BORDER CROSSING POIPET CAMBODIA. G MORRISON 26 Jun 01

WHEN CROSSING BORDER FROM THAILAND TO POIPET CAMBODIA ENSURE YOU HAVE YOUR INTERNATIONAL VACCINATION CERTIFICATE OR YOU WILL BE "FINED" BY HEALTH OFFICIALS. AS IF YOU WOULD BE TAKING ANY DISEASES INTO CAMBODIA

Biking - cycling reports from Cambodia - is it safe? what's the condition of the roads? can I get something to eat? Route info and comments from people on the ground. Rept from Cambodia July 2000

Sokchay, US/Cambodia (Feb 2000): Good luck, you'll need it! If you plan on cycling with to Cambodia... I would say my last good byes to your family and loved ones. Contrary to the media and what other people may have told you...Cambodia and its borders are far from being safe. But good luck if you decide to take the journey. Mr Pumpy: :-(

Ken Shane , Canada (Oct 99): Ken cycled from Poipet - Siem Reap - PP - Vietnam.y point felt that I was in any danger. The locals were very friendly and helpful throughout the month I stayed in the country.

Danger in PP: The only reports that I heard of tourists having problems were in Phnom Penh. At night it can be dangerous as there are still many weapons in the hands of locals despite the government's attempts to control the guns. A Swiss guy I met came back to his guesthouse late at night after visiting a few pubs and was held up at gunpoint. He handed over the little money he was carrying. I haven't heard of any tourists that had any problems during the day.

Land-mines: As far as the land-mines are concerned, you will definitely see many of the victims with their limbs amputated (especially at Angkor wat where they beg at the entrance) but for the average tourist that sticks to the touristy sites no problems at all. Cycling Poipet - SR - PP - Vietnam: The road is definitely bad but not enough to press the "alarm button"!!! Most frustrating thing is the dust that lifts up when a vehicule passes by! (Mr Pumpy's note: The roads, traffic and locals bearing gifts always look worse to non-biking tourists. Beware of alarm button pushing tourists who travel on buses and over dramatise.) Cycling Poipet - SR: As far as pedaling is concerned from the border of Thailand (Aranyaprathet) to Siem Reap, the road... or more appropriately called a dirt track is very bad, among the worst I've came across with a lot of potholes and unrepaired bridges. During the dry season it can be very dusty when vehicles pass you, covering you in a cloud of dust and during
the wet season... I could only imagine that it would be a nightmare! The terrain is flat so it's just a question of putting up with the bad roads.

Cycling distance: For cyclists that are keen on covering their 100km a day, they might be disappointed! From Phnom Penh to Vietnam the road is paved but there's a lot of potholes. How many km in a day? Depending on the roads, between 50-100 km. Between the Thai border and Siem Reap, the roads are so bad that a cyclist wouldn't even have a chance to pedal in high gear! Mountain bike: I did it on a mountain bike which is highly recommended as the roads are bad with plenty of potholes. On a thinner rimmed bike, the chances are that you may break a few spokes or damage the rim if you are not careful. Food: No problems in finding food in small villages, and one treat that is quite welcome, is to find French bread (baguette) in the local markets, other food available along the side of the road are bananas, waffles (yes, real waffles), cooked sweet potatoes and of course soup and local dishes served with rice. In some of the bigger markets like in Phnom Penh, if you're keen to eat something
exotic there are always fried spiders, scorpions and different type of insects... Water: As far as finding bottled water, no problems in the most towns although personally I never buy water and simply ask locals for some and never had any health problems. Border crossings: Everything quite straight forward as far as crossing the border is concerned as long as you have a visa. Tent: As far as carrying a tent is concerned, I do carry a 3-men tent but never made use of it as I always stay overnight with the locals in the villages. Mosquito net wasn't necessary but don't know how it would be during the rainy season though.

George Moore, USA (Oct 99): Safety - everyone carries a pistol: There is one important thing that you need to know about Cambodia; EVERYONE (and I do mean everyone) carries a gun, whether we tourists know about it or not. Under the front seat of every share taxi and/or truck or bus in Cambodia, there is a pistol. It's there for when the soldiers in the countryside get drunk (which is just about always) and get out of hand.

Drunken soldiers: This drunken soldier thing is the big concern on Hwy 6 between Sisophon and Siem Reap in particular. Personally, I'd give it another year before you bicycle between Sisophon and Siem Reap and Kampong Thom. My great fortune is that I've never witnessed in person what happens when those drunken and over friendly soldiers get out of hand, but the list of travel stories about it is too long to review.

Target 4pm: In the Cambodian countryside, traffic generally comes to a halt, not when the sun goes down, but by about 4pm. That should be your target time to get into a village or a room. In the countryside, drunken soldiers can be encountered even at 11am, but after 4pm is when they are at their worst... Local people get up super early and plan to arrive wherever they are going by 4pm.

Carry local currency: Another thing I usually suggest to those who are doing off the beaten trail stuff in Cambodia is that you always carry small wads of the local currency in a couple of your pockets, just in case. Bargain hard!

Traffic- watch your behind! Watch out for not only oncoming traffic but for traffic coming up from behind. Get ready to bail off the road if it doesn't look good. I don't know what gets into the local drivers but sometimes it seems that they are actually looking to run over a moto or a bicycle.

Tempers: The problem in Cambodia is that tempers can be short. (Mr Pumpy suggests smiling a lot, and for your own sake, stay super cool and controlled if a bad situation arises.)

The road Poipet - Sisophon - Siem Reap: A bicycle would probably be best! It's really a question of how long it would take to get from Poipet to Siem Reap. You don't want to be forced to spend a night out in the open.

Sisophon to Siem Reap: Between these two towns there are maybe two villages. The rest of the way is just wide open countryside. Being forced to spend a night out in the open is not a good idea. If it happened, it would probably be best to search out some of the soldiers who guard the road and spend the night with them.

Siem Reap and Kampong Thom: See this link for some 1998 photos of Hwy 6 between Siem Reap and Kampong Thom. Again, a bicycle would be best, but it is once again a question of time as you wouldn't want to be forced to spend a night out in the open on this stretch of road.

Kampong Thom - Phnom Penh: From about 20km outside Kampong Thom all the way into Phnom Penh, the road is fine.

Phnom Penh to Bavet/Moc Bai: From Phnom Penh to Bavet/Moc Bai (the border with Vietnam), the road is also fine. But again, you need to get into the next village before the sun goes down.

Andy Brouwer, UK (Oct 99): Roads: Cambodia 's roads are pretty woeful...much, much worse than Vietnam's. Phnom Penh would be okay fro cycling and the main roads fanning out from there. I've been along Route 1 towards Vietnam and although its a very busy road its certainly doable.

The rest of Cambodia, road-wise is a nightmare simply because the govt won't spend money on road repairs. They will have to eventually but they're really looking for other countries, like Japan, to come up with the cash (as they have for the road from Penh to Kompong Cham recently).

Vietnam border: Make sure you have the correct stamp in your Vietnam visa though or else they'll turn you back. Safety: Cambodia is becoming safer by the day but take the normal precautions, don't make your wealth obvious, keep pinchables out of sight...in most places you'll be a novelty and the centre of attention, lap it up as the Khmer are a really friendly bunch.

Bribes/robberies: You may be stopped on the main highways by unscrupulous ex-army but the govt has warned everyone to treat foreigners with respect and this is being upheld throughout the country. A few thousand riel ($1) and your passage should be assured...but check this out first (the days of kidnap and other horrible things is now hopefully a thing of the past).

Sorn Kurt , Cambodia/USA (Oct 99): Sorn is a native Cambodian, resident in the USA, who goes cycling in Cambodia.

Bicycles - mines: As a native Cambodian , I would like to tell you that most of the Khmer people outside the cities use the bicycle as their main way of trans, and I never heard that there was any bicycle incident related to the mine, so there is no worry about any mine explosion as long as your stay on the main road.

The road: The road itself is not in good condition as in the USA, or in Australia. I rode a bicycle every time when I visited Cambodia in 1992 and in 1997. Next year , I plan to ride a bicycle around Cambodia countryside again ,and nobody think that I was from America and I felt safe.

After dark - robberies: My advice for your safety that if you are going to ride across Cambodia, do not ride after dark since you are a Westerner and you may got robbed, although most Cambodians are friendly toward the foreigners.

Things to see - ancient Khmer bridges: beside of visiting the famous Angkor Temple, they should go to see an ancient bridge at Kompong Kdey District (it built about 1200 years ago, along with 9 other bridges,but only this one is in good condition) along HWY 6, it's about 17Km from REP. Also,if they go down to the bottom of the river, they will see the bridge columns which are about 50 meters in high and are still intact and they will appreciate the ancient Khmer art in the building of the bridges as well as the temples.

Glenn Press, Aust (Oct 99): Glenn is the owner of the Walkabout Hotel in Phnom Penh, and a great source of Cambodian info. The Walkabout gets a very good rap in the rec.travel.asia newsgroup, so check it out when you hit PP.

Poipet - Siem Reap: I have had 2 guys stay here that cycled the Poipet - Siem Reap trip. They encountered no problems apart from the state of the roads. They took the boat from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh because they wanted a rest.

Vietnam - Phnom Penh: Later I had another two cyclists who came from Vietnam and they didn't report any mishaps. Before nightfall: I feel that if you plan to be off the road before nightfall the robbery risk is small. Police Checkpoints: There are police checkpoints that may ask for a few cents. Shouldn't be a problem.

Charlie, via the rec.travel.asia newsgroup (Oct 99): Poipet - Siem Reap: The vast majority of the way is sandy, pot holed roads periodically littered with bits of broken pavement. In many places you will veer into farmers fields (deep sand!) because it is preferable to the road. But careful where you step because land-mines are still mostly undisturbed.

This section is a virtual wilderness- very sparsely populated REP - PNH: There is quite a bit of paved road between the two cities but the most important thing is that its fairly civilized along this route. A series of decent sized villages and small towns. I haven't heard of any robberies along there yet.

Pickup trucks: There are some good sized king-cab pickup trucks that travel this route and there would be plenty of room for your bike in the back.

Khmer Rouge - Sihanoukville deaths: The deaths that occurred here several years ago were perpetrated by the KR. The KR threat has been largely neutralized so really the traffic would be the most realistic concern. Traffic danger: Traveling on the highways by bus at least 9 times since 96 I've seen a few wrecks beside the rode. Always a lone car that has managed to drive off the road for no apparent reason. Always on a nice straight stretch of well paved highway. Strange thing.

Lodging - nightfall: The best idea is to be close to your destination by nightfall. Traveling by bicycle you are going to have to spend at least one night out there in a farmers house or in one of the small logging villages. I'm sure some family would take you in so that won't be a problem. Khmers are gracious hosts and would enjoy to have a foreigner stay overnight.

Judi, via the rec.travel.asia newsgroup (Oct 99): The roads are (as of three weeks ago) utterly diabolical - from the Greek diabolos, the devil. Very wicked, cruel, fiendish or demoniacal.


The Ride: A moderately easy, 1000 km, two week ride (not including rest days). Great country, friendly locals, cheap and a lot of fun.

The Road: Pretty good, all things considered. Leg 1 through Laos is along a first class Japanese made sealed road. Leg 2 across to the Vietnam border is a mixture of sealed road and sometimes annoying unsealed sections. Leg 3 down through Vietnam is sealed the whole way and very good for riding.

Traffic: Laos is a cyclists dream! The traffic is almost nonexistent and the local bus drivers are polite. Vietnam hots up a bit, but in my experience is nowhere near as bad as Lonely Planet will have you believe.

The Bike: You need a touring bike, hybrid or mountain bike to ride Leg 2 through Laos, which gets rough the closer you get to the Vietnam border. A racer would suit fine on Legs 1 and 3.

General: Laos was closed to tourists from 1975 until only a few years ago, and because of this lags behind the rest of Asia in tourist infrastructure.

As a result it's possibly the most polite, friendly and trustworthy place in Southeast Asia. It's also very cheap. I spent on average about 15,000 kip - US$6/day (1 USD = 2,500 kip). However, things will change rapidly.

Vietnam is a little more complex and a little more expensive. Most hotels will set you back US$10 and expect to spend about US$20/day (1USD =15,000 DONG).

Other Cyclists: Lots of locals, especially in Vietnam, but surprisingly few Westerners or Japanese.

I ran into a group of three (two Swedes - Petter & Ida, and a Dutchman - Marcel) near Phalan in Laos who'd come through from Hanoi and China. I passed a cyclist in Hue, Vietnam, but he didn't stop. Apparently I missed a Belgian couple somewhere near KheSan; Mr Pumpy had a hard night and slept in that morning!

Language: Lao is the same as Eastern (Issan) Thai, a dialect of Central (Bangkok) Thai - the main difference being a bunch of ending changes. The numbers are exactly the same as the Thai, but the Thai greeting: 'sa-wat dee!', for example, becomes 'sa-bai dee!' in Lao. Thai TV is beamed in everyday now so most Lao people speak Thai. The Vietnamese language is completely distinct from Lao and demands a whole new mouth arrangement. As always, a few sentences go a long way. You can get by adequately enough in both countries with English and/or French.

Places to stay: Hotels at 70 to 100km intervals, except a couple of 150 - 250 km rides between hotels on Leg 1 in Laos. Camp anywhere, stay with the locals, in vacant farmers' huts or hop a bus to the next htl, a breeze.

The Locals: Millions of friendly locals! Outside of the main towns, Laos is the sort of place one still draws a polite and inquisitive crowd. Within the towns, the locals will usually leave you alone out of respect for your personal space. Long may they live, prosper and never change.

The Vietnamese are more up-front; in the tourist centres read: polite but 'on the make'; out in bike-country read: polite, curious, eager to make friends and be of assistance.

Food, drink & transport: Heaps of food, drink and local transport throughout the whole trip. No need to take any supplies.

--------------------------------------------------------- Leg 1 Vientiane to Savanakhet The Ride: An easy, 450km ride along Hwy 13 between Vientiane and Savanakhet (Savan). Not tremendously scenic, as you don't see that much of the Mekong, but a pleasant jaunt through paddy fields and rolling countryside. The people are a treat.

The Road: Hwy 13. A new Japanese built road, wide and in great condition. No hills. Flat to undulating and paved all the way. Traffic is constant but thin. Local buses, samlors, motorbikes and bicycles.

General: Laos is like a 'very country' Thailand. It's laid back, easy and something of a relic of days gone by. It's one of my favourite places.

Vientiane, ThaKhek and Savan are the only sizable towns. Thapabat, Pakxan and Pakkading are small highway towns of varying dust factor. It's the easy riding and roadside noodle stops that make this leg worth the effort.

The ride in detail: Vientiane sits on the banks of the Mekong, is no bigger than a mid-sized Thai regional centre. One is struck immediately by the total lack of 'hassle factor'. There's heaps of hotels and guest houses to suit every pocket and the town is well worth a few days exploring.

The biggest surprise once you leave Vientiane is the number of kids that wave at you from the side of the road. You won't get lonely on this ride.

Heading out to Pakxan on the first day means a 149 km run along Highway 13. The road is wide and sealed and the traffic minimal. The scenery isn't that great, and really only improves once you get past Savannakhet and onto the Vietnam border. However, the ride is so hassle free and the people so friendly, that this more than compensates.

Savan - an extremely pleasant former French colonial town on the banks of the mighty Mekong.

Go for a stroll around town and soak up the atmosphere, eat omelettes and chips at the 'French & Lao Food Restaurant'`and drink fruit shakes in the town square.

Mr Pumpy stayed for five days and found it difficult to get back on the road. If you can't make it all the way to Pakxan, there is a large Buddhist Wat 5 km before Thapabat that will put you up if you ask nicely.

There's no accommodation at Pakkading, so you'll need to ride the full 210 km to ThaKhek to get a hot shower and a bed. If you can't ride that far flag down a local bus. They'll be only too happy to have you aboard.

ThaKhek is an interesting town, but gets a lot of Thai tourists zipping over from Mukdahan (in Thailand) for a bit of cheap shopping and entertainment. As a result it's a bit more jaded than the rest of Laos, and I was happy to leave.

It's 100 km onto Xeno from here, which has a hotel near the market, but it's hard to find as it doesn't have a sign. The market itself is extensive and worth spending a few hours in if you have the time. (A day trip back up here from Savannakhet might be a nice excursion).

It may be best to ride straight through Xeno and head on to Savannakhet which is 35 km away and mostly downhill. Savan is a most pleasant old French colonial town sitting quietly on the Mekong; another one of my favourite spots.

Food & transport: Food and drink stalls every few kilometres serving 'phur' (noodles), bottled water and Coke. Xeno has a very large market that might be worth checking out. Lots of local transport if you need it.

Security: Bike security is pretty good in Laos, however, take the usual precautions; lock it and keep it in sight at all times.

When I was in Vientiane I spoke to an Australian couple who'd been robbed. They had hired local bikes and unfortunately put their passports and money in the one bag in the front basket of one of the bikes. A motorbike ridden by two local lads went by, scooped up the bag and took off. 'We pedaled furiously and tried to catch them, 'said the Australian, 'but it was hopeless.' A story worth keeping in mind.

--------------------------------------------------------- Leg 2: Savanakhet to the VN Border The Ride: A 240km flat to undulating ride due east on Hwy 9 across Laos. The first half of this leg is mainly sealed and in good condition, but the last half, just past Phalan, deteriorates into an annoying mix of rough gravel and oddly spaced sealed sections.

The Road: HWY 9. Good to poor, in that order.It's sealed, and terrific, all the way (except for some small annoying 50 metre long random dirt sections) till 20km past Phalan, where it becomes rough gravel with the odd sealed section all the way to the VN border.

This stretch is definitely not for 'racing' bikes, but a tourer or hybrid would be OK. You'd need a mountain bike in the wet season as this road would get awfully boggy and sad. In fact, I wouldn't do it in the wet.

Traffic: Constant but very thin. Local buses, samlors, motorbikes and bicycles.

General: A fascinating ride. The scenery gets more interesting the further one rides towards the mountains along the Vietnamese border and the (shudder!) HoChiMinh Trail. A lot of ethnic hills-tribe people and villages along the way for you to entertain. You're right in the thick of 'mysterious Laos' by now so keep going, it's worth the effort...

Pumps Down! Leaving Laos.... Places to stay: Apparently there's a hotel in Xeno, but it's hard to find as there's no sign (hey, it's Asia, what do you expect?), but riding the 35km out of Savan you wouldn't be staying there anyway.

40 km east of Xeno you will arrive in PhongThong, (also called DongHen or DongKilo - I think. This got confusing, and not only for me). There's a very comfortable unofficial Guest House here, used to house visiting party cadres, dignitaries and Westerners on bikes. It's a modern, white single story brick building directly below the big 30 metre (10 story) high TV aerial, on the south side of the highway. Don't worry too much about the name of the town, just keep your eye out for the aerial - it's very tall and has a small satellite dish at the top. Ask anybody who looks semi-official to find the caretaker for you. Cost is 5,000 kip for the night. You might run into Comsee, a young local lad who speaks some English - he'll probably want some kip to further his English career.

There's no hotel at Phalan, but be sure to stop at the 'MuangPhin International' in MuangPhin. It's on the south side of town opposite the war memorial. For 3,000 kip you get a bed, mosquito net, candle and a tub of water. What you don't get is any windows, electricity or running water! The hotel's been burnt out at some point and not put back together again. See the caretaker, a woman in the pharmacy next door (a small hut). Despite its obvious failings, and a strong wind blowing in from Vietnam, I had a very refreshing sleep. The best cafe in MuangPhin looks to be a 'trucker's stop' on the north side of the highway just as you enter the town. Look out for all the trucks. It serves up good cheap meals and there's plenty of friendly company.

At Xepon there is a government Guest House fifty metres up the hill on the south side of the highway just as you enter the town. It's basic but very pleasant and costs 3,000 kip. There's some long stay Lao health workers living there. Xepon also has a large market and is the jumping off point for trips into the HoChiMinhTrail. It's a nice quiet town to hang out in for a day or two. Like a lot of other towns along this route, Xepon has the remnants of a bombed out bridge across the nearby river.

I'm told there's a hotel at the Lao town on the Lao-VN border, but I didn't see it. The border town is not all that pleasant anyway, so it might be best to cross into Vietnam and stay at LaoBao or better still, ride the 20km up the hill to KheSan (see Leg 3).

Food & transport: Food stalls every few kilometres serving mostly 'phur' (noodles). Lots of local transport if you need it.

The Vietnamese Border: These days the border crossing into Vietnam is a breeze as long as you have a Vietnam visa marked "Land crossing: Entry at LaoBao'. If not, the Viets will send you back to Savan to get one (the bus takes a day). LaoBao is just a couple of kilometres on from the border (see Leg3).

-------------------------------------------------------- Leg 3: LaoBao to HoiAn Plunging out of KheSan: The road east out of KheSan plunges down the hill for 40km onto the plains past jungle, waterfalls and those bumpy 'Chinese' mountains - this is close to bicycle nirvana! Ride 1 Across mysterious Laos & Vietnam!

The Ride: This is a delightful 4 day, 300 km ride taking in a bit of 'everything' that Vietnam has to offer. You come down from the mountains, ride along the coast and pass through some of southern Vietnam's most interesting towns.

A 20km climb up from LaoBao to KheSan, then a swift 80km downhill plunge to the coast at DongHa. From there it's a 200km run south down Highway 1 to HoiAn going over the HaiVan Pass just before Danang (see below).

The Road: Paved and in good condition.

Flat all the way except for two notable hills: a steep 20km climb up from LaoBao to KheSan (and then a 40km plunge down the other side!) and a 30km climb up the HaiVan Pass (see below) north of Danang.

Riding Highway 1 : The dreaded Highway 1 isn't all that bad, really.

Its sealed all the way, and runs pretty much straight down the coast of Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon, a length of about 1,700 km. The most surprising thing is its width; usually less than 8 metres, no bigger than a Western suburban street.

For the biker, the saving grace is the generous bike shoulders on each side of the road. Vietnam is a bike culture, and these shoulders are used extensively by the locals. This also means that, despite the wailings of non-biking Lonely Planet contributors, the local buses are well aware of bikes, and will do their best not to wear you on the front of their radiators. (The same cannot be said of vehicles in most Western countries.)

The short advice is this: the road's not that bad, but take care, as always, and do what the locals do.

Hai Van (Sea Cloud) Pass: Situated 35 km north of Danang on Hwy 1, the Hai Van Pass rises to a height of 500 m straight out of the South China Sea.

For the rider, the Pass is nowhere near as awesome as the Viets make out; it took Mr Pumpy an hour and a half to get up at a leisurely pace, most of that just walking the bike.

The scenery is beautiful and the Viets driving past will be most impressed ('You strong!'). There's only one drink stop, so take enough water.

At the top there's an old fort (see the animation at right) and a bevy of enterprising Vietnamese ready to pounce, offering everthing from drinks to food to sex. (Mr Pumpy availed himself of the first, but was too pooped to try the rest.)

You can see the port of Danang off in the distance, some 35 km away.

The freewheeling ride down from the Pass is orgasmic.

Traffic: Constant, but not too bad.

Highway 1 this far from Saigon is pretty good. Local buses, motorbikes and bicycles.

Other Cyclists: Every morning at 7 and mid-afternoon at 3 the roads fill up with Vietnamese kids on their way to and from school. The kids are friendly and enthusiastic: convoying, zig-zaging and cracking jokes! After a long day in the saddle it's fun to have them as company.

As far as Western and Japanese bikers go, they're a lot thinner on the ground than I expected, considering the publicity Vietnam gets these days, and the big bike rallies that have gone through recently. I saw only one other cyclist going the other way outside of Hue, and he didn't stop - just kept right on riding away! Most cyclists that are riding Vietnam come down from China and/or Hanoi heading south to Saigon (see 'Wind' below).

The Wind: Apparently there is a prevailing northerly wind blowing from Hanoi to Saigon, so the most popular riding direction is southwards (with the wind).

However, I've ridden in Vietnam twice now (once in February and once in April - May) and not found the wind to be any factor at all, so it must depend on the time of year, or maybe it's just another myth.

General: After leaving ambient Laos, Vietnam is a bit of a culture shock. The people are very switched on, very sharp and very different.

It is, however, a fascinating country and you just need to keep your wits about you, avoid the ripoffs, stay on the bike and everything will go smoothly.

(Q: 'Hey mista, how long you been in Vietnam?' A: 'Many months!' = I'm hip to all the rip-offs, so back off!).

The best part of Vietnam is the small towns. Stopping for lunch in these places, where no other tourists go, is where you'll find a Vietnamese hospitality and sense of fun that is the equal of anywhere I've travelled in Southest Asia.

Also, despite their tourist Mecca status, both Hue and HoiAn are pleasant places to spend a few days.

Places to stay: A plethora of hotels in all the major towns. Easy cycling from one main centre to the next.

Food & transport: Vietnamese food is terrific and is available every few kilometres along the road. Lots of local buses if you need to hop one.

Biking Southeast Asia with Mr Pumpy! May 99 http://www.netspace.net.au/~mrfelix/bsa/BSA-002.html 2/2001


Biking the Ho Chi Minh Trail

When I found out from Neil Mishalov that Cycle Vietnam was offering a Mountain Bike Tour of the Ho Chi Minh Trail my instant reaction was "WOW! I've got to do that". I signed up immediately on hearing I could be in the first group leaving Jan 1 95.

The Ho Chi Minh Trail, a network of roads, trails and paths through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, existed before but was greatly expanded during the Vietnam War and played a very significant role as the main supply route for the North Vietnamese Army. In spite of great effort the US was unable to disrupt it.

The original itinerary was to take us from Danang north along the coast to Dong Ha then inland on highway 9 into Laos. We would then go south through the center of Laos and back into Vietnam at Kon Tum.

However, there were so many last minute dropouts that Cycle Vietnam offered an alternate itinerary; start in Hanoi with a road tour down the coast and then split inland at Danang through Kon Tum, Play Cu and Buon Ma Thuot. This left out Laos, and therefore most of the Trail, but would allow me to visit North Vietnam as well so I agreed to the change.

After touring Hanoi and environs, 22 of us headed south January 18th on Vietnam's main road, national highway 1, a narrow two lane bumpy road mostly paved and marked every kilometer with a stone giving the distance from China. If you don't see these stones you've missed a turn. Cycle Vietnam used them to locate water stops, lunch etc. Actually food and water were never a problem. Every other structure seems to be a small shop selling water, beer, fruit, and crackers. The people seem to eat well, as all kinds of food were available in abundance.

The ride out of Hanoi was a double rush, fast (averaging about 22 mph) with lots of motorbikes, buses and trucks. Most drive on the right but, as Bruce Weber the New York Times reporter along on the trip remarked "unlike Amer-icans they are not fanatical about it", many coming at you from all directions, particularly at intersections. You quickly learn; don't be tentative yet yield to faster vehicles. Your dead if you stop. Somehow it seems to happen. I kept asking myself "am I really doing this?"

As an American in lycra shorts and bright shirt on a fancy bike, you are constantly the center of attention. Fortunately, the Vietnamese proved to be very friendly, forward yet not aggressive, with no evidence of hostility from the war. Surprising, since we dropped some millions of tons of bombs on them. The Vietnamese feel the war was over a long time ago. There are dogs everywhere and may run across the road at anytime. When they get hit there is an argument about who gets the body, the guy who killed it or the owner. Fortunately I never hit one. In fact somehow I managed not to crash or fall during the whole trip.

Just north of the former demilitarized zone I took a side trip to the tunnels of Vinh Moc. I rode in alone on a packed but rutted dirt road about 10 miles, not knowing for sure just where I was going or how I would recognize these "concealed" tunnels when I got there. At intersec-tion I would ask a local "Vinh Moc?" One would point one way, another would say "no no" and point to the other.

Vinh Moc, a primitive village opposite Con Co Island in the South China Sea used to land supplies from China, was so heavily bombed that the Vietnamese rebuilt it under-ground. For years up to 1200 lived in these 4 1/2 ft tunnels. Women and children were never allowed out. They were safe from ordinary bombs but dreaded the drilling bomb. The only direct hit fortunately was a dud but I could still see its remains in a side tunnel when I took the 30 min flashlight tour guided by Nguyen Quang Chuc, a slight gentle man who lived in the tunnels when he was a child. The land above is littered with bomb craters.

Because of this side trip, I arrived in Dong Ha after dark and couldn't find the hotel but on asking some kids where it was they said "oh we'll show you" and led me there. I had the only bike with a light.

At Danang the Ho Chi Minh Trail group, now expanded to thirteen as some of the roadies decided to join in, left the road group and headed inland on highway 14, part of the Trail during the war. The first few miles are paved but on crossing a river it turns to rocks, mud and puddles. This proved to be the hardest riding of the trip. There was always the choice, the rocks or the puddle? At first, not knowing the depth, puddles were taken slowly but before long it was charge right through. Fortunately no problems, even though I was riding slick Fat Boy tires.

After about a mile of rocks, two rider's on Bike Fridays had enough because their drive trains were constantly bottoming. This type of bicycle, while easy to travel with and ok on paved road, proved unsuitable here. This left eleven hardy souls to continue along with two land cruisers and a truck for gear.

That afternoon I had my only uncomfortable experience when some drunken teenagers celebrating Tet grabbed me and tried to get me to drink with them. Fortunately, I was able to convince them to let me go. Occasionally someone would ride by on a motorbike carrying an AK-47, presumably used for hunting. I found it could be a little scary alone in the jungle there and was glad when I came upon our truck about an hour later. Since I still had 15 miles to go and it was now 4 PM, I realized that, at the rate I was going, I would not reach the guest house before dark. I definitely did not want to be out there alone after dark so stayed with the truck.

At Play Cu, there is a paved road back to highway 1, so five more said "enough" and hired their own vehicle back to the coast. To bad for them because the best jungle lay a couple of days ahead. This left six, including Rick and myself, to continue.

The road from Play Cu to Buon Ma Thuot is good smooth pavement over rolling hills and it was a pleasure to be able to get up some speed again.

From Buon Ma Thuot we headed south to Lak and Dong Krola though extraordinary bamboo jungle ( Go to: Photo of rest stop on a bridge crossing the "Trail". The man in the white tee shirt is a veteran telling us about some of his experiences and how it felt to be back. The man in the purple on the right is Bruce Weber, a reporter for the NY Times. His article about this bicycle ride appeared in the NY Times on Mar 1 95 ).

Unfortunately, the distance we had to cover was so long that we ended up riding in the land cruisers through the best part, a section we nicknamed the bamboo tunnels, in some places so thick we had to cut away bamboo with machetes to get the vehicles through.

Overall, it was an intense, demanding trip both physically and mentally. There were many 100 mile days. I've mostly recovered, but my right hand still doesn't quite function properly, I guess from nerve damage. Not too bad considering. Anyway I can still ride my bike.

I plan to go back, not on highway 1 again, but through the remote sections of Laos that formed the main parts of the Trail. Please contact me if you'd like to go along:

Mountain Biking Along the Ho Chi Minh Trail Jan, 1995 By Robert T. Lewis, 1046 Stannage Ave, Albany, CA 94706 E-Mail: RobLewis56@aol.com (510) 526-7030