Ahhh...Traveling by Train in Vietnam

Well, to make the most of our remaining time in Vietnam, Lucian decided to put his bike on a cargo car up to Hanoi and we booked 2 tickets north.  We ended up with a soft sleeper compartment with the top bunk (not too bad).  We could only get the train that departed Hue at 3:00 PM, putting us into Hanoi at 4:00 AM.  Mind you, this is about a 420 mile trip and it takes 13 hours...good lord.

So we packed up, found a taxi, and made our way to the train station.  The train arrived a few minutes late, but that gave us time to survey our possible cabin mates.  We were assigned to car 9 so we set up camp outside while a surplus of westerners made their way behind us.  The largest group of people were from New Zealand, a mix of students from an all boys school and their teachers.  Through eavesdropping we learned the boys were on their senior trip and we making their way from Saigon to Hanoi, like us.

We boarded the train and learned we were with two of the teachers from the school group, a history and geography teacher.  The geography teacher looked like he packed an entire REI store in his bag, it was intense.  We made small talk for a while then tried to settle into our accommodations.  Everyone but me had a mattress cover, undoubtedly masking what was underneath.  I was not so lucky and I immediately covered the stained mattress (complete with some old gum from the last passenger) with a sheet that was provided. I had a movie stored on my computer which I drained the battery watching and Lucian continued to read "Angels and Demons".

Rocking back and forth, I had a hard time on the long ride and just wanted to get to Hanoi.  Sleeping was not had on my part and I longed for the European rail system which I have only heard good things about.  I closed my eyes and just let the time pass, the faint smell of cigarettes wafting through the hall of the car.  The lights flickered on at 4:00 AM and we slowly gathered our belongings.  I felt greasy and ready to get off the train.  Defeated was the word of the night.

The trip into Hanoi's Old Quarter was roughly 1 km, but we couldn't grasp walking the distance with our heavy packs.  Departing the station we were greeted by a driver who led us to his taxi.  We gave him the address of a guest house randomly selected from the Lonely Planet.  He nodded and off we went.  10 minutes later and I was fed up.  He was driving us in circles and I asked Lucian what we should do.  Lucian said to only give him 20,000 VND ($1.00) and call it a night.  The guy obviously knew what he was doing and I was in no mood to play "let's screw the tourist".  We were let off at the entrance to a dark alley and he motioned toward it.  Lucian pulled from his wallet what he we rightfully owed to the man and he put up a fight.  Lucian calmly explained that we were cheated.  "You drive us in circles sir."  The man pushed Lucian and sped away in his taxi.

Furthermore, the dark alley held no hopes of any open guest houses, hotels, or hostels.  The rickety gates closed and locked tightly over all of the entrances.  I entertained the idea of sleeping outside with my pack as a pillow until 6:00 AM when the doors would be bound to start opening.  Minutes later, two men sped up on their motorcycle and handed us a card to a hostel.  Seeing as though we had no other choice, we followed on foot and were led to a dingy, moist, and overheated room.  I shouldn't complain, as we never would've found a place to sleep if it wasn't for this.  It took me hours to fall into a deep sleep but eventually I did.

We've since checked out of the place and Lucian found a great guest house just up the street.  The Old Quarter district is overwhelmingly busy with a mix of crowded streets, fresh food sold on every corner, and blacksmiths working hard along the sidewalks. We happened to see our New Zealand "friends" again in fine form as they were parading down the street in an army of cyclos. I'm looking forward to some good food and seeing Ha Long Bay. Wish me luck!

Hue [Hway]

Hello all!  I'm living out the rest of my one-month Vietnam visa visiting the capital of Hanoi and the impressive Ha Long Bay.  As mentioned in my last post, I was anxiously awaiting a train to our next destination, Danang.  Lucian was good and ready to ride his motorcycle the long distance until the endless rain began and ruined the grand journey.  Thus, a somewhat stressful hour ensued at the Tuy Hoa train station as Lucian rushed to obtain a last-minute ticket to Danang. The problem was the motorcycle, which couldn't very well be left behind but we knew that the trains in Vietnam possessed a cargo car which accepted motorcycles.  We were confident in our assumptions and were excited to get moving.

I had purchased my seat on the northbound train the day before so I was set.  I attempted to help Lucian with his plight by asking the woman at the desk if it was okay for Lucian to board his bike on our train.  The woman timidly said "no" and I was convinced she was wrong, immediately thinking we were both lost in translation.  I started to ask various Vietnamese people at the station if anyone spoke English. My questions were answered with confused glances, lots of staring, and laughing.  Being the only westerners in the station, we were officially known as the crazies.

We finally found someone that was kind enough to actually call a friend that spoke some broken English and he met us at the station.  He explained that there was only one type of train that allowed motorcycles on its route.  We could leave it in Tuy Hoa and it would be sent to Danang on the next cargo train out.  We agreed, filled in the paperwork, and purchased a last-minute ticket.  The next 8 1/2 hours were spent trying to pass the time as we wove through the countryside and might I add, numerous cemeteries. 

Danang was less than thrilling but a nice place to relax and find some great food after Tuy Hoa's lack-thereof.  We tracked down a bakery / full restaurant that made amazing cheeseburgers with homemade buns (don't judge...I wanted a good burger).  The restaurant was run by an American couple who started the venture to support the deaf youth of Danang.  The food was served and prepared by the deaf and the profits from the restaurant go to support the education of the deaf Vietnamese youth.  We even met a volunteer at this place that was from Washington state.  On top of the great restaurant, we also found a great brewpub with delicious beer for a great price.

Hanging out in downtown Danang

 Danang skyline with a beautiful moon

Inside the brewpub in Danang

 

We spent 3 days in Danang and decided to move up north to Hue, the center of history in Vietnam.  We've spent our time walking around the town, eating delicious local food, visiting the Citadel, and taking a leisurely boat ride down the Perfume River.  We also connected with a local Vietnamese college student via CouchSurfing that took us to a great local restaurant.  We met one of his friends there and proceeded to drink copious amounts of Huda beer.  It's not great beer, but as we sat down, we were greeted with a large, plastic crate with bottles of the stuff and a cooler of ice.  "Peter", our local guide, taught us the proper way to drink beer in Vietnam, clinking our glasses together in a toast-like fashion and then agreeing where in Vietnam we wanted to drink to (i.e. Saigon was a sip, Hue was the middle of the glass, and Sapa meant to drain the glass empty).  Hungover was not a feeling I wanted especially because it makes it hard to venture outdoors in this heat but we recovered and had a great second day in Hue.

 Building near the entrance of the Citadel

Navigating through Hue

 

Enjoying our boat trip