"Can I go for a Bike Ride"

Weekend bikers.  Not always easy on the spouse

Bike to Work Week

I was able to bike to work just a single day of "Bike to Work" week earlier this month -- and biking in urban Boston is about as different as biking in Laos as you can get. Of course the roads are in much better shape.  And of course there are more cars.

Here's what surprised me though.   Through our entire 800 km in Vietnam and Laos, I never saw another recreational cyclist.  I saw entire families on motorbikes (sometimes with a refrigerator or some other unlikely luggage).  I saw small children on beat up single speed bikes.  But I never saw another western cyclist (except the fellow riders and guides on our trip).

Boston, on the other hand, is full of recreational cyclists.  Many ride bikes fancier and more expensive than mine, and a large portion of them, though not all, wear helmets.  

But here's what they don't do. They don't obey "one way" signs.  They don't slow down for stop signs. They don't push to the right if they are going slowly, and they don't call out "on your left" when they are speeding ahead.

I miss the car-free miles on the roads in Laos.  However, I am surprised to also miss the lack of fellow cyclists now that I'm back in the states.

The highlight of my ride home was a stop in Fresh Pond where a red-tailed hawk family has made a  nest on a fascade of an office building. Here's a link to a video from the Boston Globe.  There is frequently a carnival around the office building, with a gaggle of onlookers, some with cameras that have lenses longer than my forearm.  Even without binoculars you can see the parents and at least one of the chicks.   This is a sight,of course, that you would never see in Laos!

Sticky Rice (and Clean Water)

One thing I learned in Laos was that I love sticky rice.  I finally found some (Thai Glutinous) sticky rice here in the US (Three Elephants Brand) -- and followed directions from a blog and the rice came out - well - not quite as good as in Laos - but awfully good.  I also cooked some tofu with red curry/coconut sauce and an eggplant red chili dip - here's a photo from this evening.

The bamboo shoots just didn't come out quite right - maybe next time. 

You might notice the tell-tale bottle of water on the table -and notice that many of the plates are disposable.  Why, you might ask?  We had a "catastrophic" water main break in suburban Boston, and 2 million of us in Eastern Massachusetts are now boiling our water (or drinking bottled water).   Another thing I learned in Vietnam and Laos - how to brush my teeth with bottled water.

Here's a photo of the water section at Target in Watertown, a few hours after the announcement of the water main break:

My Photo URLs - 3/14-3/26

Here are links to all of my photos for the bicycle trip from SaPa, Vietnam, to Luang Prabang Laos. 

Roll One: First Day in Hanoi (3/13) 

Roll Two: First full day in Hanoi (3/14)  

Roll Three: First day of riding in SaPa, (3/15)Northwestern Vietnam 

Roll Four: Second day of riding from SaPa (3/16) 

Roll Five:  To Muong Lay (3/17) 

Roll Six: To Lai Chau (3/18) 

Roll Seven: To Dien Bien Phu (3/19-3/20)
Roll Eight: To Muang Khoua, Laos (3/21)
Roll Nine: To Udom Xai (3/22)
Roll Ten: To Luang Prabang (3/23) 

Roll Eleven: Luang Prabang (3/23) 

Roll Twelve: Back to Hanoi (3/24-3/25) 

Roll Thirteen: Seoul, Korea  (3/26) 

More Vietnam Photos

Nick Kozel of Minneapolis, a much more accomplished photographer than I am, took a few hundred great photos - and ultimately posted 36 that he likes most.    Here's one of his lesser works -- which does give you a sense of the road quality in Northwestern Vietnam.   The next photo shows multimodal transportation -- our guide Binh, me, Rick, a motorscooter, and a water buffalo all traveling up the road.   Motors win - and the water buffalo aren't as slow and lumbering as they look either. 

 

Here's a photo Nick took of Bill, a retired teacher, showing village children their image on his camera.  He had a wonderful way of bringing out the kids - who just adored him. 

Actually, everyone Bill photographed loved him -including two butcher women at one of the open air markets.  I'm guessing his camera got a bit grimy with this shot - but it was worth it. 

Nick's selected photos are at this link.  

I'll be posting links to all of my photos (using Shutterfly.com) in the next few days, and continuing to excerpt what I think are the best ones from the trip. I have a few stories left, too.

SaPa, Vietnam

Three Red Dao (pronounced Zhou) women

Mist shrouding the mountains near SaPa, Vietnam 

Terraced hillsides (and bikes)

Wreckage of French Catholic Monastery destroyed during war against colonialism

Hearth in Dao hut

Hut exterior

Hanoi Photos

1. A shop front from the "mannequin district"

2. Hanoi is a 'cafe society.'  Seems like everyone eats outdoors

3. Did I mention that Hanoi has resident roosters?

4. The Things They Carried

5. You'd hate to be a telephone lineman here!

6. Throughout Vietnam, there were what I believe were private lottery tables (bookies - out on the corners openly)

 More photos coming as I look through the stash.