Good Morning one and All!
It’s officially Spring – the clocks have gone back, the daffodils are out and air is definitely warmer – what a time to be alive! OK apologies to our Southern Hemisphere readers for whom Autumn is probably just beginning, but if you’re in Australia, this probably means it’s just hot rather than bloody hot.
Big news last month was the start date for pre-ordering your Yamaha Tenere if you were in Europe, and the release of pictures of a pretty incredible looking electric Honda CRF at the Tokyo motorcycle show. Like it or not the future is electric and if the new bikes look like the CRF then it’s not too bad a prospect.
The riding season is in full swing now too at Ride Expeditions, with tours full of excited riders going out every week – do you wish you had one of these tours in your calendar! We can help you with that …
So on with the news for April.
SECRET SQUIRREL
We’ve been working hard on updating our Ho Chi Minh Itinerary. Now that the tour explores only the Laos part of this iconic route, we can concentrate on finding new and exciting places to visit on the way and you can’t get more exciting than the most secret place on earth, the Long Tien airbase.
This remote location was used by the CIA during the conflict to fly supplies into the area but remained off the radar for years both during and long after the Vietnam War. It’s a chilling and strangely calm place to visit now and we’re sure it will be one of the highlights of the Trip. Why don’t you join us and find out for yourself?
Check out the details here.
RABBIT RABBIT
While we’re on the subject of updated itineraries, Toby has been tweaking the routes on our Cambodian tours too with the most important change – certainly for Anna who is a firm fan of a cute and cuddly animal – including a stay over on Rabbit Island. Sadly, unlike the Japanese equivalent, Koh Tonsay is not over-run with bunnies, but it is a beautiful and tranquil island just off the coast of Kep. We’re now going to include a quick ferry-ride, a very memorable beach barbecue and a night’s stay here on our ever-popular Cambodian Quest tour.
And that’s not all the changes – we’ve also planned an incredible cliff top campsite at Kirirom that we’re going to include in our Tough One tour. If you want an epic place to wake up in the morning, then you can’t get much better than this.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES
OK – so that was a really scary film, and we’ve made ourselves feel a bit uncomfortable bringing it up again! But the hills we’re talking about are far from scary – they are incredibly beautiful and unexplored areas in the highlands of Laos. Our Local guide, the ever-smiling TK has been working with Toby to put together a whole new tour – handily called ‘The Hill Tribe Expedition’ – which will stray far from the beaten track and spend time touring the spectacular landscapes and meeting the wonderful people of the Laos hill tribes.
We’ll explore the area, stay in the tiny villages and ride astounding trails in this stunning part of the country. This one is going to be an absolute gem! Toby is aiming to launch the tour by the end of this week, so keep an eye our website and Facebook page for info!
CAPES ON - WE'RE OFF!
We’re also delighted to announce that the very first full Cape Crusader tour rolled out of Cape Town this month. After the recce tours in May, the dry run in August and the Pioneer tour in October, the full fat, high octane finished tour set off on 1st April for thirteen days of epic riding, stunning scenery and fun touring round the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa. We’ll blast incredible dirt roads, ride fast sweeping blacktop, camp in the wilderness and lord it up in luxury lodges – with everything from penguins and ostriches to giraffes and elephants, our riders will truly get a great taste of Africa.
The trip also included Toby’s famous Potjie! No, it’s not something dodgy that you might find explained in Urban dictionary, but rather an enjoyable mix of fireside chat, some delicious local ingredients and a few cold beers as the sun goes down.
We’re incredibly happy with how this adventure has turned out and the videos are processing – watch this space and we’ll soon be showing you what it’s all about!
If you’d be keen to try it out too, send us an email with the title – “I want to come to South Africa” to [email protected]
NAMIBIA IS ON
Finally the first Namibian fact finding mission is upon us, which, reading between the lines, means that the permanently restless Toby has come back from the Cape Crusader tour, and being clinically unable to sit still for more than a day, will set off on his bike to begin the first planning trip into Namibia next week. Expect a feast of images on our Facebook and Instagram feeds from the team’s tour as they travel through this amazing country on a trip that celebrates the 10th anniversary of the last time Toby’s riding trousers were actually washed….
If you want to be part of the Pioneer tour, that will go out in October / November and will be available at a substantial early bird discount rate, send an email to [email protected] with the phrase ‘Take me to Namibia to ride bikes’ in the title line.
BLOG SNORKELLING
While the SA team are basking in the sunshine, Julian has been typing away on some great blog content. This month’s been a short one but he’s still put out new posts about a great pair of fresh riding gloves, a useful trail ride checklist to stop you setting off half-cocked and lastly a review of the latest addition to his massive helmet collection. With trips to the British Lake District and France planned for April, he’s hard pushed to know which one to wear ….
OK so it’s just a quickie this month, but we leave you with a great clip from the British Motocross GP at Matterley Basin at the end of month. Jamie Law converts his MX bike to a lowrider in one easy step …
Laters people ….
This post first appeared on Cambodia Motorcycle Tours | Ride Cambodia, please read the originial post: here
