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#1
11-30-2009, 01:25 PM
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VIETNAM the RE-DO
This is a repeat of my post "North Vietnam - Oct. 2009".
Many people could not see the entire 10 post thread because of an error on my part. Sorry................................................ Thanks to K-K  AKA = Rick for the help and encouragement.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I rented a Honda 250 Dual Sport in Hanoi and did a clock wise circle of the mountains near the Laos and Chinese border. I had the bike for 20 days. That bike had the hardest seat I have ever sat on. Hanoi is a crazy, loud place with around 6 million people and over 5 million motor bikes that never stop honking their horns. The use of horns in Vietnam is not seen, or heard if you will, the same way as it is in the USA. No one takes offense and in fact expects you to let them know where you are. Although it seems like complete chaos most people are not traveling that fast and no one is malicious. Of course very few are obeying any of the signs or signals. These are in place only to assign blame if and when an accident takes place. Hanoi will be 1,000 years old in 2010, should be a good party. I met a French man who just moved to Hanoi to teach for the next three years so when I left I gave him my full face helmet and armored pants. This is a video of a ride I took on the back of his moto one night after we had been out partying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdZ6TXJbcco I headed out from Hanoi on a south west direction to Hoa Binh then on to Yen Chau where I got a hotel for the night. Next day I’m up early and on to Song Ma. I had hoped to cross over to Dien Bien Phu by way of a mountain track but the locals said it was not possible by motorbike, only walking. So I retrace my route and end up in Son La for the night. It’s was fine with me. The Song Ma valley was about 90 degrees F and the mountains in the 70’s. Following day was a fantastic ride over a couple passes with great views. I spent the night in Muong Lay where the main crop is opium and timber. A massive dam is under construction and the entire town and valley will soon be under water. It will be the largest hydroelectric
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit" Last edited by Pete_Tallahassee : 11-30-2009 at 04:05 PM. 
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#2
11-30-2009, 01:41 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
From Muong Lay it was on to Sin Ho and then the tourist Mecca of Sa Pa. Sa Pa is a zoo. This is the number one tourist destination in northern Vietnam along with Ha Long Bay. Being what it is makes it a good place to get a good room and find really good food. I stayed three nights. The Black H’mong and Red Dzao hill tribe people are every where in town and selling their wares to the tourist. Many can speak a good amount of English, French and some German.
Did I say the seat was the HARDEST seat I have ever sat on? I bought a pillow back in Song Ma and it helped a bunch! From SaPa I went to Bac Ha and Can Cau to the markets. Here is a youtube link. Might be a little long. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9od7d79wB5o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRUmwS2Lb0Q Pics of food and places I ate at :
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#3
11-30-2009, 01:51 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
From Bac Ha it was on to the frontier where you have to get a permit from the police and hire a guide. The guide is just a baby sitter that is supposed to keep you away from the border. I told him I was only staying one day and then circled back after he left. No problems.
Ha Giang is a very spectacular place to ride a motorcycle. The people are very friendly and since they do not see as many tourists as the Sa Pa area they are not out to get something from you. They will stop for a photo and not demand money. This is the road between Dong Van and Meo Vac. It goes along the edge of a canyon with a river far below and China on the other side in the distance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDwszeOvwr4
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#4
11-30-2009, 02:09 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
People
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#5
11-30-2009, 02:24 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
More People
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#6
11-30-2009, 02:40 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
From Ha Giang it was on to Cao Bang. The scenery here is also nice to look at and for some reason I was allowed to ride right up to the Chinese border with out a permit. Later I was told I should have had one but so it goes. No problems.
Ban Gioc Falls are the most well known in Vietnam and are exactly on the border with China. I rode up expecting to pay for a ticket but no one was there. I then realized I could drive past the parking lot and get closer to the falls. Again, no problems. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Tnm6XKGCk
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#7
11-30-2009, 02:47 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
OK, From Cao Bang I headed to Lake Ba Be for my last days with the motorcycle. Lake Ba Be is a National Park and charges admission, 20,000 Dong. You get 18,000 Dong for a USA dollar. NO wise cracks please
At the lake I met a French man who has moved to Hanoi and the two of us rented a boat and the captain for a seven hour ride on the lake. I stayed in a cool rest house on the lake for 80,000 Dong. You do the math.
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#8
11-30-2009, 02:49 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#9
11-30-2009, 03:01 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Thanks for the positive feed back. I'll try to conclude.
After Lake Ba Be I did a sprint back to Hanoi to turn the bike back in. Traffic into Hanoi from a good 65 - 70 miles out was very thick and almost all city with little country side in view. Air thick with dust and diesel. I still had nearly a week left on my visa so I took a three day two night cruise on Ha Long Bay. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halong_Bay The bay is a tourist magnet. A least the boat I was on only carried seventeen passengers and had some very good sea food. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL7ATORvnSc
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#10
11-30-2009, 03:05 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Just a few comments to answer questions and conclude this report.
First of all I apologize for the mess I created in viewing this post by some of you. I tried using Microsoft Word to write this off line and did not know the ramifications of cutting and pasting from there to here. Don't do it. Answers and some details : I never felt unsafe or threatened the entire trip. Language was a problem once out of Hanoi. Most people can read and write numbers and pointing at what you want is easy. I don't know if English is taught in the public schools but many people take lessons at private schools. Food was very good in Hanoi and the larger cities. A fresh baguette could be found easily and the seafood was really good and plentiful. When I was out in the country side I usually ate off the street, in markets or small mom and pop places. While I liked everything I ate I did not always know what it was. Draft beer (Bia Hoi) is everywhere and cheap, 10 to 20 cents a glass. Bottled beer was 60 cents and red Vietnamese wine was $2.50 a bottle. http://www.dalatwine.com/en/product_...p?type=1&id=38 Gasoline/Petrol was around 85 cents a liter for low grade and about $1.00 for high test. That was if you bought at a gas station. If you bought from a container by the road side the price was negotiable. The bike was rented from OFFROAD VIETNAM http://www.offroadvietnam.com/eng/2.php The owner is Anh Wu and he is a pleasure to deal with. He is very good at answering his email and is fluent in English. If you do not want to organize your own trip he offers many options and could make it very easy to see this part of the world. I traveled alone but you will meet fellow travelers often. I paid $30.00 per day for the bike and sent all of the money via Western Union two months prior to my arrival in Hanoi. The bike performed flawlessly, not even a flat tire. I was given a small package with spare tubes and assorted parts but never even opened it. I did stop often to have the chain cleaned and lubed. Twice I had the chain adjusted. Each time I had this done at a small shop they refused any payment. Really nice people. I carried a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx and it was the bomb. I purchased a map of Indochina from Rotweiler http://rotweilermaps.com/maps.cfm I have to give tremendous thanks to Mat Ward from New Zealand. Mat sent me his tracks and waypoints from a trip he and his father did in June/July of 2009 and for half of my adventure I used them extensively. THANK YOU MAT This entire trip cost me $2,700.00 USA. 30 days total : Air Fare, Hotels, Food, Bike, Gas, Beer, Three days/two nights on a boat in Ha Long Bay, everything! I bought the ticket three months in advance from AIRFARE.COM. They have many bad write ups on the net but they worked for me. Round trip Tallahassee, Florida to Hanoi, Vietnam costs $684.00. The carrier was American Airlines, JAL and one leg on Vietnam Air. Flight path was Tallahassee - Dallas/FT.Worth - Tokyo - Hanoi To conclude: My favorite place has to be the road from Dong Van to Meo Vac. I rode it five times on two diffrent days. My most unique encounter was in Sa Pa out in front of my hotel where I was able to get a Skype connection to my 93 year old Mother. She spoke to 20 to 25 H'mong ladies in their full native dress for at least thirty minutes. Both my Mother and the H'mong were amazed. Thanks to all of you who took the time and hassle to read and look at my pictures. I have more videos on youtube if you wish to see them. http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f
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Pete 02 Kawasaki KLR 650 00 BMW K1200 RS RED "Where you stand depends on where you sit"
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#11
11-30-2009, 03:41 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Quote:
I thought of your first attempt as a test of my adventure skills! Loved the pics and the tale.
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Joe "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." --William H. Beotchker, 1916
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#12
11-30-2009, 03:55 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Wonderful to have you back.
 Great pics 
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James ( Plumb Loco )  04 Zebra  " Somewhere in all this Horseshit ...... there got to be a pony ...... trust me "
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#13
11-30-2009, 05:19 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Pete, THANK YOU for taking the time to repost.....now the story is all there and, it is even cleaned up by having ALL 10 posts right in a row! A WONDERFUL REPORT!
 Also, a big THANK YOU to Rick (K-K) for sending Pete a Notepad version of his text so he would not have to retype everything (Pete admits he isn't the fastest typer in Tallahassee!  ).
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Randy '07 K1200S Titan Silver Metallic / Cosmic Blue Metallic / Night Black Learn something or simply find entertainment on i-bmw? Then why not consider supporting us via a donation? See the "Donate" link on the NavBar in the middle of every page! Thanks!
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#14
11-30-2009, 08:01 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Excellent re-post Pete. Thanks so much for taking the time to clean up your act for us.
 Such an AWESOME adventure!!! Hope many more readers will enjoy your thread now. (kudos to Rick!)
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* Degenerate-Hooligan-in-Training - Banned from Xplor...  * Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. Sir Winston Churchill  * .
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#15
11-30-2009, 09:12 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
http://www.i-bmw.com/attachment.php?...2&d=1259609050
I knew I recognized those shoes and the Bike. Me so Horney, she love you long time. Full Metal Jacket Right?
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MOA Member #106320 2003 R1150RT Titan Silver 2008 K1200GT Dark Graphite
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#16
11-30-2009, 09:29 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Excellent Pete and glad to be able to help and encourage you to redo this post of a superb adventure!
Now get over to Advrider and post up a link to this new thread!
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Rick 04 K12GT  Tiverton, RI
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#17
11-30-2009, 11:12 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Thanks guys!! Great report Pete!
Enjoyed the slide/video show this past weekend too. Cheers bud.
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Greg '03 K12GT Orient Blue '07 Triumph Daytona 675 Scorched Yeller '03 Kaw KLR650 For the next adventure  "Company kept, is revealing"... So why am I hangin' with you monkeys?
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#18
12-01-2009, 03:43 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Great to get to read all of this adventure.. What a trip
Thanks for the redo and for sharing it with us all... 
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Kjell   Ride Fast - Ride Safe ! There is no road to happiness, happiness is the road
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#19
12-01-2009, 03:59 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Pete, friend - I stand in awe! Great report, wonderful trip. Tonight I'm going to show Marijke the report too - and hope I can persuade her to come to Asia too. You've certainly given me the ultimate tool! Thank you!
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regards, Frits. You don't have to outrun the lion - you just have to outrun the other tourist... Learn something or simply find entertainment on i-bmw? Then why not consider supporting us via a donation? See the "Donate" link on the NavBar in the middle of every page! Thanks!
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#20
12-01-2009, 07:17 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Terrific report, Pete
. I thoroughly enjoyed it and admire your willingness to do such stuff...
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". . . the boy means well, Granny" '05 K12 S '07 R12 GS
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#21
12-01-2009, 09:09 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Nice trip Pete !!!
 KILLER report ! pics and clips
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Roll out my coffin Drink poison in my chalice Pride begins to fade And y'all feel my malice
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#22
12-02-2009, 08:48 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Great thread, Pete. Now I have something to dream about during the long NJ winter. And to do it alone!!!!! Well done, Mr Livingstone!
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'08 -Pres. 2004 K1200GT '07 - '08 2002 Yamaha 650 '73- '75 196X BSA Goldstar '67- '70 1959 BSA Bantam
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#23
12-03-2009, 12:19 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
I still want to know the story here:
http://www.i-bmw.com/attachment.php?...7&d=1259608128
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Vic; 1998 K1200RS; 115,000 miles - The other "M" ride///;  - The ugly one; 18,000 milesUS Patents: *4,940,318 *4,923,302 *4,906,087 --------------------------------- Learn something or simply find entertainment on i-bmw? Then why not consider supporting us via a donation? See the "Donate" link on the NavBar in the middle of every page! Thanks!
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#25
12-03-2009, 07:34 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Wow the whole trip for $2700.. again Pete, you da man!!!
Thanks again for sharing this incredible adventure. take care.. Allen
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#28
12-11-2009, 01:54 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
That's quite a tale, and great photos, Pete... your adventurous spirit is admirable...
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Charlie Model citizen
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#30
12-20-2009, 10:25 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Hi Pete!!! "Loner" was here today dual sporting on the dirt with his K1200S!!! and we were talking about you...
I am so happy you took this trip... photo are awesome... Thanks for the effort and the great posting. Somehow we all need to get together! Has been... 10 years you know! Be well... Ara & Spirit
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#31
12-20-2009, 10:47 PM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
wow.....
a truly wonderful thread excellent pictures and videos glad you are back, safe and sound thanks for sharing all of this with us
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Greg Savel Clearwater, FL USA 2007 K1200GT 2010 S1000RR (coming: january, 2010) live like you mean it... but take your family and friends along for the "ride"
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#32
12-21-2009, 10:47 AM
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Re: VIETNAM the RE-DO
Quote:
We are doing a Pre-THCR on April 16 thru 18th  Maybe that would be a wonderful time to visit 
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James ( Plumb Loco ) 04 Zebra " Somewhere in all this Horseshit ...... there got to be a pony ...... trust me "
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