Travel is a great teacher

When I left India and started my travel, I did not know what to expect. But I know that at the end of first month of travel, I am much richer, other than in money-terms!
Traveling, especially solo traveling, gives a new perspective to life and people around. Your instincts become stronger. You tend to trust people a lot, in a good way, and yet you know whom you should not trust. Your gut feeling is stronger too. You become open-minded and you do not have any reservations about the fellow travelers you meet. You accept their acts, their behavior much more in a positive way, than you would had you been living a normal life back home. You are ready to listen to their experiences and understand their views about travel, work and life. While traveling, you make more friends than enemies.
Well knowledge is power and knowledge is enlightenment. Before knowing something, you might already have pre-formed notions about some things, like culture for example. And you would think that what we know or what we practice is better than what the rest of the world do. Traveling gives you reality check. Your pre-formed notions about various things fall and break into a million pieces and then you view the life more clearly. There is nothing to obscure your vision and you think, "wait a minute, I didn't know that!"

Tolerance level, that is increased too. In dormitories you might not be able to sleep for a few nights if you are not used to noise of people of coming in and going out, discussing plans and laughing and drinking or noise of someone snoring. But slowly, you get used to it and after a while you don't care. Its not only about sleeping in a dorm, your tolerance level about dirt, bumpy roads, traffic, not a very good bus, weird people, weird smell, also increases.

It does not teach you about only unknown and new things. It teaches you your own emotions about people around you back home. You start to think about and miss little things back home that you have ignored or taken for granted all the years of your life. A hook to hang your shirt, a nice couch, a clean glass of water, home-made tea in the morning, food made by your mother, dependence on your family members, your family, your friends, your colleagues. You realise with a shock that your life has been inter-connected to all these people and all these little things. They have defined you.  And when you take away all these things, you are a new person. You are ready to be molded again!

After this one month of travel, a quote by Patrick Rothfuss makes total sense to me "No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet."

Into the past, historic city of Hoi An

Hoi An is situated on the East coast of Vietnam and comes in the central zone. Even though it is situated on coast, beach is definitely not the main attraction there. No, it is more famous as a historically elegant architecture along the banks of Bon river.
My bus from Mui Ne was supposed to take 16 hours to reach Hoi An, but it took 24 hours instead, thanks to multiple breakdowns. As my bus finally entered the age-old town, it was almost entering into past. There were no tall, modern buildings. Only small houses which seem to be at least a century old, with many lanterns hanging on the ropes on the streets. The sides of the street were lines with many cafes as is the case with rest of Vietnam, many of which selling beer as cheap as for VND 3,000! I met my travel companion, Josette, at the homestay and we started off to explore the town. Our homestay was in the center of the city and it took us about 10 minutes to enter the famous old town, which lies along the river. There are many old monuments here, such as old houses, old assembly halls, a Japanese covered bridge and many temples and pagodas. Entrance ticket of VND 100,000 allows you to visit 5 of them. However, most places don't ask for tickets and you may leave the town with a few tickets still unused.
The river is not too big, but big enough to support many boats that offer rides to tourists. There are a few bridges that take you to small islets on the river or greater Hoi An. As you enter the old town and walk along the river, the atmosphere is festival like. It is thronged with tourists, and perhaps you will see more foreign faces than locals. Yet, the place retains its historic importance and old charm. It's almost like going back in time and you can imagine how the place would have been a few centuries ago. The roads might have been cobblestones instead of tar, there would have been walkers and carts instead of moto-bikes, people would have been wearing traditional Vietnamese clothes (women, wearing the same conical hats as today) and there would have been more royal people around instead of cafes, bars and souvenir shops. But as I mentioned, there's something about the place, that, in spite of so many things changing, has still retained the old charm. And this charm is what tourists flock the town for, both foreigners and Vietnamese alike.

Old town

Lanterns

The river

We entered the Japanese covered bridge, which is probably the symbol of the town. It was constructed by Japanese before they left the town as early as in 1600's. There are dog statues and pig statues at each end serving sentries.

Japanese covered bridge

We continued the walk through the town and reached another famous piece of architecture, Tan Ky house. About 5 generation of the current family have lived in this house. As we entered the house and presented our ticket, we were greeted by a family member who gave us a cup of tea and explained a little bit of history about the house, at times pointing at the ceiling or columns to show how Japanese or Chinese architecture was incorporated in this house. There are a few poems written in Chinese on the columns and many photos of people who have lived in this house. Its not the biggest of the structure, but worth a visit.

Inside the house

Japanese inspired ceiling

From the outside

On the road we visited many other houses, museums, temples and assembly halls, each carrying different and interesting history and significance.

As you walk through the town, small speakers on the poles play out instrumental music, which goes well with the place. The night adds a different flavor to the atmosphere. Lanterns are lit and throw different colors according to the canvas they are carrying. Little girls sell small candles which float on the river bank. The river itself reflects every light in its dark waters, creating a magical world. Japanese bridge changes colors according to different lights thrown on it by various bulbs below. There are flashes everywhere with people posing for the camera. Streets become walking zones and there are no more moto-bikes you need to worry about. The town is more beautiful in the night than in any time of the day. You can not leave this town without doing a night walk along the edge of the river!

Start of the evening

Lighting it up!

Lanterns

Japanese bridge, night view

The town

Surfer's town of Mui Ne

Mui Ne is located on the East coast of Vietnam, about 3.5 hrs South-East of Dalat. If you are coming from Saigon, you are better off visiting Mui Ne first and then to Dalat. However, Mui Ne is Backpacker's favorite and hence make sure to book your stay well in advance, especially if you are a solo backpacker. Bus from Dalat costs about USD 7 (lesser if its not a holiday season).
My bus started early in the morning at around 7 AM stopping at many hotels to pick up the travelers. Within 2 hours or so, we had descended a couple of mountains to leave the highlands behind us and we hit the flat road once again. About an hour from Mui Ne, you get the first glimpse of South China Sea, which borders east of Vietnam. The skies were clear and water looked stunningly blue. Closer to the town you get a desert-like feel with white sand dunes on each side of the road and red canyon like structure every now and then. The Sea appears again on the left side of the road and continues till you reach the town. Blue skies, blue water! As you get closer to the town the blue sky is dotted with kites of various colors and the blue water is dotted with kite-surfers, flying fast on the water, jumping every now and then.
Our bus stopped at the main street, which crowded by hotels, cafes and surf shops. My hostel, Mui Ne Backpacker's hostel was only 300 mtrs from where the bus stopped. The hostel is run by a friendly Australian. It is very clean, has a swimming pool and free lounge chairs facing the ocean. It costs USD 10 per night in a dormitory. The ocean here is not calm and winds are really strong. But lounge chairs are perfect to sit and hear it roar and read a book or enjoy a drink.

Lounge chairs

Watching the surfers

It is possible to get surfing lessons which costs about USD 50 per hour. The cafes nearby are expensive and have menus written in Vietnamese, English and Russian, owing to a large Russian community settled here. If you go a little north, about 1 km, you will find cheaper restaurants and good food.

I met a few backpackers there and we rented a Jeep to go to Sand dunes. About USD 8 per person and you can go to Fairy stream, fishing village, white sand dune and red sand dunes. Fairy stream is about 5 kms from the center and is a small water stream which is at the most knee deep. It runs through bamboo forests and red canyons. We walked through the stream for a while enjoying the surroundings, before the water became too deep and we decided to turn back.

Fairy stream

Passing through the Canyons

We took a brief stop at the fishing village. The view from the street was simply stunning. Hundreds of small boats of different colors were anchored in the water. The sun shown the water very clear. And the boats, with no activity, seemed almost solemn and unchanging, as if they were meant to be there!

I love it!

However, too soon our driver asked us to get back into the jeep. Our faces dejected, we sat back and headed onward to the white sand dunes. White sand dunes are about 35 kms from the town and on the way you pass red sand dunes, which are about 11 kms from the town. The entrance to white sand dunes is VND 10,000 and there you will be immediately approached by kids offering a 4wd ride or a slide down the sand dunes. The engine of these vehicles is not very powerful and more often than not you will get stuck in the sand. You are better off on your foot! Its a great expanse of the dunes and you can walk as much as you want. Running down the dunes is really fun, but climbing back again requires patience and lot of energy. As you climb the dunes, the wind is uncontrollably strong and flying sand particles sting the naked body parts, especially legs if you are wearing shorts. Its advisable to wear full pants and full sleeve shirts. Also, sun-glasses are preferable to protect the eyes. In spite of strong wind and stinging sand particles, the feeling there is quite remarkable. This is something you will never imagine to be in Vietnam. It's like a mini desert. White sands with blue skies at the backdrop are like a paradise for a  photographer!

White sand dunes

We left the dunes to go to the red ones, to catch the sunset. Red dunes are not really red in color. The sand there has a reddish glint, but still is white. However, sunset lights the place on fire and the sand seems red. Its much smaller than white dunes and hence seems crowded. From the top of the dunes, you can see the ocean towards east. The change in color of the sand as the sun sets is quite drastic.

Red dunes

Sun set

Real color of the sand

Sun, lighting it up

Mui Ne is not like the rest of Vietnam. It is not a place to look for culture and cheap food. It is a place to relax, enjoy beer and sea food. It is a place to learn kite surfing or wind surfing. If you want to learn surfing, this is a great place, but you would rather keep at least a week for it then. If you want to just relax and bathe in the sun, a couple of days here are good enough. I loved the place and wanted to stay more, but there was still half the Vietnam left with my budget for the country already exceeding the planned one, and so the next morning I watched the sun rise and left the place to go further north to the ancient town of Hoi An!

Sun rise at the beach 

From the Southern flat-lands to the Central highlands

Dalat, a small city located in South Central highlands of Vietnam, is probably the least affected town during Vietnam war. This was due to an understanding between the two parties to keep it neutral. Due to high elevation from the ground, the temperatures there are drastically low, making it a paradise for French stationed in the country.
My bus from Saigon left at around 11.30 in the night and made a very good speed, as I reached the town as early as 4.30 in the morning. Probably too early as my hotel door was shut. The temperature must have been below 8 as I started to freeze. It was pitch dark and I was waiting alone outside my hotel, with a small dog constantly barking at me, a stranger. Having nothing to do, I pulled out a sheet from my backpack and took a nap. My eyes opened to the sound of someone arranging tables, at 6.30.  A cafe nearby had opened up and ladies there were making arrangements for the day ahead. With enough light to see the place, I realised the difference in the landscape. Flat lands and rice fields were replaced by hills all around and banana and coconut trees were replaced by tall pine trees. Not only the nature, but architecture was different too. I guess, French really loved the place as the town is lined with French styled villas. With a cool weather and french architecture, you would not believe that it was a city in Vietnam. It has too much a European feel to it.

Very French

The city has a few things to offer, but it is more of a honeymoon destinations and when you go there as a backpacker, you might feel a little out of place, with newly-wed couples all around. But if you have time and willing to venture outside the city, there's a lot on offer even for a backpacker. With no limitation on time, I managed to see both, within the city and the outskirts.

Xuon Huong Lake is in the center and at the lowest elevation. If you have a sense of height and keep going down, you will eventually end up there. Its a wide stretch of green water, around 6 kms in circumference. Most of the times during the day it is dotted with Swan-shaped boats, with couples being their occupants. The side of the lake is occupied by families (or again couples) spreading the mats and enjoying a meal and drinks, and also by a few fishermen, trying their hands at fishing in the fresh water lake. Perhaps the most disturbing sight is dead fish floating at the sides. Bad water? I don't know.

Central Lake

Night view of the lake

I took a round along the lake-side and then continued my walk till I reached a cable car station, about 3 kms from the lake. A 15 minute cable car ride (costing VND 70,000 both-ways), takes you to Thien Vien Truc Lam Monastery. The ride is beautiful and takes you over the mountains filled with pine trees. The view from the cable car is stunning. The Monastery itself is sublime. Situated among the pine trees and away from the city, it is one of the most peaceful places I went to in Vietnam. It is housed by a fairly large Golden Buddha statue. A monk was ringing the bell besides the statue at a very slow pace, creating a rhythm which included a long silence, just enough for you to breath in the whole place. From the hilltop, stairs run down to another beautiful lake, which is supposed to be the best lake in and around Dalat, known as Tuyen Lam Lake. However, the last cable car leaves at around 4.45 PM and due to lack of time, I could not visit this lake.

If you have had too much of lakes and monasteries, there is no better place than the Crazy House, built by the daughter of the second president of the united Vietnam. The entrance is 40,000 dong and the experience is totally wacky! There are narrow winding stairs, confusing passage-ways and very weird architecture in the least. The whole theme is tree-like as if small rooms, passages and the stairs are sprouting through one giant tree. Even if you are not into architecture, this place is worth a visit. Also, there are a few rooms available for renting. I took about 25 minutes to reach there on foot from city center.

I continued away from the city center along the central lake for about 3 kms before reaching Dalat Railway Station. The station is quite old, built in 18th century and still has a steam engine running a track of about 8 kms to a small village nearby. It is possible to book a train ticket to this village and come back for about VND 140,000 (USD 7). The building structure is old, not very fancy and it is possible to enter the stationed train carts and take pictures.

I came out of the station and sat at the bench outside and there I met Simon, a 60 year old British fellow with his cycle parked in front of him. Curious, I asked if he rented the cycle in Dalat and his response was mind boggling. Simon quit his job when he was 45 and since then has been cycling around the world. He takes his own cycle to each country and rides it throughout! He has been to a number of countries, including India. Being a British fellow, he shared my interest in Cricket and Football and so we had long discussions about each of the sport. Too soon though it was time to say goodbye, but at the end of our brief meeting I was feeling even more inspired about traveling!

Simon, the cycle guy!

Next day I had three Chinese companions with me and so we decided to rent a motor-bike and go around outside the city. The bike costs about USD 5 for a day and mine came with a full tank. We started at around 8 AM from the hotel to go to a small village called Nam Ban. Nam Ban is about 30 kms south-west of the town and is famous for a Silk factory and Elephant waterfall. The road is decent for the most part except when you have to go down a mountain, where road-widening work is in progress and hence its more of a dirt road. It took us just over an hour to reach Elephant waterfalls. The entrance is VND 10,000. There is a small river running at the same level as we were standing. Moving slowly it takes a sudden dip in the form of a waterfall. It was not rainy season and yet there was enough water falling down to make a thunderous noise. The view in the background is quite beautiful with green hills. There is a small, steep path leading to the base of the waterfall. You can inch closer and closer and can almost go behind the waterfall, as we did. But beware of slippery surface and avoid breaking your leg!
In contrast to this thunderous waterfall, there is quite a peaceful pagoda on the same hill, known as Linh An Pagoda. There are in all 5 Buddha statues inside, 3 Buddhas flanked by 2 multi-armed Buddhas.

Biking on the dirt road

Elephant Waterfall

Just behind the fall

Pagoda

Taking a coffee break, we headed to the Silk factory which is less than a kilometer from the waterfalls (when coming from Dalat, you will see Silk factory first on the left). Entrance again was VND 10,000. As we entered the shop floor the smell of the air changed alarmingly. It definitely was not the best of the smells and it took us some time to get used to it. There were a number of tourists here with their guides explaining how the silk making works. There were two lines of silk production, with at least 5 women standing on each side of each line. In front of each woman there was a basin with boiling water containing many cocoons. The hot water makes it easier to separate silk threads from the cocoons which then were being fed into multiple spinning reels above the basin. Once all silk extracted, cocoon (now looking like a dead bug) were being thrown in a dustbin. There is also a small cafe and a small shop in the factory where you can buy silk products.

Separating the thread

Shop floor line

After extraction of silk is complete

Cocoons before extraction

Silk worms

Our next stop was Mount Lang Biang which is around 13 kms north of the city. There is a way to go to the mountain directly from Nam Ban village but the road is not good. So we decided to cross the city instead. From the city center it took us 15 minutes to reach the base of the mountain. The entrance here was VND 20,000 which includes entry to the park and entry to the Lang Biang Peak trail. There is a tar road leading up the mountain till the start of the trail. It takes 2 hours on foot and 15 minutes by Jeep. Jeep costs about VND 400,000 which can be shared among 10 people. We started on foot. At the base there are a few hills with green grass and a few horses feeding thereon. As you go further you enter thick Pine forest which provides enough shadow to protect you from the Sun. At times the path can be very steep and a multiple breaks may be required before going further. Be sure to carry enough water if you decide to go on foot. The walk is good enough for most of the times, except for the Jeeps zooming past making loud noise. It is possible to go off the main road and do some real hiking, but beware of the direction you are heading. Within 2 hours we were at another ticket booth where the trail to Lang Biang Peak starts. The trail goes through a jungle which gets denser at times and the path narrows down allowing only one person to pass at a time. It is extremely quiet once you enter the trail, with no more vehicles to disturb the nature. There are a lot of birds and a few rare species of animals here so if you have time, you can stop and observe the woods for signs of any animal life. With evening closing in we continued on! The trail is over 2 kms and last 600 meters or so are a set of very steep steps. This is the toughest part and takes most of the energy. We caught up with another big group who started an hour before us and then joined them for the rest of the trail. Reaching the top gives you the most satisfying sensation. You are on top of the world! No other peak around even nearly high as Lang Biang. In the front you can see Dalat city scattered. Around are many more mountains, all thick with tall Pine trees. The wind is strong at the top and cool; and takes out all the tiredness you feel from climbing. Its quite easy to lose the sense of time here and the large group as we were, we stayed there for a long long time. Just breathing in the success.

The trail

View from the top

City sprawling below

Our little group

As I rode back to hotel, a realisation dawned upon me that I actually enjoyed my stay here. What looked like only a honeymoon destination in the beginning has much more to offer a backpacker. But be ready to take a motor-bike and venture out of the town.