Motorbikes and mountains- a journey to Hue

I had met several people who told me the short (5-7 hours) from Hoi An to Hue was worth doing during the day and by motorbike or scooter, as it is one of the most scenic routes in Vietnam. Thanks to relatively new tunnels through the mountains the buses could get between the cities faster, but skipped the beautiful costal and mountainous views along the way. The motorbike option has increased in popularity since in was featured on 'Top Gear'. However, I was still not feeling brave enough to motorbike in Asia, having seen too many bike injures in backpackers, and the crazy driving everywhere I went. I decided to opt for the easy option and signed up for an 'Easyrider Tour'. This is basically traveling from A to B or anywhere else you like in Vietnam on the back of a motorbike with your biker tour guide doing the driving for you. With the Dutch and Austrian biking themselves to Hue the same day I was joined with two Aussie sisters that morning. As typical Irish luck would have it, after days of glorious sunshine, that morning the heavens had opened and heavy downpours and grey clouds greeted us. Our drivers had brought us rain gear, and told us that the rain would stop in an hour. I was skeptical but it turned out to be true. Although the clouds and mist would persist at least we wouldn't be soaked.
My backpack and bag were wrapped on plastic and strapped to the back of my bike. Dressed in full rain gear and helmet off we went. We'd stop frequently along the way, our first at Marble Mountain. We had an hour to climb the rough marble stone stairs along the mountainside and explore the Pagodas, finding enormous Buddist statues hidden in caves and tunnels. A beautiful place, seemingly unaffected by the War, unlike many other temples and Pagodas in Vietnam which were sometimes bombed to complete ruin by the American soldiers. They believed Viet Cong soldiers to be hiding in them. Whether this is an adequate reason to destroys beautiful places of worship which are thousands of years old, I am unconvinced.

After marble Mountain we drove by and stopped at China beach where we met local fishers and admired the strange creatures they'd caught. Because of the overcast misty weather the visibility was a bit poor, so we continued on to visit a Giant statue of Lady Budda, built in 1997 by the Thai and Vietnamese government. She looks out over the sea as a protection and to bring luck (and hopefully no tsunamis).
We then continued up the mountains, with beautiful views the whole way. We stopped at several points to take photos, and climb rocks. However, even when your in the middle of no where, on a mountain, Vietnamese woman will appear from thin air, trying to sell you shitty bracelets. The Vietnamese approach to trying to sell to tourists is without doubt the most irritating thing about traveling in Vietnam. They are pushy and persistent and sometimes will follow you even after you've said no. That coupled with the fact they are always quoting you a higher price than what locals will pay, for everything. The result being that you find yourself being ruder and harsher to streetsellers and taxis, which is a shame because aside from this Ive found them to be a very friendly nation.

After our mountain drive we stopped for lunch in a small cafe where we were given mountains of various plates of food for a total price of €1.50. Sometimes uncertain of what the meat was, it all being delicious, I thought it best not to ask. There is no real danger of getting dog, even though it is popular in the north to eat, it is expensive and considered a delicacy. For the record, I've heard it's nice, but I couldn't try it myself!

We continued on until we got to Hue. It was an amazing experience, despite the cold weather, and would you believe, I still managed to get sunburnt!