of Backpacks and Beards
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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
We woke up around 6:30am with our bags packed and ready to go. We’d bought a map, had helmets that fit, and were ready to hop on our bikes and take to the road. Obviously the day started with a few more delays and we hit the road around 8:30am. We’d decided that we’d travel down to Ninh Binh by at A1. Normally, I wouldn’t every recommend taking the A1 highway when… Read More
Whether you land in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City you’ll be painfully aware of the mass use of motorbikes. In major city mecca they literally will crowd every alleyway, every curb, and sometimes every sidewalk. This is because in Vietnam, not only are bikes relatively cheap, but they’re easy to fix, and they run for many hours on just a few litres of gas (which runs for about $1/L). You basically… Read More
Vietnam seems to have an air of intrigue about it – at least, it always has for me. Whether it’s the automatic relation to CCR from growing up with Full Metal Jacket, Good Morning Vietnam, and Platoon, the dream of a relatively unchanged and less-travelled country from a tourist perspective, or the idea of owning my first motorcycle and touring through the rolling mountains roads with the wind at my hair and… Read More
After spending a month in Indonesia biking around the islands of Bali and Lombok our 30-day tourist visa was coming to an end and it was time to begin planning the next leg of our adventure. We knew we definitely wanted to see Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand so we figured the best route was to fly to the north end of Vietnam, travel south across the country and once finished simply take… Read More
Balian Beach or Lalang Linggah in Bali, Indonesia is easily my favourite spot on the whole island. About an hour and a half drive from Kuta you find this quaint little surf village. The people are friendly, full of smiles, not heckling you to buy their many similar knock-off souvenirs, and always willing to lend a hand. The town is small, inclusive, and after a few days you begin to recognize the… Read More
After finishing up our stint in Kuta, Lombok it was time to see what the rest of the island had to offer. We took the bike for a cruise northbound and spent a night in Senggigi. We really were only there long enough to grab a meal and see the sunset, that we’d heard was spectacular as it provides views of Mt. Agung in neighbouring Bali as it sets behind. However, it… Read More
After spending a few more nights than anticipated in Padangbai we decided it was time to continue on, so we packed small daypacks, left out rucksacks in Padangbai and headed over the Pacific to Lombok. Now you have the option of either going with one of the tons of hecklers selling a speedboat trip between the islands, which takes roughly an hour and a half, or you have the option of taking… Read More
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