Random memory: HCMC, bia hoi. Playing asshole as a drinking game. Jake making a rule that people must accept whatever's offered to them, which leads to myself, James and Seb smoking the vilest cigars known to man.
Discovered in Mui Ne that my hard drive has a virus, and all my files on there were lost. Angry, frustrated for a few minutes. Up to Beijing is online. Most of those after that, in fact, all of those after that are still on SD cards, which I have saved. And files are also copied to S&N's hard drive. Not so bad. Only thing missing is my compact card, which I know Dom has. And one SD card is corrupted - from Battambang through PP, HCMC to Mui Ne - but I think it's recoverable. Always have a back-up.
Lying in a long house in Lak, enclosed in a mosquito net. The family who live here have been preparing breakfast for themselves since about 5am. At 6.45, some one them tries out all their ringtones. SOme things are the same the world over! The wind is blowing strongly outside, S&N are still asleep.
Spent the 27th doing nought. The others slept late, so I didn't disturb them. Got a little lost wandering around town, did our laundry, called in to Tuan. He invited us back for pool later.
When we call in, there's a hotpot of fish on the go, and a bottle of Johnnie Walker. One of our drivers, Spencer, lost a bet, and buying the bottle is his forfeit. Several shots are consumed, then some beers. Some more whities arrive - Max and Lisa whom I recognise from the bus, an American Guy [that was his name], and James from England. Conversation flows. Lee, from Mui Ne, drops by as well. Turns out he's doing the same trip as us (5 days to Hoi An), but a day later. All the while the music is fantastic - Whipping Boy, the Frames, Radiohead... did they know I was coming?
Made a racket on the stairs in the dark at the hotel, am sent to bed by the owner.
Yesterday morning we were greeted by our drivers/guides/interpreters/mechanics. Spencer is mine, a speed-loving stoic type, though he comes out of himself after a beer and some cards. He takes coners skilfully and with apparent ease, and appears to be in charge - himself and Tuan were in college together.
Seb rides with Uncle Sinh, an older veteran, full of tiny details and wisdom. He cackles often, though is mostly silent at the dinner table. Late fifties?
Nicci is on Peter's bike. A family man, he is full of smiles and laughter, teaching her snippets of Vietnamese - "this is the 'yessir' road". Yessir being scary.
We stop at Dalat train station, the crazy house (a mixture of Dali and Escher, in Alice in Wonderland), a flower farm, elephant waterfall, a 'happy water' (rice wine) house, a silk factory, a silkworm farm, past a floating village... lunch is delicious, dinner more so. I have to stop myself over-eating, everything tastes so good.
The roads vary from rough trails of rocks, to potholed dirt tracks, to smooth tarmac. All the while I am entranced by the reflections in the back of Spencer's helmet - scenery rushing by, being hoovered up into a vortex behind my grinning visage. When I lower my visor, there are reflections of reflections.
Sitting on the back at 60kmph, there's plenty of time to take everything in. Swathes of coffee plantations, lush greenery everywhere. As we pass through small hamlets, piglets amble across the road like stray dogs. We pass Lee and a Dutch guy several times - Less on a day trip, the latter on his way to Saigon.
We arrive at Lak, in a 'tourist' village - the only place where foreigners are allowed stay in homes in the highlands. It is a small peninsula jutting into Lak Lake, and we sit on the shore with a beer and watch the sunset. Simple pleasure.
I must narrate a conversation I had with Crystal in HCMC, while discussing religion. She explained the communal view of life in China. That the view of the individual self does not matter, except in the eyes of the community. There is development nor encouragement of the sort of self-entitlement that exists in the west. It sounds like the only way a society that dense and crowded can get by, but the more I consider it, the more I prefer it. The greater good. It was something about the earnestness with which Crystal explained it.
It's most obvious in Asian road behaviour - constant flouting of the rules, but nobody gets angry. As long as the general greater good is preserved, all is well, and no horns are used in anger - zero road rage.
The Vietnamese countenance is one of innocent vulnerability. I find it hard to see how Americans, Japanese, French, etc., all came here with a hard enough spirit to not only dominate, but try to completely obliterate these people. The children are cute nd friendly, and the women attractive. There's something innately becalming and joyful toi them, so much so that it baffles me they suffered civil war.
Homestay is an odd term for what we did last night. I mean, we definitely stayed in a home, but zero contact with the family. Overnight we heard a neighbour's party, pigs squealing, baby crying, someone testing their ringtones, but no visibility bar the silhouettes through the dividing sheets.
When we went for breakfast, there were elephants loitering outside. At the first stop of the day, a hill overlooking the village, we could see an elephant crossing the lake. Second stop was a brick factory (at long last!). It was actually quite fascinating - from wet clay they have a giant play-doh machine that squeezes out a long brick shaped tube, which is then spliced by wires. The bricks are left to dry in the open, then in a shed, and finally they oven baked, turning them red.
We paused at a burnt out church next, and Spencer told us of the Catholic dictator Diem, and the self-immolation of Buddhist monks in 1963, protesting their lack of freedom of religion.
Two pythons next (less said the better), before a visit to a coffee plantation, and a strong blended cup. After that was the highlight of the day - a shower in a waterfall in the jungle, and a swim in a pool of the Serepok river. Amazing! Just the waterfall was a breath-taking experience, but to swim as well. Felt like I was Mowgli. Saw the Dray Sap falls then - massive, before heading on to Buôn Ma Thuột for our hotel.
Dinner of frog and more, though Nicci wasn't feeling well. Watched some footies afterwards with the lads to socialise a bit. Man U vs Everton (1-0) and Chelsea vs Arsenal (3-5). Back to the room to do nought, but hear Michael D Higgins is now President of Ireland. Happy days!
***
Discovered in Mui Ne that my hard drive has a virus, and all my files on there were lost. Angry, frustrated for a few minutes. Up to Beijing is online. Most of those after that, in fact, all of those after that are still on SD cards, which I have saved. And files are also copied to S&N's hard drive. Not so bad. Only thing missing is my compact card, which I know Dom has. And one SD card is corrupted - from Battambang through PP, HCMC to Mui Ne - but I think it's recoverable. Always have a back-up.
***
Lying in a long house in Lak, enclosed in a mosquito net. The family who live here have been preparing breakfast for themselves since about 5am. At 6.45, some one them tries out all their ringtones. SOme things are the same the world over! The wind is blowing strongly outside, S&N are still asleep.
Spent the 27th doing nought. The others slept late, so I didn't disturb them. Got a little lost wandering around town, did our laundry, called in to Tuan. He invited us back for pool later.
When we call in, there's a hotpot of fish on the go, and a bottle of Johnnie Walker. One of our drivers, Spencer, lost a bet, and buying the bottle is his forfeit. Several shots are consumed, then some beers. Some more whities arrive - Max and Lisa whom I recognise from the bus, an American Guy [that was his name], and James from England. Conversation flows. Lee, from Mui Ne, drops by as well. Turns out he's doing the same trip as us (5 days to Hoi An), but a day later. All the while the music is fantastic - Whipping Boy, the Frames, Radiohead... did they know I was coming?
Made a racket on the stairs in the dark at the hotel, am sent to bed by the owner.
***
Yesterday morning we were greeted by our drivers/guides/interpreters/mechanics. Spencer is mine, a speed-loving stoic type, though he comes out of himself after a beer and some cards. He takes coners skilfully and with apparent ease, and appears to be in charge - himself and Tuan were in college together.
 |
| Spencer outside the train station |
Seb rides with Uncle Sinh, an older veteran, full of tiny details and wisdom. He cackles often, though is mostly silent at the dinner table. Late fifties?
 |
| Uncle Sinh with Peter |
Nicci is on Peter's bike. A family man, he is full of smiles and laughter, teaching her snippets of Vietnamese - "this is the 'yessir' road". Yessir being scary.
 |
| Peter with Nicci |
We stop at Dalat train station, the crazy house (a mixture of Dali and Escher, in Alice in Wonderland), a flower farm, elephant waterfall, a 'happy water' (rice wine) house, a silk factory, a silkworm farm, past a floating village... lunch is delicious, dinner more so. I have to stop myself over-eating, everything tastes so good.
 |
| Silkworm cocoons |
 |
| Silk |
 > |
| Sinh and me at Elephant Falls |
 |
| Lunch with a view |
 |
| Silkworms |
The roads vary from rough trails of rocks, to potholed dirt tracks, to smooth tarmac. All the while I am entranced by the reflections in the back of Spencer's helmet - scenery rushing by, being hoovered up into a vortex behind my grinning visage. When I lower my visor, there are reflections of reflections.
Sitting on the back at 60kmph, there's plenty of time to take everything in. Swathes of coffee plantations, lush greenery everywhere. As we pass through small hamlets, piglets amble across the road like stray dogs. We pass Lee and a Dutch guy several times - Less on a day trip, the latter on his way to Saigon.
 > |
| Peter and Uncle Sinh |
***
I must narrate a conversation I had with Crystal in HCMC, while discussing religion. She explained the communal view of life in China. That the view of the individual self does not matter, except in the eyes of the community. There is development nor encouragement of the sort of self-entitlement that exists in the west. It sounds like the only way a society that dense and crowded can get by, but the more I consider it, the more I prefer it. The greater good. It was something about the earnestness with which Crystal explained it.
It's most obvious in Asian road behaviour - constant flouting of the rules, but nobody gets angry. As long as the general greater good is preserved, all is well, and no horns are used in anger - zero road rage.
***
The Vietnamese countenance is one of innocent vulnerability. I find it hard to see how Americans, Japanese, French, etc., all came here with a hard enough spirit to not only dominate, but try to completely obliterate these people. The children are cute nd friendly, and the women attractive. There's something innately becalming and joyful toi them, so much so that it baffles me they suffered civil war.
***
Homestay is an odd term for what we did last night. I mean, we definitely stayed in a home, but zero contact with the family. Overnight we heard a neighbour's party, pigs squealing, baby crying, someone testing their ringtones, but no visibility bar the silhouettes through the dividing sheets.
When we went for breakfast, there were elephants loitering outside. At the first stop of the day, a hill overlooking the village, we could see an elephant crossing the lake. Second stop was a brick factory (at long last!). It was actually quite fascinating - from wet clay they have a giant play-doh machine that squeezes out a long brick shaped tube, which is then spliced by wires. The bricks are left to dry in the open, then in a shed, and finally they oven baked, turning them red.
We paused at a burnt out church next, and Spencer told us of the Catholic dictator Diem, and the self-immolation of Buddhist monks in 1963, protesting their lack of freedom of religion.
Two pythons next (less said the better), before a visit to a coffee plantation, and a strong blended cup. After that was the highlight of the day - a shower in a waterfall in the jungle, and a swim in a pool of the Serepok river. Amazing! Just the waterfall was a breath-taking experience, but to swim as well. Felt like I was Mowgli. Saw the Dray Sap falls then - massive, before heading on to Buôn Ma Thuột for our hotel.
 |
| Coffee berries |
 |
| Me as Mowgli! With Uncle Sinh, and Seb behind |
 |
| The turquoise pool is where we swam |
 |
| Dray Sap Falls |
Dinner of frog and more, though Nicci wasn't feeling well. Watched some footies afterwards with the lads to socialise a bit. Man U vs Everton (1-0) and Chelsea vs Arsenal (3-5). Back to the room to do nought, but hear Michael D Higgins is now President of Ireland. Happy days!
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