1 Day tour in Vietnam

[acall]

I have been on vacation in Southeast Asia (Singapore, Vietnam and Laos) for the past few weeks, and was able to do a one day motorcycle tour with Hoi An Motorbike Adventures. I'll go ahead and put in a plug for them, they do a great job... everything from half day to week-long tours. If you are ever in Vietnam... check them out.

Hoi An Motorbike Adventures | Motorbike Tours Vietnam

As we only had one day and the wife isn't a rider, we chose the Mountain & Delta Explorer trip... relatively easy, but still off the beaten path. We started the day at their garage, met the guide, mechanic, and others on the tour and got acquainted with the bikes... old Russian Minsk's... 125cc 2-stroke! These were the Guide and Mechanic's bikes:



This was my scoot for the day... I dubbed him "Comrade Minsky" and boy did he have one hell of a personality! It took me a bit to get used to his quirks, but after that... we had a blast.



The first stop was at a war memorial... very interesting to see the Vietnamese perspective on the war.



This is our mechanic, Ben, relaxing at the first stop... notice the ANSI approved safety shoes!



The next stop was on a bridge over the Mekong River... that's one of the great things about Vietnam... stop wherever the hell you want to!



After a stop for morning tea, we really started to get off the beaten path through rice paddys and really beautiful countryside



The next stop was at a US Base from the war... the only thing left was the crumbling airstrip... we also put on our rain gear here... started to rain off an on a bit.



We stopped for lunch of noodles and peanut cake at a little roadside cafe... these are EVERYWHERE in Vietnam, and have fantastic food. Most of them out in the countryside also serve as fuel stations too. The fuel pump is under the umbrella... old style!



We crossed a river on a ferry



and a few rickety concrete and floating bridges





This wonderful Vietnamese woman comes out and greets every tour that Deano brings through... This is my wife, Deano, our guide, and said woman... no idea what her name is.



Another few hours and we were back at the shop... they had begun decorating for the holidays. We had a few beers with the crew, then headed off for the evening.



All in all a fantastic experience. Vietnam is a beautiful country and the people are some of the friendliest in the world. I am defientely going to try to get back to do one of the multi-day tours... who is going with me?

Alan

[rmb]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing. Beautiful country.

[jeffie7]

I can't wait to go. We talked a little about going early next year but I'd rather put it off a little longer until my Vietnamese gets better.

Do you have any other pictures? I'd love to see them.

[jeffie7]

P.s my wife is from the delta we plan on going there for awhile as with some major cities.

[marylandmike]

Wow what a trip. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Shmoo]

That woman is so tiny! Looks like a great time out there. Any pictures of the food, lol.

[Terry]

Alan, do you recall the name of the former U.S. base you visited?
Terry

[TheBeeDeeGee]

Awesome pictures man. After watching the Top Gear episode where they ride through Vietnam I always thought it looked incredible. Looks like a blast

[andrewebay1]

WoW

What a great way to see the country; thanks for sharing! And I second on pics of food.

[acall]

Originally Posted by Terry

Alan, do you recall the name of the former U.S. base you visited?
Terry

I do not... I think I have a .kml file of the route that can be opened in google earth.... I'll see if I can figure it out from there.

[acall]

I took a quick look, and I didn't take any photos of the food that day... it wasn't really much to look at... noodles in broth with meat and leafy veg... but man was it tasty! I do have some photos of some other meals we had in Vietnam as well as some from a cooking class we took in Laos.

Whole crispy fried fish (can't remember what kind) this was pulled off the bone, then wrapped in rice paper with basil and bean sprouts, then dipped in various sauces - This was at a restaurant near Ho Chi Minh City.



Beef and Chicken Pho (search for jeffie7's post about pho) - Restaurant in Hanoi



Grilled prawns wrapped in beef with longbeans and noodles - Mango Rooms Restaurant - Hoi An



Marinated grilled beef heart and tongue - Phusay Market, Luang Prabang, Laos. Hot off the grill in the market... I could have eaten my weight in these skewers! I think it worked out to be about $0.10 each for these.



From the Tamarind Cooking School in Luang Prabang - Lao Pork Stew with chili and morning glory, minced chicken stuffed lemongrass, and Lao steamed fish in banana leaves.



And finally.... Ice cold Beerlao on the bank of the Mekong River in Luang Prabang.

[rockdog32]

Great pictures man. I cant wait till next year when we go.

[andrewebay1]

Food pics!

Those beef wrapped prawns look good and can't beat roadside/market bbq!

[Tikhon]

Fantastic!! Love it!