Vietnam biking adventure
Discussion
This week has unfortunately been a bit of a bust so far. After a particularly heavy night out in Dalat at the beginning of the week I have got a chest infection and have been bed bound for the last couple of days in Nha Trang.
I'm starting to feel a little better today, so in the interest of making progress am working my way 120km up the coast to Tuy Hoa, and have a night in a hotel there to hopefully get some better rest.
I'm starting to feel a little better today, so in the interest of making progress am working my way 120km up the coast to Tuy Hoa, and have a night in a hotel there to hopefully get some better rest.
130 very gusty kilometers takes the total now to 1953. Due another oil change soon.
https://youtu.be/_dtdcCroZvM
Still under the weather so I booked a hotel, but there is no hot water
Just to top off my run of bad luck this week, I also made a bad choice of travel food on the way here, so my stomach isn't in the best of states either!
Onwards and upwards
https://youtu.be/_dtdcCroZvM
Still under the weather so I booked a hotel, but there is no hot water
Just to top off my run of bad luck this week, I also made a bad choice of travel food on the way here, so my stomach isn't in the best of states either!
Onwards and upwards
AceOfHearts said:
130 very gusty kilometers takes the total now to 1953. Due another oil change soon.
https://youtu.be/_dtdcCroZvM
Still under the weather so I booked a hotel, but there is no hot water
Just to top off my run of bad luck this week, I also made a bad choice of travel food on the way here, so my stomach isn't in the best of states either!
Onwards and upwards
Keep your gut rot updates to yerself but please give us your Dong spend figures on everything!https://youtu.be/_dtdcCroZvM
Still under the weather so I booked a hotel, but there is no hot water
Just to top off my run of bad luck this week, I also made a bad choice of travel food on the way here, so my stomach isn't in the best of states either!
Onwards and upwards
GWS...
201km getting to Bai Xep and exploring whilst here. Total now 2154km.
I had a few more little bits done on the way here. An oil change, new spark plug, centre stand rattle sorted out (again) and chain adjusted / lubed. 125,000 dong (£4)
I have still been having trouble with the carb since the mechanic took the bench grinder to the slide
Due to the extra air bypassing the slide I am really struggling to get the low throttle fuelling right and a steady idle is almost impossible. Sometimes it is OK an sometimes will just cut out. I bit the bullet today and bought a new carb to fit in the morning before riding 200km to Kon Tum.
The new carb was 175,000 dong (£5.65). Hopefully this sorts the issue once and for all as I have some heavy days riding ahead and want to get the bike up to scratch
I had a few more little bits done on the way here. An oil change, new spark plug, centre stand rattle sorted out (again) and chain adjusted / lubed. 125,000 dong (£4)
I have still been having trouble with the carb since the mechanic took the bench grinder to the slide
Due to the extra air bypassing the slide I am really struggling to get the low throttle fuelling right and a steady idle is almost impossible. Sometimes it is OK an sometimes will just cut out. I bit the bullet today and bought a new carb to fit in the morning before riding 200km to Kon Tum.
The new carb was 175,000 dong (£5.65). Hopefully this sorts the issue once and for all as I have some heavy days riding ahead and want to get the bike up to scratch
Great trip, thanks for sharing, advrider usually gets them all!
Beware that not all vietnamese bike mechanics are perfect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUN0SugntKQ
And never wander off any paths as unexploded munitions are everywhere...
...but do remember to get a great tailor made silk lounge lizard suit made when convenient
Beware that not all vietnamese bike mechanics are perfect:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUN0SugntKQ
And never wander off any paths as unexploded munitions are everywhere...
...but do remember to get a great tailor made silk lounge lizard suit made when convenient
I just arrived in Hoi An last night. I stopped at Kon Tum for a few days to break up the journey but all in was 528km. Total now 2682km.
Yesterday was a great ride but a very long 300km slog. I was riding with a Polish tattoo artist from my hotel who was making the same journey, but unfortunately her bike broke down early in the day and needed the carb stripping and cleaning at the mechanics. This set us back an hour or so and in total it took us 11 hours to get here.
The last 50km was in the dark, which was not fun with dodgy scooter headlights. Thankfully Maya had a head torch which really saved the day for me and we eventually made it to the hostel at 7:30pm.
Yesterday was a great ride but a very long 300km slog. I was riding with a Polish tattoo artist from my hotel who was making the same journey, but unfortunately her bike broke down early in the day and needed the carb stripping and cleaning at the mechanics. This set us back an hour or so and in total it took us 11 hours to get here.
The last 50km was in the dark, which was not fun with dodgy scooter headlights. Thankfully Maya had a head torch which really saved the day for me and we eventually made it to the hostel at 7:30pm.
AceOfHearts said:
Yesterday was a great ride but a very long 300km slog. I was riding with a Polish tattoo artist from my hotel who was making the same journey, but unfortunately her bike broke down early in the day and needed the carb stripping and cleaning at the mechanics. This set us back an hour or so and in total it took us 11 hours to get here.
Mate, I bet you had enough of carb'ed bikes by now, Injection'ed TFW!From Hoi An we moved on to Danang and now Hue.
Before I left Hoi An, I stopped at a mechanic as I had developed a pretty bad oil leak. He had the bike for a few hours to replace a seal behind the generator. Oil change at the same time and came to 380,000 dong (£12).
One of the most expensive repairs so far but it needed doing and the mechanic came highly recommended, but low and behold it still leaks like a sieve
There are 4 of us travelling together now for the next week or so so it's a nice change to have some company
Made sure to do the Hai Van pass on the way to Danang. Unfortunately wet and full of coaches but a great road none the less.
Lastly in Hue, the trip to the abandoned water park Thuy Tien. We had to pay the 'guards' 30p to let us in. It's an interesting place to explore!
More pictures on IG as usual
Before I left Hoi An, I stopped at a mechanic as I had developed a pretty bad oil leak. He had the bike for a few hours to replace a seal behind the generator. Oil change at the same time and came to 380,000 dong (£12).
One of the most expensive repairs so far but it needed doing and the mechanic came highly recommended, but low and behold it still leaks like a sieve
There are 4 of us travelling together now for the next week or so so it's a nice change to have some company
Made sure to do the Hai Van pass on the way to Danang. Unfortunately wet and full of coaches but a great road none the less.
Lastly in Hue, the trip to the abandoned water park Thuy Tien. We had to pay the 'guards' 30p to let us in. It's an interesting place to explore!
More pictures on IG as usual
Sorry for the lack of updates, been a busy week. From Hoi An we did 660km so total now at 3342km.
From Hue the 4 of us went to Khe San, where we stayed 1 night for the others to fix their Honda Wins. Due to this we didn't leave until 3pm and planned to do 140km, so we knew we would be riding the mountain roads in the dark.
The headlight on my Wave is totally useless, so I used the day to wire in a makeshift spotlight that I got from a lorry mechanic, with some wire and crimps. I also found a shop with a basket to help out with luggage duties. By a the end of this I was 400,000 dong lighter (£12.40) and the bike now looks like this
Of course we took much longer than expected, and after riding 2 hours in the dark the spotlight had killed the scooter battery (charging system couldn't keep up). After this we ended up having to put 2 mobile phones in the basket with the torches on so I could see anything, and we had to give up 40km short in a tiny village in the mountains.
Thankfully we found a restaurant and they had a spare room we could stay in. The house was beautiful and made entirely of varnished wood, and the owner made us a great dinner which we ate on the floor with her.
The bed was huge but again made of wood and no mattress, just a bamboo mat covering it. 4 of us squeezed in. A cozy night but not the best sleep I have ever had!
So we left there and finished the great ride to Phong Nha National Park where I am now. Through the mountains and up into the clouds we barely saw another vehicle all day. The 3 days here have been spent visiting caves, exploring, zip lining, kayaking and swimming in the lovely water.
Leaving tomorrow and seeing how far we can get north in the afternoon.
From Hue the 4 of us went to Khe San, where we stayed 1 night for the others to fix their Honda Wins. Due to this we didn't leave until 3pm and planned to do 140km, so we knew we would be riding the mountain roads in the dark.
The headlight on my Wave is totally useless, so I used the day to wire in a makeshift spotlight that I got from a lorry mechanic, with some wire and crimps. I also found a shop with a basket to help out with luggage duties. By a the end of this I was 400,000 dong lighter (£12.40) and the bike now looks like this
Of course we took much longer than expected, and after riding 2 hours in the dark the spotlight had killed the scooter battery (charging system couldn't keep up). After this we ended up having to put 2 mobile phones in the basket with the torches on so I could see anything, and we had to give up 40km short in a tiny village in the mountains.
Thankfully we found a restaurant and they had a spare room we could stay in. The house was beautiful and made entirely of varnished wood, and the owner made us a great dinner which we ate on the floor with her.
The bed was huge but again made of wood and no mattress, just a bamboo mat covering it. 4 of us squeezed in. A cozy night but not the best sleep I have ever had!
So we left there and finished the great ride to Phong Nha National Park where I am now. Through the mountains and up into the clouds we barely saw another vehicle all day. The 3 days here have been spent visiting caves, exploring, zip lining, kayaking and swimming in the lovely water.
Leaving tomorrow and seeing how far we can get north in the afternoon.
Isn't this your second accident?
I see those crappy and not so crappy "Honda Wins" for sale in Cambodia. Some schmuck has been fed the "Yes Honda. Honda good" when in fact the vast majority are Chinese (Detech) or less crappy Sufat (Actual Vietnamese).
"For sale Honda Win Detech" and they show the blue card (ID card) and it clearly says Espero Detech! There is a reason a 2016 model is only $400 whereas a real Honda would be triple that, but they stopped making them years ago.
Anyhoo. Great write up and pics.
I see those crappy and not so crappy "Honda Wins" for sale in Cambodia. Some schmuck has been fed the "Yes Honda. Honda good" when in fact the vast majority are Chinese (Detech) or less crappy Sufat (Actual Vietnamese).
"For sale Honda Win Detech" and they show the blue card (ID card) and it clearly says Espero Detech! There is a reason a 2016 model is only $400 whereas a real Honda would be triple that, but they stopped making them years ago.
Anyhoo. Great write up and pics.
AceOfHearts said:
Recovering after an accident yesterday, will update later
Pick yourself up, and dust oneself off. Not to be unexpected.
However the saving grace is that you were probably not going that fast.
When me and my wife were riding Hanoi to Saigon, took a tumble, must have been doing all of 40 km/h.
Some where around Nah Trang or Mui Nie,
can't remember.
Bit of a scuff and abrasions.
r1
Time for an update then on this week's progress, and this post also includes a food warning to some of you guys
I haven't noted to milage today but will get that done tomorrow when I arrive in Hanoi. I am currently in Tam Coc doing the usual pagodas, coffee, bike rides and general milling around but the weather is cold at the moment (as low as 8 degrees) so I have not been doing too much.
So about the accident a few days ago:
Riding from Phong Nha to Ninh Binh, 10 degrees and raining. Travelling at about 60km/h a calf jumped out from between some hedges and straight in front of the bike. Nothing I could do in that split second and I hit it square in the side.
Thankfully we were very lucky (me and my new Russian pillion) with only minor scrapes to our knees. By the time we stopped sliding my right leg was stuck under the bike but again only resulted in a few ankle grazes.
The bike faired OK too, the new basket on the front of the bike was full of laundry and toiletries and took the main brunt of the impact. It is now a very odd shape but apart from a floppy brake lever the bike still rides fine.
The lady who had shooed the cow into the road appeared moments later, ushered it away and did not even give a second look to me trapped under the bike. Annoying mentality that I really don't like.
Onwards and upwards though. I am sleeping in a cave at the moment, treated the bike to a new chain and sprockets as the old one had run out of adjustment, and also another oil change (320,000 dong - £10). Hanoi tomorrow, hopefully the weather picks up.
Yesterday we also had a short stint on Highway 1 again to get to our hotel. This stretch of road was some of the worst I have been on in Vietnam, and after 4000km riding here I feel I can now legitimately say that the standard of driving in this country is utterly appalling
One slightly depressing sight from this bit of road was a caged lorry packed full of dogs, at least 100 of them all piled on top of each other. Presumably heading to dinner tables in Hanoi.
On a final food related note, on the way to Ninh Binh we stopped in a small town in the middle of nowhere for some food. We were feeling adventurous and opted for fried sparrows, but I ordered a backup of 'steak' incase it was really grim. The sparrows arrived, I managed to stomach 3 before giving up and then my steak arrived...
Google translate had let me down.
What translated to steak was actually steamed pig brains. To be fair it tasted like a nice pate but by that time my appetite had been well and truly lost.
I haven't noted to milage today but will get that done tomorrow when I arrive in Hanoi. I am currently in Tam Coc doing the usual pagodas, coffee, bike rides and general milling around but the weather is cold at the moment (as low as 8 degrees) so I have not been doing too much.
So about the accident a few days ago:
Riding from Phong Nha to Ninh Binh, 10 degrees and raining. Travelling at about 60km/h a calf jumped out from between some hedges and straight in front of the bike. Nothing I could do in that split second and I hit it square in the side.
Thankfully we were very lucky (me and my new Russian pillion) with only minor scrapes to our knees. By the time we stopped sliding my right leg was stuck under the bike but again only resulted in a few ankle grazes.
The bike faired OK too, the new basket on the front of the bike was full of laundry and toiletries and took the main brunt of the impact. It is now a very odd shape but apart from a floppy brake lever the bike still rides fine.
The lady who had shooed the cow into the road appeared moments later, ushered it away and did not even give a second look to me trapped under the bike. Annoying mentality that I really don't like.
Onwards and upwards though. I am sleeping in a cave at the moment, treated the bike to a new chain and sprockets as the old one had run out of adjustment, and also another oil change (320,000 dong - £10). Hanoi tomorrow, hopefully the weather picks up.
Yesterday we also had a short stint on Highway 1 again to get to our hotel. This stretch of road was some of the worst I have been on in Vietnam, and after 4000km riding here I feel I can now legitimately say that the standard of driving in this country is utterly appalling
One slightly depressing sight from this bit of road was a caged lorry packed full of dogs, at least 100 of them all piled on top of each other. Presumably heading to dinner tables in Hanoi.
On a final food related note, on the way to Ninh Binh we stopped in a small town in the middle of nowhere for some food. We were feeling adventurous and opted for fried sparrows, but I ordered a backup of 'steak' incase it was really grim. The sparrows arrived, I managed to stomach 3 before giving up and then my steak arrived...
Google translate had let me down.
What translated to steak was actually steamed pig brains. To be fair it tasted like a nice pate but by that time my appetite had been well and truly lost.
Edited by AceOfHearts on Thursday 1st February 16:57
One last thing I wanted to add was our impromptu stay in a town called Th? Xuân. Totally off the tourist trail our stay here was probably the best fun I have had in Vietnam so far.
It started with a coffee stop at a lakeside Cafe called Embassy Coffee. The owner was so genuinely friendly and invited us to his family dinner that night. Great food and plenty of rice wine, around 15 people turned up in the end that first night. The group of friends at the cafe were second to none and we had such a awesome time that we ended up staying 3 days in total. They insisted on giving us haircuts, showing us around the town and hours fishing by the lake. On top of that was good food, interesting conversation and live music every evening.
We have been invited back to celebrate new year's with them in 2 weeks which I really hope we can make. Top bunch of guys and I love the modified Honda Cubs
It started with a coffee stop at a lakeside Cafe called Embassy Coffee. The owner was so genuinely friendly and invited us to his family dinner that night. Great food and plenty of rice wine, around 15 people turned up in the end that first night. The group of friends at the cafe were second to none and we had such a awesome time that we ended up staying 3 days in total. They insisted on giving us haircuts, showing us around the town and hours fishing by the lake. On top of that was good food, interesting conversation and live music every evening.
We have been invited back to celebrate new year's with them in 2 weeks which I really hope we can make. Top bunch of guys and I love the modified Honda Cubs
Edited by AceOfHearts on Thursday 1st February 17:05
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