POSTCARD FROMVIETNAM – PART III
(You may remember Lisa from the last two issues, flying to Thailand, buying a cheap bike and heading off into the sunset? Now she’s keeping us updated on her trip here in the letters section – FB)
Hi FB, given Sketch’s (my bike) increasing unreliability, paired with the miserable cold wet weather on the Ho Chi Minh mountain road, I decided to come down and pick up Highway-1 to ensure I’d stick to schedule. It was a boring 300km I will say, but the next morning I cruised on to Ninh Binh, a further 200km, where I bumped into a fellow biker. We had a heavy night on the whisky sours, sharking the town on the pool table! Most of my stuff dried overnight and I had renewed morale (and a hangover) for the home straight.
I had saved a day coming down from the mountain and indulged in a trip to the Perfume Pagoda. Unbeknownst to me I was on a pilgrimage with thousands of other people on a journey up a mountain in search of Buddha. I requested a safe onward journey, that night energised and inspired by the experience.
The last 100km to Hanoi were a breeze. Up the highway no problem – readjusting to the road carnage I had forgotten all about since riding alone in the mountains. I hit the sack at 11pm, more shattered than I can explain, but euphoric at the completion of the challenge I had set myself! One last thing to do – get the bike sold. After a quick check over and clean I listed and sold Sketch the next morning. The timing was perfect and so I booked myself a junk boat tour of Ha Long Bay for some much-needed R&R for my last two days in Vietnam. A couple of stats on the trip: 88p per litre in a 7-litre tank cost me under £7. A tank got me 300km no problem. With the additional detours and exploration it cost less than £100 for the entire trip in fuel. Including repairs, maintenance and a loss on the bike of £35, my Vietnam biker adventure cost me less than £150. Unbelievable. The trip of a lifetime. I chose to do it on this old banger for an authentic experience. The locals, the country, the wilderness and the food were just out of this world. Next stop, New Zealand! Lisa
Living the dream, Lisa! We’d love to jack it all in and do something similar but, you know, kids and all that! FB