Yesterday evening was a festival night and there were lots of people here. Today it’s back to normal, every day life and the streets are almost empty. A little while ago it was raining which kept people indoors. Now the rain has stopped but people aren’t coming out, not even the tourists. In the daytime this place is bustling with people but now it’s so empty. It feels so strange.… Read the rest
The street is lined with red and yellow lanterns enticing people in to the various shops and restaurants. Green lanterns have been strung across the street like pearl necklaces. The whole place is bathed in a soft multicolored glow, giving it a special atmosphere. Tonight a festival is in town and there are loads of people milling around, locals and tourists alike. There’s that happy feeling in the air that only a festival can bring about. Normally I would enjoy walking around looking at things but I’ve had some trouble with that lifeblood of a modern traveler, my phone, which … Read the rest
I’ve seriously had it with this incessant rain, like Samuel L Jackson in Snakes on a plane would have said: enough is enough! It spoils the fun of riding by making the road slippery, it ruins any photo ops offered by the gorgeous scenery I’m passing, but worst of all, I’m getting soaked despite my rain gear. It is utterly and completely miserable.… Read the rest
I have entered the mist, it swirls around me almost completely blocking my view. Though I can hardly see them, I know that to my right is the cliff edge and to my left a wall of rock rising sharply upwards; ahead of me I can just make out a few meters of the road and that’s it. I lean forward and peer into the milky whiteness, hoping I can spot oncoming obstacles in time….… Read the rest
I’m in the strangest piece of architecture I have ever seen. There are stairs and walkways going every which way; twisting and turning they interconnect the different buildings, going up and over the roof of one, then down into the center of another. They have been made to look like tree branches with the railings like vines and the buildings that themselves look organic, like tree trunks. The main building however looks like a normal house…kind of, the lines are all crooked like it was drawn by a five year old, with decoration to match, all tinseled and sparkling. The … Read the rest
I’m truly in the countryside now, a few houses here and there but otherwise not a sign of civilization. The road winds leisurely through a landscape so green you almost can’t believe it, trees and bushes of all kinds on both sides. In the distance lie low hills like camel humps. The road surface is in a state of disrepair, I bump along at a slow pace, keeping a sharp lookout for potholes that are so big I would probably go flying over the handlebars if I hit one with speed. I’d like to pay more attention to the landscape … Read the rest
I’ve finally left the city behind, there are trees on the side of the road and even some mountains in the distance. I’ve hit my second tropical rain shower of the day; my poncho will keep me dry but it’s big and flowing and flies in the wind, flapping out behind me like I’m freaking Batman or something. Theme song of the day: Na na na na na na Batman… Read the rest
An arrow straight strip of asphalt stretches through the lush landscape out towards the tree line at the horizon. The sun shines brightly from an azure sky filled with dramatic clouds. The speedometer shows a clean 80 kph, ah, I feel so alive.… Read the rest
The sun is shining, the rain seems to have dried up completely; the road is straight, only one way forward, with trees and small shops by the side, I keep the throttle at a steady 60 km/h. The theme to Smoky and the Bandit keeps playing in the back of my mind as I reflect on my first day of riding in Vietnam: my bag falling off the luggage rack, the rickety wooden bridge, the water buffalo by the road side. So many impressions just in one day…… Read the rest
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