Vietnam

At last I have found a computer that will let me update my blog, unfortunately uploading a photo is still beyond it so no colourful pictures to attract the readers attention. I am updating this from the garage of a house in a village 60km from Son La in the North-Western corner of Vietnam. Internet cafes are everywhere in Vietnam but are so infuriatingly inept at accessing anything you want off the internet I usually leave them a very unsatisfied and slightly irrate customer. As a result of this I have alot of goings on to narrate to you my distinguished reader.
I was more then happy to leave Vientiene after 4 days of doing next to nothing, in fact that city has at most about half a days of activities to do in it, and applying for a Vietnam visa is included in that estimation. So I hit the road on that hazy Saturday morning with a determination to do some serious un-adulterated cycle touring(it sounds more rebellious in my head) and sitting here 12 days on and 1100km under my belt I can sleep easy knowing I have achieved what I set out to do.
The last 5 days in Laos continued the way they started, quite roads, smiling children, amazing scenery and lung busting climbs. I hate to be blazee about it as it was very enjoyable but there is really nothing much else to report.
After the inevitable border crossing beaurocracy and the officials unsuccessful attempts at getting a few dollars out of me Vietnam welcomed me with a most appreciated present........a windy 25km descent through rainforests all the way down to a gushing river lined by luminous green paddies. This scenery followed me till I found a bed to rest my weary legs, which after following 3 wrong directions I finally found. This first day in Vietnam was far from over, trying to find a place to eat in this small town a stumbled across a bar and decided to whet my whistle and sample some Vietnamese brew, which is very tasty. It was not long untill I was eating a feast with the owners family, while he continualy offered me one of his three daughters who were conservatively aged from 16 - 21, I politely declined. After stumbling back to my guest house, I tucked myself in to my bed only to be woken by a knock on my door, some army personelle wanted a quick word! Hastilly putting on some clothes and joining them for some green tea they inspected and copied every piece of writing on my passport, shook my hand and let me finally conclude my first day in Vietnam.
Deciding I wanted to see the sea one last time before Europe, a daunting year away I headed for the coast. Finding a nice isolated hotel somewhere north of Vinh in a small village on a particularly filthy stretch of the South China Sea I said my sad goodbyes to saline air. Heading down to the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat in the evening i found out the restaurant was closed and being 3km to the nearest one I reluctantly went for my bike. As luck would have it two very beautiful hotel employees were more then willing to take me out for a meal, so off I went sandwiched, a very delicious one I might add, between the two girls on the back of a motorbike, as we were departing a loud rumble was heard and the heavens opened. It will be a long lasting memory of flying along this country road, avoiding farmers frantically collecting their peanuts which they left drying on the side of the road, fork lightning lighting the sky around and getting thouroughly drenched, these are the reasons that one travels.
I am rambling on a little bit now and am getting more and more inarticulate as I go so to keep the high standards of this blog continuing i will try and finnish off. Though the above experiences were certainly memorable I think my favourite part of this country is the numerous times I have been invited by old men to drink green tea and smoke 2 foot long bamboo water pipes, they chatter away, smile at me every now and again, pour my tea fill my pipe as I sit there in a contented daze pondering how wonderful life is. The scenery in this country has been the best so far with the kasrt mountains thrown about amongst the contasting greens of rice paddies, tea plants, corn and sugar cane, but this does not compare to the hospitality of the people who in the majority take it upon themselves to welcome you warmly as a guest of their country.
Unfortunately I have to cut this Vietnamese leg of my journey short as lying on my bed this afternoon I luckily glanced at my Chinese visa and realised I have to enter the country in 3 days and being 400 mountainous kilometres away from the border I am praying that public transport services the back roads between here and there. So fingers crossed the next entry to this blog I will be safely in China.