Posts Tagged "Motorbiking"

• Mega Motorcycle Trip Day 3: Episode Twenty-Five

  Vietnam

  Asian Karaoke

  

  Once again do not assume when traveling!! Karaoke, Asia Style is not what you think it is!!

  On our last night on the motorcycle adventure we were asked if we wanted to go to karaoke!  “Heck Yeah,” we said!! We ran back to our rooms to get so fresh and so clean to hit the karaoke bar!!

  Now when we think of a karaoke bar we imagine of a bar full of people getting crunk with an American Idol reject at the front serenading the crowd.

  This is Not the case in Asia.

  We walked out of our hotel waiting for a tuk tuk to take us to the bar.  However, all we were doing was crossing the courtyard of the guesthouse we were staying at… and it was Not a bar.

  It was a room that you rented by the hour.  Fresh fruit, snacks and beer abound!  Pretty much, you sit on couches with your friends and sing your heart out together.  No audience.

  So here we were, sitting in this room with our two Vietnamese tour guides while they belted out love song after love song.

  Finally, we broke down and busted out rhymes to “Gansta’s Paradise” by Coolio and flexed our pipes in “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey.  Needless to say, we will be hitting up record companies pretty soon with our newly discovered talent!! 

  The next morning we drove into Saigon…

  Hanoi ain’t got nothing on Saigon when it comes to motos!!  They decimate the streets!  There are over 4 million motorbikes on the streets of Saigon, and we were in the middle of it.

  Near death crashes; Chelsea: 6 Kinsey: 4 Total: 10

  These on the verge accidents all occurred within a 20 minute period!!  Insanity!!!

  For More Photos, Check out our Flickr Account! ————>>>>

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• Mega Motorcycle Trip Day 2: Episode Twenty-Four

  Vietnam

  

  Easy Ridin’

  Easy Riders are abound in Vietnam!  In any city or beach town on the coast you will find Easy Riders that are willing to take you on an adventure of a lifetime!!  A motorcycle journey for 3-30 days based on your wants touring the back roads of this overly touristic country.  They take you to places most travelers never see and all the while on the back of a bike!!  Can you really beat that!?!?!?

  As we all know, or should at least know, the Ho Chi Minh Trail was a series of roads, paths and waterways used by the Viet Cong to get supplies to the South during the Vietnam War aka The American War.  The H.C.M. Trail was a pivotal reason why the Vietnamese kicked our Butts!!    Even though it was sad to know what happened here in Vietnam in the past, especially due to the actions of our own country, it was enlightening and empowering to know just how far Vietnam has come since the devastation of the American War.  Here we were sitting on the backs of motorcycles with Vietnamese natives driving us around their country, a country where its people exude a sense of pride from not only their history but their present.  The four of us genuinely got along and there was no animosity towards us for being Americans not only from them but from all the Vietnamese we encountered!

  

  Seeing the barren fields as a result of Agent Orange being dumped on the jungles of Vietnam was humbling to say the least.  Knowing the extent of the damage that the U.S. Government poured onto the lands of this country and its people made us a little ashamed to hold our heads high our there!  These fields are still a kind of waste land where nothing grows even 40-50 years later and where it is still not unheard of for babies to be born with birth defects.

  Moral of this country’s story: It is sad that this country and its people are still being punished years after the conflict has ended and relations have mended.  It makes us think that maybe we should take a lesson from this period in time and maybe make better decisions for a brighter future for all of us on this small blue and green ball we call home!!

  For more photos, check out our Flickr account ———–>>>>

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• Mega Motorcycle Trip Day 1: Episode Twenty-Three

  Vietnam

  Head Out on the Highway!!

  Kinsey’s Guide to Better Living, Chapter Nine: Entrails should Never be consumed!!!

  Heading out on the highway for a four day Easy Rider adventure with our favorite tour guide…Wang!!!!  From Da Lat to Ho Chi Minh City, these next couple of days were going to be Wild!!

  You don’t just haul ass for four days straight cause that is just Too hard on your butt!!  Making stops throughout the day to see the sites and flex our gluteus maximus muscles!!

  Now when you think of a roller coaster what comes to mind?!?!?  Exactly, a track that people ride in small cars on with really steep slopes and narrow turns to pump up the adrenaline junky in all of us as we barrel down the incline at rapid speeds!!   Boy, were our assumptions wrong on this one!! In the land of Vietnam, a whole nother countray, roller coasters are different!!  How so you may ask??!?!  Well for one you control the speed of the car with a brake that you use to keep the car at a sight seeing pace!! If you go to fast and someone is in front of you, you can and will slam into them at an enormous speed!!  Making you responsible to any and all injuries/lives.  We did not realize these rules until after we barreled into the automatic brakes at the end of the coaster and three attendants were waving and yelling at us to slow our butts down!!!!  Oooopps!!  Thank God all railways were clear!!

  

  Chelsea’s Quick Tips: When in a foreign country, Never assume!

  For more photos, Check out our Flickr account! ——->>>

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• A Day In Da Lat: Episode Twenty-Two

  Vietnam

  Highland Adventures

  
  

  Located in the highlands of Vietman, Da Lat is known for it’s mountain views, great trekking and flower farming!  Most of the flowers grown here grace your tables back home.

  We came to Da Lat to get off the major tourist trail, whichplagues the coast.  We decided to hire some drivers and spend a day scooting around & seeing the sights!  That is how we met Quang or “Wang” the best tour guide Ever!!  Even beating out our hilarious guide on The Great Wall!!

  This was also the day that we discovered “The Vietnamese Drip” or the world’s Best coffee!!  Thick, strong and iced it has flavor like you can’t even imagine!!  Screw Italian espresso!!!

  We loved Quang sooooooooo much that we decided to take a four-day motorcycle adventure to Saigon or Ho Chi Ming City instead of taking the bus we had planned.  Stay tuned for some more Wang Chung!!!!

  Get your motors running!!

  

  For more photos, check out our Flickr account ———>>>

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• Ridiculous Road Trip: Episode Sixteen

  China

  Scootin’

  
  

  We set out trying to find a small town about an hour outside of Yangshuo that is famous for making handmade fans.  However, we failed.  Due to the horrible quality of the map we had and being distracted by the unbelievable scenery, we never made it. Nonetheless it was still a great day.

  We stumbled upon a village market place where we dined for lunch!!  We had no idea what we wereeating but it has been the best Chinese food we have had on this trip!!  And the cheapest taboot!!

  As we pointed out in the video, the Chinese eat at tiny, little tables in tiny, little chairs.  This can get uncomfortable quick.  Mostly because we are not natural squatters like the good ole Chinese with their squatting toilets!!!  Chelsea never quite mastered the squatting toilet usually coming out saying, “I peed on my foot again!” Dirty, filthy girl!

  For more photos, check out our Flickr account ———>

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• Dirty Datong & The Buddhas: Episode Six

  China

  Buddha Caves

  
  

  Kinsey’s Guide to Better Living: Chapter 2: Do Not Go to Datong, China!

  Filth.  It’s the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Datong!!  Our first stop after Beijing, we came here to see the Yungang Caves.  There was trash everywhere!!  You could even see the pollution in the air.  When walking down the street we kept getting whiff after whiff of one nasty smell after another!!  Kinsey has a very sensitive nasal passage and can get migraines justfrom inhaling cigarette smoke.  While in Datong she was getting migraine after migraine probably due to the poor air quality and pollutants.  Don’t stay in Datong longer than is necessary, see the caves, which are worth it, and get out!!!

  Though the city was dirty and nasty, the people were remarkable.  To get to the Yungang Caves we had to take a number of public buses.  English was nonexistent so we had to resort to pointing in our guidebook and using our Mandarin/English phrasebook.   Not only did people want to help us but they also personally escorted us from bus to bus with one man even paying for our bus tickets.  The kindness and helpfulness exuding out of these people are like nothing we have seen in any other country we have been.  And we think the babies are the cutest EVER!!!!

  Datong must not get many western tourists because people were craning there necks and taking double the amount of pictures to get a glimpse of the two blue eyed freaks walking around their city and their caves!!  By the way, the caves were astounding!!! There are 252 caves with 51,000 Buddha statues from giant to tiny!!  All this work was started in AD 460 to boot!!  Holy Moley Cassaroley!!

  For more photos, check out our Flickr account!!

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