of Backpacks and Beards
Adventures abroad, lessons learned, and beards.
About Me
My name is Tyler Jay. I’m a writer, traveller, music-lover, forest firefighter, and explorer. When I’m not Forest Firefighting in Ontario I like to spend my time traveling anywhere that sparks an interest in me. From Africa to Asia, Nepal to the East & West Coast of Canada, this blog serves as an account of the adventures, and lessons learned along the way. This is an account of what I see, what… Read More
Top Posts & Pages
One Day in Angkor Wat Cost Being the biggest religious monument in the world means that any description of Angkor Wat simply won’t do it justice. Built by the Khmer king in the 12th century the ancient ruins is impressive but slowly decaying as materials crumble, trees begin to take over, and the constant mass of people walking through its doorways and along pathways daily. You essentially have the option of a… Read More
Spending 2 months on a motorcycle and a scooter can be pretty enduring. You become very used to constant movement, spending only a few days in any one place and always keeping your eye on the map to pick your next destination. In Bali, there were so many options that kept us moving. In Vietnam, we simply underestimated the 2100km it took North to South and therefore had to be sure we… Read More
Vietnam by Motorcycle – There and Gone to Saigon Well, after 10 major stops, open roads and congested traffic, a new exhaust, clutch, front & rear brakes, tons of new friends, and 2158km through torrential downpour, scenic mountain ranges, beautiful rice fields, and beautiful beaches we made the trek by motorcycle from Hanoi to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). We’ve had bumps, bruises, wrong turns, bad roads and worse directions. But after… Read More
It was honestly tough to leave Dalat after spending a busy few days and recognizing that our 30 day visa was coming to an end. Our next destination would be Mui Ne, a coastal strip of beach that’s essentially a quick stop resort town. We said goodbye to the staff at Ken’s Backpackers and they sent us off with water and bakery goods for the road ahead – I’ve literally never stayed… Read More
Although the strong Russian influx can make for a good time in Nha Trang we’d stayed longer than anticipated and it was time again to hit the road. Cloudy skies and rainy afternoons had made up the last few days so waking up to a bright sun and blue sky I knew it was a perfect day to be on a road we’d heard amazing things about. We drove a quick Banh… Read More
Day 12 After spending much more money than anticipated due to the purchase of a suit and some other odds and ends we knew we’d better set our sights on the next location, Nha Trang. Now, talking to a few other backpackers we’d heard mixed reviews about this city. Some people thought it was a blast, had great nightlife, a fun amusement park, and a beautiful beach to soak in the sun…. Read More
After 500,000d in bike repairs and a day of walking through the city of Hue’s historic sights we decided we’d again revert to our rubber tramp ways. Pulling out beneath the Imperial Enclosure gates we departed from Hue at about 9am, preparing for a full day on the road and to come upon the legendary Hai Van Pass. This infamous 21km stretch of road receives its praise from its beautiful scenic views,… Read More
Day 7 After two incredible days in Phong Nha it was again time to set our sights on the next destination, the historical city of Hue. We’d met a cool Scottish couple in Hanoi and for the first time we were in the same location so we figured we might as well ride as a squad. As we pulled onto the HCM highway I felt the first few light drops of rain…. Read More
Day 4 We’d planned on making it to Phong Nha in 2 days from Ninh Binh, however, after a solid 3-day trek we rounded the corner on the Ho Chi Minh Highway and saw the small town of Phong Nha. We really hadn’t heard too much about this place besides the fact that it was a necessary stop on any bike tour and well worth the visit. Upon arriving we were pointed… Read More
Day 1 After taking the A1 from Hanoi south, it was time to head to a more scenic, traffic free, and rolling road – the Ho Chi Minh Highway (HCMH). We had the entire afternoon to head west from Ninh Binh to the HCMH so we figured that we could gain a bit of distance southbound as well, however, we weren’t prepared for every outcome. As we didn’t have any form GPS… Read More
