Gretchen2dot0: What Goes up Must Come Down: Biking in Vietnam, Part 2 (Hai)

A couple of people commented that I had gone hard core on the wilderness adventure, when I decided to come on this trip. I now realize, they were not kidding.

The last several days, I have learned how people live in a very poor country in a very real way. I’ve seen some beautiful scenery and historic sites, and I have gained an appreciation for how wonderful and friendly people can be. I’ve been saddened by some of the living conditions, the trash by the side of the road and the prospects for educating some of the folks in the villages we have seen. I had a cathartic experience biking through a rubber plantation in the middle of a driving rainstorm, and feeling like anything was possible if I could do that. Last but not least, I have discovered a definite preference for western indoor plumbing.

Less the plumbing aspect, here are a few scenes from the my first full week on the bike trip, starting from where we last left off in Hue.

We saw the scent of the Mai Lai massacre in March, 1968. Here is the memorial statue to the ~2000 men, women and children who died. This was a horrible tragedy. The only shame about the place is it's too bad it paints such a one-sided view of the war. I think it would be even more impactful on those Americans visiting if it were a bit less biased.

There are rice paddies everywhere, and you can even walk in them.

Even though it is the year of the pig, pork is still popular...these guys are off to farms to be raised.

We came to a part of road that was being redone, our truck and bus got stuck and had to be towed out via bulldozer. Very exciting!

The kids are we meet are adorable. Here are some hanging out on a tractor on Sunday morning.Our tour company seems to like Communist hotels, we've stayed in several. Here is a prime example from Buon Me Thuot.