If you are looking for some sensory overload, come to Vietnam. People, noises, smells, foods, they have it all. Crossing the street here is like cheating death, repeatedly. There are very very few traffic signals, most intersections have nothing at all, and it is a free-for-all of motor bikes and cars weaving around each other. Lanes on the road are merely suggestions, not often followed. The trick to crossing the street is to step out, don't make any sudden moves, and walk slowly to the other side. It is surprisingly exhilarating, and so far no one has been hit.
The food is incredible, and eating has been our main activity for the last 24 hours. We are all looking forward to getting some exercise soon. The many street-side vendors look amazing, but we are still a bit worried about getting sick, so we have only eaten at restaurants that cater mostly to tourists. Today I think we will take the plunge.
A few quick lessons on travelling.
Lesson one: never order the 'vegetarian Raw' food option while flying. I had dreams that it would be some delicious raw salad or something with at least a hint of creativity. All I got was some cut up broccoli, celery, and carrot sticks. While healthy and nutritious, it left me wanting. Luckily I had some cliff bars in my carry on.
Lesson two: Really, really check your itinerary before you book it. Getting to the Vancouver airport, and then having the woman at the check in counter ask 'What would you like us to do with your luggage during the stop over?' is a shock. Um, what stop over? Turns out I had a 14 hour layover in Hong Kong. Luckily, the couple I am travelling with had some friends in HK, so they picked us up and took us to their favourite vegetarian restaurant. It was delicous! Then we a good night's sleep at their place before returning to th airport for our flight to Hanoi.
Tonight we leave on an overnight train to Sa pa, and then begin the actual bike trip with a hellish 34km ride covering 1500m of vertical. Not exactly a warm up ride. When we told our waiter last night where we were planning to go with our bikes tomorrow, he laughed. Really, really hard.
I'm excited.
P.S. Fun fact #1: The govt here has blocked networking sites like Facebook and twitter.
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