The Mission to Hoi An
This was an epic journey of over 600km that we attempted to tackle over three consecutive days of driving. A 14 hour drive by googles reckoning. It was probably nearer 20 hours for us.
We decided to tackle this mammoth journey in three legs. Dalat to Nha Trang. Nha Trang to as far as we could get to Hoi An before it got dark, this ended up being Quy Nhon. Then the final leg to Hoi An.
We also picked up a riding companion in Dalat. Irfan from the Netherlands. A great addition to our biker convoy.
To Nha Trang
I know I keep saying this, but the journey to Nha Trang was incredible. Best ride so far and a must do for anyone on a motorbike.
Going back into the valley was even more impressive than up into the mountains. We started in a cloud and ended looking back up at the mountain and the amazing road we had just biked in awe.
I would have happily driven back up and done it all over again.
Truly mind-blowing views.
I can’t describe how amazing this journey was. Just look at the picture above (I should have stopped for more) and imagine being on a motorbike.
It is only on reaching the bottom that you realise how cold it was on the mountain. We were all wearing jumpers and ended up sweating profusely by the bottom of the mountain.
On arrival to Nha Trang, a coastal city in a lovely setting surrounded by mountains, we headed for iHome. A party hostel and one of the best hostels I have been to so far. It served free beer from 6 to 7. Not just a free beer but free-flowing unlimited beer.
They even employed a beer man whose sole purpose was to get you to drink more through a variety of drinking games.
This and a visit to a crazy Russian bar that kept supplying us with free shots ended up with us getting rather more drunk than originally planned.
Waking up the next morning at 8 am to continue our journey was a challenge. But one which we succeeded at. IHome has a brilliant buffet breakfast which helped but gosh I felt rough.
If I felt rough my bike clearly felt worse. The engine was making a terrible noise and we only made it 12km out of the city before getting quoted 1.5 million dong for an engine repair.
Ouch!
We decided to limp back to Nha Trang and sweltered all day at a mechanic only to be eventually told to come back tomorrow. The mechanic and his two sons were brilliant though and clearly knew what they were doing.
The repair ended up costing 1.8m around a quarter of the cost of the bike.
I think the mechanic was glad to see the back of us. It can’t have been an easy job.
On our unexpected next night in Nha Trang, we went to a cracking Japanese restaurant to cheer me up and got an early night. Making sure not to repeat the mistakes of the previous night.
Nha Trang sounded cool and I could have spent more time here. It is the scuba diving hub of Vietnam and I still need to use my Open Water qualification. So in a way, it was a shame we moved on so fast.
However, at the same time, Nha Trang is just a big city and I am more interested in saving time for the north. A recommendation from everyone I have spoken to who has been up there.
I also heard Hoi An has some great scuba diving spots, so I would get a chance to test out my diving skills there.
Nha Trang to Quy Nhon
Apart from the first hours ride leaving Nha Trang the next two legs of the journey were dull. Probably the worst two days riding we have been on. Straight motorways with nothing to look at.
Also, it was two heavy days biking. Around 7–8 hours in the saddle each day. We were all ridiculously grimy by the end.
Only an hour from Nha Trang I had a nervy moment. My bike was playing up, juddering and losing power. I prayed that it wasn’t my engine.
It wasn’t. Fortunately!
A roadside mechanic listened to a few revs of the engine, identified the problem as a blocked tube somewhere and solved it with a few squirts of pressurized air. A 2 dollar fix.
Since then the bike has been running smooth. Thank god!
We arrived in Quy Nhon just before dark and after some debate decided to call it a day. We stayed in a clean comfortable hostel and were too exhausted to even leave the hostel.
Apart from for the usual Banh Mi of course. We discovered the panini Banh Mi. A novelty and very delicious. I wonder what my Banh Mi count is now, I think it could be pushing 30 easily. They are quick, easy and so dam tasty.
While we barely saw Quy Nhon it obviously wasn’t some back-water place with nothing going on. The buildings were modern, the city was bustling. It was much bigger than anything I had expected.
The last leg to Hoi An
This was the worst day of the three. No nice views. Just straight roads, heavy dirty trucks, and aggressive bus drivers. It was also the longest leg of the journey, over 8 hours before we reached Hoi An.
At least we made it in one piece and our bikes survived. That last leg was completed without a single stop at the mechanic for any of us. Our second day ever!
Now we settled down for a long, relaxing stay in Hoi An. Just what I needed.
