Romer like "Roamer," after all, that's what my thoughts do.
If Hanoi is chaos in perfect synchronization, Trang An is where the soul goes to rest. Riding in, all I can hear is the sound of our engines. The moment we park and cut the engines, there is silence. It’s a silence that has body, a silence that envelops you. After the excitement of the [...]
Post collision, I am relieved that we have returned to Hanoi for a break. Luckily, Paul’s injuries seem to be minimal. A possible concussion, and some pretty heavy bruising on his collarbone and shoulder. Not great, of course, but all things considered, it could have been a lot worse. We are all quite aware of that. [...]
The day after I purchase Elektra, the guys arrive back from the North. We meet for drinks and between their tired faces and their stories from the road, they already look every bit the experienced biker. They congratulate me on my purchase, they ask how she rides. “Well, I haven’t actually ridden her yet.” Out [...]
Pictured: Petrified owner of a motorbike. Note the fear in her eyes. I've written about how I traveled to Sapa in part to get myself out of a bit of a sad funk. In truth I also traveled to Sapa to buy myself the time to gain the courage for the next part of my [...]
Now a solo backpacker again, I spend a few days in Hanoi gathering my thoughts and, quite honestly, feeling a little sad and sorry for myself. I don't socialize much, preferring to explore on my own. I debate whether I will go to Sapa or not. A few days into it, one of my friends [...]
It is now January 4th. The guys left yesterday - I cried, of course. Louis has stayed another night and we've decided to head to Ninh Bình together. We've been told it's "Ha Long Bay on land," and have heard from various people that it's meant to be beautiful. At only 2 hours away by [...]
On January 1st we are all down for the count. We spend the entire day at Republik because the thought of going outside to get food or water is too much. That's what happens when you dance in the street until the morning. So, we spend the entire day lounging. We order pizza, then more [...]
