Tet

January 27, 2014

We returned the motorcycles today in one piece. The rental folks looked amazed as they appeared surprised that we could complete this suicidal mission. We had to pay a deposit of 1,600.00 USD which they happily returned in new US currency. Most of the locals and many of the expats we met could hardly believe that we survived this dangerous journey. When asked how many times we were forced off the road our answer was "too many to remember".

 I have travelled by motorcycle through the rock and sand strewn mountain roads of Bolivia, wandered the back streets of Damascus and Aleppo known for its refuge hideouts for terrorists and travelled through CIS states in Central Asia with Russian bodyguards in fast cars to prevent kidnapping, but by far this is the most dangerous journey I have ever done. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. The Vietnamese were warm, friendly and always helpful. The remote villages were always the most enjoyable and the children always interested in the two strangers from far away lands. The climate and landscape was so diverse between the north, central and southern portions of this beautiful country. Dan and I travelled well with few conflicts and many people were in envy of us. The dangers we faced daily was part of the adventure and we learned to adapt to the environment with all it's diversity and sometimes insanity.

It's nearing the end of January and the beginning of Tet (Vietnamese New Year) and the nation is preparing for this national holiday. A large portion of the 90 million people will depart the major cities to return to the countryside to visit relatives. Seventy percent of the population live in the rural countryside and I can only imagine the craziness of the roads starting January 31. The evenings come alive in Saigon with festivities which we are enjoying. The streets are quiet during the day and many businesses are closing however the backpacker district and the many markets remain open.

Until next time thanks to all who took the time to read this blog and experience our travels with us. To see more of my travel Images please visit my website www.jimlaurence.com

Tet Celebrations

Dan is doing the cooking tonight

My new fake IWC watch to go with my snazzy new jacket

Celebrating after returning the bikes to the rental agency

Long exposure

Dan playing pool in our favorite bar in Dalat

Hard working street vendor

It's about the wonderful people. Always. 

Until next time, cheers

Until next time, here's looking at you.

Chopsticks

January 27, 2014

It's not just about motorcycles. After all, I did title this blog " Chopsticks and Motorcycles". We made it to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) in one piece and no mishaps other than Dan running into a bicycle with his right pannier and breaking a basket of eggs. We witnessed our first accident on the three hundred kilometer journey from Dalat to Saigon. A bus in front of me forced a scooter onto some loose sand and caused him to go down hard. A local missed getting crushed under the wheels by inches and managed to get up with a few road rashes and scrapes. The bus driver didn't bother to stop as appparently this is quite common. With over forty road deaths per day the Vietnamese Government is making a huge effort to prevent foreigners from driving here. Not good for tourism killing visitors. 

Our journey into HCMC was actually quite easy and not as hectic as departing Hanoi however I think that after nearly three weeks we were becoming accustomed to the traffic madness. 

We stuck to an Asian diet throughout the journey eating strictly with chopsticks and enjoying absolutely great food including street food which was always much less expensive and always tastier than restaurants. My throttle hand was so tired tonight that I could barely hold my chopsticks at dinner. Tomorrow we return the bikes and will spend a few days exploring the city and relaxing. Friday I return home and Dan will carry on to Cambodia by bus.

Viet Dan's Boat #5

On the Cat Lai Ferry crossing to Saigon

I think we are here.

Green Chopsticks. After all it is about chopsticks too.

Ho Chi Minh City in the horizon. We are nearing the end of the journey after nearly 2000 km.

Paris

January 25 and 26, 2014.

Today we departed the Ho Chi Minh trail to explore the city do Dalat. We will spend Saturday and Sunday relaxing before heading south on the final leg of our journey to Saigon. Dalat is the most European of Vietnam cities and is a tourist destination. With its own version of the Eiffel Tower and it's French colonial villas it is a charming town with pretty scenery and a big draw for tourists. The sun and warmth continue and the ride through the central plains into the twisty mountain roads made today a very pleasant ride with light traffic. Tonight we went to a backpackers cafe, played pool and had a few pints.

We stop to let the cattle wander.

Locals working the rice fields

Local fishermen at Lak Lake

Elephants are treated poorly and we refused a ride to show our displeasure.

Have backhoe, will travel.

Our trusty steeds still holding together.

City of Light?

Getting ready for Tet, the Vietnamese New Years start on January 31.

Where's Jimmy ?

Chu Se to Buon Ma Thout

January 24, 2014

Today's journey took us over mostly broken asphalt road with some loose gravel through the central plains to the city of Buon Ma Thout which is the coffee capital of Vietnam. Although the travel guides do not give justice to this town I enjoyed the cafés and local culture. The Vietnamese coffee is very strong and thick however one either loves it or dispises it. Personally I would drink nothing else and purchased some to bring home. Many Hill Tribes exist in this region and along with Yok Don National Park this city becomes a stopping off point for most. Tonight we met up with our friends from the Netherlands and the Easy Riders team for a beer and a discussion on our daily journey and next stops. Tomorrow they will head to Nha Trang on the coast and we will head to Dalat in the mountains. We said our goodbyes and wished them safe travels.

We stop for coffee along our bumpy route

Time for a siesta

Rider Cafe.

Bikes at the Rider Cafe.

Remnants from days gone by.

Kon Tum to Chu Se

January 23, 2014

We were up early and headed east out of Kon Tum to visit another Minority village. Dan's bike is making strange drive noises and we stopped to adjust his chain as it was fairly slack. His bike is slowly falling apart and leaking oil however we have managed to keep it together. His suspension is soft compared to my red beast which is stiff as a rock and less comfortable on bumpy roads. We attempted to replace his horn in Hoi An however it lasted two beeps and quit. Most of the wiring on both bikes are brittle and exposed. After visiting the village we drove south through Pleiku to the small town of Chur Se. We met up with our friends from Easy Riders and their co passengers from the Netherlands and got some more good travel tips. This tour organization is highly rated and their drivers are safety oriented. Their advice has been to drive slowly, give oncoming suicidal bus drivers the finger which Dan has done often and stop and rest especially when traffic bunches up and everyone is trying to pass like madmen. The weather has turned warm and sunny and it's feels soooooo good. Our journey today was mostly on dirt, loose gravel and very broken pavement, however it was a very enjoyable ride and traffic fairly light. I have been travelling without a passport since departing Hanoi and received confirmation that it has now arrived at our hotel booked in Saigon with an extended Visa. Yippee! We arrived at our hotel around 3pm with Dan discovering that the loud noises emanating from his bike is due to a broken chain guide that was flopping around between the front and rear sprockets. He was very lucky that he did not throw a chain or lock the rear wheel. We dismantled the broken piece and removed it from the bike. We had to repair and reinstall the upper chain guard as it was damaged as well.

We stopped near a Minority village to tighten Dan's Chain

Metal suspension bridge on the way to a Minority village

Dirt roads near the Minority village

Our lavish hotel in Chu Se, twelve dollars including hot water but no heat.

Kon Tum

January 22, 2014

Today's journey took us over some of the most twisty roads yet during our trip which I enjoyed immensely. I was only forced off of the road twice by maniacal bus drivers. Through dense jungle passes to the central highlands brought us warm and sunny weather of which we have seen little since departing Hanoi. We stopped early afternoon in the small city of Kon Tum. Not much action here however the surrounding hill tribe villages are interesting. We spent the afternoon exploring two of the nearby villages known as Bahner villages located on the edge of town. These neighbourhoods look and are significantly poorer than the town itself. Village life centres on the traditional rong house, a tall thatched roof community house built on stilts. The stilts were originally for protection from elephants, tigers and other animals. 

Rong House

Typical village house

Village locals 

Soccer field. Dogs versus Cows.

Village Eatery.

Dirt, Mud, Sand and Stone

January 21, 2014

We departed late today around 11am as we planned on driving around 140 km to the town of Kham Duk which is close the the Laos border to rejoin the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We made a wrong turn coming out of Hoi An which we never realized until we reached the outskirts of Da Nang which is north and totally in the wrong direction. We retraced our route south and nearing Hoi An we found the route west which for the most part was one continuous village surrounded on both sides by rice fields. Our progress was slow as we encountered bad roads of mud, sand,dirt, gravel and massive dips. After reaching Tham My we turned south through paved twisty roads with lush jungle, rocky river bottoms and stunning countryside. We arrived Kham Duk around 4pm and decided this location as our stopping point.

Hoi An Ancient City

LJanuary 19and 20, 2014

We spent two wonderful days exploring the ancient city of Hoi An. Once a major port it boasts grand architecture which has been preserved showcasing, Japanese merchant houses, Chinese temples and ancient tea warehouses. Today the city is a major tourist attraction with boutique shops and restaurants, lounge bars and cafés and a daily market bustling with locals. Also known for its famous tailors, it is here where Dan and I will get custom ridiculous looking smoking jackets made. 

This town was declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1999 and today there are very strict rules in place to safeguard the Old Town's unique heritage.

Dapper Dan and his custom jacket

Not to be outdone I had a custom jacket made as well.

Japanese covered bridge

Custom locally made lanterns

Night market vendors

Floating lanterns sold by young children

Local vendor

Old town charm

Ancient structure

Along the riverside as the sun goes down