Hanoi, Vietnam to Vang Vieng, Laos

Well, what a leg of the trip which was a long hard section involving numerous steep hills and countless traditional hill tribes which rarely see foreigners making for some interesting times! Leaving Hanoi was a mission in it's self with heavy monsoon rains and my bike in worse shape than I first thought. I couldn't actually change any of the gears so was in real trouble from the start. After the first day I managed to fix my gears so some of the back ones worked and fixed the front ones into the lowest one so I could climb hills with it. Perfect, as for the next 9 days I was going over some very mountainous country. Crossing into Laos was a bit of a laugh as it was a remote border post and I had to wake the Vietnamese guys up to get stamped out before getting charged an entrance fee into Lao under the pretence of a 'stamp' processing fee. Not sure if that one usually comes with a receipt or not!! Anyways, being in Lao certainly didn't mean the heavy rain was going to abate so after one long day where I was cycling into the night as well, arriving at a town which didn't believe in turning on it's lights making it extremely hard to find a place to stay, right through to the next few days of riding where I and all of my gear were totally wet through. A rest day where I finally dried out all of my stuff and rested my legs was much needed then it was back on to the mountain roads for more hard riding. Some of the hills were just so ridiculously steep that pushing become the norm and the days become long tiring ones. At least the scenery and little traditional villages were interesting and the people really friendly but food was sometimes hard to come by so a bag of sticky rice carried on the back of my bike in the rain and sun would usually see me through a day. Not really enough to satisfy but something is better than nothing in those situations. Another concerted effort to fix my bike failed so it has made the riding a bit slower than anticipated but it has managed to stay together to my currently situation of Vang Vieng. The famous Lao town with it's amazing limestone cliffs, caves and the now infamous tubing down the local river which is all in store for my coming days rest and relaxation before I head to the capital to get the bike fixed as I now have a contact who owns a bike shop there. As time and money are running out, plus with the added bike dramas I've decided to head back to Bangkok then make a decision on where to work from there. Bummer, as the prospect of having to go back to work is a little daunting!! In the mean time check out the new photos in the Vietnam and Laos folders.

Riding Stats
> 27th Sept - 75km
> 28th Sept - 68km
> 29th Sept - 101km
> 30th Sept - 110km
> 1st Oct - 28km
> 3rd Oct - 103km
> 4th Oct - 87km
> 5th Oct - 55km
> 8th Oct - 138km
> 9th Oct - 104km
Total - 3704km

Hue to Hanoi

Cycling, crazy drivers, beef noodle soup and more cycling dominated this section of my trip where the road was mainly flat but the riding was hard due to the hot humid weather which drained my energy and ensured my water intake was immense. Food consumption seemed to be at an all time high as well where on more than one occasion two to three meals in one sitting wasn't uncommon to the much amusement of the locals at the restaurants! The main highway lived up to it's reputation as not the best place for cycling but some of the small towns and the scenery were worth the effort. With not much to do except to ride I was looking forward to getting to Hanoi and seeing what the city and surrounds had to offer so I was riding hard to hit my destination. Coming into Hanoi, I wasn't disappointed as it was chaotic but manageable and I found my hostel easily where it was a good change to be around backpackers and to swap travel stories over a few beers and to relax. I knew I was in the right place when I was greeted by the friendly staff in their 'don't take life so seriously.......it's not permanent' t-shirts and an invitation to the free keg on offer! A couple of days here before I head out to Halong Bay on a boat then back on the bike heading once again into the mountains and hopefully some quieter roads.

Riding Stats
> 15th Sept - 70km
> 16th Sept - 92km
> 17th Sept - 147km
> 18th Sept - 151km
> 19th Sept - 104km
> 20th Sept - 92km
Total - 2835km