Tag Vietnam
I’ve been at home for a while now and had time to reflect a bit about the trip and the countries I visited.
Though the region is called Indochina (from the two main cultural influences on the region), it’s much less homogeneous than you might think at first glance. Geographically they are of course very similar with jungles and mountains and very similar climates. The difference lies in the people and culture. In my experience Laos and Cambodia are very similar and Thailand, though more developed, is culturally close to them as well. Vietnam sticks out as very different from the other … Read the rest
I’m back home and I’ve had a fantastic trip! I’ve actually been at home for a few days now but I haven’t posted anything until now because it’s taken a few days to unpack my stuff and sort through all my photos. Now I’m done with all that and it’s time to write the last post.
Before I sum up my trip however, I want to do a little bit of promotion:
The people I stayed with in Mae Hong Son were so nice and so hospitable I think they deserve a special recommendation. If you (or anyone you know) are … Read the rest
I didn’t want to overstay my visa so the first step for getting the bike into Laos was extending it. I know people from some countries, among them Sweden, can enter Vietnam on a visa exemption for fifteen days. I called to make sure that this would be possible for me and they confirmed that this applies at all border crossings and I can get it as long as it was more than 30 days since my last visa exempt entry. So, the day after getting rejected at the border I got on the bus headed for the nearest town … Read the rest
I’m on a small road running along a ledge above the river, jungle clad mountains sloping down towards the greenish brown water. The road curves it’s way forward, following the flow of the water. Normally it wouldn’t be possible to ride at significant speed on this kind of road, but it’s just straight enough and I’m pushing 75 kilometers an hour. This kind of speed on this kind of road is exhilarating, I let out a shriek of joy.… Read the rest
I have parked on a small patch of open ground just at the side of the road and turned off the engine. I am surrounded by the dark silhouettes of the mountains, only a few scattered lights here and there down in the valley. Further down the road, the lights from trucks and cars play through the light evening mist. Here where I’m standing everything is dark and quiet, no houses, no cars, no people, just me and the sound of the crickets. I stand contemplating the darkness for a moment then I look up.
Up above, the sky is … Read the rest
The light is fading fast; the sky, though free of clouds, is not as bright blue as it was a few minutes ago, and the road lays in shadow. I take a quick glance in the rear view mirror, see the road unfold behind me and in the distance, the hazy outline of the city with the mountains behind it. And there, over the silhouetted peaks, the sky is blazing orange, shifting into pink at the edges. It’s only a glimpse, I have to turn my eyes back to the road, but for a moment I feel a kind of … Read the rest
I wake up from my half slumber and look out the window as we trundle along. All around are mountain peaks rising up out of a sea of clouds, their silhouettes against the pale sky. In the middle, the orange glow of the rising sun, the rays spreading out over the clouds. What a sight to wake up to.… Read the rest
The good thing with not making any plans is that you have the freedom to do what you want. The bad thing about not planning is that you can get into trouble which is exactly what has happened now. My idea was to ride down to Dien Bien Phu and cross the border to Laos from there. The night before leaving Sapa I googled for a bit and found out that it might not be possible to bring the motorbike across at Dien Bien Phu but that information was at least a year old and I figured things might have … Read the rest
I’ve been riding through the mist and drizzle all day and then, just as I reach the highest point of the pass, I spot a patch of blue sky up above. Moments later, the whole sky opens up and I can see for miles, the mountains rising into the mists on all sides, the slopes down towards the valley below clad in verdant green against the clear blue sky. In the middle of this stunning vista is a sea of clouds, pristine white foam lapping the mountain sides… What a view.… Read the rest
We had hoped to do a bit of trekking today but when we woke up it was really foggy. Thinking it might clear up later in the day we headed up to Sapa town and the market which was supposed to be good. The owner of our homestay told us the market used to be in a different place but it’s recently been moved to a big concrete building. Apparently the rent is too high because the place was rather empty. The vendors were basically selling the same kind of things, some had dried fruits and herbs, some had outdoors … Read the rest