The rare and engangered Red Shanked Douc

We spent 3 glorious nights in Hoian eating excuisite food and drinking great coffee while consuming a plethora of devine pattiseries that made the mouth water at the memory. I could spend a month in Hoian andstill feel cheated for time. It is a fabulous place. Pity that so many people feel the same way as the place is infected with a myriad of tourists all seeking something cheap. On our second day we hired motorbikes. Mr Thanh joined us at the river mouth and we set off for what the Amermican invaders referred to as "Monkey Mountain". MM is found on the edge of Danang. We rode along the coast raod to the 3rd largest city in Vietnam. The coast here is littered with huge resorts both fi ished and unfinished. Side by side would be these huge concrete skeletons next to opulent structures with manicured grounds poorly hidden behind concrete walls. At one point we passed a huge structure surrounded by cranes and rickety bamboo  scaffolding. Right next door was a finished resort that had gone broke before it opened with crumbling tile rooves and windowless openings like missing teeth. The whole thing was quite bizarre. Across the road were several huge golf courses one of which was designed by Greg Norman. I think the aim was to attract large numbers of Chinese, Korean and Japanese tourists. They seem to restrict themselves to the  closer to Danang resorts where they have access to casinos and other diversions that are accessed by bus loads of these characters.

Our aim was to ride the bikes to the top of Monkey Mountain in the hope of spotting some of the resident Monkeys. On a previous trip I had seen heaps of Macacs. We rode the length of the island just above the coast. We stopped at a beachside resteraunt that offered heaps of variety in the menu but in reality did not have any of the  dishes we selected. I ended up with a Banana flower salad with pork that was quite tastey. We rode on until we found a concrete strip going almost vertically up the mountain. I roared up for some way only to find I was alone. Returning back down the precipice I found Vicky and Ernie parked up at an intersection I had passed. Apparently thier machine did not have the power to get them up the steep hill. While discussing this Vicky spotted some Monkeys in the trees above us. Mr Thanh became very excited when we realised that these creatures were not Macacs. In fact they were a small band of Red Shanked Doucs (Langurs) ! These animals are extremely rare and are listed as endangered by international agencies. Here we were looking atraight at these incredible creatures totally wild and totally free. They are the most colorful of Monkeys. They are quite large being the size of about a 7 year old child. They have the cutest red/orange coloured face, a long thin white tail. Thier arms from the elbow to wrist re white with dark hands with the appearance of gloves. Thier lower legs are bright red. The effect is very striking. We watched them with wonder for about half an hour. Mr Thanh was beside himself. He was taking heaps of photos and tried valiantly to get  closer  with no luck. We watched these animals feeding on leaves and throwing themeselves around the canopy with a proffesionalism that boggled the mind. It was so uplifting to see these creatures. We, Vicky and I walkeda bit further up the hill and came across quite a large band of Macacs who were on the ground and looking very suspiciously at us. Making warning sounds to thier comrades they withdrew into the jungle only to peer at us through the vegitation. It was wonderful. Thanh announced that he was going up the mountain to see if he could see some more Langurs and we headed back down the mountain to visit the 50m statue of Quan Ong (the Vietnamese version of the lady Bhudda called Quan Lin in China). There are a number of temples in the  complex. One, the biggest contains 3 golden statues that are huge and very impressive. In another there was a jade bhudda that was remarkable. The surrounding gardens were full of huge bonsai trees and a large number of marble statues depicting the various incarnations of the bhudda. The effect was awe inspiring. I wandered about having my photo taken by lots of different Vietnamese and other asian tourists. One lot had me standing beside the Jade Bhudda hands together in front of my chin. I felt a little awkwrd about this as I am not a believer. My feelings of being a fraud  were completely ignoredby the people taking the photos. They obviouslythought this was right and proper so I did not disabuse them.

We finished the day with the long ride back to Hoian. That night (our last with Thanh) we ate at the Mango Mango rooms. Another  meal that could not be beat. The next morning it was up at 4:30 am for the flight to Saigon. The trip with Vicky and Ernie is drawing inexorably toward the denouement when they get on the plane to Singapore from Siem Reap. I have enjoyed our journey together it has been very nice to share a piece of Asia with them.

The food is absolutely amazing

We arrived in Hoian yesterday just after lunch. We left Hue on a very wet and drear morning. Our hotel was very nice and several of the staff came out to wave us off. The Vietnamese understand service better than any I have experienced. While it seems a bit over the top, it doesn't feel that way. They are so friendly and will go way way out of thier way to be helpful and of service. That is not to say there are not people who are not so nice, that happens everywhere. But my experience has been overwhelmingly good and itfeels so comfortable here.

We travelled down Highway 1 a new experience for me as I usually try to avoid this road lkke the plague. It is a haven for trucks and buses. At least in this part of Vietnam the road has been divided. This is a good thing because you don't have trucks or buses bearing down on you from the opposite direction as they recklessly overtake a slower vehicle. One side effect however is that trucks buses and cars hug the outside lane, leaving the inner for motorbikes. This leads to a situation where a vehicle that wants to overtake has to cajole and ha ssle the vehicle in front to move tothe left. This leads to frusration and the posibility of road rage. In the long term it would be goodto have a third lane exclusively for motorbikes leaving the existing lanes for vehicles who should keep right unless overtaking.

We went on my bit of road to escape  Highway 1 just before the Hi Van Pass. It turned out to be a successful choice with Thanh and Ernie leaping out to take photos of  fishermen, mountains and waterfalls. This little bypass is such a welcome relief. It is really quiet and serene, running beside a huge inlet that is covered with oyster leases and fish traps and groups of fishing huts/houses on stilts. There were idyllic scenes of concical hatted fishermen poling thier smallish boats around thier huts doing maintenance and other tasks. It all looked so peaceful even in the rain. 

We had a very pleasant lunch in Danang after crossing the Hi Van Pass. We had coffee at the top. When you get out of your car at the top of the pass you are assailed by a passle of women who are the best husslers in the business of getting tourists to part with thier money. Thier persistence is a credit to thier roles and you have to admire them for thier fortitude. We had coffee surrounded by 3 -4 women encouraging us to buy something. I had a woman behind me massaging my neck and playing with my dreadlock. I eventually relented and bought a small trinket. The Danang lunch was a seafood extravaganza with squid, shrimp and frog. It was delicious.

What could I say about Hoian that I have not said before. I love the place. It is like a good and true old friend enveloping me in its warm embrace. So nice to be back. There have been some changes. The markets have been revamped and look very fresh and new. We arrived after lunch and took things easy in the arvo just walking to the Cargo Club to have some coffee and amazing pattiserie, I had the passionfruit cheesecake  topped with delicate pieces of moulded chocolate both white and brown. That evening we wandered down the road along beside the river. The tide was coming in and we got avery practical demonstration of global warming. The river had come up over some parts of the road. As we ate our meal it came up so high as to cover the road completely right up to the stairs of our resteraunt. We ate that night at the Mango Rooms. It was where I had the best meal of my life some 7 years ago when Meri and I first came to Hoian. Well the meal this night was just as good! I had fresh sping rolls for entree and a large piece of Red Snapper sitting on a bed of mango and tomato. There were these long green beans dizzled in a crumbly sauce that was beyond description. The whole plate was finished off with a cone of noodles wrapped in banana leaf. Every element was cooked to perfection. The tastes were extreme in thier excuisiteness. Superb, fantastic and every possible word of wonder you could think of. The food was simply absolutely amazing.

Hotch potch.

I was going to write a blog about showers in South East Asia. Given the variety and diversity, from the superheated steam blast that blows you away like a fire hydrant to the limp squib barely able to wet the floor let alone your body you would think I were able to rant on ad infintum. All I really want to do though is to describe my showering experience this morning in Dong Hoi. Dong Hoi is on the coast east of Phoung Nga by about 50km (the width of Vietnam at this point). Thanh and I had come here to meet Vicky and Ernie off the flight from Hanoi. They had flown because the 2 day drive would have crippled Ernie. Anyway we spent a very relaxing day on the beach at Dong Hoi in a very pleasant backpacker hostel that offended Mr Thanhs sense of propriety. Ernie and I fished to our hearts content. This brings me to the shower. I had been fishing early in the morning and had been absolutely soaked in a rain storm. I went to our room for a shower, to clean up and warm up. A word about showers in Vietnam:- They vary a lot. Some are instantaneous gas and supply hot water with gusto. Some are electric and are a little sullen. They give up thier labours with little good grace. They usually have to be cajoled into some kind of begrudging submission and even then the water is tepid. Well my morning shower at Beachside Backpackers, Dong Hoi was not tepid. The shower had to be cajoaled. First it was a good idea to turn the electric heater on , a point niether of my roommates had noticed. Anyway heater turned on I applied the tap. You would have to say at this time that the wter pressure was sverely depleted to the point of less than dribbles. But the water was wondefully warm. Held at point blank range you could apply a gloriously warm caress to the entire surface of your body. The sensation was excuisite. I wetted down my entire torso in a state of sensual bliss. Then I soaped off only to anticipate the delight to come when once again I repeated the showers caress. The whole experience was wonderful.

Our departure to Phoung Nga from Dong Hoi must have frustrated the hell out of mr Thanh. We dithered and delayed for an inordinate amount of time. I was  trying to have a cup of restorative coffee while at the same time booking flights on Vietjet from Danang to Saigon and packing my bag. The booking kept timing out and the packing became frought with all kinds of complications. In the end we managed to head out for breakfast at 9:30 with Thanh concerned we would miss out. We didn't but it was close.

It is two days since I started this post. We have been in Phoung Nga for 2 days now. We have been to the Phoung Nga Cave and the Paradise Cave. Phoung Nga is lovely and low impact. Stunning formations seen from the luxury of a boat or gentle stroll through the columns, stalactites and stalagmites. Very pretty and quite spectacular. The Paradise cave is also spectacular, beautiful and stunning. The access however is challenging for an old man. 585 meters straight up to the entrance and some 300 straight down once inside. The cave itself goes on for some kilometer   or so and the formations are good. The entrance is gained through a series of ramps some steepish and some the same steepness a cow would make going up a hill. The exit is stairs, hundreds of them. Not so good on old knees.

Today we are off to Hue and then Hoian. The journey has been great and the memories entertaining. Especially when Ernie ran out of petrol on his hired 110cc tiddler!

Burning miles

We arrived back in Hanoi at about 4pm. Tired and elated from the previous days efforts. Ba Be is truely a wonderfully peaceful place. One could chill there for quite some time. There are a lot more homestays than before but the effect does not intrude too much. I did not actually see much more foriegners than  were in my homestay but for glimpses of profiles on distant varandahs and balconies.

I had arranged to spend that night at my dear friends Ms Le and Mr Vuong place. I was picked up by Vuong on his motorbike and had a truely exciting ride through rush hour Hanoi to his home in the suburbs some 12km from town. They live in a beautiful new house in a lovely area surrounded by what we call market gardens and huge banana paddocks. The area has a very rural feel overlaid with a new town feel. I had a lovely meal (hotpot) with the family, Le, Vuong, his mother and Le's brother. The meal was lovely and I enjoyed chatting with Vuong and Le with the stirling help of my trusty translator on my Tablet.

This was the first night I have slept on a Vietnamese bed. No mattress but simply boards covered by a rush mat. Despite my reservations about hard surfaces I had a very goodnights sleep and woke in the morning feeling refreshed and not at all stiff. We fired up the bikes and rode into town for some breakfast and coffee (Bun bo Hue and sweet coffee Vietnamese style). Leaving Le and Vuong to go to work I sauntered over to the Highlands Coffee for some cold coffeeand cake and a good read while I waited for Mr Thanh to finish servicing his car.

I met Thanh at the 3B Hotel and we set off for Dong Hoi some 500km south. We used the Ho Chi Minh highway (trail) rather than Highway 1. It was fanulous to reacquaint myself with this road that carries so much history for me. We passed the spot where I was forced off the road into a resteraunt and we passed by the range of Kharst limestone mountains that remind you so much of dragons teeth. We actually made it to Tam Ky which took me 2 days to ride to llast year. It is a very quiet small town in the middle of nowhere notable.... I think. We had a meal that could not be beat and have now returned to our hotel where Thanh is already pressing zeds. Tomorrow we go to Dong Hoi via Phoung Nga Kebang national park.   

There are no photos yet as my tablet had a flat battery and photos came from my phone I will try to upload them later.

Things are beginning to go crazy

We are now at Ba Be. This is the sixth day of our journey. Time is beginning to slip away. The last 2 days in Hanoi were spent going to the Temple of Literature. And wondering around the old quarter. I bought a new poncho in the big market. Every night we ended up at the Irish Wolfhound with all its attractions.

Vicky and I saw a Turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake. We saw it three times! At one spot it came so close to the surface with its head out of water we could see shell and all. Our friend  Nancy from the 3 B Hotel told us she has been therefor 10 years and has never seen one! Apparently it is very lucky. So we are blessed.The last night at the"Irish Dog" was very similar to the first. Hail fellow well met., a sense of camoraderie and belonging..Very  nice.

The trip to Ba Be from Hanoi was fun. We stopped for coffee, lunch and files and files of digital camera shots on the way. Our homestay at Ba Be is nestled on the side of a steep mountain amongst a plethora of other homestays. Ours has a spectacular view of the lake as we are so high. The serenity is inspiring, so peaceful so calm.

I went for a walk down to the river below us. I was sitting on the bank surveying a scene of absolute tranquility, across from me ther were some very pretty cows grazing in a lazy afternoon way, up river a couple were industriously cleaning a long boat for the next days tourists and down river a couple were lazily paddling a couple of kayaks up river as if thecurrent was not there.  Fantastic.  While walking back to the homestay my tablet which I had been using as a camera turned into a facebook messenger machine. There I was in the middle of a paddock next to the river talking directly to a bloke in Australia! In Vietnam the telephone /mobilesystem is incredible so now is the internet!