Sunday, January 13, 2019

Riding the coastal roads of Vietnam

   AH1 is the coastal highway of Vietnam. It isn't the most scenic and it is usually flat and straight. There are many trucks and buses and the speed is fast so it is incredibly dangerous. I was on it it make some time when I came across a tunnel that motorcycles were not allowed on. It detoured all bikes up and over the mountain then around some more, all with excellent views of the China Sea.

 The road curved up and down, hugging the mountains

  And when the road came back down, I was on the beach of Da Nang
  If you look closely at the top left, you will see The Bodhisattva of Mercy

 On the Son Tra Peninsula in DaNang, stands a 67 meter statue of the Bodhisattva of Mercy. The statue construction has been recognized as the highest Bodhisattva of Mercy statue nationwide. It is 17 meters in diameter and has 17 floors. Each floor worships a different Buddha. The 17th floor has a flight of stairs that lead to the statue's head. It was completed in August 2010.
But now I'm riding back into the mountains and it is more of  " Business as Usual "

Friday, January 4, 2019

Getting Lost in Paradise

   
Just one of the days that I have spent getting lost in Vietnam
The views were spectacular everywhere I looked!
  I was using a map app on my smart phone and I decided to take a short cut.
I rode down the "shortcut" for hours
  I didn't question it too much as the views were getting better and better
    Then as I came around the corner, the road went straight into a lake. It looked like a boat ramp. I was forced to back track adding another several hours to the days ride.
When I finally got near my destination, I came across the reason my shortcut was underwater. The entire valley had been flooded by a powerplant dam. It wasn't my plan but sometimes life has a much better ideas than I do.