. I just like to think of it as interactive advertising; imagine if you could tell your radio or television ads to bugger off! A much more human world.

Ha Giang photo album

From Ha Giang by M...

We are back safely in Hanoi after an amazing trip. Check out the 98 photos we chose from over 700 from our 14 day motorbike affair! We each lost a couple of kilos and are now eating as much as possible to get it back before heading out again.

Photo Album

Future plans

Eline and I are now proud title-carrying owners of 2 Minsks after $400 each. In 7 days we are going to start a journey through Laos and northern Thailand to Mae Sot on the Burma border to volunteer our time to teach in schools for Burmese refugee students. In April Eline is going back to Australia for her graduation while I get involved in a 3 month plan with the Burma Volunteer Program. In June we will be reunited and are considering another bike trip (pan-eurasian). Eline has set herself to start her master's degree in Holland in September or January. I should be able to get a work visa for the EU through her mother who works in the British Embassy and has all the ill hook ups and could also travel to Holland and work.

Education Burma
Burma Volunteer Programme

Ha Giang mid-report

Vietnamese do not like cheese, refrigerators, or menus. Thus are the results of a week on the road up from Hanoi to the capital of the Ha Giang province via twisty roads or twisty dirt paths through the mountains and beside the rivers. Common cliches upon the road:

"Beautiful! So beautiful! Look at that mountain! Wow look at those rice patties! We need to think of more words, beautiful is not good enough... Breathtaking! Stupendous! Spectacular!"

"Ahhhh I think we should have taken that other road 10 km ago."

"I feel like I am in a zoo, these people are staring." (We have gone 7 days without seeing another white face)

and of course, "I feel like I am going to spew."

We have been taking a lot of great photos and Eline is keeping a record of the trip. Some bits of these things may be shared later. 3 days spents going NW from Hanoi, then a rest day in a nice mountain town. I fell prey to the 3rd world stomach bug and shat my brains out for a good while then was given local medicine.

Yesterday we took a wrong turn and ended up at the Chinese boarder, a really funny experience. A really nice policeman had us in for tea and wrote down our names and sent us on our way. We were asking if this was the road to Ha Giang, to which there was no reply. This one bit of Vietnamese culture I do not understand. They are rediculous when it comes to directions! We were in Xin Man, a town that we knew was a crossroads, for over 24 hours, and couldn't figure out that we were there. As we pulled up to town I asked a group of people "Baano kilomet a Xin Man?" (how many kilometers to xin man?) and recieved nothing but blank stares. It was not until returning from the Chinese boarder that we saw signs for the town we had slept in the night before that read "Xin Man" did we realize that we had just slept in our destination without even knowing it. Anyway, I digress, so we are up in this tiny mountain village of perhaps 40 people and a police station and a military outpost and I stop to fix my Minsk before going on the dirt road when the pavement ends and the policeman tells us we need to chat. We have tea, then continue on the road to "Ha Giang" aka CHINA. We leave the village and head up the path that quickly degrades into less than road status. We spend upwards of a half hour pushing our bikes up a 40 degree loose dirt slope then rest for a moment when 4 border gaurds, 2 with AK's, come down and tell us we have to turn around, "But we just talked top the police!" "How far to Ha Giang!" These yelps must have sounded very silly. So, digruntled, we turned around, drove home, and found out that we were already where we wanted to be ANYWAY, and that tomorrow, we could easily drive to Ha Giang along the correct road.

Preparations

Riding the Minsk down a busy street and tapped a man with cinder cones stacked high on his bike. He looked over his shoulder and saw a white face and dropped the load onto the ground, breaking it all, then stuck his hand out. A large crowd gathered around us and all the Vietnamese insisted I give him $10. That made me extremely pissed off.

But then, we went to a pharmacy for some meds should we have an accident and were able to buy codeine over the counter as well as novacane. A bottle of novacane cost 500 dong, where 16,000 dong is roughly $1. I guess it all works out.

Greater Hanoi

From South East Asia

We rolled across the Red River away from Hanoi then North along the bank through many small villages. The air was hot and dusty and filled with commerce; it must have been the tree bark harvest time because every available surface was filled with strips of thin wood drying in the sun. The Red River was full of excitement as well. 50 ft cargo boats swiftly traveled up and down the channel laiden with thousands of pounds of dirt and gravel just to the point of having not even a half foot of free board. Their loads were perfectly distributed across the length of the thin, long boats such that entire ships looked as if they would sink to the bottom at any moment.

The road took us 20 km from Hanoi, then we ventured across another bridge, down some more narrow roads, and found ourselves in a small town with an impressive monestary. On the side of the road a 70 year old Vietnamese woman had a small shack made from scrap wood and tarps from which she ran a cafe; she sold us a beer and stick rice steamed in a banana leaf for a snack then also some fake money and incense to bring down to the temple as an offering for the big trip we have coming up! The temple was fantastic inside; there was a 12 armed golden buddha flanked by eight statues of scholars and two enormous wooden demons. We prayed for a safe trip.

Minsk of Fury

We picked up our Minsk yesterday from the rental dudes down at Guoung's shop. The clutch was a snap to get used to and soon we were a pair of badasses rolling down the country side on noisy 125 cc 2 stroke machines of justice. What a machine! I can relate to the attraction they hold. My bike has a louis vuitton seat cover; very swanky.

The plan is to head pretty much due north from Hanoi up to the border with China into the mountains of the Ha Giang province. Check out some photos from offroadvietnam.com

Ceramic Village

Rolled on a motor skooter 10 km out through the country side to a village dedicated to making ceramics. We tooled around the small alleys and checked out some shops. The ride out there was beautiful; brightly colored houses clustered in villages around fields and small ponds.

In the evening we took a beer or two at Eline's favorite cafe on the corner of a busy intersection. Very interesting people came in and out to have some of the homebrew in kegs resting on the side of the road. One traveler gave us useful information regarding his Minks, that many people along the road are able to help with repairs and spare parts.

New Year's Eve

Mad party for New Years in Hanoi. Dinner at a nice resturant with many other travelers from Germany, Scotland, etc., followed by drinks at a pub in a narrow back alley. They closed at midnight then the city's partiers moved to Solice, a bar on a boat in the river. The scene was bumping with thick bass and lots of dancers.

Upcoming plans:
Rent Minsk motorcylces and head north to Sa Pa on a loop trip, testing our legs before committing to a longer ride down to Saigon.

Hanoi

Dont know how much I am gonna use this thing, but here it goes.

Hanoi fantastic; yay for socialists in their efficient cement buildings with tons of color, lack of respect for rules, and great driving skills on the roads.

Took a motobike ride through downtown, riding bitch behind Eline as she tore up the street, lots and lots to look at the whole time.