Ride From Sapa To Than Uyen
(Click for ride details)

Lots to write about, but not much time - click the dynamic ride maps to the left for the next to days of riding out of Sapa. Varied conditions - road ranges from perfect to 100% washed out. I'll write this evening to fill you in!

This ride has taken me DEEP into the backwoods of the Northern mountains. Quite frankly i've been past my comfort level a few times, especially when I don't see another human being for an hour + of riding at at time.

Ride From Than Uyen to Son La
(Click for ride details)

Ride From Son La to Mai Chau(Click for ride details)

4-26-13 -- Sleeper train, broken bike, and stunning Sapa

A Stunning Spot To Reflect - At My Hotel

There's simply so much to talk about that I scarcely know where to begin! This evening I write to you while overlooking a vista that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. It's like out of a postcard, or a dream. The temperature is absolutely perfect. A few whispy clouds caress the jagged 3000 meter mountains on the distant side of a cavernous valley. Much of the arable hillsides are terraced into swooping lanes of useable farmland. The evening light reflects from the standing water in the rice terraces, creating curved silver ribbons that stand out in stark contrast to to the darker, forested background. In the foreground, sloping away into the valley are a dozen row houses, each adorned with a well aged terra cotta stone roof. Interspersed among the homes are an unknown species of pine tree, banana, Norfolk Island pine, and a variety of other fruit trees under cultivation by the locals. Domesticated chickens and dogs roam about, tended by children. The scale of the space is enormous, and Sapa, Viernam is perched gently on a ridge overlooking it all. 

Accommodations on the Orient Express

Last night I had the pleasure of riding my first sleeper train. The "Orient Express" is a route

that takes passengers from the capitol city of Hanoi, to the charming mountain village of Sapa. I'd like to send a big thanks to the folks at Flamingo Travel in Hanoi, who ran circles to get me the motorcycle I wanted. They went further, managing to score a booking on the sleeper train during this busy holiday weekend. They even had the bike shipped along with me on the next train! The Orient leaves Hanoi at 9pm, and arrives at 5:30 am the next day, over 300km away. I ran 'map my ride,' and you can see the train route below. What a mellow, soothing experience! The train cars in service look to have been around since the 1950's or earlier, but someone has been looking after them closely. The dark cherrywood details remain polished to a shine, while the exterior retains a fun, antique maroon and green paint job. I wasted no time letting the train car gently rock me to sleep.

The Batmobile - Fresh Off the Train

I awoke to an abrupt but polite wrap on the door, and all the passengers were up and out into the fresh mountain atmosphere. The cool, dry air was a welcome relief to the sauna that had been Hanoi. After some asking around about my motorcycle, I was politely informed that I would arrive on the next train, in only 30 minutes. Waiting around in a train station as a foreigner can be difficult, as nearly everyone has something to sell you. Every guy passing buy offers either a taxi or scooter ride, and every woman has some variety of tasty treat ready for you - and they are all quite aggressive! I took to pointing at the helmet clipped to my backpack, indicating "I have a ride, thank you!" All this happens before 6am - folks get up early here. 

Right on time the "SP3" rolled into the station, and my big beast of a motorcycle was

The Local Bikes Delight in Jumping
On the Big Bike

promptly unloaded. Locals began gawking at the bike started just as soon as the train door rolled open, and have not stopped since. It's hysterical - young men almost anywhere I ride the bike will stop in their tracks, mouth agape, and stare at this 'enormous' bike as I ride past. I get the feeling they RARELY see motorcycles like this. The Baja 250 is quite a small by US standards, but is rare here. Pushing the bike down the crowded train platform, I made my way through ticketing, and out onto the street. As I strapped my bags to the bike with strips of old inner tube, I noticed a crowd start to gather around me. First it was a nice vendor lady offering me coffee (bless her), then all the other vendors, then a big group of boys who all pointed and giggled excitedly while admiring the bike. Suddenly one of the young men looked at me, laughed, then grabbed the handle bars and twisted the throttle "VROOM Vrooom!" he growled enthusiastically, as his friends laughed and cheered him on. I smiled and encouraged him, feeling quite proud of my big beater Honda. He pointed at the seat to ask if he could hop on. "Of course" I indicated with a gesture. As soon as he hit the seat his buddy was on right behind him, jokingly flipping the bird to the camera as their friends barraged them with a stream of IPhone pictures. We all found it particularly amusing that once seated, their legs were fully a foot off the ground. I hoped on the bike, and rode off with a wave. I was worried that the police blocking the entrance to the parking lot would demand a bribe, but they simply smiled and waved me through. Friendly folks, and a great start to the ride!

Boarder With Mainland China

Finding myself a mere half-mile from the Chinese boarder, I couldn't help but zip over and at least take a picture of the sign. I wasn't much to look at, but it was cool to see mainland China in person. I stopped at a small boarder street vendor and ate a "smile, nod and point" breakfast of Pho noodles with a group of a half-dozen women and their children. They were very sweet to me!

Full of food, and caffeine pulsing through my veins, I hopped on the moto and strutted down the one main road in Lao Cai. Head held high, I felt thrilled to start my journey - nothing could stand in my way!

"Putttt putt putt, put put …..puuuuu….." 

The bike stalled unenthusiastically at a stop light. "Uh Oh" I thought. I was barely a kilometer from the train station. After cranking the motor a few times I managed to coerce some life out of the engine, but it only stuttered across the intersection and died again. "CRAP!" I thought, wanting to kill the mechanic who rented me the bike. I felt myself start to sweat profusely with frustration, and

Basic Troubleshooting

the intense morning sunlight didn't help. I tried to calm myself by sitting up straight on the bike and taking 5 deep breaths……. inhale……. exhale……. inhale……. exhale………I felt the rage start to subside. Casually, I pushed the bike to the other side of the street, heading towards a shop i'd seen a while back. Almost immediately shouts of help started to come from almost every storefront I passed - all in Vietnamese, but you could tell it was genuine help. "Hello!" one woman piped, as she pointed to three one liter bottles of fuel tied to the top of a bamboo stick in front of her cafe. "Hihi!" She followed up. Pushing my bike onto the sidewalk, she quickly dumped two liters into the tank. I cranked the bike until the battery died and gave up. She shrugged and pointed me down the street. "Thanks" I cooed quietly in English, feeling a sinking sensation in my stomach.

I didn't make it more than half way down the block before four guys casually sitting in a shop yelled "HEY HEY HEY!," pointing at their sidewalk. I was hoping for something a little more official, but oh well. Trust in the goodness of people, right? Almost immediately all four of them began

Advanced Troubleshooting

pouring over every part of the bike. One guy pulled all the fuel lines, while another yanked the ignition system, fuses and electrical. A third produced a volt meter and started testing the spark plugs. The main mechanic who owned the shop was called "Dong," and this guy is GOOD! You can tell he's been wrenching on bikes for a long time. His fingers quickly dismantle, clean, and inspect almost every component on the bike in less than a half hour. I laugh as he pulls the fuses, and he shows me their condition: they have all blown in the past, but somebody simply wrapped copper wire around the terminals and kept driving! He chuckled while spraying the fuses with cleaner and casually stuffed them back into the box, clearly not as concerned as I was. Next he performed the most low-tech compression test i've ever seen; he simply pulled the spark plug, squirted some oil in the piston chamber, and stuffed the hole shut with a dirty tshirt! It was surprisingly effective! As his friend kicked the starter, Dong put his ear up next to the cylinder to check for leaks. I was VERY concerned when a big glop of the motor oil he put in the piston came squirting right out the side of the cylinder head. That's usually a BIG problem - like new-motor big problem. Again, he seemed undaunted. Off came the gas tank, seats, plastics. Within an hour the bike was down to the frame. I settled in for the long haul as they tore into everything. Suddenly my phone rang, and when I picked up a quiet-sounding Vietnamese woman began to speak to be in broken English.

"     *……unintelligible……..*     We like to do the right thing for the foreigners. He will do good job on motorbike.  *……..unintelligible……..*

Dong And His Buddy SAVED Me!

It took me until about 3 minutes into the conversation to realize that Dong (who speaks no

English) had called his wife, and instructed her to call my cell phone and reassure me that he was an excellent mechanic. When I figured out what was happening I laughed out loud, and thanked her enthusiastically for the emotional support.

Surprisingly after a half hour or they called me over, put me on the bike and pushed me down the block and up to the top of a long, steep driveway. From the look of it they wanted me to roll start the bike, and so we did! I rolled 30 feet, dropped the clutch and cranked the throttle and amazingly the bike roared to life! These guys are miracle workers! I rode the stripped bike around the block a few times to charge the battery, and zipped back to the shop. 

"VIETNAM!" Screams Dong with his greasy hands in the air. He's grinning ear-to-ear, clearly very pleased to have been able to help. 

"VIETNAM!" I scream back, mimicking his body language. The small crowd of men at the shop laugh and follow suit with their hands in the air. 

Dong Insisting on a
Gentleman's Handshake

I was astonished when I asked how much he would like to be paid, and he would accept no money! I couldn't believe it, he had just saved my bacon, and he wouldn't let me pay him! Through a series of gestures and simple Vietnamese he let me know that all he wanted was for me to take the name of his shop, and his website back to Flamingo Travel and endorse his shop heavily. "YES YES!" I say pointing to the URL he provided. I dropped the requested 150,000 Dong (about $7 USD) to his assistant, and both seemed quite pleased. We shot some photos, and Dong insisted on a picture of us sternly shaking hands. (See below). Just before hoping on the bike, I tried to stuff 200,000 in his shirt pocket, but he squealed as he laughed as ran away. THANK YOU GUYS! You saved me! I'll never forget it. 

Click This Map For A Dynamic View of the
Ride From Lao Cai to Sapa.
The Map Includes, route, speed, elevation, etc.

My confidence in the Baja was now thoroughly shaken, but my trust in the goodness of people has never been higher! I spent the better part of the next hour circling the town, testing the motorbikes road-worthiness. After about 15 kilometers with no problems, I headed off on the windy road to Sapa. This stunning 40km ride rips up a steep, wide ravine, deep into the mountains. Absurdly huge trucks lumber and struggle up the steep mountain roads, often barely managing a walking pace. Vehicles coming down are just the opposite - steaming around

corners at a breakneck pace, feeling free to take 3/4 of the entire road and coming directly into oncoming traffic. Steady concentration is required, but the majestic vistas to be seen in every direction make this an exhilarating piece of pavement. Around 1pm, a number of children appeared on the steep, mountain road. Walking home in groups of 4-6, they all turn, wave and yell "ALO ALO!" as I ride past. They are SOOO cute, and SOOO sweet! I can't believe it.

When arriving in Sapa I was surprised by the apparent level of affluence and architectural beauty of the town in comparison to agrarian landscape that surrounds it. The town is crouched around a medium sized mountain lake, with many colorful hotels and restaurants gently peering towards the center. I stopped had a

The View From My $10 Hotel

bit of lunch, and watched through the restaurant window as the local boys crawled all over motorcycle on the sidewalk. One of them caught my eye through the glass and gave me a thumbs up - I returned the gesture, smiling. Delighted with my new wheels, I set off exploring the side streets of Sapa, admiring the exuberant colors that adorn everything. It wasn't long before a couple of young men buzzed up next to be on their scooter. "Hotel?" he yelled. Having not intended on staying in Sapa, but curious about accommodations, I nodded and followed them up a series of steep, curvy streets to where you find me now. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so please see below. This is simply one of the most majestic places i've ever been. I feel genuinely blessed to be alive, healthy, and in the beautiful welcoming hands of Vietnam. :-)

Playing Around In the Hills Surrounding SAPA

Playing Around In the Hills Surrounding SAPA

Doug Lybeck

4/24/12 -- Motorcycle Hunting - The Batmobile Vs The Honda Win

Yesterday was a full-on motorcycle hunting day. Josh and I started in the easy locations - the rental agencies which offer guided tours of northern Vietnam, and trips to Saigon. These folks are obviously in business, but at the same time are very friendly and accommodating. There's a number of shops across the north eastern side of Old Town Hanoi, and they vary in the quality of bikes, and clarity of their programs. After stopping in at an international hostel, I got the chance to chat with Liam, one of the front desk guys. He's from the UK, and is now living and working in Vietnam. He told me all about his two-wheeled journey through the mountains of Vietnam, which seemed to match closely with what I've ready online. He purchased a Honda Win (110cc) for about $250 USD and rode the whole route on his own. I had a chance to ride the popular Honda Win 110; it feels rather like a child's toy that some adult has put 100,000 hard miles on. This tiny little motorcycle has four speeds, bland acceleration, and terrifying mushy drum brakes. The crazy thing is that people ride them, and sing the praises of the "wonderful Win." I don't get it…… this is certainly not my style. Liam however seemed to like the tiny bike. He chuckled when I asked him about encounters with the police "just ride past them" he said confidently "they won't chase a Westerner - there's too much liability." "It'll only be a problem if you stop and they ask you for a $10 bribe." He said the cops tried to flag him over 4 times over the course of a month and he never had a problem. He just rode past and smiled! What a wild world.

Honda Win Bike - NOT what I will be riding

I have located a number of motorcycles that I would genuinely like to purchase, but they are so coveted by their owners that it's almost impossible to convince anyone to sell them to you! Lau, who works at Hanoi Motorbikes was a great example. I really like this guy's style - you can tell he's knowledgeable, realistic, and a total gear-head. His hands are covered in grease, and he beams with pride as he lets me sit on his own red Honda XR250 dirt bike. "How much will you sell it to me for?" I ask. "It's very expensive" he replies with a matter-of-fact intonation. "But business is business - $4,500 USD." A comparable bike in California would sell for $3,000, but supply and demand creates an expensive pricing structure for imports here. I took it for a spin around the block and up on the highway, blazing past the locals on their tiny scooters. Most folks stare, mouth-agape at this gangly white boy on an enormous red dirt bike. It makes me chuckle, and one twist of the throttle makes me smile ear to ear!

Practicality and finances seem to be making it much more realistic to rent motorcycles while in Vietnam, and then consider purchasing when I get to Cambodia. Across the boarder there are rumors better stock and lower prices. So to start my voyage I rented this crazy Batmobile bike:

The Batmobile! A barely-pretty, but
well maintained Honda Baja 250

This is a Honda Baja 250 that has been taken apart and put back together so many times it's barely recognizable! All the decals are gone, and every one of the plastics have been replaced with a wicked-mean looking matte-black OEM parts. This thing looks ANGRY! I asked the rental folks how old it is, and they have no idea. I'm guessing the frame and plastics are about 8 years old, and god knows about the rest…… While it's clearly seen some miles, the tires, brakes, suspension and chain all seem to be in good condition. A quick spin around the block at dusk reassured me - its quick and runs well. This is going to be FUN! I get the bike for six days for the screamin deal of $175! Drivers license? Don't worry about it. Insurance? Sure, you can do that if you want, but we don't offer it. Collateral? You'll bring the bike back….. right? There's a bizarre sense of lawlessness in Vietnam, but not in a bad way. You get the feeling that people are more trusting here, that folks just expect others to do the right thing - and they do!

Today Josh and I are off to visit the Vietnam Army Museum, and the 'Hanoi Hilton' prison made famous to Americans by FAILED Presidential candidate John McCain during the 2008 US election. More to come tomorrow!

4-22-13 -- Vietnam, Psycho Motorbikes, Street Food and Monkeys!

Vietnam's hectic pace of life hit me like a ton of bricks as soon as I stepped out of the airport. Gone were the easy English-only conversations from HK, and I found myself immediately thrown into a world of new pricing and haggling. My first stop was to grab a new unlimited-data sim card for my phone. I've found that having my smartphone fired up and on my hip at all times makes traveling life SO much easier. Maps, web access, translations, photos, currency calculators, all at my fingertips. How did people travel before this phenomenal tech was available? A quick calculation of the currency exchange to the Vietnamese Dong confirmed my great aspiration - I am now a multi-multi-multi millionaire. Millions of Dong poured out of the ATM machine like all so much Monopoly money. The common, large denomination bill that comes out of ATM machines is an astonishing 500,000 Dong (in one bill!). Unfortunately this equates to only about $25 USD, but it's still fun.

I split a cab with a sweet Aussie couple to 'Old Town' Hanoi - roughly a 30 minute drive. Gone are the orderly street rules of Hong Hong, giving way to a sort of mad-dash of scooters, cabs, and trucks. There seem to be few driving rules here besides 'don't hit anyone.' Cheap scooters zip this way and that through the darkness, many running backwards down the freeway margin. The cabbie nonchalantly taps his reciprocating horn every few seconds, giving off an echoey 'Waaaaaa Wa Waaa Wa waaa wa wa.' I've never heard anything like it, but I suppose this type of horn differentiates large vehicles from the small mopeds - generally indicating "get out of the way!" Most of the bikes are so small that they are scarcely able to manage a meager 60 kph pace on a major freeway. This however does not stop them from being the predominant form of transit on the road!

As we approached downtown on this warm, Friday night, I began to notice the huge crowds of people casually sitting about on the streets and sidewalks. I'm not talking about one crowd, i'm talking every street, every square inch FILLED with thousands of people eating, drinking, laughing, playing on the street. Most sit on small (think kindergarden-sized) pink or blue plastic seats with equally tiny tables placed between them. Delightful smells of cooking meat and food fill the cab with a tummy-rumbling aroma. I find myself in that fun half-excited, half-paralyzed state of being thrown into a new and unfamiliar environment. The cab driver speaks no english, and appears to be actively ignoring my request to speak to him as he chatters away on his cell phone. Relieved, I pull my security-blanket cellphone out of my pocket and am able to confirm that he is taking us on a long route around a dense street closure for a night market. I realize that he has only the best intentions, and very much wanted to make sure that he dropped me smack-dab at the door to my hotel. Very sweet.

Mobile Mango Magnate

I stepped out of the cab, and into the buzzing nightlife of Old Town Hanoi. I felt immediately conspicuous with my large backpack, but made do. After a minute or so analysis of the ceaseless scooter traffic, I realized that in order to cross the street I must simply step into the fray. My concerns of death and destruction in a bloody pedestrian accident were quickly alleviated as I watched the traffic smoothly detour around my body - like a river flowing around a large boulder. Nobody yelled, nobody honked, everybody went on there way. Awesome! I quickly checked into my $9 hotel, and hit the night market.

I've spend the last couple days mostly walking around, exploring the never-ending diverse options of owner-run storefronts, and street food. Amidst the chaos, the city seems to be neatly organized by vendor - there's a street for hardware stores (where you'll find more than 20 competing vendors), a street for metal-work, a street for decorative lanterns, a street for children's toys, and so on. I'm not sure how or if it was all laid out, but once you learn how it works its quite charming! On day two of wandering I ran into a wonderful young man named Josh - I was quickly comforted by his exceptional English skills, and we ended up chatting for quite a while at his shop. Turns out he's just as busy as everyone else in this wild town, wheremhe works three jobs simultaneously! Besides his couture shop, he teaches English to locals, and Vietnamese to expats and businesspeople. On the side he designs clothing, and got accepted to a great school in the UK. All his busy activities make me feel a bit like a layabout just bumming around town. :-) Either way he somehow has quite a bit of time available to hang out. We've been mobbing around town on his Honda 110 motorbike. "It's NOT a scooter" he said pointing to a Vespa nearby "Thats a scooter!" "Mine has gears!" He's a sweet guy. :-)

Josh on his Honda 110

I was delighted to have Josh's native Vietnamese skills to get me into the difficult-to-order street food of Hanoi, of which there is a LOT! Josh has grown up in this town since he was a boy, and therefore knows every little nook and cranny of the city. We've dabbled in delicious home-made pho, charcoal-cooked vietnamese sandwiches, BBQ-it-yourself beef and 'goat teat,' deep fried sweet potato and shrimp cakes. The food is diverse, colorful, aromatic and absolutely delightful on the tongue. If funny to remember that all this culinary exuberance happens on the street on TINY chairs and tables. My over-sized American frame just barely fits, and and I look comically oversized almost everywhere I eat. The locals seem to find it amusing in a sweet sort of way, chuckling and smiling, while trying to pull chairs further out to be accommodating. This morning's Pho-noodle breakfast was particularly amusing, as I had to share a bench seat with a 10 year old Vietnamese girl who could not have been more than 4 feet tall. She had to reach WAY out from the chair to reach the table, while I hunched over looking like Quazimoto munching on a bowl of noodles. It's all very fun!

Yummy Street Food -
Cook-it-Yourself Beef and Goat Teat

A big thank you to Josh! I could not have had this deep and meaningful interaction with the people, food and culture of Hanoi if I had not run into him - thanks Josh!

I've started casually scoping out the motorcycle scene in Vietnam, and i'm realizing that this trip is going to be lets say…… different than I expected. The country's two-wheeled offerings are dominated by small-displacement scooters and motorbikes, very few of which are larger than 150cc's. For those of you not familiar with motorcycles - think VERY small San Francisco runabout scooter. If you ask for a "BIG Bike," most shop owners eye's light up as they guide you it the back room and show you their crown-jewel: it's usually a 250cc Honda or Suzuki dual sport. This is a respectable bike, high quality and fun in all respects, but still it's no freeway capable machine. My Suzuki VSTROM back home is considered a 'medium' sized bike, and it has a whopping 650cc motor - something almost unheard of in Vietnam. Disappointed, but not dismayed I went back to my hotel to do a bit more research. It turns out that until 2007 Vietnam had a ban on any motorbike larger than 175cc's. This restriction was loosened in 2008, but only by applying a near 100% import tax on larger-displacement bikes. That means a bike that would cost $10k USD new in the states would cost an astounding $20k USD in Vietnam. It's no surprise that the second-hand market is pretty sparse, as few people want make that large of an investment in importing a bike.

Monster Ficus Tree in the
Hanoi Botanical Garden

With this newfound knowledge I have two options - stay here in Hanoi and buy a 250cc bike at a steep markup, or fly to Thailand and get the bike I really want and continue the tour from there. There's benefits on both sides: A smaller bike would be easier to man-handle up the notoriously rough, muddy roads of Vietnam. Local, small bikes also have more parts available in rural areas, and locals know how to work on them. But a larger bike from Thailand would be FAST, fun and more capable for cross-continent touring. I haven't made up my mind just yet. In the mean time I think I'm going to sign up for a 5 day guided motorbike tour of Northern Vietnam through a local agency. They provide the bike, guide, route and lodging. All I have to do is show up and ride! If anything breaks, they know how to fix it. I think this is probably the best introduction to riding in a foreign country - it'll give me the opportunity to learn about licenses, registration, fuel, maintenance, road quality etc, all while under the watchful eye of a seasoned pro. Believe it or not a 5-day supported tour costs only $250 USD. I LOVE this country!

4/19/13 -- The Miracle of Modern Jet Flight

If Heaven Exists -
This Must Be What It Looks Like

I'm writing this while screaming through the sky at 600 miles an hour in complete and utter comfort on an Airbus A320. We've come to take for granted the miracle of modern jet flight. I think it should be a prerequisite for completing a flight that all passengers must loudly proclaim "HOLY SHIT I'M FLYING!" before the wheels hit the ground. I laze about in my board shorts while nice people bring me warm food and drinks. It truly is a modern miracle, and I do not take i for granted.

This evening's flight from Hong Kong to Hanoi was particularly stunning. The plane took off just before sunset, heading west, which means we had the pleasure of enjoying a three hour sunset during the flight. If heaven exists - this is what it must look like! Banking out of the Lantau island airport, we were shrouded in a heavy fog and light rain. I assumed a long and dismal flight, but just three minutes into our ascent, visibility opened up to a hundred miles or more. Towers of t-storm clouds stood frozen in the air, gently undulating as the plane passed through them. They are the type of cotton-candy clouds that look as though you might reach out and touch them. Moments later the sun settled on the horizon and lit the previously slate-blue clouds with a crimson splash of fire and gold. In the distance sunbeams streaked across the cloudscape, leaving deep shadows in the wake of the light. This is the stuff dreams are made of!

4/18/13 -- Mong Kok seafood neighborhood and no-socks tropical hiking

Goodbye beautiful Hong Kong! It's been an extraordinary 9 days here, and i'm sad to go. But adventure calls! Tonight I fly to Han Noi Vietnam - the capital city. According to Wikipedia: "Hanoi is the cheapest city in the world for two: a one-night stay in a four-star hotel, cocktails, a two-course dinner with a bottle of wine, and taxi transport will cost $141.12 USD." By my calculations I should be able to survive on $1.37 USD a day, and officially never work again! :-)

Playing with my food at the
Mong Kok outdoor seafood bonanza

Last night we went out to the Mong Kok neighborhood in HK. I don't know how I missed this vibrant community before. Throughout most of the city the streetscape has been given over to vehicular traffic, making life as a pedestrian somewhat stressful. In Mong Kok they've closed all the streets to cars, and the entire 6 block neighborhood becomes a thriving street market. This area is known for fresh seafood and outdoor street dining. Most of the vendors hawk their food on the side of the road, letting you pick your live crab/lobster/clam/shrimp out of one of a dozen half-barrels in front of their eatery. 10 minutes later you have a delicious seafood smorgasbord in front of you - and it's DELICIOUS! Don't get me wrong - this is far from fine dining! The tables are rickety, there's no AC, and the florescent lights glare with a menacing intensity. Think you're going to get napkins with this hands-on food? Think again! A half-dozen toilet paper rolls adorn each table, providing a delightful level of charm. This is my favorite neighborhood yet!


Earlier in the morning I had decided to go for a "hike." Google Maps is usually pretty decent at giving accurate hiking trail information, and so I picked a green-spot on my phone's map and headed to a subway terminus - LOHAS park. Upon arriving I found what felt like an outpost in an otherwise rural settlement. Surrounding the subway station was about a dozen brand-new residential skyscrapers surrounded by nothing but a wide road carrying hundreds of quarry-trucks traveling at a rapid pace. The radiant heat of the concrete hit my face as I exited the icy subway car. I took a 2km walk down the main drag, the heat and humidity taking a punishing toll on me. I was quickly regretting my decision to explore on laundry day - hiking in cross-trainers with no socks while sweating profusely can be quite an unpleasant experience! Following my phone map I headed up into the "wilderness" of HK. It's a forest dominated by low-scrub brush, Tristania Conferta, and some species of pine tree. Apparently outdoor adventure is not the most popular activity in HK, as I didn't see a single person after leaving the subway station. The trail was barely bush-wacked through the brush, being lightly indicated by a series of tags tied in the trees. I had to wave a branch in front of me to clear the dense cobwebs for my passage. As the canopy became more dense, yesterday's rain caused the air to become so thick as to be unbearable. An enormous quarry on the next hill wafted a hot wind across the valley. I made it about a mile up the hill before realizing I was grossly underprepared for this adventure. I headed back down to the subway realizing that in order to hike in the tropics I may need to be completely naked, while carrying a backpack full of ice water. Oh… and socks…. always bring socks. :-)

4/16/13 -- Lantau Island

Crystal and I have been out on the adventure tourist circuit of HK, which is great because most of it is new for both of us. Yesterday's adventure was Lantau Island, which is one of HK's many islands. This area is much less developed than central city, but is still home to big activities like Disneyland and the "Big Buddah." My favorite destination of the afternoon was the small fishing village on the far western shore of the island - Tai O. It's all very touristy, but still quaint and fun. I've enjoyed getting away from the noise and commotion of downtown for a day.


I could very easily move to Hong Kong, if not for one thing: the horrifically poor air quality. For the last two days all the locals have been looking up at the sky and noting "What beautiful weather we're having!" I look at the same jaundiced-yellow sky and see nothing but hot exhaust fumes poisoning my lungs. Apparently it had been raining for the better part of two weeks before I arrived, and so this brief bit of 'sunshine' is about as good as it gets. On the plus side, it changes day-to-day as the costal winds ebb and flow. It's a lot like SF in some respects - this morning a warm fog rolled in over the hills, while the day before that had been clear and cool. Apparently the air is actually quite clean here when compared to Bejing and Shanghai. In these cities people note that you must clean your nose multiple times per day, usually resulting in a disgusting black slime being discharged. People have totally just normalized this, and go about their day. WAAAHHH????

4/14/13 -- Victoria Peak, meeting Qiao, new phone!

There's a gem of a product in use here in Hong Kong - the Octopus card! Originally conceived as a public transit microchip payment system, it's now been expanded for use as a sort of debit card. It's accepted as payment for busses, trains, ferries and taxies - and when you get to your destination you can buy yourself a nice cup of coffee or a snack. It's all RFID, so a simple touch of your (unopened) wallet completes the transaction - no stumbling around for cash or change, and no cumbersome credit card swipes or signatures. It all becomes even more appealing when you learn that merchants will bluntly inform you that if you wish to use your credit card, you get to front the 3.5% Visa/MC service charge. It's all very convenient, and I hope they do something equivalent in the Bay Area with our Clipper card.

Public transit is an absolute delight here - it's some of the fastest, cleanest and CHEAPEST transit i've ever experienced. Trans-bay, cross-city trips with a transfer take less than 15 minutes. Trains come every 2-3 minutes ALL DAY. The best part? One transit ride costs the equivalent of .25c USD. It's absolutely stunning.

All of this high-tech infrastructure of course does not materialize out of nowhere. It's often noted that HK has the highest per-capita percentage of billionaires of any city in the world, and one look around at the cars and people of this city will confirm that statistic! Aside from the plethora of 90's taxi cabs, almost every car on the street is a BMW, Mercedes, or Lamborghini. Massive public works projects are underway throughout the city. Currently the entire waterfront of Central HK is being excavated to construct a new underground freeway and subway line - on top of this will be a world class public park. New sky rises are erupting out of the ground everywhere you look, pushing their way out into the bay, and up on to the steepest hills of Victoria Mountain. This attention to infrastructure is omnipresent - on every block in the city will be 2-3 paid maintenance workers. Using simple tools they wash the sidewalk, hand-weed planter beds, meticulously clip even the smallest vegetation, and carefully sweep all public spaces with palm-frond brooms. Coming from SF, I find myself continually astounded - how do they fund it? I met up with Qiao who's been living here for a little less than a year. He informs me the city is sitting on a $12.5B USD surplus! In a municipality that has no sales tax, and very low income tax, one can only assume these dollars come from real estate taxes, development dollars, and…. you guessed it - gambling. There's supposedly a huge horse jockey scene here, attracting high-rolling billionaires from around the world. It's a wild world, and it operates at a level of opulence that I can scarcely comprehend.

I was thrilled to get to meet up with Qiao on Sunday afternoon. It's been ages since we've seen each other! After graduating from Columbia university in NYC, he moved back to SF and got a great job at an architecture design firm. They later transferred him to HK in August of 2012, and he's been here ever since. He seems to be doing well - his work is fulfilling and I can see that he clearly enjoys the hustle and bustle of this fine city. We met up at the IFC building, at the monumental Apple store that made worldwide news last year when it opened in one of the most iconic locations in the world. Qiao is impressed by things that are 'the best,' 'the rarest,' 'the most expensive,' and so it seemed a fitting meeting location. He cracks me up! After a quick tour of the rooftop gardens of the IFC we headed off for a quick bit of HK fast food - ramen noodles and chicken wings.

Qiao on Victoria Peak!

I'd been jonesing to get up to Victoria Peak - the highest point on HK's central island since i'd first arrived. The actual trail is difficult to find, particularly without a phone, so I was glad to have Qiao and my tour guide. We rode the mile-long mid-lands escalator half way up the hill before snaking our way through a series of extravagant high-rises perched precariously on the side of a 45 degree slope. The urbanity of the city quickly fell away, and we found ourselves on a steep mountain trail surrounded by and honest-to-god rain forest. The foliage is surprisingly diverse and tropical - Chinese banyan trees dominate the upper canopy, and below are a cornucopia of broad-leaf Tarro plants, Kahuli Ginger with large white flowers, fruiting banana trees and mangos! It's really quite something. After a 30 minute strenuous hike up the hill we arrived to a stupendous view of….. SMOG. Apparently air pollution is quite a problem this time of year. The winds shift and bring with them much of the air pollution from the Pearl River Delta - one of the largest manufacturing regions in China. Visibility can vary dramatically from day-to-day, and yesterday was certainly pretty yucky. Either way it's neat to see the dramatic terrain that forms the backdrop to this beautiful city.

More Views From Victoria Peak

Lastly, I thought I could make it without a cell phone - that was incorrect. I lasted a whole 72 hours before breaking down a getting a phone. SWEET SWEET mobile data, how I missed you. My Gmail, Gchat, Facebook and Skype all go straight to my pocket now, so feel free to message away! My HK cell is (country code) (852) 61855923. This number will be good until Friday when I fly to Vietnam. Feel free to give me a call!

Today Crystal and I are off to explore Lantau Island - more to come!

4/13/13 - Adventures in Hong Kong

There's a point of land in the Hong Kong harbor - one of the very last undeveloped pieces of dirt in this mega city. It's called the West Kowloon Promenade - and city administrators are doing their best to get this space used by the public in a meaningful and healthy way (before more skyscrapers are built on top of it). After taking a jog out there the other morning I quickly realized that the only reason this space exists is to act at the portal for a 12 lane, underwater freeway tunnel to Central Hong Kong on the other side of the bay. Either way it's pretty cool! Crystal noted that there was a beer festival coming up on Saturday night, and it was being hosted at the same site. When we arrived, the formerly deserted area was now packed with hipsters from every corner of the earth! A grungy british band was playing some bit for a crowd of a couple thousand at least. Unfortunately the festival proved so popular that the line to get in was several hours long…. :-( We opted for mini-market brew, and a seat outside the fence where we could still see the band, but had the comfort of a million dollar view of HK harbor and Central City. Beautiful!

View of Central Hong Kong from Kowloon

All of this activity transpires in the shadow of HK's tallest building - the Ritz Carlton. Built in 2011, this 120 story behemoth dwarfs everything in its surroundings - and the best part is that it's classy roof-top bar/club "Ozone" is open to the public! As we made our way up the waterfront, the building's exterior LED light show makes the building shimmer, wave, and undulate with patterns. Occasionally text would flood up the side of the building - "We love HK" or something to that effect. The tower has a level of fit and finish that i've rarely seen before. Extraordinary details abound in every nook and corner - glass and polished metal walls, gleaming marble and dark metallic accents. It stands in stark contrast to my hodgepodge youth hostel over in the "Chunking Mansions." Either way the Ritz staff are very friendly and accommodating, even with my ratty tshirt and jeans. After an ear-popping elevator ride to over 1400 feet, we stepped out into the rooftop bar, and the city fell away at our feet. From this altitude you can see the relatively small size of HK - all tightly packed around the bay on a series of small islands and peninsulas. We arrived just in time to witness the Disneyland-esque laser light show - a city-wide event that occurs shortly after dark on the weekends. It's quite a thing, especially as many of the effects are mounted on top of the Ritz tower. What a city!

Crystal and I on the 120th floor "Ozone" bar -
what a view!

Crystal on the Kowloon-HK ferry

On Friday night Crystal arranged for us to meet up with her friend Madhit in Central HK. We decided to take the long way from Kowloon, including a ferry ride across the bay, and a stroll up the longest outdoor escalator in the world (according to Crystal). Its quite a thing - they've built a raised walkway that snakes it's way through the tight, hilly streets all the way from the bay to the top of the hill. The powered walkway ferries thousands of people past hundreds of shops and restaurants. You're free to hop off wherever you like, as we did at "The Globe." This is a new venue in town, and their speciality is….. microbrew beer! Horray! I love this town more and more. :-) Madhit met up with us shortly after arriving - this guy is a HOOT. I immediately recognized his Silicon Valley swagger - the kind kind of casual-millionaire party animal that can only be bred in California. The drinks started coming fast (and free!) - beers from all over the world. It didn't take us long to notice the questionable art on the walls, and Madhit had the brilliant idea to try and sell it to the other patrons of the bar! Hilarity ensued as a small, quiet Chinese girl (Crystal), a gangly white boy (me), and a big boombastic Nigerian man (Madhit) did our best to sell some moderately terrible artwork. By the end of the night we had failed at our endeavor - being unable to GIVE the paintings away. However we now knew about half the clientele in the bar, and had had a blast trying. Crystal even made a new friend, and they've been texting back and fourth in the days that have followed.

4/11/13 - Landing and arrival in Hong Kong

Arriving at the Hong Kong International airport was delightful - it's everything you might imagine from a thriving urban metropolis. The infrastructure is clean, crisp and new. Everything works like clockwork - immigration, customs, baggage claims - it all happens in a blink of an eye with no delays or trouble. People are weirdly nice, in a matter-of-fact kind of way. If something needs correction, they'll clearly tell you what you need to know, and send you on your way. I found my way off the plane and through customs. In less than 30 minutes I was whisked off to city center Hong Kong on a modern, clean and quiet train system. Blasting past huge construction sites, and sky-scrapers as far as the eye can see, I can't help but be reminded of a scene from the last Batman movie. A dense fog had settled throughout the city, and a light drizzle was falling. It made the metropolis Gotham-like; foreboding and intriguing a the same time.

Hong Kong is VERY dense - 7 million people live in an area not much larger than San Francisco-Oakland. The urban-planner in me is astounded at the sheer magnitude of it all, particularly how people go about their day relatively efficiently and smoothly, despite the enormous crowds. It took about 30 minutes to get to KowLoon - the neighborhood where my hostel was supposed to be. I'm not sure what I was expecting - perhaps a nice little single-family home with a friendly old lady to welcome me in? WRONG! The "guest house" area of town are a series of old, run-down looking 20-story high rises. Glancing up, I see literally hundreds of old air-conditioners precariously perched all over the side of the building. Dark rainwater streaks run down the building, bringing my eye to the ground floor. Here a mass of people mill about going from shop-to shop. Across the street are all manner of uber-lux stores - Louis Vittuon, Sacs, Coach, etc. On my side of the street are small vendors, food stalls and shops. One small elevator services the entire building, which means you wait 20+ minutes just to get upstairs. When I finally checked into the "Four Seasons Hostel" I was greeted by a couple nice men who kindly checked me into a double-bed private room due to a booking error. Great! The room is small and simple, but clean and serviceable. It's great to have WIFI, as this is the first time in my adult life that I have not had 24/7 access to my cell phone. I quickly fell into a deep sleep after a LONG 23 hours of daylight.

The next morning I stepped out into the damp, dawn air of Kowloon, and was struck by the quiet. Arriving last night had been a hustle and bustle of people and cars and lights, which in my sleep deprived state had been a bit overwhelming. The introvert in me was not-so-secretly happy to be the first one out on the deserted main drag of Kowloon. Gone were the Arab guys from the night before, with their aggressive, arm-grabbing 'guesthouse' salesmanship. The Times-Square-Esque glitz and glamor of three 5th Avenues had all been tuned down, turned off, and shuttered for the night. All that was left was a heavy fog and light drizzle over the street. As I look above, the graphite skyscrapers vanish into a dull grey sky.

I've noticed its difficult for me to find a happy-medium in urban centers when I travel. The always-on lifestyle of dense urban living is too much for me to appreciate at times, but alternatively I found this morning's deserted street quite lonely. I'll look forward to getting out of the city center this afternoon. A surge of hunger and and an addict's need for caffeine quickly had me searching out any place that would feed me. Unfortunately in this high-end part of town, the only thing open at 6:30am was the Sheridan hotel. I thought I could pull the 'ole "sure i'm a guest," and get down on their free buffet, but I guess that's not a thing in HK. The food was delicious - all you can eat waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage, dim sum, fruit salad bar, ETC. The bill however was not so delightful - $270 HKD ($35USD) for this little happy escape.

4/10/13 - Leaving Home and Flight to HK

It turns out that Cathay Pacific is a much better airline than I had expected! When I booked the tickets, the price was dead-lowest, by quite a bit, and I was expecting less than ideal service. So far we've got a clean 747, loaded with a great staff. The best part? The plane's only about 75% full so i've got a window seat, and a vacant spot next to me to pile all my stuff in! I was lucky to get seated next to a nice girl from Hong Kong. She's sweet, and we've been laughing at the non-subtitled Chinese gameshows on the in-flight entertainment system. Oh my!

My first-ever flight on a 747 -
I feel like a giddy little kid!

Yesterday was a whirlwind last-moment prep to leave, and i'm thrilled to announce that I managed to get everything done. Two weeks of relaxing in bed all day, watching Netflix in my underwear certainly came to an abrupt end! I spent another epic 11 hour day working with my long-time buddies Brent and Travis on an absurd sewer-replacement project at my house. What we assumed would be a 4-6 hour dig in the backyard turned into a 20+ hour project spread over two days. When we were done we had tunneled 16 feet underground to the city sewer main - and all this less than 24 hours before i'm supposed to be on a plane! AHHHH! Luckily we only met "El Diablo" a couple times. This is Brent's nickname for the unspeakable atrocities that one may come across while replacing a sewer line (i'll leave it up to your imagination.) While sewer repair is not officially in their repitoir, Brent's company Solaris Construction is a great general contractor partnership based out of Santa Rosa, California. If you need anything done give them a call. New construction, remodel, roofs, fences, decks - you name it they can do it!

The same night, after a VERY through shower I had about 8-10 people over for an outdoor BBQ and dinner on the back porch. It was great so see some old buddies out on my side of the bay - Mara, Ben and Emily, Trav and Brent, and my new housemates Lina and Tim. Mara made us some wonderful burgers and a fresh spinach salad - YUM!

I'm feeling more than a little twinge of sadness for not planning my flight date particularly well. When I but the ticket a month ago I just pulled the trigger and made it happen, forgetting that Derek will be coming home about this time. It wasn't until couple days later that I realized that he was returning on the 12th of April - just over 24 hours after I leave. Anyhow - Derek I'm sorry! It's been so long, I can't wait to see you she I get back.