30 October 1997 Ron phoned this morning from Hanoi, reporting that he is doing well. He had arrived in Nanning, China by bus, and ended up staying in the hotel in the bus station, owned by the bus company. The manager of the hotel came with an interpreter, and she and Ron talked for a while through the interpreter. Later Ron invited the manager out for dinner, and she accepted. However, Ron said that like all his attempts at social interactions, this one went astray: it ended up as a party of 4 (the manager, the interpreter, another person, and Ron), and they insisted on taking Ron to dinner instead of the other way around. They went to a very nice restaurant, and the manager put everything on the hotel expense account!
He did receive his absentee ballot in Nanning, and has sent it back.
He had no trouble crossing the border into Vietnam (meaning that when the Vietnamese embassy in DC changed his entry point from Saigon by air to Pingxiang/Lang Son by land, they actually did it correctly). He spent a few days in the border town, Lang Son, and is now in Hanoi, where he is eating wonderful Vietnamese soups multiple times a day. It is much hotter than he had expected; indeed, it has been warmer everywhere he has been than he thought it would be.
He had just met and talked briefly to a guy who has been biking for 7 years (!), with a year out to recover from an accident, and two years spent teaching in Japan. He is now set to go for 4 more years. After talking with me, Ron planned to join the guy for dinner, and will get more details of his travels at that time.
Surprisingly, he has been unable to find a place in Hanoi to do email, something he had expected to find.
He will spend another week or so in Vietnam, then go back to China. His current plan on returning to China is to go through Nanning, then west to Kunming and Dali, back to Nanning, back to Yangshuo, then back to Hong Kong. It remains to be seen whether that plan will be followed as well as he followed the plan for the first part of the trip!
He sends his greeting to everyone, and most especially his congratulations to Paul and Catherine!
Ellen
distributed 19 November 1997 This letter was written on 7 Nov and mailed 9 Nov, arriving in Virginia on 18 Nov -- pretty good transit time.
Vietnam was the part of Ron's trip I was really sorry to miss. When he originally planned the trip and set the dates in stone for the Cathay Pacific round-trip ticket he got at such a low price, he expected to be in China the whole time, and I wasn't really interested. After purchasing the ticket, he discovered he couldn't get a visa for the entire 75 days in China, and at that point decided to go into northern Vietnam for the middle part between his two 30-day visas. If he had planned to be in Vietnam a month instead of 15 days, I would have met him there, but it wasn't worth the travel time or the ticket expense for a shorter time. Halong Bay, described below, is a place I very much want to visit, and since Ron liked it so much, I'm sure he'll be willing to go back!
There is a postcard showing Halong Bay.
Ellen
7 November 1997, 10:55 am between Cat Ba Island and Halong Bay Dear Ellen,
I am sitting on a bench we have moved to the front of the boat as we enter the Halong Bay area coming from Cat Ba Island on the second day of our boat trip. We are stopping now to explore a cave.
11:38: It was ok, an excellent view from the other side and up a bit from where I took the first picture looking out of the cave. But yesterday's cave experience must have been one of my highlights. From the boat we jumped over the side into water almost chest high. Perfectly clear and not real cold. We then waded up to the mouth of the cave. There were three of us, a guide, Marion (from Belgium) and myself. As we entered the cave, the guide took her hand and insisted she take mine, and he led us up the creek through the cave. The creek bed was not a smooth sandy surface -- very irregular, rocks, much plant life, slippery, sharp pointed rocks, sometimes waist deep, other times ankle deep. Rounding the first bend it was completely dark, and sometimes we had to duck to keep from bumping our heads on the roof or the stalactites hanging down. Our guide would stop and shine the flashlight down on the floor we were wading on and point out crabs, shrimp, clams, coral, and other plants and animals with unknown names (in English). Trying to keep my flip-flops on my feet, knowing I must be stepping on all these creatures we saw with the flashlight, with each uncertain step trying not to fall, slip or trip or bump my head as my foot searched for the surface, we continued hand in hand for about 15 minutes. Finally we came around a bend and could see light entering the mouth of the cave, which opened into a crater-like lake, completely surrounded by fairly steep high walls. A fantastically beautiful spot. We walked around the sides of the lake looking at clams, coral (mostly green, some red, some soft plant-like), with star fish everywhere. I felt with every step I must be distrubing some special ecology. We swam back to the cave tunnel entrance. Part of the time I swam on my back looking up at mountains just in awe of the sight. Brenda Dempsey would have loved this experience.
Natalie, the other lady from Belgium, was sick from something she ate and stayed on the boat, mostly sleeping. Now she is feeling much better and enjoying the beautiful boat ride through Halong Bay. The three of us rented the boat for the two day trip, and slept on the boat last night. Our English friends David and Pauline left yesterday heading north to Sap Ha [?] before heading south to Hue. Richard, the English biker, showed up the night before last, and I offered him an almost free passage with us, but he declined. Even though he had been travelling for 7 years and was planning for 4 more years, he didn't have time to spend two days in what I have decided must be one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The three of us and the English couple also purchased a one day trip to the National Park. We started on 5 different motor bikes for a beautiful ride to the park, along valleys and lakes to the park entrance and them maybe a 3.5 hr up and over 7 mountains to a small village for lunch. We came back by boat, stopping at a nice coral beach on one of the small islands for an afternoon swim. Wow, what a spot. That was the experience that convinced us to take the two day cruise. We all met on the boat from Haiphong to Cat Ba.
Cat Ba will become another backpacker paradise like [unreadable], [unreadable], Hoi An, Otavalo, Ko Pi Pi, etc. Cheap hotels ($3-$5), good restaurants, and beautiful day trips. Lots of hotels and more being built. Lots of backpackers and some adventure-type tour groups. I expect it will develop fast.
Last Monday [3 Nov] I left Hanoi on my bike, crossed the bridge and headed towards Haiphong. I hadn't gotten very far when a bus going to Haiphong stopped almost in front of me...so with little thought, they just lifted the whole bike, with saddlebags and front bag still attached, through the back door into a storage area in the back of the bus. However, later there was additional cargo, so the bike went up on top. About half-way there, everybody and all cargo were transferred to another bus.
It is now 3:40 and we are headed back to Cat Ba, and are going between groups of islands in a more open area, and the waves are rocking the boat. But I will keep on writing. [Ellen's note: the part of the letter where the waves were rocking the boat was more legible than the earlier part!]
With just one night and one morning in Haiphong, I decided I liked it better then Hanoi. Smaller, greener, easier to find good restaurants, cheap hotels, less traffic.
It has been good to spend a few days with other travelers and tourists. Maybe I will stay in Cat Ba for another night or two, and then bike across the island from south to northwest where there is a short ferry across to the mainland, and then bike up the coast to the north. We will see.
Tomorrow I will be trying to figure out how to phone you and how to mail this -- but I may have to get back to the mainland and a city to do either.
Love, Ron
Thursday 13 November 1997 Ron called early this morning from Hanoi. He had just arrived by bus from the coast, and raced to the telephone office to get there before it closed. After leaving Hanoi almost 2 weeks ago, he went to Cat Bau Island, the large island off the Vietnamese coast near Hai Phong, where he stayed for 5 days. He then biked across the island and (with some sort of ferry in between, I assume) on to Cam Pha, which is further north along the coast from Hong Gai. There he ran into some rain, and was also told there weren't any hotels to stay at along the road ahead, so he put the bike on the bus for the rest of the trip to Mong Cai, on the coast of Vietnam just next to the Chinese border. He spent several days in Mong Cai, and said there was beautiful biking in the area. From Mong Cai he took the bus back to Hanoi. In none of those places was he able to find anywhere that would take a phone credit card or make international calls.
There are letters on the way, but the mail from Vietnam is very slow. When we were in Vietnam in 1994, some of our letters and postcards arrived back in the US 5-6 weeks after we had mailed them (air mail!), so he may beat his Vietnam letters home.
He plans to leave Hanoi for the border tomorrow, pick up the suitcase/trailer for the bicycle, which he had left in the Vietnamese border town, and cross the border back to China on Sunday. He will go on to Nanning immediately, and be there probably for just a day. Leaving the bike suitcase in Nanning, he will take just the bike and the packs and go to Kunming, spending a few days there before going further west to Dali. He will come back through Nanning, then go back to Yangshuo for a few days (to do his shopping!) before returning to Hong Kong. He plans to be in Hong Kong for 2-3 days before flying out on 10 December.
Ron and I both send everyone greetings!
Ellen
26 November 1997 In an email message sent from Hanoi on 14 November (see below), Ron mentioned a letter he had written while waiting for the post office to open. Here is that letter, mailed 14 November and delivered in Afton on 25 November.
I had a brief phone call from him last weekend. He was leaving Dali for Li Jiang (north of Dali) on Sunday morning (23 Nov) and expected to spend 2-3 days there. Back to Dali for a day or two, then he'll start backtracking: Kunming, Nanning, Yangshuo, Hong Kong. He expects to spend a couple of days in Yangshuo and in Hong Kong, but no significant time in the other places.
I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are (even those of you in places where tomorrow is not Thanksgiving Day!) I'll be celebrating with my mother and brother and other family and friends in Sykesville, near Baltimore.
Ellen
11/14/97 Hanoi, Vietnam Dear Ellen,
Where have I been for two weeks?
I am sitting in the lobby of the main post office with my water bottle at a small oval 8 seat wooden table which has 6 chairs but would seat 8 comfortably. It is cool and relatively quiet except for the beeps and rumbles of trucks, cars, and motorcycles outside. Most of the offices are closed except the counter selling post cards and envelopes. The only other person was one young guy selling post cards (cheaper than the official ones) and he only asked me once, then sat down for a few minutes before just now leaving. If I step outside I would be approached by a dozen selling post cards or wanting to change money. Funny to find a nice private spot to write you in the midst of city bustle.
Last night after speaking to you, I went looking for a place to eat. Near Richard's hotel (Richard is the 7-yr biker) I noticed 2 young backpackers walking purposefully in front so I just slowed down and followed them to what turned out to be one of the best traveler restaurants in Hanoi. In the new edition of the Lonely Planet, but not my old copy. There I met Sebastian and Els, a Dutch couple who have been biking around the world for 1.5 years, and are planning on 6 more months. They had a previous engagement with some Dutch embassy people so our meeting was brief. I hope to catch them again today -- and looks like one more night in Hanoi.
Today I went to Citibank and got cash -- dollars with no commission, which I can exchange for a little more than the official rate. The black market is weak, but still present. I hope to exchange the dollars for Chinese currency at a favorable rate with a man I met on the way into Vietnam at Lang Son.
When I finally decided to leave Cat Ba island, I cycled the entire island (34k) and caught a ferry from the NW end to the closest point of land, somewhere south of Bai Chat (8k) then rode the ferry crossing to Hong Gai. I started the trip before sunrise, when it was just light enough to see (can you believe that!) so I could get a picture of sunrise from a spot I had seen from the back of the motor scooter on my day trip to the national park. It was a beautiful and peaceful ride, stopping half way at the entrance to the park for a bowl of pho. In west Hong Gai before taking the ferry, I had some shrimp in a restaurant, but there were not enough of them, so a couple of hours later I was touring the market in Hong Gai, with my red back pack and black front bag, and I finally located limes and fresh shrimp and bought a half kilo for 25,000 dong (a little more than $2) and got a lady at one of the market restaurant stalls to cook them for me (for an additional $.40). The next day before leaving Cam Pha, I repeated this experience, and located slightly larger shrimps. Westerners are rarer in Cam Pha, and I was quite a hit. I also received a cucumber & tomato salad and a fried spring roll as well as having the shrimp properly cooked and served with a bowl of nuoc mam [fish sauce] and red pepper, and a salt/black pepper mixture. I was surrounded by mostly the market women, from 15 to 60, and a couple could speak some English. It was a most pleasant lunch, and they wouldn't let me pay for anything.
After my lunch in Hong Gai, I continued to ride up the coast to Cam Pha. I think this must be one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, but somewhat like the Delta, they have built up the area between the road and the shore with some of the most ugly stuff I have ever seen. Every now and then I would cut through to the coast and gaze in wonder at Halong Bay. Sometimes there would be open space. I estimate the distance biked at around 85k. A really wonderful biking day. I really liked Cam Pha, and would have liked to stay longer, but I pushed on. The next day, while I was eating my shrimp in the market, it began to rain, quite heavy, which was another reason not to linger over my special brunch.
The folks at my hotel also explained there was no hotel until I got to Dam Ha, which could be 100k, and the terrain was mountains. But the rain was the clincher, so I finally managed to find a bus and rode it and another to Mong Cai, on the border with China. After loading my red and black bags back on the bike I rode into the center. I had just stopped, looking around at different hotels and wondering where to stay, when this guy came up and started to speak to me in English, wanting to know if he could help me. He seemed nice, and I went with the flow and we talked. He explained the hotels were expensive (I hadn't asked about prices, but somehow the bike seems to say "cheap") but he would ask his nephew where a cheap one was, and I was directed around the corner down another street to find a place I could not pronounce. Before I found the place he showed up on his nephew's bike and told me to follow him to another place that he knew was cheap. So still going with the flow I followed him to what turned out to be his sister's home, and put me up in a nice room, on the 3rd floor. On the 2nd floor, he showed me the bathroom with hot water and explained that my room had just cold but I was invited to use the hot one. After a hot shower, he took me next door to a "cheap" restaurant, where he and his family ate, and I had a meal of fried tuna fish, fish soup, cucumber salad, rice, and two bottles of "China distilled water" for about $3. Then I was invited to join him and some of his family while they ate. We then returned to his house and talked and looked at my pictures [the pack of pictures of family and home we carry when we travel].
His niece could speak English (she was studying English in college in Hai Phong) and his nephew was studying Chinese. I never met the sister or her husband, who was the manager of a resort hotel (or the resort area). The next morning he seemed confused that I wasn't taking my things, so I guessed my invitation was for only one night. I asked if I could pay for the room (he had said cheap, but he had not said free) so I paid around $6, and went and found a hotel for about $9. The whole experience felt good, but I was just unsure of the intentions.
After finding the hotel I took a bike ride to the end of the road at Mui Ngoc, about 17k, and on the way back turned off and explored the Chaco Resort Area. Altogether, I estimate 50k, and the area was beautiful. Lots of water and beaches. At Mui Ngoc I met a man returning from Calgary Canada. He worked at an Italian restaurant as their chef. At his mother's house I had a bowl of vegetable pho. Try adding cabbage!
The mail room is now open, so let me check for mail from you [he received the letter I'd mailed to Hanoi on 17 October] and mail this. I will continue in the next letter.
Love,
Ron
15 November 1997 Received an email message this morning from Ron in Hanoi. He had not been able to send one before, having repeatedly been told by numerous different people that there was no place he could get access to the Internet there.
Long Song is the town on the Vietnamese side of the border where he crosses into China, and the place where he left his bike suitcase. Pho is the wonderful Vietnamese soup, which we eat huge quantities of when in Vietnam, and try to duplicate (although never totally successfully) when we are at home.
Ellen
Fri, 14 Nov 1997 21:35:48 Still in Hanoi Hi Ellen,
Surprise. Tonight I met this guy who has been living in Hanoi and he has an internet connection for email. So...here I am, but I will not be here for a reply.
Today I have been trying to find a bus to Long Song, and still have not found one, but have been directed to another bus station across the river which I will check out tomorrow morning: Sat. If "no bus", than the train leaves at 9:55 for an overnight train trip.
Wrote you a long letter today while I waited at the post office for them to open the window for mail. I received one letter from you dated Oct 13-16.
I will still try to send and receive email in Nanning, when I get there. I wish I had my addresses with me, but they are in my room. This opportunity was such a surprise.
His name in Martin Landauer, and interesting guy from Australia who has been here for quite a while teaching English. He has a satellite dish on the roof and picks up a wide range of news programs from outside Vietnam. I am impressed.
Last night I met this interesting couple from Holland who left Holland on bikes over a year and a half ago. From India, through Tibet into China and down into Vietnam. Last night they had a previous plan to meet some folks from their embassy, and I hoped to meet them again today, but when I found them, they were going to bed in preparation for leaving early tomorrow morning. Brief connections...but I wouldn't be surprised to see them in Virginia some day. I gave them Richard's email address, so they can get in touch with each other.
In the letter, I quit as I was explaining my experiences in the border town on the coast.
Without my notes or maps, I am lost for names of people and places. At the main intersection, after dark, I stopped my bike and talked to a group of cyclo (motor-cycle) drivers. They were interested in the bike. I liked one of the guys and when I left I gave him a new penny. He was quite pleased and surprised and showed it to all the others. Later I came back to the intersection to have a bowl of pho, and he was having one too. After eating, he told me to just get on his motor cycle and he would show me around. There was no conversation about money. He took me around the city, then out to the resort area along the beach, where I had biked to during the day. And then a ride up the hard part of the sandy beach, then through the rice field, all of this under an almost full moon. Quite a trip. Then back to the other side of town, through the construction areas, then into the county on little paths, to a house of some of his relatives. It must have been midnight before we left. They were quite pleased to have me and wanted me to return to eat with them the next day. Limited English, but the dictionary helped. Then someone showed up who could speak better English to fill in some of the gaps. This was an example of just going with the flow and trusting my instincts. I have him some money as my thanks, but I don't think it was expected, but he excepted gracefully.
I love you. My time is limited, but I wanted to be in touch. See you before long.
Love, Ron
Back to Fall 1997 index page.
cfw.com
Questions? Send email to Ellen, ebouton 
operamail.com
While we're traveling, reach us at bikepacker
Last updated: 22 May 2002