The "little" break

April - June 2024
A 85-day adventure by Radek Read more
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  • It's starting!

    April 1 in Czech Republic ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Easter holiday in CZ was nice and liquid🍻 as always. But now Asia waiting for me :)

    After a while considering I finally decide for a "little" trip to 🇻🇳🇱🇦🇹🇭

    2 months of planning and just 5kg luggage? I've expected more but let's say, that it's gonna be easier with a light bag!

    The only thing, that I miss it's a driving license for a motorbike. Hopefully I will have a bit of luck and the police will be nice or I will have enough money in my pocket.

    Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam...
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  • Day 3

    Hanoi

    April 4 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

    After the 18 hours long flight from Europe I got to Hanoi, the main city in Vietnam. But before I need to add, that during my transfer at Thaiwan airport there was a earthquake! And not a small one, 7.5 degree! The hole building was shaking till the foundations. It was a really strange feeling, but I survived.

    What to say about Hanoi? Its quite busy and overcrowded city. A lot of parties, not to many sightseeing and lot of people from europe. I have already heard about a motorbikes in Asia, but anyway it was still quite a surprice, how many scotters are here and how it's all somehow works without an accident. Chaos!

    Yesterday I met two australians and somehow got to pub and had a nice party evening!
    I learnt two things. Firstly, that for a jetlag helps to drink, but obviosuly the morning will be two times worse. And the second, the australians drink like a hell!

    Today I went to explore the old city. The biggest impression was the Hanoi Train street. It was probably the most beautiful and a bit dangerous part. The train drive really fastly and kind of 20cm close to you.

    But after two days in Hanoi I have enough Party, and overcrowded big cities. I want to see the nature, the small village with locals and of course the rice fields. So I will rent a motorbike and drive in a direction to Nghĩa Lộ. Let's see

    Next stop: Nghĩa Lộ
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  • Day 7

    Nghĩa Lộ

    April 8 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    I drove a scooter for the first 400km. I think I was lucky and I got a good one. The traffic here its really different from the europe. There are not so many rules. It's a bit chaos. The first rule I leant was, that who has a stronger, heavier car/motorbike, the one drive first. But, if you get use to and try to drive like a local, it's ok and even a fun. Man just need to alwais pay attention.

    The last 3 nights I spent in a little town Nghĩa Lộ. It's not so touristic yet and therefor, still autentic and very nice. I drove every day with a scooter into mountains and I found there what I looked for. The breathtaking view on the rice fields, the local mountains people (minors) wirh their poor life and the roads that were sometimes aspahlt, sometimes concrete but sometimes just a clay and stones.

    The most beautiful part was probably in surrondings of the waterfall. It just happend, that I somehow took a local "guide" and he drove me to the waterfall, with a scotter through the path, where would nobody drive a scooter. Was so nice, so unexpected!

    Also the minors in the mountains are very intresting. They live the old fashion way of life. That means, work on the rice fields, where they work with a boffalos. They wear the traditional colourful clothes and have a somehow boring, but maybe for them happy life.

    I am glad, that I stayed for a bit longer here, because in the next days there will be a much more touristic places and here I was the only foreginer far away.

    Next stop: Mù Cang Chải and maybe Sa Pa
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  • Day 8

    Sa Pa

    April 9 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The last two days I gave my scooter hard time. Almost next 400km. Still up and down, left curve and right curve. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it was misteriously foggy, sometimes the sun shone.

    I drove trought Mù Cang Chải, where are the biggest rice fields in the world, unfortunately nor grown yet. Througt Sa Pa, which is umbeliviebly famous for the europe tourists. There is actually nothing intresting to see. Man can just spent a lot of money there and see the theatre for a tourists. Than througt Lao Cai in direction to Ha Giang.

    The nature here is really spectacular! So nice! In every corner another valley, gorge, rice or tea fields or a small village with a local people. Especially the chinese border is intresting the big sharp hills usually covered with a fog.

    And the roads? Its a dream for every moterbiker! Even if they are sometimes really tought to drive. Luckily my scooter drive till now without a problem or defect.

    From yesterday I drove really close to chinese border and its intresting to see, that there are everywhere the soldiers with a guns and lot of red comunists flags. I was also on a border-crossing to China. It was a intresting feeling, such a big country and so close!

    Today I visited also a local village market. For us from europe its difficult to imagine, what's happening there. Well, its their cultur and I am here just to watch not to judge.

    The next station: Ha Giang and the nordhest part of Vietnam Lung Cu.
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  • Day 11

    Ha Giang, Lung Cu

    April 12 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    I am starting to be a bit lazy to write the rapports. So I had to write it backward🙈

    Ha Giang loop, so famous for the backpackers! A lot pf people just come to Hanoi, take a bus to Ha Giang rent a motorbike for a few days and afterthat go back to Hanoi. Its probably one of the most beautiful part from nord Vietnam. And because of so many tourists riding a motorbike without a driving licence,(you need to have a international A. Normal driving licence B it's not enough) there is of course a lot of police controls focus just for them. I knew it and was a bit afraid of it, becouse I don't have A. I count on my luck, but this time I wasn't so lucky. After 100km after Ha Giang I got a police control. It wasn't so bad on the end. There was only one policeman, who could speak english. He told me some shits about driving here in Vietnam and than gave me two options. They either take my motorbike for 7 days or I will have to pay 1.5 Milion Dong (60 Euro). I said him I pay him just 1 Milion (40 Euro) or if he wants, he can take my motorbike ( I just bluff). And it worked! He watched me for a minute, than he took a milion and I could get out :) Funny story. It's not so much money for us from the europe, but here it's a lot of money. So I was a bit pissed of, because I heard it will be cheaper. Afterthat I said, that for next time I will have to have a fake international driving licence with an A, just on the picture in mobile. So now I have it and hope, that next time, there will be no bribe necessary.

    Well, after the experience I drove throught the most beautiful passes I have ever seen (just in Switzerland are more beautiful) to the northest part of Vietnam in Lung Cu, heard there the vietnam's anthem and drove for a next adventure.

    Btw at least I got lucky with a weather. It's not sunny, not rainy, not cloudy. It's still somehow between :)

    Next station: Cao Bang
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  • Day 13

    Cao Bang

    April 14 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Finally I got some time for writing. From northest part of the Vietnam I drove the motorbike to Cao Bang and explore a bit the close surronding.

    It wasn't so much to tell. The nature here was still very nice. The intresting part was the biggest waterfall in Vietnam, exactly on the border with china (there was a river, which split the two countries into, and between the waterfall). Well, the histrory about the chinese-vietnam war in 1979 was intresting. I didn't know about it. Two comunist's countries fought against each other. Funny! And actually the relationships are still not very good.

    Another intresting thing in Vietnam are some small villages which are/were specialized for specific wares. Normally, if you don't have a motorbike it's almost impossible to visit them, but luckily I have. So I visited a village which almost in every house produce the cinnamon, marble sculptures, incenses (vonné tyčinky), rice nuddles, knives, paper, wood curving and iron castings. All of them of course just handwork not a lot of machines. Man can't see something like this in europe anymore. Also the work protection was funny. Especially in iron casting village.

    Well, than the next stop will be the famous Halong Bay, which is one of the seventh new wonders of the world and many films ware filmed there (King Kong, James Bond ...). I hope, that I will get there a bit of relax, because I am already a bit tired after the 2 hard weeks of an exploration. So I am going to book a two days cruise there. The weather is still perfect!
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  • Day 15

    Ha Long Bay

    April 16 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    After the 11th days of riding on motorbike, I can't almost sit on the chair. Driving the scooter for a long time it's not so comfortable, how i thought. Especially on the vietnam's roads. So I wanted really to book a cruise for a two days stay on the boat-hotel and a bit relax.

    I got relax, but not so much. On the shore I met three germans (men, women would be maybe better) and we imediatelly became friends. They were almost the same age, mindsets and really chilled.

    But just a bit about the cruise. It wasn't so cheap (on Vietnam's ratios) but anyway for a not so big amount of money you got there it a huge luxus, you would probably never get for this money in europe. I think there were around 15 of us guests, and the same amount of the crew. Maybe even more. Also the food was delicious. Almost every time around 8-10 course with small portions. Perfect! We went kayaking, swiming and we saw an island with the fucking monkeys.

    Yeah, of course on the end we did a party, sang karaoke, I tored my shorts up and didn't sleep a lot. So actually I was next day even more tired than before🙈 But it was worth it! The bay wasn't nothing speciall, but it was still nice, to be on the boat and look out from the cabin. Almost like in Hercule Poirot's serial.

    A next station: Ninh Binh
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  • Day 18

    Ninh Binh

    April 19 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 34 °C

    After Halong Bay I decided to spend last 3 nord-vietnam's nights in Ninh Binh. Somebody says, that it's even more beautiful than Halong. And I agree, it was spectacular. I took a small boat on the river and we sailed throw many of wet cave tunnels. The longest tunnel hat 1km. And everytime we went throught the next tunnel, we appered in the another beautiful valley. They call it "dry Halong Bay" and its worth of this name. Than I visited the second biggest budhistislc copmlex in Vietnam. It was really huge!
    There is as well a big backpacker base, so I met, after a while, people from europe. And it was also nice to speak about my/theirs experiences. We took one, two ... beers and the night continue to the early morning.

    I was also very happy, that at the homestay, where I slept, I could a bit repair my motorbike, cause I had an small accident. You could always react, when you meet another human beeing on the motorbike in front of you. But if you drive on the almost highway and cross over go a herd of cows, its difficult to react. So yes, I felt down a bit. It wasn't so bad. I had just a small injuries and the motorbike was a bit beaten up. Actually, I am glad that it happened, because I had started one more time to pain an attention on 200%.

    The last day in nord Vietnam I visited the villages, where they created one more time an incence and the proper vietnam's wooden bird cages. Really Masterstück! If I can one take to my baggage, I would take it! But it would be really impractical. When I returned the motorbike in Hanoi, I thought, I will have to pay for the damage on the motorbike. But somehow it went well and I paid nothing :)

    I booked a flight from Hanoi to Luang Prabang and the next 2-3 weeks I going to spend in Laos jungle.
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  • Day 21

    Luang Prabang

    April 22 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

    Laos? Did somebody hear about this country? I just a bit but it's soooo nice country. The diffrent between Vietnam and Laos its already visible at the airport in Luang Prabang. The people, sellers here, they are not so annoying with the selling you some china shits. All people here in Laos are somehow more chilled. Also the backpackers. I stayed first night in a one hostel in the city center. There I met David. The czech guy. And we imediatelly got a friend each other. I haven't seen a lot from the city but already the next day we rent the motorbike and drove around 150km to north part of Laos to visit a small local village Nong Khiaw, which is a famous backpackers spot with spectacular nature and surronding around. On the way we saw the elephans. Just so walking in the nature. Not in zoo or behind the a fence. For me really an big experience. To touch them or just to watch. Yeah, we also swam in the Mekong river. The temperature was really pleasant with the air around hitting 40 degrees.

    We stayed in Nong Khiaw for 2 nights. Went to the jungle, explore fauna und flora, saw the waterfalls, drank a lot of Laobeers (which have actually bottle 680ml instead of 500ml) and really enjoyed our time there. Afterthat we drove back to Luang Prabang, which was before the capital of Laos. There is a lot of temple or colonist architectural to see. Nice place! No skycrapers!

    I like Laos. The people are more chilled, the nature is more authentic, you can see also a lot animal around. Also on the roads, the traffic is not so crazy like in Vietnam. No klaxon, unbeliveable. But there is not so much asphalt roads. Indeed just one or two, throught the hole country, where all traffic needs to drive. But I was shocked, when I have seen a Laos raiIways. We drove 200km in one and half hour with a train, that was really much similar to Schinkanzen in Japan and more or less 70% of the way was built in the tunnels. What? Here in Laos they have the fast-speed trains und modern train station around?! The answer on this is China. They invested a lot in Laos! Who knows, if its good or not. But the railways were awesome.

    I was glad, I could drive with somebody. It had like another level, if you are not alone. So from Luang Prabang our next station will be Vang Vieng. A small city in the middle of Laos, where is a lot od outdoor activities to do. And I hope, that I will finally climb there.
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  • Day 25

    Vang Vieng & Vientiane

    April 26 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C

    Me and David took a next step from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng, which is known as "a party town". It's quite small town with lot of hotels and bars for tourists. But there is also very nice nature (like everywhere in Laos) with lot of viewpoints, caves, blue logoons and hidden waterfalls in tge jungle.
    We stayed there for 3 days and it was unforgetable days! I will rather don't write everything what we have done. But the highlight was probably a hiking in the jungle. It was real jungle! With snakes, spiders and a jungle-trees. The hike took like 4 hours and we had to crossed a river over. On the end there was a hidden waterfall. Just for us, without tourists. Really spectacular place.
    Another experience was the massage in the town. After a long day of hiking, we decided to take a massege. Normal proper massage, nothing special. But I guess, that if you are a man it's probbaly expected, that you want something more. So basically said, after a 15 minutes of terrible massage she asked me, if I want a blowjob. I denied of course, but it was still funny and good experience for me. And I got still lot of luck, because I was almost sure, that she was a girl. But David got almost with 100% a ladyboy :)
    After the hard 3 days in Vang Viang we decided to go to capital of Laos - Vientiane. From there, David is going to flight to Indonesia and I going to explore the south part of Laos. So we will unfortunatelly split soon. I must say, that it was really nice to have a travel buddy. I am enjoying to travel alone, but with somebody, who is in the same vibe like you, it's after all much better.

    Next stop: Thakhek Loop
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