Минск

My most recent experiences while traveling, whatever they may be, always seem the most exciting to date. The past week, though, seems to stand out as particularly exciting. Early last week, I took the overnight train up to Lao Cai on the border with China in the northwest of Vietnam and, from there, a bus to Sapa in the mountains. I made the journey with Kevin, an American who I had met at the hostel in Hanoi. The Mountain View Hotel, where we stayed, afforded an amazing view of the valley below and the opposing mountain range.

The valleys and mountains around Sapa are home to various ethnic minorities. Kevin and I had plans to meet with Phoebe and Bec, two Australians from the Hanoi hostel who had made the trip the previous day. Bec had, some years previously, taught English in Sapa and had befriended many of the young hill tribe girls who live in (and, in the case of some, work as trekking guides out of) Sapa. The four of us set off with Kir, one such girl, into the valley below Sapa, passing through tiny isolated villages and along steeply terraced rice fields. With the weather clear and hot, we stopped, at one stage, to swim in a remote mountain stream.

The following day, we were joined by Jon, a Welshman who we had also met at the Hanoi hostel. Kevin, Jon and I hired some Minsks (Минск; two stroke, 125cc motorcycle) and drove out of town into the mountains, spending the day exploring the area around Sapa.

Overnight, the weather turned cold and I awoke to a view obscured by thick mist. With no sign of the weather clearing, we returned to Hanoi that night, taking another overnight train and arriving early the next morning. Addicted now to motorcycle touring, I joined Kevin and Jon in hiring bikes (Honda Waves, smaller than the Minsks) back in Hanoi where we have spent the last three days touring the city and surrounding countryside. Drivin in Hanoi is chaotic but a lot of fun. Vietnamese drivers, while following few of the established road rules of Australia or the U.S., are, by necessity, excellent defensive drivers, aware, at all times, of all that is going on around them. So, despite appearing to a pedestrian as complete chaos, traffic works incredibly smoothly and efficiently.

Traveling on a motorcycle gives one an incredible amount of freedom. In the past few days I've driven through small villages and beautiful rural areas, stopping wherever I had the urge. These are places that I would never have seen had I relied on more traditional means of transport.

I'm going to look into buying a Minsk and driving the length of Vietnam.