LJ versus the monkey. (Trip Day 1)
Trip Start
Sep 19, 2002
1
96
129
Trip End
Sep 22, 2003
Central Highlands,
Vietnam
Sunday, June 1, 2003
We began with breakfast in a local travellers cafe and this was to be the last time we would see a white face for the next 4 days! Off we went with me behind Binh (who spoke the better English of the two) and Pip behind Chung (who had a very funny face) and we were soon roaring through the countryside of the Central Highlands heading back north. This was quite scary for us as all the places they had talked about were not in the Lonely Planet. These books cover virtually every square inch of soil in every country but much of the central highlands has been out of bounds to tourists until recently and are only more accesible now becuase the government is trying to quash rumours of there being "re-education camps" still in existence. There is also talk that this is where the thousand of "Missing In Actions" are being kept / buried so the area has seen VERY few westerners (since the war anyway.) Our first stop was a little hut in a Ma tribe minority village containing a woman making what looked like pancakes on skillets on the floor. She was actually making rice paper circles (a bit like popodums) and there was a small child precariously close to the furnace but they didn't seem to notice. In this house (the hut was their factory and home!) they were also making rice wine. This is distilled using old mushroom compost and coffee bean husks as fuel and the waste product is fed to the pigs. We've learnt that nothing is wasted in Vietnam as they cannot afford to just chuck things away. We tried a slug of the first litre which is about 80% proof and were glad we were not driving the bikes after that!
We stopped again to sample some local fruits and we picked a pineapple and ate it in the garden within a few minutes. There were some new born piglets there as well and the Chill people (a sub tribe of the Ma) were amazed when I started snorting to them as no-one ever speaks to the animals in Vietnam. We saw so many puppies on our 4 day trip that Binh and Chung got quite used to me making a fuss of any passing animals but never really understood it (dogs are for the pot over here). In another minority village (the Mlom people) we met a couple who were having their second baby although the wife hid behind a post while we were there as she wasn't used to white people. We had bought some pens and pencils for the trip as we don't like to give sweets out but this was actually the first place where they knew what to do with them! The rest of the time they would have probably tried to eat them - after all, having enough food is their primary concern. Most of the villagers we met have just enough land to grow a little food for themselves although many of them are actually farmers. We saw coffee, tea, advocado, jack fruit and pappaya as well as the veg, corn and rice staples. As we cruised through the countryside our arms became sore at the amount of waving we did. Children rushed from houses on seeing the bikes and cheered and waved like mad things shouting "hello" at the tops of their voices and then laughing hysterically when we waved back. Most of these kids were only half dressed and any clothing they were wearing would have made Robinson Crusoe look like he was fitted out in Saville Row. They all had little pot bellies from lack of food and I was soon wishing I could give them all a good feed and a cuddle (and some pants and shoes!) These people were so kind, always inviting us into their little huts if we stopped nearby,and they were proud to show off their wares like the little girls making conical hats in the doorway of a mud hut. We were awestruck by their cheerfullness too as they were always smiling and laughing, even if they didn't have a stitch of clothing between them all.
We've mentioned the weather. Well at one point it rained so hard that we couldn't see but luckily it was very close to our lunch stop. Binh and Chung had taken care of everything and we didn't even have to order food, it just appeared. We had deer, morning glory, heaps of rice, soup, omellette and fox as they didn't have any porcupine. Apparently fox tastes like dog which they eat often here too. After the downpour we continued on our journey to Lak Village which is actually a tourist village where Mnong people live. However,it felt like we were the only westerners to ever go there and they all stared in amazement as we pulled up on the bikes. We stayed the night in a long house with chickens, kittens and all manner of insects with us and cows and pigs roaming around underneath. We had a quick scout around while the boys unloaded the bikes and I noticed yet another set of monkeys in a cage which I really hate but they love in Vietnam. Obviously I didn't attempt to stroke the animals and kept what I thought was a safe distance. I did notice though that these monkeys had their ears pierced with gold rings. I turned around to tell Pip what I'd seen and I suddenly felt myself being pulled backwards by my hair. Realising that I was in the grip of one of the monkeys who had put his arms through the extra large holes I hadn't seen, I began to panic and scream, but I didn't scream as loud as the monkey who had hold of my hair! Eventually I broke free and managed to get Pip's attention. "Oh was that you screaming or the monkey?" He found it quite funny until he saw how shaken I was and took me for a cup of tea to calm down. Unfortuntely the lady in the shop spoke no English so we pointed to the Vietnamese tea pot. After a few little glasses of this beverage we have come to enjoy we tried to pay. We then found out it wasn't a cafe but a silk shop and the tea was free for people looking at buying things! In their typically generous fashion she waved us off with a big smile and we ran back to the safety of our guides. The evening was spent drinking a jar of minority rice wine through a straw and listening to Chung's singing. He sang songs from the war and it was then we learnt that they had both fought for the south in the war and consequently spent time in one of the "re-education camps".
With all the activity of the day and so many new experiences, and the tales of the war from the boys, coupled with the sheer noise of the animal farm we were staying in, sleep was not going to come easy tonight!
