FLIGHT TO VIETNAM

UPDATE COMING SOON - I'LL TRY! Now that you are here on this site, it may be worth your while looking at the pictures. I should finish this post before the end of the current century.

Tao-ist, Confusion-ist, Catholic, and the occasional Budhism. That is what you will find in Vietnam (all a bit confusing to me). The Catholics are a legacy of the French Colonialism, and even the written Vietnamese language was formalised by a French Catholic Priest.

I needed a haircut. As I cycled along this busy dusty "fumy" and noisy road - I spotted what I thought was a barber shop. OK, yes it was a barber shop. The diminutive barber was not yet at office, but the carpenter who shared the premises called, and he soon made an appearance. Very interesting, although I feared for my life at times. It seemed that he could not stop cutting, and even the beard trim ended in a smooth shave. Scary! He used an old style "cut-throat" razor, which he sharpened every now and than.

Bia Hoi, a refreshing unpreserved draught beer in Northern Vietnam (many different breweries, but all reportedly the cheapest beer in the world). Also, due to the French colonial legacy of the country, there is good baguettes at little bakeries along the way. Somehow, with the help of the Bia Hoi and baguettes it seemed possible to wash the traffic dust and fumes down my parched throat.

And so, I will let you in on a little secret. I was going to fly back to SA from Hanoi (thanks to The Good Samaritan). However, the excess baggage costs made the trip unfeasible, so I headed back to Laos from the Northern part of Vietnam (mean, mean, mountains! - even more in N Laos).

Initially, once I had obtained the Vietnamese visa in the Laos capital, Vientiane, I headed through Southern Laos. I crossed into Vietnam at Lao Bao, sort-of Central Vietnam, and a major border crossing between these 2 countries. The following is a daily record of the distances I cycled in Vietnam:- Cam Lo 60 km; Phu Viet 77 km; Ba Don 85 km; Ky Phong 86 km; Vinh 62 km; Dong Ha 64 km; Hoa Chau 75 km; Kim Lien 49 km; Ninh Binh 49 km; Phu Ly 31 km; Hanoi 71 km; Noi Bai (airport and back etc) 71 km; Ha Dong 69 km; Miew Mong 45 km; Hang Tram 44 km; Cam Thuy 48 km; Thong Nat 55 km; Xuan Tho 76 km; Anh Son 71 km; Con Cuong 33 km; Quang Ten 44 km; Mxien 73 km; and Nam Can (Vietnam/Laos border) 22 km. Total distance cycled thus far is 166 995 km.