| | Apr 17, 2006 - Easy Riders Tour - Hoi An to Dalat by Motorcycle | (click to enlarge)
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 | | show all 45 | | Strapping our bags on before we leave Hoi An | | And away we go.... | | Road side drink stop | | |
| | Easy Riders Tour - On Bikes Through the Central Highlands
With the wind in my face and warm sunshine on my bare arms and legs we cruised through the busy roads with horns blaring and crazy drivers swerving and passing until we hit the open roads heading into the central highlands of Vietnam. We were on an Easy Riders Tour travelling for five days by motorcycle from Hoi An to Dalat. Our travels were taking us on the road less travelled and for a large part along the Ho Chi Minh Trail - the route used by the North Vietnamese to successfully beat the Americans and South Vietnamese in the Vietnam War (or American War as they call it in Vietnam).
We heard about the Easy Riders tour from friends Dan and Lisa we were trekking with in Chiang Mai. They did it and loved it saying it was one of the best things they did on their trip. After that, Kelly and Starla, who we were also trekking with us Chiang Mai, emailed to say that they too did the tour and it was the best part of their trip in Vietnam. Based on these glowing recommendations, we decided it was something we shouldn't miss and booked ourselves for the five-day adventure.
The tour was more expensive than our typical budget in South-East Asia but worth every penny. The motorcycles were loaded with our large backpacks strapped securely onto the back of the bikes, ourselves and our guides, and then our day packs and guides bags tied to the front of the bike by the handle bars. At first, I thought the bikes were overloaded and thoughts raced through my mind- Are we crazy doing this? What if these guides are bad drivers? Never mind the guides, what about all the other crazy drivers that are around us on the roads? Will I starve trying to eat the in all the small local restaurants or be able to find food that doesn't upset our sensitive western stomach? After all the scams we have had, will these drivers even show up tomorrow and deliver what they promised after we have already given them a 50% deposit? All these questions and doubts rolled through my head the night before we left and then again as we were setting off. However, within the first hour on the road, they vanished and with the wind in my face I could tell this was going to be a great five days.
For five days we rode along behind Teddy (Thiet was his real Vietnamese name) and Loi, as they expertly drove us through stunning scenery and taught us about the history and culture of Vietnam. For most meals, we were the only non-Vietnamese people in the restaurant. At many of our roadside rest stops for either food or drinks, we were treated like celebrities. Locals seemed to come out of the woodwork to look at us, as most had never seen a foreigner before. They may have seen someone pass by on the back of a bike or in a bus, but they never had the chance to meet a foreigner up close. Although they could not speak English, with our guides as translators, we could communicate and have some good laughs. Like in Africa, the young children and even a few adults, loved to have their photos taken and see themselves on our cameras. It was like magic to them and a guaranteed icebreaker for us to get everyone laughing and smiling.
As for our guides, they were great companions on the trip and an excellent complement to each other. Teddy, was the more serious one with great knowledge of the history and culture of Vietnam. He was your typical Vietnamese, eager to improve himself and embracing the new economy in Vietnam as a way to make a better living and future for himself. Loi, was the comedian in the group. He was like a kid with an incredible sense of humour and a highly contagious laugh. You never knew what he might say or do next, but inevitably, it would bring about a hearty laugh. It could be playing with my camera taking some bizarre pictures or doing a complete back flip with a lit cigarette still in his hand without any warning and out of the blue. A bit stunned and shocked with that one, we had to have it repeated for the camera.
With good company, we ventured through the central highlands of Vietnam learning more about the culture, people and history than I would have imagined. This education came from both our guides and meeting the locals along the way. Throughout our travels we journeyed through windy jungle mountain roads dotted with cascading waterfalls, open country roads lined with rice fields and through many small towns and villages going about their rural lifestyle. We stopped to see waterfalls, visited minority villages, coffee plantations, rubber tree plantation and even a silk factory. History of the Vietnam/American War was seen throughout the trip with stops at war memorials, old airfields and passing through empty land still devastated by the Agent Orange dropped by the Americans.
Every day on the road was new scenery and a new lesson of one kind or another. As for riding a motorcycle, we quickly learned that it was a great way to travel, feeling more connected with the surroundings around you. However, we also learned the little bikes we were on were not built for comfort! I could hardly stand each time we stopped and then getting back on the bike was like torture to more sore butt until it went numb again and we cruised along as I happily tried to ignore the discomfort.
It was an amazing five days - to explore the regions that were off the beaten track - to meet locals that had never met a foreigner before -to visit the poor ethnic minority villages and learn about their way of life. As we wrapped up the trip in Dalat we knew this was another highlight of our journey. I said to Eric, "If only someone could teleport us from here to Cambodia so we leave Vietnam with nothing but the most positive images and put all scams behind us." Our time in Vietnam was just about over. Our Visas would soon expire so from Dalat we were making our way to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and then through the Mekong Delta into Cambodia, hoping the rest of our time in Vietnam is as memorable as the past five days.
www.carlhenderson.ca
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