2 March 2020
We booked our cycling tour with Shebikeshebikes. This included the bikes, accomodation, transporting our bags, and relocating our car. The cycling was for 2 days, from Omakau to Wedderburn to Hyde. The nights accomodation was in Wedderburn.
Maylene was very amused that they were listed as kids in the booking form, aged 23 and 25 year old.
We were fitted to our bikes, had a practice round, labelled our bags, handed our car keys over, and then on our way.
The trail was easy to follow because it was actually a railway line, with the rails removed and the track smoothed over (but still gravelly).
I led the way with Maylene behind me, and Marcus bringing up the rear. Marcus yelled at Wang Theng to turn right and follow me, but she turned left.
I then found the start of the trail and the ride started properly.
There were cows to look at. And 10 minutes into the ride, we stopped for morning tea.
The trail took us over bridges and long flat stretches of the Otago plains. We had to dismount and walk through a few short tunnells.
There were cafes along the way for lunch. And by mid afternoon we were at Wedderburn where our lodge and luggage awaits us.
While everyone else was resting, I checked out the local and only pub.
They had Speights on tap and impressively, Wellington's Panhead Supercharger APA.
The menu had some meaty choices, so I told the publican lady we'll be here for dinner at 6.30.
There were a couple of Maori road gang guys having a smoke and Speights outside, so a Kia Ora to them as I cycled past back to our lodge.
At 6.30, the 3 of us walked to the pub while Wang Theng was drying her hair. Marcus took a photo from across the road.
Then we settled down to read the menu.
Both Marcus and I decided we'd have the roast lamb. Me half portion and Marcus full portion. We enjoyed the hearty meal due to the efforts of the day.
Being too tired to linger, it was a slow stroll back to the lodge. The panorama here is quite lovely.
3 March 2020
It appears the cycling pace and the downhills was too much for Wang Theng. She is sore all over and has shoulder cramps from tensing and braking too much on the gentle downhills on the trail.
I arranged for her to be on the bus that picks up our luggage from Wedderburn to Hyde, our final stop. The bus has a few other pickups along the way, so it was a mini tiki tour for Wang Theng.
And then there were only 3.
The second day ride was pretty much through the same landscape as the first.
The pace was faster, because we didn't have to wait for you know who.
While I used one of the Dept of Conservation self composting toilet, Marcus and Maylene wandered down to the river.
A white horse from a farm beckoned, so Maylene stopped to say hello.
The horse was very rude, after a few moments, it turned around and farted at her. While Marcus and I were very amused, this was not a shared feeling by the other person present.
We arrived in Hyde at noon, where we found Wang Theng and the car. The plan was to find lunch, and then try some curling at Naseby. Coronavirus was not much of thing down here yet. We stopped at the Manoitoto International Curling Centre to book our curling session. The guy there said there was a pub in Naseby.
We had fish and chips, and as I have to drive to Queenstown (shared driving with Marcus), I was not tempted to drink their beer. The publican asked me where we are from, Wellington I said. Back at the curling centre, the guy took us through the game, techniques and scoring. We had to put on rubber socks over our shoes to walk on the ice. The goal was to slide the rock with the appropriate weight to stop on the red spot on the target, or as close as.
The sweeping is to assist your own rock get to the red spot. Sweeping the opponents rock will make their rock overshoot. It was a fun 90 mins, especially for the winners.
11 Nov 2019
Our driver picked us up at 9 am for the 3 hour drive to Ha Long bay. There were two young women from the UK, a couple of Australians, and a Swiss couple in the van with us.
After a coffee stop at an oyster/pearl shop, we were at the pier waiting for the motor boat to take us to the cruise.
I am thinking these are the boats for the budget cruises.
Our boat was a bit flashier.
We got a pretty flash room, with a big bath, balcony etc.
We had lunch in the galley where the crew was introduced to the guests.
The cruise director gave us a run down of timing and itinerary. The only thing I memorised was that happy hour 2 for 1 was 5.30 to 7pm.
We had a short break and were taken kayaking through caves and coves in the afternoon.
The beers for lunch didn't help with balancing the kayak. Luckily we managed to stay in the kayak the whole afternoon.
We did have to to be rescued by the kayak guide when we got stuck on a rock bar.
There was a pile up of kayaks waiting for us to be dislodged.
I was happy to be back on the boat for a refreshing shower, and joining the rest of the guests for happy hour and dinner.
My steak for dinner was pretty horrible. Generally speaking, the vegetables and herbs in Vietnam are exceptional. The freshness, aroma and fragrance are unmatched.
The meat however are a different story. The chicken is so tough and stringy, I reckon these retired egg laying hens could either supply a tyre factory or be our dinner. The beef are from farmed geriatric water buffaloes which should rightly be made into belts and shoes, but we had them for dinner.
It was boomer rock with the Filipino band after dinner, to which the young stayed late and the old, not so much.
12 Nov 2019
There is not a lot to do in Ha Long Bay, so to keep up the illusion of activity, we were taken on a 45 min drive to this cave that was an army hospital during the Vietnam US war.
Able bodied people struggled the steps to get there. So I don't know how the wounded did it. There is no wheel chair access.
The hospital was located in the caves to protect from the B52 bombing of Hai Phong harbour by the Americans.
I suspect this facility is more of a morale boosting exercise for the common soldiers, rather than an effective field hospital.
We were out of there in 20 mins and back on our boat for check out and brunch.
While my feedback was generally positive, I did complain about the hospital cave visit.
We were both confronted about this feedback, much to the amusement of the English girls in our van.
By 3 pm we were back in Hanoi, for some heavy duty shopping of Legend coffee beans and North Face stuff before meeting William for a drink at one of the many sky bars and dinner (for William).
13 Nov 2019
After a very nice breakfast at the Rex Hotel, we were picked up and sent home courtesy of Malindo. A very nice trip indeed, with Hanoi being the highlight.
9 Nov 2019
Still in Sapa, we visited the highest peak in Vietnam today. I GPSed the height and it was 3,150 metres.
The peak is called Fansipan. So you drive or train to the cable car, pay RM140 for a return cable car ticket.
Here they are waiting to stampede.
And then measure your height to confirm if you have the correct child or adult ticket. Apparently there are no adults taller than 170cm in Vietnam.
Ta May is our tour guide, modelling by the ruler.
We got on the cable car which plunged into the clouds below before rising to the top of Fansipan peak.
We climbed about 50 floors worth of steps. Walked several Ks on this hill top complex.
There were Buddhas, mini temples and pagodas all the way up to the peak.
And we made it to the peak where a photo with the Vietnam star flag was mandatory.
We rewarded ourselves with a salmon hot pot lunch.
I normally don't take baths, but I did that night. And we slept well.
10 Nov 2019
Being super efficient with our itinerary, we were done with the planned tours. Having a few hours to kill before our ride to Hanoi, we walked around Sapa township.
The only thing cool about the town is the temperature. There is too much construction and mess going on to make it a pleasant place for a walkabout.
The people there were of course wonderful, very polite, patient (with us) and helpful.
These cute littlies were dressed up and sent out to sell trinklets in the streets.
Our driver picked us up from Pistachio Hotel at 3pm and we arrived in Hanoi at 9 pm. A quick Pho Gai dinner across the road from our Rex Hotel, and we retired for an early start to Ha Long Bay in the morning.
