Cycling In Vietnam

Epilogue

2008-10-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Lastly before I end my blog I want to tell you about the problems we had on our journey.

bicycle problems:-
1) bicycle computer cable caught in wheel, abrasion cut the wire off so after 1st day it was useless
2) Bicycle kick stand...unable to keep bike upright ,too soft and useless for the weight of the bike with pannier bags..
3)mud guard( fenders) too narrow and short...can't keep mud from splashing on to my back..always have dirty muddy t shirt
4)Rear tail lights not bright enough for day light cycling
5) screws on pannier rack became rusty ..after days cycling in the rain
6) needs to bring synthetic lubricant coz the normal ones will wash out in the rain
7) all the spares we brought were not used at all ...we had no punctures no spokes broken no brake cable or gear cables snap

Most Useful accessories
1) sunglasses, protects the eyes from dust and sun
2) anti-pollution mask....lots of fumes from trucks and buses on highway 1
3) water bottles
4) a good padded bicycle seat( with springs)...some may swear by the "Brooks "leather seat
5) a loud horn ( I wish I had bought the "AIRZOUND" horn
6) trackking handlebar( butterfly handlebar)

5 October Saigon

2008-10-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up early went to have my last breakfast at Alle Boo's cafe..say good bye to all the staff there..then back to the hotel at 11 am to check out..and leave my bags in Lou's room as he took half day more coz our flight does not leave till 22:20(10:20 pm)..we went for lunch at an American restaurant called.."Milwaukee's" but the food was terrible and Lou had only a Sprite drink coz he had been having a "Saigon belly" diarrhoea...and I was too feeling a little tired I think must be coming down with a flu....after lunch Lou went back to sleep and I went for my final massage and stayed in the steam room for a little longer to try and get the flu bug out of my system.......
I spend the afternoon sitting by GO2 cafe watching the world zooming by on motorbike ,....ignoring the street vendors with babies on their arms begging me to buy all sorts of things from chewing gum ,cigarettes... to ear cleaner ,and also the shoeshine boys...all wanting to take the last few dollars of what I have left.Met a German couple there who had adopted a young Vietnamese girl from birth and at aged 6 they brought her back to see her own country..but so unfortunate that she can't speak a word of Vietnamese... otherwise she could translate and explain the Vietnamese life style to her parents
At 6 pm I went back to Lou's room had a shower and then we left for the airport at 7 pm..we were charged for excess baggage coz in Saigon they only allowed us 20 kg where as in Sydney they gave us 30 kilos because we were staff,but in Saigon airport they refuse to gives us 30 kilo so I end up paying $108 dollars for 6 extra kilos and Lou had to pay 4 kilos extra plus $30 usd for 3 days over his visa.They check in staff for the jet star in Saigon was very unprofessional ,unfriendly as well.Every one at the airport wanted to make money from you...a bottle of water cost 10 times more than out side...50,000 for a bottle of water that cost only 5,000 on the outside, and even Lou who had paid $30 for overstaying 3 days ,was stop at the passport control and the officer wanted him to pay again...this kind of practise will surely kill the rising tourism in Vietnam if it is not stop.
the flight took 6 hours to get to Darwin then we had to clear customs and re check in for the domestic flight back to Sydney...

4 October Saigon(Ho Chi Minh)

2008-10-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

well after the Vung Tau I caught the 2 pm fast boat back to Saigon, went back to the same hotel as my bags and bike was still there, all ready packed up by the bicycle shop in "Vo Thi Sau " street they charged us 150,000 Vnd each bike($11.50 aud).they did a good job as we were there helping them as well .
As I was felling a little hungry I went to my favorite "pho"(beef noodle) restaurant near our hotel in "Bui Vien" street and had some beef noodles and then went for a second massage. That evening I went walking around the Ben Than market and ate at the side streets stalls....later I went to a famous pub/disco called " Apocalypse" this place has change from a hole in the wall place to a huge brightly lit and buzzing place,and its now a place where all the backpackers and all the trendy Saigonese comes to party,drink and eat...it has a large open air courtyard 2 floors of tables and chairs 2 DJ's..1 on each floor..music was very loud in the pub but you can sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy the music ..met many Asian tourists from Singapore , Malaysia..some from Hong Kong...Taiwan and mainland Chinese as well

3 October Trip to Vung Tau

2008-10-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

This Morning I decided to visit Vung Tau Beach I have been there the first time about 10 years ago when I first visited Vietnam,but it was really disappointing then it was really dirty and smelly and was not a well..equipped to receive international tourist , But after I saw some pictures of it on the brochure it looks like a different place altogether it looks like a well maintained beach with lots of nice new resorts ...
So I ask the local tour agent how I can get there by myself..of course they told me its difficult to go alone..and tried to sell me a package with accommodations and boat ticket for $50 u.s. anyway I am too smart for them to be cheated..so I went to enquire from locals and found out that I can catch a fast boat there ..so I went to the "Bach Dang" pier by myself bought a return ticket to Vung Tau cost...320,000 dong.($24 Aud) The fast boat took only 1 and half hours to get to Vung Tau.
As I exited the pier at Vung Tau...there were Cab drivers all rushing toward me to offer hotels and resorts..so I had a cab driver take me to a small resort at the middle beach..room cost $19 usd
the Beach is now so clean...but still the water and the sand is not as good as Thailand beaches..the seafood is the best even better than Thailand so fresh and cheap...I had 2 baby lobster 1 B-B-Q and 1 boiled...so delicious... total cost 2 baby lobster...aust $30...at night the place is very quite, so I relax in the hotel have a beer on the balcony look at beach...fall asleep then woken up by mosquitoes.......slap!!!slap!! slap!!!!...back to the room.....ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz

2 oct saigon

2008-10-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well..our cycling trip is truly over now and the next few days we will be resting in Saigon and eating lots of food before going home to Sydney
today I had breakfast on my own,and sat at Alle Boo's cafe again coz its nice place by the corner of De Tam street overlooking the park and the traffic also they have great coffee and the staff are very friendly always wanting to practise their English with you.
Then after lunch I went for a massage at this hotel on the main street it was very good and cheap...for 1 hour massage and free use of the steam bath and spa and also 30 mins of free foot massage cost only 120,000 Vnd about $ 9.20 Aud...well I think I will be here again...that afternoon I met some guys sitting by the street side restaurant having beers and singing English songs I was quite surprise thinking that Vietnamese can sing so well in English, so I chatted with them. then I found out that they were Filipino's and they were the band at a nearby pub called the 17 saloon, and I was invited to hear them sing at their pub that evening...
The seventeen saloon was very impressive..decorated like an Old cowboy style saloon with wooden walls, red Indian statues, waitress and waiter's dressed as cowboys with hats, gun belts ,great menu as well ,nice steak and great beers...I shouted the band beers..and they sang all my favorite songs for me including "ANAK" (child) by a famous Filipino singer named Freddie Aquila..that night I was a little tipsy but not drunk ...but slept really well.............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

1 October

2008-10-02T03:35:00.000-07:00

This morning we had breakfast on the top deck of our floating hotel, then we had to pack up and waited for the motorboat to pick us up for day 3 tour of the cave temple and "cham" village.
The temple in the cave was actually a small cave where a Vietnamese lady nun had mediated for a long time...then the was a long climb up to this temple but it was very well kept, a pond full of carp and turtles which symbolises long life to the Buddhists.
The next place was really intresting as we were taken to a Cham ethnic village..they all look like malays , the women wearing the "baju Kurungs"(long Malay dresses) and the mean in sarongs Malay shirt and songkok(hat) or the white skull cap the "haji's " wear..they spoke a kind of Malay dialect too. we were wondering why they were all dressed up that day in their finest clothes ,then we were told it was the first day of the Muslim new year 'hari raya"the village looks like a typical malay kampung( village) on stilts over the water, on the main road they had a Mosque as well, we went into the mosque compound to take some pictures with the people there..My wishes of "Asalamuailaikum"(peace be upon you) was happily responded back by all ..we stopped by a weaving shop where there was a Cham lady demonstrating their traditional way of weaving sarongs and other materials,here I bought my good friend Nanang a Muslim skull cap , the lady of the shop then brought out new year cakes for us to sample...some of the cakes were similar to our Chinese new year cakes,Then it was back to the floating hotel to collect our bags and board a slow boat back to Can Tho city where we were served lunch on board...fried egg noodles with a pork chop and veggies..it took 2 hours to get to Can Tho city by boat from there it was a long bus ride of 6 hours to Saigon...we got back to Saigon that evening at 7 ;30 pm I was so tired .

30 Sept Can Tho city

2008-10-02T03:14:00.000-07:00

This morning we were picked up at the hotel at 7 am, there was a free breakfast of french baguette and omelet. we walked to the Can Tho pier to board a motor boat to take us to the floating wholesale fruit and veggies market .It was quite sunny that day and we were in a boat with no roof,we saw many boats of all sizes packed to the brim with all kinds of veggies and fruits , to advertise what their boat sold, they hang all the types of veggies and fruit on a tall bamboo pole on the roof of their boat so when the other boats passes by they know what they are selling, we were told that these boats bring their veggies and fruits from all parts of Vietnam and they stay in this region till all their veggies are sold ,then they go back and bring more...so it was usual to see the whole family living on their boat with children on them as well.
The next stop was a noodle making factory .they still used the traditional method of soaking rice in water and then making a thick kind of rice flour soup then it was pour into a steamer and separate thinly and then steamed for a few mins then it was taken out ..laid on bamboo mats and dried in the sun ,later it will be collected and then cut into strips of noodles, but this was only a family business so it does not produce the majority of the noodles in Vietnam but only for the local consumption.Then it was on to the next place...A rice Mill, where we saw how rice was husked by machine, then polished the tour ended at the same pier we walked to this morning and we were brought to a restaurant called " Nam Bo' food was good I had a seafood fried rice and some Vietnamese spring roll., Lou had pumpkin flower soup and Cantonese fried rice,we were told that our 3 rd tour guide will be picking us up at the hotel at 3;15 pm so I had some time to look around the market I bought a T shirt and a pair of shorts then met Lou and we went for coffee at the Pier's restaurant.
The bus was late picking us us as they were caught in a traffic jam at the ferry terminal, then we drove 4 hours to the city of "Chau Doc" the last city before Cambodia, we were put up in a floating hotel in the middle of the Mekong river, dinner was not included but we had to eat at the hotel there was no choice as we were stuck on this floating hotel.I had fried chicken Maryland and tomato rice ,Lou had fresh Vietnamese spring roll and fried rice we both had a plate of tropical fruits for dessert. we had to go to sleep early as the next day was a very long day we had to do the 3 rd day tour and then drive all the way back to Saigon.

29 Sept 3 days tour of Mekong Delta

2008-10-02T02:50:00.000-07:00

We were picked up outside our hotel at 7;30 am and we joined a 3 days tour of the Mekong delta,the cost $37 us dollars plus $5 dollars extra for single room by myself.On our tour bus were 4 Chinese girls and 1 Chinese guy from Guangzhou ,3 singaporean girls ,1 dutch guy and us, in fact the dutch guy was the odd one out as he was the only Caucasian.our first stop was the bonsai gardens where we were to use the toilets for 10 mins then we continue to the city of "My Tho"
We noticed that the Mekong delta region is a very prosperous region, everywhere we look there was houses on both sides of the Highway 1, leading into the Mekong delta.when we got to the city of My tho we were taken by boat to an Island to see a coconut candy factory,they still use traditional methods to make this candy it was quite delicious so I bought 2 packets ,1 regular and 1 with "pandan' flavor they also had a type of biscuits that is very similar to our Malaysian Chinese new year cakes "kueh ka pek".
Then it was Lunch, it was included in our first day tour but it was only a plate of rice 1 piece of pork chop and some veggies. after that we were taken to a fruit farm where we were given sample as of all different kinds of topical fruits like..sugar bananas,Dragon fruit,pineapples and guava, we were also entertained by some Vietnamese singers for 10 mins after that we went on a boat ride on a flat bottom boat paddled by 2 Vietnamese ladies to meet our bigger motor boat,at 2 pm our tour ended and we were passed on to another tour guide for the 2 nd day tour we had to wait 1 hour or longer till we were picked up by another bus going to the city of "Can Tho' where we will start our 2 nd day tour
In the city of Can Tho we were put up in a small mini hotel , clean room cold air con.,situated in a small alley way with stalls selling all kinds of hardware. Dinner was at a Vietnamese Chinese restaurant by the Mekong river Lou could read the menu so he ordered ,stir fried frog legs with lemon grass,a soup and I ordered a goat curry, it was quite delicious. after dinner we walked by some ladies selling sweet sticky rice in a kind of pancake so we bought 1 each it was very nice then it was bed time coz it was a long day

28 Sept Saigon

2008-09-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Well this morning I woke up at 6 am ..had a shower and went to wake lou up for breakfasts.
I went downstairs to withdraw some money from the ATM as its Sunday today and I can't change my travellers checks as the bank is closed and we have already Book for the 3 days tour of the Mekong delta bus cost is $37 u.s plus $5 extra for a room by myself total cost $ 42 u.s for 2 nights and 3 days tour of the Mekong Delta.
Then we went for breakfast at the wet market near our hotel we had B-B-Q- pork balls and pork with noodles it was so crowded and smokey but the food was so good .but I think Danielle's Mum makes it better coz I had it before at their party.after breakfast we went to "Allez Boo again for a drink and use the Wi-Fi but its still not serviceable..so we just sat I went around taking pics of all types of business that is on a bicycles..so here are some of them I hope you enjoy looking at some of them

27 Mui Ne to Saigon

2008-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

This Morning again as usual I got up at 6 am started to pack my stuff .After packing I went across the road to a small coffee shop to have breakfast of 2 fried eggs with a "Banh Mi"baguette and Vietnamese coffee,when I came back to the resort I walk to the beach ,there I saw some ladies selling fresh water pearls necklaces and bracelets they were very nice so I bought a set for Lim....I hope she likes it..then the man from the resort said we have to cycle to the main bus terminal so we can put our bikes in the Bus before the bus goes around to the branch office of the bus company to pick up the other passengers for Saigon.
The Bus left the terminal on time at 8:30 am as scheduled and we arrive at the branch office a few minutes later we have to wait till 9 am the scheduled departure time from here to Saigon.The journey took nearly 5 hours with a stop for lunch at a road side restaurant where we had "Hu Tiew" or rice noodles with beef and ice coffee,Lou bought some Vietnamese

cookies that looks like our Malaysian "kueh ka pek" that we have during Chinese new year but
unfortunately it doesn't taste the same
we arrived in Saigon "Pham Ngu Lao" district 1 area
at 2 pm we check in to a hotel just diagonally opposite to the Phoenix 74 hotel we stayed
at when we first got here ,room cost $15 u.s per night clean room but old air
conditioner, the top floor so hard work walking up. Lou had a sleep wile I went
to "Allez Boo"
coffee shop to have a coffee and use the Wi -Fi but bad luck their Wi-Fi was out of service.I
went for a walk and met a a group of Phillipino guys playing guitar on the street corner
stall so I sat and had a few beers with them and we had a sing along on the
street corner stall ,that was really fun. That night we had snails,and B-B-Q
Cockles for dinner on the road side stall still on low plastic stools, we saw
some customers eating "Balut"a kind of boiled eggs with the chicken
embryo...lou said he
will try it tomorrow night...I think I will give it a miss.
Later we walk to
the "Ben Than" market to look for more things to eat,then Vy the free lance reporter SMS us a address of
a coffee shop in Dist 1 so we caught a taxi there ..not too far but we got drop
off at the wrong coffee shop but surprisingly the cab driver spoke Cantonese and he ask if we
are going to drink coffee ...he then took us after we paid the fare to another
coffee shop down the road for free.This is a very very trendy coffee shop with lots and lots of
young people who comes here to be seen ..all the girls are so sexily dressed
while the guys are in jeans and T shirt with thongs!!! when Vy arrived with her sister
it began to rain so the staff put up all the umbrellas as we were sitting
outside in the open air...it started drizzling but it was so nice and cool but
then it started pouring .after coffee Lou went back to the hotel while I went to
"Alle Boo"s again
for a beer ..that night I had a really good sleep

26 Sept Mui Ne

2008-09-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

We are staying another day at Mui Ne,cos its so Nice and quiet here and we need a good rest,this morning we went to the Mui Ne market to do some shopping for fruits and Lou went for a swim after that...and I went to post some more stories on my cycling web site.That afternoon I had a 1 hour massage on the deckchair by a Vietnamese lady I ask her to use the Thai Boxing Oil on my legs as It was still sore from cycling . That afternoon we clean our bikes, ready for transporting it on the bus to Saigon tomorrow
That Night we had dinner at a seafood restaurant near our resort we had fried whole baby calamari wrap in rice paper, B-B-Q Scallops and B-B-Q Prawns.
after dinner we were tired so we went to bed early

25 Sept Outskirt of Mui Ne to Mui ne Center

2008-09-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

We checked out of the expansive resort and rode to the center of Mui Ne Bech but we got lost a few times but eventually we located the center of the Mui Ne beach we checked into a nice small resort called "BAO TRUNG" and they have air con rooms with hot water for $15 u.s. dollar a night and the food is good too we had lunch of fried fish with lemongrass and cocnut fried morning glory( kangkung) and garlic
After noon was spend washing dirty clothes and then laying on the deckchairs eating fruits ,drinking ice coffee and writting our diaries

24 Sept Ca Na to Mui Ne 120 Km

2008-09-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

The day started with a overcast sky and the head wind was very strong therefore our cycling was very slow and hard,by the first break stop we had only done 15 km we were told by the owner of the "pandaran" Hotel that there was a new road from "loung Son" to mui ne that will save about 20 km by the time we got to Mui Ne we still had another 47 Km to mui ne.
The new road passes thru a re- forested area with no houses and no people but it was a very quiet road ,only occasional motor bikes and a few buses but it also had hills to climb, we were really tired by then and we had to push on otherwise when sunset we will be in the middle of nowhere.20 km before Mui ne proper we saw a resort but when we went in it was deserted but still the staff there wanted to charge us 400,000 for a room with 1 single bed and 1 double bed we try to bargain and tell them we are poor tourist on bicycles but still we had to pay the full price, dinner that night was at the resorts restaurant we wanted egg fried rice but they had no eggs..!!!! so we settled for fried veggies on steam rice and a side dish of B-B-Q scallops..that night I was so tired I went to bed early,I rubbed my legs with a lot of the thai boxing oil,,it made it slightly better

23 Sept Phang Rang to Ca Na 35 Km

2008-09-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Today was a very hot day so our cycling was slow,but then came 11 am ,,school was out and we have hundreds of school kids riding home on their 1 speed bicycles,like all kids they wanted to race us..all giggling and waving and they call out "HELLO""HELLO" The braver ones ride along side us and started firing questions at us .."where you going"? where you from? what you name? how old are you? but their English ability was not good enough to understand our answers but never the less it was fun and it really makes our day.
I think we must look really weird to them with our bike helmets ,anti-pollution face masks,sunglasses and our weird looking bikes,it brings back memories as I can re-call the days I too use to cycle to and from school in "Alor Star" a small town in the north of Malaysia during my school years there.There is not a day that passes where we do not hear a friendly "Hello" from the children on the road, even the adults scream out hellos from their houses , coffee shops,even the farm where they are working..It really makes it all so interesting to cycle in this country.
Eventually we got to Ca Na at12 noon we stayed at a beach side mini hotel called"PANDARAN" The owner is a minority tribe of Vietnam called 'CHAM"The malays are probably the descendants of these Cham people,Their language are very similar to Malay as we compared them..they call eyes "TA" malays says "Mata" nose they say 'dung" we say "hidung"they call legs "kake" we say "kaki"he even showed us pictures of the Chams in costumes they look just like the malays costumes but 1 thing not in common is that their written language is "Pali" from India.
Our room over looks the sea, clean but old we had lunch a few doors down the road at "Mai Linh" bus company restaurant we had B-B-Q prawns ,battered calamari and seafood fried rice,that night's dinner was at the Ca Na hotel a few mins walk away we ordered fried fish in tomato sauce and stir fried beef and veggies,one of the housemaids of the hotel approach us to ask if we wanted a massage,, she is moonlighting !! so I took up the offer as I was so tired,she used the staff quarters as the place of business!! she was in fact a specialist in "Moxibustion" a kind of acupuncture remedy that uses glass cups and a flame was lit inside the cup to create a vacuum, then the cup sucks on to your back and it leaves a deep red marks afterwards, well I opt for the regular massage .

22Sept Dalat - Phang Rang

2008-09-25T03:16:00.000-07:00

Rain came early this morning,so deciding to catch a bus to Phang Rang..according to what tony had planned for us looks to be the best way as we don't want to cycle all the way down hill on the wet road to Phang Rang.we had Tu to guide us to the Dalat lake and from there we cycled 5 km out of dalat town towards the bus terminal,
We took a mini bus that stopped all the way to Phang Rang picking up more and more passengers until the bus was overloaded.tony met us at the Phang Rang bus terminus with 3 "farmers" daughters of which 1 was his "girlfriend"now we realised that tony is a Casanova,we were taken to a seafood restaurant which was in fact a failed fish farm project it has a man made lake and we sat under a Ni pa hut,Tony wanted to impress the girls and ordered a lot of seafood and beers the waitress brought a whole crate of beer thinking these overseas cyclists need to be hydrated, but then tony said we shall split the bill 3 ways
One of the "farmers" daughter surprise us by speaking some Malay!! she had worked in a factory in "SUNGAI BULOH" in Malaysia.after lunch tony took us to a nice little mini hotel by the Phang Rang Beach but the beach was disappointing it was smelly and full of rubbish that night there was again a blackout so we had no choice but to eat at a 4 star hotel that was near us,we saw many Korean students in the restaurant eating only a plate of fried rice each we ordered 2 dishes and rice but it took so long to arrive and I went to complained...I told the manager that for a 4 star hotel the service was far below standard...I am not sure if he understood he only smiled....

21 Sept Dalat

2008-09-25T03:02:00.001-07:00

This morning tony and Truong Vy took us to breakfast at a very nice restaurant called '' PHO DALAT" which specialised in a kind of soup noodles called "BUN BO HUE" a kind of rice vermicelli in a spicy soup, specialty of Hue.later that morning as it was a Sunday Tu Tony's grand son took us on a bicycle tour of Dalat we cycled around Dalat's lake and I saw a golf course , so we cycled up the hill to Dalat's golf course a very nice 18 hole course,I will come back one day with my clubs to play here.we t6hen stopped at the restaurant by the lake to have a very expansive milkshake...40,000 dong for a coconut milkshake.
After the Milkshake we called tony at home and he said he will take us to a seafood restaurant,their specialty was live seafood..we had boiled calamari eaten with rice paper and salad, B-B-Q and steam blue swimmer crabs, then came the live prawns on a skewer...and we B-B-Q then alive..but it was so delicious.
As we were having Lunch Truong Vy said she will cook us a home cook dinner tonight,tony then took me to a foot massage place and I was the only one having a massage... while I was having the massage I could hear Tony's laughter all the way from the 1 st floor...tony and lou was being seduced and entertained by another masseur in the lobby, tony thinks that she was not a real masseur!!
Dinner that night was really good, Truong Vy had to cook dinner by candlelight as there was another blackout we had "CA KOR TOR" mackeral cooked in sweet soya sauce and fish sauce,and beef salad Vietnamese style
that night Tony was planning his escapade using us as an excuse,to lead us to Phang rang so he can visit his "girlfriend"

20 Sept Dalat

2008-09-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

I woke up early as usual,we had coffee in the front yard of Tony's house with a nice view,then we took a taxi to Dalat's town to a coffee shop to have breakfast of baguette and fried eggs and coffee ,later we walk around "CHO DALAT" dalat market looking for a water bottle to replace the ones that I have lost along the way.we saw many kinds of fruit wines for sale in the market like strawberry wines, rasps berry wines and lots of fruits and vegetables ,in fact Dalat reminds me of our Hill resort in Malaysia called "Cameron Highlands" except thet they don't grow tea leaves here.
After that we walked to Truong Vy's office she is an accountant for a motorbike shop, one of the biggest in Dalat town,we then had lunch at a Chinese restaurant the lady boss spoke Cantonese and Mandarin she recommended their specialty " WON TON" noodles17 members of her family works in this restaurant and her brother said he had been hand making the noodles for the last 40 years.
That night we said we will treat tony and his wife for dinner ,so they took us to a nice Vietnamese restaurant,but when we got there there was a blackout..tony said that the Vietnamese government was selling electricity to the Cambodians.. tony ordered B-B-Q frog.Roast pigeon,chicken feet salad and the main course was "tom yum" canh cua...a tom yum flavor fish hot pot eaten with thin rice vermicelli

19 sept Ba Ngoi to Phang rang 47 Km

2008-09-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not been posting for a few days as we were tied up by Mr tony Nguyen and his wife is dalat ,also I could not find any inter net cafe that can upload pics for you all..
19 Sept. Ba Ngoi to Phang Rang,
Started the day at 7 am very little traffic on this stretch of Highway 1 and we arrived at Phang Rang at 11 am we headed to the bus terminal to catch a bus to Dalat as the road to dalat is all uphill and its 110 km but they only have a local bus to Song Fa,which is at the bottom of dalat.
while waiting for the bus to dalat we had lunch , we got rip off by the rice shop lady who overcharged us,the cost of the lunch 2 plates of rice and pork chop 1 plate of cucumber salad 2 ice tea 100,000 dong the cost of the fare from song fa to Dalat with bikes 100,000 each the mini bus stop half way up to dalat to let some passengers out to vomit we got to Dalat at about 4 pm.
we were dropped off at a petrol station opposite dalat lake, Troung Vy, Tony's wife came on a motorbike to lead us to their House,Dalat is a very Hilly town hard to cycle around,Tony insisted that we all stay in his house which was quite a nice little house on the hill side overlooking mint leaves farm and other buildings .Troung Vy cooked us a home cooked dinner and her sister was also invited to join we also met Tony's grandson Tu, who was very interested in kung -fu, so Lou showed him a few moves and I had a little spar with him .That Night I slept ion the lounge while Lou slept in the room

18 Sept Nha Trang - Ba Ngoi/Cam Ran

2008-09-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Today we left Nhat Trang at 6 am in the morning, we had to cycle back to Highway 1 and head south to Ba Ngoi/Cam Ran, It was a nice day not much sun and most of all not raining. The road condition is good very flat except for a small climb near Cam Duc..we had Breakfast at a road side stall with many housewife congregating around us trying to talk to us in Vietnamese, all we can work out was where we were from and where we are going, we had some kind of Noodles call "BUN " looks like the Chinese rice noodles u have in "Yum Cha" after that we continue till our next stop was in Cam Duc town where we stop for fruit ice..similar to Malaysian "Ice Kachang" crushed ice with fruits in it.
while eating our fruit ice we saw a travelling salesman on a bicycle he had bits and pieces of combs ,lighters and other stuff all attached to a big board that was again attached to the his handlebar, very ingenious idea, today was not a hard day as it was only 60 km to Ba Ngoi/cam ran, the road is flat except before Cam Duc..we found the recommended hotel from the Lonely planet but it looks old and the one next to it looks much newer and it also has free Wi-Fi,, so we took it ,, rooms cost 180,000, the room are very clean air -con is cold and good bed and shower too, the best part is I can get Wi-Fi in my room cos I am on the first floor..Lou said he couldn't get it, we showered then went to lunch,,another road side stall selling rice and pork local food . after that we went to a local grocery store to buy snacks we got "durian" chips peanuts ,cakes bread and lollies.
after that we stopped at a little footpath stall the lady was selling sweet dessert soup banana and sweet potatoes in a sweet soup with coconut milk,,very nice but too sweet,than it was a afternoon nap for me till 6 pm where we went for dinner...we ask some motor bike taxi to take us to some Vietnamese restaurant but again he took us to a local rice store we had mix vegies pork chicken and soup..then across from the restaurant was a park where people go and eat fruit ice so..when you are in Rome do as the Romans do, in this case do as the Vietnamese do we sat ate fruit ice and enjoy music from Lou's Ipod,,then it was back to the hotel..sorry I can't upload any pics today in this hotel's computer but will put it in the next update...good nite,,,tomorrow on to Phang Rang 47 km short day

15 Sept.Qui Nhon-Nha Trang

2008-09-17T00:57:00.000-07:00

This morning we walked to a coffee shop to have breakfast we ordered some noodles and of course without fail the Vietnamese "espresso' with condensed milk and ice separated so we can mix it to our own liking, across from our table there were a few Vietnamese ladies, as we were eating one asked us where we were from and when we said Malaysia ..she said the word "makai" to us ..and she keep repeating the word then she ask why we can't understand what makai was since we were Malaysian ...I then caught on that she wanted to say was "MAKAN" (eat.) then she try to say that makan was Indonesian instead of Malaysian but we told her it was the same...she then told us she sells and buy from the visiting visiting Malaysian ships that calls at Quin Nhon ..then Phoung and his "gang" found us at this coffee shop..so we then had had another round of coffee with them..when 11:30 am came we have to excuse ourselves to go and check out of our hotel and have a shower ..Linh his eldest sister invited us to her "Boutique" to rest and pack up for the bus trip to Nha Trang..she invited us to a seafood restaurant for a BIG seafood Lunch.. when we wanted to leave after Lunch it started to rain so we went downstairs where the staff turn on the "karaoke" machine..so we past the time singing while waiting for the rain to stop.
After arriving to Linh's home I decided to take the whole family for Ice -cream..so we all walked out to the main road..to a Local Vietnamese "swensen" we all had the same ice cream..coconut ice cream in a coconut it was really nice but Phoung said that we should try the best one in saigon called "BO Gia"in Nguyen Van Troi street..after the Ice cream we went back to Linh's house for a quick shower before cycling to the bus station ..the whole family came to see us off at the bus station..half way to the bus station it started to rain so we were caught in the rain when we got to the bus station we were drenched..the bus took off at 6;30 pm but stop a few minutes later to pick up more passengers, This is a carry all Vietnamese bus that carried passengers..big bags of what we don't know at out feet so we practical had our knees on our chest..fold up chairs were laid out on the aisle so more passenger could be taken on board...the journey took approximately 4 hours and at 11 pm we were dropped of on the outskirt of Nha Trang..and guess what It started raining again..there were a few motor bike taxi guys wanting to take us to hotels but we refuse to pay them and we cycled toward Nha Trang looking for a hotel at 11:30 pm...we came a cross a" palace " looking hotel with bright neon sign as it was the only hotel around we decided to check in and get out of the rain.
The rooms were very well kept had a romantic theme and nice balcony ..but my bathroom was 1 metre wide .Next morning when we checked out we met a guy who spoke fluent English and ask where we were from and he told us he had visited Singapore before..as were were talking The owner's wife appear dress like she was going to a ball..with full compliments of jewelleries ..she then invited us in for coffee on the house..the man who spoke English is Tony Nguyen who is a retired English teacher with a MBA from the U.S. when tony's very young "wife "came down from the room we suspected that this is actually a "LOVE" hotel on the main road leading into Nha Trang.anyway everyone was very congenial..and the boss lady wanted her photo take by Lou
We eventually left about 9 am before the boss lady wanted a picture with Lou's helmet on and posing with his bike.
Nha Trang was only a short ride away. We stopped for a quick lunch on the roadside.Arriving in Nha Trang we found an old hotel on Trang Phu Street for 200000d.
This is a 1960 style guesthouse with furniture of that era to match.Not much English was spoken here by the staffs but at least we could store our bikes in the room.
Went for ......coffee across the road, "the 4 season "coffee shop by the beach.There we met a freelance magazine writer/reporter for a tourist magazine and she surprised us when she started uttering a kind of Cantonese form her hometown of Hai Phong, north of Hanoi.It was quite amusing to hear this ancient form of Cantonese dialect but we managed to communicate , Vy our newly acquired reporter friend also speaks mandarin!! Vy learned English from her sister who had lived in Russia for 11 years .
At night we went to the famous restaurant called "Lach Canh" for BBQ beef and other local dishes.

14 sept Quin Nhon

2008-09-17T00:27:00.000-07:00

we decided to stay 1 more day coz it was so nice and we started the day ,with Phoung picking us up to go to have breakfast ..the speciality of Quin Nhon " Bun Gae" a soup noodles with deep fried fish balls and fish cakes in a fish consomme with Vietnamese herbs..this is again the local Vietnamese style restaurant where you sit on low plastic stools and small plastic table by the side of the road.
After breakfast Linh the eldest sister of Phoung decided she wanted to cook us lunch,we then all went to the supermarket to buy the food to cook..then we all went back to Linh 's house which is also a Vietnamese "Boutique" which sells clothes for ladies.At Lunch Linh brought out her precious collection of black label whisky and champagne and we were forced to have a nip of whisky neat,as a result of that the next day cycling schedule was thrown out of the window but actually the fact is the family did not want us to cycle the stretch of road between Quin Nhon and Tuy Hoa because since Phoung came back from america to Quin Nhon he had heard of 6 fatal accident on this stretch of road
Guess what after Lunch??? coffee time again..this habit seems to be the pastimes of all Vietnamese young and old...rain came while we were having coffee and we stat till evening .we then went back to the hotel for a rest and shower before having dinner next door at the seafood restaurant, that we ordered crocodile in curry and spices,steam pipis,grilled scallops crab meat fried rice which was full of crab meat pieces...there was a mobile karaoke across the road with singers coming into the restaurant to ask patrons to make request but the only request we wanted to make was that he goes away as the music was too loud and they were singing out of tune

13 sept Rest day in Qui Nhon

2008-09-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

Our breakfast this morning was at a little Noodle stand that sold pork liver and pork blood con gee it was a typical Vietnamese local stall where everyone sits on low plastic stools and eat off a small plastic table..again we just ate whatever everyone had,,surprisingly I have not had the runs yet after eating street food for 9 days but Lou had it on the 2 nd day after eating some sauce with "Belacan" (shrimp paste)..later we went to the wet market to find fruits..we bought rambutans,dragon fruits and we also bought some local Vietnamese cakes(kuih) then I went looking for some batteries.
we then went to have coffee at a nice trendy coffee shop next to a hotel...the place is pack with local on this Saturday morning enjoying the coffee,,they had old parachute as shades..very ingenious..coffee is very good as usual.. A young trendy Vietnamese guy from the next table said hello and came over to ask where we were from He spoke good English..later we found out he was a "Viet Khieu" (overseas Vietnamese..those who have fled Vietnam as refugees he is now living and working in Houston Texas with his father and mother,he then invited us back to his sister's house for Lunch...we rode our bicycle there and met his sisters and younger brother who was all waiting to migrate to the U.S. the lunch that his elder sister cook was fantastic we had calamari..beef with lemongrass.some kind of soup and he let us try some of his home brewed rice wine,after Lunch we all went to another coffee shop in another hotel by the beach..in fact it was the same beach we were staying on but this was the southern end ..its a very very long crescent shape beach...Lou said it reminded him of his hometown..Gurney Drive....after the coffee Phoung said He will take us for Local fish Noodles tomorrow for breakfast the local specialty of Qui Nhon town
After we had a rest back at the Hotel we went for dinner next door to Babara's,its a Seafood restaurant..we had seafood fried rice and a specialty of the restaurant called "LAU" which is similar to our steam boat but this is with Mackerel fish and veggies and you eat the soup and veggies with "BUN" rice vermicelli the soup is like the thai "tom yum" slightly spicy and sour and a little bit sweet ...so after that I am now at the inter-net cafe typing up the days blog...... tomorrow another day for me in Quin Nhon ..maybe Lou will start to cycle to Nha trang.....

12 sept Sa Huynh to Qui Nhon 120 Km

2008-09-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today was even harder than 2 nd day ,Hoi An to Quang Ngai.as there were many small hills to climb,
at the 2 nd hill my legs couldn't pedal any more so I have to get off the bike and push it up the Hill,,and at the third Hill I too couldn't pedal as well so I push again but luckly it was time for lunch..I actually didn't see Lou stop at ther next restaurant but I stop for a drink at the first one as I was having my drink Lou found me and toild me that he had already ordered Lunch at the other restaurant...
Lunch today was a simple 1 plate rice and some meat , vegies and omlette, we rested a little bit than usual as there was another Hill waiting ahead..but I seems to finf a little bit more strength after lunch to tackle this hill, Qui Nhon seems much futher than what it said on the book... we had to look out for a turn off to Qui Nhon from Highway 1...after the nest rest stop we ask a local man where the turn off was he said its after Duie tri town..at the turn off to Quin Nhon it was still another 18 km to the actual town of Quin Nhon,..by the time we got in to the town of Qui Nhon it was again dark..so we had to locate the backpakers hotel called "babara's backpacker" It was on the Lonely planet boook as 18, Nguyen Hue st..but after a few turns we got lost I took off ..in another direstion and lost Lou..I eventually foubd Nguyen Hue street but the hotel was not ther I rode up and down the street 5 times but still no sign of Babara's then my mobile phone rang and it was Lou he found it on the waterfront, road but it was not Nguyan Hue...later I found out from Babara herself that they had moved but lonely planet did not update it..anyway Babara is a new zealand lady who had a backpackers hotel before on Nguyen Hue St but now she open a cafe called babara's cafe..but ajoining her cafe is a hotel called"Lan Anh Hotel" it is over looking the sea and had nice rooms air condition for $ 17 U.S dollars a night so we took it we were so tired that night..I ordered a seafood curry after shower downstaris at Babara'a cafe..it turn out to be whiteman's curry so light and so tasteless..this must be the worst meal I ever had...so far we have had really good food cheap and tasty never went over $ 20 per meal for 2 of us..aftewr that it was bed time...I have told Lou that I will catch the bus to Nha Trang coz the next 2 days will be up hill and this time really steep climb my thighs are beginning to hurt so bad ...and this is not even half way on our trip yet..so I decided to skip this 2 days and catch a bus ,,Lou will continue to cycle so I will wait for him in Nha Trang.....

11 Sept R & R @ Sa Huynh

2008-09-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

Today is a rest and recreation day...but I still woke up at 4;40 am..read my lonely planet book and then watch a movie on my iphone then at 5 30 am I went to clean my bike again..and re=lubricate it...I saw Lou coming back from the beach after a swim..so we both started fixing our bikes..I tighten all the screws and nuts..and while I was tightening the screw on my pannier rack the screw snap and the other part was stuck in side the frame..we also noticed that many of the screw on the pannier racks were..starting to get rusty..and Also my bike horn is not sounding the same , maybe water has rusted some of the parts inside so I took it apart and dried it in the morning sun...did some laundry last night and it was still wet cos I think it rain last night..after re lubricating our bikes we went to the restaurant next door for our usual breakfast of beef noodles soup and Vietnamese coffee..we stayed there till lunch time and ordered lunch..today we had fried fish cutlets..beef with chili and lemongrass..salad..and steam rice..and more Vietnamese coffee on ice..the restaurant next to our hotel is a very good seafood restaurant..many tour buses stop here and the passenger eat their lunch and dinner here..its always very very busy at lunch and dinner time..the price is very very reasonable,, for our breakfast and lunch together cost 195.000 dong..$15 Aussie dollar.. after lunch we had a little nap..then at 4 pm I went to get my bike fix again by the same bike shop that..clean my bike chain he did a good job so I gave him 10.000 dong ,.80 cents Australian.
Next I am now at the inter-net place uploading..pics for you all to enjoy.....tomorrow another long day to Qui Nhon...116 Km....

10/9 Quang Ngai to Sa Huynh 62 km

2008-09-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

Today was a easy day compared to yesterday,only 62 km..first we got back on the Highway 1 and head south all the way to Sa Huynh..our first stop was a beef noodle shop on highway 1 as these kind of noodle shops are plentiful..very cheap breakfast tasty and filling, traffic was good today not so much...as we can cycle on the road instead of the cycle lane which is always fill up with the farmers on the HW1 drying everything from rice and seafood on the bicycle path,, Lou went ahead of me and when I caught with him he was surrounded by children and adults all admiring the bike..then an old man came and invited us into his house..we were actually parked right on his door step..he served us ice water.and we had a interesting conversation with the help of my lonely planet Vietnamese phrase book...after we stop at a restaurant had a good sea food lunch..coz Sa Huynh is near the sea so lots of fresh seafood..after lunch we were looking for the Sa Huynh hotel ..but we found a nice one called.."The Vinh" we had rooms on the ground floor we can also park our bikes in the room they had a big water hose outside so we wash our dirty bike which was full of sand...then I rode into town to find a inter net shop but along the way I found a bike repair shop so I try to ask him to clean my bike chain as it was so dirty but communication broke down he oiled it instead anyway after some difficulty I manage to make him understand so he cleaned my bike chain with petrol and air dry it with a air compressor gun..all in 10,000 less than 1$..well I have to end here now coz its getting dark outside and I have to ride back to the hotel....

Hoi An to Quang Ngai 9 /9/09

2008-09-10T02:01:00.000-07:00

Today was the Hardest day ,we cycled approximately 156 km to Quang Ngai from Hoi An. we left Hoi An at 7 am and we arrived at Quang Ngai at 7 pm aprroximately,.
The road to Quang Ngai was good as it was the National Highway 1 or in vietnamese.."muk lao mot"we had a few stops for "Nouc Mia"( sugar cane juice)and we had lunch at a little town called Tam Ky we went to a local "COM" it was a "RICE" shop or rice restaurant and had rice and what ever was on the menu that day the shop next door was a hang out for students ...the specialty of the shop was a kind of Vietnamese ICE KACANG shaved ice with preserved fruits coconut shavings and many others that I don't quite know what it was, after our lunch break it was still another 60 or so Km to go when we got to 15 km outside of Quang Ngai it started to pour...its been raining almost everyday but today was the heaviest so far..we had to take shelter coz we couldn't see the road and it was dark as well we we got to Quang Ngai it was almost 7 pm we stayed at the hotel recommended by Lonely Planet book 'KIM TAN" on Huong Voung street.
After a well deserved shower we went next door to another local restaurant ,we had Grilled pork,fried vegetables, and steam fish, we thought it was a whole fish but when it came out it was fish cutlets..looks like Jew fish cutlets steam with ginger and shallots
after dinner I phoned my friend sliver to get in contact with Lucky's family to come Pick up the pictures of his new baby girl,,,I was lying in bed when there was a knock on the door,,it was Silver's brother and Lucky's sister..they came to take me to Lucky's home..I met all of Lucky'a family and his mother,they are a very loving family,full of love for Lucky's mother who is bed ridden, they fed her milk thru a tube a spoon full at a time..they even massage her neck when she was coughing.Lucky's sister Vy was quite well spoken in english I learn that she is doing her final year at university in Saigon after the short visit I had to go to sleep as I was rweally tiread after that long long day....tomorrow we go to Sa huynh, thank god its going to ba a short day..62 Km...

8 Sept Danang

2008-09-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

well we are starting our first day of our cycling trip, we left the hotel at 6;45 am and we started to cycle out of the city of Danang along the Han river towards the Bridge .After crossing the bridge, it was just following the road all the way to Hoi An,,we stop at The famous "CHINA BEACH" where U.S. soldiers used to come here for R & R during the vietnam war..we stop aoncet 20 km to have a drink at a a little grocery store and there was a market next to it ..I saw some sugar cane juice so I bought some.First Problem with equiptment, my cycle computer broke at km 15..the wire was rubbing against the spokes and it cut the wire..2nd problem..my bicycle kick stand is not strong enough to support my bike uprighr because of the weight of the 2 bags.....after 3 andf half hours we reach Hoi An..we stop at a a cafe next to the river ,,,we were here 2 years ago..and then we cycle in to Hoi An city ..we saw a nice Hotel along Tran Hung Dao street so we went to enquire it was 12$ U.S a room so we took it...in the lobby of the hotel they have a small swimming pool..but our room in on the top floor(4 th floor) no lift so have to carry all the bags up ..1 good thing about this hotel they have a space under stairs to keep our bikes ...so we will stay 1 night and contuinue to Quang Ngai tomorrow...

2 Day in Saigon

2008-09-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

.....................Well today as usual we had breakfast but this time we chose to eat beef noodle soup just by the side of Allez Boo cafe then we went to have our morning coffee at the cafe...
After breakfast we were pick up for our half day tour of the "CU CHI" tunnels..it was a long drive but our tour broke the journey at a small town where the tour leader took us to a factory for people suffering from the Defoliant Agent Orange that the american used to destroy the jungle for war fare..it was a really sad sight where we saw deformed people in a factory making lacquer wares..then it was another 40 mins drive to the tunnels It was good fun the tour leader was a funny guy ..he made jokes and we saw how the vietnamese guerrilla called "Viet cong" dug mile and miles of tunnels to hide in it when they were bombed from above by the Americans they had kitchen, hospital and bomb making shops all under the ground..we had a 20 mins break before we actually went into the dark and hot tunnels to feel how it was...and there was a shooting range there we can actual fire real live bullets from American M16 rifles or the famous Kalashnikov AK 47 the Russian made rifle..it was 10$ us for 10 bullets.. so I shared it with Lou...annway after the tour we had dinner in a nice Vietnamese restaurant called 'NAM GIAO" the food was really good...I am being chased to finish by the owner of this net cafe so I have to go....I will post the pictures tomorrow in danang.....

First day in Saigon

2008-09-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

So we started our first day with a Breakfast at the Allez Boo cafe round the corner from our hotel,the cafe is rigt by a very busy inter section og Pham Ngu Lau which is a perfect pace to have bearkfast and watch as Saigon comes to live.After Breakfast we went to check out this bike shop that was advertising in the inter net that it will pack the bike up for plane travel we are very concern as to where we can buy a box for our bikes after we have discarded ours in Danang.

The shop was located in district 7 at a shopping area called the Sky Garden which we found out when we got there that this is a very up market area. we were told that it would cost us 100,000 dong for this packing service..the aussie dollar is 13,000 at the exchange rate ..which means its quite expansive, so we tried another shop which was located in the downtown area of district 1 near to where we were at a street called "Vo thi sau" this shop was much more promising as they quoted us 50,000 for box and packing so we quickly got their name card and that was our biggest worry out of the way.

we then took a leisure stroll back to our hotel but stopped at a few cafe to indulge in our favorite vietnamese coffe served with condense milk and unlimited vietnamese tea to cleanse your mouth after the sweet coffee. we continued our walk and we went to vist the Notre Dame the famouss French archtxture post office That night dinner was on a busy night market by the famous "CHO BEN THAN".we had steam crab with a tamarind sause,barbeque cockles,and a kind of sea snails with lemongrass and coconut milk ..it was so delicious but also quite costly as we later found out that this is a touristy area where only tourist comes...we should have realised when the owner of the shop spoke perfect canotnese..but anyway it only cost about 275 ,000 dongs

After dinner I went looking for a inter-net cafe to update my blog I found one but after doing 1 page they had to close so I walk to the corner of my hotel and had a night cap at the GO2 bar before heading off to bed......see u tomorrow guys....

At the sydney airport

2008-09-05T09:25:00.001-07:00

We Are Here At Last!!!

2008-09-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone..well we made it here at last...we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon) at 9 45 pm on thurday night after stopping over at Darwin for 2 hours. The Customs Officer at the new Airport wanted to extort some money from us ..saying we are bringing in the bicycles to sell or to be given to some vietnamese friends after we convinced them that we are genuine bicycle tourist ,they let us exit the airport. The first thing we did was to exchange some money to vietnamese dong,Lou change $100 US and I changed $100 aud,we both became instant Millionairs
After we exit the airport we saw a guy holding up a sign with Mr.Lim so Louu guessed that was for us..our private taxi from Hotel phoenix 74.next we had to store our bikes at the left luggage storage and it cost us 20 US $ for 3 days..the ride to the hotel was not so far..and the driver..demonstrated his excellent singing voice...saying he is a frequent karaoke visitor,after checking in we went out for supper round the corner of bui vein street ,,we had PHO the vietnaese beef noodles and ice tea,,which Lou reminded me it taste like th same chemical ice tea, we had before in Hanoi,,after that it was bed time.....

Some New Equiptment Added

2008-08-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.....Its been a while since I last posted some news...well we are all ready to go...6 more days and we are off....!!!!!well My Cousin Lou has decided that the Dahon "Matrix" bike that he bought for the trip is not suitable ,as the rear pannier rack when attached to the rear wheel does not leave a clearence for his feet when cycling. So he will now take his ol'Faithful the "GIANT" mountain bike he bought in shanghai .As for me I have added a few new equiptment on my bike, namely a compass/bell from K-Mart which Lou bought for me...then a new set of "Mudguards" bought in a bike shop in New-Zealand, and the 3rd ,a small bag for my iphone and speakers which I found in a bike shop in singapore , replacing the little mesh bag I fixed on my handelbar.So now my iphone and speaker goes in this little bag that attached on bicycle frame and the stem..the good thing about this little bag is that its got a water proof cover so when it rains I can just close it to protect my iphone

2008-08-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

The Route we are taking

The route we will be taking starts from the city of Danang to the city of Phan tiet, with a side trip up to DALAT, cycling the so called"Coffee & Tea to the Sea"road which is from the town of BAO LOC to Duc Trong then to DALAT .From Dalat we cycle down hill all the way to the town of PHANG RANG. From Pang Rang we will then follow Highway 1 again to Phan Tiet Here in Phan tiet we will have a few days to relax at the beach of MUI NE.

The Mekong Delta meander ride will be a much easier ride according to the Lonely planet "cycle vietnam and Cambodia" book, I am Looking forward to this ride as I have not been to this part of vietnam before..so our bicycle tour will start on the 4 th of September to the 5th october

How it all fits in the panniers

2008-08-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well I have been having doubts it will all fit into the panniers!!! ...It sure did fit into 6 water proof stuff sack...and I still have pleanty of room in the pannier....check out the picture...

What goes in the Handelbar bag??

As its quite difficult to steer with a heavy loaded handelbar bag I have trried to keep the items in the bag to a minimum

so the essential items are

1)Cycling Vietnam and cambodia book

2) Vietnamese Phrase Book

3) Traveler Dairy

4) ipod speaker

5) Light

6) ball pen

7) Maps

8) Sunglasses

9) Passport

10) iphone/ear phones

11) allen key

2008-08-10T18:22:00.001-07:00

CLOTHINGS

1) Cycling gloves x 2 pairs

2) cycling socks x 3 pairs

3) 4 x T shirts (1 long sleeve)

4) Red colour Mask(to combat the pollution in Highway 1)

Tools and bike accessories

5) 1 quick dry shirt

6) 1 quick dry travel pant

7) 2 x cycling Jerseys

8) 1 x polar fleece Jumper

9) 2 x cycling Padded Underwear

10) 2 x cycling padded shorts

11) 1 x normal quick dry short

12) 1 pair arm sleeve (sun protection)

13 )Sun hat

Tools and Bike accessories

1) cable and Lock

2) spare Brake cable

3) Bike tool ( allen key)

4) Swis army Knife

5) Light

6) ipod speaker

7) 2 bottle lubricants 1 lock tight for screws

8) small fold up pliers

9) allen keys + phillip and flat screw driver

10) bike Multi-tool

11) 2 x spare bicycle tubes

12) park tool cleaning Brush

13) 2 x spare brake pads

14) Velcro strap

15) duct tape

16) Bungee cord

17) spoke Key

18) 3 x tyre levers

19) wire for locking up panniers

20) zip ties

My Modified Dahon Cadenza

2008-08-10T17:59:00.001-07:00

Additional Items on bike

1) 3rd Chain Ring

2) Suspsension shock absorbing front fork

3) Bontrager Handel Bar with Bar ends

4) SKS quick release Pedals with Power grips

5) Zefal bottle holder (bottom of frame)

6) Sefra E-Gel saddle with springs

7) Topeak Pannier Rack

8) Kick Stand

The DashBoard(handelbar)

1) Bontrager "trekking" handelbar

2) Pro Bar Ends

3) Pro adjustable Stem

4) Zefal side Mirror(under right bar end)

5) Thunder Horn( round item on right handside)

6) small speaker for ipod with bag

7) Bracket for handelbar bag

8) Nite Rider cycle computer

9) handelbar bottle holder

The Bicycle

2008-08-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Dahon Cadenza

The DAHON bicycle company is started by a chinese Dr called David Hon in U.S.A.,he invented the so called folding bicycle.

so a little technical info about the bike,its a 26 inches aluminium frame road bike,that originally has only 16 speed but I have added a 3 rd chain ring to make it 24 speed for easier to cycle up hill .For comfort I have also added a shock absorbing front suspension fork,a Sefra E-gel saddel with springs .originally the bike weighs 12.5 kg but with all the additions I think its weighs 15 kg at the moment,

Well at last my cousin Lou has managed to get a Trip to singapore so he will now pick up his own Dahon cadenza from "SpeedMatrix" Bicycle shop in singapore But he will have to settle for the 2007 model which is very similar to mine with the exception of the frame because "SpeedMatrix" does not have the new 2008 model Cadenza

The addition Lou has made for his bike is addition of a Brook Leather saddle,and a "Trekking"(butterfly) handelbar, which is suppose to be the very good for diffrent hand position and a upright seating position .I have opted for a "Bontrager"sattelite trekking handelbar with bar ends,becuse I can add more things on the bar handel

just 34 days to go!!

2008-07-27T23:11:00.000-07:00

Well we have just 34 days to go before we set off to our cycling in vietnam ,
my bicycle is all ready to go,been testing it regularly and still getting a sore bum but I have just bought a new saddle with springs and extra Gel padding.Tested it out without wearing padded cycling shorts and It seems fine,so hopefully if it gets too hot in vietnam I shall not have to use the padded shorts.
My cousin Lou has not got his Dahon Cadenza yet but hopefully He will get it before we go, Lou has photo copied some maps and had it laminated in beijing to fit our map holder on our handelbar bags ..looks very good,so anyway this is a test to see if this blog works....will post another before we leave and then hopefully will update it every few days in vietnam during our tour