Chapter Seventeen: Vietnam, high expectations

Vietnam: High expectations!

I'm writing this chapter while I'm in Cambodia again. Vietnam, I had high expectations, but they were a little bit too high. The reason? Difficult to tell, but I think there are several. 
First one is, is that I'm getting tired of constantly traveling. Being at one place for not longer than 5 days is starting to break me up. In Cambodia and Vietnam people normal travel by bus, as did I. Journeys of at least 10 hours are normal. 
Second one is that the weather in Vietnam was extremely poor, in Ho Chi Minh it rained for 3 out of four days, not even to speak about Nha Trang. But overall weather was poor and my planned travel plans were thrown overboard. 
Initially I wanted to buy a motorbike to explore Vietnam, heard massive interesting stories. But on arrival in Ho Chi Minh I was welcomed by rain. Traffic looks less exciting when you see everyone with rain coats. It's also dangerous, especially with the rain, I saw 3 deadly accidents and during a bus trip we hit a scooter, fortunately no one got injured. If the weather was better I definitely would have bought a motorbike to cruise through the country. I've described several times the traffic in Asia, Ho Chi Minh added a new feature. If you want to cross the street, just walk, the scooters will avoid you. It takes some bravery to do it, but after a couple of times it make sense. Don't stop, than everyone gets confused and accidents happen. However if you see 20 mopeds driving your way for a he first time, you still hesitate...trial and error.
Normally the weather is quite oke in February, but this time it was not the case. I knew Vietnam has seasons during this time of the year and it would be challenging to explore the north. But I travelled till Nha Trang and there I had 5 days of rain in a row, for me a sign to travel more to the south again.
Before I ended up in Nha Trang, a city near the coast, I went from Ho Chi Minh to Dalat. This is a lovely city in the hills, 1.500 above sea level. It's a former French colonial town and it looks more like a European town in the Ardennes. It's also the agricultural heart of Vietnam and they grow a lot of flowers. The area is just beautiful. As stubborn as I was I thought it was a good idea to explore the area by bike, before I knew it I decented 18 kilometers and I needed to go back up the mountain again on a shitty old bike. And yep I died several times again, bit the views and the scenery were worth it. Next day I hired a motorbike, in the beginning you struggle with the gear, clutch etc. one hour later confidence grew; 'Lucas you can do this, damn it...you should have bought a motorbike....' As a new kid on the block I entered Dalat during rush hour, what a hell, clutching, where's the f*cking clutch, motor went down while I was standing in the middle of an intersection. Honking scooters everywhere, little panic, after 10 seconds motor started running, it seemed like an hour, eyes closed, crossing the street, more honking, eyes open...save! A little lesson learned.
After Dalat I headed to Nha Trang, I can't tell many exciting stories, due to the torrential rains. Besides that it's full of Russians, unbelievable but they advertise more in Russian than in English. It appears that Russians come very often in Vietnam and they don't need a visa. Probably some old communistic ties. 
There absolutely one thing worth mentioning and that was the bus trip to Nha Trang. I never had experienced such a ride. Driving for more than an hour through the clouds, at some points you could literally see 10 meters in front of you. Due to the rain several waterfalls formed and the water rushed down the mountains, it destroyed the roads and at some point we were driving 10 km p/h. Tricky because the slopes were steep, deep and most likely unforgiving. You just concentrate on your surroundings and don't think what might could happen. During that trip I saw some motorcyclists and I was glad that I looked down on them, you could see the frustration on their faces. In the end traveling should be fun and not a survival trip. For some days it might be fun, but driving constantly in the wet...
I wanted to see the north of Vietnam because that is really spectacular, misty mountains, green rice fields, but with with temperatures around 10 degrees and with a lot of rain I decided not to do it. One of the worst things that can happen if all your stuff is soaked with water and you're not able to dry it.
So I went south to Mui Ne, famous for its sand dunes. How bizarre it may sound, it did not interest me at all. Than I knew I had to crash at one spot for a longer time. Mui Ne, a nice city, but not more than that. Although the fishing boats are spectacular, all these little colorful boats dancing on the waves. When I walked on the beach, some fishermen just returned and an old lady prepared some shrimps. For 1 dollar I ate the best shrimps ever, but all the seafood is delicious in Asia. Next fresh lobster, and so on and on. I had no idea what kind of fish I have eaten in many occasions, but it was always tasteful.
Vietnamese people eat always together and outside, it is extremely interesting to join a family. In the beginning they are quiet, but once you've earned their 'trust' it is a lot of fun. They hardly speak English, so to translate one sentence is a challenge, but funny.
I liked Mui Ne, but is was lunar new year, all the Vietnamese people are one week off and everything was fully booked. I couldn't extend my stay, for me a sign to leave Vietnam and go back to Koh Ta Kiev in Cambodia. I took a sleeper bus and I went to Sihanoukville, just 16 hours. A sleeper bus is a little bit different, you lie in an angle of 70%, actually a relaxed way of moving around. In Vietnam and Cambodia people travel by bus instead of plane, it sounds strange but it's the cheapest and most comfortable way of traveling.
So on my way to the remote island Koh Ta Kiev, back to nature again!