Hoian Motorcycle Adventures.

I have been in Hoian for 4 days now. I have had a great time so far. Yesterday was my best so far. I went round to the office of Hoian Motorcycle Adventures and caught up with the owner Mark we had coffee in the cafe next door. Turns out we share connections with Armidale and the New England. Mark is a very nice guy and extremely helpful giving me very valuable tips about border crossings and such like. He gave me directions to his workshop and I made my way there without getting lost once! The caretaker fellow got a bit of a surprise but soon settled down after he received a phone call.

I completed a service in short time. Changing the oil, cleaning the airfilter and tensioning the chain and greasing it. I even removed the broken speedo cable. While I was there a couple of tours went through and one of them was 2 American people I had met in Ha Noi and Hue. Joe Cronin and his partner Meghan from Washington D.C. a  very friendly and nice couple. I also met this very big (tall) German guy who was one of HMA's guides. He was very friendly and helpful too. I have to say here that Hoian Motorcycle Adventures is an extremely well organised company that provides an excellent service that meeets the needs of its clients in an unfussed and relaxed way that ensures they have a very special experience. In other words  they are bloody good at what they do.

Service complete I motored back into town on my rejuvenated machine. I had some lunch (Cau Lau - the local dish) in the market and then bought a new speedo cable in a market stall. It cost me 50,000 dong, about $3:00. In Australia it would. Cost at least 15! I then had a little nap in my airconditioned room and then made it back to the workshop for a 4 o'clock rendezvous with Mark and the returning tours for a couple of beers and a chin wag. A really good time was had and it was good to catch up with Joe and Meghan. We organised to meet that night and to share a meal together.

Talking with Mark about where I am going and what I am planning to do has helped me to realise what I have taken on. The prospect is daunting to say the least. It is bloody huge! Apparently the place I'm heading to in nortwestern Cambodia is part of disputed territory with Vietnam. It is in the area of the old trail and populated by ethnic minorities that were linked to the Americans and the French before. Recently there have been disturbances between them and the Viet Military. It all makes me a little nervous and determined to be careful. The Cardomoms are a bit hairy too apparently so care and attention needs to be paid here too. I will persevere and see what happens. At least in the Cardomoms I will have Jacquie with me, hopefully there will be safety in numbers!

Last night I dined with Joe and Meghan at the "Mango Mango rooms" across the bridge and on the island. Six years before Meri and I ate at the "Mango Rooms". At that time I declared that it was the best meal of my life! That claim has now been topped by the sister resteraunt across the river. The meal was exquisite, perfect a complete and total taste sensation. It was 1000% better than "Morning Glory"and I thought that pretty special. The Mango Mango rooms were soooo good, better than good a gastronomic marvel that rivals the best in the world. Eat your heart out baby I have reached nirvana. To say I had great Night does not do it justice.

So tomorrow I leave here and head off for Laos and the next part of the journey. As I said I'm a little nervous and plan to take things real slow and careful. I will avoid that part of the border lands that are hairy and just keep on the well worn track. I hope luck is with me. See youse later campers.

Coffee at the Cargo Club

I've made it to my favorite coffee cafe in all of Vietnam. The Cargo Club in Hoian. The Cafe is owned Mrs Vi. She owns this and the Morning Glory Resteraunt across the street. I did my cooking classes  with Mrs Vi two trips ago. The Cargo Club could rival any French patisserie anywhere. I am currently tucking into a milk coffee and a coconut, lychee and strawberry tart. Very light, guaranteed to give heart attacks but who cares it is heaven.

At the moment it is a  very exhausted heaven. I arrived here after a marathon non stop ride from Hue. Why non stop? It pissed with rain the whole way. I rode along the coast just like last time with Tony S. And Deano. The run up the Hi Van Pass was easy the little motor purring away in 3rd gear almost all the way. Riding through Da Nang by onself with no guide is very confusing. I got lost 3 times in town and at least twice on the way to Hoian. You'd think that after 4 times I would have some idea but no. Having my sense of direction play up so badly is beyond frustration. I just don't understand it.

Despite the rain the run along the coast was fun. Windy little lanes snaking through fishing villages resplendent with odour as only they can be. There is plenty of colour, plenty of movement and a plethora of vehicles, motorbikes and gaggles of school girls on pushbikes. Because I got lost so many times the run from Da Nang was not nearly as much fun. I pulled up about halfway in a town I have never seen before. No one spoke a word of English so with my trusty phrase book I managed to ascertain that the direction to Hoian was actually the one I had just come in on! Because I am detoxing I am suffering mood swings. This time it was short of rage but only just. I managed to hold it in and not embarrass myself and loose face but it was oh so hard. There were quite a few "fuck its ! !" Said under my breath. Concentrate Lionel, chill lad. The coffee here is working wonderfully. I emailed Mark from Hoian Motorcycle Adventures. He tells me Deano is in Brisbane for the winter. He said I could use thier workshop to do the service so that is good. Little Billy (the bike) is a bit sorry for itself at the moment. One rubber footpeg has fallen off and the left hand front indicator is dangling down. The speedo gave up 6 days ago on the run from Phoung Nga to Khe Sanh. None of this is  a problem merely cosmetic but I'm beginning to get attached to the little machine, hence the name. It is a very courageous bike happy to attempt any foray against the trucks and buses on the road. It starts first time every time and has not missed a beat on the road. Loyalty seems to be the watch word. One cannot or maybe should not love an inanimate object but I'm very fond of it and will miss it when I leave. I hope I will be able to send it up two Le in Hanoi when I leave as planned.

Well I've finished my coffee it is time to wonder the streets, to ponder on dinner and to sample some of the fresh beer here. I will post again when I have more news. I plan to get some M/C boots here, maybe some more clothes, we'll see. See youse later campers.

The tomb of khai Dinh

At the moment I am sitting in the lower level of the Tomb of Khai Dinh. He is one of the Nguyen dynasty emporers. All the Nguyen Kings took themselves out of Hue to be buried. They built huge tombs covering large areas of land. Each Tomb has the same basic layout. There is the front gate followed by a courtyard with buildings on either side to honour the mandarins that served the king. Then there is a pavillion containing a stele that chronicles  the achievements of the king. Following this is a temple honouring the king then the entrance to the tomb enclosure. The actual burial site is a secret which the blokes who bury him die for. I am glad I do not live in such times, that level of devotion is beyond me.

I am currently on my first "tour" of the trip. I wanted to see the tombs of the Nguyen Kings but my directional skills have let me down woefully and I didn't want to spend my time dealing with the map while it was pouring with rain. This tour involves a "Dragon Boat" ride down the perfumed river, visiting a traditional Viet house, a Temple and Pagoda, another Temple (womans) then 3 Tombs (Muan Ming, Khai Dinh and Duc Tho). The boat trip was very relaxing and the lunch provided alright (just). We deboated to a bus for the ride round the tombs. The most impressive was the tombs of Duc Tho followed by a close second in Muan Ming and then Khai Dinh. Duc Tho used to live occasionally at the tomb site so there were a series of buildings in addition to the actual tomb buildings. They were all very impressive. Khai Dinh apparently was gay and Duc Tho impotent a result of mumps as a kid. Muan Ming was prodigeous, he had approx 140 something kids from some 30 odd wives. The gardens in Duc Tho's place are very beautiful and peaceful as are the ones in Muan Ming 's place. Khai Dinh was much more introspective with everything happening with the buildings and interiors. There were impressive mosaics covering the insIdes.

All in all it was a great day and worth the $7:00 it cost! I have one more day in Hue. I'll do a quick check on the bike and go and do a bit of wondering around the town. I saw some electronics shops yesterday so I'm going to check them for a Go Pro. Stay tuned for the next episode.