- 5 days ago
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TravelTranscript
00:00I'm about to go solo backpacking through Vietnam for the next six weeks.
00:07Riding through the Vietnamese countryside is pretty much exactly what I pictured, you know.
00:13You feel like, right, I'm here now, I'm doing it.
00:18Starting in Saigon, I'll be travelling via bus, train, boat, plane and bike,
00:23gradually making my way to the very north of the country.
00:27You can't help but immediately fall in love with this place. It's got such a nice charm to it.
00:31Hello!
00:33On this journey, I'll get to experience the history, the culture, the food, the parties, the small villages,
00:39the big cities, the tourist highlights, the natural wonders and whatever the hell this place is.
00:45It's like we're walking inside Instagram.
00:48Silence!
00:51See? Looks perfect.
00:57Mate- olmas Arrives
01:05Which situates us again for?
01:07So this is actually gonna be my second time in Vietnam because I went there briefly a few years ago.
01:13so this is actually going to be my second time in Vietnam because I went there briefly a few
01:25years ago me and my mate James did this nine month around the world trip from Hong Kong to New York
01:30and we came into Vietnam from China we got the overnight train to Hanoi and we had a couple of
01:35nights in Hanoi and then we went to Ha Long Bay on the Castaway Island tour that's our home for the
01:40next two nights welcome to Castaway Island it's fucking insane and that was just two days of pure
01:50carnage I don't think I've ever drank so much in my entire life and then we flew into Laos and had a few
01:55days traveling down through Laos and then the original plan was we were going to go back into
01:59Vietnam from Laos and travel the southern half of Vietnam before going into Cambodia and Thailand and
02:04on from there but from Don Deh in Laos to get into Vietnam we would have had to have gone into
02:10Cambodia then into Vietnam and then come back on ourselves to carry on the rest of the trip and
02:15it just seemed like too much hassle we'd be spending so much time just traveling and doing border crossings
02:19rather than experiencing the places and we're trying to squeeze a lot of this nine month trip as it was
02:23so we just thought you know what let's just go straight into Cambodia and then on to Thailand and
02:28then we'll come back and do Vietnam properly another time and so now seven years later that's what I'm
02:34gonna be doing and so straight after Christmas I'm gonna be flying into Ho Chi Minh City and then
02:40spend six weeks backpacking by myself all the way up through Vietnam and often people when they travel
02:46Vietnam they'll do north to south because then they'll carry on doing more of Southeast Asia but
02:50I'm doing it the other way around because I wanted to start in Ho Chi Minh City where we missed out on
02:54going back in 2013 and plus it means the trip will get more sort of dramatic and spectacular as I go
02:59because I want to finish up with doing the hajiang loop in the mountains in the north the scale of
03:04it is just insane but yeah I'm super excited for this trip and it's been a while since I've done
03:09like a classic backpacking trip you know this time last year I backpacked Egypt and Jordan but you know
03:14no one else did so the last time I was properly amongst the backpacking scene was my Central America
03:18trip in the summer of 2018 so it's been a good 18 months so I'm just so keen to get amongst it
03:26to have all these amazing little adventures and make tons of friends along the way and just finally
03:30get to properly experience Vietnam so yeah I'm flying out from Gatwick Airport and it's about 15
03:37hours of flying it's not a direct flight I'm gonna be changing planes in Doha so I'll be pretty jet lagged
03:42when I get there but whatever I don't care let's just get on with it across the entire 15 hours of
03:49flying I managed to get precisely zero hours sleep but once I landed in Ho Chi Minh City I got the
03:55bus in the town freshened up at the hostel then went to meet my friend Meg who was also traveling
04:00here and we got some beers on the boy the end walking street all right it's my first night Ho Chi Minh
04:14I got Meg here from the Africa trip we've been out having some drinks and some food looking around
04:19it's just good speaking welcome Saigon welcome Saigon this is what it is
04:24all right I have made it to Vietnam yeah I've got five nights here in town I'm gonna do like some day trips
04:53like the Mekong Delta and the the tunnels and stuff like that what I'm gonna do today is just have a
04:58explore around the town go to some markets museums maybe just get a feel for the area so my hostel is
05:06on this really cool little side street off to the main street with all the bars the rooms are nice the
05:11people running it nice but it's just a bit dead at the minute this is a shame so I'll see who else we're
05:15meeting along the way in the next few days here but yeah this is the street it's a really cool little
05:20street with lots of little restaurants and cafes but it's also a gauntlet of massage places which
05:26I probably won't be able to film literally that's like they're grabbing you by the arm we're trying
05:29to push you in I've never had it like that extreme before Ho Chi Minh City is not the capital of
05:40Vietnam but it does have the highest population with over 9 million people living here the city was
05:46previously named Saigon but in 1976 after the end of the Vietnam War it was changed to Ho Chi Minh City
05:52in honor of Ho Chi Minh who led the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 and was president
05:58of northern Vietnam from 1945 to 1969 however many Vietnamese particularly in the south still refer
06:06to Ho Chi Minh City as Saigon some for political reasons others are just referring to the central urban
06:12districts of town and also because Saigon simply rolls off the tongue easier having fewer syllables than
06:17Ho Chi Minh City this is the very popular ban tar market again completely wrong I'll try and get it
06:30right later on sort of side completely it's awesome but the thing is it's day one of my trip I don't need
06:37to buy the thing I haven't lost anything yet I had it stolen or broken and I think so yeah it's cool to
06:42walk around but it's nothing I need just yet so this is the Bentown street food market and it's
06:53it's kind of like a hipsters wet dream with all these stalls so no one's amazing food but I think
06:59I might end up eating here every day so much enough for it's decent price I just want to try everything so
07:05I think I'm going to get some folks I've never had that before
07:06it's a fun atmosphere here like busy with tourists and backpackers as well as locals just hanging out
07:15having a good time and you basically ignore your food and give you a little thing to wait for and
07:20they'll bring it out to you like right now here we go that's good timing hello I ended up eating here
07:27pretty much every day as there's so much to choose from and it's only 15 minutes walk from my hostel
07:32but anyway the following morning it was time for my first day trip
07:35so today I'm doing a Mekong Delta tour and I'm on the street here there's a street here everyone's
07:46getting picked up for their day tours I'll head off to different places but yeah Mekong Delta for me
07:50all right I'll introduce you to the crew for the day we've got our driver Young
07:57meaning like strong man the nickname is sexy man
08:04from Saigon to the Mekong Delta about one and a half hour 75 to 80 kilometers
08:17I'd originally planned on doing an overnight trip to the Mekong Delta and spending the night at a local
08:25homestay the timings wouldn't have worked out with everything else I want to do and point
08:29to be in Saigon for New Year's Eve so just have to make the most of this day trip all right stage
08:34one boat journey let's go
08:37yeah so now we we just go to the unicorn island
08:47the Mekong Delta is a vast maze of rivers swamps and islands covering an area of over 40 and a
08:53half thousand square kilometers and is by far Vietnam's most productive region in agriculture
08:59and aquaculture the locals know the area as the river of nine dragons referring to the Mekong
09:04River splintering into nine separate branches criss-crossing low landscapes before reaching the sea
09:09yeah we hopped on the boat to get across the river on the first island unicorn island and they've
09:15got a honey far here I just got one of the hives out and you stick your fingers straight in and taste the honey
09:21okay try that okay why the girl I need the one yeah one more girl didn't get stung so that's always good
09:29this is a honey tea honey tea so they give all of us free honey tea to taste and then they try and
09:36sell you all the other products so they make here as well a massive sugar rush from here we walk
09:46through the gardens to try some of the locally grown fruits whilst we were entertained with some
09:51traditional Vietnamese music it's a bit of a random experience so far it's like just caught us
10:10through and hey look at the local people and stuff so not really getting stuck in or involved but saying
10:17that though going on these rowboats 30 sort of canals was one of the things I've been really
10:21looking forward to doing it's such like an iconic thing to do
10:31so I rush out down on the canal
10:36it's nice that we're down here now nice and chilled out
10:40oh yeah even better
10:47that was a nice relaxing short ride along that canal it's just so busy just tourists going back
10:56and forth back and forth
11:03now we're gonna get back in our long boats let's go around to another island yes it's a weird experience
11:10so right now we're like a coconut factory farm thing i show you how to make coconut candy okay the step one
11:31actually for the local people they say two minutes they got one or one minute you got one i'm not
11:36professional okay that fuzzy's basically taking it through the whole process how to break up a coconut
11:41and they grind it down how to get milk out how to caramelize it and then slice it up package it up
11:48then you end up all these different sweets and stuff that they're selling right here
11:52so they got all these nice coconut products and then you've also got
11:57a cobra eating a scorpion in a jar
12:00okay yeah so this day out so far it's it's all right but it's a very touristy thing and i know i'm
12:09a tourist as well but this tour it's kind of like they have so many people want to come see the
12:13mekong delta so it's like you're on like a factory line i'm like right come sit here here's how
12:17we make this product now do you want to buy some right here's how we make this product how do you
12:21want to buy some right now come on this boat for five minutes get your picture let me move on to
12:25the next place here's how we make this product do you want to buy some of that so it probably would have
12:28been better to do um the overnight homestay to get a bit more stuck in with it but just didn't have time
12:36i know this afternoon we got some free time as well so might have to explore around a bit
12:47that lunch was delicious needed that we've now got our free time to explore the island
12:53we have a total of 25 minutes to explore the island so
12:57there's a crocodile farm here remember they had this in cambodia way back when just a bit messed up
13:13so yeah basically that's been the day on mekong delta
13:18i'm not sure what i wanted out of the mekong delta experience but it wasn't really that yeah the whole
13:23day just felt like a guided tour through a gift shop and you know i know those people are just
13:27trying to make a living so you can't fault them but just in terms of it being a travel experience
13:32it wasn't the best but the guide thousand yard guide and the driver young were fantastic they were
13:37really nice and when they handed out the feedback forms at the end you know gave them all five stars
13:42because they did an amazing job and they don't choose the itinerary you know they're just doing the best
13:46with what they got so they were brilliant yeah it was just just too rushed but you win some you lose
13:56back in town that evening i met up with a guy called eddie from the us who got in touch via
14:01instagram and invited us out for some beers and food all right second night in saigon next door here
14:08we've come to a place called the warning zone which is more off the beaten track more of a local place it's
14:13only 15 minutes more from ybm yeah it's only 15 minutes more from the big backpack of service
14:19place um but it's a really cool spot and the reason we're here
14:25hello here got in touch say hello eddie hello where are you from tennessee
14:30jersey yeah i've been teaching here i've been teaching english here in saigon for the past two years
14:36i just don't go out that often to be honest but uh yeah i mean it's a more local place right
14:56there's actually a few locations around town but i mean you know dollar beers so can't really beat that
15:02if you put the food yeah what did you recommend that we eat today should i speak english or vietnamese
15:11english because i won't be able to translate it
15:15i cannot speak english in the food maybe what's it called in vietnamese
15:19it's chicken cartilage and frog legs and seafood rice okay and we polish it off so look at that
15:34we just polish it off so what's good it was the first time i've eaten frog even i've been to france
15:39many times first time eating frog and yeah it tastes like chicken like it's an old cliche but it does
15:44taste like chicken uh it's delicious and the sauce is amazing do you know how to say cheers in vietnamese
15:49you're going to learn now how do you say that
16:03one of the things i checked out in town was the war remnants museum and yeah if you come to ho chi
16:09min you've got to check it out it's incredible i didn't film any talking to the camera there because
16:13it just would have felt inappropriate and disrespectful like people are looking at the
16:18galleries and stuff and they're quiet and they're taking it in and me there just standing monologuing
16:22with the camera would just been you know inappropriate but it's difficult because obviously you know this
16:27video is about my travel experience through vietnam it's not a documentary about the vietnam war
16:32but then you've got to talk about it a little bit and how do you talk about such a complicated and
16:37messy war within just a few sentences you know but definitely go check out the war remnants museum
16:44and brace yourself for it because it's pretty intense but it's i think it's a vital thing to see
16:49whilst you're here then today i did the the kuchi tunnels so it's gonna be a day of learning about the
16:58vietnam war vietcong and seeing these incredible tunnels that they lived and hid in
17:02it's about a two-hour drive from the center of town to reach the kuchi tunnels
17:09which were part of an immense network of tunnels used by the vietcong in their resistance against
17:14the u.s military forces all right just arrived at the kuchi tunnels with um an army of other tourist
17:20buses and a lovely christmas tree from this moment always stick together with me never walk around
17:30yourself okay the tunnel here leaving fighting and still more food from the u.s base at the night
17:40you can come inside for the first experience yeah stay for a few seconds then come back with
17:44me immediately don't stay for too long now some western tourists do fit for the tunnel but in the
17:50old time american australian soldiers they didn't they need to wear a lot of equipment like the jacket
17:55the gun that's all hard for them for you we clear the inside you don't need to wear anything at all
18:00easier whatever communists they never mind to destroy any part of the tunnel if you found this area
18:12they destroyed an area always hands up and hands up everybody always heads up yeah don't do it like
18:17i did basically
18:25they knew the americans discovered the tunnel around here for very early so they tried many
18:29ways to you know to destroy it but they couldn't it's guerrilla war tactics they used um were fascinating
18:36you know they're fighting an enemy with far superior you know firepower these simplest techniques they'd
18:42have were incredible you know us they got a big strategy they're around here over three thousand
18:47army dogs dog father smell the communists at the air home at a secret entrance and we get you know
18:52something like banana mango the food and we brought the skin the food you know under the sun until
18:59get brown and dry then we rest become powder we mixed that powder together with a black pepper and
19:04hot chili powder and spray around here so you know what happened the dog then noise get burned
19:10yeah and you know when the dogs get burned like that it nearly one percent deactivated the army dogs
19:18because fighting you know it means uh we never fight face to face we're gonna scare people first
19:24we're gonna make you feel tired first and also the way that we attack you also you know at the back
19:29never in the front
19:32most of the trap here keep the victim alive for about 10 to 15 minutes because if we use one trap to kill one
19:38person it's not good we want to save our weapons so one trap to kill about two or three or four people
19:44that's better you walk around here on top you just go by the rush and you see just step right here and
19:49four bars run out from the world and if you're alive and i'm your friend i will come here and help you
19:55and when i come here two of us we don't move so we become very good target just one grenade they can kill us all
20:06and when you fall down this one just keep rolling like this randomly hit to your body we call this
20:13is a fish trap but not for the fish at all so now we actually get to crawl through one of the tunnels
20:20and it goes on for 100 meters but we can get out at 20 meter intervals if we want
20:27it wasn't as small as i thought it was going to be you know like it wasn't too i thought it was going
20:31to be absolutely tiny it was it's spacious enough okay yeah we don't have air condition right here
20:38there's no air conditioner
20:41the thing to remember about these tunnels is it made them bigger for us tourists
20:46they were way smaller back in the day
20:52so yeah i got out after 40 meters because after a while it's like you get the idea it's uncomfortable and
20:59hot and hard work how was the full 100 meters no 80 meters this is 100 why it's so hot in there
21:10my legs hurting me i uh now regret not doing the full 100 because i thought it's just going to carry
21:16on being the same but apparently just gets more and more narrow as you go so yeah do the full 100 if
21:22you come in you do yes i did 80 only oh you did it's enough it's like going to gym but much harder
21:32yes going to gym but just amazed for the soldier in the old time they stay inside for 10 years
21:40all day long this tour was fantastic it's kind of exactly what i wanted and the guide we had rio
21:48it was a really nice guy i'm not sure that's how you feel but you know for me yeah i uh of course
21:53of summers like at some time in our life not very nice you know bad luck and all the thing but uh just
21:58come to the museum and we see that we're super lucky people super lucky we don't need to live in
22:03another tunnel either even one day just a few minutes only okay sometimes you know in vietnam in the old
22:08town we didn't have any choice 10 years inside with all the snacks and scorpion or something like that
22:13don't forget about this feeling when you have just back from the ground from the tunnel
22:17the fresh air that's enough for online sometimes wi-fi also good
22:26anyway tonight's new year's eve so um obviously i'm not going to bring my main camera out because
22:31probably just get lost i'll have my phone on me um i think i'm just going to go because the hostel bar
22:36here is shut there's another hostel literally around a corner called hideout hostel i went for a few
22:42drinks there last night there's a good crowd about so i think i'm just going to check that out for
22:45tonight before i move on to dala the day after that
22:54cheers
22:56good
23:05good
23:05good
23:07good
23:09good
23:11good
23:17One, four, three, two, one.
23:44Happy New Year from Saigon.
24:05I was at the hideout hostel last night and it was heavy, heavy, heavy night but so much
24:10fun.
24:11I was a bit hungover today.
24:12I've now booked my bus to Dalat for tomorrow and the thing to understand about here now
24:18or Southeast Asia in general is just how easy it is to do anything.
24:22Like, whatever activity you want to do, whatever bus you want to get, wherever you want to
24:26go, there's a million travel agencies everywhere all selling the same thing.
24:31So you could easily show up here with no plan and just wing it, look at the menu and think,
24:35what I want to do next.
24:36So, it's so, so easy traveling here.
24:41The next morning, it was finally time to hit the road and I'm beginning my journey north
24:46by heading to the town of Dalat which is up in the central highlands.
24:50I think trips can really get started in Dalat as well.
24:53Like, we get a good crowd at the hostel and start biking in Dalat.
24:56So, yeah, I'm pretty excited for this.
24:59In typical Southeast Asia style, there was a pickup bus to take us to the actual bus going
25:04to Dalat.
25:05And of course, no one really knows what's going on, so you just kind of have to trust
25:09that things will work out.
25:10Is that the bus for Dalat?
25:11What?
25:12Yeah.
25:13I think we've got to take our shoes off.
25:18So, it's almost comfortable.
25:19I need to figure out where I'm going to put my bag.
25:21This is pretty great.
25:23But, I've got my own TV.
25:25I've got a charging voice.
25:27I'm waiting for being wife, aren't I?
25:32It's an eight-hour journey from Saigon to Dalat and the road winds its way up through
25:37the jungle-filled hills of the central highlands.
25:41So, we're just at the rest stop.
25:43What is interesting though, because I don't want you wearing your shoes on the bus.
25:48You actually provide flip-flops for you to temporarily wear.
25:55Since it was a comfy bus, the journey went past in no time.
25:58And when I arrived at the Dalat bus station, a guy who runs one of the Easy Rider biking
26:02companies offered me a lift into town.
26:05So, I've just arrived in Dalat.
26:08I've been here.
26:10Give me a ride to the hostel.
26:13I'm great.
26:18Welcome to Dalat!
26:22Other times, you might go like, nah, I'm good mate, I'll get my own way there.
26:25But, I went with my gut instinct until he was a nice guide.
26:27Dalat is 1500 metres above sea level and is known as the city of eternal spring.
26:33This is because its temperate weather stands in contrast to Vietnam's otherwise tropical climate.
26:39I've got two nights here and I've just checked in at the Mr. Pieces hostel.
26:45Looks like a nice place, nice people around.
26:48Just gonna have a family meal tonight.
26:51Which I didn't film because it's always, you know, whenever you're making friends, travelling
26:55or just any time in life, it's good not just to shove a camera in everyone's face straight away.
26:59Later that evening, we went to check out the maize bar in town, which everyone says is a must-see in Dalat.
27:07Let's go in, let's go see, we can see what happens.
27:10Oh, we're already losing people.
27:12Everyone's gone that way?
27:13No.
27:14They're on the right way.
27:15In a bar for less than 20 seconds and already the group is divided.
27:18That's the restroom, right?
27:19No, that's not the restroom, there's more.
27:21So, it literally is a maze.
27:23This is ridiculous.
27:24We got a place to hang out here.
27:29Watch your head coming up.
27:30You always say it's a maze bar and you think it's not actually a maze.
27:33Watch your head coming up, you're gonna hit your head.
27:35Put the beard down.
27:36Trying to do this with one hand.
27:38Watch your head.
27:39I'll hold your beard.
27:40You're a great friend.
27:42This is trippy as fuck.
27:43This is like the weirdest part I've ever been.
27:45Yeah.
27:46Not a place to do mushrooms.
27:48Oh my god.
27:49All right, we're gonna continue exploring the maze bar.
27:52What the fuck?
27:56It's all right.
27:57It's all right.
27:58You got this.
27:59I'll pass you my phone.
28:00All right.
28:03You can see it right here.
28:04It's a foothold.
28:05Yeah, a foothold.
28:06Then you, yeah.
28:07I just closed the window.
28:08Jesus.
28:09And you did it with your beard in hand.
28:10That's impressive.
28:11This is like proper rock climbing.
28:13Is it?
28:14I found it.
28:15See?
28:16Well done.
28:17You led the way.
28:19It does eventually lead to like a normal bar.
28:25Hey.
28:26Found ya.
28:29Okay, so all the bars shut at like midnight.
28:30So we ended up this tiny little Vietnamese kind of restaurant place.
28:33Just having random seafood and vodka.
28:37Danny bought a bottle of vodka.
28:38So here's what's going on.
28:40We've ended up this random local place, which is awesome.
28:43But I was like, I don't know what the food is.
28:46I just want like a little taste of plate.
28:48Just a little taste of plate.
28:49Because I don't know what each of the thing is.
28:51I misinterpreted that.
28:52I misinterpreted that as like a taster plate for the entire table.
28:56So now the entire table's getting food.
28:59But luckily, luckily each plate's only a dollar.
29:03So even if I fuck the bill for everyone, it's only going to go off to ten dollars.
29:07So, it's not the end of the world.
29:10I don't know.
29:11I don't know.
29:12I see what's...
29:13It's so good to hear.
29:14Sucking off snails is nice.
29:16One.
29:17High.
29:18It's two.
29:19Five.
29:20Three.
29:21Yo.
29:22It means go in.
29:23Mon.
29:24High.
29:25High.
29:26High.
29:27High.
29:28High.
29:29High.
29:30Yo.
29:32How was last night, Danny?
29:34It was fun.
29:36Random but...
29:37That's what Travis is about though, you know?
29:39You never know how tonight's gonna end.
29:41Yeah, a little bit worse for wear today, but it'll be good getting on back at Danny's bike.
29:45Explore a bit of Dalat for the afternoon.
29:47Let's go.
29:48Hey.
29:49Gotta wait for the beer truck to move?
29:50There we go.
29:51We just need him to unload all our beer that we're gonna drink later.
29:54Give me a motorcycle.
29:55Let's go.
29:58The basic plan was, we're gonna spend the afternoon biking round to some of the main attractions in Dalat.
30:09First stop of the day is a waterfall that's got an alpine roller coaster slide.
30:12Alright, here we go.
30:13Yeah!
30:14This is cool!
30:15Whoa!
30:16Yeah!
30:17Whoa!
30:18Whoa!
30:19Whoa!
30:20Whoa!
30:21Whoa!
30:22Whoa!
30:23Whoa!
30:24Whoa!
30:25Whoa!
30:26Whoa!
30:27Whoa!
30:28Whoa!
30:29Whoa!
30:30Whoa!
30:31Whoa!
30:32Whoa!
30:33Whoa!
30:34Whoa!
30:36Whoa!
30:37Whoa!
30:38Whoa!
30:39Yeah!
30:43Go around those bends on a hangover though.
30:45I was like...
30:46That's really good fun.
30:47I think we've got the scenic bit here around the waterfall.
30:53I hope there's gonna be a massive drop at the other end.
30:58Here we go!
31:02Wow!
31:07Holy shit!
31:08This has gone up again!
31:09Ha ha ha!
31:10It's fucking awesome!
31:11There you go!
31:12Go!
31:13Go!
31:14Go!
31:15Go!
31:16Go!
31:17Go!
31:18Go!
31:19Go!
31:20Go!
31:21Go!
31:22Go!
31:23Go!
31:24Go!
31:25Go!
31:26Go!
31:27Go!
31:28Go!
31:29Go!
31:30Go!
31:31Go!
31:32Go!
31:33Go!
31:34Go!
31:35Go!
31:36Go!
31:37Go!
31:38Go!
31:39Go!
31:40Go!
31:41Go!
31:42Go!
31:43Go!
31:44Go!
31:45Go!
31:46Go!
31:47Go!
31:48Go!
31:49Go!
31:50Go!
31:51Go!
31:52Go!
31:53Go!
31:54Go!
31:55Go!
31:56Go!
31:57Go!
31:58Go!
31:59Go!
32:00Go!
32:01Go!
32:02Go!
32:03The cable car offered fantastic views over Dalat.
32:06There's a monastery and lake at the other end, which is a nice place to chill out,
32:10but we didn't spend long here as we were keen to check out some other places in town.
32:14So we've now come to a very popular spot in Dalat called the Crazy House,
32:19which is basically exactly what it sounds, it's a house that's a bit crazy.
32:23One of the first president's daughter designed it.
32:26Okay, cool.
32:27The Crazy House opened to the public in 1990
32:30and was designed by Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Na, whose father was the president of Vietnam in the 80s.
32:36It's basically, it's kind of like you're in a queue for a theme park, except there's no ride at the end.
32:43Wow, this place is huge actually.
32:45The architect stated that the overall design was inspired by the natural environment surrounding Dalat.
32:51And then this design inspired the maze bar which we were in last night.
32:55It's actually really impressive, like, first walked in I was like,
32:58ah, you know, I was saying it's like a queue for a theme park ride,
33:01but the more you walk around, the more you see.
33:04Right, it's how detailed and twisted and, you know,
33:07there's so many different layers and levels to it and it's all twisted together.
33:10So, and it just goes on way further than you think, so it's cool.
33:17Crazy House definitely gets a thumbs up.
33:18If you don't need like half an hour here, that's really cool.
33:22After this, we drop the bike back into the hostel
33:24and then continue to explore the centre of town on foot.
33:31Dalat is a really nice town though.
33:33It's sort of, it's nice to be amongst all this greenery after being in Saigon,
33:36which was just busy and crazy and hectic and fun, but this is way more chilled out.
33:41It's such a, it is a beautiful town.
33:43There's like so many bright colours everywhere, like all the flowers,
33:46all the different paintings in the walls, the different colour buildings and stuff.
33:50This town has begun to become like an Instagram hotspot in a couple of years,
33:54I'm telling you.
33:55There's not that many Western tourists around,
33:57but I reckon in two or three years' time,
33:59you're going to see Instagram influencers in every corner standing by these walls.
34:02It reminds me of Portugal.
34:04Yeah.
34:05Elizabeth.
34:06It has a bunch of the mirror.
34:15I remember as a kid, I had it.
34:19Yeah, it was really good.
34:20Let's give this a go.
34:22It's quite just dried fruit, isn't it?
34:24Yeah.
34:25It tastes like a sweet though.
34:26It's almost like a fruit pastel.
34:28I could have happily spent longer in Dalat,
34:32but there's still so much more of the country to see,
34:34beginning with the next three days,
34:36where I'm planning on biking through the central highlands
34:39and out to Natrang on the coast.
34:41So we've had a change of plan.
34:43I was going to do like a guided bike tour for three days to Natrang,
34:47but since Danny's got his own bike,
34:49and Danny can speak Vietnamese,
34:51which I'm going to rent a bike just for myself.
34:53The two of us are going to drive around for three days
34:55and just do our own little random adventure.
34:58Just do the same itinerary
34:59and just figure out ourselves complete freedom.
35:01So it's going to be way cheaper.
35:03So it's all worked out perfectly,
35:05thanks to Mr. Peace here.
35:07Say hello, Mr. Peace.
35:08Of course, I'm going to say hello.
35:09Welcome to the lab,
35:10because it's like this beautiful
35:11and this incredible scenery,
35:12all of the culture.
35:13Good luck to serve you.
35:14Stayed at Mr. Peace Backpackers house, Dalat.
35:18Oh, you've done it before.
35:20What a crew.
35:21Hello.
35:22Of course, of course.
35:23You know how to talk in the camera.
35:27And of course,
35:28if you want to come to Dalat,
35:29I'm going to show you where the food is.
35:32Oh, my God.
35:33Dalat has incredible street food,
35:35like cold weather,
35:37and then chill,
35:38falls and everything.
35:39The scenery is going to make you
35:41can't forget Dalat.
35:43Amazing.
35:44Oh, grilled.
35:46Oh, yeah.
35:47There we go.
35:48Obviously,
35:49born and bred in America,
35:51but you speak Vietnamese because...
35:54My parents are from Vietnam.
35:55Yeah.
35:56But the only thing is,
35:57I only spoke, you know,
35:58Vietnamese with my dad.
35:59Yeah.
36:00So I never communicated outside the home
36:01with Vietnamese.
36:02Yeah.
36:03And it's really fun,
36:04because no one's expecting you here
36:05to speak here.
36:06Yeah.
36:07I think I'm Filipino or something else,
36:09so...
36:10I can be a spy.
36:12Yeah, yeah, yeah.
36:13Yeah.
36:14The nice bit of this,
36:15for me,
36:16is that we've come to a place
36:17where the menu is completely
36:19in Vietnamese,
36:20and...
36:21Danny can order for us, so...
36:23I could've ordered that.
36:30It's so juicy.
36:31It's got, like,
36:32a little bit of a spicy aftertaste
36:33to it as well.
36:34What, did we get, like,
36:35medium spice or something?
36:36Yeah, medium spice.
36:37That's so good.
36:38Aw, man.
36:39This is oxtail.
36:40Right?
36:41Really big in the Vietnamese culture.
36:43Very tender meat.
36:45If done correctly.
36:46Wow.
36:50I'm probably doing this wrong,
36:51so...
36:52You know what I have to do?
36:56Here we go.
36:57Thank you very much.
37:00The next morning,
37:01it was time to set off
37:02on our three-day bike journey
37:03through the Central Highlands.
37:05Bye!
37:07Step one of our bike adventure
37:08is to figure out how the hell
37:09to get my bag
37:10on the back of it.
37:12So heavy.
37:13Yep.
37:14See, this is one of the reasons
37:15why I'm not doing all of it
37:16now on the bike,
37:17because I'm carrying so much shit,
37:18because I'm...
37:19making this video.
37:21Everyone, see the video.
37:22Remember,
37:23like,
37:24share, and subscribe
37:25to help the channel
37:26of the car.
37:29And then when I do
37:30the Ha Giang look later on,
37:32the main bag will just stay
37:33at the hostel.
37:34I'll just take my day bag with me.
37:36So it's basically just
37:37these three days.
37:38I've got to survive
37:39with this on the back.
37:54Alright, just had a little stop
37:55to take in the amazing view
37:58of what we're driving through.
38:00these beautiful rolling hills
38:02of farmland.
38:03Maybe a third,
38:04half the way to the lake
38:05where we're staying tonight.
38:06Don't even really know
38:07what's at the lake
38:08or where we're going to stay
38:09or what we're going to do,
38:10but we'll just figure it out
38:11when we get there.
38:18The riding's going good so far.
38:19Because I've got such a heavy bag,
38:21this is like zero suspension.
38:22But it doesn't matter
38:23because it's so much fun.
38:24You liking it?
38:25I love it man.
38:26So we've just come over the high pass
38:27down to the valley
38:28and stopped in this town.
38:29Basically looking for a food place
38:30to add people in.
38:31And luckily this one has.
38:32So we're going to get some furl.
38:33This is so cool though.
38:34Like I don't even know
38:35where we are.
38:36I don't know the name of this place.
38:37Just stopped off.
38:38Get some food.
38:39Everyone's staring at us
38:40because they don't know
38:41what we're doing here.
38:42But they're super friendly.
38:43The food looks fantastic.
38:44So say when you're at home
38:45you eat this three minutes a day.
38:46I love it.
38:47So yeah.
38:48Now we're just going to be driving
38:49this way.
38:50We're just going to be driving
38:51this way.
38:52We're just going to be driving
38:53this way.
38:54We're just going to be driving
38:55this way.
38:56We're just going to be driving
38:57this way.
38:58We've just come over the high pass
38:59down to the valley
39:00and stopped in this town.
39:01Basically looking for a food place
39:02to add people in.
39:03And luckily this one has.
39:04So we're going to get some furl.
39:05So yeah.
39:06Now we're just going to be
39:07driving north for like
39:08100k or something
39:09to the lake we'll stay in tonight.
39:11And see what we see along the way.
39:15That's that.
39:16Beautiful spot.
39:17These little floating villages
39:18right here.
39:19Oh they're on like these tiny
39:20little islands.
39:21So we just stopped off
39:22for a quick look.
39:24Riding this afternoon
39:25has been tough though.
39:26Been some rough roads.
39:27Bummy roads.
39:28And like the automatic bike
39:29is not made for long distance
39:31in terms of comfort.
39:32Like my ass is hurting.
39:34The knees are hurting.
39:35I feel like an old man.
39:37You got a better bike though.
39:39I got that bike because of
39:41the experience of these roads.
39:42Yeah.
39:43But it's really good fun.
39:45It's such a beautiful countryside
39:47to be driving through.
39:53Riding along and it's something
39:54like this whole herd of water
39:56buffalo just in the middle of the road.
39:58I got hooked.
40:08We were going through all the rice fields.
40:09It's just what you expect from
40:10Vietnam.
40:11You feel like right.
40:12I'm here now.
40:13I'm doing it.
40:18Super uber green rice fields.
40:20Water buffalo.
40:21Local's just working away.
40:22It's just iconic.
40:24But yeah, this is spectacular.
40:28So we just standing there
40:33and the wind blew my helmet off my bike
40:38into the rice fields.
40:40It's drifting away.
40:41Shit.
40:42Oh shit.
40:45That's probably like mud
40:47and water buffalo shit.
40:48And yeah.
40:51I probably make your hair grow thicker though.
40:54Might need to wash my hair tonight for this.
41:02I'm sorry.
41:04I should have taken more care of my helmet.
41:07Oh, it's dripping down my neck.
41:12I'm sorry.
41:17Well, after a long day on our bikes
41:19we've made it to Lack Lake.
41:20So we're at this beautiful spot
41:22on the lake.
41:2320 bucks for your own twin private room.
41:25It's not too bad at all.
41:36Yeah, very tired after today.
41:38We've come to this little restaurant
41:42right by our hotel.
41:43We had a little circle around town
41:44trying to find somewhere to eat
41:45but everywhere was empty.
41:47And the general rule is
41:48just go where the locals go.
41:50You see someone busy,
41:51get food there.
41:52And the busiest one was
41:53right by our hotel.
41:55Much needed.
41:56Cheers, buddy.
41:57Cheers.
41:58Great first day round.
41:59Yeah.
42:00Alright, good morning from Lack Lake.
42:18Had such a good night's sleep last night.
42:20I was exhausted from the day of biking yesterday.
42:23So feeling refreshed.
42:25Ready for another day of riding.
42:27Okay, bikes are all set up.
42:29Ready to hit the road, Danny?
42:31Yep.
42:35Alright, we've only been driving
42:36in a few minutes.
42:37We've made our first stop
42:38at a thing called Elephant Rock.
42:40When I read about this online
42:41it says you can hike up it
42:42but it's really not that high.
42:46Hiking up it now.
42:48See how long it takes.
42:49I don't know when I'll make it to that.
42:51Oh, I'm here now.
42:55Pretty amazing view up here actually.
43:16We had a much shorter ride today
43:17as we drive through these gorgeous
43:19lush green rice fields
43:20towards the city of Ba Me To
43:22which is the capital of this province.
43:24But there's still a couple of things
43:26we're going to check out along the way.
43:34So we've been cruising along
43:35and we had this really long straight stretch of road
43:38and figured out the top speed of my bike
43:40is 96 kilometers an hour.
43:42It's like 60 miles an hour.
43:44So Danny kept having to wait for me
43:46because he's on his proper bike.
43:47The best thing is when we're
43:48on the really whiny roads
43:49Danny just goes off like
43:50wow, wow, wow
43:51and I'm just going
43:54along in my little thing.
43:56What kind of bike you got anyway?
43:57This is the Honda XR150.
44:01The all-purpose dirt bike thing.
44:05And I have a scooter.
44:07This is what everyone drives.
44:09It cost like 50,000 for up the tank.
44:13So what's that?
44:14Like two and a half dollars.
44:17The lady at the petrol station
44:18is chatting Danny up
44:19asking if he's got a wife.
44:21I don't know.
44:22I don't know.
44:23I don't know.
44:24I don't know.
44:25I don't know.
44:26I don't know.
44:27I don't know.
44:28I don't know.
44:29I don't know.
44:35All right.
44:36We've made it to the next stop of the day
44:37which is the Draeneur Falls.
44:39I'm going to check out the falls
44:40maybe go for a swim
44:42get some food
44:43then head to the town.
44:44This is amazing.
44:51It's stunning.
44:53Can't go swimming.
44:55I guess more of a photo stop but still.
45:04After another 45 minutes of driving
45:06we arrived in town for early afternoon.
45:10All right.
45:11We've just made it to our guest house.
45:12I don't even know.
45:13How do you pronounce the name of this town?
45:14Ban-mi-thu.
45:15Ban-mi-thu.
45:16Ban-mi-thu.
45:17Ban-mi-thu.
45:22A couple hundred thousand people live in this town.
45:28If you think of the whole state
45:29over a million.
45:30Okay.
45:31I think this is the capital of Central Highlands.
45:32We drove down this street on the way to the guest house.
45:42We took a ride down here.
45:44Suddenly went past all the seafoods.
45:46You just drive and it's like
45:47Whoa!
45:48Got a whiff of it.
45:49Really cool monument there.
45:50Which I'm guessing has something to do with the war.
45:52But funnily enough the signs are Vietnamese.
45:53Can't read it.
45:54Can't find out what it's about.
45:55Turns out the monument is to commemorate
45:56the battle that took place here in 1975.
45:58It was a decisive victory as the north went on the offensive
46:01marking the beginning of the end of South Vietnam.
46:04There we go.
46:24It's a little barbecue place on the street this evening.
46:27It's like a buffet.
46:28You just pick out what you want and they'll cook it for you
46:30and bring it over I think.
46:31I'm just going to get an assortment of random meat
46:33I'm gonna get assortment of random meats because I think everything's pretty good when it's cooked here.
46:37Get some seafood as well.
46:43As soon as Danny speaks Vietnamese, they're like, wow! They love it.
46:46Does that look Mexican?
46:49We've ordered a whole bunch of meat, seafood and stuff, pancake stuff. I don't even know what it is yet.
46:55Alright, what have we got here, Danny?
46:57What's your made of?
46:59Some pancake batter mix, Vietnamese pancakes. With meat, veggies, then you roll it together.
47:06Alright.
47:07And you're gonna eat it. For you.
47:09Boom.
47:11Okay, I'll eat this and I'll make you one.
47:13Okay.
47:14Then you dip it in the sauce.
47:16Yeah.
47:17Probably one of the medium.
47:19You need that.
47:20Boom.
47:27It's good food.
47:29It's pretty good food.
47:30Yeah.
47:31It's gonna cost next to nothing as well.
47:32No, it's like 50 cents.
47:33Yeah.
47:34Because I'm talking to the camera.
47:41So yeah, tomorrow we're driving back to the coast.
47:44Gonna be back on the main tourist trail.
47:46So it's been fun having these two nights off the beaten track.
47:50Super lucky to have Danny here to sort of translate.
47:53I mean, I could come to this place by myself and just try and point and see what happens.
47:58But this has made it way, way, way, way easier.
48:01And got to experience things I might not have done on this trip otherwise.
48:04So it's cool.
48:06One of the things in Vietnamese culture I'm not a fan of is that if they don't refrigerate
48:12the beers, they give you a glass with ice, you're getting watered down beer.
48:17So that's my only thing I would improve on this trip so far.
48:22Which basically means things are pretty good.
48:25We've just asked for the bill.
48:26I'm curious to know how much this feast cost.
48:29It ain't gonna be much.
48:30We've eaten shitloads.
48:31We've eaten a lot.
48:32Yeah.
48:33Here we go.
48:34Drum roll.
48:35So it's 500,000.
48:36500,000.
48:37So it's roughly about what?
48:3820, 30 bucks?
48:4011-ish dollars each.
48:42Or in UK pounds, 8 pounds each.
48:45The price of like just under two pints, we got two beers and a whole fresh and cooked feast.
48:52Good.
48:53How do you feel, how do you afford to travel?
48:55Save it for the flight ticket, get here and get involved.
48:59Boom.
49:00Done.
49:05We're now on our final ride, heading out east to Natrang.
49:21So we're on our way to Natrang, the last stretch.
49:24We've been driving through some rain, which is like my glasses are getting all soaked up.
49:29I'm just trying not to get like too much water in my eyes, but it was good fun.
49:32We're now winding down from the Highlands to the coast.
49:35We've only got about 30k to the coast to go.
49:37Enjoying the riding?
49:38I love it.
49:39So good, man.
49:40You went back up one bit, didn't you?
49:42Yeah, sometimes when you find a good turn, you always drive it back and forth to get like, you know, the best corner.
49:48Yeah.
49:49I was filming when you came past as well.
49:51So I'll have that on film.
49:52It's a good road though, man.
49:53Yeah.
49:54This is sick.
49:55It took us about four hours to do the 184km drive, which wasn't bad for my little automatic bike.
50:04And it was quite the contrast coming from the small villages and towns of the Highlands
50:08to the high-rise hotels and resorts of Natrang beach.
50:11We have made it to Natrang.
50:19Woo!
50:20Well done, buddy.
50:21Yeah, it's time to say goodbye to my bike.
50:25It's treated me well the last three days.
50:27It might just be an automatic scooter, but it's done the job well.
50:30Well, let's get checked in and settled in and see what's happening.
50:33Alright, welcome to Natrang.
50:42The hostel here is awesome.
50:45High home.
50:46It's a really good atmosphere.
50:47Happy hour is free beer for now, so.
50:51What have you got me, darling?
50:52I got you a beer.
50:54Let's move in.
50:55It's alright.
50:56Yeah, it's on me.
50:57Things got pretty messy last night.
50:59We went to this cool grill restaurant.
51:01We were able to cook along different kind of food, different meats, seafood, which is fantastic.
51:06And then we went to possibly the worst nightclub I've ever been to in my life.
51:31I was hoping to have like a holiday within the holiday here in Natrang.
51:37And whilst we had a good crowd at the hostel and it was nice just chilling on the beach for the day,
51:41the town itself was just a bit flat.
51:43It's basically a resort town for Russians and Chinese on package holidays.
51:47So, what I'm going to do is head up to a town called Key Non, which is halfway between here and Hoi An.
51:53I've had a few people recommend it to me because there's like really beautiful beaches there.
51:56Not so resorty.
51:58There's good backpackers on the beach.
52:00So, that's going to be my holiday in the holiday.
52:02And it should be a nice end to this first leg of my trip.
52:05You know, a lot of people say you should do your journeys overnight when you can,
52:16but when I see my driving during the day, you should get to see the country as you travel through it.
52:22It was a three and a half hour train journey, followed by a half hour taxi ride to the Lifesa Beach Backpackers,
52:32which is a perfect place to chill for a couple of days, except for one slight problem.
52:37I've had like a slight cold the last couple of days, but today it's just flattened me.
52:44It's like there's nothing more frustrating when you're traveling than to be ill
52:49because you want to be out experiencing things because you only have limited time in each place.
52:54But I've just kind of been shut up in my room, taking it easy, trying to get my energy back.
53:03You know, I'm having a really good time. Vietnam's been awesome so far.
53:05Tomorrow I'm heading on to Hoi An and hopefully by the time I get there I should be feeling better
53:10because there's so much I want to see and enjoy there.
53:13But you can't help immediately fall in love with this place. It's got such a nice charm to it.
53:22But now it sounds like we're going to a rave.
53:26It'll be interesting to see what it's actually like, to see if it's worth the day out
53:29or whether it's just a picture, so let's go find out.
53:36Man, dinner has to be spectacular.
53:38That's what this region is famous for, is exploring caves.
53:46So I can't wait to do that tomorrow. It should be awesome.
53:49It should be awesome.
54:19It should be awesome.
54:21Just to, let talk about it.
54:22Now the defense of Coreia and Flea'side,
54:23is where you're in the world that's very natural.
54:24How do you live in that world?
54:25Come?
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