By Alexandra Petri, Travel Weekly
Motorbikes are a way of life in Vietnam, whether it’s a family of six squeezing onto one scooter or a man transporting every household item imaginable strapped to the back. That’s why when visiting Vietnam, travellers should do as the Vietnamese do.
Biking in Vietnam
Day 1: Dalat
Dalat is set high in the mountains and there are a plethora of local tribes here. I was lucky enough to pick up on travellers’ whispers about Mr Rot’s tour which offers a private motorbike experience back to his home village. I confidently volunteered to drive my own moped but unfortunately spent most of the trip crashing and speeding off into open fields. We started off eating deep fried cricket in sweet chilli sauce and drove our way through the mountains until we arrived at the village of the Cil people. We wandered into a modest, cement home of three women, all of whom had valleys of wrinkles in their faces and who passed around aged rice water.
Vietnam by bike resting in Dalat
Day 2: Dalat to Lak Lake
I woke up the next day to set out on my Easy Riders tour, where two experienced bikers pulled up like knights in shining leather to whisk us through the Central Highlands and onto the coast. Before we knew it, we were on the open road and waving adieu to Dalat as we headed for Lak Lake. I liked the freedom of riding on the back of the bike in comparison to driving my own. Not only were my driving skills miserable, but my focus (and my camera lens) could now be on the world around us instead of the road in front of.
As we drove toward Lak Lake, a man drove beside us, navigating his way through traffic with his wife freely sitting on the back, her legs hanging off to one side and a handful of dead chickens in tow. Families of five were squeezed onto a bike, sharing an umbrella, their faces buried into one another’s backs.
Read the full article by Alexandra Petri, Travel Weekly.
