5 Day Andaman road trip: Part 2

Day 2’s ride is shorter than we think. The sun, trees and roadside dogs are encouraging us along the way. Reminds me: Immy confessed that yesterday she nearly dozed off at the back of the bike….
Oumbakowatcha?! Can you believe that? How on earth can you doze off on a motorbike? We wear helmets without windshields, allowing the wind to rush straight into your face making your cheeks look silly and once in a while an unidentified insect is crushed on your nose too. And don’t forget the wind rushes right into the ears as well, making the inside of our helmets sound as if airplanes are taking off constantly. And she is dozing off?! What’s next? FC Twente winning the Dutch league? Mwahaha.

I myself experience a different unexplained bike riding effect. While riding, old songs pop into my head that I haven’t heard or thought of for over 20 years, and I hum these whole damned songs in detail too. Where did they come from? Were they secretly stored in Archived memory somewhere? An example is ‘We Are Growing’ the theme song from an ‘80s TV series Shakazulu. And I didn’t even like the song nor the series. Blimey! My scientific explanation for this is that the wind coming in my face enters my head with such force through my nostrils that it stirs up the grey brain cells at the back, making them drift into the upper brain-flaps where the humming organ resides, as you know. I sure don’t hope my short term memory will be pushed to the back now in a sort of FILO (First In Last Out) system. Anyway, what was I talking about?
Right, Immy dozing off. So now besides watching the traffic, dogs and pits in the road, I also check on occasions whether Immy is still sitting behind me, which for everybody’s peace of mind is reported as ‘Affrmative’ for the whole trip.

We arrive at Laem Son National Park again at a lovely bungalow resort for hardly any money, run by a Dutch guy Boudewijn and his Thai wife Wasana, we immediately feel at home here.

Wasana of Wasana bungalows.

The next day we walk through the National Park, which is literally a walk through the park compared to yesterday’s survival combat. Boudewijn sends us on a lonesome trek that leads past a couple of deserted beaches, mangroves and a birdy forest.

Laem Son National Park, not a soul in sight

High tide adds a tiny bit of action to our day

We haven’t had much luck so far in finding waterfalls. For various reasons we never seem to actually reach one. In the bit of daytime we’ve got left, we hop on our bike au direction du waterfall tres beau.

Annoyed I notice we’re nearly out of petrol but eh, no pain no gain. We make it to the indicated waterfall, but it is such a pitiful excuse for a waterfall that we can’t believe this is right. We decide to climb the stream upwards to find the real waterfall. Again annoyed I notice that Immy is gracefully hopping from stone to stone up the stream as if she were a ballerina dancing on stones. I, on the other hand, am staying far behind breaking my neck and ankles on the slippery stones.


Thailand,s gorgeous waterfalls *&^%$!

The picture above is the highest point of yet another waterfall disillusion and we rush back through the stream and forest, as we nearly get stuck in the dark off-the-beaten-track. Under imaginary applause we find our loyal bike waiting just when dusk falls.

Under imaginary woooh’s and boooh’s our loyal bike stops 10 minutes later demanding fresh petrol. This is one of those experiences that show how welcome you feel in Thailand. In 5 minutes time 4 different people stop to see what’s wrong. They all point us to the same house a little further where we get a liter of petrol from a bottle for half a euro, and we happily pay triple.

Next day we’re riding back to Phuket, back into danger zone.


This way please

Again we have 2 missions here in Phuket.
- Mission 1 – catch a flight to Chiang Mai for more action and a dose of culture
- Mission 2 – pick up my beloved camera, DMC TZ7, which I ordered last week here at Power Buy

I’m happy to report Mission 1 succeeds gloriously. Immy will update you all on the Chiang Mai experiences in the next post.
And not surprisingly Mission 2 fails miserably again. Power Buy told me with pride that they expect the camera Wednesday, the day after our flight. Cap un cap* very much.

* ‘Cap un cap’ means Thank you in Thai

5 Day Andaman road trip: LEECH, LEECH!

Time has come to climb back in the saddle, time is right to hit the road on my two-wheeled friend again. The tires of our rented motorbike should spin around an estimated 700,000 times along 1000km of asphalt and dirt, taking us to two different National Parks in the Andaman Coastal area.
Our intention is to leave Phuket at the crack of dawn with feather light backpacks carrying the bare minimum required for a 5 day trip. The rest of our luggage we’ll leave at the hotel to be collected on our return.

At around 8am we come to the conclusion this bare minimum seems to be around 90% of our entire luggage stack, and never ever will fit on our bike.
At around 9am I convince Immy she does not need 3 dresses, 3 pair of shoes and an extensive set of cosmetics.
At around 10am Immy convinces me the laptop has to go… this hurts.
Eventually the bags fit and off we go!

Road Runners Ready for a Rock ‘n Roll Ride.

Day one’s target is Kao Sok National Park. The roads in Thailand compared to Vietnam are very good and well organized. The ride is a piece of cake with wealthy views which remind me of the trip with Su last month.
 
Kao Sok National Park

We arrive at Kao Lak National Park later than anticipated (not that I took any wrong turns of course, ahem). The bungalow we booked is straight from a fairytale right beside a river stream. The sound of the streaming water and other mysterious jungle sounds make this a memorable stay. Funnily enough we both conclude that the cheaper small scaled places are so much nicer to stay at than the bigger hotels. This place costs us 8 euro per night and floats our boat big time.

Sunset at our riverside bungalow

Talking of jungle sounds… There was one in particular that draws attention.
The Cicada is little sort of bug, a bit like a cricket, which makes such an immense noise that we were convinced initially this was somehow coming from loudspeakers hidden in the jungle (don't ask). It sounds something like when you are vacuum cleaning and then a ball of socks would get stuck in the hoover-pipe: a high hissing sound indicating something is terribly wrong and about to blow up. Got it? So take that sound at roughly 90 decibel for 15 minutes non-stop.
We later learn that the Cicada has only 2 weeks to live and makes this noise from his belly to attract females to do ‘boom boom’ (boom boom is the international term for hanky panky, just as broadly used and understood as the writing sign you make when asking for the bill). In short: we can’t blame the Cicada for making that noise, we would do the same if we could. And anyway they always stop around 7pm (international boom boom time as you know).

After a nights sleep we go on an adventure tour in the park with a group of 6 and get a little more adventure than we bargained for. The relaxing ‘lake cruise’ to watch the jungle wild life is rudely disturbed by a rainstorm. Yes, we see monkeys in the trees but they all seem to be laughing at us.

Rain in the middle of the Kao Sok lake

The cave we rush into is completely dark. Helped by torches we find our way through the alleys and chambers. In some places there is ankle-deep water and we slip and slide our way past mysterious yellow eyes following our moves. The thousands of bats are not very appreciative of our aahhs and awes and especially our flash lights, so flap away annoyed into dark areas unknown to mankind.

Thankfully the rain floated away (I directed it roughly to 52 degrees North Latitude / 5 Eastern Longitude) and after a bit of relaxing and canoeing at a floating oasis it’s time for the jungle trek.

Floating Oasis

During this trek we expected to be skipping joyfully over a jungle path drifting away in our thoughts, but to our shock this is an old skool hard core jungle trek. A guide with a big sword is cutting down the flora in front of us to create a walkway through the dense jungle.
The main worries of our group are not the spiders or the snakes, it is the blood thirsty leeches crawling through the wet leaves.
Ever seen a leech? I thought it was a depressed sort of slug waiting for a lucky break. In fact they are speedy little worms actively chasing you down, they are so thin (without your blood in them) they go straight through the trainers of a Portugese guy in our group, who freaks out and dances around on one leg while cursing in Portugese. Our Thai tour-guide, however, is walking on flip flops and on occasions pulling a leech off his leg to cut it in half. I of course am something similar, indifferently pulling leeches off my legs and swallowing them raw. If anyone ever tells you I was screaming something like ‘LEECH, LEECH, GET IT OFF ME! HELP MAMA’, that obviously is an utter lie.

Thai Rambo leading the way through the jungle

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Exhausted but with most of our blood remaining we return to our cozy bungalow long after dark. A night of tanking energy for tomorrow when we will continue our trip north to Leam Som National Park, hopefully to find a little more Zen.

The Man with the Golden Gun in Phi Phi and Phuket

Ko Phi Phi is according to many one of the most beautiful islands on this planet. No wonder it also features in a few big blockbusters like The Beach and James Bond’s The Man with the Golden Gun.
A slight downside of all this is that the secret is obviously out, so that all idyllic beaches, limestone skyscrapers and other gorgeous sights are under constant admiration of large herds of fellow tourists.
Our 3 day program is comprised of boat rides, visiting our underwater friends again, a cliff climb/jump and exploring the vibrant night life.

Magical Ko Phi Phi Leh

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Human world integrates with nature on Monkey Beach. Here the monkeys know at what time the boats arrive so they can hustle their lunch from the tourists. With tens of tourists we arrive here simultaneously on different boats and we all shoot pictures of these spoiled apes…. Sad really.

A refreshing coke to wash away that Big Mac (and don’t blame the messenger pls)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Immy is by now a full pro snorkeler. On this day trip she is guiding two other girls and explaining how the snorkling is done properly.

Snorkeling in the turquoise waters around Ko Phi Phi.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A postcard view over Ko Phi Phi Don after a steep climb

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Evidence of my 17 meter cliff jump.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phuket is the next island. It is a big island of around 100km long and is more or less what Costa Brava is in Spain: a big big tourist holiday destination. We only stay here for one day in which I basically have 2 missions:
A-- Rent a motorbike and prepare for a road trip into the mainland.
B-- Buy a new Lumix DMC TZ7. I owned this beloved camera for two months before it got eaten by a wave from hell in Ko Lanta. I got so attached to it that I accept no other model.

Mission A is fairly easy arranged, except that on our first test ride we are caught by a tropical downpour. In the restaurant we shelter we order a coffee to sit out the storm. But this storm is not easily defeated, and we end up having several coffees, tea, starters, mains and desserts. Three hours later, thousands of Baht lighter and many kilograms heavier we continue our test ride in the dark by now.

'Yes it’s still raining, dear'

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mission B proves impossible, no new TZ7 available in Phuket and believe me I have turned the island inside out. So far on this trip I am down 1 camera (murdered), 2 mobile phones (stolen/lost) and 3 pair of sunglasses (quashed/crushed/pulverized).  

Now it's time to get ready to leave safe tourist grounds and go for a 5 days motorbike tour to find hidden gems in the south of Thailand.

Ko Lanta: Island life *by Immy*

Let’s begin with an introduction. I’m Roland’s girlfriend Immy, and I’ve been given the dubious honour of contributing to Ro’s blog. Let’s face it, I’ve got big shoes to fill! We travel to Ko Lanta, a small island to the South of Thailand, by plane, bus and boat. I’ve been starved of Ro’s company for five long weeks, so any number of different modes of transport is fine by me if it means spending time with Ro.

On arrival at Saladan Pier in Ko Lanta, we are greeted by a phenomenal downpour, fortunately this is not an omen for the week ahead.

Annie, the manager of the bungalows where we stay, is an exceptionally hospitable hostess. We have barely put our bags down when she greets us with fresh papaya, fried bananas and the promise of tea each morning. It might be too generous a description to call the shower temperature tepid, but this does not detract from our excitement at our new surroundings. We set about the important task of basking on the beach in temperatures in the mid thirties.

A look at this property persuaded us not to move from our bungalow.

The following morning we are greeted with no electricity. The power is out on the whole island for maintenance work. Ro shrugs and opts to have an ice-cold shower (admittedly that scarcely differs from the normally luke-warm water) but alas there is no water either! We are forced to return to the beach to bathe in the sea, and lay on the beach to dry off, which is of course quite a hardship.

Enjoying alternative washing facilities.

Ro hires a motorbike and we speed around the island at up to 60 kmph, admiring the scenery while we visit every beach along the west coast of Ko Lanta.

A rare experience riding without helmets or any safety gear!

Night riding is a treacherous experience, not for the faint-hearted. A cat darts across the road in front of us, completely oblivious to Ro braking sharply to avoid mashing the hapless mog on the asphalt. A bat/bird/UFO flies in front of Ro’s face, he reacts quickly and jerks his head backwards, nearly removing my teeth in the process. A puddle interrupts our quiet contemplation as it splashes our faces with surprising force. But our journey is as rewarding as it is hazardous, and we see the unlikely sight of an elephant being driven home from a long days work on a low truck.

The elephant is content to let the truck do all the hard work.

Dinner on the beach is a spectacular affair, with the reassuring sound of the sea lapping over the sand, the constant chirruping of crickets, the tantalizing smell of freshly caught fish being barbequed, and seeing lightning in the far distance light up the night sky. By day the bars and restaurants blend into the backdrop of palm trees lining the beach, but by night they come alive, the trees twinkle with brightly coloured lights – an inviting beacon to the weary traveler.

Our bungalow is beside Klong Dao beach, which is not as secluded as some of the other beaches on Ko Lanta due to the amount of resorts on it. A ridiculous number of grey crabs lay siege to the beach, far outnumbering the amount of people. Making a serious business of tanning briefly results in the dreaded lobster appearance, which no doubt most fair skinned people can identify with.

A girl has gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

Laying on the beach is not simply about absorbing as much of the sun’s rays as possible *honestly!* but it is also a reflective experience, having no requirement other than to simply exist in this idyllic landscape. A dog trots contentedly along the beach before cocking its leg against a football and pissing on it. No doubt the glistening stream of urine will have dried up long before the child is re-acquainted with his lost football, and he will never know what I alone have seen. Large grey crabs climb out of holes in the sand, unaware I watch their every move from behind my sunglasses. They make numerous trips back to the surface clutching sand in their pincers which they cast aside before diligently returning to expand their home deeper into the sand. Alas all is in vain as a sun-worshipper plants their sandled foot directly onto the crab’s home, and the unfortunate crab is forced to burrow a new tunnel if he ever wants to see sunlight again.

We book a day trip of snorkeling to Ko Rok. I convince Ro we should go for the trip that advertises “playing with lizards” as part of the experience. We see several lizards strolling around the undergrowth but as we approach for the eagerly anticipated play time, we are hastily advised to maintain a distance of several meters to prevent the lizards attacking us. Hmmm the trip itinery specifically states playing with lizards. I must admit I feel a little cheated.

Prohibited from playing with the lizards, Ro explores Ko Rok.

The speed boat taking us snorkelling journeys from one beach to the next, collecting yet more passengers. Whilst anchored near the shore of one sun-drenched beach, a rogue wave assaults us unexpectedly, leaping uninvited into the boat and soaking us and Ro’s camera. We dry out quickly. Sadly the same can’t be said for the camera, which misbehaves badly thereafter. It proves to be a fatal casualty.

The last photo taken before Ro's camera meets its watery grave.

A day of snorkeling ensues. I've never snorkelled before, and it shows. Ro patiently explains for the umpteenth time how to use the breathing apparatus correctly, in the process he misses many golden opportunities to see rare and exquisite species of fish whilst trying to reassure me that I won’t drown, and that my lifejacket really will prevent me from plunging to the bottom of the sea. I'm too nervous to enjoy the experience. Aside from glimpsing the fleeting shape of a few fish, I spend most of my time inhaling water and gasping for air. Luckily we stop twice more for snorkel sessions, and by the third stop I finally come to an uneasy truce with my snorkel and get to enjoy snorkeling, and am proud to say I even managed without the support of a lifejacket.

Nerves eventually abandon me and I feel like a pro!

I’m sure you’ve heard enough about relaxing on a beach for one week… Coming soon to a computer screen near you - Ro will be back for the next instalment *involving yet more beaches* shortly! I hope you've enjoyed the brief interlude from Ro's updates. This is Immy, over and out.

A final sunset in Ko Lanta (taken with my camera, much better)

Bangkok: Falling stars

Imagine sunshine and moonlight, imagine all correct answers to challenging mathematical equations, falling stars and a first taste of coffee in the morning, imagine reducing transaction time by factor 12, imagine Miss Universe asking to use your shower, golden coins at the end of the rainbow, imagine BBQ mixed grill in summer, Holland beating England 4-1 at the coming Worldcup, imagine your first skydive.
Imagine all of that compressed into a single soul, into a single person and she is walking through the gates of Bangkok airport. Here comes Imogen Cable, here comes Immy.

Time has come to share my travels for a month with Immy. You’ll be glad to hear she will be taking over part of the blogging here on my site. So finally you’ll get to read some proper English, instead of my amateurish scribbles. Next post will be hers, enjoy it while it lasts.

A celebration drink in Sirroco Sky Bar Bangkok on the 64th floor

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We do what is necessary in our one day of Bangkok. Immy is horrified by her first breakfast with 20 ants rooting through the muesli :-) And when we shop for missing holiday items she is horrified yet again to find out that her cute European size Small, here is very inappropriately (of course) categorized as Large :-).
Not very well timed we visit the Grand Palace at the hottest time of the day *again this being cultural is reluctantly agreeing with me*. To make it even hotter we are given long pants and shirt to cover our bare limbs, and I wasn’t wearing a leather G-string in case you were wondering. But the visit is worthwhile with immaculate golden towers rising high in the sky.

Royal puppets with a heavy burden at the Grand Palace Bangkok.

Now we fly to the south of Thailand to experience island life around Krabi and where Immy will take over a bit of blogging. But don’t pop the Champagne just yet, I’ll be back!

Backpacker tour in Halong Bay

Hanoi is the other big city in Vietnam besides Ho Chi Minh City. Immediately this feels so much better and more laid-back. Can’t really put a finger on why though, it’s just as chaotic if not even more, but it’s prettier with more older buildings dating from the French occupation. Also, the salesmen (half the population it seems) are less pushy. Here when you tell them ‘No, I don’t need a cap/sunglasses/lighter/taxi/motorbike/massage/cigarettes/banana/t-shirt/painting/or-anything-else’, they react like ‘OK, whatever’. Instead of like in HCMC where a ‘No’ is received like you just called their mother something horrible.

Group of elderly folks doing Tai Chi at 7am in the park in the ‘Old Quarter’, Hanoi.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
History Museum *which is closed on Sundays, for all of you planning to visit Hanoi. This being cultural is not really agreeing with me*

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interesting restaurants (please lookup in the dictionary if you’re not familiar with the meaning)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You are not allowed to leave Vietnam without visiting Halong Bay, a World Heritage site of 2000 limestone islands rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tunkin.
I join a Halong Bay trip which was recommended by a Canadian guy I spoke to in Hue a few days ago. It is a low budget trip organized by a backpacker hostel called the Hanoi Backpacker Hostel, what else.
We first spend a day and a night on a boat (the Jolly Roger… doesn’t sound much promising I know) where we meet the new surroundings.

Halong Bay islands

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What do you do after a day of swimming, canoeing and socializing with a group of 35 Western backpackers with an average age of 25? Correctemundo, you get hammered! And worse, bizarre drinking games are introduced to speed up the process. In these games you pick up a card in turns and then have to drink constantly for some sort of reason. You also make a fool out of yourself or out of somebody else on occasions and we all have incredible fun beyond imagination.
Around 12 O’clock a line from the film Lethal Weapon pops up in my head…: ‘I’m too old for this shit’. And I retire to bed.

A boat heading to a deserted island with a herd of hung-over backpackers *pfff went to bed 5am,pfff I’m still drunk, excellent pfff*, looks something like this.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The island is gorgeous. The beach bay is only leased by this hostel, and therefore is ours alone. Facilities are very basic, we sleep with 6 persons in an open air bungalow, there are 3 tiny cold water showers and crappy toilets, but really, it’s all you need.
That is besides the 150-horsepower-speedboat for the wakeboarding of course.

Halong bay island, home for 2 nights

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reading, canoeing to caves in the rocks, wakeboarding and talking nonsense are daily duties.
I try wakeboarding for the first time in my life, and honestly this seems the first water-sport I master in no time. I guess it is because it is similar to kite surfing, but still the guy from the boat seems rather amazed and on the second day I even manage some airtime (a jump from the wave).
Also, to be speeding on a surfboard right between high limestone rocks, a world heritage for jibe sake, gives me a high-on-life sort of experience

Yeeehaaa.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There is also a deaf couple from the USA and Colombia. They are an inspiration. They seem so happy and so in love with each other. She is also the only other person doing water sports and enjoying it soooo much, smiling and laughing throughout her waterski ride. Funny detail is that he can by lip-reading nearly even catch my accent, because I speak more from the throat instead of in front of my mouth like Americans. How bizarre is that?
But anyway, imagine never hearing a word, or not ever hearing music or the sound of the ocean or your kids or anything. And still they genuinely seemed the most happy and grateful people of the whole group…. What does that teach us? Indeed dear reader: Stop Moaning!!!!

Life coaches

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
At sunset I chill on this rock with this fantastic hat. I swear I wasn’t posing…. Really

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This ends Vietnam for now. After Halong Bay I go back to Bangkok, Thailand, to be reunited with my love Immy for a month of Holiday with my partner. God, I can’t wait!!!

Easy Rider day 6-9: Galactic

Marble Mountains lie between Hoi An and Danang, these are quite vertical rocky looking mountains of about 300m high. On top and inside are caves with temples and Pagodas of several centuries old. The climb is steep, but the pictures are cool.

Many Buddha’s carved out of the rocks

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Funky temples

 

We ride on and when I thought I have seen the most of Ho Chi Minh Road, it turns…it turns... (I’m looking for the right word that corresponds with my emotions…. got it)

...it turns galactic.

Remember the snake wine from the Mekong Delta? In a local shop along the road I found, let’s call it, Lizard wine. Very good for ‘boom boom’, assures the shopkeeper with a grin. In other words the local Viagra hehe

*&^%$$##* thinks the lizard

In Hue at the Imperial Enclosure, a Citadel of several emperors since 1800, we’re back amongst fellow Westerners with English, German and French speaking tour guides. My hero stays behind though, watching the bags at the bike (and more importantly saving himself the entrance fee).

Chinese influence over the centuries has left her footprint especially in Northern Vietnam, as you can see for example at architecture.

Inside Hue Citadel

 

 

Quiz time:

What does not belong in this picture?

After a long ride a man’s got to do, what a man’s got to do.

We go quite a bit out of our way to see an impressive war cemetery, where ten thousands casualties of the American war are buried. It is a beautiful peaceful place with several temples. We are all alone there, which makes it also kind of special. Each grave has fresh incense on top of it and many were burning too. I was wondering what an immense job it must be to light all that incense, and whether they do that every day.

Then come two busses filled with teenaged school kids, who first had a communal Buddhist prayer and then they all go out on the cemetery to light fresh incense on the graves…

War casualties

I end the day in a hotel room with a view to think this all over

Take off to our end destination Dong Hoi.
One last look at last night’s scenic hotel

We ride towards Vinh Moc tunnels along the coast

During the American war a little village with a population of 300 people went underground and lived there for 6 years. There are 3 layers in Vinh Moc tunnels, the deepest at 23 meters below the ground. We go all the way down… very impressive to walk around these tunnels and realize people were cooking and having babies here while bombs were exploding above them.

I mention to the guide that 12 babies born during 6 years time was actually not that much. She mentions that in such a small place with 5 people staying in each tiny room, producing babies was rather awkward… Which I can somehow imagine.

Vinh Moc family loft apartment

23 meter deep…

Many things in life I understand but some things are a mystery to me. Su has a habit of filling his tank only half full of petrol every time. And then of course we are the next day or so out of petrol again, I stressfully watch the meter going deep into the red while we hope to pass a petrol station. And when we finally reach one Su rides on! I tap him on the shoulder and say: ‘Oi! We need petrol’. He then wiggles his hand and mumbles ‘not very good’. (?????)
But then again, we seem to find a ‘good station’ just in time, coz we never ran out.

We reach Dong Hoi early and during a walk along the beach I get a hint of how it must be to be David Beckham when I pass a group of teenagers. They all start screaming and each wants to go individually and in groups on a photo with me. Rather funny, and it puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

My fans

On the last day we ride through Phong Nha national park, the reason I wanted to go so high up in this trip. To be honest it is a bit disappointing. Phong Nha cave, the largest cave in Vietnam of approximately 50 km, could not be entered by boat because the river water was too high. Instead I walk into the dry parts, but although stunning I want more, I want the wet cave :-( (maybe I’m getting spoiled).

Phong Nha dry cave

The ride through the National park was mystical and beautiful and makes somewhat up for the missing of the wet cave.

Rocks of hundreds of meters high covered in mist towering above the road

Coming back in Dong Hoi means the Easy Rider trip has come to an end. It was a great experience, which will be locked in memory for ever. But now I am rather excited that tomorrow I’ll be staying in a luxury hotel in Hanoi and will find pizza(!) for dinner.

Bye bye motorbike and mr. Su