Tien and I arrived to pick up Lindy and Gordon early as we were setting out to Nui Ba Den at Tay Ninh. It is a less visited destination but an interesting one. There is a war history attached to the black widow mountain, but we were there to experience the Templeand to have fun on the wheeled bobsled. We left the Duc Vuong Hotel at 7 am  and headed out. We knew the route that would take us out ofSaigon, past Cu Chi and to our destination but what we did not know is that a single city block was a one way. Tien drove straight into it and lucky for me, I was able to stop and veer into the correct traffic.  Poor Tien had the unfortunate luck of a foul humored cop. The fine was 400000 and after payment, we were again on our way. Lindy and Gordon enjoyed the cable cars upthe mountain but were disappointed (as am I) that the bobsled has been shut down. Oooo what a pity. Travelling down a long track at breakneck speeds was a riot. I imagine someone got hurt and that was enough to close it. Now we needed to make our way to Dong Xoi. This was to be the first test of my 8.9 inch Galaxy tablet and it gps capability ties to the inserted 3g SIM card. I have to tell you that it functioned perfectly and we were led on some pretty rough and damaged roads on a journey that saw us follow a dike that held a man made lake and over a section of road under construction that was so bad, Lindy and Gordon were forced to walk while Tien and I

grit toothed probed to discover a path the motorcycles could travel. Eventually we found our destination and tiredly booked into our hotel. The evening was a free one for all of us. I told them a story of another couple and a night of Karaoke. Lindy and Gordon made sounds about there being no way they would do Karaoke….. my response….. We will see…. Hmmmmm.

The drive to Gia Nghia was one I have never done before and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The landscape was nice and as is usual as you get into the highlands, the people very friendly. It was a nice day of cruising and sometimes picking small roads that most likely have never seen a tourist. Lindy and Gordon carried a pack full of candies and small Koala bears. The kids were ecstatic to receive the treats and we had a great day. I enjoy very much seeing the reaction of visitors toVietnam. Things that amaze and delight them are daily events for me…. It helps to remind me that I am truly

lucky to live and work in such an atmosphere. The only real event of the day was a small red clay road we were traveling on. The road was all holes and the rain was coming down. I have driven such roads many times and am confident in driving them but in this instance, an unsure driver stopped in front of me and I was forced to veer to the edge of a hole. I stopped and slowly my motorcycle slid down until in slow motion, Lindy and I tumbled into the mud. We were up again momentarily and with only bruised ego’s and muddy bottoms and on our way. We skirted the Cambodian border on part of the original

Ho Chi Minh Trail and were forced to seek shelter from an afternoon rain in a small wooden house owned by a man with communist certificates and pictures of Ho on the walls. We were served tea and rice whisky before we continued to Gia Nghia almost as sun set. The third day originally had us heading for Dalat but we found out that the roads had become impassable and therefore we decided to divert to Buon Ma Thuot ( the place I intended to ambush them with Karaoke). The ride was beautiful and we stopped along the way at interesting places. As we neared BMT , I called my friend Thang and there started my devious plan. She was

invited to dinner with us with the intent of helping me convince reluctant Lindy and Gordon to give an evening of Karaoke a try. Well my efforts paid off and Thang was able to place a call and have a Karaoke room opened for us. The night turned into laughter and everybody got into the singing. Gordon especially shined with the effort he put into his songs, his new status as Karaoke god was well earned. Lindy even had some trouble trying to sing her songs because of Gordon glued to the mike.

The next morning we met for a buffet breakfast and laughed about the time had the night prior. We then spent a very enjoyable day descending from the highlands with our fist phase of the trip. Things workers out very well for me as I have another group that want

to tour from Dalat to Nha Trang. Our forced rerouting has us now heading up to Dalat this day where We will meet and there will be 6 of us heading down From Dalat to Ho Lak………So, Owee, Thien, Lindy, Gordon, Chau, Binh, Tam, and Hai are headed to Dalat this morning to pick up Leanne, Karen, Mark and Robbo. We’ll be coming around the mountain when we come.

More pics from Lindy and Gordon

What a day!! It all started simple enough. One of my nephews joined me at 7:30 for coffee. I looked around for his bike, and not seeing it I asked where it was. He said that he would ride on the back of mine.. What!!? I did not think this possible, and told him to get a motorcycle.  It is a good thing I insisted on this as you will read. We swung back to borrow a bike and were on our way. It was only 15 minutes or so until we started to see the country past the houses built against the roadside. We turned off the main highway onto a smaller potholed secondary road that would get us to Dalat. We started to cruise by some beautiful scenery, and countryside houses, when, the road ended. The Typhoons of a month ago had washed out and damaged much of the road. Ahead for unknown kilometers was the roughest, dustiest, ugliest road I have ever seen. The road was dried red clay and the dust filled the air like a smoky fire. We are stuck behind big trucks and busses kicking up clouds of this dust, bouncing over terrain that would challenge a trail bike. After endless kilometers of beating our bodies and bikes, we finally found some pavement. We increased our speed ant were starting to move fast, when we hit the rumble strips. I guess the traffic in these mountain road was getting too fast and crazy, so rumble strips  were placed wherever there was a good stretch of road. We left the last of civilization and started deep into the jungle and mountains….. Then It happened. Li’l Sissy stopped dead!! We determined that there was no spark. We pushed it back a kilometer or so and found a small repair shop. The mechanic changed out most of my ignition system, and tested it. We took the time to hose ourselves off and remove some of our clothes to bat them against some bricks. After we had lost enough soil to plant a small garden from our clothes, and washed the rings of clay from out eyes and mouths, we were on our way again.

The drive to Dalat is spectacular. The rugged mountains climbed or dropped on each side of us. In every direction was almost endless jungle, a beautiful expanse of wilderness. The mountains were jagged and waterfalls were plentiful. We started up the steepest of mountains, a hard climb for our little 110 cc bikes. At times we could not get over 40 kmph. At high altitude we could hear the poor overstrained engines straining for air. Still, the views were breathtaking and I was enjoying the drive. Alas….. the strain of the roads where too tough for Li’l Sissy and she conked out again. I had fried the new ignition system that was installed only 2 hours earlier. Again, we pushed the poor thing around 5 kilometers until we found a repair shop on the fringes of Dalat. The mechanic replaces a burnt out coil with a much heavier duty one which he guaranteed would not burn out. Finally on our way again, we arrived at Dalat. We passed among the endless green houses and stepping hills, along a cool almost cold mountain plateau. Here it is a forest more than jungle. There are pine trees and some others that could be recognized in more cold climates. Dalat is a beautiful city. There are flowers, and fruits everywhere. It is known as the agricultural hub of Vietnam. The climate is suitable for the growth of all kinds of vegetables and fruits, not able to be grown in the lover elevations. We headed for the central part of the city when………    Wham!!!!!   Traffic..  Lots of traffic, people are everywhere. As luck would have it, it is the flower festival. In Dalat every year they celebrate a festival and decorate the city with flowers. People from all over the country come to attend. We fought the traffic and then braved the market to purchase some dried fruit. Mayhem….   I love it!!  There was a time that I was intimidated by the noise, confusion, and all around chaos, but now, I fit right in. My nephew is amazed how well I fit in. The last time we traveled together anywhere, he was a baby sitter. No longer, now he could have fun with me as a partner. He laughingly translated numerous times from the native hill women that I was being offered second wives, Of course as normal I politely refused and told them if I ever wanted one, it would be them. They laughed at this and off we would go. My nephew got an offer himself J

We left around 5 with the intention of returning to NhaTrang about 7. I thought it unlikely as it took us so long to get here.

We left with the light hoping to make some good time on the decent plateau highway before we would be forced to slow in the jagged mountains. It was not to be. After cooking along at the maximum speed out little bikes would go, Li’l Sissy decided to throw a tantrum and lost her chain. It jammed in the chain guard, and I came skidding to a halt right before a hairpin turn around a cliff. It was not a close call, but reminder enough to drive defensively here. We were able to re-attach the chain, but had lost our light. As the day passed into darkness, we both learned new and valuable lessons. The temperature dropped by 10 degrees. I started to get cold in my tank top. I did not get much chance to get to cold though, the clouds had dropped to mountain level, and it got wet, miserable, and cold. The mist of the clouds soake3d my glassed and the intense fog made visibility only mere feet. We were forced to slow to 20 or 30 kph for very long distances, the whole time trying to keep the bike stable from our shivering. This was insane!! Driving could not be more dangerous, but we had nowhere to go. All there was is jungle and cliffs. No houses, hotels, or shelter of any kind. There was one good thing however. There was almost no traffic. The locals are too smart to attempt such a foolish trek. From time to time, a oversized monster of a vehicle would blind and deafen us. Thankfully after a couple of hard blind hours, we broke through the clouds and had descended enough to have some visibility again. The country was now so dark, our feeble headlights did little to show the way, so we cruised on, not being able to see the potholes until the last second…. Bang!!!….. another Bang!!……   Ouch!! For a moment I thought the torture was all over when, THE ROAD FROM HELL!!. I had forgotten. Now, in the dark, we had to negotiate this dirt, dust, mud, and mayhem for att least an hour. I did not have the gumption to get off and take some night shots, as my but was too busy clenching my bike seat. Along this bucking ride, I lost a foot peg, side cover, and any sense of fear I may have ever had. We finally broke through back onto the potholed roads, then back to the highway, a couple of battered hardened men. We rode side by side, grinning like children. A four and a half hour ride in hell, we both understood. It was a bonding experience. An experience that that we probably both hope not to share again, but we prevailed. We limped back into NhaTrang at 9:30 pm. We phoned and learned that everybody had already eaten so we stopped at the closest roadside street vendor we could find, and hungrily devoured a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup.

This morning, I am suffering from a pinched neck, a bit of sunburn, and a few sore muscles. Otherwise everything AOK!  I have replaced a part or two on the bike, and washed the cached dust from it. I think I may need to invest in a more powerful bike if I wish to make any more long distance trips. Li’l Sissy is good around town, but is a big sissy in the hills.

What is today going to bring???   I do not know…  Life is good

PS.

As happens so many times, I write this blog rushed. I do not have the time to go back and check for mistakes, so please forgive any boo boo’s I made.

Now,some of my friends are in a castle celebrating New year back home… My thoughts are with you guys.

I am posting a quick blog tonight as I am off on another road trip tomorrow morning. I lazily asked my nephew how long a drive it was on Li’l sissy to drive to a mountain city called Dalat. His head perked up excitedly at me asking this innocent question. Him and I are now going to brave a mountain highway and spend Saturday driving in country to Dalat, an older resort city built up in the mountains by the French when they occupied the country. Maybe It will make for a good story…. The Adventure continues…..

Let me tell you a little about NhaTrang. I have probably spoken a bit about it in the past, but I will go into a bit of detail. NhaTrang itself is not a very large city. It looks and feels like one, especially with the surrounding communities added in. There is not however, no real shopping centers or supermarkets. It is a city of hotels, beaches and fun. There are 2 beaches. One beach runs for almost the entire length of the city, and another smaller bay on the north side of the river. There is a back-packer area where almost all of the foreign tourists stay and never leave. Many of the foreign residents are also in this area. Any food type you can get at home is available here. Except for maybe Chinese food….. Huh.. isn’t that strange?

The city is a wealth of coffee shops, bars, and good food establishments. If you are a seafood lover, here is where it is at. I have eaten some very bizarre seafood here, but it has all been good. After a hard day of work, the locals will head for a few hours of romance, good eating, and fun. The bars and café’s outside the tourist area are alive with excitement and action. At around 10 pm, most of the locals are home getting ready for the next days work. Some however, will drift to the night clubs and bars that do not start getting customers until 9 or 10. Then NhaTrang rocks!! There is the bar scene, the pretty boys and girls in their fashion clothing. You can find a club with good times and drinks as cheap as fifty cents a bottle, or splurge at the most expensive ocean side nightclub for 3.50 for the same beer. The law is that everything must close at 12:00, however, there are a few exceptions that seem to be able to stay open. Probably greasing the wheel a bit I think. There is a community of about 1000 foreigners here. Many of them have a similar story. They came for a holiday, fell in love with the city, and never left. Others are here because their pension dollar can go a long way. There used to be an airport in town, but that has been closed. A person now has to fly in to Cam Ranh Bay, a 30 to 40 minute ride. A taxi that distance can run 15-20 dollars. Myself, I will take the train from now on. It was not an unpleasant trip last time. Get a sleeper car, it is a little bit more but at 15.00 or so, it is worth the extra comfort.

You will find a plethora of hotels to choose from. The Yasaka, Vin Pearl resort, and the brand new Sheraton are world class hotels, costing hundreds of dollars a night. There are small Guesthouses hidden down quiet dark alleys that can be had for 5.00 a night, and everything in between. There are hotels in all areas. You may elect to stay in the high tourist areas, or stay more in the real NhaTrang where there is still lots to see and do, but a different flavor.

There is probably a lot more I could say but I am sure details will get filled in future blogs.

As one final thought……   I will have to do a piece on the girls and boys of Vietnam. I just finished Yahoo chatting with a sweet and wonderful young woman I know. She has left me in high spirits. Grrrrrrrr!!! If I was 22 there is no way she could run fast enough to get away from me..  But Alas….. I love my wife, and I am way to old for that kind of action. I truley hope she can find a man who thinks she is as special as I think she is.