Hoi An to Hue and Phong Nha by motorbike

Hoi An is a vibrant UNESCO listed city. It has a charm due to its preservation of buildings and aesthetic dating back to the 15th century. When I arrived, the tet holiday celebrations were ramping up, lanterns illuminated the city and river and people were everywhere on the streets. I needed to escape a little while and hired a motorcycle for a month. This particular trip was a warm up loop back to Phong Nha .
I visited the My Son sanctuary, which  was about an hour away from town. It is a UNESCO listed world heritage site, significant because of its hindu temples that come from the Champa kingdoms dating back to 3rd century.  A lot of t he buildings were damaged due to war and natural damage, but there is enough to pique interest and make the visit worthwhile.
Exploring the ruins kept me occupied for a few hours, and I was lucky to see a dance and singing show which is only put on periodically.  
I had fun idling along on the trails used by workers to access their crops. It was so much better than sitting on a bustling road.
In under an hour away from Hoi An is the Marble Mountains. It is famous because of the various  religious statues inside the caves and on the mountain and the marble sculptures available for sale in the town nearby. 
The caves were fun to clamber through. Not everything requires a level of agility or fitness as there is a lift to take people up to the top of the mountain and plenty to see around the top.  I didn't particularly like the idea of using the lift so I walked up the stairs instead.
The caves are huge and buddha's statue has a position of pride within in them.
Anyone who claims to be motorcycle rider has to do the Hải Vân Pass should the opportunity arise. It was made popular to a wider non motorcycling audience by the Top Gear show in 2008 on Vietnam.  Unfortunately it was raining (as apparently it does most of the time) , so I wasn't able to fully appreciate all the views and motorcycle skills sessions on the curves. 
With the amount of traffic on the pass, it just as well I had to slow down anyway. Trucks and busses also tend to take more than their fair share of the road when navigating the tight bends.  I enjoyed the ride, but wouldn't go out of my way to do it nor claim it to be the best ride in the world.  Perhaps I am too spoilt with the offerings at home. 
I love the food in Vietnam, especially pho and the salads. I enjoy the taste of the fresh combination  herbs and vegetables and sparing use of meat. The cuisine is sure to in favour with diet conscious professionals, I reckon I shed a few kilograms on this trip. For me, dining out was so inexpensive compared to eating in Australia, which meant I didn't do any self preparation of food on this trip.
The Hue imperial city complex is another UNESCO listed world heritage site.  It was well worth a visit and I could easily spend a few days there wandering around. My trip was marred a bit due to my timing with the tet holiday, but due to size of the complex, I was able to find refuge in various areas. 
The city complex was established around the Perfume river, established in 1805 as the capital of Vietnam until 1945.  Despite wars and cultural changes it is in good condition and upkeep.
You can't drive inside the city walls, and you wouldn't want to with the crowds. Along the perimeter of the road outside the walls you can park your bike - for a fee (goodness knows what you do if you have a car). I photographed and pinned a map reference on Google, as did this lady, so I could remember my motorcycle location.
Back to Phong Nha, it is was such an alluring place, I felt I left it too early last time. even this time I reckon I could have easily spent another week.  Its drama with the mountains seemingly punched through the flat farm lands, lush green fields and the  mirror smooth rivers flowing through them, dotted with small villages and narrow laneways, all touch my inner being.
Paradise cave is a publicly accessible cave. It was well appointed with quality walkways and lighting. The size and feature set of stalagmites, stalactites were not short changed when comparing against the likes of Tu Lan or Son Doong. I was glad to attend at 7:00am,  as I had it almost all to myself. At around 9:30am my solitude was destroyed by a very loud bus loads of tourists. Noise, especially of the  discordant kind , is an unfortunate byproduct of travelling in Vietnam.
When on my own, I don't mind roughing it. With the price of accommodation being so inexpensive compared to Australia I did not bother chasing backpacker dormitory accommodation. For little more, I could get a nice double bed and shower to myself along with breakfast, and meet a nice family as well.

The scooter I hired was a nice machine, it was new and even had anti lock braking. It was a bit short for my body and I was unable to maintain a good riding posture. The long distances and continual bumps in the road were also not doing my back any good either. So, I rang up the motorbike hire shop in Hoi An and arranged a swap to a trail bike. With that agreement, I backtracked to Hoi An.
On the way I road along the shores my in a fishing village. The boats are parked up on the sand at the end of a fishing trip. They make quite a sight with their strong curved shapes and decorative bows. I would imagine that they would rock quite a bit in the sea so a good stomach would be needed to take this up as a career.
Even though I wasn't hungry, I had to sample some food. The squid could not get any fresher, and passed the yum test.
Even the chilled beer using ice cubes almost passed muster. After a long motorbike ride it doesn't take a lot to slake a thirst.
Motor bikes are the  ubiquitous mode of transport in Vietnam for the general public. It can seem daunting with the sheer volume of vehicles in the cities but after a while you get used to it. The speed is relatively low compared to Australia and everyone is 'aware'. You get used to people riding in the wrong direction, sudden turns and pedestrians walking without fear in the traffic flow. 

One thing I vowed I wouldn't do again though is ride at night, especially in the rain. Drivers don't know the difference between low and high beam and half are probably night blind.
On main roads it is the express buses that are ruling tyrants of the road. With their loud cacophonous horns they tell you get out of the way and you  better. They are on a mission and a lowly motor bike rider is a fly to be swatted..

I stayed over in a seaside village outside Hue called Xa Loc Vinh. It was located on a river mouth and was a pleasant surprise. In the morning I was entertained by some dragon boat racing.
The event was a major one and attracted many visitors from the nearby villages. 
After lunch I headed back to Hoi An initiating the route by a drive along the beach sand. I even did the Hải Vân Pass again and met the same showery weather again, so the sights and experiences were not a lot different to the first time.
Back in Hoi An I did a bit of shopping, getting a skirt made for my daughter, some leather shoes made for me to look nice at her wedding and some lanterns for the engagement party.
Unfortunately this meant my minimalist baggage was no longer described that way. Good thing I changed to a different motor bike too.
This short trip was enough to enthuse me to carry on further with the motor cycle tour,  As pleasant a city that Hoi An can be, I also couldn't wait to get out of the city, so I was happy with the change over in machines and looked forward to the adventures ahead.

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Location: Hội An, Quảng Nam, Vietnam