The Vietnam Pictures

[schrodingers-cat]

I`ve sorted the pic`s i took out as best i can. There`s day`s of video`s to edit but i wont be doing that anytime soon.
What an amazing country Vietnam is.The whole place is run like they drive "vaguely organised chaos" but it works. If you`ve got a skill you do it, in general from your house and put the proceeds out front for people to buy, if not you knock your living room window out, fill the place with minature tables and chairs and if anyone stops by while you are watching telly you cook them a meal or give them beer`s. Failing that you turn your house into a minature costco. People do whatever it takes to earn cash to live, within reason, no state benefits so they have to, but they dont have to suffer the state telling them you can`t do that without a licence or you can`t do that without planning permission.
Seems to work fine, everyone is bizzarly happy although a lot of them are poor i didn`t see anybody as low as people in this country can get. In three weeks i never heard an angy word spoken or got any bad vibes at all,surprisingly not even any road rage
We did 2000 km on roads that pushed the Honda 250 trial bike to its limits, including motorways, its an offroaders paradise and you don`t have to go offroad to do it
The weather got bad half way through due to the remnants of the two typhoons that destroyed the philippines and thailand but that did little to wreck an amazing experience. I`ve got to go back and plan to in may or june, before the monsoon season. This time i`m going to do the north west loop, it seems the further north you go the better it gets
Anyway the pic`s are HERE. enjoy, I did

[Sclerotic Hen]

Really amazing pictures. Looks fantastic. I was going to say that the Ban Gioc Falls were my favourite images but the rest of the album was so interesting too. And some interesting Toyotas as well (what was that strange estate/people mover/land cruiser thing). Almost gives me an urge to travel... almost

[schrodingers-cat]

Cant remember what that people carrier was called but it was a Hi something, thats why i took the pic. there were plenty of 4 runners about and quite a few land cruisers i even seen a second gen surf. Lots of these weird things that were just an engine that you could stick things on presumably to help in the farm. Put wheels, a trailer and what looked like lawnmower handles on it, sit in the trailer and you had transport.
Ban Gioc Falls were probably the best in the way of scenery, the photo`s don't do them justice, getting there was high on the dangerous things list, dirt tracks cut into the side of mountains with convoys of heavy goods wagons on their way to china on them. overtaking was scarey. a sheer drop on one side and a cliff face on the other and while your trying to get past the driver is hanging out of the window frantically waving at you. Never seen an artic with one set of rear wheels in the air before

[Apache]

Absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing.

[che2318]

Those pics look great. What was Da Nang like? I was looking to book a holiday there.

[schrodingers-cat]

Absolutely stunning! Thanks for sharing.

No problem can`t get enough of showing and talking about the place, got loads of vids but i`m at a loss what to do with them, just watched an hour of us on our way to the lake i loved it but who else would, got to cut some out but what and thats just a fraction of what the two of us took

Those pics look great. What was Da Nang like? I was looking to book a holiday there.

All i seen of da nang was the train station, we`d just done the hi van pass in the worst rain i`ve ever seen. It was just get to the train station, put the bikes onto a train and get a hotel until our sleeper train arrived
Our guide told us its great, All the rich people holiday there but i was too done in to see anything
Depends what you want from a holiday, it seems the further south you go the more westernised it gets. I`d reccomend the old quarter of hanoi but i`d imagine any part of the country would be excellent

[che2318]

i was looking at starting down south and getting the trains up north stopping off at places along the way. I want to see the country rather than just sit in one place.

Of course, I would love to go around it on motorbike but I dont have a license!

[schrodingers-cat]

i was looking at starting down south and getting the trains up north stopping off at places along the way. I want to see the country rather than just sit in one place.

Of course, I would love to go around it on motorbike but I dont have a license!

I reckon that would be great, plan it well, get your visa from the Vietnamese embassy not one of those pick it up at the airport affairs or you`ll find yourself in a massive queue. Take plenty of dong, dollars are only good in the big cities, use malerone anti malaria tablets. they are more expensive but the cheaper ones give you side effects and remember rice wine is ok but don't touch the rice alcohol whatever you do

[Overland Tonka]

Great to see the pics.....top destination...

[slobodan]

Fantastic pics, thanks for that.

Did you sample any of the wimmins?

[Overland Tonka]

Fantastic pics, thanks for that.

Did you sample any of the wimmins?

Serbia...women.... Vietnam....women.....I can see a link developing...

[slobodan]

Serbia...women.... Vietnam....women.....I can see a link developing...

That's what me solicitor keeps saying....




(and don't you start! Germany...women)