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On two wheels across Vietnam. Part 1
Foreworld: on our way to Vietnam or one day in the capital of India
After a pint of Spaten with a Bavarian sausage and fried potatoes in the beautiful new Terminal C at Sheremetyevo Airport, we went to the gate to board flight SU 232 Moscow-New Delhi. Five and a half hours into the flight and Alexander Shepel and I were descending the ramp at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
India is a mysterious country for me, which I have long dreamed of traveling across, but somehow it does not work out. So now we spent only one day in Delhi, en route to Vietnam, but what a vivid and unusual day it was!
To begin with, we were ripped off by airport taxi drivers who inflated the cost of the ride to the hotel four times higher than it should have been, charging us an extra $20. Then, the four-star hotel we had booked through Booking turned out to be something in between a hostel and a homeless shelter. It was located in such a maze of slums that the taxi driver couldn't find it for about 40 minutes, driving around narrow, dirty streets of the "A" district near the airport.
By 11 o'clock a guide with the unusual name of Gogen called me. I booked this tour around Delhi back in Moscow.
Gogen turned out to be very nice and fluent Russian-speaking young man of about 35 and offered us two ways to get to know Delhi:
1. Tour of the fancy places, the city center, temples, etc.
2. Journey to old Delhi, to see the real life, with no tourists and everything is real.
Sure, we chose the second option and didn't regret it! The authenticity of the streets and buildings in the old town, the people themselves andl everything around was very unexpected, bright, unusual.
Dirty streets, stray dogs and homeless people sleeping on cardboard boxes on the sidewalk, traffic jams of tuk-tuks and bicycle rickshaws, shabby houses garlanded with wires, the smell of primitive food cooked on the street, gray trees covered with a thick layer of dust and smog, a huge amount of people and garbage. And what colorful faces of old people, women, and children!
For 200 rupees, i.e. the same 200 rubles, the rickshaw gladly took us around the slums.
Moto and bicycle rickshaws are the most common mode of transportation in old Delhi.
There are many dogs on the streets, but I didn't see a single cat. Hindus don't like them, unlike dogs.
People live here. But many don't have such a place to live either, so they sleep, eat, and wash outside. Though I doubt thay take a shower ever.
Then there were ancient temples, mosques, a walk through the market and a lot of other impressions.
An ancient Muslim temple and mausoleum in a beautiful park.
It's a well. Yes, yes - a well built in the 16th century. And there's Romeo and Juliet.
All this accompanied by Gauguin's interesting stories about local customs, the division of all people into castes, religions, gods and rulers, karma and reincarnation. We have to go back for sure!
Chapter 1: Hanoi
Vietnam is a country with a rich culture, history, fascinating nature and extraordinary people who 50 years ago were able to "kick ass" not just anyone, but the U.S. itself in a war that lasted almost 20 years. That alone commands respect and genuine interest.
And today our plan, after processing and receiving the bikes, was to take a hike around the capital.
Let me tell you right away - Hanoi was a surprise! In a good way (unlike old Delhi).
We walked 11 km through the central part of the city, peering into alleys, crossing roads through a dense stream of scooters and squeezing into the narrow space between houses in order to see what is behind the beautiful and not so facade of gray buildings?
А там, в целом, все отлично!
The first thing that catches the eye is the abundance of almost forgotten Soviet symbols in our country: scarlet robes with sickle and hammer, corresponding posters depicting "the unbreakable union of the peasantry, working class and intelligentsia. And all of this against a backdrop of advertising for leading Western brands, glass and concrete skyscrapers, banks and other trappings of capitalism.
Comrade Ho Chi Minh mausoleum is much more impressive than ours!
Hanoi, of course, is not Moscow, but for cleanliness and neatness will give a head start to most European capitals..
Hanoi's main square is Badinh.
The people of Hanoi are very friendly and calm. They always smile when talking to each other, but their smile is not the same as that of New Yorkers or Londoners, for example. More sincere and coming from the heart. At least it seemed that way to me. Surprisingly, they still remember, even very young, that the USSR was on the Vietnam's side during that horrible war and rendered real help. Big Brother - that's how they talk about us.
People in uniform with serious faces are also not uncommon on the streets of the capital.
I enjoyed the Vietnamese cuisine very much and it suits us just fine. There are spicy dishes, but not like in India or Thailand. Everything is very tasty and varied.
Traffic is a separate story, I'll describe it later! No, won't compare it to Tehran, but Vietnam comes in a second place in my anti-rating for "Crazy traffic" category.
The Vietnamese are quite good-looking people, and among the young girls you often find very beautiful and interesting ones! There are a lot of young people. In Saturday all the parks and boulevards are filled with holiday dressed people. I had the impression that out of the thousands of Hanoians and visitors I saw, I didn't see a single really fat person! Although no, there were a couple of young people sitting in the park whose combined weight was clearly over 250 kg. )) But they were white and spoke in plain English.
Chapter 2: Hanoi-Laocai
The first day of our motorcycle trip in Vietnam began with getting to know the motorcycles and "rolling in.
I got a British-made Triumph Scrambler 1200.
This was my first time behind the wheel of this iron horse, and I had to compare it to my BMW R1250GS.
I will not write a detailed report here, but shortly: these are completely different vehicles.
I quickly got used to it, and right away, before I even got out of Hanoi, I felt my heel and the calf of my right leg literally burning. Throughout the day there was a periodic desire to stick a red-hot muffler in one place to the designer of this motorcycle, which he decided to run on top right under the seat. And so on. In general, after 350 km on different roads, I still do not understand what this bike is made for. But I still have at least three thousand to understand, so all the fun is ahead))
All in all, today was a beautiful day full of vivid pictures! Most of the way to the north of Vietnam to the city of Laocai are serpentine mountain roads with stunning views of the rice fields, rivers and mountains. And dozens of towns and villages, large and small, with roadside trade in fruits, vegetables and other handicrafts and not so handicrafts.
The veneer business is very common in the northern provinces. For hundreds of kilometers, you see stacks like this all the time.
We could not drive fast because of the heavy traffic, socializing with the locals, and sightseeing. So we arrived in Laocai, a small but beautiful town on the border with China, shining with lights, at night.
The cost of gasoline in Vietnam is $1, or VND 22,300 per liter.
Traffic jams in major Vietnamese cities form even on sidewalks. It is impossible to squeeze through, even on a bicycle.
The Vietnamese are very hospitable and always offer you snacks and drinks to go.
Chapter 3: Laocai-Hajiang Kaobang
We continue our journey to the north of Vietnam.
However, these places can suddenly be quite chilly.
Yesterday morning we left Laocai for the mountains. There is a small but very popular among tourists town of Sapa, located at an altitude of 1600 m. It is known for its gorgeous scenery, landscape and fascinating views. But as we climbed up the steep serpentine, first it started to rain, the temperature dropped to 5 degrees and we were covered by a thick fog with visibility of 5-7 meters. We put on our raincoats, switched on the hazard lights and went quietly down in second gear. What a super view. ((
The roads of Northern Vietnam - an endless serpentine with villages every 5-10 km, small towns, hung with red flags and banners, spontaneous markets along the roads and in the middle of the roadway, rice terraces, deep canyons with rivers flowing through the jungle, shaggy mountain tops and buffalo-like cows roaming along the road.
Everything around is unusual, colorful and very colorful!
The Vietnamese have very beautiful national clothes.
A spontaneous marketplace right on the roadway.
The bananas at the market are green. I haven't seen any yellow ones.
The mountains are like the shaggy humps of camels.
Scooters transport everything, even trees.
In the evening we arrived in the town of Caobang, which is in the very north of Vietnam, and went to a small restaurant for dinner.
I didn't expect Vietnamese food to be so yammy!
After a while, a guy of about 30 came up to us and in perfect Russian asked, where we were from and how we got here. Kim, as he introduced himself, had studied and worked in Russia for many years, knows the language perfectly, as if he had been born in the suburbs of Moscow. He now lives in Kaobang - a wonderful man!
After a heated conversation, we exchanged contacts and Kim (he turned out to be the owner of the restaurant) presented us with a case of wonderful rice vodka, a bottle of which we had just drank.
But we have no idea what to do with so much vodka now!
Chapter 4: Kaobang-Langshon
85 kilometers to the northeast from Caobang, there is one must-visitattraction. If you are traveling in northern Vietnam.
One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world and the largest in Southeast Asia - Daetian - (22.853766, 106.722969) is located on the border with China, or rather the border runs along the river bed and divides the waterfall into two halves, one - Vietnamese, the other - Chinese.
There are no checkpoints, towers, border guards with dogs and other trappings of the country border. On the Chinese side, there are quite a lot of happy and cheerful tourists, who are taken on rafts on the river and brought to the gurgling stream of water falling from 30 meters height.
And there is almost no one from the Vietnamese side. Well, except for us there were 5-6 more slackers with cameras.
Not the best angle. I'm actually not higher than the waterfall.
Now the weather is quite chilly and there are no tourists anywhere in the north. In a four-star hotel in Kaobang there were just us two staying. We lived alone in a huge, chic hotel with a full staff just for us! And all the fun with a great breakfast - 28 evergreen dollars for one room.
Same situation today in Langshon, only the hotel is 5 stars with 9 floors. Fantastic!
Three kilometers from the waterfall there is another interesting place - Nguom Ngao Cave. (22.845666, 106.705696). The cave is huge, about two kilometers long, groomed and lit with stalactites and stalagmites. In the cave, as usual, we wandered alone))
If you are a beginner speleologist, this is the place for you.
Today we have passed the second thousand kilometers on the serpentine mountain roads of northern Vietnam.
The views are amazing!
An old mill on the bank of the river with a bamboo bridge leading to it.
The local Vietnamese offered a brooding pig's head. We considered the offer but politely declined.
Tomorrow we drive from Langshon to another super interesting place, Halong.
Chapter 5: Langchon-Halong
After leaving the unremarkable town of Langchon in the morning, we drive along the beautiful, winding mountain road towards the sea.
Unexpectedly, in some village, we come upon a spontaneous market, located directly on both sides of the road. It was like an anthill of vendors, buyers, scooters, chickens, and everything in between! We couldn't help but leave our bikes behind and went to join the action.
A guy on a scooter stopped near a girl selling chickens. He said something to her, and she immediately pulled two birds out of their cages, deftly tied their legs with a short string, took the money, hung the bunch on the steering wheel and drove on.
Unlike the Arab markets, I did not see shouting buyers and sellers, waving their hands, and other trappings of oriental trade. Each culture has its own peculiarities, though.
There are wealthy settlements with very decent private houses. The architecture is a bit peculiar, but the interior is beautifully finished.
In the afternoon we arrived in Halong, a tourist center on the shores of the bay of the same name, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The absence of people on the streets caught my eye immediately. The city seemed to be extinct. Not a thing!
If all these days we lived alone in fancy hotels, now, apparently, we will have the whole city just for yourselves!
And the thing is that on Saturday Vietnam celebrates New Year's Eve. Yes, they have their own New Year and they celebrate it for a whole week. During this time, life in the cities comes to a standstill, everything closes down, nothing works, because everyone goes to the countryside to visit their relatives. It's like a Vietnamese Shabbat for a week.
Well...just the perfect timing!
Chapter 6: Halong - Vinh
Halong Bay is one of the most unusual and unique places on Earth. About three thousand green islands and rocks surrounded by the clear water of the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea is a fantastically beautiful place!
There is a legend that once upon a time a giant dragon, like Godzilla, beat the shore with its tail and scratched it with its claws, after which it went underwater and the sea flooded these ditches with water.
The cliffs are really fabulous, and on some islands there are huge caves with stalactites and other beauty.
Part of Halong Bay is protected by Unesco, but much of it is used for economic and commercial activities as usual.
The symbol of the bay - two "fighting roosters" rocks.
We decided to stay in Halong for a day and take a day tour around the bay on a beautiful wooden boat. The whole experience with lunch was 2,000 rubles, including hiking around the islands and kayaking.
We left town this morning and took the secondary roads south along the sea. Motorcycles are not allowed on the expressways in Vietnam. But we were in no hurry. The roads here are nice, but you can't go fast. Even on the two-lane highway 110-120 km / h is very dangerous as the general flow is going at an average speed of 60-70 km / h and traffic is chaotic, constantly leaving across the road, turning around or riding on the wrong side of the mopeds, and their maneuvers they rely on the fact that all move at the same speed.
You can get used to the local culture of driving in a day, but to drive safely, you must not stand out from the crowd and obey the unwritten traffic rules and respect all its participants, even those who you think want to kill you! ))
On the way from Halong to Vinh we happened to stop at a very beautiful place.
Me, bonsai and Buddha.
A piece of wisdom and peace in this crazy world.