And they were riding Surlys! A Long Haul Trucker, and a Troll. Quite a surprise.
Oh, and all the meat on the table is dog. Yep, we tried dog. It does not taste like chicken.
Errrrr.....
24 February, 2012
A rendezvous
A knock on the door from a German cyclist who had seen our bikes brought us to a get together hosted by some Saigon bike enthusiasts.
And they were riding Surlys! A Long Haul Trucker, and a Troll. Quite a surprise.
Oh, and all the meat on the table is dog. Yep, we tried dog. It does not taste like chicken.
Errrrr.....
And they were riding Surlys! A Long Haul Trucker, and a Troll. Quite a surprise.
Oh, and all the meat on the table is dog. Yep, we tried dog. It does not taste like chicken.
Errrrr.....
Saigon
Saigon is nutty.
Biking in traffic was an amazing experience. 99% of the traffic is scooter based, and they flow trough the city like water. And like water, when their volume reaches a critical mass, they flow up onto sidewalks, through the tightest constrictions and effortlessly around men pushing air compressors across the busiest intersections in the city.
The street food culture is amazing, unparalleled in our travels in terms of freshness, diversity and quantity.
Next we head north to Hoi An, via the Dong Dong Express.
Biking in traffic was an amazing experience. 99% of the traffic is scooter based, and they flow trough the city like water. And like water, when their volume reaches a critical mass, they flow up onto sidewalks, through the tightest constrictions and effortlessly around men pushing air compressors across the busiest intersections in the city.
The street food culture is amazing, unparalleled in our travels in terms of freshness, diversity and quantity.
Next we head north to Hoi An, via the Dong Dong Express.
Grubbin
Best meal of the trip? Bite sized shrimp dumplings, bon chiet, and a plate of greens topped with a crispy rice and shrimp cake similar in texture to croutons.
Bot chiet is hands down the best street food we've been lucky enough to eat. It's a gelatinous rice flour cake that is cut into cubes and fried, very similar in appearance and taste to potatoes. Once these cubes are crisp, 1-2 eggs are added along with small bits of onions fried in pork fat, fresh scallions, and diced red peppers over a bed of shredded, lightly pickled papaya and radish. Result: mouth party.
Bot chiet is hands down the best street food we've been lucky enough to eat. It's a gelatinous rice flour cake that is cut into cubes and fried, very similar in appearance and taste to potatoes. Once these cubes are crisp, 1-2 eggs are added along with small bits of onions fried in pork fat, fresh scallions, and diced red peppers over a bed of shredded, lightly pickled papaya and radish. Result: mouth party.
19 February, 2012
The Beach
Rode along Cambodia's sw coast line from Otres Beach to Kampot. Torrential downpours, consistent headwinds, and saturated sand roads eventually gave way to sunshine, huge paved shoulders and no traffic. Multiple coca colas and coconut cakes also assisted moral.
Stopped to clean the drive trains after the rains let up. Needless to say, when whities hang bikes from trees to fuss with them, kids show up to giggle.
Took a day to explore Kampot. Rented a motorbike and cruised up to Bokor Hill Station, an old French casino/hotel development abandoned to Khmer Rouge forces before it was ever completed. Now it is a neon-orange, lichen covered ghost town.
For dinner, cruised out to the fishing town of Kep, and enjoyed their famous peppercorn crab while the sun set over the Gulf of Thailand.
So long Cambodia. Despite the rocky start, riding single track along the banks of the Mekong has been a trip highlight.
Stopped to clean the drive trains after the rains let up. Needless to say, when whities hang bikes from trees to fuss with them, kids show up to giggle.
Took a day to explore Kampot. Rented a motorbike and cruised up to Bokor Hill Station, an old French casino/hotel development abandoned to Khmer Rouge forces before it was ever completed. Now it is a neon-orange, lichen covered ghost town.
For dinner, cruised out to the fishing town of Kep, and enjoyed their famous peppercorn crab while the sun set over the Gulf of Thailand.
So long Cambodia. Despite the rocky start, riding single track along the banks of the Mekong has been a trip highlight.
Angkor Watt
The scale of these ruins is impossible to describe. As is the history they have hosted: colonial wars, Khmer Rouge atrocities, the Vietnam War. Not to mention 1000 years of monsoon rains, and aggressive jungle vegetation.
What are our cities going to look like in a thousand years?
What are our cities going to look like in a thousand years?
15 February, 2012
Kratie to Siem Reap
5 days of great riding along the Mekong through small villages. Roads ranges from freshly paved to rooted single track. The bikes continue to slay all terrain.
Oh yea, and Cambodian beer can technology is from 1982.
Oh yea, and Cambodian beer can technology is from 1982.
08 February, 2012
Strung Treng to Kratie
Introduction to Cambodia was a bit rough, with a nutty home stay and some off the beaten track riding (read: variable road conditions, no services, land mine warning signs, slash and burn agriculture in process).
But...after hitching a ride the last stretch to Kratie, the relationship with Cambodia has been reset. Things cambodia has that are awesome: a rice / coconut milk / bean snack conveniently packaged in bamboo, scooters on the road that are essentially traveling markets (see photo), some amazing sweet treats, lovely people, and 'highway' brand peanut butter. Holla.
Next up...a 4 day dirt road ride to Angkor Watt.
But...after hitching a ride the last stretch to Kratie, the relationship with Cambodia has been reset. Things cambodia has that are awesome: a rice / coconut milk / bean snack conveniently packaged in bamboo, scooters on the road that are essentially traveling markets (see photo), some amazing sweet treats, lovely people, and 'highway' brand peanut butter. Holla.
Next up...a 4 day dirt road ride to Angkor Watt.
05 February, 2012
Crossing into Cambodia
Goodbye to Laos, home of the 'wholehearted people'. What a great place.
At the border, the requisite series of $1 to $2 bribes to make everything work....and Cambodia!
Next up, working through the Mekong Discovery Trail, a very progressive tourism initiative along the Mekong: www.mekongdiscoverytrail.com
At the border, the requisite series of $1 to $2 bribes to make everything work....and Cambodia!
Next up, working through the Mekong Discovery Trail, a very progressive tourism initiative along the Mekong: www.mekongdiscoverytrail.com
01 February, 2012
Dangerous Scenes [1 of .....]
Take note of the proximity of the bikes, the cigarette, and the can marked 'gas'.
Oh, and this is on a boat.
Oh, and this is on a boat.
Savanakhett to Champasak
A four day ride, about 300k, including a first 100k day.
The trick on the long days is getting on the road before sunrise, riding until it gets just short of ludicrous hot, taking a siesta after some sticky rice and mango, and riding again as the evening cools off. And beer. Beer is the other trick.
Next...continuing south to the Cambodian border, crossing on the 4th.
The trick on the long days is getting on the road before sunrise, riding until it gets just short of ludicrous hot, taking a siesta after some sticky rice and mango, and riding again as the evening cools off. And beer. Beer is the other trick.
Next...continuing south to the Cambodian border, crossing on the 4th.
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