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You know that feeling when you arrive in any big city for the first time, and everything looks so big, so busy, unfamiliar and slightly daunting, that you instantly feel even more minute and insignificant? Well that's exactly how I felt as the boat from Vung Tau arrived in to the heart of the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. 

Usually, the nice thing about riding into a city is that from the suburbs, you get to attune yourself with the new rules and speeds of the road, but when you are dropped into the heart of the city, it’s like jumping straight onto a full speed running machine. Fortunately, in this case, without the face-plant.

The boat ride in was a very straight forward 1.5 hours and 250,000 VND or £8.30, and was nice to witness life from the water. It’s often easy to forget that with such big water systems in a city like Ho Chi Minh or Bangkok, that there are so many people dependent on, and spending their life by the water, instead of the hustle and bustle of inner city living.

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When I’m not on Surly Temple, which isn't that often, I don’t think too much about how hot the sun is, or it’s intensity, because I tend not to sit in it for hours. It’s only when I jump on Surly Temple and I’m in it for up to 10 hours a day,  that I really notice it’s ferocity.

I was so excited to jump back on Surly Temple and continue on this journey. I left Hoi An at a reasonable hour and boy, was it hot.

I’d been off the bike for long enough for this day to seem like a very difficult day. Strong headwinds, intense sun and arid, open lands. That, and an incredibly itchy tattoo.

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The adventure continues…

Dear Family, Friends, Followers and Fans(smiley face), sawatdee krap, sous-day, sabaidi, xin chào, mingalabar from Southeast Asia. Namaste

I’ve been very slack with my blog posts of late, but it’s not lackadaisical or without good reason, so, before I just upload my next post without any explanation, I wanted to give you a brief update on what I’ve been up to.

Things have been very slow and I’ve made little distance over the past couple of months, but for good reason. 2 weeks into entering Cambodia back in May, Surly Temple picked up a very bad limp and I came down with a few sickness obstacles, which lead me to extend my Cambodia VISA by another month.

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Da Nang to Hội An An is only a short 25kms ride down the road, so I took a very leisurely approach to my day. I average about 110km’s day, and when you do more than say 80km’s, you have to consider the elements, nutrition and hydration a lot more, but when you get a day of 25km’s, 50 or even 70, it’s so much more relaxed.

I'd read and heard so many good things about Hội An An and was super excited about experiencing it, so when I arrived at An Bang Beach, just 4 km’s from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hội An An town, I was surprised not to have heard more about this incredibly inviting little gem.

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Reaching this point in Vietnam felt like a bit of a milestone, which happens a lot when traveling by bicycle.

When planning routes, whilst focusing one day at a time, your sights are usually set on the larger settlements a few days ahead, and Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An are a perfect example of this. This is especially apt for this part of Vietnam, as within 122km, you’ve got 3 of the most popular destinations in Vietnam, and the Hai Van Pass in the middle, a significant 21km long mountain pass, which is of major strategic importance in the history of Vietnam and the divide between the north and the south, two weather systems, the kingdoms of Champa and Đại Việt and also popularised in the west by Top Gear.

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I had no idea what to expect of the next few weeks as I headed south as there was very little information online. Little did I know I would be cycling through the ‘Wild East’.

Northern Laos and Vietnam had been very cool, with the temperature often requiring a warm jumper and even the purchase of a down jacket, and although the temperature had risen a little in Tam Coc, it was still nothing compared to the hot and humid lands of northern east Thailand and Central Laos I’d already ridden through, which at times hit a barmy 34 °C.

I had friends who at the same time were in Ho Chi Minh City, with each mentioning how hot the south was.

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Between the big cities that you’ll always hear about is about 70% of the rest of Vietnam and the 'wild east', as I've named it.  Having met and spoken to lots of Vietnamese people, I can confidently say that I’ve seen more of Vietnam than most Vietnamese people; the beauty of traveling by bicycle.

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On the 13 February, after an eventful and pukey (not me for once) 10 hour bus ride and an awesome but uncomfortable 12km ride, weaving through busy traffic, Christian and I made it into Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, with Mike still in the wilds of North West Vietnam.

My journey to date had started in Chiang Mai, through the mountainous Issan region of Thailand, into and the length of Laos from Vientiane to Pang Hoc, south to north, and now into Vietnam, but I’d yet to experience the real hustle and bustle of a major city.

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Luang Prabang had been awesome, with new experiences and new people around
every corner, and although I’d had such a memorable experience, I was
excited to be getting back on Surly Temple, and onto the next part of the
adventure.

Traveling and the experiences are a huge part of this entire adventure,
but it’s the challenge of doing it on a bike, solo, that really makes
this adventure special to me. You’ve probably seen that reiterated a few
times because it really is.

It’s a completely unique way of traveling and always challenging. Where
to sleep, where to eat, long distances, mapping, hydration, nutrition,
psychology, bike repairs, remote areas, danger’s, security, traffic,
potholes, animals, people and the list goes on. This isn’t traveling as
it’s commonly known, this is adventure bicycle travel and it’s
challenging, dangerous and the most incredible experience. It’s my first,
but certainly not my last bike adventure, and I wouldn’t call it a short
one either, with a possible 25,000-30,000km km to travel by bicycle.

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When asked what your favorite city in the world is, what would you say? Where have you been that you instantly fell in love with? A place that has a feeling like nowhere else?

Luang Prabang had been high my agenda even before I decided to undertake this adventure. As a UNESCO World Heritage City in the heart of Laos and with the like’s of Lonely Planet whimsically quoting “Luang Prabang slows your pulse and awakens your imagination with it’s combination of world-class comfort and spiritual nourishment”, who wouldn’t be intrigued by the sound of this place.

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