After the unsuccessful attempt to get into Laos yesterday I took the afternoon to consider my options, should I wait for the bus, if is does come it will arrive at 12.30-1pm. If it doesn't it I will have waited all morning until the heat of the day leaving me insufficient time to make it to the boarder before it closes, and not enough time to get to my planned destination in Laos; or should I sack off the bus cut my losses and head for the hills on the bike. I ch...

Following my minor breakdown, still feeling tired I decided I had too few days left to make it to Laos under my own steam. My visa expires on the 10th feb. The guide book stated if you get to Vinh a nice man called Mr Hai would arrange a bus to Laos for you. So I cycled the 30k to the closest town and got a bus to Vinh, found Mr Hai and sure enough he was happy to sell me a bus ticket to Laos for a heavily inflated price, at that stage I didn't mind paying above...

Day 2 started badly! I set off from Cam Thuy, my guest house did not do breakfast. As you have probably gathered by now my whole world revolves around food!! It was the last day of the Tet festival and again nowhere was open, so I rode on, and on and on and on. Until I'd done 50k and arrived at my destination for the day Thuong Xuan, still searching for food. I was going under, i really needed to eat! Eventually there was a cafe open and happy to feed me. Never ...

Day 1 solo cycle tour! Roo and I had to part company- I have to head to Laos and Roo is heading off to central Vietnam. We stayed last night in Ninh Binh, which due to Tet was a ghost town. We found a hostel for very cheap and that was pretty much the only thing open! On arrival at the guest house was a couple if chinese chaps who were also cycle touring- they were heading south but seemed keen to come towards Laos with me. I was really happy about the prospect o...

Tomorrow is Tet the start of the new lunar year, Chinese new yr. This is a massive celebration in Vietnam and China. Pretty much everything shuts down, everyone gets 4 days public holiday and it's party central! Or so we were led to believe... We spent Tet in Mui Ne aka tourist central. The posters said that there would be "pyrotechnics on the beach, beach bonfire, fire dancing and dancing girls from HCMC", we couldn't have been more underwhelmed! The bonfire fiz...