SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 6:34 PM

Idalis:

Most days, traveling is great. You're having great adventures, the food is new and amazing, and the sights can take your breath away. I feel lucky to be having these experiences. I had this feeling while in Hoi An. Kevin and I rented bikes for the day to ride to the beach, and as I squatted by the side of the road and slurped on snails cooked with lemongrass and chillies and watched the traffic zoom by, a smile came to my face. I was in Vietnam!

In Hoi An, Kevin and I strolled through the streets, admired the old architecture with French and Chinese influences, crossed the Japanese bridge, and watched the Chinese silk lanterns lit up at night. We sampled the local cuisine, which included cao lau (noodle soup mixed with croutons, bean sprouts, and pork slices) and “white rose,” small steamed dumplings stuffed with shrimp.



Hue was no disappointment, either. We visited the ancient citadel and took a motorbike tour of the city with knowledgeable Mr. Trung, who told us the history of Hue as it related to the ancient tombs and pagodas. Mr. Trung fought for the south with the Americans during the “American War,” and we gained a new perspective while talking to him. Hue was a charming city, bustling at its center yet full off calming rice paddies once in the outskirts.


























But . . .

Some travel days are better than others. Today was definitely not one of the better ones!

We left the town of Hue last night on an overnight bus to Ninh Binh, where we were assured we could get onward travel to Cat Ba Island, described as a “quaint, romantic” island in Halong Bay that Kevin and I wanted to spend a few days in before going on to the chaos that is sure to be Hanoi. Halong Bay, and specifically, Cat Ba Island, is a place I had read about at length. I couldn't wait to go. I had no idea it would be such a headache to get there!

This was our nightmare:

5:30 PM: Overnight “sleeper” bus departed (if anyone can actually sleep, it's a miracle) from Hue to Ninh Binh.

5:00 AM: Arrived in Ninh Binh where the bus just dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. No map, no bus station, no orientation, but we did find two motorbike touts who want to show us a room or take us to the bus station!

6:00 AM: After searching fruitlessly for an ATM, Kevin and I get a motorbike ride to the “highway” where we're assured we can get onward travel to Haiphong ferry. We don't know where we are so we agree to pay 40,000 dong to get to the highway, as the motorbike driver says “highway very far.”

6:05 AM: Yeah right. One kilometer and 3 bucks later, we're deposited in front of a noodle shop. Owner speaks no English.

6:30 AM: Rickety bus makes its way down the road. Motorbike drivers help flag it down and we get in. We're once again assured we will be dropped off at the Haiphong ferry where we can get the hydrofoil to Cat Ba Island. Bus ride is very uncomfortable. Kevin and I are hot, sweaty, and have had to pee for hours! A man sitting next to Kevin on the bus mistakes him for a pillow and falls asleep on his shoulder, drool spilling out of his mouth. I try not to think about my bulging bladder.

9:00 AM: After seeing a sign that says “Haiphong – 25 kilometers” the bus driver stops and the attendant throws our bags out the door. We're assured with nods that this stall, next to the highway, is actually Haiphong.

9:05 AM: Yeah right. Evil motorbike drivers try to tell us the only way to Haiphong is by motorbike, which they of course can take us on. They want 150,000 dong to take the two of us. “Haiphong very far. Bus not possible.” I don't believe them, as I've seen a bus go by with the words “HAI PHONG” on it! I don't read Vietnamese, but I'm not an idiot!

9:10 AM: I lose my @#$% and Kevin and I start to argue in the middle of the highway about what to do. I think the devil's spawn are lying to us about our options. Motorbike drivers and proprietors of noodle shop think it's very funny and are laughing at us.

9:25 AM: As Kevin is trying to negotiate a better price for the motorbike rides, I see a bus coming our way with “HAI PHONG” written on it. We flag it down but the driver and attendant don't speak English. The attendant keeps nodding his head yes and physically tries to push me onto the bus. I'm not a happy camper.

9:27 AM: An angel in the form of a young Vietnamese girl pokes her head out of bus and asks us, “Where you want to go?” We explain, they say no problem, and get on the bus headed to Haiphong. Bus ride will be 40,000 dong.

9:30 AM: We chat with the girl but later find out we must pay an extra 10,000 dong because of our “big bags.” It's still better than 150,000 dong.

10:00 AM: Bus drops us off somewhere in Haiphong. When we say we want to go to the ferry they point at a group of motorbike drivers waiting for their kill and say, “You take motorbike!” Over my dead body, we are not taking a motorbike. We ask a taxi driver and he says he can take us to the ferry for 650,000 dong! Kevin and I have to laugh out loud.

10:10 AM: We wander the streets aimlessly. We have no idea where we are in Haiphong (Vietnam's third largest city) and we have no idea where the ferry pier is. No one seems to speak English and we can't even find a hotel to ask in. People are staring at us with our big packs. We are tired from having no sleep, our bags weigh a ton, and we still have to pee. Where the hell is this pier?

10:20 AM: We see a sign for an English school. TOEFL classes! They must speak English!!! Maybe they can tell us where we are and which way is the ferry pier!!!!

10:22 AM: Very nice and pretty receptionists don't understand. But they write down on a piece of paper the name of a bookstore where maybe we can get a map of the city.


10:30 AM: Where the hell is Tien Phong book shop?

10:40 AM: Kevin sees a “cafe” advertising WiFi. He has a great idea: we'll go in, go on-line to find a map of the city, and figure out where we are.

10:45 AM: The “cafe” is actually a “massage and karaoke” bar. Read: prostitutes. The pretty lady takes our coffee order and we go on-line. We find out where we are and decide we're going to try to walk to the ferry. We do not want to use the motorbike drivers, as their prices are very inflated. Ferry pier seems to be about 2 miles away, but we are determined. We pee (finally!), drink our gross coffee, and thank the owners, who are dumbfounded by Kevin's apparent disinterest in their women and our presence there.

11:30 AM: We walk for almost an hour with our heavy bags down the busy streets of Haiphong, dodging motorbikes, cyclo riders, and women with pointy hats balancing stinky durian fruit. We continue to get strange looks but press on. Hallelujah!!! We finally arrive at the ferry pier, weigh our options, and decide to take the 12:30 ferry to Cat Ba Island. We eat a bowl of pho (beef noodle soup) and wait.

12:30 PM: The mangy “hydro – spoil” (as Kevin names it) has seen better days. We count our blessings and say we're just happy to finally be on our way. We start to see the islands and caves on our journey. Kevin takes pictures and I swallow my nausea on the rocking seas.

3:30 PM: The “quick” ferry ride takes three hours instead of 90 minutes. “Quaint” Cat Ba Island has a million scooters, neon lights, and Vietnamese families here on holiday. It's not at all the quiet escape we were hoping for. It takes us over an hour to find a decent room in a hotel. Most are either full to capacity or way beyond our budget.





5:00 PM: 24 hours after starting our journey, we finally find a room at Nha Nghi Hotel. It's clean, and at $12 a night, will not break the bank. Unfortunately, Mr. Lo informs us that rates more than double on the weekends to over 400,000 dong! We will stay for two nights but are not sure what we will do when the weekend comes.

5:30 PM: Kevin and I collapse on the bed, exhausted and overwhelmed by the day. I am feeling depressed and missing home. Why does it have to be so hard sometimes? I wish I was in my air-conditioned home with the dog, watching a DVD and ordering pizza (something I can pronounce), in a country where I can speak the language and I'm not considered a walking ATM machine. Not all days are great :(




Sunday, June 21, 2009 6:30 PM

Postscript:

So as not to end on a downer, Cat Ba Island did redeem itself in the end. Although Cat Ba town itself was loud and crowded, our 2-day boat cruise around Halong Bay was amazing. Watching the green-carpeted rock formations jutting out of the water is a sight we won't soon forget. We had a wonderful captain, an amazing cook, and very friendly shipmates. We swam, kayaked, and visited dark underwater caves. Spooooooky! We slept under the stars in a sailing junk, and although one it was one of the hottest, sweatiest, and stickiest nights I can remember yet, it was also one of our most memorable. Some days are DEFINITELY better than others!