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The Grand Adventure

A bike trip with no end Read more

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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Along the sunny coast
December 30, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
A bit of a rough night sleep wise. Though “beds” were relatively comfy, we seemed to go on very rough roads making for a lot of bumping. Arrive in Nha Trang quite early and make for a coffee shop. Wind our way out of town through resort areas and along a very pretty coastline. Strong tailwind keeps us moving. Arrive on the beach near Phang Rang, get a hotel and check out the beach. Lack of sleep catches up with us so order in.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Taking in the culture of Hoi An
December 29, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Spend our last day in Hoi An poking around the historic sights. But first taken our bikes to the car wash where they get the grand treatment. Leave them and our packs at the hotel while we walk around. Cross the Japanese bridge, walk through the Museum of Traditional Medicine and attend a dance and music performance. Take a nice walk by the water before picking up our bikes and riding to the bus stop. Have a good vegan dinner before boarding our 9 hour bus to Nha Trang.Read more
Traveler Ooo, like eggnog added to coffee?
1/1/26Reply
Helene Rimberg Yes. Surprisingly tasty. More like a dessert
1/1/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Cloudy beach time
December 28, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C
A short spin on our bikes gets us to the local beach, AnBang. First grab lunch - grilled cheese sandwich on delicious sourdough. Lots of beach erosion and reconstruction. Must be an annual process following the rainy season. Too chilly to swim but it’s nice to be on sand and listen to the waves. Ride though the fields, including a humongous vegetable garden. Out for very good Indian food.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Hoi An
December 27, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 23 °C
A very short ride south to Hoi An. Though skies seem a bit threatening, we do stay dry. Divert off of big road to ride through fields. Able to check-in upon arrival. Walk to secure bus tickets and then check out the very touristy, yet pretty Old Town. Nice dinner then wander around amongst the beautiful lightsRead more
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Marble Mountain
December 26, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
With no view to the outside world, end up sleeping in. Also it is raining so no rush to get anywhere. Food motivates, and continue our Western eating - bagels. Catch a Grab to Marble Mountain, a complex of caves and shrines amongst the Karst hills. Quite crowded. It does stay dry which is a welcome change. Return to the city and check out the festive riverfront. Return at night for the “fire show”.Read more
Hannah Boe Looks like a good bagel!
12/26/25Reply
Helene Rimberg Pretty good. Particularly for being in Vietnam!
12/26/25Reply
Traveler I love that! Soooo pretty
1/1/26Reply
Traveler The little yellow one over there
1/1/26Reply
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A Christmas Day climb
December 25, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
As predicted, we are greeted with a rainy day. Try to catch a catch a dry window, but the rain quickly starts again in earnest. Deviate off the man road (thankfully) and begin our ascent of Hai Van pass. Generally a pretty gradual climb with some steep sections. Rain does taper off affording a few views. Clouds settle in as we approach the top. Zip on down and have a city slog to get to our hotel in Da Nang. Get separated again but both arrive safely. Check in as it pours again. Spend the rest of the day in hotel, venturing out for Christmas dinner.Read more
Traveler Was that good? What is on it? you should publish a book of just the pizza's you ate in every country! 😳
1/1/26Reply
Traveler Oh better, phew, Christmas was saved by the pepperoni!
1/1/26Reply
Helene Rimberg Yes it was good. Chicken and pesto.
1/1/26Reply
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A frazzling ride to Lang Co
December 24, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Leaving Hue is a bit hectic and we quickly loose each other. Finally meet back up (how would we do that without GPS) and ride side roads to Khai Dinh Mausoleum. Quite impressive structure. Our time on little roads ends and we meet back up with the highway (AH1). So many trucks and buses). Though the day is sunny, visions of hopping on a bus enter my mind. Two tunnels to navigate - fortunately able to walk along raised walkway but still so loud. Arrive in Lane Co, at the base of tomorrow’s climb. Out for Xmas Eve seafood dinner. Just us in huge restaurant.Read more
Hannah Boe Yum!
12/25/25Reply
Helene Rimberg They were a tad bit sweet. Oddly
12/26/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A day in Hue
December 23, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Spent the sunny day wandering through the citadel; the Nguyen Emperors’ compound. Tried our first salty coffee (quite tasty) and explored a bit more of the city, including the sprawling market. Another good dinner ends our day.Read more
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A long ride to Hue
December 22, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Weighing our options, set our sights on the popular town of Hue, though it’s more than 100 KMs away. Morning rain gives way to patchy sunshine. Spy the sea as we cross over many bridges. Unfortunately, wind is not in our favor. Although we see no evidence of it, do cross through the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone); once separating the North and South. Enter Hue’s OldTown and confidently enter the fray of vehicles. A tad bit nerve wracking. Check into nice hotel which is strategically near a laundromat. Nice dinner out in the bustling tourist area and then reward ourselves with chocolate!Read more
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On the shortest day of the year ….
December 21, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 24 °C
….. we ride 110 KMs. It’s a somewhat rainy day but not much to see anyway on this stretch of road. Manage to stay mostly off the big road, even having a brand new road mostly to ourselves. Wind is at our back for much of the time making for fast riding. Though we are close to the sea, don’t see it though sand dunes abound. Find a hotel in Vinh Linh; very cheap, a bit dirty, but they have a locked garage just for our bikes. Venture out for food, settling on what is closest.Read more
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Phong Nha and Tien Son Caves
December 20, 2025 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Dry but cloudy day, perfect for exploring caves. Walk to the boat dock and round up a few others to fill our boat. Motor down the river until it ends at Phong Nha Cave. As the cave is wet (always filled with water) take the boat into the cave. Our female crew paddles us into the back of the cave and then drops us off so we can explore a bit on land. Crazy cave features - very other worldly. Walk up to the smaller, Tien Son cave - walking amongst huge and colorful stalactites and stalagmites. Return via boat and again have a relaxing afternoon at our hotel. Out for a very good dinner: a set menu allowing us small tastes of a lot of things.Read more
Traveler Viet Mars
1/1/26Reply
TravelerAmazing cave pictures!
1/1/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
“Botanical Gardens” aka jungle scramble
December 19, 2025 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
December 18, 2025 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
Traveler Oh goodness!
12/23/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
A soggy one
December 17, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Thien Cam
December 16, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
To the South China Sea
December 15, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Head down and ride
December 14, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Southward
December 13, 2025 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, 2025 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 😮‍💨
12/13/25Reply
Traveler Awesome photo!
12/13/25Reply
Traveler Is that like a Uni-fart?
1/1/26Reply
Helene Rimberg Sort of. Actually those are Winmarts. Have everything
1/1/26Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
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Adventures amongst the Karst
December 11, 2025 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??
12/11/25Reply
Hannah Boe They're so flat!
12/11/25Reply
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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Ninh Binh
December 10, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Art and healing
December 9, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Hello Hanoi
December 8, 2025 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 Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
The lost day
December 7, 2025 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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The Grand Adventure Helene Rimberg
Goodbye Portland
December 7, 2025, 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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