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Day 13

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Da Nang → Hanoi

Day 13

Up early. Breakfast at the hotel with Lauren and Don arriving at slightly different times. We hardly spoke with quiet thoughts keeping to ourselves. We were in high civilization at this bright, well-serviced breakfast bar. For my part, I felt a little out of place having been in the outback in much more rugged environs. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

We checked out with no problems and affixed the backpacks to the bikes for the last time. I was tired of that. Good news, my recently repaired tire was not flat. 

The severe security guard, the same from last night, made his displeasure known that I had locked the handlebars on my bike. Apparently that is a no-no, in case they have to move it. The parking area was still sparsely occupied so his admonition was one of dogma, not of real harm. No words were spoken. I nodded my understanding and he seemed satisfied. 

After getting the bikes in order and started to warmup. I gave the security guard a small honorarium, enough for a coffee or two. He seemed to relax and maybe I was no longer an American pirate in his view. Dunno, but I felt better having repented for my mistake.

Soon enough we were back on the road in Danang on a beautiful morning. Hot and humid in January, in comparison to the weather we experienced in the highlands. We dialed in the location of Tigit Motorbikes, our destination, into our respective Google Maps. Lauren took the lead, now clearly a master of her machine and the streets of Vietnam.

 

We crossed the iconic bridge over the river. Naturally, our Google Maps differed in their directions and we separated. I was not at all concerned as I trusted Lauren completely by now to get herself where she needed to go. Besides, we were close to Tigit and not in the jungle.

Rolling into Tigit was noneventful. We parked in front and looked at the bikes. We were both a little melancholy to be saying goodbye to the machines that had delivered us to and from such grand adventures. We snapped a few pictures and uploaded the backpacks for the last time.

Checking out at Tigit was easy. There are pros. I had to pay the equivalent of $16 U.S. for the innertube used to repair my bike after the blowout. The experience taught me the brilliance of Tigit’s practice of loaning new innertubes when you rent a Honda XR150 (which has tire sizes not common in Vietnam) and only charging you upon return if you use them. Well done Tigit. I highly recommend this business if you decide to do Vietnam on a motorcycle. 

We retrieved our luggage and converted from backpacks to our roller cases. We transitioned to a different travel club. 

We took a Grab rideshare to the Danang Airport. Driver was a total professional. No drama. $4. 

It was a long wait for a VietJet flight that was 45 minutes late. The airport is bright with lots of stores and plenty of creature comforts. In a risky move, we sampled Western food. We were still readjusting to civilization.

We were late arriving in Hanoi. Our airport transportation was easy as it was prearranged by the Hanoi Exclusive hotel. The ride to the hotel was uneventful. No Captain Kidd. By now, Hanoi seemed familiar and we were happy. Traffic was still insane with incredible loads of produce and merchandise stacked on comparatively tiny motorbikes. Yep, we were happy.

We arrived at the hotel at 4:10 PM. The fabulous Ms. Lien ran out into traffic to help us and our bags out of the taxi. She had stayed late beyond her shift in order to receive us. It was a happy reunion and we sorta felt like we were home. 

We showered and changed. Then we repacked to go on a cruise. Riding and outdoor gear were transferred back to the backpacks to be left at the hotel.

Our room had been decorated with rose pedals. The electrical system card was in the wall switch, the A/C was on, and the water heater for the shower had been turned on. This requires an explanation: when you enter a room, you put your room key in a switch by the door. This enables the electrical system for lights and A/C. When you leave the room and take the key, the electrical system is turned off, saving energy. The water heater for the shower is on a dedicated switch and standard practice is to turn it on 15 minutes before taking a shower and turing it off immediately after. It is very sensible from an economic and climate standpoint. In any case, Ms. Lien had taken care of all of this to make our re-entry more comfortable. She is a gem.

We showered and changed. Then we repacked to go on a cruise. Riding and outdoor gear were transferred back to the backpacks to be left at the hotel.

We walked to the Bun Cha street. Making a mistake I plopped us down in the Bun Cha place next door to the Michelin-rated Bun Cha place we had enjoyed before. Lauren noticed the mistake, but I was too tired to move. Bummer, this place was not nearly as good and not the same value. 

Seating is communal in these places and we quietly consumed our dinner. Half way through the meal, a pair of German tourists sat closely next to us. They had a Vietnamese guide and were on a food tour. Our hohum dinner suddenly got interesting. The guide was a business administration graduate student making a little income guiding food tours.

Timeout: the Vietnamese college students were met were outstanding. All we met spoke excellent English and projected confidence. Vietnam is graduating 30% of their degrees in STEM. If I had a 30 year investment horizon, I would invest in Vietnam. This country and these young people are going to go gangbusters as the world economy rotates out of China.

Back to dinner. Overhearing the guide’s conversation about Bun Cha was wonderful. We learned a lot and came to appreciate the meal even more.

It turns out that the Germans had arrived in Hanoi early that very morning from Frankfurt. BTW, they spoke excellent English with American accents. We had heard very little American English in 2 weeks. Anyway, one of our new German friends had lost a tooth filling on the flight. Bummer of a way to start a vacation. 

He visited a dentist and was delighted with the equipment, skills, and service. It cost him $7. Although his excellent insurance would have covered it, he wasn’t going to bother. He was delighted about Vietnam by the end of his first day. 

After dinner, we went to a place down the street that had been recommended for a facial and a massage. Yes, I had my first ever facial in hopes on getting 10 days of road and jungle grime out of my pores. Mock me if you want, but you would be amazed at what you wipe off your face when motorcycling through the jungle.

Lauren was happy with her experience.

Mine was a disaster. That man hurt me. I wondered if he had lingering misgivings after the war. I had to stop the punishment – er massage. I skipped the tea and incense bullshit at checkout and got out of the place as soon as I could. It took a couple of weeks for the massage-induced injuries to stop hurting. Never again I promised myself.

Back at the hotel, we made sure we were totally packed for grab-and-go the next morning and fell into our beds for a very civilized sleep.

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