Meandering musings of a motorcyclist

Well, it’s me again and I don’t really know where to begin. This time I’m in Pai, Thailand.   

How? You may ask?  Well it’s simple.  I rode here on a rented Honda CB500X. 

What? All the way from Melbourne?   No, put down your peace pipe Clancy.  I sat in a pressurised metal tube for umpteen hours, flew to Miri, Sarawak (a week long diversion in Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur with friends) and then solo on to Chiang Mai.

My nameless steed.  The Honda CB500X

It all began many moons ago.  You see, my interest in bikes didn’t spawn as a result of a parent or older sibling.  Growing up I was told that motorcycles are nasty things and you should never, ever get close to one lest it cut off your hand.  Good advice, so being a good boy I stayed well away.  As a kid I once watched this stupid low budget kids film called ‘The Dirtbike Kid’.  I’m going to blame that movie for all of this.  The story followed a young boy who found a poor unappreciated trail bike that it’s owner had let go due to its inability to finish races.  This boy took the bike home and when he cleaned it with some soap and water it magically repaired itself.  No dents, no rust!  Magic!  I can’t remember the storyline at all really.  Something about some baddies wanting the motorbike and hilariously over the top chases but what I do remember was that this boy and his motorbike could go anywhere. 

Later as I sat staring out the window of the family station wagon I imagined myself as the dirtbike kid.  I rode alongside that car and I ducked in and around trees and over hills to keep pace with the fast moving family car.  I wondered what it would be like to feel that sensation.  The interest spawned from there and as I grew up it migrated to a fascination of speed.  I had wanted a Suzuki Hayabusa just for the fact that at the time it was the fastest.  That ‘up there’ nothing could beat me… and although I never intend to ever ride something so silly the idea still carries forward.   

 

Today I rode from Mae Hong Son to Pai.  It was a relatively short ride of a few hours of beautiful winding roads and it occurred to me why I had originally wanted a motorcycle all those many years ago.  On a bike, you’re in a completely different place. I’m flying just a few feet from the road surface. I lean in for a banking corner and the bike follows suit.  Then smoothly it takes flight again as I roll the throttle open, straighten up and aim for the next apex.  Linking corners like a bird chasing the winds in the skies… and after a while I didn’t even notice the bike.  What I did, it did.  What it did, I did.  And then I realized that up in those hills today I WAS king of the skies.  Up there nothing could beat me…. Unless that guy I met around Fang (Thailand) last year showed up on his Ducati Monster.  Jerk.

Sleepy Pai

I’m not sure what tomorrow brings.  A quiet day in Pai or whether I will keep moving.  If I do decide to keep moving it will be my biggest ride day as I’ll be heading north and riding along the Myanmar border.  ….the roads although I know they exist they don’t show on my maps.  If that all works out I’ll be hitting Chiang Rai late in the evening where I know I’ll most definitely be staying a day or two before riding south for some of the roads around Nan.  The other possibility is I accidently overstep a borderline and find myself in a Burmese prison.  If the former is the case I can assure you my next entry to this blog will be far more exciting.

 

 

Back in the saddle - Thailand

Hey it's me again.  Contrary to popular belief I did eventually end up leaving Nha Trang and I am alive and well living back in Melbourne.  I was in Nha Trang of a little over 2 months. Actually, it was more than that as I very much lost track of the days and weeks. I then rode Oscar down to sleepy Mui Ne before riding into the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City.  It was a magnificent ride coming into Mui Ne and although I later had my camera stolen I'll never forget those last few days with my bike Oscar.  The windmills scattering the coast line, those martian like plains, the deserts of Mui Ne and the sunlight reflecting off that tarmac.  Vietnam is such an incredibly diverse country and now, a year on I still miss it terribly. 

I was expecting traffic chaos in Saigon and although I witnessed it first hand the 4 months I'd already spent on Oscar and the time in Nha Trang had prepared me well.  I rode in with ease and sold Oscar for a bargain basement $250 with my riding jacket thrown in.  I know I sold him cheap but then, poor old Oscar was in a sorry state and I needed a fast sale.  The riding jacket I used as a bargaining tool for a few more dollars as I had fully intended to leave it in Vietnam anyway.  I'd rather it potentially save the life of another traveller than have it collect dust in my wardrobe back home.

I didn't like Ho Chi Minh City.  It was so... touristy and being perhaps I was just spoilt having experienced so much in the previous months that I found the capital somewhat lack lustre.  So a surprise to some but I booked a night bus back to Nha Trang to spend my last few days in my paradise.  Unfortunately when I woke up on the bus coming into Nha Trang I then realised that my camera was no longer in my pocket.  To say I was pretty annoyed is an understatement but I try not to dwell on the fantastic images that are now lost.  I took an early morning flight from Nha Trang (which I nearly missed!!!) on the day I was to be leaving Vietnam, spent the remainder of the day in Ho Chi Minh ticking off a few tourist sights and then boarded a plane to Melbourne, Australia.

I'll go back to Vietnam one day.  I have every intention to live and work there for at least 6 months but when that will be is anyone's guess.

A lot's happened in this last year and I credit a lot of this to what I learnt in Vietnam.  I moved out, got a new job and started a new business which although very much in it's infancy I'm expecting great things.  Without a doubt I would not have started this venture had I not rediscovered my love of motorcycles whilst riding my wheezy Honda Win across Vietnam.  I now import classic bikes from Japan and looking to cater to the emerging cafe racer scene back home I'm now heading to Thailand to source parts and suppliers.  The cafe racer scene in Thailand is quite large and of course, this is not an 'all work, no play' type trip.  On the contrary, 2 weeks of this trip is going to be spent on the back of a bike riding across northern Thailand with a good friend of mine who I've managed to convince that riding a motorbike across SE Asia will be his deathbed memory. I'll then be spending a few days in Bangkok shopping for bike parts and catching up with a friend from Melbourne who now lives there and then spend the last few days of my 3 week trip down south for a spot of diving before flying back home.

Not quite the epic 4 month adventure of Vietnam but not bad for a 'business' trip!  Two weeks on the bike again... I can't wait for my flight tonight!

Peace.

“I finally felt myself lifted definitively away on the winds of adventure toward worlds I envisaged would be stranger than they were, into situations I imagined would be much more normal than they turned out to be.” - Ernesto 'Che' Guevara "Motorcycle Diaries"

When a Win doesn't win.

Well, it's been more than two months for Oscar and I so I thought I'd update with a little tally of Oscars short comings.  Partly for my own amusement and also for those thinking of such a trip and wanting to know what they might be getting themselves in for. 

Guilty as charged.  Oscar today in Nha Trang.

We'll start with one '96 Honda Win.  The engine has had a fresh rebuild in Hanoi, it has a new clutch, new rear sprocket and chain, new front tyre and given the odometer doesn't work I'm just going to say it has three million kilometres on the dial.

In a somewhat chronological order here is what's broken/died/disintegrated/dissapeared/jammed or failed at it's intended purpose.

The key barrel jammed.  This was replaced more or less on the spot which was handy because the bike wouldn't have started without it.  Thank God for it failing only a short walk from a mechanic!

The exhaust manifold worked itself loose.... twice!  This caused Oscar to pop, rattle and crackle like a demented rotary powered funny car.

The chain guard/cover came off it's bracket and got eaten by the chain.  I quickly pulled over, yanked it out with a pair of pliers and continued.  It's now been replaced.

The rear brake/hub assembly has been replaced which fixed my throbbing rear brake issue.

The front axle has been replaced... which now keeps the front wheel from wobbling.  Winner!  I did find that somewhat concerning at 80km/h along the Ho Chi Minh Highway!

Oscar now has a new rear tyre to replace the bald one he came with.

The headlight bulb blew.... in the dark and in the rain.

The indicators only work intermittedly... and not in the way indicators should work intermittedly.  This is a work in progress and still not 100% fixed.

My rear indicators have a habit of working themselves loose.  I've had the right side indicator fall of completely twice now.  Each time I realised and was able to turn back and retrieve it.  My left hand side indicator is now being held on by stickytape.

The 'main' engine gasket was replaced (removal of sump. etc etc etc) after it was found that Oscar leaked oil faster than it was pumped out of the middle east.

The brake light fell off.... I've fixed it with sticky tape and yes, it works!  Roadside mechanics 101.

The little black box that has something to do with ignition died and needed to be replaced after it failed at creating a strong spark.

The electronic starter has been replaced.... twice.  I should also mention this is used only very rarely as I always kick start it from a standstill using the electric start only for emergencies... like stalling in the middle of a Hanoi intersection.

The carby has been opened up and blasted out after the bike kept on 'choking' at anything past 1/4 throttle.

The throttle grip slips which makes it incredibly difficult to accelerate as you had to squeeze the throttle incredibly tightly before twisting the throttle open.  Fixed by my good friend Mr. Stickytape.

The fuel tank sprang two holes which have now been welded over... and it's still leaking somewhere.

The cable that controls my speedo has sheared itself off the back of the instrument cluster.  Seems like it didn't like the bumps of Highway 1A.

Oil seals have been replaced after Oscar was putting out more blue smoke than the average Mazda 121.  I told people his 4 stroke engine had been replaced with a 2 stroke.

Oscar at the mechanics.  A familiar sight.

What's still wrong with Oscar?

Well, the oil seals apparantly take a while to 'bed in' so right now I've taken it to calling Oscar 'Puff the magic dragon'.  He blasts out so much blue smoke that I had one man get quite upset after I smoked out his roadside food stall at start up.  Another few hundred kays and it's 'supposed' to get better.  I'm yet to fix my speedo cable and the front brakes need to be adjusted as they are 'barely' working.  That's my job for tomorrow.

So, what would I do differently if I was to do it again?  Well, it depends on what you want from your trip.  Guys and girls, if you want to stick to Highway 1A (the main 'beach' road) and/or the Ho Chi Minh Highway you could do this on a Honda Wave/Dream, a little Nuovo or an Airblade or something.  Coincendentally I rode a Yamaha Airblade a few days back and it's the nicest step through motorbike/scooter I'm yet to ride in Asia. 
If you are intending to go off the beaten track somewhat you'll ideally need something with a bit more ground clearance and suspension travel.  Despite my troubles I'd still recommend a Honda Win.  Why not a Minsk you may ask?  They seem to be the obvious choice for many?  Well, long and short of it they are rusty piles of oil burning crap.  Yes, even more than Oscar.  Everyone I've met on this trip who has one seems to have rebuilt the engine atleast twice already.... and that's only having travelled half of the country!
If I was to do my same trip again?  Honda 'Baja' XR250.  Sure, it might cost close to three times as much but being able to sustain speeds of 100km/h+, tackle the elements of the North East/West loops and handle the general abuse of such a trip it should be viewed as the ultimate contender.  It would probably save days too given that being Japanese built it's going to be far more reliable.  ...also, popping mono's up 'Death Highway' (Highway 1A) should really be on everyones 'to do' list and sadly Oscar just doesn't have the juice for that.

How much to pay?  Don't pay $400 for your Honda Win like I did.  I was an ignorant goose and I wouldn't want to hear others paying the price I did.  I wouldn't pay ANYMORE than $300 and that should be for a really good one.  A brand new one can be had for not much more (around $400 'local price') and for an average condition one around the $250 mark.  Keep in mind that that's the tourist price.  Locals get theirs from anywhere between $150-$250 but don't expect to get that sort of price unless you look Vietnamese and can speak fluent Viet.  Your other option to get a local price is to buy a Lonely Planet phrase book and head to the 'love, flirting and relationship' section.  Off you go there Casanova.

Oh, and you shouldn't pay anymore than 90k Dong for a simple oil change. 

Hope this may be of some help to someone out there.

Now, back to enjoying paradise....

I think I've found paradise.

I find it somewhat ironic that my last entry finished with me saying it was nice to be moving again.  I’m alive and well in Nha Trang and I have been here for two weeks and to be honest, I’m almost hesitant to ever leave.

Killer bomb to killer whale in Nha Trang.

The trip to Nha Trang was an eventful journey.  I left my hotel in Quy Nhon with clear skies but leaving the town was no easy task.  At first I got a little lost.  Then, Oscar started choking.  I pulled over and got him started again but after a few metres the same thing happened.  It was fortunate that I was travelling uphill as I was able to (reluctantly) roll down the hill to where I was hoping I could find a mechanic.  At the bottom I met a group of guys sitting around on their bikes and after a brief and broken conversation about Oscars short comings they presented a phillips head screw driver and managed to fix my rattly and popping exhaust.  This however raised another concern as although the exhaust was now fixed something else still rattled.  The guys seemed to think it was low on oil but I only had it serviced in Hoi An.  None the less I took their advice (the oil cap was jammed on tight so we weren’t able to get it open to check) and rode all over Quy Nhon looking for a mechanic.  Eventually I found one and what I found incredibly surprising was that Oscar was near dry!  I’m not sure how this happened but I’m starting to conclude that whoever rebuilt this engine is an absolute monkey and should stick to knitting.  The bike started ok and the rattles were gone and I’m hopeful that no ‘serious’ damage has been caused.  So, at midday I FINALLY left Quy Nhon.

The road to Nha Trang was beautiful and for the most part dry.  Infact, it only started raining 30 minutes from Nha Trang.  Bliss!

What's not to love?

Coming into Nha Trang at night is no real easy task.  I would have been arriving in day time had I not had the issues in the morning but riding through peak hour and in the rain in a foreign city was not ideal.  The weather was so not ideal infact that I crashed Oscar as I was slowing down and pulling over to pull out my map.  No damage to me mind (+1 to proper safety gear) but the slide across the road that Oscar endured did leave him a little battered and bruised.  The left side foot peg had been bent (amongst other things) and I was unable to change it out of first or neutral so I pushed him to the nearest hotel and crashed for the night.

So now… it’s been two weeks and I’m still here.  Why?  I love this place.  It’s paradise.  I probably shouldn’t have left this blog entry so late to update because so much has gone on that I almost feel it a chore to write and particularly so when I look out my hotel room and see a bright blue sky.  I guess in short a lot of what makes me love this place are the people.  Sure, the constant touts offering me ‘massage’, cigarettes, sunglasses, ‘boom-boom’, cocaine (yes, that was a new one!) and marijuana was tiring at first but I feel that’s really only a very small part of Nha Trang but for the most part if you only come here for three of four days that’s all you’d see.  The ex-pat crowd here is colourful as are the locals.  People from all walks of life and with all sorts of stories.  Travelling musicians, dive instructors, guys with business back home that they run from Nha Trang, teachers, law clerks, resturant owners, you name it. 

Clearly the coolest Vespa in Vietnam!

A few days ago I was saying I’d leave in a few days.  I’d been saying this for a week but I think I’ll just be honest and say I’ll be here for atleast another week.  Maybe longer.  Maybe I’ll even extend my visa and simply rush down to Saigon just before Christmas.  Thanks to Rainbow Divers I’m now a certified open water (scuba) diver so maybe I’ll spend some more time swimming around looking at fish.  It’s a whole new world down there and it’s by far one of the best things I’ve done on this trip.

Anyway, I need to leave and pick up Oscar from the mechanics.  I had everything from the crash fixed (plus some more) but this time Oscar is leaking fuel.  A whole tank disappeared in less than three days with less than thirty minutes riding.  The staff at my previous hotel (I keep finding better hotels for cheaper so I keep on moving) didn’t like bringing in Oscar to the foyer at night.  Now I know why!  He’s one smelly bike!

Here come the rains again...

Oscar in Hoi An

Well, it’s pelting down with rain outside but I’m no longer in HoiAn.  I really liked the place and as a richer, older traveller it’s probably a place I’d revisit but it was too expensive for me on my budget and being there for nearly a week and a half I’d stayed there long enough anyway.

I am now in Quy Nhon which is around 270 kilometres south of HoiAn.  I should start by saying that this was not my intended stop between HoiAn and Nha Trang.  I was intending to stay in another town roughly 170 kilometres further north but when I drove through this town at a little past 12 yesterday and well ahead of schedule I thought it be best to push on.  What I didn’t know was that those dark clouds on the horizon was one MONSTER of a storm.  It started off light.  So light in fact that I thought it was just a passing shower and didn’t worry about pulling over to put on my rain jacket and rain proof pants.  When the heavens truly opened though and by the time I’d pulled over I was already so drenched that there was no point putting on rain gear at all… so I just rode on.  At first I thought it was hail as the rain hitting my legs stung….and that’s through Kevlar jeans but nope, that was just tropical rain sized rain drops!  The wind was so strong and at one point I was leaning into the wind just to keep the bike upright.  On three separate occasions I past a truck coming in the opposite direction which happened to drive through a massive puddle JUST as I rode past which then sent a wall of water in my direction! 

Not that this image really fits into this blog entry but I had to
post it somewhere because it is so damn insane!  Possibly the
fattest dog in Vietnam.  No, scratch that.  The world!

I always wondered how the locals handled this sort of weather and I now know.  They simply don’t.  They all turn into roadside restaurants for a beer or twenty and wait for the storm to pass over.  I didn’t know this… and besides I was drenched already and you can’t drown a rat twice.   What I did find… enjoyable (because at this point I was beyond the point of caring being now hilariously wet) was crossing under a bridge that had flooded.  I had no idea how deep that water was.  There was no traffic at this point of the journey (unusual for Hwy 1A but everyone on the road vanishes when it gets this wet) which would have been handy to gauge the waters depth by seeing others go first so after a slight pause and enjoying the shelter of the overhead bridge and absence of rain drops falling on my helmet I thought I’d just jump into the deep end so to speak and get stuck into it.  So I chuck the bike in first and ride on in.  At first the water reaches the foot pegs… then over my ankles… then halfway up my legs… Oh crap!  Thankfully it didn’t get too much deeper as I’m pretty sure Oscar would have choked up if it had.  Already the exhaust was making bubbles under the water!

I pulled into Quy Nhon a little past 4 and a little bit wet. 

On the road between Hoi An and Quy Nhon... before the rains.

Despite me spending a small fortune on Oscar in HoiAn I wasn’t rewarded for it.  I went to a second mechanic in HoiAn to fix my still existing issues and my carby was pulled apart and cleaned out (it runs MUCH better now) and the idle was fixed.  I also had the front axle replaced which I knew was making the front wheel rattle quite badly but the other mechanic refused to acknowledge.  So what’s wrong now?  Well, this time it’s the exhaust and Oscar crackles and pops more than a pig on a spit.  What’s incredibly more frustrating is that the grip on the throttle now slips so if I go to open the throttle up it just moves the grip rather than the actual throttle.  Some glue outta fix that and when the rain subsides I’m off to do some shopping.  Oh, and the brake light fell off.  Yes, another case of something just falling off the bike.  Thankfully it was caught by a few loose bungee cords that I’d used to tie my bag to the back of the bike so I still have it.  Sticky tape will fix it!  Oscar sure is a quality bike.

Hopefully I get a break tomorrow  morning and I’ll try and make the last 230 kilometres to Nha Trang.  It’s nice to be moving again.

Jeremy Clarkson does not stretch the truth.

Oh, hello again.  It’s been a while since visits.

I left Hue just over a week ago.  Maybe it was much longer than that as I’ve very much lost track of the days… and weeks.  Hue was nice but the sights of Hue could very much be seen in one day but then, I needed an extra few days to expand my retro Casio watch collection.  History repeated itself and I left Hue in the pouring rain which is now something I’m getting well-adjusted too.  Thankfully it was only a short four hour ride through the Hai Van pass to DaNang.  I did get rather lost coming into DaNang and ending up taking an extra hour and a half riding around the city and up and down the beach strip before an ‘Easy Rider’ helped me to find the guesthouse I had intended to stay.  I guess I’m living up to the blog name! Oh how easy this would have been with a GPS! 

"Handsome man" The spot where the TopGear guys stopped and
commented on Vietnam to a setting sun.  That's the bridge in
the background that leads into the mountain tunnel.

Jeremy Clarkson reported in the ‘Top Gear:  Vietnam Special’ that the Hai Van pass (the road linking Hue to DaNang) was “a deserted ribbon of perfection—one of the best coast roads in the world” and in some way I was expecting that I would be able to call Jeremy Clarkson a liar.  I mean, he doesn’t like Toyota’s and doesn’t like motorbikes so surely his perspective is skewed.  ….well, I was wrong.  The Hai Van pass should be closed permanently to the public and turned into a targa rally course.  Yes, it’s really THAT good.  A few years back the Vietnamese drilled a hole into the side of a mountain and created a tunnel that takes the majority of the traffic that would otherwise travel on the rather dangerous pass.  The only vehicles found on the pass these days are motorbikes (not permitted to ride in the tunnel) and trucks carrying explosive materials or livestock.   Coastal roads and explosive trucks, it doesn’t get any better than that! 

All hairpins should be like this.

If it’s one thing I’ve learnt about myself on this trip is that I hate back tracking.  I hate covering old ground but on the odd occasion it’s worth the trip and this road is worth a thousand back trackings…. So I’ve now done the pass a total of three times.  It’s THAT awesome.

I’m now in Hoi An.  It’s touristy but I really do love this place.  The touts and calls of ‘Easy Rider!’ can get a little tiresome as do the constant calls of tailors calling you into their shops but I adore the place.  I’ve moved to the third hotel now with the first being too expensive which after 3 days prompted a move.  The second I was kicked out of as it was being renovated and the third, being the cheapest is by far the nicest.  Three times the charm.

My Son ruins near Hoi An.

I’ll be here for a few more days… as I’m waiting on two suits being created.  Saves me buying suits once I get home which is something I’ll need to do anyway and these are much, much nicer than what I'd be willing to pay for back home. 

Oscar is now wearing a new tyre and has a full set of indicators.  The leaky sump has also been fixed…. The clutch is now slipping (it wasn’t prior to its service) although I’m going to get the clutch adjusted elsewhere as I’m pretty confident I was blatantly ripped off by the mechanic here in Hoi An. BUT…. Oscars running well and the push start is also now working which is something that had bugged me since it broke back in Dong Hoi.

So, from here I’ll head south.  Planning on taking my time and I’ll probably head back up to DaNang to chill out on the beach for a day or two while I’m at it.  Hey, it’s a tough gig I’m running here!

Every shoe can be made to fit in any colour or material.  The mens shoes only made up 20% of the store.... and there was still another wall of mens shoes more than this!  I'll generalize in saying but this town is a womans greatest fantasy.

Hoi An

Oscar a lemon?

I put on my armour, mount my noble steed and slam down the visor on my helmet ready for the challenge before me.  …the medieval analogies end there.  Sorry, that’s all I got.

So I think Oscar is a lemon. 

Replacing the jammed key barrel

When I was in Son La I noticed a small pool of oil in the hotel lobby underneath Oscar’s heart.  I thought nothing of it… but I’ve noticed now a common trend of when the bike is warmed up it tends to drip oil somewhat steadily.  I’d guess it would happen all the time whilst I’m riding I just don’t see it but when I stop every few hours to let Oscar cool down I usually leave ten minutes later a few mil of oil down on what I had before I stopped.  This has now resulted in two rather unplanned ‘services’ when I’ve realized the oil level is down to dangerous levels.  Oscars fuel cap doesn’t screw on tight which means with anything above half a tank I can’t put the bike down into a corner without getting fuel sloshing out over the tank.  Same applies with sudden braking and my Kevlar jeans often smell of petrol.  My right-rear indicator dropped off yesterday… yes, it just dropped off.  I somehow need to work out a way with my very basic tools how to bolt and wire it back on.

On top of that I’ve started noticing other Honda Wins…. And most of them look remarkably nicer than Oscar. This pains me somewhat and the last few days I’ve had strange urges to wash him.  Just so he fits in…. because currently he’s covered in a thousand or so kilometres of the remotest Vietnamese dirt and parked next to one of the cleanest Honda Wins I’m yet to see on this trip.  

Fixing the exhaust, tightening the chain, fresh oil, putting air in
the rear tyre and of course, ammending the seat.

I’ve had Oscar fail on me a few times… but then that’s half the fun.  I mean, without I would never have met Vietnams youngest mechanic.  I'm not sure what was wrong with the seat and what he managed to do with a pair of pliers but whatever it was I’m sure it’s now much, much better.

I’ve moved on from Rug ‘n Tug town and am now residing in Hue (pronounced Hwey) where the streets now resemble that of Venice, Italy.  Turns out their drainage system isn’t that great and with 30 minutes of torrential rain the roads really do turn into rivers.  I’ve been here for a few days and I expect to move on in a few more.  Hopefully when things get drier as I’m not liking the whole riding in the rain thing.  I stayed in Dong Hoi for a few days checking out some caves and some tunnels built during the war although riding through the DMZ (the war front) was surprisingly anti-climatic.  I really expected a line painted across the road to show what was South Vietnam and North Vietnam or something.  Instead it’s just an unassuming river and an ordinary looking bridge.  As an unrelated sidenote here is my no.1 tip for single male travellers in Vietnam.  When asked about your relationship status…. Lie.  I had been doing this but today I slipped up and when my motorbike taxi rider asked (in general conversation) if I had a girl back home and when I truthfully answered "no" he then proceeded to introduce me to every eligible (albeit beautiful) girl in Hue.   I won’t let you know how that ends… just because your imaginations will probably be more creative than my real world reactions.

A bridge across Perfume River in Hue.  At peak hour this is handle bar to handle bar.  I know, I rode it!

A random street scene in Hue

Ah, Venice.



Rain enroute to Dong Hoi