Foolishly I had left very little time to get out of Vietnam – I would have to make 500km in only 5 days to reach the border in the time allowed on my visa. Normally, this wouldn’t have bothered me too much but my Hanoian friends kept warning of the mountainous regions that lay ahead. Heeding their advice, I set…

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At 6am last Monday morning I set off with Van the Man to Quan Lan island. The bumpy five hour bus ride on backroads, including a breakdown halfway, reminded me why it’s better to travel by bike, and when finally arrived it turned out we had landed in the wrong place. A fast and furious fifteen minute motorbike ride later,…

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Sunday will mark the end of three happy weeks in Hanoi. I imagined I would stay here long enough to catch up on fiddly jobs like replacing the tyres, updating the website, tightening the brakes, stun-gunning my clothes, cursing broken zips, shaking out panniers, buying new batteries, fumigating the tent, disinfecting my sleeping bag and more, after which I would…

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While speeding for half an hour off China’s south-west plateau my surroundings changed in phases. First, the dense mist that had hung over my eyes for so long lifted to reveal spectacular views of a deep canyon and steep winding road below. Next, the chill in the air disappeared transforming the rushing wind over my bare arms and legs into…

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