Many years ago I used to ride with a bike club in High Wycombe, just as a pillion as learning to ride a bike was too expensive, plus mum would have killed me! Those days riding the great A roads around England with a great group of guys & girls have very fond memories for me. When Sy and I were sitting down to figure out our next steps we stumbled across a different option. Instead of train, bus or plane we could either ride or be driven from Hoi An to Hue. As Sy had never been on a bike I wasn't sure he'd do it but he was up for it.

The reviews of the trip were fantastic and the price was good so we went for it. After choosing the company we packed up our bags again for the journey.

Two riders arrived at our hotel at 8:30am. They strapped our bags to the back of the bike, gave us our helmets and we were off. They were really chatty along the way as we weaved our way out of the old quiet town of Hoi An onto the highway towards Da Nang. They were great, checking we were ok and pointing stuff out to us along the way. For me it was fantastic as Sy usually falls asleep within 10 minutes of being on transport. I'm left pointing stuff out to myself that I see along the way so it was so nice to see stuff together. Rather than being left to wonder what it was that I've seen, Mr Tien would explain.

He'd stop every hour or so, just as our bums were getting numb or hips locking up. Always conscious of getting photos of the two of us together he'd often steal the camera to take shots.

Stopping off at the marble mountain we headed up the steep steps to the pagoda up the top. We explored the little maze of caves and temples, taking shelter in a short rainfall before heading back down the long way to the bikes.

Soon after leaving the newly emerging big government build of Da Nang we headed off into the hills. It was amazing to be experiencing those cliff top rides on top of a bike. I felt much safer than the recent coach rides we'd taken!

This road was full of hairpin turns and I was loving feeling the wind in my face. We stopped midway to explore both wartime & imperial watchtowers at the high point of the mountain. It was then I realised what road we were on. A few years ago Top Gear had done a Vietnam special and come to this exact road to whizz along it on bikes. Listed as one of the best coastal roads in the world it was so much fun to be experiencing it for ourselves!!!

I got frustrated as my camera lens fogged up as I was trying to take pictures or video of the turns, I think I managed to get one of the last ones! We went trough another 2 passes through the mountains before coming out at a coastal fishing town. We pulled in for lunch at some random house with a sign outside offering rice with something I couldn't read. We all sat down as the food was prepared an bought over. As the only westerners there we created a little excitement as everyone turned to watch us eat. No pressure on the chopstick skills then!!!

It turned out to be grilled pork, fish soup & grilled tuna with rice. All in all a good lunch for £2 each. I asked if there was a toilet. Now on the trip so far I haven't had too many toilet dramas but I think Vietnam has definitely been the funniest. I was taken out the back, through the chickens & washing area which no matter how much water you'd used wouldn't have looked clean. Trying to forget about how they cook or clean things here I was pointed to a roofless 4 concrete walled shack. Walls that only came up to my chest. There was nothing, no western loo (was never expecting that), no squat toilet, just floor. There was a discreet hole low in the wall for water to drain from but certainly no indication of where I should actually pee!! It didn't matter as I needed the loo so I went on the floor, washed it down and hoped to god that was the right thing to do!!

Back to the bikes and onwards to elephant springs. A popular local summer spot that's pretty quiet now it's colder. After a short walk up the hill there were some lovely falls with plunge pool etc. Sy put his hand in and declared it freezing so we just sat and relaxed in the sunshine. To our surprise another backpacker turned up, stripped off to his swimming shorts & jumped in!! He was certainly a crazy crazy man!! I decided to pop my feet in and the cold might help my heels. They pretty much went blue straight away!

Time to press on to Hue via a fishing village. A stop at the hotel then on to a few beers! Tomorrow we head out early so it's time for dinner, bath & bed!

The guys arrive promptly and it's raining so we get the wet weather gear on then typically it stops! We are driving for about half hour then there was a problem with Sy's bike. We pull over in a garage as the guys go to work trying to fix it, it doesn't look promising so Mr Tien calls another driver to bring another bike out. He arrives we change and off we go again.

We stop at the old citadel, a site that was heavily bombed by the Americans so they could put their flag there! This whole area is called the demilitarised zone, a no mans land between north & south Vietnam that took an awful amount of hits during the war. There's still a big problem with unexploded ordinance here too so it was clear not to go off the beaten track.

We then headed to the Vinh Moc tunnels. Another village that lived underground to escape the danger of living above ground with all the bombs falling all day every day. After the Cu Chi tunnels this place was amazing. No rush as we met villagers that had lived in the tunnels and were happy to be back above ground. The tunnels were crazy deep with the 1st level at 10 meters down, 2nd level at 18 meters down and the 3rd level at 25 meters down!! We followed the path in the dark down the steps deep into the tunnels and listened to Mr Tiens explanations of the rooms and what the time for the people was like down here. We emerged through a gap in the trees right by the ocean. Amazing, you'd never know it was there. I can't imagine having to live underground through fear of what was happening above ground & have great respect for the tenacity of the people who did so. We met a Scotsman & an Italian there, the Scotsman was also going along the coast by motorbike but in the other direction.

After a quick loo break (again a room with just the floor to wee on!!) we headed off. He joined us for the next segment as we headed to the bridge that defined the border of north & south Vietnam.

Saying goodbye to our fellow biker we headed off for some lunch and this time it was some yummy chicken (I think!) pho. Pho is the famous street food here which is a tasty rice noodle broth with herbs and usually chicken or beef.
Another toilet drama as I got to the loo. This time a western one, I saw the cabinet when I went in but assumed it was empty, wood on 3 sides but a mesh front. Just as I started I jumped as in the bottom corner of the cabinet I could see the familiar scales of a snake!! I like snakes but he was a shock, real thick & tall all curled up so I can only guess his length but he was a long one. I told the guys when I got back to the table and try didn't believe me, the drivers were intrigued. They asked the owner of the cafe and apparently he's been really aggressive so they put him in the cage! A heads up would have been nice, we turned the cage around so the drivers & Sy could take photos and left for the road again!!

The drivers had been quizzing us about what we ate & Sy didn't realise the outcome of his answer when asked if we ate frog!! When he replied no, but he'd like to try, the drivers heard that as I'd like to eat it tonight!!

We headed to another local place by the drivers house where he ordered a plate of frogs for us to try. Not like Europe only eating the leg we were presented with the whole frog! Oh well in for a penny as we tried, it was actually surprisingly nice, more dishes appeared as we eat and drank. People joined us, left, came back as the group enjoyed each others company for a few hours! Stuffed, it was time to chill!

Another early start!! Honestly we're exhausted from so many early starts, it's been worse than the daily work alarm for early mornings!! Today is the last day with the boys as we take the Hue City Tour. We head off through little lanes lined with impromptu market sellers. We visit the family temples in the area & a very old bridge! Made as an act of charity by a lady who could not bear children, it was a bit random but a beautiful bridge. We met Mr Tien's beautiful small daughters and a whole host of locals. A guy from china was couch surfing, while we were talking to him about china the host group of people he'd come with all wanted a photo!!!

We headed off to some of the past emperor's tombs. They were massive & very intricate! Along the way we drove through the local cemetery. It was crazy, it was a hillside and we were driving halfway up the hill. All I could see to my right up the hill was graves and also down the hill to my left graves as far as the eye could see. The road went on for about 15 minutes, it was like driving the length of High Wycombe from one side of the town to the other with nothing but graves to the horizon on both sides. It was truly something else.

Next stop for sight seeing was the old imperial city. As we walked through the reception hall I thought that it looked lovely. Typical Chinese roofs & decoration and then we saw the 3D model of the complex. We had no idea it was that big. There were over 16 different complexes each housing a handful of buildings, water features & gardens. We strolled through them imagining what it must have been like at the time of the emperor with all his staff and the hustle and bustle of the place!

We had fun riding through the chaos of city traffic to go to the pagoda, a nice size pagoda on top of a hill. Up top there was an amazing collection of bonsai trees, some big ones too that had been beautifully grown. I was full of inspiration and hope for being able to own something similar when we finally get a garden. I don't think the English weather will help me there though!!

In Vietnam the people celebrate their loved ones death annually much like we do. However they have an open house for friends & family on the day before their death every year. They paint the tombs, cook large meals & welcome guests as they pay their respects. They do this for up to 3 generations of the family. Our last day riding happened to be one of the drivers, Tun's, grandmothers anniversary day so he invited us to come to the house & meet the family, have a meal before our night train.

It was a lovely honour to be invited and we arrived to a large spread on the table. As not to offend we tried a bit of everything. Chicken heart soup, beef (something that wasnt it's meat) curry, roasted pork, coconut cake, rice & lots of beer. Friends joined us as we chatted & raised our glasses every few minutes! His grandfather was a veteran of the war and was happy to welcome us at his table. We left after many thank you's, hugs & promises to come back one day!

Stressing at the train station as I couldn't figure out where we were meant to go we finally got on the right train and I clambered up to my top bunk. The train was smooth & I fell asleep (despite the local guy below singing along to his music) for 8 hours straight! Bliss!!

Sy had an insect bite back in Hue that was starting to look a bit angry so we got some creams and hoped it would get better. For the next 3 days we were going on a cruise around Halong Bay, if not we'll go to a doctor on our return. Rest for now as tomorrow is another early wake up call!