Dalat would be my base city for visiting Cat Tien National park. The park is 175km from Dalat on the road to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC/Saigon). There was nothing I wanted to see in HCMC and I figured why go there. Cat Tien would be as far south as I would go because I still had to go far north to fly home from Hanoi. I had a super nice deluxe bus to the park. The nicest bus by far that I had been on for this trip, hell, almost anywhere for that matter. It took 4 hours to reach the road to the park. From here I had to bargain hard with a moto driver to take me the remaining 25km to the park. I walked away from there ridiculous prices. They followed me and eventually went for my price, which was even a little more, I later learned than it should have been. I then had to cross a river to get to the actual park. The headquarters were right on the other side. I set up my tent in a large, flat field with unfortunately no privacy but still I was happy to be camping.
Cat Tien is an important park in Vietnam, harbouring many rare and endangered animals and forest. The park is under heavy pressure though from hunting and habitat loss. I met some other travellers here. After dinner a couple joined me for a night walk. I had thought about doing the night drive but they let you walk the same road for free, so I thought why not try that first. We saw eyeshine from at least 3 animals. My headlamp has a wide range which is good for spotting animals, even at a distance, but it's not good for zooming in on the animal to actually see what it is!
I only deteremined what one animal was. That was because it was a bird and pratically flew out in front of us. We walked for 2 hours. I had low expectations so I was pleasantly surprised that we did see at least 3 animals, even if we couldn't tell what they were.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Dalat
Dalat is the first city I've been in that is touristy. There were many foreigners around and many travel agencies and restaurants/cafes catering to tourists. I could actually have an enlish menu! I ate a big breakfast of an omelette, baguette and coffee at Chocolate cafe for $2. I rented a mountain bike to explore the sights around the city. Dalat is spread out and is very hilly. The bike I rented was decent and had many gears which made riding up and down the hills no problem for me.
Crazy House
My first stop was Crazy House. This place was truly awesome! The 'house' was designed by an ex-president of Vietnam's daughter who was educated in Russia. It began in 1990 and is still a work in progress. The house is supposed to have elements to bring it back to nature. There are no round or square windows. Many things resembling roots or the inside of a cave are all over. There are many small walkways, ladders and cubbyholes. Wandering around and getting lost is part of the experience. Crazy House is hard to describe with words. It's like nothing I've ever seen before and I had so much fun checking it out. It is a hotel as well. There are 10 rooms priced from $25-60. I could afford a $25 a night room but the room I really wanted to stay in was $50! I decided not to stay at all in the end. I'll just stay at my $5 cheapie!
Bao Dai's Summer Palace
I rode for 1km from Crazy House to Bao Dai's summer palace. This extravagant home was built in 1930 and has furniture and decor are almost that old. It was an interesting place to wander around. Where Crazy House was busy with tourists, there was almost no one at Bao Dai's. There was one room decked out with a few thrones. I paid the 80 cents to dress up in a royal costume and have a bunch of photos taken. It was fun. The outside of the house was lushly landscaped with strict manicure gardens and had many large bonsai's, mostly fig and bouganvillia.
Flower Gardens
I rode across town beside the lake to the Flower gardens. The lake is emptied and cleaned every 2 years. Unfortunately this happened to be when I was in town. So there is this big lake, dry to the bone. The gardens were right beside the lake and virtually empty. Most of the plants were in containers, plastic and clay. It was a pleasant place to wander around. They also had a huge greenhouse selling every kind of plant. Lots of orchids and bonsai. In general I find that there are a lot of bonsai trees around Vietnam, lining the sidewalks and in front of businesses. I've never seen so many in a country before and I really like it. Some of them are so huge. It would take a forklift to move them. I've never been to China or Japan but for some reason I think this is what they would look like, with many bonsai's everywhere. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.
Train Station
From the gardens I rode for 10 minutes to the old train station. It's mostly for display. There is only one line and it only runs 8km! There is a sign saying that they must have at least 2 passengers for the train to run. I read in the guidebook that there were some old locomotives here. My dad really likes trains so I came to take a few photos for him. There was only one old locomotive, steam powered. I could step inside it and still see the coal ready to be shoveled into the engine. I had never seen an old steamer like this up close.
From the train station I rode back into town and returned the bike. Vietnam has a lot more variety of fruit than Myanmar and Laos. I've been eating heaps of dragonfruit and mangoes since I arrived. I've been having mostly a fruit lunch. I bought 2 sandwiches for dinner and fruit for dessert. My hotel is a little bit out of town up a large hill and I didn't feel like walking into the center of town for a meal.
Crazy House
My first stop was Crazy House. This place was truly awesome! The 'house' was designed by an ex-president of Vietnam's daughter who was educated in Russia. It began in 1990 and is still a work in progress. The house is supposed to have elements to bring it back to nature. There are no round or square windows. Many things resembling roots or the inside of a cave are all over. There are many small walkways, ladders and cubbyholes. Wandering around and getting lost is part of the experience. Crazy House is hard to describe with words. It's like nothing I've ever seen before and I had so much fun checking it out. It is a hotel as well. There are 10 rooms priced from $25-60. I could afford a $25 a night room but the room I really wanted to stay in was $50! I decided not to stay at all in the end. I'll just stay at my $5 cheapie!
Bao Dai's Summer Palace
I rode for 1km from Crazy House to Bao Dai's summer palace. This extravagant home was built in 1930 and has furniture and decor are almost that old. It was an interesting place to wander around. Where Crazy House was busy with tourists, there was almost no one at Bao Dai's. There was one room decked out with a few thrones. I paid the 80 cents to dress up in a royal costume and have a bunch of photos taken. It was fun. The outside of the house was lushly landscaped with strict manicure gardens and had many large bonsai's, mostly fig and bouganvillia.
Flower Gardens
I rode across town beside the lake to the Flower gardens. The lake is emptied and cleaned every 2 years. Unfortunately this happened to be when I was in town. So there is this big lake, dry to the bone. The gardens were right beside the lake and virtually empty. Most of the plants were in containers, plastic and clay. It was a pleasant place to wander around. They also had a huge greenhouse selling every kind of plant. Lots of orchids and bonsai. In general I find that there are a lot of bonsai trees around Vietnam, lining the sidewalks and in front of businesses. I've never seen so many in a country before and I really like it. Some of them are so huge. It would take a forklift to move them. I've never been to China or Japan but for some reason I think this is what they would look like, with many bonsai's everywhere. Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know.
Train Station
From the gardens I rode for 10 minutes to the old train station. It's mostly for display. There is only one line and it only runs 8km! There is a sign saying that they must have at least 2 passengers for the train to run. I read in the guidebook that there were some old locomotives here. My dad really likes trains so I came to take a few photos for him. There was only one old locomotive, steam powered. I could step inside it and still see the coal ready to be shoveled into the engine. I had never seen an old steamer like this up close.
From the train station I rode back into town and returned the bike. Vietnam has a lot more variety of fruit than Myanmar and Laos. I've been eating heaps of dragonfruit and mangoes since I arrived. I've been having mostly a fruit lunch. I bought 2 sandwiches for dinner and fruit for dessert. My hotel is a little bit out of town up a large hill and I didn't feel like walking into the center of town for a meal.
Buon Ma Thount to Dalat
I took another 15 seater large van from Buon Ma Thount to Dalat. The road was in pretty bad shape and really, really twisty. The driver drove like a maniac which I think was the main reason for a lot of people getting sick. The passengers looked tired and terrible after they got off the van. Dalat is at 1425m, 700m higher than Boun Ma Thount. It was after dark when we arrived after a 4 hour trip. From the transport companys office I was able to figure out where I was with my guidebook map. I wasn't too far from my chosen hotel, so I started to walk.
I walked right near where the hotel should have been but couldn't find it. It was just off the map and I knew I was close. I stopped again to check the guidebook when a woman on a scooter stopped. She asked me in very good english if she could help me. I told her the hotel I was looking for. She knew it and took me there. Another friendly Vietnamese! It was down a dark lane which is why I couldn't find it. I wanted to stay at Pink House hotel but it was full. I ended up staying at Phoung Hanh hotel which was right beside it. My room was large with 2 beds, hot shower and TV all for $5. My cheapest room in Nam so far. I was tired from the journey and felt like watching movies, which I've learned always start at 6pm,8 and 10. I ate 2 sandwiches from a stall just down the street and chilled inside. Since Dalat is higher up, the air is crisp and clean, around 15C at night.
I walked right near where the hotel should have been but couldn't find it. It was just off the map and I knew I was close. I stopped again to check the guidebook when a woman on a scooter stopped. She asked me in very good english if she could help me. I told her the hotel I was looking for. She knew it and took me there. Another friendly Vietnamese! It was down a dark lane which is why I couldn't find it. I wanted to stay at Pink House hotel but it was full. I ended up staying at Phoung Hanh hotel which was right beside it. My room was large with 2 beds, hot shower and TV all for $5. My cheapest room in Nam so far. I was tired from the journey and felt like watching movies, which I've learned always start at 6pm,8 and 10. I ate 2 sandwiches from a stall just down the street and chilled inside. Since Dalat is higher up, the air is crisp and clean, around 15C at night.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Yok Don National Park
I came to Buon Ma Thount to use it as a base to visit Yok Don National Park. Luckily for me the bus station to the park was just down the street from my hotel. It was a local bus and packed with people the whole hour ride. I was the only foreigner on board and got some looks! I got off the bus at the park entrance. I talked with a ranger about my options in the park. He basically told me the park was crap right now. He said there was no shade because the deciduous trees have lost their leaves, so it's really hot and we probably won't see any animals. I could trek deeper into the park but still probably wouldn't see anything, he said. Doing that would cost me $50 a day, not including food. This wasn't sounding good at all.
He told me to go to another place, 5km away, were I could get a guide and trek in the forest just outside the park. He wrote down the name for me. I started walking and got a ride on a moto for 2km and then continued walking. I asked along the way to make sure I was going the right way. I finally reached the large red pavilion the ranger told me about. This was the entrance to Ban Don Eco Tourist Resort, but unfortunately, the resort was another 2km down the road! It was really hot and sunny and I had already walked a lot carrying all my gear, so I sat down in some shade just past the security booth to rest before I tackled the last stretch. The security guard noticed me sitting and came over on his moto and gave me a ride to the resort.
I went to reception and asked them about trekking. No, there's no trekking, and no, they don't have a guide! What!? A large sign behind reception advertised trekking but it wasn't available at the time. This really sucked! I came all this way so I might as well get a room. I got a nice bungalow to myself. The one great thing about this place was that it was very quiet, there was nothing else around. I ate lunch and walked around a bit. This place was set up for a lot of visitors with even a childrens amusement park and elephant rides. On the weekends it gets busy.
At dinner there was a local couple under one pavilion and I decide to give them privacy and went to eat alone at another pavilion. I had just sat down and was deciphering the Vietnamese menu with my guidebook when the female half of the couple approached me. Her boyfriend wanted to invite me over to eat with them. I gladly accepted the offer. They shared all their food with me and their beer. They spoke great english and were super friendly. They didn't want me to pay for anything. They were celebrating. I drank a bit more than I wanted to but felt ok. I watched Forest Gump on TV before crashing.
The next day, Thu and Den, the Vietnamese couple, were going to take me to the bus stop and send me on my way back to Buon Ma Thount. Den (the guy) worked in the area and had some stuff to take care of so Thu and I hung out for a while in the morning while he finished his business. They then took me to the bus stop but told the driver to let me off in the centre of a town about 18km from here. We were 40km from Boun Ma Thount. I wondered why they just didn't send me into the city and say bye but I did what they wanted and got off the bus there. I waited 10 minutes for them and drank a tiny coffee. We all had an ice coffee, which is really popular here and then went for lunch. They wanted to treat me to lunch before I left. We ate rice, meat and veggies, just down the road. Not really my thing for breakfast, but hey, I wasn't complaining, they were so nice. I finally left them, they had things to do and I got on the bus.
I got my same room at Thanh binh hotel and relaxed in Buon Ma Thount.
He told me to go to another place, 5km away, were I could get a guide and trek in the forest just outside the park. He wrote down the name for me. I started walking and got a ride on a moto for 2km and then continued walking. I asked along the way to make sure I was going the right way. I finally reached the large red pavilion the ranger told me about. This was the entrance to Ban Don Eco Tourist Resort, but unfortunately, the resort was another 2km down the road! It was really hot and sunny and I had already walked a lot carrying all my gear, so I sat down in some shade just past the security booth to rest before I tackled the last stretch. The security guard noticed me sitting and came over on his moto and gave me a ride to the resort.
I went to reception and asked them about trekking. No, there's no trekking, and no, they don't have a guide! What!? A large sign behind reception advertised trekking but it wasn't available at the time. This really sucked! I came all this way so I might as well get a room. I got a nice bungalow to myself. The one great thing about this place was that it was very quiet, there was nothing else around. I ate lunch and walked around a bit. This place was set up for a lot of visitors with even a childrens amusement park and elephant rides. On the weekends it gets busy.
At dinner there was a local couple under one pavilion and I decide to give them privacy and went to eat alone at another pavilion. I had just sat down and was deciphering the Vietnamese menu with my guidebook when the female half of the couple approached me. Her boyfriend wanted to invite me over to eat with them. I gladly accepted the offer. They shared all their food with me and their beer. They spoke great english and were super friendly. They didn't want me to pay for anything. They were celebrating. I drank a bit more than I wanted to but felt ok. I watched Forest Gump on TV before crashing.
The next day, Thu and Den, the Vietnamese couple, were going to take me to the bus stop and send me on my way back to Buon Ma Thount. Den (the guy) worked in the area and had some stuff to take care of so Thu and I hung out for a while in the morning while he finished his business. They then took me to the bus stop but told the driver to let me off in the centre of a town about 18km from here. We were 40km from Boun Ma Thount. I wondered why they just didn't send me into the city and say bye but I did what they wanted and got off the bus there. I waited 10 minutes for them and drank a tiny coffee. We all had an ice coffee, which is really popular here and then went for lunch. They wanted to treat me to lunch before I left. We ate rice, meat and veggies, just down the road. Not really my thing for breakfast, but hey, I wasn't complaining, they were so nice. I finally left them, they had things to do and I got on the bus.
I got my same room at Thanh binh hotel and relaxed in Buon Ma Thount.
Pleiku to Buon Ma Thount
My first morning in Vietnam I walked the streets looking for food. I found a street stall selling sandwiches and coffee. Both were good and very cheap. Vietnamese coffee is even stronger, thicker and more chocolatey tasting than the coffe in Laos. The only problem is that they serve it in tiny glasses. I need about 5 of these to equal one decent cup of coffee in a mug. I checked out of my hotel and went to get transport to Buon Ma Thount, 4 hours south.
Now the hassles of Vietnam begin. I had to bargain to get a fair price to the bus and then bargain really hard for the bus. I was brought to a van parked on the side of the road, not the bus station like I asked for so I had to really bargain hard to get the real price. The trip was ok though the driver speed and drove like a maniac.
Boun Ma Thount is another untouristy highlands city. It's even larger than Pleiku with about 230 000 people. I got another nice hotel room at Thanh Binh. In Vietnam the same rooms in a hotel often get cheaper the higher up you go. I walked to the highest floor, only the third, but I saved a dollar just by doing that. I prefer to be up higher anyway and that it's cheaper is just a bonus. I ate a tasty and cheap dinner at a noodle stall. Internet at the post office was free. People again were really friendly here and I only saw about 3 other travellers.
Now the hassles of Vietnam begin. I had to bargain to get a fair price to the bus and then bargain really hard for the bus. I was brought to a van parked on the side of the road, not the bus station like I asked for so I had to really bargain hard to get the real price. The trip was ok though the driver speed and drove like a maniac.
Boun Ma Thount is another untouristy highlands city. It's even larger than Pleiku with about 230 000 people. I got another nice hotel room at Thanh Binh. In Vietnam the same rooms in a hotel often get cheaper the higher up you go. I walked to the highest floor, only the third, but I saved a dollar just by doing that. I prefer to be up higher anyway and that it's cheaper is just a bonus. I ate a tasty and cheap dinner at a noodle stall. Internet at the post office was free. People again were really friendly here and I only saw about 3 other travellers.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Vietnam!
I showed my passport twice and then went to another desk to get my entry stamp. I already had my visa and expected no problems. The guy at the desk with the temperature reading computer picked up some money as I walked by. He waved it around at me. I assume he wanted some money, I couldn't think of what for, so I said' What for?' He didn't like this and annoyingly brushed me off. I wasn't going to pay some bogus entry fee. No reciept, no pay! I had to show my passport one last time and we were finally on the road.
The road was sealed but very, very bumpy. The driver continued to speed and we were bounced out of our seats regularly. After two and a half hours we arrived in Pleiku, my first stop. It was only a stopover for the night for me. I took a motobike taxi to my hotel, which had changed it's name, this caused some confusion when I got dropped off but I took my bearings and I was in the right place. I got a decent room with satellite TV for $7. Good value for the room.
I showered and washed the clothes I was wearing and was ready to go out to eat. As I walked by the lobby, the young hotel employees were eating dinner. The guy offered me his whole sandwich. I didn't want to be rude, so I sat down and ate and drank tea with them. This was really nice of them. I was still very hungry though and had to go out to eat more. I ended up at a restaurant that did mainly one meal. I just sat down and waited for whatever. I got a big bowl of soup with chicken and a side dish of sprouts. It was all good. This and a beer was super cheap. Pleiku is a big city, almost bigger than any city in Laos. It is very bustling with motorbikes and shops. After being in 2 countries were there wasn't much available in most cities, this was like being back home again with everything I could want. First off I wanted some quality chocolate. They had this and it was cheap! Next I needed a bit of internet. I asked in a cell phone shop if they knew were a cafe was. They told me I could use their only computer for free! A lot of people said 'Hello' to me, kids, teenagers and older women. Maybe it's because Pleiku isn't a tourist town but I wasn't experiencing any of the hassle I had heard about from other travellers. I thought the people were great and really friendly. They might have even been more surprised at my huge chops. I was sporting some massive porkchops, freshly shaved in. This year is a special year in that I'm not growing my normally huge beard. I decided to mix it up a little. I brought with me a trimmer/razor and have been changing facial hair when I feel like it. These porkchops mark the seventh style I've sported so far. I dont' think they see too many people with chops like mine! Maybe for good reason too but I didn't care. I like them and have no one to impress.
My room was even kind of quiet from street noise. My first impressions of Vietnam were very good, not really what I was expecting. It was probably my best first day in any country.
The road was sealed but very, very bumpy. The driver continued to speed and we were bounced out of our seats regularly. After two and a half hours we arrived in Pleiku, my first stop. It was only a stopover for the night for me. I took a motobike taxi to my hotel, which had changed it's name, this caused some confusion when I got dropped off but I took my bearings and I was in the right place. I got a decent room with satellite TV for $7. Good value for the room.
I showered and washed the clothes I was wearing and was ready to go out to eat. As I walked by the lobby, the young hotel employees were eating dinner. The guy offered me his whole sandwich. I didn't want to be rude, so I sat down and ate and drank tea with them. This was really nice of them. I was still very hungry though and had to go out to eat more. I ended up at a restaurant that did mainly one meal. I just sat down and waited for whatever. I got a big bowl of soup with chicken and a side dish of sprouts. It was all good. This and a beer was super cheap. Pleiku is a big city, almost bigger than any city in Laos. It is very bustling with motorbikes and shops. After being in 2 countries were there wasn't much available in most cities, this was like being back home again with everything I could want. First off I wanted some quality chocolate. They had this and it was cheap! Next I needed a bit of internet. I asked in a cell phone shop if they knew were a cafe was. They told me I could use their only computer for free! A lot of people said 'Hello' to me, kids, teenagers and older women. Maybe it's because Pleiku isn't a tourist town but I wasn't experiencing any of the hassle I had heard about from other travellers. I thought the people were great and really friendly. They might have even been more surprised at my huge chops. I was sporting some massive porkchops, freshly shaved in. This year is a special year in that I'm not growing my normally huge beard. I decided to mix it up a little. I brought with me a trimmer/razor and have been changing facial hair when I feel like it. These porkchops mark the seventh style I've sported so far. I dont' think they see too many people with chops like mine! Maybe for good reason too but I didn't care. I like them and have no one to impress.
My room was even kind of quiet from street noise. My first impressions of Vietnam were very good, not really what I was expecting. It was probably my best first day in any country.
Last Days of Laos
I didn't do too much with my last few days in Laos. I went to the Attapeu, from where I would take a bus to Vietnam, a day early from Pakse. For the first 2 hours, the bus went excrutiatingly slow, never more than 40km, but more like 20km. Then we picked up a bit of speed and felt like we were on our way. Then all of a sudden, a shotgun blast rang out. At least that's what it sounded like. The front tire exploded, the bus slowed and everybody embraced themselves but we weren't going that fast and the driver slowed down and pulled over. The guy beside me was still in his ready-to-crash pose, bracing himself after we stopped. I told him I think we're fine now. The tire and tube were shredded. Pieces of the tire were scattered all over the road. I kicked the bigger pieces off the road, no one else was going to do this. It took about an hour to fix the tire.
We arrived in Attapeu after over 7 hours. It should have taken about 4 hours or so. I took a room at Phoutavong guesthouse. It was a great and large room with satellite TV and almost the best value I've had in Laos since Luang Nam Tha, the first town I slept in. Attapeu is off most travellers radars and I could tell. There were no restaurant with english menus and almost nothing set up for the foreigner. I ended up eating noodles under the front of someone's house. I watched movies for hours that night. It had been over a month, since I left Vientiane, that I had seen a flick and I was jonesing!
I didn't do too much the next day. I ate spring rolls and pepsi in the market for breakfast. There's no American breakfast here! I checked around for prices for the bus to Vietnam too. I found a place selling the same ticket for $6 less than my guesthouse. That night I looked around for a few restaurants in the guidebook but they weren't there or the map was wrong. I didn't like Attapeu very much.
Feb. 1
I left Attapeu at noon. I was in a large van with 14 other Vietnamese men. It was comfortable and air conditioned. The 120km road to the border was smooth and freshly carved out of the jungle. There was hardly anything but forest the whole way. The road was really, really winding. The driver drove really fast too, making it quite a ride. We arrived at the border 2 hours later. The border was dead. Hardly any people or traffic. I had not met one sinle person who had crossed this border or was going to. I got my 'used' stamp on my passport and was officially out of Laos. I really enjoyed Laos, even though the wildlife situation is a little disappointing. I had been from one mellow country to the next but I think Vietnam will be different.....
We arrived in Attapeu after over 7 hours. It should have taken about 4 hours or so. I took a room at Phoutavong guesthouse. It was a great and large room with satellite TV and almost the best value I've had in Laos since Luang Nam Tha, the first town I slept in. Attapeu is off most travellers radars and I could tell. There were no restaurant with english menus and almost nothing set up for the foreigner. I ended up eating noodles under the front of someone's house. I watched movies for hours that night. It had been over a month, since I left Vientiane, that I had seen a flick and I was jonesing!
I didn't do too much the next day. I ate spring rolls and pepsi in the market for breakfast. There's no American breakfast here! I checked around for prices for the bus to Vietnam too. I found a place selling the same ticket for $6 less than my guesthouse. That night I looked around for a few restaurants in the guidebook but they weren't there or the map was wrong. I didn't like Attapeu very much.
Feb. 1
I left Attapeu at noon. I was in a large van with 14 other Vietnamese men. It was comfortable and air conditioned. The 120km road to the border was smooth and freshly carved out of the jungle. There was hardly anything but forest the whole way. The road was really, really winding. The driver drove really fast too, making it quite a ride. We arrived at the border 2 hours later. The border was dead. Hardly any people or traffic. I had not met one sinle person who had crossed this border or was going to. I got my 'used' stamp on my passport and was officially out of Laos. I really enjoyed Laos, even though the wildlife situation is a little disappointing. I had been from one mellow country to the next but I think Vietnam will be different.....
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