Travels Chapter 5. Bird Attack.13th April 08

Hello hello,

Well, Sapa I found quite disappointing. I was ripped off on my train
ticket, and found myself not in the 'plush' 1st class cabin I'd paid
for but in a nasty dirty one instead. Whatever - I could still liedown flat and sleep which was the main concern, so that's what I did
and woke up in the mountains the following morning. I was there for 4
days and it rained every day, was cold, and so foggy you couldn't see
any of the 'spectacular' views that surround the town. From the
moment I got off the bus (from the train station) to the moment I left
there were kids and women surrounding me the entire time wanting to
sell some trinket or other. "You buy somethieen from meeee?" -
everywhere.
I was surprised by this because I'd been told by countless other
tourists "Go to Sapa if you want to get away from it all.. its less
spoilt and less discovered bla bla bla.." Well their standards
obviously weren't as high as mine were having just spent 5 weeks in
Laos, a country where no one hassles you at all and where getting off
the beaten track really means that!
Anway, I was impressed by how well the H'Mong and Zoau tribes people
dress.. I mean.. they got style. Embroidered and colourful skirts and
fitted jackets, black velvet leg warmers, and awesome things on their
heads.. H'mong - black cylinder shaped pieces, and Zoau - plaited
bright red woolen creations... they really go for it.. they all wear
the same get up and are proud of it and it looks amazing!

I visited a few nearby villages and was relieved to find a couple of genuinely nice moments with some tribeswomen. I realized that the only
way of engaging with them so that they saw me as being a person beyond
just a means of making money, was to learn a bit of their own dialect
(not Vietnamese). Once I could say just a few bits (hello, thank you,
beautiful) their faces lit up and with sign language I was able to
tell them how old I am, how many sisters I have, no I am not
married...etc etc) One woman gave me a bracelet as a gift followed by
a big smile and a hug... she didn't want anything in return.. which
was very rewarding indeed considering how corrupted by tourism most
that area was.

I had a nasty moment in Hanoi when I arrived back from Sapa off the
overnight train at 4:30am.. I hadn't planned very well.. humm..
thought the train got in at 6am, and the plan was to go and find some
cafe or hotel somewhere that I could sit at and have a coffee until
the city awakened.. however, the whole place was DEAD, apart from the
scuttling of a few rats in the usually hectic streets. Feeling a
little daunted, I told the taxi I was in to take me to the poshest
hotel I could find the guidebook... When we got there he short changed
me by about $20, and refused to give me my money back.. when I started
to raise my voice he got out of the car, threw my bags out onto the
pavement, and drove off, leaving me a a bit shaken standing in the
middle of the road alone in the dark! The hotel didn't have a room
for me, but the sweet receptionist took pity and found me one
somewhere else.. all ok in the end.

That night I had another overnighter, this time a bus, to Hoi An. I
was exhausted by the time I got there, but rewarded by the BEAUTIFUL
surroundings I found myself in. I busied myself getting lots of
dresses tailor made by the very talented tailors that Hoi An is famous
for. It was a bit like doing fashion week in a way.. over the 4 days
I was there, I had about 6 fittings! Much better of course because it
was I that was choosing the fabrics, the colours, the style, telling
the sweet seamstresses 'a little more there, a little shorter there..'
it was a lot of fun..

I ran into a Dutch couple that I'd met in Laos 5 weeks before who I'd
got on really well with. We hung out for most of my stay, and met
some other fascinating people along the way.

After almost 2.5 weeks in Vietnam, I must admit I was not in love with
the country yet. I was starting to get a little tired of being
hassled the whole time.. I was missing the Laos people. Most other
travelers I met were going from Vietnam to Laos, a much better way of
doing it I think. However, I felt an urge to get off the beaten track
just to check. I knew the only way of doing this would be to find
someone / or some people, to drive into the highlands with on a
motorbike. I quite desperately networked the Hoi An social scene each
evening trying to find other travelers who'd be interested in doing
the trip from Hoi An to Pleiku (where I was flying to Saigon from, then
back to Bangkok), but it turned out I was traveling against the
flow.. anyone motorbike friendly had already done the trip but in the
opposite direction, or, they were on a budget, and couldn't afford the
extravagance, bloody backpackers!!!

But then I heard about the 'Easy Riders,' a group of wise old Vietnamese men who take people off on
excursions into the highlands on the back of there bikes, and guide
them through tribal villages along the way. Well, I thought fuck it..
if no one will come with me, I'm going to do it on my own! So I spent
a morning trying to find a real Easy Rider (i.e., not one of the
hundreds of men in the city who own a bike and pose as one). I found
my man. He was called Mr Chau (pronounced Mr Chow) . I got a good vibe from him the moment
I met him... 51, spoke good English, sweet and gentle and quite funny.
So the next afternoon, off we went.. it was the best decision I made during my whole
trip. As we left the city of Hoi An and headed into the mountains, I felt an amazing sense of freedom… we drove into the night, into the unknown… it was dark by the time we reached the first town that we’d be staying in. I get a real high off mystery… not knowing where you’re going, being alone, seizing every moment as yours and yours alone.. some could say I’m a little crazy to go heading off into the mountains with a Vietnamese guy I’d only met the day before!... But hey, I’d been traveling for 2.5 months, and I felt my instincts by this time were trustworthy… They told me Mr Chau was a good man, and they were right.
I ended Vietnam on SUCH a high... We sped through jungly
mountains along the Ho Chi Min trail and Mr Chau taught me about the war and what happened in various places that we visited along the way. It was all quite haunting but amazing at
the same time. I felt as free as a bird as we passed through stunning landscapes, occasionally
putting on a bit of Leftfield on my i-pod to enhance the experience
even more. We visited several villages each day where - finally -
people wanted nothing form me but a wave or a smile... I had many
magical moments... I'm running out of time, and want to save some
stories to tell you in person when I get back, so I won't go into all
of them now..

Just one though...

At the very beginning of our trip, I had the most extraordinary
experience. Mr Chau and I stopped at a road side cafe to get a bite to
eat. As I entered the cafe, there was a flurrying at my feet. I
looked down to see a bird flapping around. Well, my first thought was
that the poor little creature must be crippled or blind but anyway it
was in a panic and trying to get outside. So I stepped aside, but as
I did so, I felt a sharp peck on the middle toe of my left foot. It
then became apparent that the thing was intentionally going for me.
After a few seconds of proper Jax panicking squealing action, I looked
up to find myself back on the pavement, and the bird perched at the
back of the cafe on top of the wall (no ceiling) looking rather
pleased with himself. It was about the size of a large sparrow, dark
brown, with a white marking around its neck, and a large yellow beak.
Mr Chau and the locals were laughing at me and ushering me back into
the cafe, telling me it was ok, the bird is over there now.. all ok.
I was bewildered. I couldn't believe that the bird had actually just
attacked me... I told myself, Jax, its a bird... not a dog,
a bird. Don’t be so silly.. go back inside the cafe.. the bird has
nothing against you.. Well it turned out it did. For each step I
cautiously took back into the cafe, the bird took a hop from one table
to another in my direction. And then, before I knew what was going
on, my arms and legs were flailing in all sorts of directions... it
was War. With my helmet in one hand, I frantically lashed out at the
most evil creature I have ever come across in my life. I was ready to
kill, and so was he it seemed. He had very fast wings that enabled him
to hover like a helicopter above me and then take diving sweeps
towards my vulnerable body and feet. I must have looked a real
sight.. kicking, squealing, spinning around, lasing out.. until I
found myself back on the pavement again. Believe it or not, this
happened once more before Mr Chau finally agreed it might be a good
idea to go somewhere else to eat. I walked away utterly defeated and
totally bewildered... still am!

OK.. I have to go.. will see you all very soon I hope.. although I am
quite depressed its all over I CAN'T WAIT to see you all!!

To NY this week, Back in London beginning of May..

xxx Jax