When I retired two and a half years ago I had a small but perfectly formed list of places I wanted to ride a motorcycle. The Sahara because I went there in a land rover as a teenager back last century; inside the Arctic circle because I wanted to, The Himalayas for obvious reasons and Vietnam because I was 16 in 1968. I've just finished the list. Morrocco was comparatively simple and I had a great three weeks there with some friends within a month of stopping work.
I wrote up my trip to Nordkapp the following year.
Last June I went on a brilliant trip to Northern Kashmir on a Royal Enfield.
A week ago I got back from three weeks in Vietnam. Half of which I spent on a variety of motorcycles including this willing little XR125.
I had a guide for eight great days riding round the remoter parts of the NW of the country up on the border with China and I thought I would share with you the best of those days.
Our route is shown very roughly by the blue line and this report is up in that red circled area
It is the area I really wanted to get to after seeing some photographs years ago of the remarkable landscape and the comparatively unspoilt villages. The landscape was striking as soon as we left the town where we had stayed, Meo Vac
It was not to be a good day for photography. The light was flat and the day wet and misty so I apologise for the quality of some of the photographs. Riding in Vietnam is made a bit more lively by the way the roads are used for everything from drying crops to feeding the livestock and you get used to dodging the buffalo
The area is dominated by the Dong Van plateau which was the main destination for our ride. We were soon climbing
The landscape is dominated by distinctive limestone hills and outcrops
Life in the villages looks hard. this little tot's
mum's solution was to supplement their income by distilling corn spirit, moonshine.
Her neighbour was at it too
It got quite competitive once I was invited to sample it, still warm from the still. I passed no judgement and declared them equally good. It was very moreish to be honest and my riding was quite relaxed for a few miles. In truth, they worked all day and I had no illusions that life is anything but hard graft. these two had been collecting forage for their livestock
One of the delights of eating in Vietnam is the large basket of fresh herbs which is put on the table with the meal and I guess that is what this woman is collecting from the edge of a field
In the field, this woman was planting corn by hand to fill in gaps where the first planting hadn't germinated. You get some impression of how steep the slope is by how she's standing. It was steep and the little one on her back was at some risk of going straight over head at times
This is my favourite picture from the trip. It was pure luck that I pressed the shutter at just the right time
The road was fabulous
The rural lifestyle was fascinating
and the scenery kept getting better
It's a pity the light wasn't good but you get the idea. It is a fabulous part of the world to visit. There are plans to open up the area to tourism with new roads and transport links. I'm glad I went when I did.
I wrote up my trip to Nordkapp the following year.
Last June I went on a brilliant trip to Northern Kashmir on a Royal Enfield.
A week ago I got back from three weeks in Vietnam. Half of which I spent on a variety of motorcycles including this willing little XR125.
I had a guide for eight great days riding round the remoter parts of the NW of the country up on the border with China and I thought I would share with you the best of those days.
Our route is shown very roughly by the blue line and this report is up in that red circled area
It is the area I really wanted to get to after seeing some photographs years ago of the remarkable landscape and the comparatively unspoilt villages. The landscape was striking as soon as we left the town where we had stayed, Meo Vac
It was not to be a good day for photography. The light was flat and the day wet and misty so I apologise for the quality of some of the photographs. Riding in Vietnam is made a bit more lively by the way the roads are used for everything from drying crops to feeding the livestock and you get used to dodging the buffalo
The area is dominated by the Dong Van plateau which was the main destination for our ride. We were soon climbing
The landscape is dominated by distinctive limestone hills and outcrops
Life in the villages looks hard. this little tot's
mum's solution was to supplement their income by distilling corn spirit, moonshine.
Her neighbour was at it too
It got quite competitive once I was invited to sample it, still warm from the still. I passed no judgement and declared them equally good. It was very moreish to be honest and my riding was quite relaxed for a few miles. In truth, they worked all day and I had no illusions that life is anything but hard graft. these two had been collecting forage for their livestock
One of the delights of eating in Vietnam is the large basket of fresh herbs which is put on the table with the meal and I guess that is what this woman is collecting from the edge of a field
In the field, this woman was planting corn by hand to fill in gaps where the first planting hadn't germinated. You get some impression of how steep the slope is by how she's standing. It was steep and the little one on her back was at some risk of going straight over head at times
This is my favourite picture from the trip. It was pure luck that I pressed the shutter at just the right time
The road was fabulous
The rural lifestyle was fascinating
and the scenery kept getting better
It's a pity the light wasn't good but you get the idea. It is a fabulous part of the world to visit. There are plans to open up the area to tourism with new roads and transport links. I'm glad I went when I did.
