Bikes, buses and the Hai Van Pass

In South East Asia no space is left unfilled. The streets are lined with markets selling food by day and souveniers by night. The roads are a hive of activity of scooters weaving in and out of coaches and taxis. Fold-out seats in minivans and additional plastic stools in restaurants are commonplace. Hanoi fascinated me, it was an enchanting maze of multiple storey townhouses where fairylights and lanterns lead the way to hidden cafes. Every nook and cranny is utilised into a shop, a booking office, a street food stall.

Public transport is a less romantic scene. Night buses are a cheap and popular way to travel around Vietnam; two floors of fold out seats with a slot to cram your feet into and a blanket to comfort you through the night as the bus thunders down the roads. I've heard stories of locals cramming into the aisles and sleeping on the floor although I haven't experienced this yet. Even though the buses are cheap and easy, for real freedom and independence most backpackers choose to travel Vietnam by bike. 

Bikes are everywhere. They are cheap to buy, easy to obtain and efficient to drive on the busy roads. When we arrived in Hanoi I didn't feel confident enough to tackle the chaotic traffic on a scooter alone. However, the lure of the popular Hai Van pass motivated me to build up the courage to learn so after a few shaky lessons and around Hue I rented my own scooter ready for the ride to Hoi An. 

Vietnam is such a beautiful country and you miss all of the scenery on night buses, but by bike you are surrounded by it and can stop at any point to take it all in. I pulled over so many times to take photos and I would have stopped more but I forced myself to drive on and enjoy the moment. 

If you really want to do Hai Van pass by scooter but don't feel confident enough to drive yourself then there are plenty of options available. Easy rider is the most popular, you can jump on the back of a scooter with a rider who works for the company and they strap your bags to the back. Family rider is also another option and you can make a full day out of it stopping at the various sights and tourist attractions along the way, like Elephant falls and Marble Mountain. As soon as you arrive in Hue you'll be pretty much inundated with offers, but like anywhere in the world where there's a high demand there are also elaborate scams so stay safe, do your research and don't feel pressurised to give anybody any money on the spot. 

If you still want to ride Hai Van pass on your own scooter and you're not that experienced at riding, I would rent out a scooter the day/a few days before and go for some practise drives. I'm am a VERY nervous driver at home and I never would have thought I would be able to drive a scooter with ease. Hue was a good place to practise and we found some quiet roads for me to get the grips with the basics. The roads on Hai Van pass are smooth and there are no ridiculous hills, although there are a few sharp turns but nothing too difficult. Most companies send your bags down to the hostel/hotel you are staying in as well so you don't have to worry about the additional weight. 

If you're still undecided then take this one last thing into consideration. The drive from Hue to Hoi An on total took around 4 hours but took us 6 as we stopped off a few times. I would say only roughly 40 minutes of this is the actual Hai Van pass. Once you get into De Nang (a coastal town before Hoi An) you're in the midst of some extremely busy Vietnamese traffic. It's not on the same level as Hanoi and the roads are fine, and I can get pretty nervous and found it manageable, so if you want to drive it yourself then I would say do it, be bold, be brave, be safe of course, wear a helmet and whatever you choose just enjoy the ride! 

Pai

Pai is a small town a few hours drive away from Chaing Mai. We got a bus which we arranged with our hostel in Chaing Mai, which cost 250 Thai Baht. Some people do hire scooters and tackle the drive that way. The drive is a good 4 hours and the road is a myriad of twists and turns so I'd take this into consideration beforehand. 

As soon as you arrive in Pai you immediatly get a sense of how chill and relaxed it is. It's surrounded by beautiful lush green hills and the streets are lively and active but not crazy busy like Bangkok. The main streets are full of cafes, taxi ranks and tour guide stands and at night they comes alive with restaurants and bars. There are a lot of live music sets in most of the bars which I loved (Yellow Sun and Boom seem to be the most popular). There are also lots of stalls selling jewellery, clothes, art work and street food.

WHERE WE STAYED 

We stayed at a hostel for one night called Circus (or The Circus Hostel Pai) which we heard a lot of mixed reviews about. They do free yoga most days and they also offer circus lessons. The idea is you go and take the opportunity to practise Circus tricks and there are people around to teach you, but when we got there there was a lot of equipment like hula hoops and juggling batons as well as a tight rope strap but there were no scheduled lessons, it was basically pick what you want to try and give it a good go.

Most people are just hanging out with each other or alone reading, chilling and doing thier own thing. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. There is also an amazing infinity pool with beautiful views of the hills. 

We had a great time in the day just hanging out and trying new things, but night time was where I struggled. The dorms are all basic huts, which is fine, but you have to walk to the bathroom and showers which are in separate huts and the amount of insects that are around made this unbearable for me. They were everywhere!! On the floor, in the toilet, in the sink! Argh!

I would describe my stay at Circus as an experience. It's ideal if you want to try something new and different. (And if you can put up with the amount of insects that are around. And toads. I saw two toads.)

For our final two nights we stayed in a hostel called Common Grounds, which was brilliant! A few people we met in Chaing Mai were staying there but we found everybody so friendly including the staff. They also have different activities on every night like quizzes, pool and beer pong and they made everybody feel involved and welcome. I was really sad to leave! 

WHAT WE DID 

Like most places in Thailand one the of best ways of getting around is by scooter. We rented one for just a day and visited two waterfalls and the big white Buddha. The drives were beautiful and it's one of the best ways of seeing Pai. Most places are easy to find. If you don't feel confident on a scooter, you can ask the place you hire from for a quick lesson, but these can be very hit and miss so it would be better to try and find somebody you meet in a hostel to teach you (if they can drive well!)

We also did an organised day tour which covers Lod cave, a popular Pai viewpoint, some natural hot springs and a place called Canyon which also gives amazing views. It was a full day so if you only have one or two days in Pai then I'd give this a miss and rent a scooter instead to explore at your own will but if you have a bit longer then definitely do this tour. The Cave was amazing, full of natural wonders and going inside was both eerie and exciting. Canyon gives brilliant views of Pai so ending the day there was perfect but you have to be prepared to navigate some narrow paths and do a little bit of clamoring and climbing. It's well worth it. 

WHAT WE ATE 

Pai is pretty much one of the only places in Thailand where it's acceptable to get Western food because they do it so well. There's plenty of burger places but the best one by far is called Burger Queen. They do a good few vegetarian options and you can also order it as takeout, which we did at our hostel Common Grounds.

There was a bit of hype around Lasagne from one of the street stalls. The best is called something like "The best world famous Pai lasagne", I never got around to trying it but if you love Italian food then hunt this stall down. 

They also do amazing crepes in big banana leaves ❤

If you are travelling Thailand and find yourself in Chaing Mai or even just in the North try to set aside a few days to visit Pai. It's been my favourite place so far, I loved everything about it, especially the beautiful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere. Travelling can get pretty hectic so if you want a few days of chill downtime then Pai is the place to go. 

Grace xo