On the road - Northern Vietnam (Yen Bai - Ha Giang - Ma Pi Leng Pass - Bao Lac)

Yesterday, I finally hopped on my scooter and headed north! After some tips from the locals, I set off from Hanoi towards Ha Giang. I changed my original plan to go to Sa Pa (also in the north) a bit. The distance between Hanoi and Sa Pa or Hanoi and Ha Giang is about the same, but Sa Pa is said to be much more touristy...

So yesterday, after breakfast at the hotel, I started and wanted to stay overnight in Yen Bai and then continue to Ha Giang the next day. According to the GPS, it's about 180km by scooter (no highways), so it should be quite doable...MAAAPPP!!...of course it wasn't!

1.) I started way too late

2.) I completely misjudged the travel time

3.) I got lost

Finally, I was driving in the dusk from 6 p.m. and in complete darkness from 7 p.m., on roads that wouldn't even qualify as dirt paths for us! When I got lost in the dark, I was a bit frustrated...but when I finally saw streetlights again, I was back in the game and motivated to finish my daily route! 💪 And I did after 9 hours of driving.

Arriving in Yen Bai, I quickly checked on Booking.com for accommodation...there was only one hostel, so the search ended quickly 😀 I was the only guest in the hostel. The bed was okay, and the rest was as you would expect from the only hostel in a Vietnamese village. (at least there was hot water) There was no real food left, the sidewalks were already folded up. But I found a bakery👍

This morning, I set off at 8 a.m. and reached Ha Giang around 1:30 p.m...what a success! 🙌

But I have to say that today I pushed myself and my scooter to the limit. The roads became more hilly and curvy, but the road surface was mostly good, and I didn't have to go on any bumpy paths.

Overall, I was quite nervous about driving in Vietnam in general and in the mountains in particular...but I have to say that buying that damn scooter and starting this trip was probably the best decision in a long time. It's incredibly fun, the scooter (so far...touch wood!) is running smoothly, the scenery around me is amazing, and people on the streets cheer enthusiastically when they see a foreigner on a scooter.🙌

I can find gas stations quite easily...as a child of a truck driver, I always carry a small bottle of fuel with me, just in case. So far, I feel like I couldn't be better equipped...even though I didn't plan anything and bought most of the stuff spontaneously or brought it with me 😄... The bike is working fine, I have a decent phone holder, a power bank (great tip, Marcus!🙏), a jacket (it's getting quite chilly in the north), and I even have a rain poncho with me (fortunately, no rain so far).

You can find food by the roadside, and the rest will work itself out👌

In just two days, I have already encountered almost everything you can imagine...besides trucks and buses (awful!😬...definitely eat a lot of dust), scooters, cattle (often hanging out on the road), chickens, dogs, cars, motorcycles, goats...

I've already seen cops, but so far, I'm flying under the radar😎

You have to be a bit more careful on the road here compared to Germany, especially when a truck and/or bus is overtaking another truck and/or bus that is currently overtaking something else 😂 But I have already found the horn, so nothing should happen👌

It's definitely great fun! This is what freedom tastes like! (I already casually thought about this during the 9 hours on the first day...please engrave it on my gravestone if I crash here! 😂)

Tomorrow, I want to go over the Ma Pi Leng Pass, which is just a stone's throw from the border with China, a bit east and then with 2-3 overnight stays somewhere along the way back down towards Hanoi, where my flight to the Philippines starts on Sunday. That's it! See you soon! ✌️🏍💨💨💨

Update (Ma Pi Leng Pass)

In short, I reached the Ma Pi Leng Pass, and I have probably never had such an awesome experience before.

I can't really put it into words, it just had everything. Fun, excitement, but it was also quite a challenging experience. The whole distance to Dong Van was about 150km, from there the Ma Pi Leng Pass leads to Meo Vac...and then it should continue a bit further to Bao Lac (another 85km).

Actually, the whole route to Dong Van was already filled with breathtaking views and amazing twists and turns...exactly what you would want!👌 The road was also decently drivable, occasionally there were sections with potholes, but most of the time, the road surface was good.

Then again, I could have stopped every 100m to take a photo...

I arrived in Dong Van (again, way too late) around 3:30 p.m., quickly arranged an oil change, and then continued to the pass.

After about 5km, I reached the pass, and it was the highlight of my trip...indescribable!🤓

I took some pictures on site, but I don't think they can capture the view...it was amazing!😀👍

Unfortunately, I was still running late, so I went to Meo Vac afterwards...I arrived there around 4:30 p.m., quickly fueled up (thanks to the traffic jam at the gas station, it wasn't that quick) and then decided to push on for the remaining 85km to Bao Lac...an hour later, it was already completely dark again, I had only covered half of the 85km, and the road was the worst of my entire day😬

But I still made it to Bao Lac, a small town that is only a stopover. There's nothing special to report there.

I found a hotel...rating: 'It's just enough for one night'

Tomorrow, I'll try to head back towards Hanoi...bye! ✌️

Update: (back to Hanoi)

I raced 350km (!!) back to Hanoi today, but it took 9 hours. The stretch in the mountains at the beginning was a real pain. Eventually, the road improved again (after about 3.5 hours of driving...it just occurred to me that I left my passport in the hotel in Bao Lac...Fuck!😱

I had to give it to the reception yesterday as usual for check-in, but I didn't get it back. This morning, I couldn't find anyone at the reception, so I left my key with some money for the room and a note and took off...I didn't even think about the passport 😬

After a short moment of cursing, panic, full throttle, and a few more curses, I maneuvered myself into a place with good mobile network and made a few phone calls with my accommodations in Hanoi and Bao Lac, who then sorted things out among themselves...As of now, the passport has been sent by post to my hotel in Hanoi this afternoon, and it's supposed to take 1-2 days. I already instructed the post office in Hanoi to let me know immediately if there is mail for the hotel (apparently, the hotel manageress handled it well👍), and now I'm curious if and when the passport will arrive. It would be easier if it weren't the weekend and I didn't have a flight on Sunday morning😬

Now I just have to wait...😏

Update:

The passport has arrived!!🙌 Everything is safe, it arrived this morning. I probably could have picked up the passport on Monday because the post office is closed today (Saturday). But somehow, the hotel manageress managed to pick up the passport directly from the bus station. She did it at 4 a.m. this morning!😄...she's my absolute heroine! 💪 So nothing stands in the way of the trip to the Philippines anymore👍

I'm flying to Manila tonight, where I will meet Anna, a friend who is arriving from Budapest, and the next day we will fly to the island of Palawan, which has been voted one of the most beautiful islands in the world...I'm excited😜