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Linda's World Tour 2004-05 |
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World Tour 2004-2005 |
| Vietnam | ||
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  10.05-10.06.2005 32 days Bike (1,540 km) & Bus & Train     click on the map to enlarge  Versione Italiana  Vietnam Part 1: Lao Bao to Vinh Moc, Ninh Binh & Halong BayVietnam Part 2: The Mountains of the North West Vietnam Part 3: Hanoi, Hue to Hoi An, Saigon & the Mekong Delta  Vietnam was part of the Loop in Indochina (click on the map to enlarge it) |
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| 15.05.2005 - Vietnam! | ||
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Things here are very different from Laos: lots of people, heavy and very noisy traffic and too many locals that see foreigners as big wallets to profit from. Even buying water at a reasonable price is difficult! Despite all that, I like the country and in terms of crazy things you get to see on the road, Vietnam is not less interesting than China!
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On May 10, I entered the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 
| 22.05.2005 Fred in Cesena! | ||
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If you happened to see a familiar looking cyclist on the streets of Cesena (my hometown) in the last days, you may have spotted Fred! Getting closer to the end of his incredible RTW by bicycle, Fred visited my parents before crossing the Appennini and heading towards France, his final destination. It is obvious at this stage that Fred was too fast in the last months, for a simultaneous return to Europe to be possible. Although I miss him greatly, I will only join him next Fall, at the end of my trip... |
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| 31.05.2005 - The Minorities of the North-West | ||
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  During the 10 days in North-West Vietnam I was reminded of how much I love cycling in the mountains... and how much I hate it! The suffering on the steepest climbs was rewarded by fantastic scenery and colourful road encounters with the Ethnic Minorities of this region. The highlight of this leg was the market in Can Cau, where hundreds of Flower Hmong converge to do their shopping on Saturdays. Click here |
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| 15.06.2005 - Goodbye Vietnam | ||
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Having spent 3 weeks in the North of the country, I was forced to use public transport for most of the 1,700 km from Hanoi to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). After a short break in the Centre to visit historical Hue and Hoi An and cycle on one of the most scenic parts of Highway One over Hai Van Pass, I boarded a local bus headed South and after 25 dreadful hours of crazy driving, the breaking of the transmission at dawn on the second day and the constant tension for being in the hands of a zombie-driver who hadn't rested for the last 35 hours, I finally arrived in frenetic Saigon. From there I cycled through the Mekong Delta, amidst green plains and many channels, bridges and floating markets, before entering Cambodia on June 10, from Tinh Bien border crossing.
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| © 2004 Linda Spadolini |