Tuk-Tuk Adventures, Bike Through Southeast Asia and Free Nights in Vietnam
Tuk-Tuk Adventures
A UK-based company called The Adventurists organizes positively zany challenges across the world that raise money for charity, from a 2,500-kilometer journey across the Siberian wilderness on old-school motorbikes to a trek from the UK all the way to the steppes of Mongolia in small cars. (Just try using a small-engine car to cover a distance of 10,000 miles!) It doesn’t matter what route you take, as long as you get to the finish line (ideally in one piece) and have a madcap adventure while doing so. Registration just opened up for the next ASEAN Rickshaw Run, in January 2013—a two-week expedition from Jakarta all the way to Thailand in what is essentially a rickety, sputtery three-wheeled motorized tuk-tuk. Registration for a team of four (you think you can pack any more people into a rickshaw?) costs £1,195, which covers vehicle hire and the cost of holding the event, and every team is obligated to raise £1,000 for charity. Participants pay for their own transport to the starting line and from the finish; the only requirement is an international driving permit. “There’s no set route, no backup, no interference from us,” says Dan Wedgewood, The Adventurists’ chief of press and media. Anything goes, he adds, “as long as you turn up at the finish line.” Be warned: space is limited and spots fill up fast.
Sign up for the ASEAN Rickshaw Run at www.theadventurists.com/the-adventures/asean-rickshaw-run.
Sweat Through Southeast Asia
In our recent cover story on Thailand, I wanted to talk about ways to see Bangkok by bicycle, but didn’t have the space. But now that I’ve got you readers captive, here goes. Forget about the sweat, the crazy taxi drivers and the possibility of a very sore crotch—there are a couple of well-regarded companies that operate bike tours of the Thai capital, which allow you to catch a glimpse of the city you might not see otherwise. Spice Roads is one of these outlets, with tours ranging from half-day jaunts around Bangkok’s jungle-filled area west of the Chao Phraya River known as Bang Kra Jao to two-week expeditions that traverse Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The 12-year-old tour company has even got special offerings for those who want to go off-road, careening along bumpy mountain-biking trails. The itineraries also aren’t limited to Southeast Asia, extending to destinations like Bhutan, Tibet and Kazakhstan.
Check out Spice Roads’s tours at www.spiceroads.com or (+66) 2-712-5305.
Free Nights in Vietnam
Enough hard work. Last time I was in Vietnam, I was backpacking on a shoestring budget, clinging to the backs of motorcycles and noshing on street-side pho and cha ca la vong—basically the furthest thing you could imagine from five-star travel. So looking at photos of The Nam Hai, a boutique luxury resort in Hoi An that is listed as one of the 430-odd exclusive Leading Hotels of the World, completely bowled me over. Set along a deserted beach, the glorious, all-villa resort is architecturally stunning—inspired by fung shui philosophy and royal tombs in nearby Hue. Until the end of the year (that’s an eight-month-long deal, people), the hotel is offering a “bonus nights” promotion. If you stay two nights in any room you get a third night free (plus daily buffet breakfast, a spa treatment for two and a room upgrade if available). That may not sound like a bargain, but when you consider that The Nam Hai’s rooms start at about US$550 a night, an extra night’s stay totally gratis sounds better and better. Central Vietnam’s coast won’t be this remote for long, so take advantage while you can.
Visit www.thenamhai.com or call (+84) 510-394-0000 to make a booking.