A simple stroll around town turned into shopping mayhem when we couldn’t shake the girl in this video. Her sales approach was simple: if we didn’t buy anything from her she would just follow us all day – and it seemed she was serious. After 15 minutes of repeatedly asking us to buy something, we [...]
Tourism is still a bit green at our hotel. They tried to charge us the same price for these two beers. Really? What’s Vietnamese for “a little too much opium today, brother?”
Expect a better report shortly. Right now we’re prioritizing a couple of beers, a full night’s sleep and complaining about our blisters. Had a lot of fun though!
The Sapa region is not only known for its handicrafts, its spectacular scenery and superb trekking, it is also a center for moonshine production. The straight stuff is pretty strong and doesn’t taste too bad. However, we’re staying clear of the colored stuff, as we suspect it gets its hue from one of these [...]
Martin and I have been married for almost two years now. L-bombing (that’s telling someone you love them, Dad), in its original sense has lost that sense of shock it once had. That is, until Martin dropped a new type of L-bomb yesterday. Leech. Martin informed me in a nonchalant, it’s-no-big deal kind-of-a-way that there [...]
Ga (spelling is most definitely incorrect) was a nice 60 year old woman who offered to play us this tune. So passionate was her performance that we walked away from the encounter four things richer: two new harps and two new Sucker bracelets. Instrument playing aside, she was pretty darn squeezy.
That Vietnam is one of the world’s largest coffee producers was news to me. It quickly became evident that they also keep the best of the beans to themselves. It is brewed strong and served with condensed milk – a concoction that is very sweet, highly aromatic and has undertones of chocolate and brandy. [...]
We learned while on our Central Highlands tour about burning sacrifices. We caught a woman in the act today, and from the looks of it, someone has their mind on their money and their money in the fire. Woot woot.
This is Mt. Fansipan, seen from a Sapa city street. It is the highest peak in Vietnam, standing 3143 meters tall. We just hired a porter and a guide to help us get up to the top – an undertaking that will take three days and two nights. Due to landslides and mudslides, the [...]
We arrived in Sapa today, after one hell of a bus ride (imagine trying to sleep in a bus that smells of motion sickness and is speeding along curvy mountain roads while a Vietnamese Kung-fu movie is playing full blast at 2am). We were greeted by a much welcomed drop in temperature, incredible mountain scenery [...]
Gangs of giggling Flower and Black Hmong tribeswomen patrol the streets of Sapa, looking to sell silver trinkets, home-made textiles and musical instruments. If you fall victim to their charming sales blitz, they will not only give you your merchandise, you will also receive a ‘free gift’, a hand-woven bracelet that you can tie [...]
The orange strap she’s attaching presumably works like a seat belt. I also wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see someone else hop on the back of the seat. I’ve seen 6 people riding on one motorcylce.
You know the saying, “to fly by the seat of your pants?” Well, that's been our philosophy for most of our adult lives – before and after meeting, falling in love and marrying. We're now taking that idea on an extended round-the-world trip. Follow us as we share the good, the bad and the downright nasty of life on the road.
