Vietnam – Day 7- Goodbye Hanoi
Yes! I have left Hanoi. I am writing as I head south to Hue.
This morning it was sprinkling. Hanoi reminds me of itropical sland weather, a shower in the morning and a beautiful day to follow. The new hostel had a menu of items from. Cereal and pancakes to a good ole bowl of pho. I went with the pho.
After breakfast I packed up my stuff. I was leaving Hanoi today one way or another. I had to get 1100 miles south to catch my flight home.
So when I started the trip I new it would be fluid but I had no real idea why it would be fluid. The motorcycle issues we’re one reason. But my education on the ground was another. My ride to Ninhbinh the past couple of days was around 100km. My novice estimates were that I could easy do that in an an hour and a half Well it is more like two and a half hours. I had planned a trip to Laos from Phong Nha, a 300 km ride I originally assumed 3 and a half hours. Now I think it is between 5 and 6. After Ninhbinh I really need my butt can only take 2 hours on a motorcycle. Also, as I spoke with the youth in the hostel, I realized how touristy Phong Nha would be. It’s not the secret I thought it would be…like the bird park was. So my plans changed to get as close to Hoi An as possible.
When I got to the motorcycle shop my bike was waiting. I started her up and she purred like a kitten. Her disposition was noticably different. Looked down underneath the tank. There was new carburetor. Not a remanufactured or junkyard reclaim. The shop owner, Cuong, then reimbursed me for the repairs and paid 800000 dong for my bus ticket south. Such a descent and honest guy, he really lost money on this bike. I told him my new plan to go to Hoi An and he found a bus for me that would take my motorcycle as far as Hue. I would have to ride from there. He said it leaves in an hour and the bus station is half an hour away.
So I jump on my bike, buzzed back to the hostel to strap my bag to my bike, and raced to the address. It’s amazing how different the bike rides with the new carb. Rolling through the streets of Hanoi felt really comfortable. I didn’t really know where I was going but my GPS strapped to my handlebars was leading the way. Actually in some cases I would ignore the GPS because it won’t take me down alleys, but they are thoroughfares for the two wheeled.
When I got to the spot. There was no one there. No bus…and I was early. I texted. Cuong he gave me a new address. Five minutes later I was at the new address. Lots if buses. I texted Cuong, how do I find the right one? When he got back to me he had another new address. Five minutes later I was there. No bus. I drove to the nearby corner. No bus. So I pulled up on the sidewalk, layed back on my bike and called Cuong. After I gave him my lat long he said they will find me. About 10 minutes later a guy walks up to me and points to my bike and motions that he is the guy. It takes me a second but I realize that he is the bus guy. But he has no bus. He motions me to follow him. I do and end up half a block down at a storefront that is the 10 feet of frontage business office for the bus. No one here speaks English and my extremely limited Vietnamese is unintelligible to them. Thank goodness for Google translate. I arranged my ticket for me and the bike and I am told to wait there for the bus and then wheel on my motorcycle.
A little later a guy shows up in a van and loads some boxes going to Hue. The new plan is that I am following him. Once again I am riding on new streets of Hanoi. This is fun for me. We end up at a bus yard that is like a deserted junkyard. No terminal just a huge dirt parking lot with scattered garbage everywhere.
I follow the van as it parks next to a bus. He unloads the van and two other guys start to load up the freight onto the bus. These guys are the drivers. It is a very long way to Hue so they drive in shifts. The drivers theb switch to the bike, the take off the mirrors and drain the gas tank. I help them load the bike underneath and the load the rest of the freight onto the bus I am now one of the crew! After we are done I pull out some Hershey bars I brought for just this occasion. They are grateful and eagerly eat them. We all hang out for a little while until I am ushered on to the bus. They put me in the very back with three sleeper seats across almost as big as a double bed. We are on our way. We drive back to the spot where I bought the tickets. People are now waiting to get on. No tourists. All locals. They get on and off we go.
A few hours later we stop. One of the drivers motions me to get off, as we are here to eat. It’s a rest stop. For the first time in Vietnam I am the only torist. Everybody in the place is Vietnamese. The driver motions me back to a back room where the drivers of all the buses eat. There is no ordering, the waitress knows these guys and just starts to serve a huge spread of local food, and not pho or bun Some other drivers are drinking rice wine and offer me some and we toast.
We quickly finish the food Somebody else pays and we are back on the bus. The lights in the bus go out and most cell phones go dark. It’s time to get some sleep. We will be in Hue in just another 500 km. I estimate that to be more than 8 hours.
mmmmm "This is fun for me. We end up at a bus yard that is like a deserted junkyard. No terminal just a huge dirt parking lot with scattered garbage everywhere." Ha! I see you're eating healthier today….. So cool to be comfortable being the only tourist.
Being the only tourist is good. Makes for better conversations.