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Mon 4th,Arrived in Hanoi,Vietnam about 2am,first impression we got was miserable people,all the guards looked so stern,we picked up our visas that we payed for on line,our arranged pick up met us and took us to our hotel but when we arrived at about 2.45 we were told the Atlantic Hotel was full so we were moved a few doors down to a different hotel but all ok,not a good start bot all about to change.we are staying in the old quarter of Hanoi,a great place to be right in the heart of things,they should re-name it moped city,unbelievablely busy and everyone has a moped,they come from all angles just avoiding each other and totting thier horns,we just stood on the corner of a crossroads watching the traffic go by for ages,AMAZING !!!we then went to a bar called Rock Billy for some good Vietnam food and a couple of pints,most of the places close around 10ish so was good to find a place open.Although it's really busy here it's a great place full of friendly people unlike the train station.
Tues 5th,Alarm call at 7am for our trip to Hoa Lu-Tam Coc,in the Ninh Bing Province,a minibus picks us up at 8am and were off picking other tourists up,never a spare seat even on a 14 seater.First stop Hoa Lu the ancient citadel of Vietnam in the 10th century,we visited the temple of 2 kings Dinh and Le,to be honest after the temples we have seen this one was a bit boring but still quite good,the kings were only here for 12 years altogether,we then did a great 12km bike ride through some great countryside and villages,the people working in the fields were all waving and the kids were giving us high 5's really friendly and the weather was great to,we arrived in Tam Coc about an hour later and had some lunch,after lunch we boarded these small rowing boats that could only manage about 4 people(called sampan)nearly all the rowers were ladies and we had a young girl board when we got round the corner to help row,you travel quite a long way along these streams with the rowers changing from thier hands to thier feet to save energy,we went through 3 caves,Hag Ca,Hang Hai and the Hang Ba,when you travel through the last one you get ambushed by all the sellers on thier boats,fruit,drinks,postcards and allsorts,your trapped but stay strong and resist and just buy a coke for our rowers,back on shore she is running up the road trying to get more tips from us,we just smile and say Gamen(thank you)2 hour journey back and ready to explore a bit more of this great place and have some dinner.
Wed 6th,Today is the day we have been waiting for for a long time,the Halong Bay cruise,we booked it up with Tam from the Atlantic Hotel so all sorted,you can book either a 1 day 2 day or 3 day tour we choose the 3 day of course with 1 night on a Junk(boat)and 1 night in a nice hotel,anyway the day before was lovely sunshine today bloody rain!!!we kept on looking out of the minibus window thinking 2hours to go yet so it will be lovely weather when we arrive,1 hour to go still rain,no change when we got to Halong Bay pier but hay yo it was a nice boat.We got settled in our cabin myself and Jamie in 1 and Ian the same cabin on his own,had a nice lunch mainly fish(Ians favourite)and met some lovely people,Pim from Holland,Dave and Sue from Oz and Maggie and Irene from Argentina,set sail around 1pm and headed off to see some amazing scenery,although it was a bit overcast the rain had stopped so we could get on the top deck and start taking some snaps(pics to follow)our first stop was Hang Sung Sot a suprisingly big and lovely cave,with a pink lit rock which looks like a penis which is always good for a laugh,back on board and sailed for a while untill we reached a small boat village that had some 2 man kayaks,myself and Ian in one and Jamie and Pim in another,was great for an hour,we anchored up in a nice cove and had dinner then Pim and the girls joined us for a few drinks and chat about the good day we had had,Happy birthday Graig(Ian's brother)
Thurs 7th,The best day of our tour so far,Fantastic!!!,breakfast at 8,not so good as the rest of the food but still ok,sailed to Cat Ba island,Ian's stomach playing up again so he had to stay close to the toilet on the boat with no light,as soon as we were ashore there was a bike store in front of us,we all choose and was just pot luck if you had a bike that actually worked,mine had no gears and metal scrapping back brake Jamie's chain missed a few cogs every turn but compared to some we were lucky,Dave managed to ride 100 yards up the road when the handlebar came up and away from the frame and the wheel fell to the ground,was so funny(no animals or people were hurt in the making of this scene)we rode for about 5km then went for a hike through a small jungle like place,went through a cave that was used as shelter in the Vietnam war,we walked through a typical Vietnamese village which was great and then ended back at our bikes in a small drinking place where we dried some Rice wine and then some snake wine,the snake wine they pour from a container that really had 3 snakes and 2 small birds in it,very strong but nice at the same time,drunk in charge of our bikes we got on and managed to get back to port in 1 piece,next stop Monkey Island,we climbed up some rocks when we first landed because our guide said the monkeys would be on high ground,was actually quite dangerous very sharp rocks and very steep but we got some good pictures so it was worth it,our guide then said turn back they are on the beach(those cheeky monkies)we only saw about 5 of them but was good to see them up close,one of them chased Irene which made everone laugh,of course I scared her again by pretending it was coming after her again(it had to be done).We set sail again,arrived in a nice port and was then put on a small coach and taken to a restaurant for lunch you guessed it more fish,but nice,on to our hotel for the night the Holiday View,on Cat Ba island.We had a good room overlooking the bay,Ian still felt dodgey so myself and Jamie hired 2 mopeds and headed off into the sunset,well around the bay and out for an hour which again was great fun.We all met up for dinner at 7,after dinner Dave joined myself and Jamie for a few drinks in the blue moon bar,before we knew it this strange man was giving Dave a massage while sitting on his bar stool,very bizzare,he wanted to buy him a drink but he said it's ok so next was Jamie then myself,he was very good and even creeked our necks which they did'nt tell me he did(thought I had seen the last of the cheeky monkies and here I am drinking with 2 of them)got back about midnight which as I said before capped off a fantastic day from start to finish.
Fri 8th,Boarded a different boat this morning and left Cat Ba island and was on our way back to Halong Bay pier,had a chance for 1 last meal together before the drop off started,would definately recommend this trip it was fantastic and great value,all your food ,accommodation all the excursions for around 55 quid what a bargain the only thing you have to pay for are the drinks.They dropped us off at the Atlantic hotel where we were staying for the night,changed clothes and said goodbye to Pim with a KFC and an ice coffee,myself and Jamie then went to see the Water Puppet show,very famous show that started when the floods hit Vietnam and the farmers invented the show to entertain the troops so to speak,well worth the 1pound 30p entrance fee,back to Rocky Billys bar to make sure the beer was still drinkable then back to base.
Sat 9th,Last day in Hanoi today,just a day of walking around looking at things and shopping waiting for our 11pm train to Da Nang,myself and Ian had our heads and facial hair removed by a back street barber with a cut throat razor,did'nt try using any of my Vietnamese languge just in case I said the wrong thing,bit dodgey when he has a very sharp razor against my throat so we just smilled a lot,good experience.We bought some bargains along the way Jamie bought a bigger rucksac and I got some shoes a hat and some light weight trousers all very cheap,the hotel staff are so helpful they got the taxi for us and even came to the station to make sure we got there ok,was going to get him to tuck me in but thought better not push it,train left on time 11pm and we are due to arrive in Da Tong at 1pm 14hrs later,then a transfer onto Hoi An.
Sun 10th,Managed to get a couple of hours sleep in total on the worst train journey we have had,really bumpy and ricketty,we thought that we were running a bit late but a fellow traveler informed us that we were running 5 hours late due to a couple of accidents earlier on up the line,the scenery was really good so that and the mp3 player helped the 19hours pass a little bit easier,finally arrived about 18.00 and luckily our taxi was there waiting for us with a card with my name on it,dropped us off at the Dai Long hotel,good location,good rooms and nice staff who speak very good English.Checked out a good bar/resturant called Before and Now was only meant to have a quick 1 but ended up having 2 or 3 went down well and had a good nights sleep.
Mon 11th,Woke up to glorious sunshine,so after a quick bite to eat we hired some very stylish ladies bikes(the only bikes they have)well one place had some mountain bikes but really expensive about 3 pound for the day so we stuck with the cheaper versions (im a ladiieee dont you know)had a ride around till we found the beach parked the bikes up in a parking lot and lazed on the lovely near empty beach mmmmm nice,after a few hours we rode the other way through a small village again everyone waving and saying hello the kids chasing us in a friendly way(not like whitley trying to rob you)took the bikes back and walked round to a tailors so I could get measured up for a nice suit and shirt,Hoi An is famous for all it's tailors,supposed to be the best and cheapest,I paid about 80 pounds so hope im pleased when I pick it up tomorrow,try it on then send it back home,had a good meal in the Before and After bar before having an early night,about midnight.
Tues 12th,All plans for a day of sunbathing on hold,we have got the tail end of a storm and rainning a bit,still warm but no trip to the beach today,had a walk round and looked in a few shops and the market.Jamie and Ian had another think about getting suits made and went back to my personell tailors who mesured them up and gave them a great deal of course including an extra shirt,such great value would be a shame to miss out,cant wait to see us all together all suited and booted,ventured over the bridge tonight to try some local food,white rose,dumpling's with a bit of meat/fish in them,Jamie also had Wonton soup,all very nice,sat by the river and had the normall amount of sellers with thier tat this time little clay whistles in the shape of a chicken or elephant how could we not buy some?3 more beers please thats how.
Wed 13th.Top gear here we come!!!yep we have gone and done it,we bought ourselfs 3 Honda Win's 100cc motorbikes for $940,we had been thinking about biking through Vietnam before we left England after watching Top Gear but now we are going to do it well about 1/2 the way as they left from Hanoi and we leave from Hoi An a bit further South,might even have a look at taking them into Cambodia yet,will see how it goes.Day started off a bit overcast again(think we jinxed it by buying sun cream and sun glasses)so decided to get some hand made shoes done $50 to complete the set,just need some pants now,had some breakfast and got talking to a group who were on a bike tour,had a look on the website it did look good but expensive and your stuck to a timetable,not good if you find a nice beach and want to stay there a while,met a cockney boy called Richard who had bought a bike from a local so he put us in contact with him,he had 1 bike in his shop already but we had to come back later when he would get 2 more bikes for us,turned up at 3pm where we were given some skate board helmets and taken on the back of 3 chicken chasers to a small town about 10km away,Jamie had a good look over the first bike and pointed out a few things that needed changing or tweaking,they said no problem,Jamie then got back on the chaser and was taken to another place up the road,but came back after 10mins they had 2 bikes there,1 big cruiser which was to expensive and another 1 that was falling to bits,we waited while he made a couple of calls then another bike turned up,Jamie had a look over it again this time they had a long list of things that needed doing to it,they got on the bike and rode off returning 15mins later with loads of new parts including new handlebars and tyre's,it was like a formula 1 garage at one time there was about 6 of them working on the 2 bikes to get them up and running,after 3 hours they were happy with thier day's work,a thumbs up from Jamie and we were on our way back,they actually worked(kind of)not quite the same as our bikes back home,came to a deal at the shop and paid our $150 deposit,will pick them up tomorrow and start to plan our route.Met the 2 Richard's in the bar and have been invited to join them on thier trip on Friday,either go with them or go with the Slezzy riders,a wild group of 8 people,4 from Holland,2 English 1 yank and a Canadian,would be a bit mad and a good laugh but they are all in thier 20's and want to get drunk A LOT,so will probably stick with the Richard's.
Thurs 14th,Not a lot to report today just arranging things with Richard about our road trip,times and places etc,went to the market to get some tools and straps to secure the bags to the bikes and some waterproof bags to cover them,had a couple of pints but had an early night in preperation for the big trip.
Fri 15th,Here we go!!!tied the bags on and left about 11.30,got lost a few times trying to find the Highway 1 road to Halam,we had already said we were going to avoid the Highway 1 road as much as possible as this is a notorious road because of all the coaches and lorries that use it making it a bit of a scary route,any one that has seen the roads here will know the bus and coach drivers are the worst and fastest taking no prisoners,anyway rode for a while till we turned onto the 14 E road to Kham Duc,some fantastic scenery along the way,it's great when you can just pull over and take some photo's when you see them,we had a few spots of rain which added to the mystic look,misty over the hills and looked like we were riding through jungle.Jamie made a school boy error while trying to help Ian,he put his bike on the side stand walked 4 paces and CRASH !!!! the bike was on the floor,smashed indicator lens which no one uses anyway and a smashed headlamp lens but both still working ok,then Jamie said at least no damage to the levers,oopps the clutch lever came off in his hand,just then a couple of Vietnamese lads on bikes stopped and offered help 1 spoke good English so he rang someone up to come out to us,over charged us 100,000 dong(about 3 quid)but we had to pay it,saddled up and headed off again,arrived at our destination,Kham Duc before it got dark around 5ish,found the Phuoc son hotel and got 2 rooms for 2pound.50 each,not a lot going on in these parts,no westerners and no English spoken so all good fun,found what looked like the only place in the town to eat,had some nice food and was having a couple of pints when we heard some bikes go past a few minutes later we were joind by the sleezy riders only 5 of them now after a few problems in the group,anyway was good to meet up they are a good bunch,had a couple more drinks then back for an early night.
Sat 16th,Up at 8am for a nice early start on the road,wrong!!!did'nt even get out of the hotel car park,Ian's front break needed adjusting but when Jamie put the pliars on it it snapped,help is on hand,the hotel manager needed to get his hands dirty,off he went on his bike and came back with a new cable,the nipple was to big so out came the file to make it fit,then the brakes would'nt work so a little bodge job and a piece of coke can helped us out,an hour and a 1/2 later we finally made it out of the car park and onto the main road,my bike was struggling with the hills so we pulled over and got an oil and spark plug change which helped,after quite a few miles of great scenery Ian's front wheel was playing up so again we pulled up and got it sorted, well it was for about 500yds,we were just turning round when my clutch cable broke,so while Ian was back at his garage I was across the road getting mine done,which again only lasted about 300yds(they are the bodgers)took the bikes back and we were off again,finally reached our destination Kon Tum,even getting a room for the night is hard work as no one speaks English but with the help of a few drawings we got our rooms booked,just as we thought our bad day was over my rear brake shoes seized and snapped the brake rod,after a lot of pointing a man from a Suzuki garage helped out and took the bike in while we had a well earned beer with the locals,he worked on it for ages and still only charged about £3,all fixed and ready for bed after a long day.
Sun 17th,After a nigtmare day yesterday we were hoping for a trouble free day.Glorious sunshine today so managed to ride in t shirts for a while,the scenery today was'nt so great but still good riding through the villages with the locals waving at us,all was going well untill my exhaust decided to fall off,being at the back I could just see the others riding away in the distance,as I pulled over the locals all came over to help out or do a bit of pointing and laughing,but they did say there was a garage about 300m down the road,just then Jamie came back first then the others so I was'nt home alone,got a brand new exhaust put on and away we went,stopped off at a roadside cafe(a wodden hut)for a drink and a bit of a rest,made some good time today and arrived in Phoun Ma Toot in daylight,stayed in a nice hotel and had an early night.
Mon 18th,After only a few miles we were being rainned on,bt soon got dry again and passing through some great little villages with the locals out waving,another day of fantastic scenery,Richard's bike was playing up so we pulled over in a place called Ea Kar,and was surprised to find a proper Honda dealer,very handy we thought,they had a look and said it needed a new engine at a cost of 1,000,000 dong(£30)so he said ok,it would take 3hrs so we had some lunch and a walk round being starred at again(we are used to all the fame now)had my head shaved again with the cut throat and went back to the garage,just then the Sleazy boys turned up so decided to ride together,all sorted so we thought but a few miles down the road his ticking noise came back,it seems they just cleaned the old bit's and put them back(dodgey geezers)sleazy boy's roke dowm a few yards down the road so left them behind,but a bit of cat and mouse as we stopped to take photo's then they broke down again,some fantastic roads for bikes on the way into Nah Trang,long and winding,about 10 miles in we got soaked,a friendly taxi driver guided us to the backpackers hostel which was handy,got the wet clothes showered and ready for a well earned beer,met up with the boy's again and had a couple of drinks together.
Tues 19th,Rain all day,not what we came to the beach resort of Nah Trang for,some people did'nt last too long before getting on the beer but we lasted till 4pm(did'nt we do well)found the Why not bar,had buckets,2 bottles of Vodka a bottle of rum and some other stuff all chucked in the BUCKET,between 8 of us,needless to say it was quite strong.
Wed 20th,This is what it's all about,GLORIOUS SUNSHINE!!!!,we all headed off to the beach for the day,a few of us over did it a bit and got a bit burnned(I was'nt to bad)went to an Italian restaurant where I tried crockodile,which was nice,then back to the Why not bar to see if the buckets were still strong,they were and managed to get home about 3.30 am.
Thurs 21st,Another lovely day,not everyone made it to the beach today for 1 reason or another,some were burned and Ian found the film chanel.
Fri 22nd,Getting used to this lovely weather now and a great beach also,nearly everyone back to normal now,Jamie came down later and covered up,Ian covered up too,in the room with the film's,we all went to a nice Vietnameese restaurant and had a mixture of different foods which was really tasty,then next door to the Why not bar and the Sailor's club.
Sat 23rd,Think the beers and the buckets went down a bit too well last night,not feeling to good today,Sleazy boy's(and Ewen) still heading out,rather them than me,they left about 11.30 to Da Lat,myself and Jamie went to the beach(hard life)Ian found another film or 2 to watch,went to the Sailors club,met up with Raquel from Barcelona,was good for both of us to speak a bit of Spanish,not too late a night was back home by 2am.
Sun 24th,Blog is getting a bit easier now,BEACH ALL DAY,went for an Indian later with a couple of beers.
Mon 25th,Time to leave the beach and head off again,had a nice breakfast in the Green Apple and left about 11ish towards Da Lat,my bike struggling up the hills again so a lot of the time I had to catch up with the boy's on the straight,some great views at the top's of the hills when I did finally make it up,we were going for a while when suddenly a couple of dog's looked like they were going to run into the road,Richard over reacted and jumped on the brakes,Jamie took evasive action(with no brakes,as he was riding Ian's bike)clipped the back of him and spun round and ended up in a bog of wet clay,I came round the corner to see Jamie covered in crap trying to pick the bike up shouting and swearing after he had already thrown the broken foot rest into the field,managed to get the bike up and to our amazment the thing actually started although it was leaking fuel Jamie managed to do bodge job on the carb,a real bonus as for the first time we did'nt have a load of Vietnamese mechincs running out to help us,stuck in a small village away from civilisation and playing some crap loud music,Jamie did well to not only get the bike going again but to ride it all the way into Da Lat(another 30kms),no front brake lever,headlight hanging off,no foot rest,twisted forks and a buckled front wheel,needless to say we were all delighted to arrive in Da Lat and have a few beers,found the Hanh hotel.
Tues 26th,Looking around in the morning to find a garage to sort our bikes out,really difficult in some places to get your point over when no one speaks English,there is only so much pointing and grunting you can do before they look at you laugh and point out of the door,we got lucky 1 of the small garages had a woman who could speak a bit of English so managed to get across what needed doing,my bike needed an engine overhaul,Ian's was quite easy to point to the damaged parts and also an engine overhaul,left them with them to return in the morning.Visited the crazy house,a hotel designed by a lady(presidents daughter) aledgedly high on acid at the time,met up with 2 Kiwi's Hazel and Bridget so looked around together,definately different but had seen better day's although they are building on to it,went for a couple of drinks in the Why not bar but Da Lat is a strange place nearly everywhere closes at 10pm so a very early night for us.
Wed 27th,Took a short train journey on an old train to the Dragon temple,we thought we were all templed out but this one looked a bit different so we thought we had better investigate,worth the short journey as it was really nice,had a nice walk back to the hotel,got our helmets and walked to the garage to take the bikes for a test spin,both seemed ok but Ians still leaking a bit of fuel so took them back and left Ian's with them to pick up in the morning,paid 2.7mil so best to get them back right,still playing catch up with the blog as some places we go to the internet is hard to get a connection,but we will get there.
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