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Amelia WilkinsonAmelia Wilkinson
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Travelling for the fun times and plot lines. Here till the money isnt. Read more Brighton, United Kingdom
  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 376

    Thac Ba Lake

    October 5, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    One mildly painful day ahead today.

    We picked up our bikes from Style around 9am. My bike was fixed after the damage it sustained yesterday, and we set off.

    Leaving Hanoi was an interesting experience. We needed to find an atm again and did not do all that well. We ended up doing a circuit of the city for about 40 minutes trying to find one. Eventually, we made it out of the city and spent the next 4 hours doing and xageratwd loop towards thac ba. We were forced to change route due to a road we couldn't go on. Then, we ended up being unable to make it around through the countryside and spending hours more than we had to. The final hour of riding was on unsealed roads, so it was as fun as you would expect.

    But our destination was worth it. Despite being exhausted from the ride and in a bit of pain, you can't ignore the beauty of this place. We each had a cabin that overlooked the lake. A gorgeous view once again. The accommodation made us a massive spread for dinner. Once again, amazing food.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 375

    Hanoi

    October 4, 2023 in Vietnam

    Well, today did not go quite to plan. The road up to Hanoi from Ninh Binh is straight and simple. But Hanoi is awful.

    About 15 minutes from Styles base, where we were heading to drop off the bikes, we were at an intersection. A woman's trailer on her bike hit me as she tried to overtake. I did not come off but ended up crushing my thumb and forefinger on my left hand. Badly bruised my left foot and became very unsettled. It was not a good moment. After a break, wary of everything and trying not to break down again, we finally arrived at Style.

    We got to our hotel, and after a couple of hours to calm down, I was fine.

    Hanoi City is a thriving massive place full of people, vehicles, and chaos. Dad and I wandered through the old city to a cafe for some drinks, then down to the lake and found a driver. Across the city are cyclists, with cabins in front of their bikes pushing tourists around. It was a surprisingly nice way to see the city, a lot clamer than on a bike and more relaxing than walking around.

    We found a stall that sold Banh Mi for our takeaway dinner, and I turned in for an early night. I needed the rest.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    1
    Day 374

    Tam Coc

    October 3, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Up early once more, we had a little baot trip. Tam Coc is an old suburb of Nimh Binh, there long before the city became popular and known for its beautiful lake and river, and the way the locals captain their baots. Now, they do tours of the area for tourists, still using their traditional technique of paddling with their feet.

    Around 2 hrs, with the sun beating down on us, we silently traversed the river and ducked our way through caves.

    As we had gotten up pretty early again, we headed to a cafe with a view of the lake for a drink before going back to relax for the day. Pool plus air con is glorious.

    Didn't do much for the rest of the day. I needed to relax before tomorrow and the trip to Hanoi.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    1
    Day 373

    Ninh Binh

    October 2, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 29 °C

    Another long day took us from the lake side back to the modern world. We left pretty early again today as we had to traverse from the west of the country to the east.

    It did not so well, unfortunately. We ended up going th wrong way for around 20 minutes, so then we had to go back on ourselves. Then we got onto the right track, but it turns out we weren't actually allowed on this road. So, about 20 minutes outside of Ninh Binh, there was a massive tunnel, and a bunch of workers waved us off. We ended up in the middle of nowhere, and it took 1.5 hours to then get to our accommodation. A very long morning.

    Thankfully, our accommodation is gorgeous. The hotel is so nice, has a pool and it is just outside the main part of the city so is quiet. Just around the corner is also a very nice-looking restaurant where we went to get food for a late lunch.

    We then got a little mixed up with timings and left at 4pm, which was an hour early, but it worked out for the better. We headed to a viewpoint atop Hang Mua, a large hill on the outskirts of Nimh Binh with views on either side. It had 400 uneven steps to get up, which I underestimated and nearly died getting up. I blame the long bike rides for that! We watched the sunset from atop the hill before heading back down.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 372

    Tea Plantation

    October 1, 2023 in Vietnam

    Dad and I departed from the Ho Chi Minh Tay and continued inland and north to somewhere neither of us had heard of. The tea plantation was rather remote but gorgeous. The road down was fairly easy to traverse but long. The days seem to only be getting longer!

    The cabin we were staying in looked out over the lake. The place booked us on a boat tour of the lake. It dropped us off across the lake, and we climbed up to look down over the landscape. They also cooked us dinner, a massive array of dishes. Lots of vegges, rice, meat, and eggs. They were very hospitable and kind despite being a little surprised when we arrived.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    1
    Day 371

    Phong NHA

    September 30, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We woke pretty early today. The weather gets super hot at midday, so morning is a nicer time to be out. We also wanted to visit the caves today, which can get very busy. We were on the first boat out today, so we were the first there.

    The caves were crazy to wander through. The size and majesty of them were fascinating. I would have loved a tour guide that could have told us about the caves, but that wasn't quite possible with the language barrier.

    We took a boat ride to get their across the river. The family we shared the boat with shared some pomelo with us on the way back. A very nice little trip.

    The rest of the day, I relaxed with the view and my book. Dad and I went back to the vegetarian place for lunch while we got our bikes fixed. A good day.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 370

    Ho Chi Minh Tay #2

    September 29, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Dad and I got up pretty early today and headed out for the second half of the Ho Chi Minh Tay. Yesterday, we rode for ages and barely saw another vehicle. Today was just the same.

    About an hour in we past 2 other bikers going in the other direct. We stopped for a bit for dad to climb a waterfall for some water, and they passed us. We stopped for a while and got some tips going forward.

    The rest of the day was pretty smooth sailing. I am certainly struggling a little with the long days of continuous riding. Siting for so long isn't the most comfortable thing to do. After about 2 hrs, it becomes quite uncomfortable. But regular breaks are helping.

    We arrived at Phong NHA about when we expected too, so that was nice. Our accommodation for the next few days is honestly gorgeous. We each have a room that overlooks the river and mountain opposite with an adjoining balcony.

    The rain began once again, but the cover of our balcony kept me nice and dry as I relaxed. We went to a vegetarian restaurant in town for dinner which was surprisingly good. I got the aubergine and lemon grass, top tier.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 369

    Ho Chi Minh Tay #1

    September 28, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    So the Ho Chi Minh Tay is part of the Ho Chi Minh trails that criss cross Vietnam and Loas. They were built during the 19th century and named after the president that led the country through the vietnam War.

    The Ho Chi Minh Tay is a length of road that goes from Khe San to Phong NHA and is famed across the world for its views and loved by motorcyclists.

    We decided to stop at the tiny town of Long So halfway so as to break the journey up. It is usually an 8hr days so the break halfway was really nice.

    That being said, the accommodation was certainly bare, but it did enough for us for the night. The hotel was a bit strange as they kept our passports as a deposit style thing. It was a tad unnerving, but we had little choice. The place also had WiFi, which was spread after a busy day of riding.

    Despite the occasional chill when up the top of the mountains, the ride was gorgeous. It was similar to the day before but even better as we were so high up at times we could see for miles.

    The town, however, was very lacking. There were a few restaurants listed on Google, but none were open. We managed to find someone who cooked us some pho. Dinner ended up being some snacks we bought from the store because the options were even more lacking come sunset.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 368

    To Khe San

    September 27, 2023 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Today, we headed inland and twisted through the central mountains towards the west of the country. Our destination for the day was Khe San, a main border city near Laos at the bottom of the Ho Chi Minh Tay.

    The views were once again incredible. The entire area was covered in jungle and lushously green. Loads of waterfalls and rivers banked the road on each side. The road was a dark brown, almost red in places, which makes a stark contrast.

    The journey was quite a long one today, which was a little tiring but a good start.

    Khe San is not the nicest of cities. Rather industrial and full of trucks transporting goods. It was pretty dirty and not very tourist catered. This was quite a contrast to the other side of the country where it caters well to tourists.    Read more

  • TravelerThis side of things
    Day 367

    Ha Van Pass

    September 26, 2023 in Vietnam

    Day one of our journey to the north took us back to Da Nang and to the Ha Van Pass. The entire landscape was stunning, and the views across the bay and the mountain were phenomenal. The ride held a lot of turns but was so worth it.

    The journey after the pass was less nice. A bit of main road and then large detour through the fishing villages. The detour was nice, the main road less so.

    We arrived in Hue just before the rain began, which was perfect. The hotel also ordered us in dinner. We ordered the crispy noodles, which were surprisingly good. The spring rolls were as well. The rain stopped during, and the frogs came out and screamed for ages. It was super loud!    Read more

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