Local hải sản (seafood) restaurant puts others to shame...

Added note, 8 December 2015: Patronize this restaurant at your own peril. Last night, for the second consecutive visit, about 60% of the crab claws were "OLD". By that, I mean that they tasted ammonia-ish and were inedible.

I spit the first one out and started sniffing each before eating it. In the west, they would've gone back after the first one but, remember... I live in Việt Nam—the land of no returns or refunds. The second bad one went on the table. When I hit the third bad claw, I called the owner over and told her via Google Translate:

She shot me about two sentences of something I didn't understand and went back to work, leaving the plate of claws in front of me. I'm pretty sure she told me that she didn't care... or similar. I then put on my jacket and helmet, walked to where she was cooking, showed her a second screen:

paid the 65,000 ($3) I owed (it's Việt Nam!), and left.

She knows I'm a good customer because she greets me every time with a warm smile and "Xin Chao" (Hello) and, while I am getting seated, she brings over the bag of kitten food that I bought (third one) for her two kittens that were previously surviving on scraps, and feeds them. Other customers arrive and she might acknowledge them with a nod.

Yet she does nothing to keep me as a customer... like replace the bad claws with good or, what a concept, replace the whole damn plate!

Patronize her at your own peril.

************************************

This little restaurant merits its own post...

When you come to Đà Lạt, you will have many choices of restaurants, some good, some horrendous, and some outstanding. In this way it's like most other places that aren't England.

In previous posts, I wrote about some of my favorites. For most of those listed in TripAdvisor's database, I wrote reviews. Ninety percent of the restaurants that the relatively non-affluent locals frequent are not in TA, and well-behaved foreigners are welcome at all of them—at least that's my experience; less so at some of the even more numerous cafés.

A couple months ago, My (pronounced "me") introduced me (yes, I know) to another place:

1. In which I'm always the only foreigner
2. Owned by a friend of hers

A daytime shot so you know what you're looking for at night

Which is this...

this...

And especially this!

We both highly recommend the crab (cua) claws... and the snails (ốc). Especially the cua! It's somehow fresher and more firm than what you get in a similar restaurant in Saigon and HALF the price. The other night we each had a bowl of crab claws (she like them with more spice that I, the guy who used to carry hot sauce everywhere he went, do) and shared a bowl of clams in lemongrass broth, and a few Bò Húc (Red Bull).

At this point, we're already well-into the cua...

The total bill was 200,000 VND (US$9) and we were FULL!

Here's the location on Google maps:

By the time you get to Dalat, you will probably already know about VN's "freeform" street number assignations. It's at the high point on that road and on the right as you come from town... you'll find it.

Enjoy!

Catching up with photos and notes...

It's been a while since my last catch-all post, and I've accumulated a number of photos and experiences that I want to share... non-sequentially...

1)
Some route guidance for approaching Dalat from the south:
You are on QL20. A couple hundred meters after the airport entrance (on your left), you will come to a roundabout with signs showing that the second exit takes you to Dalat—and it does if you are on four wheels. If you take the second exit, a few more hundred meters after the roundabout, on the nicely-paved highway, you will see this sign:

If you are on two wheels, you will then have to turn around, return to the roundabout, and take the second exit—the one I'm going to show you now so you can avoid rounding the roundabout. Follow the map's blue line...

This keeps you on QL20 and you still end up at the bottom of the hill that climbs beautifully into town, just a little later. There is a hard left followed by a right up a ramp (don't go through the underpass) just after the Langfarm/Prenn Waterfall entrance (tour buses abound) that is easy to miss.

No worries if you do miss it, you'll just enter town a bit further east.  If that happens, take a left at the next roundabout (top of the LONG hill)—and you'll see the lake on your right. 

Did you notice how I positioned the camera so the tree branches match the peaks?
Can you guess why the local guides call that "Woman Mountain"? ;-)

2)
The Clueless Abroad came to my attention earlier this month because I started talking with two young travelers who were sitting near me at One More Café in Đà Lạt. Kasia and Manu are traveling a LOT of places (currently in Lao) and seek out whatever interests them. They may've started out clueless (hence the name of their blog), though my guess is that those moments are now fewer and farther between. A few days after meeting and talking at-length, they found me enjoying a bowl of gumbo in Saigon and gifted me with the first of their newly-printed cards.... which, I am ashamed to admit, I misplaced so I am unable to show you a photo of it :(

Check out their blog; I think you'll enjoy their style.

3)
Many readers of this blog come to VN and decide, either before or after they arrive, to buy or rent a motorbike and ride from Saigon to Hanoi or Hanoi to Saigon. If you start in Saigon, one of the shops you will probably visit is run by this guy:

He works out of this office at 19 Do Quang Dau

And this lot across the street

Do NOT buy a motorbike from him!!!
He sells repainted and prettied-up bikes that aren't worth half of what you'll pay and, when the bike breaks down—if you're lucky, while you're still in Saigon; if you're unlucky, after you're out in the boonies—he will refuse to fix it or to refund your money. Remember, this is Vietnam and there are no returns. Once the money changes hands, it's yours.

How do I know this? During my many trips to Saigon, I've talked with well over a dozen young men and women who had just this experience and were looking for a way out. There are usually two options, both at added expense:

• Buy another bike and forget this one
• Pay another $100 or more to get it repaired properly

Save yourself the aggravation and buy from a reputable shop. My favorite shop, where I've bought three scooters and a motorcycle in 18 months and they're all still running well (I gave or sold them to friends is how I know) is Flamingo Travel at 30A Do Quang Dau—just down the street.

Ask for Cong (that's him in the blue shirt) and he'll set you up at a fair price. Their prices are a little higher than the other shops; money well-spent if you want a well-prepared bike that'll get you all the way to Hanoi and beyond. The shop phone number is +84 (0) 98 675 1020.

Their HQ is in Hanoi, and the web site is pretty much Hanoi-specific. If you go to or call the Hanoi shop (+84 (0) 4 3926 0938), ask for Hung (the owner) or Chris (a Brit) and you'll get the same top-level treatment. It won't hurt if you tell them I sent you, though it won't help much, either... they treat everyone very well, regardless.

4)
On occasion, I write about the traffic here and, most recently, how it is important to ride like you are invisible. The photo below demonstrates why...

A few months ago I was riding the cruiser along a two-lane road when I saw an inter-city minivan coming toward me. He suddenly veered across the center of the road (lanes are fluid here and any lines, even double white, are simply decoration) and headed directly AT me! I moved as far to the right as was possible, though that was restricted by the badly timed obstacle of people walking along the side of the road exactly where I needed to go... so I hit the brakes as strongly and safely as I could just as the minivan driver's side-view mirror SLAMMED into my left-side mirror! Keep in mind here, that the mirror sits about four inches above my left hand.

WTF???

There was no other traffic on his side of the road and ABSOLUTELY NO REASON for the minivan driver to swerve toward me. Had I done anything other than what I did, my passenger and I would probably be dead. I finished coming to a stop and immediately started shaking. I'm sure that both my pulse and my blood pressure shot sky-high as my passenger quietly swore in Vietnamese.

I turned to look for the minivan and, as is standard here, it didn't even slow down in search of its next kill.

This experience is one of the reasons that I will do whatever I can to avoid ever riding in one of those things. The big buses might be a little scary, but after many months of daily observation, I'm pretty sure the minivan companies hire only psychopaths as drivers.

If you ride outside the cities in VN, you will soon learn that when the trucks and buses coming the other way want to pass, they will take up most of your lane, leaving you about a foot more than the width of your bike—two feet if they're feeling generous. The minivans give no quarter, and even the locals slow down and move as far to the right as they can; sometimes even off onto the shoulder.

This is a similar minivan—the bike is okay 'cause the minivan's stopped ;-)

We were lucky that day. The mirror was a cheap fix. A number of foreigners I've spoken with before and since ended up with broken bones after failing to get completely off the road for an on-coming minivan.

It's Việt Nam!

5)
Nomadasaurus is a blog written by Lesh and Jazza, and it chronicles their overland backpacking journey from Thailand to South Africa. I never met them and am unsure how I first heard/read about their blog... and I welcome every email telling me there's a new post/adventure. Theirs is a very different journey from mine and I hope you will check it out.

6)
Phở Quỳnh at the corner of Pham Ngu Lao and Do Quang Dau is still my favorite phở restaurant and my first stop every time I go to Saigon... before checking into the hotel.

7)
Check out these adventurers having way too much fun: The Adventurists

8)
Back in July, I wrote about tires and tire pressure. This article on motorcycle tires just came to my attention and I'm sharing it for those who would like a little more information (see the end of the article for tire pressure information).

9)
And finally...

Japanese Rube Goldberg Machine Becomes An Epic Adventure Story

American politics

This is worth watching, no matter your politics... and especially if you get all your news from Fox!

The search for the ideal—for me—waterproof motorcycle luggage is over

Two years ago, as I planned my first trip to Việt Nam, I searched the Internet and local stores for motorcycle luggage. Because of the limited-to-no availability of motorcycle luggage in VN, I planned to carry it with me on the plane trip to/from. Hard panniers

do not fit inside conventional luggage and even the largest are relatively small compared to the average suitcase. They therefore add to the number of bags checked at $150-175 per bag after the first two, so I only considered soft-sided luggage that would compress almost flat for air transport. My only "must have" was waterproof, immediately narrowing the possibilities by (I'm guessing here) about 60%. My definition of waterproof excludes those pieces that need a rain cover, in part because I've had them blow off, reducing it to "normal" and sopping wet. The only exception to this is my tank bag because I've yet to find one of any design that is truly waterproof.

Click here for the blog post in which I detailed my reasoning for the luggage I chose to use two years ago. It worked well at the time, and now I'm looking to stretch/extend my horizons. That post is, by the way, the most frequently viewed of the 170+ posts on this blog to-date.

Stretching my horizons includes of a 'round the world (RTW) motorcycle adventure that would kick off within the next year, I've spent considerable time thinking about many aspects of such a trip:

• What motorcycle to take (size/brand/model)
• What modifications will it need or will I want?
• Where I want to go/what I want to experience
• What tools/equipment to take
• What clothes to take
• What electronics take
• Solo or with partner(s)?
• What motorcycle luggage to use
• How long will it take (Answered: As long as it takes)
• And so on...

There are many hundreds of web sites and blogs on these topics and hundreds of thousands of opinions. Most of the topics I listed are greatly subjective; while I think I'll want a 600cc or larger bike, there's a guy currently on an RTW astride a 50cc Honda Ruckus.

I'd need one for each leg...

Selection of tools is significantly less subjective with the generally accepted wisdom seems to be to take the basics and then, "everything else you can shoehorn into your bags."

I use the web site sites for ideas on products/items to consider, and to gather facts and information; I first learned of the existence of both my Redverz tent and my LuxuryLite camping cot, both of which I raved about in a recent post, on one such site. It will come as no surprise to those who know me that I'm what is called an internal decision maker—I form my own opinion and the opinions of others are of little-to-no importance or influence. That's neither good nor bad, it just is.

Luggage... Hard or soft?

Hard keeps the bike relatively more upright when it's dropped; is more susceptible to damage when dropped hard; is waterproof unless severely damaged; adds undesired weight; can damage the meat popsicle in a hard crash; can be securely locked; and is virtually impossible to remove when properly attached and locked.

Soft flexes more when then bike is dropped; is waterproof in some styles; is difficult to secure against theft/vandalism; is lightweight; and probably won't damage the owner in a collision.

Some riders use both with hard panniers (the metal or fiberglass boxes) and a soft bag or three on top; there are literally millions of possible permutations...

After three days with the hard panniers on the DR, I decided that I was definitely going with soft bags—especially after I saw the MoskoMoto bags that one of the instructors had on his GS1200. Although I'd read a little about the brand, this was the first time I actually saw them in-person. He has the Backcountry Pannier Kit, and they require side racks.

Since my DRZ lacks side racks, buying them would necessitate a couple hundred more dollars expense... and add another two items to what I'm lugging back to VN in my already over-loaded luggage. Not gonna happen!

I was VERY impressed with the quality and versatility and he had only good things to say about his experience with them. He suggested that I look at the Reckless 80 system (the name is a play on the fact that they are rack-less ;-) As soon as I got back to Tacoma, I looked up MoskoMoto's web site and went over my options. Within 10 minutes, I'd ordered the Reckless 80 system,

the 40L Backcountry Duffle,

and two large storage bags that attach securely to either the Reckless or the Duffel using Molle sticks.

I left for Canada and the HU Travellers' Meeting before they arrived, so I used the hard boxes and a few waterproof soft bags for that trip... where I met someone using the same system I awaited. Everything he told me about his experience with it reinforced my buying decision.

One of the first things I did when I got home to Đà Lạt was fit the system to my DRZ. It fits beautifully and I'm now even more looking forward to my next trip! If I am unable to fit everything in the two components, then I'm definitely over-packing.

I strongly recommend that, before you buy ANY motorcycle luggage, check out MoskoMoto. They're a small company with great (and beautiful) product and outstanding customer service. Even more importantly, they probably have something that's just what you're looking for.

If you decide to buy MoskoMoto luggage because of what I wrote, please tell the company. Who knows? They may choose to become a sponsor of my upcoming RTW adventures...

Traveling to (and in and from) America... Part Three: Around the world in four countries

30 August—Family & Friends
How she does it, I will never know. Every year, Liz invites a LOT of people (both family and friends) to join her at a Tacoma Rainiers game for food, beer, conversation, fun, and birthday cake in whatever order works for them. I've been fortunate to remain on the guest list since Liz and I first met. Knowing her as I do, it's for more than my ensuring everyone gets photographed—even those (both family and friends) whom I would rather hoist up the flagpole by their private parts for how they've treated her over the years. I did omit photos of three of them who had the huevos to show up to eat and drink on Liz's dime while pretending they're human. If you were there and are wondering if I'm referring to you, one is blood; the second is married to one; and the third is a gym rat whose name starts with "Blake".

Whomever first said "blood is thicker than water" never could've imagined how seriously Liz takes it. She's a heart with feet...

As always, there was too much food and just enough beer, wine, and laughter. Thank you, Liz, from someone who does not have the "sports fan" gene, for a great Sunday afternoon at the ballpark!

Thanks, Liz, for another memorable party!

03 September—I usually travel overseas using Alaska Airlines’ frequent flyer miles, so I am "constrained" to the selection of travel dates and airlines available at the moment I call to make a reservation. The good news is that Alaska is apparently still considered a “regional carrier” by the BIG boys, so they offer a wide variety of partner airlines and, therefore, possible destinations. The less-than-good news is that I sometimes get to call 10-15 times over a period of weeks to book flights on or near the dates I want to travel. The better news is that by doing this, I usually end up with either the flights I want or flights awfully close to them.

One of the nice thing about flying on miles is the price— ~$100 total out-of-pocket in taxes/fees for a Business or First Class ticket for which others pay up to $14,000. Another is the ability to layover in the connecting city for no extra fee. In 30+ years of racking up frequent flyer miles, I’ve flown overseas and free to:

• The UK
• Spain
• Oceana (Australia/New Zealand)
• The Philippines (x3)
• Peru
• Việt Nam (x4)
• Mexico
• The Caymans

Depending on the airline flown, the free tickets had me changing planes in and often spending some time in Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, Vancouver (BC), LA, San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Tokyo, Seoul, and now Dubai. Without frequent flyer miles, there is no way I'd either get to travel to 27 countries or need to add pages to my less-than-three-year-old passport. Without FF miles, I might still be living in the U.S. with little chance to explore the world, let alone live in Việt Nam.

The wonderful cabin crews and very high level of service offered make Cathay Pacific my Pacific Rim airline of choice. They connect to Asia/Oceana via Hong Kong and over the years I’ve spent enough time in HK that I no longer take advantage of the layover opportunity—unless I want to visit the excellent tailor (House Tailor), to whom I was introduced just before my first visit in 2003.

Cathay flights were unavailable for award (free) travel in the timeframe I wished to return to VN, so I took what was offered—Emirates and my first flight on the massive A380 double-decker jumbo jet seating 90 upstairs in First and Business Class and 399 downstairs in Economy (a.k.a. Steerage). I didn't even realize I was upstairs until I looked out the window... and down to the wing while playing with the powered double window shades

Flying Emerites is how I got to spend about 45 hours in Dubai on my recent return to VN. I looked forward to Dubai because it was the first, and probably only, time I would visit the Middle East. I’m unsure if it’s the HEAT (102F on arrival) or my perception of the areas, but the Middle East and Africa (with the exception of Morocco and Egypt) were never on my list of places I want to visit.

Now that I’ve visited the city with the world’s highest building(Burj Khalifa)

and the world’s tallest hotel (the twin-tower JW Marriott Marquis, where I stayed [again free with points] on the 60th floor),

my interest in further exploration of the area is even less than before.

The JW Marriott Marquis and its staff were great—in part because my Gold level granted me an upgrade to a great room with an incredible bathroom,

access to the Concierge level, and the Executive Lounge with a daily free breakfast buffet as well as a Happy Hour with food sufficient to replace dinner.

Dubai is HOT, expensive, and crowded. This time of year, the skies are quite opaque and grey do to the inversion layer, so the few photos I took are less than impressive. Lucky you, I’m still posting them because I forgot to look for pretty postcards at the airport.

My first morning in Dubai, I woke up at 3 a.m. and could NOT get back to sleep. At 4, I gave up trying to sleep, checked email, showered, and waited for the 6 a.m. start of the Executive Lounge breakfast. After filling up on fruit, muesli, cheese, cereal, yogurt, and green tea, I went back to the room and took a three-hour nap. Dubai is literally on the other side of the world and 12 time zones from the Pacific Northwest and I had a BAD case of jet lag. When I woke at 10:30, I seriously considered lying about all day. The only reason I didn’t was that this was my one chance to see a little of Dubai—so I drug my sorry ass out of the hotel and dumped it in a taxi.

Sunday traffic was surprisingly heavy until I remembered that Thursday and Friday are the Arab world’s weekend and their Sunday is the same as our Tuesday. The 35 durien cab ride dropped me at the dock for the boats that cross the Dubai Creek—a river by Western standards. The driver would’ve happily taken me all the way to the Spice Souk, but I’d read about the boats and wanted the experience.

One durien (about 28 cents, US) gets you across

and into the arms of the vendors of hand-made shoes, cashmere scarves, and tacky souvenirs. I succumbed and bought a pair of hand-made shoes for a friend in VN. Note: Size 35 in the UAE is significantly larger than size 35 in Asia—they didn't fit :-(

I walked around the Spice Souk, took some photos, bought a kilo each of cashews and pistachios, and grabbed lunch at a street café...

This is a cooling tower... the predecessor to modern air conditioning

The metro is modern, quiet, clean, and quite crowded. It cost 8.5 durien to ride from near the Spice Souks to the Dubai Mall… about US$2.38 and 10% the cost of a taxi, hence the crowds. While transferring from one line to the next, I stood in the shortest queue—until a nice local gentleman informed me that I was queuing for the “Women and children only” car. I shuffled over to the everybody car and thanked him for saving me. I don’t know what the penalty is for not seeing the big and bright fuscia “Women and children only” signs both on the glass doors and on the floor, though I’m sure I do not want to find out.

After disembarking at the “Dubai Mall” Metro Station, it’s a 10 minute or so walk through a wide air-conditioned walkway to the actual mall, during which you pass the Burj Khalifa about 150 meters away. If you’re me, you spend half the walk thinking that you missed the sign you were looking for telling you how to get there. You would be wrong…

Follow the crowd and take a left upon entering the Mall (your only viable option). Then bear right and look for an escalator. Take the escalator down two floors and follow the signs for the Top of the Burj (or something like that). One short down elevator ride later, you FINALLY arrive at the ticket counter.

Prior to my arrival at the mall via the Metro, I planned on visiting the top (124+ floor). When I arrived at the ticket counter and found that the ticket cost 500 durien (US$141), it took me about 5 seconds to decide to forgo bragging rights and save the money for 10 day's worth of food and drink for two in VN.

The mall is also home to a large aquarium 

in which you can go diving or hang out in a cage with the sharks—you’re the caged exhibit; the sharks are outside poking at you. A number of underwater adventures start at about US$100 and go up from there; playing with the sharks is a lot more, so I stayed dry.

Total time in Dubai was a bit under 48 hours...

Upon my arrival in Saigon, I completed my first trip around the world, most of it at ~35,000 feet:

• Hong Kong
• Los Angeles
• Seattle
• Dallas

• Dubai
• Saigon

While landing in only four countries. I also spent four days in Canada, ground-bound the entire time.

Next time I go 'round-the-world, I want to stay ground-bound as much as possible…