Jono has conquored Vietnam on a crappy little push bike!

Day 57 19/12/2009

Last night I didn’t sleep to well, I lingered around the hotel room after Joey left until checkout at 12. I had a few errands to run before leaving Vietnam so I set off to sort them out.

I bumped into Richard an English guy I had met in Hue and we went to the market to buy another toiletry bag because my old one was ruined. I picked one up for a little over 3 dollars and also bought a colon for about the same price. I spent a little too much without realizing as I needed to pay the departure tax of $12 at the airport when I left.

I hung around the main street I was staying in hoping id bump into someone I knew but had no luck.

I went out for dinner at an Indian restaurant that had a 5 piece meal for 25,000 VND. To be I asked the guy to fill me up as I was staving but unfortunately the meal size was pathetic, I even passed on the soft drink asking for more food instead but the owner didn’t sort me out, even the dessert was mismal only getting a banana..

I went back to the nice lady with the dumplings and picked up 4 of them, she even gave me one for free. If I ever come back to Saigon, ill defiantly be seeing her again.

I then headed over to the bus station at 6 to catch the 3,000 VND to the airport but unfortuatly the buses stopped running and I managed to get a motorbike ride to the airport for 50,000.

It was crazy bumping into so many people I had met on my journey at the airport pretty much all being on the same flight, and I was chuffed that none of us had to pay the airport tax too which was such a bonus.

I again managed to score some free food from some people I had met and as we headed to the waiting area some guy was having all of his liquids removed from him including some yoghurt that I quickly snatched up and devoured before boarding the plane.

When I arrived at Phuket airport I found some others that were also sleeping at the airport, two Swedish girls along with an Australian couple. So for the evening we shared stories and crashed out on the hard floors of the arrival lounge, also the baggage handlers completely ruined my backpack tearing the top half of my bag apart so I spent some time stitching my bag back together. Oh, and the Swedes had snuss too!

Day 56 18/12/2009

Today I wanted to go on one of the tours to see the Cu Chi Tunnels outside HCMC but because I had to pick up my Thai visa today, I couldn’t. Instead I went to the War remnants museum, it was a good thing that I bumped into Lauren in the street who I met in Mui Ne and who also wanted to go there, I also ran into Bobby an American I met on Cat ba island in the North who bought me a Vietnamese coffee.

The museum was… well, how do I put this..um, horrendous would be the word. The photos on display were terrible to say the least, the documentary about Agent Orange and other chemicals that affected everything from crops to live stock and newborns even several generations after people were exposed to the chemicals was shocking. It really was an eye opener but at the same time found it hard to keep them open as it was so graphic. If anyone comes to Saigon definite check this out!

After I had to pick up my Thai visa from the embassy, it literally took 2 seconds and I was off to try and sell my bike. I asked around looking for suggestions on where to sell it and some locals pointed out a few places on the map. As I searched and searched I got hungry and found more Com Dia (rice with random stuff), that really was disappointing as it always seemed to be inSaigon compared to what I had experienced cycling down from the North. Anyways, whilst eating I asked some locals if they wanted to buy my bike, one guy who lived in a house right next to the food place seemed interested, I did a bit of bartering and we settled on 600,000 VND also having him pay for the meal I just ate and a motorbike ride back to my hotel. It was about 1/3 of what I paid for it in Hanoi but given the condition of the bike I was very happy with the offer, he asked me to produce an invoice that I made up there and I gave him all the tools I had used to fix the bike when it had broken down on me, that Im sure he is going to have to use as the bike was in quite bad condition. Haha.

Its funny that he just looked at the bike and did not even test any part of it let along ride it… So many things were broken: the brakes, spokes, weld joints, slowly deflating tires and the fact that only 8 of the 18 gears actually worked just to name a few.

He promptly gave me the money and I hastily left without turning back.

I got back to my hotel and went back out immediately to enjoy my vast riches spending some of it on some beer a camera battery charger and some clothes that I needed.

I still had the bike pump at the hotel but I thought I could get something for it; I went back to the first hotel I stayed at and sold it to the receptionist for 2 beers.

I met with Lauren and Joey and went out for a few more cheap beers until I got hungry again and found a really nice lady selling dumplings on the side of the road, this woman reminded me of my mum, really enthusiastic and just a lovely lady. Her English was great too; we ended just chatting for her for ages.

After, we went out for more drinks but not having a late one as Joey puts we are poorists: tourists with no money. J

The Buyer of my Bike... Sucker!!! haha

The invoice I had to produce when selling the bike

Me having a sobbing but happy farewell to the peice of scrap metal and rubber that took me the length of Vietnam

Tanks and Helicopter at the War Museum in Saigon

Day 55 17/12/2009

I know my cycling journey through Vietnam is now over but for shits and giggles I might continue with this blog so I can browse over it on a future date as a reminder.

Today I had a few bits and pieces I needed to sort out, first thing was to get my Thai visa for 2 months which I found out was free. I also went to pick up my box of goodies I sent on the train from Hanoi, personally I thought it was going to be a bit of a hassle as it had been sitting at the train station for well over a month now, but again as it turns out they did not charge me anything extra. Fantastic!

I also moved from the hotel with the dorm room to another hotel that was cheaper with an American guy (Joey) I had met when I arrived in the city.

I spent a bit of time washing my bike so I could sell it tomorrow and whilst cleaning it I bumped into a bunch of people I had met on this Journey including a German Couple I had met in Russia 3 months ago, two Danish girls I had met in China briefly and also in Hoi An, and some others from Nha Trang and Mui Ne… it really is a small world.

I spent the day walking around Saigon with a Chinese Canadian girl I had met in the hotel who was pretty sound. We went out for a few drinks in the evening but as we were all tired and decided to have another early one. So much for the celebratory drinks L… might as well save my money until im in Thailand for the full moon party… cant wait!

Day 54 16/12/2009

Distance Cycled: 210km

I left the Hotel at 6am just before the sun rose, it was still bloody hot but I persisted as I really needed to be in Saigon to sort out my Thai visa, pick up my things from the train station that I had sent from Hanoi and sell my bike.

Seeing as it was my last day cycling it wouldn’t have been special if nothing went wrong, about midday I punctured the rear tire that was easily fixed and as I waited for the rubber cement to dry I munched down some lunch. Towards the afternoon the rear tire got another puncture but seeing as I was only… well 40km away is quite far from Saigon I pushed on with the flat and as it was getting dark and I didn’t want be caught cycling at night.

I don’t think I have ever felt like my life was in such peril before, the roads here were terrible.

Apparently there was a bit of a downpour in HCMC because when I arrived some of the roads were flooded, again even with a punctured rear tire I pushed on through, drenching my shoes and socks.

When I arrived at the Hotel that offered dorm rooms I was in quite a state: sweaty, drenched, exhausted, sunburnt and covered in layer of highway grit. Thinking it was a triumphant moment; I would have liked to have a welcoming party waiting for me, but as I didn’t a beer sufficed.

Being absolutely knacked I had a shower grabbed some dinner and crashed out early, tomorrow Ill celebrate the end of this chapter of my travels. Next stop Thailand.

With only 95km to go!!!

What a sign, read closely

Arriving at the backpackers in Saigon absolutely nackard after cycling 210km and the last 40km with a punctured flat rear tire.

Day 53 15/12/2009

Distance Cycled: 15km

I packed my things and left my campsite at around 7 and headed for a place to stay in Mui Ne. As I slipped on one of my shoes I didn’t realize that an ant colony had moved into them having left them outside overnight, I then had hundreds of furious ants biting my right leg. It would have been quite a sight seeing me freak out hoping all over the place removing my shoe.

When I was asking for directions from locals to get to Mui Ne they weren’t very helpful, most people just ignored me and others had never seen a map of their town before pointing at random things.

When I was chatting to randoms yesterday at the red sand dunes I was recommended a place that had dorm rooms, I went to check it out and thankfully it was cheap at $6 a night. The owner an Australian guy (John) was great, a really friendly guy who was very interested in what I was doing and he wanted to put a pic of me on the hotel website.

I planted myself on a lounge chair in the sun for the afternoon met some people, grabbed some dindins and crashed out early as I needed to get to Saigon tomorrow.

The Sunset on Mui Ne Beach, Vietnam

Day 52 14/12/2009

Distance Cycled: ~180km

Times asked to Marry (Total): 12

Despite being a little chilly in my tent last night I slept very well. I set off at about 7 and continued down the road toward Mui Ne. The sun was incredibly hot but luckily my route was mostly downhill. I found a series of hairpin turns on this route that were unbelievably fun although being a little cautious as my breaks still weren’t great, around some corners there were some rock slides and potholes, cow shit and on more than one occasion actual cows blocking the road that I narrowly missed. Under the heat of the sun the road flattened out but at times could have been hard to classify it as a road, it almost seemed as it had been bombed relentlessly.

When I finally hit Hwy 1 I stopped for lunch. Im so glad I learnt how to say Com Dia (Rice with a bit of everything) as what was placed in front of me was a buffet of food.

Whilst eating lunch I realized my backpack was open slightly probably because of the bumpy bad road, and my camera charger and spare battery had fallen out. It really could have been worse, like my laptop or iPod.

I kept cycling into the afternoon but it became too hot and I retired under a tree for a few hours.

Along the way I saw the exit off to see the white sand dunes, I thought I may as well see them while I was there and it was only a detour of 3 km. They were quite impressive although very windy.

I wanted to catch the sunset over the red sand dunes 20km away so I cycled quickly to get there. This extra push didn’t do me well as I cramped up completely and wasn’t able to cycle for a while. I did make it to the red sand dunes utterly exhausted and the sunset was gorgeous, and because I had lost my spare battery for my camera I couldn’t take a picture of it, you will have to take my word on it.

As it was now getting dark and I was still 15km from Mui Ne I decided to get some food and camp out beside the beach. I ate dinner but because I was so exhausted and feeling unwell from being in the sun all day it took me a while to leave, my body was locking up, cramps in my feet, legs and hands, I was unable to stand for the longest time let alone to get back on my bike to find a place to pitch my tent.

As soon as I pitched my tent I was out like a light.

White sand dunes outside Mui Ne, Vietnam

The Cycle from the mountains to the coast.

Day 51 13/12/2009

Distance cycled: 75km

After saying my farewells to Jen in the morning I packed my things, ate breakfast, bought some bananas and bread and headed off towards Mui Ne. The downhill road, Hwy 20 from Dalat was a lot of fun, although incredibly bumpy that made my very gay front basket break off. I had to do a bodge repair with an empty dry concrete mix bag I found on the side of the road… It actually worked rather well not having any more problems with it all day.

I wanted to see some waterfalls before I left the mountains and I was searching for Goudah waterfall very close to Hwy 20. Instead I found another that was 6km from the hwy. It was a bit of a detour but worth it in the end as it was blistering hot and I needed to swim also I bumped into a Swedish girl and a Portuguese girl who were working as teachers in a nearby town. They were there with 4 other Vietnamese girls who kept on offering me food as they had finished their lunch and had some leftovers.

I hung out with these girls for most of the afternoon and set off cycling towards Mui Ne.

When I was in Dalat I asked a few adventure tour groups what route they took to get to Mui Ne, they recommended a road that wasn’t on any map but theirs. It seemed like sound advice so I took the road. OMG was it bumpy and still is as im writing this in my tent on the side of the road. So far there have been quite a bit of uphill bits that im only just managing with the lack of gears that I have, its also a shame that the downhill runs are mostly ruined with potholes and rocks making me cautious about going to fast.

I munched down a banana and jam (bought from the market in Dalat that tastes great but not as good as mum’s) sandwich for dinner and went to sleep for an early start tomorrow, I actually have no idea where I am at the moment but hopefully ill be in Mui Ne tomorrow afternoon if the roads are better than today… fingers crossed.

Panoramic of Waterfalls 60km south of Dalat

Pic: Crazy motorbiker sitting within a truck tire whilst driving.

Day 50 12/12/2009

Jen and I hired out a motor bike to go see the sights around Dalat. To be honest it wasn’t what I expected, personally I thought Sapa was a much better mountain town. This place seemed tacky as it is also considered the honeymoon destination of Vietnam. There were boats shaped as swans on the lake and flower gardens.

We headed out to see a 7 story Pagoda (Linh Phuoc) a couple of kilometers out of town that was decorated completely with broken porcelain that was very impressive. And the view from the top was cool as you could see all the farm land surrounding it.

We then basically got lost and ending motorbiking around Dalat for a good hour or two before seeing the Hang Nga Crazy House.

The ‘Crazy House’ wasn’t very impressive, odd shaped rooms with weird statues of animals inside; it was over the top and like a lot of the things in Dalat incredibly tacky which is kind of the appeal of this place.

We did more cruising around town and headed back to the hotel so I could fix my bike for my downhill decent into Mui Ne tomorrow.

Pic: Crazy House Dalat, Tiger room

Pic: Part of Crazy House, Dalat

Pic: Linh Phuoc pagoda Bell, ring 3 times for good luck, im going to need it as tomorrow im cycling down to Mui Ne on a very sketchy road.

Pic: Linh Phuoc Pagoda, decorated in broken crockery

Day 49 11/12/2009

Im cheating a tiny little bit on this cycling trip; today I caught a bus to Dalat with Jen, I really didn’t want to cycle the journey as it was all up hill and I don’t have enough time to see what I want to in Vietnam over the next week before hitting up Thailand.

I had to get up early to drop my bicycle off at the bus station so that it could be secured to the bus. Jen and I were doing this trip together so that we could save money on the hotel when we arrived. The journey was great despite being on dirt bumpy roads cause I slept like a baby the entire way something I obviously cant do when im cycling.

It was certainly colder here than in Nha trang.

We checked into a hotel for $6 which seemed to be where most westerners head to. We got chatting to a bunch of English people and went out for dinner, this place seems to be more expensive for street food and we ended back at the hotel to eat there.

Day 48 10/12/2009

I was unbelievably hungover today; again I chilled on the beach for the afternoon bumping into a German couple I had met in Irkutsk in Russia.

Im going to cheat a little bit with the cycling trip, I have booked a bus from here to Dalat then cycling down to Saigon to organize my visa for Thailand before its too late.

I went out for dinner at an outside restaurant that was relatively cheap with the same crew from the hostel (Tom, Stella, Rick, Casey, Kelsy and Jess). I feasted on Ostrich Wing which unsurprisingly tasted a lot like chicken but with more fat. It was only a small portion but I did lick the plates clean on everyone else’s meals on the table.

I said my farewell to them all hoping ill catch up with them on KoPhanYang in Thailand for the New Year’s party and set off to bed early.

Day 47 9/12/2009

I got up early today to meet the others joining me on the boat tour at the hostel. They were just ordering breakfast when the bus arrived to take us to the port. I managed to get the driver to wait for them although he wasn’t happy about it.

We were taken to 4 islands around Nha Trang on this tour and the boat was filled with asian couples and families which was a little disappointing as I hoped there would be more people our age although it still was a good laugh. The tour included snorkeling around a coral reef which was amazing, swimming, a karaoke session (yay!), lunch and fruit and an aquarium. For $5 it was well worth the money especially because I managed to eat well more than my fair share in lunch as everyone wondered where I put it all.

The aquarium was a little disappointing as we had to pay to get in and to see all the animals in tiny tanks not looking healthy at all.

We arrived back at the hotel and went for drinks and food, we went to this place where even before we sat down the food in front of or faces. They were rice paper rolls that we made ourselves that were quite good but none of us understood how it all worked; it was just so weird, the bill being the weirdest part as it turned out to be quite expensive.

We hitted up a few places for cheap drinks and worked the crowd to find free ones. I did pretty good this evening as I was pretty drunk not spending much money.

Pic: Stole a security guys hat only long enough to take a photo :P

Kiss, Kiss

Pic: Using 80's snorkeling gear to see Coral Reef behind me, it was beautiful.

Day 45 7/12/2009

Distance cycled: 90km

Thankfully I didn’t have anyone bothering me whilst sleeping in my tent last night, although I did get extremely early to see the sunrise from the beach. It would have been much better if all the locals didn’t come bother me to see what I was doing with my tripod and camera. I more or less ignored them by putting on my headphones.

Today was hot, I cycled strait from Dai Lanh to Nha Trang with only one stop for food and surprise surprise it was Noodle soup again.

I arrived in Nha Trang at 11.00 and headed for the backpackers hostel, it’s a bit pricey at 126,000 VND for one night with free breakfast and one free beer, certainly not going to beat the hostel in Hue.

I met a bunch of randoms including two English guys (Freddy and Alex) who are going to join me tomorrow for cheaper accommodation and we hit up the beach for the afternoon.

I bought some vodka and coke for the evening and got pretty pissed off it, we were drinking on the floor in the dorm room and it really did feel like I was back in high school.

After the free beer in the bar downstairs a few of us gathered up and we headed off to the sailors club where I got a few drinks for free as I talked to the promotional guy who I met on the beach earlier in the day, yay.

Pic: Sunrise just outside Dai Lanh, HDR

Day 46 8/12/2009

Another hangover day! I got the free breakfast in the morning and set off to the beach where we chilled all day.

Alex, Freddy and I moved into a hotel room for $5 US a night… much much cheaper than the hostel although it dosent have the same backpacking vibe. But never mind.

A bunch that I met in the hostel went out for dinner but I really didn’t want to have western food as it was far too expensive so Jen (an English girl who will be moving to our hotel tomorrow) and I left to have street food and I introduced her to Tim tam slammers for desert.

We organized a few people together and paid the 100,000VND for a boat tour for tomorrow.

Day 44 6/12/2009

Distance cycled: 150km

Times asked to Marry (Total): 11

I didn’t get out of bed as early as I had hoped today, by the time I sorted and packed my things and ate breakfast I was out of the hotel just before 8. I cycled the same route to where the leper colony was and hit up Highway 1D, it was a fantastic cycle as it followed the coast with some uphill stretches that I’m actually beginning to enjoy when it joined back onto Hwy 1A.

With the new sprocket set I realized I could get more speed from my bike, previously I was averaging 22km/h but now I was doing around 27km/h without any more effort, although I had no wind against me today.

I went for lunch at midday asking for rice with veg and meat ‘com dia’ what turned up was some scrambled egg with rice, the lady was asking for 30,000 VND, I was very disappointed and only paid ½ the asking price and continued my cycling.

At around 3 I arrived in Dai Lanh a scruffy looking fishing village 80km from Nha Trang, it read in the guide book there was a camping ground at the south end of the beach, I headed there to check it out but it was closed according to a, I suppose a security person when I asked if I could pitch my tent on the beach. Disappointed I grabbed some squid dinner and found a burnt down hotel with all the foundations still up on the beach where I pitched my tent. Hopefully nobody comes by to kick me out.

Pic: My tent pitched under the foundations of a burnt down hotel right beside the beach

Pic: Me leaving Hostel in Qui Nhon

Pic: HDR blue Buddah, Qui Nhon 2009

Pic: HDR Grounded Cargo Ship, Leper beach, Qui Nhon

Day 43 5/12/2009

I swear I had more mosquitoes in under my fly net than in the room… I slept terribly. I was going to leave today to make my way to Nha Trang but decided to see more of the city, I met with an Aussie and a Kiwi (Doug and Shaun) who I had already met yesterday and set off on bicycles to see some things around the city. First we went back to that Vegetarian restaurant for Lunch and tried to make our way to the 17m statue of a guy giving the finger to the Chinese. Unfortunately its not accessible by road and we needed a boat, so we skipped this attraction. We cycled around town for a bit and saw a Pagoda and a statue of a Buddha that at one angle looks like he is taking a drag of a splif as pictured.

Despite it being overcast and was raining at times we went to find another beach south of the city, with a bit of cycling uphill then back down we entered a leper community. There wasn’t much happening here so we went to the beach for some Frisbee action. At one end of the beach there was a cargo ship that had been grounded ashore. We approached it and climbed the ladder to explore. After talking to a guy who still lived on it from Burma, it turns out the ship was washed ashore in October by a typhoon. It was quite a surreal sight.

We headed back to Quy Nhon for dinner again at that Veggie restaurant again…I know 3 times in 2 days, well it was cheap and the food was fantastic. There was even mock meat that was real tasty.

Tomorrow I’m going to set off early and make my way to Nha Trang 230km away.

Day 42 4/12/2009

Repair costs: 150,000 VND

As it turns out the bicycle repair man was right about something yesterday, the 3 cogs connected to the peddles had worn right down into a shark teeth shape, this meant I needed to replace the whole peddle assembly. This was possibly caused by my excessive cycling yesterday. He was offering 150,000 VND for the repair, I thought id look around town and try find someone else for cheaper but having to explain the problem to others who don’t know English turned out to be quite irritating so I went back to him and offered 120,000VND, he then raised it to 180,000VND for some reason, but we settled back on 150,000VND.

Whilst I waited for the repair I joined an English couple (Chris and Rachael) for a vegetarian lunch, which was new to me and I though to be quite delicious and for only 10,000VND it was a great deal. We wondered around town and set down on the beach for the afternoon.

When I got the bicycle back the guy had replaced the assembly but the gear ratios had changed dramatically, these cogs where much larger than before and because they differed the derailleur couldn’t derail the chain on the smallest cog. This meant going uphill is going to be more of a struggle. As the man pointed out there was also a bit of wear on the rear cogs too, so some slipping of the chain was going to occur whilst cycling on certain gears. When I cycled around town I found out I went from 18 gears from when I bought the bike to now 8… well I have about 800km to go, lets see if I make it to Saigon.

In the evening there were more westerners in the hotel. I gathered up half a dozen people from all over the world and had a few beers to drink that others bought me. Actually didn’t spend a cent on alcohol this evening J

We went for food, the vegetarian place I ate at earlier because it was cheap but it was shut so we settled for pho… again.

Day 41 3/12/2009

Distance Cycled: ~200km

Times asked to Marry (Total): 10

Repair costs: 126,000 VND

I had pretty good nights rest on the side of Hwy 1, I awoke every now and again to hear passing semis honking their horns probably aimlessly. I quickly packed my stuff as that tomboyish girl creeped me out by constantly saying mo-ney and picking up my stuff gesturing that she was going to take something. I quickly got out of there by 5.45 and started cycling towards Qui Nhon.

I got 75 km when one of the sprockets on the derailleur popped off making my bike uncycleable. Luckily I wasn’t too far away from the closest town… I had to walk 3 km in the wrong direction to this guy in a bike shop who was quite brutal with a hammer with another bike as I entered. Thankfully he had a sprocket and only took 5 minutes to install and only cost 6000VND Bargain!

I managed to finish listening to the Hobbit on audiobook, which was awesome; I may start the Lord of the Rings trilogy tomorrow.

One of the places I stopped at for food gave me a massive rice dish and offered me 2 girls to marry, either one or the other but not both at the same time which I gestured jokingly, the father wasn’t too impressed . Lol.

The last 65km towards Qui Nhon was painful because my bike kept on slipping gears.

When I arrived exhausted I went in search of the hotel with dorms for 50,000 VND. I managed to find it but was a little bit disappointed that I was the only westerner there. The woman working at the desk was more than friendly and helped me find a bike repair man who replaced the chain and other sprocket for 120,000 VND very expensive. When I went to pick up the bike the chain was the wrong size making the slipping 10 times worse than before. He didn’t understand the fact that all I needed was a working bicycle and started raising his voice in disapproval. After some debate neither of us could understand we took my bike to the hotel where the receptionist could translate the argument and made a deal to clean up the previous chain and use that instead for the same price.

I honestly should have fixed it myself if I knew it was going to costs so much and be such a hassle.

Pic: When the sprocket popped off 3km from the closest town

Day 40 2/12/2009

Distance Cycled: 80 km

Times asked to Marry (Total): 8

I had a bit of a delayed start and didn’t leave Hoi An till 11. I said my farewells to Caroline and Dryden, and set off. I got a little lost getting back to highway 1 and I accidentally back tracked a little. Cycling hwy 1 was as boring as usual with the added bonus of the wind blowing against me, towards the end of the day it made things interesting by having a Semi’s tire exploded in front of me propelling small bits of rubber in my direction. Apart from being partially deafened, some bits of debris cut up my right forearm, not too bad just a couple of small cuts. Perhaps they will scar over and I can say that I got it in Nam. :P

I pulled over shortly after to find accommodation, I was only about 10km from Quang Ngai but it was getting dark, and also looking in the guide book accommodation there is relatively expensive. The place I stopped at was another small shop selling food. I asked whether it was ok to pitch my tent but they were a bit hesitant. I managed to convince them as I munched down some of their food. I was asked by the mother of one of the daughters to marry her, this happens all the time and I still don’t know how to react. And to be honest I’m really not that attracted to these Vietnamese girls, especially this one as she was a bit creepy and tom-boyish.

I had a slow leak in my front tire; I fixed it and set off to bed. I may have pitched my tent where the dog normally sleeps, because all night the dog was barking at the tent. L

Pic: Cuts from when a lorries tire exploded 15 meters in front of me firing bits of shrapnel in my direction

Pic: Pig in a cone basket on the back of a motorbike unable to move.

Day 39 1/12/2009

Hangover day! I spent part of the morning throwing up and the rest of the day just chilling. I did pick up my shirt, it was sick, I absolutely love it.. I may have to come back here some day when I have more money.

I said goodbye to Ross and Dave and met with a gorgeous Austrian girl (Caroline), a Quebecer (Stephanie) and a young English guy (Dryden) in the afternoon then went out to dinner to celebrate Stephanie’s birthday. I was lucky enough to share the room with Caroline and Dryden this evening and after showing off some of my photoshop work went to bed.

Caroline may join me cycling when I get down to Nha Trang, I hope she will as the company and eye candy would be fantastic.

Day 38 31/11/2009

I met Dom and Sandra in the morning and headed for the beach but for breakfast I bumped into 2 Danish girls that I had briefly met in Xi’an, China. Weirdly there were 2 dead pigs that had been washed ashore. After wondering around the town again Dom and Sandra bought me a little gift… a small ceramic whistle J. I tagged along when they went to the tailor shop where they were picking up some clothing, I persuaded myself to spend the money ($11) on a tailor made shirt that would be completed the following day. I said my farewells to them in the afternoon and headed out for dinner and drinks with Dave and Ross.

I got absolutely obliterated, mixing cheap beer and cheap Vodka I ended up at the beach party, I really don’t remember much apart from throwing up out of the window on the return journey.

Day 37 30/11/2009

Much like yesterday I didn’t do much, just walked around town with Helle and Ingrid. And as they were leaving in the arvo I had to find some other accommodation. Where we were staying was too expensive for just one person I tried asking randoms if I could share a room with them but had no luck.

Luckily I bumped into 2 guys form the UK (Dave and Ross) who I met in Hue and went to join them in their room for $4 a night.

The 3 of us set off to meet Dom and Sandra and some others we ate dinner with last night for a feed. They suggested a restaurant that had a 5 course set menu with seafood, meat or vegetarian options. Dave and I shared both the seafood and meat dishes so really had 9 courses as the desert was the same. It was fantastic, I got to say the food here in Hoi An has been the best in all of Vietnam so far. The meal was a little pricey for 100,000 VND ($5) even for Vietnamese standards which really isn’t that much considering how much food there was. The others headed out but I went home to rest. L

Day 37 30/11/2009

Much like yesterday I didn’t do much, just walked around town with Helle and Ingrid. And as they were leaving in the arvo I had to find some other accommodation. Where we were staying was too expensive for just one person I tried asking randoms if I could share a room with them but had no luck.

Luckily I bumped into 2 guys form the UK (Dave and Ross) who I met in Hue and went to join them in their room for $4 a night.

The 3 of us set off to meet Dom and Sandra and some others we ate dinner with last night for a feed. They suggested a restaurant that had a 5 course set menu with seafood, meat or vegetarian options. Dave and I shared both the seafood and meat dishes so really had 9 courses as the desert was the same. It was fantastic, I got to say the food here in Hoi An has been the best in all of Vietnam so far. The meal was a little pricey for 100,000 VND ($5) even for Vietnamese standards which really isn’t that much considering how much food there was. The others headed out but I went home to rest. L

Day 36 29/11/2009

Today chilled on the beach and did SFA! For those don’t know what SFA stands for… Sweet fuck all.

Randomly bumped into a French Canadian couple I had met in Beijing on the day I arrived there, we met for dinner at the same place as last night and because I wasn’t feeling 100% went home to rest.

Photoshop: Hai Van Pass, Small World

Panoramic 360 Hai Van Pass, Vietnam

Pic: Some Lady selling Dead Chicken Fetuses on the Side of the Highway... WTF??

Leaving the Backpackers in Hue

Day 35 28/11/09

Distance cycled: 135km

I left the Hostel in Hue at 7.30 after eating some free breaky and stealing some pot noodles. After 20 minutes of cycling I got some really painful stomach cramps, I pulled over into some driveway where some locals saw me struggling and sat me down, they massaged me and rubbed some sort of tigerbalm on my back and front… after a little while I was ok and set off again.

On the way to Danang I was going to use the tunnel though the mountain but unfortunately I passed the entrance into it and accidentally continued on the scenic mountain route. I would say now that the route was worth the exhausting cycle but at the time I did not enjoy it.

Just before hitting Danang to stopped for a mid afternoon lunch at another random restaurant food place. The food changes in different regions of Vietnam, well from rice to rice noodles and now a new one rice porridge that was so good, it was much like the way mum used to make but with a massive piece of lamb. I ended up ordering two.

I stopped by Danang at around 3.30 to get my passport and quickly made my way to hoi an before it got dark. I mananged to cycle 35km in an hour and a half.

When I made it to Hoi An I asked a few westerners for some suggestions of where to stay, thankfully I randomly bumped into Helle and Ingrid and the 3 of us found a room for 222000 Dong, the hotel even had a swimming pool.

We had a short look around town, grabbed some dindins from the local market and crashed out.

Day 34 26/11/2009

Well, I didn’t make it out of the hostel today. I slept terribly bad and woke with a terrible sore throat. I said my farewells to J.T and sat around the hostel playing the Norwegian version of Shithead called ‘Idiot’ with 2 girls obviously from Norway (Helle and Ingrid) for the majority of the day.

Ill certainly head off to Hoi An tomorrow to meet with these girls so that we can find accommodation together and keep the price low for all of us.

I have to stop by Danang to pick up my Visa from the travel agency on the way.

About 150km to cycle tomorrow but it is going to be a bit tougher terrain.

By the way, Happy thanks giving.

Entrance into Forbidden City, Hue, Vietnam

Day 33 25/11/2009

Another miserable day in Hue… at first it was ok but when I went on a cycle trip to see the Citadel and the forbidden city it pissed it down. Personally these sights were terrible, $4 entry fee to see some rubble and scaffolding. If I knew a little more about the history and the weather didnt dampen my mood I certainly would have enjoyed it more. oh well.

I reckon Ill head off tomorrow and make my way towards Hoi an, passing Danang to pick up my passport and Visa extension on the way.

Pic: Tamcoc, Nihn Bihn, Vietnam 2009 (Forgot to Add earlier)

Day 33 25/11/2009

Another miserable day in Hue… at first it was ok but when I went on a cycle trip to see the Citadel and the forbidden city it pissed it down. Personally these sights were terrible, $4 entry fee to see some rubble and scaffolding. If I knew a little more about the history and the weather didnt dampen my mood I certainly would have enjoyed it more. oh well.

I reckon Ill head off tomorrow and make my way towards Hoi an, passing Danang to pick up my passport and Visa extension on the way.

Day 32 24/11/2009

Today J.T and I headed to the

Temple a little ways outside the city… I really was in need to get away from the

hostel and see some of the

sights; also it was a nice day out.

We both cycled there and as we are both into our photography started shooting away.

He had a great suggestion to make it look like I was levitating, as you can see by the pic on the right… how awesome is that!

I put together a few HDR’s and panos for later processing and headed back to the city.

For the evening I drank more beer and ate more noodles… without spending a cent.

Pics: Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue, Vietnam

Center: Tank Museum, outside citadel, Hue

Day 31 23/11/2009

Repair Costs : 70,000 VND

It has now been exactly a month since I had arrived in Vietnam. I fixed up my bike at a local shop across the river where they repair dude actually found a replacement tire for my rear wheel.

With J.T’s help we managed to temporarily fix the rear breaks and give the bicycle an overall tune up. The bodge job we performed on the faulty spring mechanism for the rear break was genius… hopefully this temporarily fix will last 3 weeks till I get to HCMC.

Pic: Side entrance into Forbidden City, Hue (Taken on the 25/11/09)