Well I better start putting some DEET on and some long clothes because I’m feeling like candy for those damn vampires. Until now I was only stung once, this horrible 20 hour drive gave me about one sting every hour.

The trip was horrible but now I’m in the mountains for what I’ve already seen this is a really nice place. Time to get some food! and Tiger balm to prevent the bites from itching.

— update 16:00

Well finding a nice Aladdin style pants in this town is harder than it seems. The place is way more crowded than Hoi An, and traversing the town on foot is generally a hike & adventure combined  because everything is steep and the streets are narrow. But that will be a fun thing on a Honda tomorrow ^_^

My bus ticket to Mui Ne is also set 2 Feb and I’ve got an open ticket to Saigon from Mui Ne, with 4 busses a day shouldn’t be a problem even with Vietnamese New year coming closer every day.

Since I haven’t have any nice pictures from Dalay yet here are some nice oldies gathered from my new Facebook friends.

— update 1 Feb 8:00 ICT

Family hostel is something else then a commercial hostel. Today renting a bike and go see some more waterfalls.

Hoi An… What can I say… A friendly small town after being harassed for marijuana every 2 minutes  by some scooter drivers in Hue the relaxing atmosphere is just nice.

Everyone tells me you’ll meet people and then if you’re heading in the same direction you are sure to meet them again. This proves it: I needed a teammate for a game of Beer Pong and guess who shows up…

After a relaxed night it was time to make some plans. My buddy was anxious to go to Mỹ Sơn (temple complex about a two hour drive by scooter from here)

I cannot really recommend it, I will explain why. The temples (9th century) would’ve been really really nice apart from the fact that the USA bombarded the whole site and the only thing whats left of it is a few piles of rubble. The only thing I could think of the whole time I was there was… What a shame.

Just like what happened to Palmyra… Horrible.

After another great night out in bar “why not?” Today is pretty sunny. I’ve rented a bicycle for a day to cruise around, and reached the eastern edge of Southeast Asia.

The plans for the upcoming week. Tonight at 17:00 ICT I’ll hop on the night bus to Da Lat via Nha Trang. The first part is a 15hour drive then at about 9:00 tomorrow another 5 hours to reach Da Lat. Then it’s time for me and Natasha go our own ways again and I’ll be heading to Mui Ne (Kitesurfing!!!) And catch my flight on new year’s eve to Bangkok.

In Bangkok I’ll try and get a few hours of sleep and welcome my little sister in Asia.

But backpacker plans are made to be ignored and changed so who knows!

So… In the midst of my upload my account at Leaseweb got suspended. But these great folks got me up and running again within two hours!!! thanks everyone!

What a day! I started in Hue. Got a motorcycle (Honda RSX 110cc) and motovina got my bags shipped to Hoi An. Then we started by going to an abandoned waterpark in Hue. The place looks amazing, at night you would be able to host some horrific haunted house your.

The place has been overgrown by nature, super cool but probably freaky at night.

The place was absolutely stunning in its own way; best part: no entry fee

Then we set off for what Jeremy Clarkson said to be the most stunning road in the world. The Hai Van pass.

What an epic road!!! Seriously the best I’ve ever ridden. Just watch out for goats, cows, trucks and potholes 😉

As a picture says more than a thousand words:

The view… No words to describe it.

See for yourself:

After passing the clouds, we got into a new climate: sun, sea and temperatures in the double digits. Just… WOW!

As you have Jezus watching over Rio, you’ve got a budda watching over Da Nang.

After all that tarmac, butt sore from the motor it was time to chill out. Finally a beer by the pool…

Tomorrow its time to visit some tailors in Hoi An and plan everything well ahead of the Vietnamese New year (Tet)

Tonight its time to get into a bit of party as I’m planning to stay here for two nights and head down to Dalat.

J.