Freedom on two wheels!!! 

We finally found our courage and ditched the local buses that carry hordes of backpackers from point A to point B. We decided to rent a Harley…just kidding…but we opted for the traditional Vietnamese motorbike (scooter) to travel from Hue to Hoi An.  Thankfully our hotel arranged to have our larger backpacks (all 45 pounds each) transported to our next destination thus making our ride more enjoyable.

Although the ride was intended to be 3-hours, Jason and I decided to take our sweet time and explore as many road stop attractions as possible.  As we strapped up our day bags and covered our faces in bandanas to protect us from the dusty Vietnamese roads, we looked like modern day outlaws riding on modern day horse. Indeed it is not as romantic nor fearsome as real western cowboys but we enjoyed the moment none the less.

It was super exciting to carefully navigate our way through the city trying to avoid the chaotic madness of drivers, people, dogs, potholes, food carts and whatever else that seemed to exist.  It took serious mental focus that only a Jedi Master can wield and block out the blaring and constant honking of traffic which we have yet to figure out if it is a greeting to other drivers or stay clear from my path as I own the road sort of madness seen in Vietnam. Did I say “exciting”…I don’t mean the joyful excitement you want to throw your hands in the air and dance like you don’t care but more of the heart stopping, butt clinching sort of excitement you only want to take in small doses.

Along the way, we found a gem hidden half way through our road trip known as Elephant Springs. This pristine clear mountain stream is feed by cold mountain water and was so refreshing that I wanted to crab a straw and drink directly from the source while I swam.  This hidden secret was exactly what we needed after a few hours battling the hot Vietnamese sun. The locals welcomed us to their huts for a small fee of course, and Jason and I released ourselves of the burden of time constraints staying for about 3 hours bathing in this little slice of heaven.

As for anyone undergoing a road trip, we were both exhausted as the evening approached.  The relentless sun, bugs in our face and our bottoms on the motorbike all day were finally taking a toll on us and we became anxious to get to our hotel for a shower, hot meal and another hard Asian bed.  The Friday evening traffic did not help us as we again dodged our way to our hotel while I navigated with my phone in the rear hanging on for dear life. As our motorbike came to a streaking stop at our hotel we both let out a sigh of relief and were even more relieved as we saw our main bags already there. More power to the solo motorbike travelers.

Hoi An was a nice town, but Sapa still remains number one in our book. Since Hoi An is known to be the tailoring capital of the world, I was haggled into purchasing some outfits made and tailored for me. 🙂 It would be a shame not to indulge on this treat while being in the tailoring capital. As soon as we stepped away from making my purchases another local was right behind us on guard to lead me to her shoe shop where she could make shoes to match my outfits. We held strong and refused shoes, enough damage had been done for the day…but as least I look good in my new outfits.

While in Hoi An we had several opportunities to sit back and people watch which drove me to ponder the following:

As we open our minds and gain new found experiences in the Vietnamese culture and food, it is apparent to me that they function no different than Americans. Sure we eat different things and speak different language but ultimately we both look forward to taking holidays (aka vacations for Americans), we both desire our children to have great education, women enjoy their fashion and we all love to smile. In general everyone works and wants to do the best to provide for their families. 

So I question why people fight or oppose accepting a new culture when ultimately there is no major differences. In fact is it appalling that we have not come together as a global community to not only share ideas but embrace them. It could be so simple…simple as having a plastic carrier for your tea during a festival or cutting watermelon in a smarter way :). Neither is perfect but we can ultimately learn from each other’s mistakes and thrive together on ingenious ideas for our present and our children’s future. 

-Vanessa