Part 2: Da Lat to Khan Duc

Ride 4: Da Lat to Nha Trang

Our fourth ride was a 140 km trip through the mountains, across the plains, and back to the beach.  After about 3.5 hours and getting lost twice (fuck!!), we arrived in Nha Trang.  The ride was amazing, except for a few patches of road construction and a few buses that ran us off the road.  Check out this lady with a masterfully loaded bike…

In Nha Trang we stayed at Sons and Duaghters Guest House.  It was next door to “Backpackers”  and seemed like a pretty good deal at $15 for a nice private room with a private bath and AC. 

In general, I like Nha Trang, but I was bored after a few days.  The beach is super nice, but touristy.  There are a few cool things to check out including riding the gondola to Vinpearl Island, and drinking on the beach at the Louisaine Brewhouse.  The brewhouse has a $4 sampler of 4 beers, which are seriously some of the best beers I had in Vietnam (the pils and red are really good).  Also, Omar’s Indian food is really fucking tasty.

Ride 5: Nha Trang to Buon Ma Thuot

Next stop: Buon Ma Thuot.  The ride was a mediocre 190 km, which took us almost 5 hours, but we stopped for an oil change.  Buon Ma Thout is not really a great place to visit, but not terrible either.  It’s a big-ish city, with nothing particularly interesting to see.  We basically stopped here because it looked like a good place to stop.  The only other white people I saw in the whole city were also on bikes, doing the same thing as us.  There are actually so few tourists here that people would point me out to their kids when I walked down the street.  At first it was funny, and I felt kinda cool, but after the third or fourth time I just felt stupid.  Whatever.  The best thing in town is a fresh spring roll resturaunt called Thanh Loan.  You just sit down and order a beer or soda, and they bring out plates of rice paper, veggies, and pork (since that’s the only thing they serve).  You roll your own, and they’re super good.  I was stuffed for a few bucks. 

We stayed at the Thang Binh Hotel.  It was $9 for a nice room, and they had really fast wifi.

Ride 6:  Buon Ma Thuot to Kom Tum

235 km and only 5 hours after leaving Buon Ma Thuot, we arrived in Kom Tum.  The ride was ok, but slow with lots of bus traffic.  I think we stopped here because we were exhausted, and there was nothing else around.  We stayed the “Family Hotel”, which was ok.  The main problem with Kom Tum is that no one there speaks english, and I can’t seem to communicate in Vietnamese, no matter how hard I try.  Even asking for rice (in Vietnamese) just doesn’t work.  I just can’t get the tones right.  Due to this, and the fact that there are no menus at restaurants in small towns, we tried dog for the first time in Kom Tum.  We ordered a couple dishes, but (I think) they were out of some type of meat we wanted, so they prepared something else.  The mystery meat came out, and we ate most of it.  It was stir-fried with vegies, and well seasoned.  Not a light meat, not a dark meat, and kinda tough, but not bad.  After we were done eating the waitress came by and I tried to ask her what we were eating.  Eventually I just started acting out different animal noises and she would say no.  Process of elimination, plus google translate = we were eating dog.  I know a lot of people are against eating dogs because they like dogs and cows are stupid and deserve to die, but I’m not really interested in that argument.  Bottom line:  dogs make great pets and ok dinners.

Part 1:  HCMC to Da Lat

Ride 1:  HCMC to Vung Tau 

For our first ride we did a short warm-up:  120 km from HCMC to the beach town of Vung Tau.  We left HCMC riding with another guy.  It was his first time riding a motorcycle…. ever.  We had a late start since he had to learn how to shift gears.  He had never driven a manual trans car, he actually didn’t even have a driver’s license back home in the UK.  Seriously.  I’ve got to hand it to him though, this kid had huge balls.  We rode together for about a half an hour until we got split up going around a car crash site.  We were ahead, and after about 45 minutes I pulled over to get a drink.  We waited for a while but never saw our friend, and assumed he had passed us just after we pulled off the highway.  We later met up with him and found out he had crashed, but was ok.  He eventually made it all the way to Saigon, proving that even the worst plans some time work.  The ride to Vung Tau took about 3 hours with wrong turns and stops.  When we got there we found out it’s the most boring place ever, so we left the next morning.

Ride 2: Vung Tau to Mui Ne 

This 190km ride took us about 4.5 hours, mostly because we got lost…. a lot.  There are few signs on the highway, so you just have to stop and ask directions constantly.  The only problem is that my Vietnamese is not good.  Apparently I can’t even pronounce the name of a major city.  Be prepared to have a map to point to (also, the maps suck).

Mui Ne is a pretty cool spot.  It’s a nice beach town, and a super popular spot for Kiteboarding and being Russian(?).  There are some really good eats along the main strip.  Stay at either Hon Di or Mellow for about $18 for a nice private room.  Mellow also has cheap beer and really good breakfast. 

Ride 3: Mui Ne to Da Lat

The next 280 km ride took us about 5 hours (including the times we went the wrong way… again).  This was an awesome ride since you go inland from the beach, across farmland, and then into the mountains and into a Pine tree forest!  Crazy right?  Pine forest?  Da Lat was built by the French as a vacation town, and an escape from the heat found below.  It’s one of the more beautiful cities in Vietnam, but pretty touristy.  We styed at the Dreams Hotel for $25 for a nice room, in a pretty good spot.  Check out the Lake in the center of the city, go to the famous flower gardens, and take a hike up Lang Bian mountain.  The hike through the forest takes about 4 hours round trip to the top of this 2,100 meter tall hill.  The cheapest place to eat and drink is the Peace Cafe ($0.50 beers), and there are some really good restaurants all around.  They also have a nice market and a grocery store that stocks Goldfish crackers!  What?  Goldfish are my favorite!  I bought three bags.

Stay tuned for Part 2…… 

Most backpackers stay in District 1.  It’s full of hostels, cheap eats, and fun bars.  District 1 is also right in the middle of the city, and close to all of the places you’re going to visit.  Actually, despite being a huge city, HCMC is pretty easy to walk.  We stayed at Nga Huang Hotel.  Prices are $7 for a dorm bed and $19 for a private room with bath, tv, fridge, and good AC.  I thought this place was ok, a pretty good value.  One problem:  the lady that runs this place is a little crazy.  Scratch that, she’s straight-up crazy.  We didn’t have a problem with her, actually she was really nice to us, but we saw a couple of bad arguments.    We also stayed in one of the Saigon Sports Hotels, which was fine but the staff was super unhelpful.  There are a ton of cheap places to stay around here, so it pays to ask around and just check some places out. 

For eating and drinking it’s just a matter of walking around until you find someplace you like.  The big landmark bar is the Wild Buffalo, you’ll know it when you see it (unless you’re actually blind).  I think the Buff is way overpriced, and pretty annoying.  Good news though:  right across the street is Cafe 125.  This place is awesome:  $1 beers and $2 buckets.  Also, the guy who runs it is super nice.  We went here almost every night.  If you’re feeling a little homesick and want more of an english pub feel the place to go is Phaties.  I went there one night, but unfortunately enjoyed it too much and could never remember how to get back.

Other attractions in the city include the Palace, the War Remnants Museum, and the many amazing markets.  Watch out for pickpockets in the markets, they’re everywhere, but it’s still worth the trip.  From here we bought a motorcycle (which I blogged about earlier) and headed north.  More on that to come….. 

 The English translation to the title is

“my beautiful Italian adventure with my family” and it surely was. The genesis for this trip started with an invitation that I came across online to join the Hyatt Gold Passport program. The invite simply stated that for $75 a year, and with your successful acceptance into the program, the new member was entitled to two free nights anywhere in the world where there existed a Hyatt property. Now, being what I’d like to consider a great bargain hunter, I researched Hyatt properties in Italy. Italy was always a country on our family’s short list of European destinations, and there happened to be a premiere Hyatt property in the city of Milan called the Park Hyatt Milano. The cost of each night in October, when we were planning to travel, was an astounding $850 per night. This sealed the deal for me. My wife and I ,separately, applied for the card and were quickly accepted. That was four nights in Milan, at one of the best hotels in Italy , for free. Flights to Italy were inexpensive in October because, it seems, the whole world is suffering from a bad economic climate and the cost of plane travel is a bargain. Four coach seats on Aer Lingus, round trip from Boston, Ma. for less than $2800 cemented the decision for us. We were off.

Our itinerary included a stop in picturesque Lake Como.

The plane ride was uneventful, however our luggage was misplaced upon arrival in Milan. This turned out to be fortunate because our cab driver could not drop us directly off at the Park Hyatt Milano because of a workers strike. In Italy, strikers are afforded the right to protest march even if it means blocking streets and shutting down avenues of entry. We had to be dropped off a few blocks away, so, carrying luggage would have been a challenge to say the least. So, with lost luggage and a general worker’s strike shutting down the center of the city, our Italian adventure had an inauspicious beginning. However, fortunately, that would soon change for the better.

The city of Milan is vibrant, active, and cosmopolitan. It is widely recognized as the fashion center of the world. Many of the world’s foremost designers have boutiques and have their clothing lines debut there each year. The world famous Via della Spiga and Via Monte Napoleone are only steps away from the Park Hyatt. Famous designers like Gucci, Prada, Dolce and Gabana, Versace, and among others all display there designs there. Their product lines are quite pricey, but it was great fun to window shop. Even if it was just to see how the “other half” lives.

The Park Hyatt hotel is a sterling property. By European standards, meaning hotel rooms are always too small and amenities sparse, this hotel proved to be top-notch. The rooms are spacious, the beds are comfortable and large, and the bathrooms are spa-like. The toiletries are created exclusively for this property alone by the world famous fragrance designer, Laura Tonatto. The scent was unique to anything we had ever experienced anywhere. Alas, they are not available for sale other than at this property. Maybe that will give us just the incentive we need to return!

The Park Hyatt is also conveniently located in the Galleria of Victor Emmanuelle. This is widely considered the first mall in the world. It has a unique tile floor and a hand made glass ceiling. La Scala, the most famous Opera House in the world is located only steps away. Verde, Toscanini, Rossini, had all of their world renowned operas debut here. It is still active today and operas are held almost every night. Madame Butterfly was playing while we were in Milan. We aren’t an opera family, so we didn’t attend. It was a great experience to visit the theater itself, however.

Milan is also the home of one of the world’s most famous masterpieces, “The Last Supper” of Leonardo DaVinci (Cenacolo Vinciano) It is on display at an unassuming church called Santa Marie della Grazie. It was painstakingly restored a while back and is truly an majestic masterpiece. We were allowed to view as part of a group for about 10 minutes and were ushered out through the ever present gift shop.

There is another area of Milan that is quite charming and not as well known as these other attractions. It is a section called the “Navilgli”. The Navigli is an area of Milan where there are canals, and on each side of these canals are numerous specialty shoppes, boutique hotels, and wonderful trattorias, ristorantes, and osterias. If you go to visit around the hours of 5-7, there is a Happy Hour, where, for the price of a drink, you are provided with the most delectable appetizers called “checcetti”. They are complimentary and one can make a meal of these little bites alone! Many Milanese do!

Milan is also home to one of Italy’s most famous Cathedral’s. It is called the “Duomo”. It is a magnificent example of gothic architecture. It took over 400 years to complete, and a really great treat was when we took the elevator up to the Church’s roof. From there, we viewed a majestic Panorama of the city, and also viewed intricately crafted spires and butresses of the Duomo up close. The Duomo is located merely a minute’s walk from the Park Hyatt. I’m giving a big hint to the reader to consider joining the Hyatt Gold Passport Club. It is truly a great value.

Lago di Como, or lake Como, is located only 45 minutes from Milan by train. We were there in no time. It is a gorgeous lake rimmed by quaint little villages. We visited a few by purchasing a boat ticket that allowed us to disembark and re-board at any village. Lago di Como is also the home of many celebrities like George Clooney and Madonna. The lake town of Bellagio, which is known as “the Pearl” of the lake, is the lake’s centerpiece. This quaint little piece of Italy was actually Steve Wynn’s inspiration to build the The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas.

Lake Como is also home to the Villa Balbienello. This is signifigant to all of the “Star Wars” afficiandos among us, because this is the setting where Princess Leia and Hans Solo were wed. This is a stunning property that is meticulously maintained and provides sweeping views of the lake.

Our family had a one-of-a-kind experience in Milan and Lake Como and would highly recommend this part of Italy to anyone.

What the fuck?  How have I not known about Dr. Pong for all of these years?  The premise of the game is simple: regular ping pong where the players rotate around the table.  Make a legal shot and you stay in the rotation, miss your shot or hit it off the table and you’re out.  The game is played with up to 30 people, so in the beginning there is plenty of time to shoot the shit with the person next to you, but when it gets down to the last 5 you’re basically running in a circle.  The game originates from a bar in Berlin, but now it’s spreading.  I recently played in San Francisco with American Tripps, and it was awesome.  You could easily start this anywhere, all you need is a ping pong table, 20 or 30 paddles, and some cheap beer.

See more of my favorite drinking games here: Travel Drunk Drinking Games.  Have one of your own?  Hit up the comments.

As a side note, I’m sorry for being a bad blogger.  Our trip is over and the real world is cutting into my blog time, but I’m coming back with new material and I’ll be hosting guest posts from people traveling now.  If you’re on the road, and want to contribute, email me!

Bikes here are used to transport the whole family (there are 4 people on the bike in this photo), as well as whatever crap you need to carry.  I’ve seen bikes holding way more than average honda back home.  So if you’re traveling through Vietnam, why fight it.  Buy a bike.

Step 1:  Decide what type of bike you want.

Everyone in Vietnam rides relatively small bikes with engines ranging from 100 to 125cc.  The reason is that for bikes over 175cc you need special papers to get them in, and a special license to ride.  Also, everyone here drives super slow (even on the highway people usually go about 60 kph, and at 80kph you’re passing virtually everyone) so there is no need for a big bike.  So now that you know you need a small, cheap bike, you have 4 solid options:

1) Minsk

Russian made, 2-stroke 125cc engine, and it used to be the standard for an all-around bike in  Vietnam.  Now, not so much.  Almost every time I see one of these now there is a white guy sitting on it, which means that parts are becoming more and more hard to find, as are mechanics who deal with them.  They stink and smoke, and break down all the time.  On the other hand, they look super cool, they get a good ride on rough roads, they can carry two people, and they’re cheap.  You can pick a good one up for around $300.  If you’re into working on the bike as much as riding, this could be your ride.

2) Honda Bonus

Honda name and reliability, plus a 125cc engine and one of the larger bikes on the road, and it looks cool.  This bike is comfortable for two, has plenty of power, and it’s easy to find parts for and fix along the way.  The downside is that they are on the heavy side (sucks in congested city streets), and they have a reputation for losing oil and ruining the top end.  One mechanic is Saigon talked me out of buying one due to the necessity for increased maintenance.  The Bonus is also a little pricy with a good one costing around $400.

3) Honda Wave

The Honda Wave has to be the most popular bike on the road.  I’ve seen more of these than anything else, literally millions of them here in Vietnam.  Yes, they are a scooter, but even tough looking Vietnamese guys ride them, so no shame there.  They come in several different engine sizes up to 110cc, which puts out more power than the 125cc Minsk, and gets better gas mileage.  The 110cc engine is also the most popular and most reliable in Vietnam, so it doesn’t break down much, but if it does anyone can fix it super cheap and fast.  Another plus is that you can get one with an auto transmission, which still lets you select the gear with your foot like a regular bike, but there is no clutch to worry about.  This can be really nice for someone without much experience, and makes learning to ride a snap.  The downside is that it’s really only good for one person, and the ride isn’t too great due to the light suspension and small tires.  I’m also not a big fan of the riding posture and the feel of the balance on these things, but maybe that’s just a personal thing.  The average price is in the middle at about $300 to $350 for a good used bike.

4) Honda Win

Probably the second most popular bike on the road next to the Wave.  It also has the 110cc engine, with a standard 4 speed transmission.  Plenty of power for the mountains, great reliability, and it gets about 25-30km per liter (or about 60mpg)!  It’s good for two, but not as heavy as the Bonus, so it’s easy to ride in the cities.  The price is similar to the Wave at $300 to $350 for a good one.

We went for a slightly modified Win that has upgraded rear shocks and a bigger seat meant for two.  It also has a larger than normal tank (10L), so we never have to worry about gas.  So far no problems, plenty of power, and pretty comfortable even on long rides.  I love this bike even though it’s not the toughest thing on the road with it’s yellow and purple color scheme.

Step 2: Buy a Bike

Buying a bike in Vietnam is easy, but there are a few things to look out for.  One of the easiest ways to get a bike is to but one off another backpacker.  We bought our bike in Saigon, and there were new bikes showing up for sale at our guesthouse almost every day.  In either Hanoi or Saigon you can easily walk down the street and find bikes other backpackers have used for sale.  The only downside is that they are not mechanics and may not even know about problems that are coming.  Luckily, a full tune up and regular repairs will only run about $40 on a bike that is running and driving pretty good.  So if you see a good deal go for it, but have it checked out before you take off on a long trip.  Most of the time you will get everything including a helmet, spare parts/tools, a map, and maybe rain gear.  The most important thing you need to make sure you get is the blue registration card.  This card doesn’t need to be in your name (no one changes it over), but you need to have it or the cops can confiscate your bike.

We bought our bike from a dealer named Kevin in Saigon.  He checks out all the bikes and makes any repairs, so we knew what we were getting and didn’t have any surprises down the road.  He also set us up with an oversized rack for our pack, a map, raingear, two full-face helmets (which are nice if you like your face), rain gear, and even insurance.  He also said he would buy the bike back if we came back through Saigon.  After shopping around for a week we found Kevin’s prices pretty competitive and it just seemed like the best/easiest deal for us.

Step 3: Get out and Ride

Getting a bike allows you to go wherever, and whenever you want.  It also allows you to play out some sort of mid-life crisis fantasy even though you’re only in your 20’s or 30’s, and it’s the best way to see Vietnam.  Riding is also super fun, and that’s what you’re trip should be about.

Read about Part 1 of our trip here.

For spirits Turkey really only has one semi-unique choice: Raki.  Raki is an anise-flavored spirit made from distilled grapes.  Usually it’s served in a collins glass, chilled, and mixed 50/50 with water.  Even though both the raki and water are clear, the drink turns a milky color when mixed.  Yeni Raki seems to be the biggest brand, and a half-liter bottle costs about $14 in the store, or it’s about $3 a drink in most bars.  Definitely a tasty after dinner drink, but not my first choice for a pick-one-drink-and-drink-a-bunch-of-them kind of night.  It’s 90 proof, so I forgot to take any pictures but here are a couple I lifted from the Yeni site: