Travelling from Santiago Chile to Pisac in Peru

Getting to the small Andean mountain town of Pisac (Peru) from New Zealand took several days. First up there was the eleven hour flight from Auckland (NZ) to Santiago, a night in that city, then another flight to La Paz in Bolivia. Finally, after another night at high altitude in La Paz, we took a third flight to Cusco in Peru and then taxi to Pisac. All up it took around three days. 

It sounds exhausting, but when you are visiting a new continent for the first time, you have that extra bit of gas. We enjoyed the ride. But that's not to say we didn't arrive in Pisac a little jittery. As it turned out our first mountain taxi journey - one hour from Cusco to Pisac - was also our most reckless. The diver liked to take those high mountain corners fast. Fortunately, subsequent drivers were more sedate. 

Pisac is a small sleepy town in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, spread along the edge of the Urubamba river. We stayed a couple of miles up a dirt track (accessed either on foot or via mototaxi) at the Casa Del Conde hotel - a very comfortable place with nice gardens. Not cheap but recommended. 

There isn't a lot to do in Pisac town except explore the narrow streets and visit the market in the main square. While the market is aimed at tour groups - who are unloaded by large busses that squeeze down the alleyways - it is still has a lot of incredible weaving and handicrafts. Spend some time and you will figure out that the further you venture into the market, the cheaper the prices. 

Fortunately, it isn't hard to get away from the tour groups. We wandered the backstreets to find the interesting stuff; crumbling old houses; snoozing dogs and locals going about their business as they always have done. 

Up on the hill behind Pisac are the Inca ruins. Unlike Machu Picchu or Ollantaytambo, these are sparsely visited, which is reason enough to visit them. They are also spectacularly spread across several hills and ridges and it is a great walk from the top to bottom. Hardy and thrifty visitors walk up and down all the way from Pisac, but we took the easier route and Taxied up then walked down. Taking our time, this still took around four hours. 

On the way up we bought our Boleto Turistico which allows entry to most of the ruins in the Sacred Valley. 

The below video shows some highlights from our visit to Pisac, as well as the journey to get there. 

Below are some photographs from around the Pisac region

Brutalism: New York, London and Prague

Sometimes while travelling overseas checking out the well known and "top 10" sights can feel a bit crowded and predictable. Don't get me wrong, there is no denying the Taj Mahal or Eiffel Tower are definitely worth seeing, but you also sometimes feel like you are doing what everyone else does. 

One thing I like to do when traveling is to pick an interesting theme and investigate this. One of those themes is I like to check out Brutalist architecture. For those unfamiliar, Brutalism became common - particularly in government buildings - during the 1950s-1970s. It is big, concrete and rugged. It is found all over the world, and although I've never visited them, particularly popular in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. It is also very widely hated and disliked. 

In 2014 I did a pretty short work trip to New York, London and Prague, but when I had a little bit of spare time I shot this stop motion movie of a few Brutalist buildings. It features the following - the AT&T Long Lines Building at 33 Thomas Street, Žižkov Television Tower, Kips Bay Towers, University Village, Balfron Tower and Barbican Centre. Music by Sonya Waters. Shot on Canon MkII and a not very steady tripod.

The Forgotten World Highway New Zealand on a Royal Enfield Motorcycle

Over the summer of 2015/2016 I took a motorcycle ride from Auckland, New Zealand, down to Golden Bay at the top of the South Island. 

On Boxing day I rode from Auckland down to New Plymouth then on as far as Whangamomona where I stayed the night at the local campground. I was following this guide which was actually better suited bicycle touring - it was a very nice route but some very rough gravel roads around Tarata and Purangi - which is less than ideal on a motorcycle. I also got a bit lost in the backroads of Taranaki - though they were nice enough. 

Sleepy Whangamomona is definitely spending a little time at. There are plenty of interesting characters at the pub. Locals park up on horses - riding in bareback and barefoot. Make sure you look around and go down some side streets as there are lots of rustic old houses, animals and strange junk sculptures. 

The next day the road continued alongside the railway track around Tahora, through the Moki tunnel then out to Taumarunui. Mostly excellent riding with little traffic. A bit of gravel, but nothing too serious. There were a number of diversions that looked interesting, but I needed to press on to make sure I got to Wellington in time for the ferry. 

After a hot fast ride past the snowy mountains of the central plateau a took a diversion down the Wanganui River Rd which was a great winding narrow road beside the river. Jerusalem was definitely worth a visit and I wish I had had more time.

Time Lapse: Prague, Brasov and Istanbul

This video was filmed in 2012 on a trip through central Europe. Included is Prague, Brasov (in Romania) and Istanbul. The music in the video is by Sonya Waters. 

Biking Around East Berlin - Summer 2012

In the northern summer of 2012 Sonya and me did a quick trip around Eastern Europe. First stop was Berlin where we stayed with some friends in the East (Greg and Silvey) and borrowed their bikes to ride around and see a few things. 

Places visited included the Soviet War Memorial at Treptower Park, Fernsehturm tower and other streets around the place.

The video was filmed with a Cannon 5DII held precariously with one hand while riding with the other.

The music was composed by Sonya Waters.

A few other photos from that trip are here

Music Video: White Swan Black Swan

This is a music video I made a couple of years ago. It was shot on the West Coast of New Zealand, at Karekare and Piha near Auckland. 

For the video I used a Canon 550D, Tamron 11-16 wide angle lens and a tripod. It was my first attempt at stop motion.

The song was written, recorded and performed by Sonya Waters. 

Travelling by Motorbike to Ha Giang in North Vietnam

In April 2014 I spent eight days riding a motorbike in Ha Giang in the north of Vietnam. This was with my partner Sonya Waters. Neither of us were experienced riders. I got hold of a Vespa at home in New Zealand to practice on. Three seconds after take off I had crashed head on into a rock wall. This was before I'd even gotten down the driveway. Sonya didn't crash during the warm ups, but she said she used to ride a motorbike when she was a teenager. Later she told me it was actually a 50cc scooter.

Despite the inauspicious start we weren't going to let it put us off. I looked at some maps and read a bunch of blogs. Most of these said Ha Giang was difficult motorbiking terrain. It required permits, was remote, rough, isolated and not recommended for inexperienced motorbike riders. I read a blog which made it sound like serious business. I spent some time fretting about travel insurance. 

On the road to Dong Van

As it happened we did the trip anyway. We made it unscathed. We rode for eight days on high switchback mountain roads. Sometimes it rained, sometimes it was hot, dusty and dry. We didn't crash. Instead, we saw small remote villages, misty rugged peaks, huge deep valleys, crazy karst limestone outcrops and met friendly Hmong mountain people.  Ha Giang plateau is described as the last undiscovered corner of Vietnam. I can see why. We did see a small handful of intrepid foreigners up there, but not many at all. Almost all of them were like us, making the long journey there on a motorbike. 

Although there was some information online about motorbiking through Ha Giang, most of it was from people who know what they are doing with motorbikes. That isn't us. That said, I don't recommend you do it without research, knowing what you are doing and getting some practice before you go. 

Below I have compiled some practical information on the trip for anyone heading that way.  

Ha Giang - North Vietnam along the China border

TRIP ROUTE

We took the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, with our motorbikes stored in the luggage carriage. We picked them up at the other end. The train was very comfortable and we slept in a sleeper. We then travelled the following route

Lao Cai > Bac Ha (63km)

After packing up our luggage, finding some stretchy cords at the market to strap on our luggage and generally getting familiar with the bikes, we hit the road. However, because the motorbike petrol tanks had been emptied before putting them on the train, we ran out of gas about 50 meters after starting. Luckily, there was a petrol station not to far along the road. 

Lao Cai was a dusty sort of place - traffic was fairly heavy along the first 3-4km which border with China, but once we left town we were on a highway that was fairly wide and empty. About half way you turn off the main highway and head up to Bac Ha. We stayed in the Ngan Nga Hotel. It was a huge Soviet style place, which made it appealing. There are actually two Ngan Nga hotels in Bac Ha...we stayed at the older one further up the hill. I had booked a room in the hotel in advance, but it was so massive I can't imagine you really need to book.

The next day we stayed around town for the Bac Ha market. Sonya bought two large hand woven blankets which doubled the luggage she was carrying on her bike. The market is definitely worth seeing. However there were many van loads of tourists show up from Sapa around 9am, so it is better to go before then. In the afternoon we took the bikes for a spin in the surrounding countryside. 

Bac Ha Market

Bac Ha > Coc Pai > Vinh Quang. (approx. 70km)

On this part of the trip we got very lost. About 15km north of Bac Ha there is a turn off on the right which takes you on a dirt road/track to Coc Pai. Unfortunately, on the map it looked like a rather more substantial road than it turned out to be. There were also many unsignposted intersections. After several wrong turns we found the road became more and more of a track. Then after descending deep into a valley we found ourselves in a village that was a dead end and the only way was back the way we came.

Going the wrong way down into a valley

Going the wrong way down into a valley north of Bac Ha...we have to come back up this road almost out of petrol

We climbed back out of the valley with the petrol tank on empty, found some friendly villagers who supplied petrol out of beer bottles and eventually re-connected with the road we were supposed to be on. The last part of the trip was after dark - definitely not recommended. In Vinh Quang we found a hotel which was the dirtiest and shabbiest of the trip - The Nga Nihi Thuan An. It was the longest and most tiring day of the trip, though it wouldn't have been if we hadn't got lost.

Vinh Quang > Pan Hou Village. (approx. 30km)

The previous day we had planned on getting all the way to Pan Hou Village lodge. But because we got lost we were a day behind schedule. So this day was a short ride. The valley that Pan Hou nestles in is a lush humid micro climate, remote and off the main road. The Pan Hou lodge was an isolated jungle garden, thick with insects, birds and dripping with rainforest. It was the nicest place we stayed on the trip.

Pan Hou Village Ha Giang - best place we stayed

Pan Hou Village > Ha Giang - (approx. 80km)

The first half of this trip wound out of the Pan Hou valley over a pass that no doubt would have been spectacular if it wasn't misty and raining. Then along the main road to Ha Giang. This was probably the busiest road of the trip - though straight and wide so not a problem. In Ha Giang we stayed at Truong Xuan resort - also very nice and Mr Tung who ran the show was very helpful with planning the next few days of our trip.

Ha Giang > Yen Minh (93km)

From Ha Giang north the scenery gets increasingly spectacular as you climb into the mountains. The road goes through Quan Ba which has a cool viewing spot overlooking the town. 

Yenh Minh > Dong Van (43km)

North of Yen Minh the road keeps climbing and weaves through increasingly surreal misty limestone moonscapes. Dong Van town is nothing too special although there are some cool buildings in the old part of town, and it is worth exploring these. We stayed at Hoang Ngoc hotel - which was a bit shabby but adequate. Unusually the bed was quite soft. 

Between Yen Minh and Dong Van

This way to Meo Vac - coming from Dong Van

Meo Vac Market

Dong Van > Meo Vac (21km)

This short trip is scenically the most spectacular of the whole trip. Kind of like a green Vietnamese version of the Grand Canyon. The road winds along the edge of a very deep and steep gorge with the river far below. Villages cling to the valley edges and jagged peaks tower overhead. It is worth taking this section slow and making lots of stops. 

Meo Vac > Ha Giang (143km)

In the morning we stayed around for the Meo Vac market, which is highly recommended and much less touristy than Bac Ha (in fact there was really just us and a couple of others we'd met). We then looped back down to Yen Minh via a different route and then back to Ha Giang. We had actually originally planned to travel down to Ba Be Lake from here - then back to Hanoi - but we had run out of time and so decided to try and take a faster route back.

Meo Vac Market

Ha Giang > Hanoi

We took the bus back to hanoi with the bikes stored under the bus. The bikes cost more than our tickets and the bus driver didn't seem very pleased to take them, but as we'd called in advance they had to load them up. 

Check the slideshow below or click here to see FULL SIZED photos

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi

Hanoi

Hanoi

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha

Bac Ha to Coc Pai

Bac Ha to Coc pai

Around Vinh Quang

Ha Giang

Ha Giang

Road to Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van

Dong Van to Meo Vac

Meo Vac Market

Meo Vac Market

Meo Vac

Meo Vac Market

Meo Vac

Meo Vac market

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Lan Ha Bay - Cat Ba

Lan Ha Bay - Cat Ba

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR THE TRIP

Guide or No Guide? 

A lot of websites tell you you need a guide and initially we thought we would get one. However, in the end we decided not to because we wanted to be flexible with itinerary and go where we wanted. Plus, we ride slow. While I'm all in favour of providing local employment, I don't think you really need a guide. Even though we got lost and don't speak any Vietnamese we managed fine without. If language is an issue then get a guide because no-one speaks english up there. Personally I'm good with sign language.

Bikes

We hired 125cc Honda Futura's from Flamingo Travel in Hanoi. They are pretty much an updated version of the ubiquitous (in Vietnam) Honda Wave. It's a scooter with big wheels disguised as a motorbike. It is recommended to take a small bike as it handles the corners, hills, potholes better than a big one. We put the bikes on the train to Lao Cai and rode from there. The most trouble we had with the bikes was one flat tire. This was easily fixed in a nearby cafe. We did meet a few people who had bought bikes (older ones) and they seemed to be having endless breakdowns and trouble. We hired from Flamingo as research indicated they had the best and most reliable bikes, and good backup in the event of trouble. they were definitely helpful and the bikes worked well - so recommended. When we got back to Hanoi with the bikes on the bus they came and picked them up from the station - which was good because the city traffic there is a bit nuts. 

Me, on the road

Weather

We were in Ha Giang in April and the weather was generally warm but hazy/cloudy. There was a bit of mist and rain but not enough to be a major issue.

Roads

The roads were mostly sealed. They were rarely straight, narrow and had some potholes/rough patches. Most of the time you were either going up a mountain, down a mountain or along the side of a mountain - with a big drop down the side. We travelled at an average of about 20km-25km an hour which is pretty slow, but in the hills also pretty normal. Probably the biggest mistake in our planning was failing to account for how long it takes to get anywhere and thinking we could travel further in a day than we actually did.

Traffic was generally light save the odd bus or truck that took up the entire road. Generally they were slow moving but go easy on the corners because there could be anything coming at you the other way. Don't be afraid to use your horn. 

Safety/Insurance

Because you aren't going very fast and traffic is light it is generally pretty safe, though we did meet one English girl who had lost it on a corner (though she just got some grazes). It is quite hard to find any travel insurance that will cover you for a motorbike accident - especially if you don't have a local license (which isn't really possible in Vietnam). I wasted a lot of time reading the small print of various policies. In the end NZ company Southern Cross who seemed to cover under 150cc motorbikes - though only available to NZ citizens. 

Motorbike License

In theory you aren't allowed to ride a motorbike in Vietnam without a Vietnamese license - but it also seems very difficult to get one. Various reports online say that Flamingo Travel can organise one in advance for you, but when I asked about this they said they couldn't do that anymore. Anyway, aside from the travel insurance issue it doesn't appear to be a problem riding without one (at least on Ha Giang) 

Food & Accommodation

Accommodation (aside from Pan Hou Village & Truong Xan Resort) is pretty basic. Most small towns have a hotel, but don't expect anything too flash. Beds are generally hard. They often let you park your motorbikes in the lobby. Most towns have basic cafe's that are adequate, and sometimes quite good. 

Permit

You are supposed to get a permit which costs $10 to go to Ha Giang. Our hotel in Yen Minh organised ours and it was pretty easy. They can also do it in Dong Van and other places. Hotels generally won't let you stay without it as I assume they get in trouble with the authorities otherwise. 

That's it. My general recommendation is if you are thinking of going to just go ahead and do it. It really is an amazing and remote place. Although we really loved the other parts of Vietnam, they were much more touristy and felt less exciting. Ha Giang is a pretty cool place so won't stay off the beaten track for long. 

 Click here to see a gallery of more FULL SIZED photos