The last two days ridding on the 'National Hiway" was a battle. Bus & trucks like I had never seen, and road conditions that would anger a donkey for stretches.
When I arrived in Nha Trang for a lay over at a friends resort I was wore out. 5,000 miles in the past 6 weeks, consider 300 miles is a days ride, but I have done 350 previously. This trip had some of the best and worst ridding and I was wore out physically and mentally.
Three things you have to have for ridding over here: skill, focus and lots of luck. I felt I had been very lucky and was beginning to push it, to the limit. So many close calls with moto riders, cars, trucks, cows, holes in the road that would swallow the whole bike, dodging debris on the roads, sliding down wet clay roads. There is anarchy on these roads. Having been over most of them over the past 2/3 years I can say they will never have a good hiway system. Before they have completed construction of a new hiway they are making serious repairs to the same.
I had thoughts of shipping the bike back, or even selling it!
After a days rest I had to continue back to Saigon for a couple days, another 250 miles. The ride there and back turned out to be the easiest ride over that stretch I had ever made. Weather was great too.
It helped clear my mind. As long as there is a stretch of road worth riding I'll ride through purgatory to get to it!
I have thousands of photos documenting my rides and have posted a few select in my album open for all. Enjoy.
Ride safe.
When I arrived in Nha Trang for a lay over at a friends resort I was wore out. 5,000 miles in the past 6 weeks, consider 300 miles is a days ride, but I have done 350 previously. This trip had some of the best and worst ridding and I was wore out physically and mentally.
Three things you have to have for ridding over here: skill, focus and lots of luck. I felt I had been very lucky and was beginning to push it, to the limit. So many close calls with moto riders, cars, trucks, cows, holes in the road that would swallow the whole bike, dodging debris on the roads, sliding down wet clay roads. There is anarchy on these roads. Having been over most of them over the past 2/3 years I can say they will never have a good hiway system. Before they have completed construction of a new hiway they are making serious repairs to the same.
I had thoughts of shipping the bike back, or even selling it!
After a days rest I had to continue back to Saigon for a couple days, another 250 miles. The ride there and back turned out to be the easiest ride over that stretch I had ever made. Weather was great too.
It helped clear my mind. As long as there is a stretch of road worth riding I'll ride through purgatory to get to it!
I have thousands of photos documenting my rides and have posted a few select in my album open for all. Enjoy.
Ride safe.