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We decided, after speaking with many people, and watching the 'Top Gear - Vietnam Special', the only way to travel between these two destinations, was on two wheels!
We had discussed doing this journey for a while. Amelia wasn't as enthusiastic as me about travelling this way, but after speaking with a few people, such as Jay and Charlie, I think she felt a little less anxious at the thought.
The plan initially was to hire the one motorbike, and Amelia would ride pillion. But as the time neared, Amelia told me she wanted to attempt it on her own moped/motorbike, which after giving her practice in Da Nang, I was happy with.
We contacted a company called 'Motorvina', who were recommended to us. They were able to loan us two motorbikes for the day, and take our big rucksacks to Hue, all for just $10 each! I hired a very old Russian Minsk - used by the army for its simplicity and ruggedness. Although saying that, they are now notoriously bad for breaking down! An employee at Motorvina told me on average the Minsk breaks 5-10% of the time! And I should imagine he was being kind! I did have the choice of going with a much more reliable Honda Win, but I decided to throw caution to the wind, and go with the Minsk, a la Richard Hammond, Top Gear style! Amelia went with a 'twist and go' style moped, which was the best option for a novice, no gears or clutch to worry about.
We left Hoi An, all geared up with half decent helmets (about as good as you can get in Vietnam), knee pads, elbow pads, and of course a jazzy Vietnamese silk jacket with dragon pattern - tailor made in 12 hours by a charming lady at the cloth market in Hoi An for just 400,000 Dong (£12)!!
Coming out of Hoi An was a little tricky, but once outside the hustle and bustle, the roads soon become nice and quiet. Obviously this was good for Amelia, it meant she could get the hang of the moped, and I could soon see her confidence was growing. My motorbike wasn't so easy to ride, but I was soon adapting to the little quirks - throttle cutting out, dodgy clutch, no speedo, stiff gearbox.. just to name a few of the issues!
Our first destination was the 'Marble Mountains', a group of five mountains made from limestone and of course marble. They have a complicated system of caves and tunnels, and in the past they were used as hiding places and important bases for the Vietnam revolutionaries. Unfortunately we weren't able to spend as much time here as we'd of liked, due to a few problems at 'An cloth and tailors' in Hoi An with my suit and Amelia's dresses.
After this we headed for the famous 'Hai Van pass', in Vietnamese this translates to "ocean cloud pass" and is "a deserted ribbon of perfection - one of the best coastal roads in the world" as quoted by Jeremy Clarkson. This road follows the coast, and used to be the main road between Hoi An and Hue, until a tunnel was made through the mountain. So now the road is only used by people living in the mountain, and tourists. For a petrolhead, and motorbiker like me, it was a dream come true! Bend after bend of traffic-free roads, and glorious views, it was absolutely EPIC! It's hard to put into words, capture on film, or on a picture, how unbelievably incredible this experience was, but if you ever get the chance, it's a must do, even for a non-petrolhead!
Once the road joins back up with the main traffic from the tunnel, things get a bit hairy to say the least. From crazy oncoming overtakes, to cows and water buffaloes walking into the road, we had to keep our eyes on stalks!
Things only got worse hitting rush hour in Hue. More oncoming traffic, school kids running out in the road, jammed cross roads, cars and motorbikes ignoring red lights, and buses barging their way through! I was amazed, and at times a little worried with how much confidence Amelia had whizzing through the traffic!
But I'm so proud of Amelia (and my Minsk)! 150km later with no breakdowns, no accidents, jaw dropping views, and lifelong memories.
For those who haven't seen the video:
http://youtu.be/0X2t17TWXsY
Our time in Hue (pronounced who-way) was cold and wet, but with time tight in Vietnam, we decided to brave the elements to go and see the sights, and learn about the history.
Armed with a walking tour map from a local cafe, we went into 'The Imperial City' aka 'The Citadel'. Surrounded by a wall (2 metres thick) and a moat, 10km long. Inside we saw an outdoor museum full of old American and soviet military vehicles, artillery, and aircraft. Walked past some very old cannons, and went through into a second walled section, which housed the 'Purple Forbidden City' where the palace and its grounds were. This section used to be exclusively for the royal family, and with its multiple layers of walls, was supposedly an impenetrable fortress protecting the royals. Unfortunately the Vietnam War was unkind to the Imperial City. Many sections are now riddled with bullet holes and some sections are nothing but rubble. Even in the rain, 'The Citadel' was impressive, but it's clearly not what it once was.
Through this trip I've been trying to eat most of the local specialties. Nothing changed in Hue, but the time to try the many famous dishes, so that night I worked my way through four courses:
Bún Bò Huế - a noodle soup served with slices of beef and lashings of chili oil.
Nem Lui - a dish of sweet, minced pork around bamboo sticks grilled over hot coals.
Banh Khoai - a "pancake" filled with bean sprouts, shrimp and pork.
Bun thit nuong - barbecued pork served with vegetables and noodles.
Next day, stomach still full, we took a tour to the De-militarised Zone..
- comments
Neil Awesome blog Chris, that's just so cool. Must have been amazing.