Days 9 & 10 Exploring Hoi An & Hoi An to Hue

Day 9
Today I checked out a hotel bike which I rode around Hoi An to the Old City. So many dress and tailor shops one after other, this town is famous for its cheap tailored clothing. I easily found the old city which is a 15th century trading port that has been missed by time and looks very much like it would have looked 500 years ago. The buildings now house restaurants and tourist shops instead of the warehouses and whorehouses that are common to all ports. The old city was divided by the water with the Japanese on one side across a bridge called reasonably enough, the Japanese bridge. The bridge is ornate with gilded dragons and other decorations.
There are some very good places to eat here so I had lunch in sections at three different restaurants. I had roast duck at one of them on one side of the water than rode the bike over the Japanese bridge to a place famous for its fish cooked in banana leaves which was very good and then went to another place for a dish called The White Rose which Hoi An is famous for inventing. The White Rose is a shrimp dumpling made with translucent rice,dough that is crumpled like a rose. The locals called it 'wrose' and it was the French who called it white rose. Delicious. For drinks I had local beer and finished with coffee.

After the I just spent the day riding the bike and relaxing, going along rice paddies and the water and down narrow streets where the locals live just cruising. Easy day. Tomorrow I head to Hue the old Imperial City 156 k away up the coast. A good distance for a days ride. In bed early for an early start in the morning.
Day 10
Up at 6:30 to be out and on the bike by 8. Studied Google Maps for the best way out of town. When I finish riding today I will have covered over 1,000 k on the bike and have 700 k more to Hanoi. I added oil and decided to get an oil change in Hue.
It was a clear and hot day but cool when moving on the road. The bike has some rattles that seem new so need to check that out. Riding is getting easier as I gain experience and I feel much safer, but still very wary and watching everything. I gor lost once and took a 40 k detour- good thing for Google Maps! After a couple of hours I came to a section that led to a tunnel and they would not let me ride the bike through. A man nicely turned me around and I was at a loss what to do next. I saw a covered area with motorbikes parked around a central trench with flatbed trucks and realized it was a land ferry! You buy a ticket for you and your bike and a bus takes you through the tunnel while the bike rides the flatbed.
The tunnel was very long, took us about 15 -20 minutes to get through it and then we drove to an offload area with a sign that said 'Hue 63 K'. After carefully repacking the bike I set off following the signs until I rejoined Hwy 1. Hue is another big city and a tourist city. I found a beautiful 4 star hotel with a 4th floor infinity pool for $30 a night including breakfast buffet which seemed like a good deal. After having a swim and cleaning up I took the bike to a Honda place to get an oil change and see if they could check the oil leak. It was a busy sales and service garage that they hotel had recommended. Mechanics all in spotless uniforms. They sneered at my bike! " no parts " they said. They made me pay in advance for the oil change, first time that has appened and I left it to pick up tomorrow. Back to hotel for a couple of drinks and dinner in the 12th floor lounge and then reading and relaxing in the room. Tomorrow I will tour the Citidal that contains the Vietnamese Forbidden City! V

written by

Mike_Veine on June 18, 2013 from Hue, Vietnam

from the travel blog: Top Gear Adventure 2- Vietnam Boogaloo!

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That is very nice post. Thanks for sharing the experience with us. Keep Posting.

written by Aussie Campervans @ Campervan Hire Australia on June 18, 2013

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