Vietnam 2014, The 'Bears Winter Sojourn
#11
05-01-2014, 09:17 PM
ooooooffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff ffffffffffffffffffff
#12
05-02-2014, 07:33 AM
Day 4 Wednesday 30th Saigon
Our last full day in Saigon, so we were determined to make the most of it – a lot of walking and the Mt Torrens girls – one a CBR Forum member (Robster) were arriving that night.
It was the second day of the ‘public holiday’ in Saigon and there were pictures and posters of Ho Chi Minh and General Giap as well as the Vietnamese Flag from all buildings and the majority of cars.
A very large Uncle Ho adorned the French Colonial Opera House.
We came across this ‘Whizzer’ in a shop window. Newly made but looks old. It uses one of the 70cc Chinese motors. It looked cool.
We walked along the Saigon River until we came to the Naval Academy
Historic canon lined the bank for 100 metres or so and……….
URL=http://s381.photobucket.com/user/Sebastionbear/media/DSC01220_zpsc79cd66f.jpg.html]
[/URL]
The academy gates were guarded by 12 year olds, one with a mean looking rifle (AK?)
The Saigon River always has this foliage floating down river with the current.
Tran Hung Dao was in Mrs SB’s words ‘a kickass guy’
Here he guards the financial Ramparts of Saigon.
His quote - "In the face of these dangers to the Fatherland, I fail to eat during the day and to sleep at night. Tears roll down my cheeks and my heart bleeds as if it were being cut to shreds. I tremble with anger because I cannot eat our enemy's flesh, lie down in his skin, chew up his liver, and drink his blood. I would gladly surrender my life a thousand times on the field of battle if I could do these things." - certainly helps that image.
From http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tranhungdao.html Trấn Hưng Đạo (1228 to 1300) is the national hero of Vietnam and one of the greatest unsung heroes of military history. A bone-crunching asskicker who would rather have unhesitatingly suffered a violent, horrific death at the business end of a pack of gigantic man-sized demon leeches than dishonor his badass reputation in the most trivial sort of way, this guy forged a rag-tag band of untrained citizen-soldiers into the world's first guerrilla army, and then led them head-first into an all-out war with the Invincible Mongol Horde during the height of the Khans' power. And, amazingly, thanks to his unstoppable military genius, a couple flaming boats,and a few thousand bamboo poles tipped with iron spikes, he won.
Further walking found this lovely Enfield Bullet 500cc. Sill a great favourite of mine.
We had an entrée on the way to collect the girls from their posh hotel (we were in the bleachers) and again walked along the Saigon River to their hotel. The river cruise boats were all lined up like floating Christmas trees.
They didn’t seem to be going anywhere while the patrons dined – though we did see them cruising later.
These next photos are published on the forum with a dire warning to my personal health. Ha! I laugh at danger and **** my snoot at pointy things
Mrs SB getting all a fluster at the girls’ arrival. Being a public holiday the roads along the were closed due to impending fireworks and they had to walk the last 100 metres to their posh lodgings. We let them book in, dump their luggage and took them to a lash-up road side dinner at the BenThanh Markets.
And introduced them to Saigon beer. Have a great trip Robster and Kez and we’ll see you in Phong Nha. Just a quiet aside - Robster turns 50 on the 3rd of May. Happy Birthday Robster!
Tomorrow we have a lazy packing day and fly to Dong Hoi just after lunch, then taxi to Phong Nha…………………………………………………………………………and the Ural!!!!
Cheers, The Travelling ‘Bears
It was the second day of the ‘public holiday’ in Saigon and there were pictures and posters of Ho Chi Minh and General Giap as well as the Vietnamese Flag from all buildings and the majority of cars.
A very large Uncle Ho adorned the French Colonial Opera House.
We came across this ‘Whizzer’ in a shop window. Newly made but looks old. It uses one of the 70cc Chinese motors. It looked cool.
We walked along the Saigon River until we came to the Naval Academy
Historic canon lined the bank for 100 metres or so and……….
URL=http://s381.photobucket.com/user/Sebastionbear/media/DSC01220_zpsc79cd66f.jpg.html]
[/URL]The academy gates were guarded by 12 year olds, one with a mean looking rifle (AK?)
The Saigon River always has this foliage floating down river with the current.
Tran Hung Dao was in Mrs SB’s words ‘a kickass guy’
Here he guards the financial Ramparts of Saigon.His quote - "In the face of these dangers to the Fatherland, I fail to eat during the day and to sleep at night. Tears roll down my cheeks and my heart bleeds as if it were being cut to shreds. I tremble with anger because I cannot eat our enemy's flesh, lie down in his skin, chew up his liver, and drink his blood. I would gladly surrender my life a thousand times on the field of battle if I could do these things." - certainly helps that image.
From http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tranhungdao.html Trấn Hưng Đạo (1228 to 1300) is the national hero of Vietnam and one of the greatest unsung heroes of military history. A bone-crunching asskicker who would rather have unhesitatingly suffered a violent, horrific death at the business end of a pack of gigantic man-sized demon leeches than dishonor his badass reputation in the most trivial sort of way, this guy forged a rag-tag band of untrained citizen-soldiers into the world's first guerrilla army, and then led them head-first into an all-out war with the Invincible Mongol Horde during the height of the Khans' power. And, amazingly, thanks to his unstoppable military genius, a couple flaming boats,and a few thousand bamboo poles tipped with iron spikes, he won.
Further walking found this lovely Enfield Bullet 500cc. Sill a great favourite of mine.
We had an entrée on the way to collect the girls from their posh hotel (we were in the bleachers) and again walked along the Saigon River to their hotel. The river cruise boats were all lined up like floating Christmas trees.
They didn’t seem to be going anywhere while the patrons dined – though we did see them cruising later.
These next photos are published on the forum with a dire warning to my personal health. Ha! I laugh at danger and **** my snoot at pointy things
Mrs SB getting all a fluster at the girls’ arrival. Being a public holiday the roads along the were closed due to impending fireworks and they had to walk the last 100 metres to their posh lodgings. We let them book in, dump their luggage and took them to a lash-up road side dinner at the BenThanh Markets.
And introduced them to Saigon beer. Have a great trip Robster and Kez and we’ll see you in Phong Nha. Just a quiet aside - Robster turns 50 on the 3rd of May. Happy Birthday Robster!
Tomorrow we have a lazy packing day and fly to Dong Hoi just after lunch, then taxi to Phong Nha…………………………………………………………………………and the Ural!!!!
Cheers, The Travelling ‘Bears
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 05-02-2014 at 08:17 AM.
#13
05-02-2014, 08:08 AM
Day 5 Thursday 1st of May, Saigon to Phong Nha
No pictures
How we got through the airport check-in without a hefty excess baggage bill I’ll never know. Both our bags were overweight, with Mrs SB’s weighing in at just under28 kgs. Then there was the backpacks and helmets.
Still, we made it, were picked up by the Farmstay taxi and transported back to the 18th century
It WAS great to be back, we picked up the Ural, found our lodgings through the Song Trach village, opposite some huge karst mountains –with the Song Con River about 100 metres from our front door. Pictures of this paradise to come.
We had dinner at the Farmstay, and then listened to a talk by the famous British Caving Expedition leader Howard Limbert about the discovery of the cave systems in the Phong Nha Kebang National Park (Unesco World Heritage site) - including the largest cave in the known world, Son Dong.
Son Doong cave (Vietnamese: Hang Son Doong) is world's largest cave, located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name "Son Doong" cave means "mountain river cave", It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain Where the limestone was weak, the ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights. Son Doong cave is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and approx 9 kilometers long, with caverns big enough to fit an entire city street inside them, twice as large as Deer Cave in Malaysia (currently considered the world's largest with 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long).
Howard and the other cavers are lodging in the same apartments as us.
Cheers, The Travelling ‘Bears
How we got through the airport check-in without a hefty excess baggage bill I’ll never know. Both our bags were overweight, with Mrs SB’s weighing in at just under28 kgs. Then there was the backpacks and helmets.
Still, we made it, were picked up by the Farmstay taxi and transported back to the 18th century
It WAS great to be back, we picked up the Ural, found our lodgings through the Song Trach village, opposite some huge karst mountains –with the Song Con River about 100 metres from our front door. Pictures of this paradise to come.
We had dinner at the Farmstay, and then listened to a talk by the famous British Caving Expedition leader Howard Limbert about the discovery of the cave systems in the Phong Nha Kebang National Park (Unesco World Heritage site) - including the largest cave in the known world, Son Dong.
Son Doong cave (Vietnamese: Hang Son Doong) is world's largest cave, located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name "Son Doong" cave means "mountain river cave", It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain Where the limestone was weak, the ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights. Son Doong cave is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and approx 9 kilometers long, with caverns big enough to fit an entire city street inside them, twice as large as Deer Cave in Malaysia (currently considered the world's largest with 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long).
Howard and the other cavers are lodging in the same apartments as us.
Cheers, The Travelling ‘Bears
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 05-02-2014 at 08:13 AM.
#14
05-02-2014, 08:52 AM
Day 6 Friday 2nd of May, Phong Nha
This is the panorama from our apartment. Huge karst limestone formations covered in jungle growth, with the Song Can River flowing at its base. We have been very lucky.
A couple more views………………
I really do believe I will not tire of the view. We had a couple of rainstorms come through in the afternoon and it was spectacular.
Ok, time for the petrol head stuff.
Ben’s Ural in front and mine behind – the Desert Camouflage bike.
Note the special helmet with the Marlboro pack in the webbing
Parked on the banks of the Song Can River
At the watery entrance of the Phong Nha Cave with the water taxis - Mr SB being very patient.
From our apartment.
So, it’s time for the first COMPETITION
The Ural does not have a name, and it MUST be named. So, come up with your best name for the Ural and as before Mrs SB will choose the winner who will receive a beautiful gift from the Quang Binh province of Vietnam. Competition closes the night of Monday the 5th of May.
Give it your best shot guys
This place is marvellous – we’ve just been out looking at fireflies darting about. I had not seen them before.
Cheers, The Travelling ‘Bears
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 05-02-2014 at 09:31 AM.
LOL
#19
05-04-2014, 10:26 AM
#20
05-04-2014, 10:51 AM
Uranus - I just stepped outside and can see it quite clearly tonight.
Good start guys but it can be anything.
It's Russian built of German parentage.........
Panzerfaust
Blitzen Buggy
Boris
Cheers, SB
PS: Have had two days of tours on the Ural - pictures coming.
Good start guys but it can be anything.
It's Russian built of German parentage.........
Panzerfaust
Blitzen Buggy
Boris
Cheers, SB
PS: Have had two days of tours on the Ural - pictures coming.
Last edited by Sebastionbear1; 05-04-2014 at 07:47 PM.