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The Grand Adventure

A bike trip with no end Read more

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🇻🇳 Phong Nha Commune, Vietnam
The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
“Botanical Gardens” aka jungle scramble
1 hour ago in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Though morning clouds linger on the hills, they quickly dissipate yielding another sunny day. Fuel up on banana pancakes and ride into the national park. Up a short but steep hill and we are at the Botanical Gardens. Actually a misnomer as no gardens - just a jungle and waterfall. Lots of clambering up and down boulders, at times next to lovely flowing water. Great waterfall at the end! Dunk feet and legs before heading out. Hear a few monkeys in the trees on our way down. Chill for a few hours before finding dinner.Read more
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A sunnier disposition
Yesterday in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
An odd sight greets us in the morning - blue sky! Short day ahead to get to Phong Nha National Park. Stay on small roads as long as we can - until we hit a muddy construction site that we can’t go through. Zip down the main road, crossing a few tall bridges. Turn off and enter the hills. Quite a bit of undulation; especially compared to what we have been riding lately. Bridges get smaller as well! Make it to the touristy town of Phong Nha. Grab some lunch, check into our hotel and do a wee walk about. Karst hills look much better with clear skies around. Short walk for mediocre pizza.Read more
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A soggy one
December 17 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Rain and wind greet us this morning. Continue our journey south at times having wind at our back. Not most scenic ride as nearby hills are covered in clouds. Witness a cow vs. motorbike accident - cow ran away but the kids on bikes did not. Though helmets are mandatory many people don’t wear them. After about 40 miles we had had enough so checked into a hotel. Quick walk down the road for cheap fried chicken dinner.Read more
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Thien Cam
December 16 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Check out beach before packing up. The hotel staff are, again, incredibly helpful; insisting on carrying bags and holding bikes. Another flat and relatively quiet ride. Day stays cloudy but no rain until we arrive at Thien Cam - our destination. Lots of construction or reconstruction going on throughout the town. Continue to draw a lot of attention- even off bikes. Definitely not in a touristy part of the country.Read more
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To the South China Sea
December 15 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
Still cool but the air has improved and it’s not raining. Stop for coffee and breakfast before winding our way through back alleys on our way to the sea. A few detours are needed before arriving at the sea. Wavy and grey. Very quiet roads along the coastline. It definitely seems to be off season. Opt to stay along the coastline rather than going into Vinh. Checked into a huge and deserted hotel. Get great service though.Read more
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Head down and ride
December 14 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
A cool and rainy morning. Get a late start, trying to let the rain pass. Riding split between some quiet roads and busy main roads - though traffic seems lighter (Sunday?). Pass through small nondescript towns before stopping for the day. Find a small and cheap hotel a bit away from noisy road. Wind up in a restaurant that only serves goat. Not bad.Read more
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Southward
December 13 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
Our journey south continues. Day is both cloudy and smoggy. Leave the karst hills behind and hit the busier roads. Sprinkles keep us moving quickly. Rain begins around noon as promised. Get to Thanh Hoa and hit a bit of inhospitableness. Not sure if it’s our bikes out that we look like dirty drenched rats. Finally find a fine hotel. Hunker down for the rest of the day, not even venturing out for dinner (delivery instead). Too rainy.Read more
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Ruins and temples
December 12 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
After another round of bike repairs at a fantastic shop in town, we headed in the opposite direction from yesterday- towards Trang An. Road along the river amongst the “hills” winding our way past local homes and ‘resorts’. Came to Hoa Lua, ancient palace site. Lots of tourists on bikes wandering amongst the narrow paths. More riding along the river and arrive at a very quiet Bai Dinh, a recently finished temple complex. Took an electric bus to enter the massive grounds. Polluted air continues to mar distant views but structures are beautiful. Another dash back before sunset.Read more
Hannah Boe Whew so smoggy 😮‍💨
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Traveler Awesome photo!
5dReply
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Adventures amongst the Karst
December 11 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
After a morning of bike repairs and organizing, venture off on a walk amongst the Karst hills. Air continues to be bad, minimizing views. Head off on bikes to Hang Mua. Drizzle begins as we climb up the steps, making for some slippery rocks. Though visibility is poor, still appreciate what we can see. Continue on bikes to Thung Nham Ecotourism park. With limited daylight remaining, only do a cursory tour. Zoom back to
room before sunset. Another good dinner in town.Read more
Hannah Boe How was it??
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Hannah Boe They're so flat!
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Ninh Binh
December 10 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
Catch a ride to where our bikes have been safely stored and load them up. After a quick breakfast, tackle the Hanoi traffic. Maneuver through a few sketchy intersections and find ourselves on quiet side roads, mostly free of car traffic. The air quality is horrible, muting all views. Decide to push on to Ninh Binh, and check into a quiet “homestay”. Clean up and walk into town for dinner.Read more
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Art and healing
December 9 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Enjoy a nice breakfast before wandering to National Museum of Fine Arts. Nice collection, showcasing the unique style of Vietnamese art. Interesting how central the war is in late 20th century art. Head back to spa for a therapeutic (ie .painful) massage to heal sciatic pain. Try one last restaurant - another good one.Read more
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Hello Hanoi
December 8 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 21 °C
Up early to return to the airport. Very chilly morning (32F). Navigate Seoul’s large and busy airport and board our last plane. 4+ hours later we arrive in Hanoi. Return to the hotel we had stayed at before, though a bigger room. Meander around, enjoying a photography display along the lake. Have a nice dinner - sans rice!Read more
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The lost day
December 7 in South Korea
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, Saturday became Sunday. Land in Seoul after being awake for 20 hours. Make our way through immigration and board metro to our nearby hotel. In bed before 9:00 pm local time.Read more
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Goodbye Portland
December 6, Bering Sea ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C
After a 4 week break in Portland, we are heading back to Vietnam to resume our journey. A quick morning flight gets us to Seattle and then the 12+ hour flight back through Seoul.
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Final day of exploration in Seoul
November 9 in South Korea ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Up early and head into chilly sunshine for some exercise. Jog up to the tower along trail. Stop a bit for some strength training as well. Pack up, and after stashing out stuff, grab some breakfast. Walk past Cathedral and catch the metro to the Olympic park. Many people out enjoying the sunshine. Do a quick walkabout before taking metro back. Catch the train to the airport and pass through security easily spend some time in lounge before boarding plan. USA - here we come. Definitely ready for a break!Read more
Hannah Boe Glitter Day?? ✨✨
11/11/25Reply
Helene Rimberg A K-pop band concert. They were all dressed like school girls
11/12/25Reply
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Namsan Tower and National museum
November 8 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
Head off in another direction this morning. Up to the Namsan park and tower. As it’s Saturday it’s very busy with people enjoying the fall day. Nice 360 view. Walk through the park and then head to war memorial. Lots of police presence for some unknown reason. Skiddadle out of there and walk through nice neighborhoods to the National museum of Korea. Learn a bit about the country’s history - lots of occupations. Take the metro back and have a good last meal in Korea.Read more
Hannah Boe Wow I want that to organize my rhinestones ✨
11/11/25Reply
Helene Rimberg That could work
11/12/25Reply
TravelerIt looks so much like Portland in the fall!
11/14/25Reply
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A 3 palace day
November 7 in South Korea ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Chilly morning so we take our time getting ready to go out. Greeted by a beautiful blue sky - first in awhile. Fuel up with coffee and hit the tourist trail. Catch a changing of the guard ceremony at the first palace and then again at the second. Walk the hilly streets admiring the older buildings. Another palace, a market and a walk along a river finishes off our tour. ( Added benefit is that everything is free) Find dinner nearby as quite tired.Read more
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Goodbye Vietnam: Hello South Korea
November 6 in South Korea ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Pack up and bid adieu to our lovely hotel. Catch a ride to the airport and breeze through check-in and security (so much easier without bikes). Sit in the lounge for a few hours awaiting our departure. Do miscalculate flight time vs change in time zones arriving 2 hours later than expected. Quick entry into S. Korea and find the train into the city. Quite chilly out. Stop for vegan Korean food before checking into hotel. Walk around the city a bit, marveling at the quietness and orderliness.Read more
TravelerWe love Seoul, Korea!
11/7/25Reply
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A final day of wandering
November 5 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
A dry and sort of sunny day - finally. Walked the land bridge we had been looking at from our window. Continue through well protected HonChiMinh park. From there go to Temple of Literature, showcasing the importance of education throughout Vietnam’s history. Do some final shopping before heading out. Good dinner at a very popular restaurant for tour groups.Read more
Hannah Boe That cat looks like such a diva
11/7/25Reply
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First time for everything
November 4 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Another cool and rainy morning. Indulge in room service as we need to spend our credit. Don jackets and head out to explore. Find our way to Hoa Lo Prison (aka Hanoi Hilton) where Vietnamese were imprisoned by then French and then later American pilots imprisoned. Checked out a cat cafe before going to the spa my first ever massage. Social entrepreneurship in action - they train vision impaired youth in the art of massage. Somewhat enjoyable experience. Do a bit of shopping before stopping for another good dinner (have eaten well in Hanoi).Read more
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And we go upscale
November 3 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
Spend the morning wandering around Ho Hoan Lake, the French Quarter and Old Town. Pack up and after fueling with a Banh My, walk to our new hotel - PanPacific. Great view from our 11th door window. Enjoy the facilities before heading to up to the roof top bar. Tis raining so sit inside. Back out into rain to a nice restaurant nearbyRead more
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Tucking our bikes in
November 2 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Our plan to leave early to avoid traffic does not materialize. Repacking and cleaning the mud off our bikes takes awhile. Ride a hectic 10 miles to where we met Tu, who had agreed to house our bikes while we are in Portland. Pare down to what we need and hop in a Grab which takes us to our hotel. Check in and map for awhile - frenzy of the past days having caught up with me. Venture out into the city and explore the Old Quarter. Good dinner!Read more
Traveler Beautiful!
11/5/25Reply
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Final push to Hanoi
November 1 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Rainy morning and not eager to go out into it - thus a late start. Find our way quickly to quieter roads. Roll along, managing to catch views when the clouds lift a bit. Eventually return to the bigger road and begin the harrowing journey into Hanoi. Traffic is bonkers with everyone out for themselves. Probably worst entry into a city - ever. Find a hotel and begin process or organizing for our journey to Portland. Finally do laundry and have Pho (or Bun) for dinner.Read more
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A scary Halloween ride
October 31 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
And another cloudy morning. As a monster hill awaits us, get an early start. Though it starts gradual, it quickly becomes devilishly steep. Frightfully loud trucks and cars get impossibly close to us as we head towards the pass. The rain begins and the fog descends making for spooky riding. A cold and wet descent and sadly, no views. Get off the busy road and ride the longer yet much quieter route. Find a hotel and another somewhat odd dinner (grilled duck and cake).Read more
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Mai Châu walkabout
October 30 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
Cloudy and drizzly morning; thus opt for a walk. Head away from the rice fields and into the jungle. Just a few farm homes up in the hills. The trail ultimately disappears so we turnaround and walk a bit amongst the fields. Seems the entire village is supporting the rice harvesting. Find our way to a cave before heading back to hotel.Read more
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