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