Mr CARPENTER David (3 people. April 10-16, 2006, Northeast, Motorbike trip)Tempo of the tour and the stop-over: Depending on road, I wouldn't travel more than 100 km/day so that time could be spent enjoying trip surroundings & location of night's stay - priority should be clear whether trip is for serious biking or, for example, photography. If possible, stops should be at attracting places; not only Compho villages.
What were your favourite places?: Ba Be (in terms of beauty but not in terms of stay); Thac Ba - great location, family variety (boat ride across lake). Guest house available on lake.
Accommodation: Trip should consist of hotels & private ethnic houses. Maybe alternating between the two. Hotel after hard day on motorcycle.
Food: Sufficient quantity. It would be valuable if trip organizers / guide asked about food preferences before trip. Normal quality. Variety needs to be addressed. Best dinner was last night in Vu Linh. Breakfast need to be better. Guide could carry thermos for tea, coffee breaks on road. Much better than just water bottle.
The organization - Guide services: Good attitude. Dat was good in general & very good when he needed to be (hospital). Somewhat tired at beginning but very very helpful during illness/hospital stay. Excellent knowledge about ethnology. Our area of interest didn't really discuss the rest other than how it pertained to ethnology. Guide should carry thermos, tea, and cups so break can be taken on road in scenic areas & not towns. As your clientele grows, you will need to have small touches that separate you from competition. One thing is tea, coffee breaks on road outside the standard roadside café, Compho. Much nicer to pick a place with nice view and less traffic or else the days 5, food get too repetitive. Good language, no problem.
Sometimes slow on good roads. I think generally more should be known by guide & tourists about what will be seen on the trip, on the road each day, and that it should be about destinations along the way and not just getting to end spot by 5pm.
The price: Yes, but because we had a favourable price. If I were paying 100 USD per day & I got cold food, separate from family, room with only a plastic tarp roof & away from lake after passing luxury hotel rooms. I'd be very angry!
Other comments: Consider spending an entire day in some of the best locations allowing time for exploration, photos & rest from touch roads on motorbike. It is hard to get a good idea of a place if you arrive in the evening & leave in the morning. Or at least ˝ day for not being on bike.
I, for one, would much prefer to go slowly, taking many small breaks, and arrive later to some destinations, than just getting to our hotel early and having to walk around only town. The website should advertise a few standard trips with specific difficulty levels, specific sites (photos) and perhaps categorize trips according to highlights, minorities, markets, natural sites, festival, seasons.
Full name: CARPENTER David.
Address: CA 90292, USA.
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