Hello!

It's 1:00pm and we are having lunch at the Elephant Springs after a fantastic morning on the bikes!

The journey from Hue to Hoi An should take us around 6 hours in total and we are around a third in.

The scenery has been great so far and I am expecting it to get even better when we actually start riding on the Hai Van Pass this afternoon.

The journey so far hasn't been all plain sailing as after around 45 mins my bike started to lose power. It wasn't accelerating very well and eventually the horn stopped working! In Vietnam a horn is a life saver so I stopped and said I would go no further. We waited around 1 hour for another bike to arrive and enjoyed Ice Coffee while we waited.

My new bike is great! It has a big compartment under the seat that my rucksack fits into and it is very powerful!! I managed to go 90km on the highway at one point!

Most of the journey so far has been on single track lanes with bikes, cars and trucks travelling in either direction. It's not too crazy and lots of fun! There are 6 bikes in our convoy and all is good so far!

If you have been on Facebook you will have seen the fetching outfits Martin and I are wearing! Last night, whilst doing the pub quiz that we won, we decided to have matching shirts and trousers custom made! Partly to add some humour to our journey but also to stop us getting burnt! I have to say we are definitely the best dressed bikers around today!

I'm going to go for another swim in the spring before we get back on our bikes....

See you in Hoi An!! :)

Tom X

Good evening!

I've just decided to have a lie down so that I can write down a few things since I wrote yesterday. It's 8:54pm, really hot and I've just got back from my first suit fitting, but more about that later :)

After lunch yesterday the ride just got better and better! As we climbed the Hai Van Pass, after posing for a picture with the sign, the roads were brilliant! They were really good tarmac roads which meant I was really confident and could enjoy the ride! We stopped to take pictures on the way up and then rode all the way down into Da Nang in one go! I loved riding down and even managed to get a selfie video on the way :)

When we got down into the city the roads became as hectic as you see in the pictures! Bikes were everywhere and we all had to really have our whits about us! I managed to tuck in right behind our guide and Martin and was able to stay with them as we weaved through the traffic. It was pretty scary but great at the same time! All I could think about was the fact I was breaking pretty much every rule in the book that I'd been taught growing up. Eventually we got through Da Nang and hit the coastal road for another 30km to Hoi An. We drove past numerous large hotels and the difference between where we had arrived was crazy compared to the Vietnam we had seen before!

As we approached Hoi An the roads became busier again and we actually managed to lose one of the girls! After waiting about 10 mins we decided she must have gone past... Just as we were setting off she rode around the corner and all was well after a drink in a cafe!

When we arrived at DK's House Hostel it was a whole 9 hours since we had left. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had travelling and totally worth the risk, money and effort! I was glad to have survived and made it in one piece and was happy to reply to mums text asking if the 'whole ordeal was over yet!'

We enjoyed the hostel swimming pool before heading into the town of Hoi An for dinner and a few drinks! Hoi An is the nicest place we have been to in Vietnam and is almost like France! Maybe this is to do with the French once occupying it, I'm not sure. There are lots of little shops everywhere and the streets are pedestrianised in the centre around the river. We had a lovely meal in a restaurant called Cargo before walking along the river and to a bar called Dive Bar. On our way we bumped into 2 sets of people we had travelled with previously, some in Laos and some on Castaways! It's funny how everyone is travelling the same route! After playing pool we headed home and after a few wrong turns we finally made it!

Today was the last day of our tour as the second half of it has been cancelled due to only us being booked on! It could be a blessing in disguise as I'm sure we can do it easily and cheaper ourselves.

This morning we biked for around 20 mins to a local village where we went crabbing in funny little round boats! It wasn't that great as the crabs were tiny and after an hour or so we had an ice cream and played 'traditional games' before riding back!

In Hoi An there are tailors everywhere and I had been told about the suits and shirts by a friend in Dubai. I have decided to treat myself to a new suit as I need one because mine is now too big and I have never had anything tailored. I asked the hostel for some advice and was told a place called Bebe was the best.

I went along and met a lovely local girl called Jennifer who has been serving me in the shop. First we sat down to choose materials and styles before talking about extras! I've managed to spend a huge amount of money on a suit jacket, 2 pairs of trousers, 1 waist coat and two shirts! All tailor made to fit from the material I picked myself off the shelf!
The service so far has been excellent and after my first fitting there are a few adjustments to be made.

After starting the suit process we went to the beach for the afternoon. It was beautiful and packed full of locals and tourists! Martin met up with some friends he had met in Thailand and we enjoyed a lovely Mexican meal before heading back to the hostel.

Tonight we're going to go out in Hoi An so I need to get ready. Im not sure what tomorrow holds but I'm sure I'll find out...

Love to all :)

Tom X