One Aussie dollar buys about 17,000
Dong, so quick mental conversions
do not come easily to any but the
mathematically gifted. Withdraw the
equivalent of about $60 Aussie dollars
from an ATM and hey presto, you're a
millionaire! ATM's are available in all
but the smallest villages. You’ll only
be paying for souvenirs and beer on
this trip as everything else is included.
A beer runs to about one US dollar in
most places.
TRAVEL
WEATHER CONDITIONS
ON THIS TRIP
With the variation in altitude you’ll
experience on this trip, you’ll need
to pack to suit moderate heat
(up to 25C) and the occasional
monsoonal rain. As you climb up
the Fansipan Mountains to Sapa,
you may well experience single digit
alpine temperatures.
Loosely speaking, be prepared to
layer-up with several thin layers.These can be added to or peeled off
as required. Daytime maximums can
be as low as 10C in the mountains.
Add some rain and your riding gear
will be well tested. Do you have
Goretex waterproof boots? Good,
bring them!
From about Day Five onwards
you'll need a ventilated jacket with
some light waterproofs always at
the ready. Hydration should also be
considered in your riding strategy.LUGGAGE
We pretty much all brought along
specialist motorcycle waterproof
bags this last trip and they worked
really well, as the bikes are fitted
with small aluminium racks.
I ended up buying a 40L
waterproof bag from Givi and some
of the boys brought 60L bags – but
even with the luxury of a fresh
T-shirt and undies every day I never
ran out of space.
Be conservative in what you bring
as you’ll always find the temptation
is to pack too much.
Do bring your own personal first
aid kit – and if you’re travelling with
mates consider splitting a larger
kit up between several of you so
that one of you can carry more
substantial bandages and gauze
while someone else can pack pain
relief and other meds and you’ll find
this method works very well.
If you arrive in Hanoi with a large
suitcase, you can always do a deal
with your hotel to hold onto your
bag until you return to Hanoi.
Talk to Vietlong Travel about this
and any other concerns you may
have about the trip. It will be
one to remember! D1
2
- Clutch repair stop. The mechanic
made quick work of the job,
obviously used to it. - No, it’s not a horizontal pipe
organ, but a handy bridge. Only for
use when it’s dry.