Monday, June 10, 2013

Cycling Cambodia to Vietnam

In the first two weeks of March 2013, we went on a cycling tour with Marco Polo Travel Adventure Company from Bangkok, Thailand, to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with an extension to Cat Tien National Park and Mui Ne. It was the second time we took a tour with this company: in 2012 we had cycled from Hanoi to Nha Trang.

The company provides a mini-van which can transport bikes and bikers when the going gets too tough. Moreover the driver manages short refreshment breaks during which he provides fresh fruit, cool water and refreshing towels. The itinerary is very well designed, ensuring that eager cyclists get enough exercise, while having unique opportunities for sightseeing, witnessing amazing scenes from local life, and interacting with people along the way.
Our 2013 tour is different from the the previous in that we are accompanied and supervised by a guide who was cycling with us the whole way – one in Cambodia, one in Vietnam. Both do a great job motivating us, setting a good pace and regulating our efforts. Besides acting as proficient sport coaches, they are also clever tourist guides who make us pause in interesting  places to visit temples, schools, museums, palaces, markets, animal farms, local communities, and whatever site of interest we may encounter along the way.
The total price of the tour includes all the services delineated above, entry fees to all the visits  and accommodation and food, which is always the best available.
This cycling tour was the sixth for us, and by far the very best. We now want to join Mr Joe on the Sapa tour: a mountain trip in North West Vietnam and Laos. We warmly recommend  Marco Polo Travel Adventure Company's impeccable, responsible and safe organization to anyone eager to plunge at the heart of Vietnamese culture... on a bike.

Michèle Terrat
New Caledonia

1 comment: