Brilliant Day
Blog a little late today as it’s our day off:
Having got in cold and wet prior arrival, followed a chuffing brisk night, where all 4 of us put clothes on to supplement the 25mm thick duvet, we were on the road by 0807, all a bit chilly!
Very quickly we said goodbye to dual carriageway that turned unexpectedly turned to muddy pot holed byway (with Totota truck coming towards us) that looked like had not seen a decent surface for many years, all great fun! Eventually we arrived at a concrete road, a welcome sight, for a few kms before it plunged into thick “pea soup” hill fog with only the sat navs giving us a clue as to what direction the road took.
As we descended the mountain the mist cleared, revealing
lush vegetation, not surprising really given the amount of rain they have! Vegetation, tree lined roads, banana plants,
coffee bushes, palms and even rubber plantations accompanied us for the
remaining 300 k of the route alongside a myriad of waterfalls along the route
that all disappeared under the road only to re emerge in the valleys and gorges
below.
Essential On the Road Sustenance
It appeared that we were riding through one long farmyard as
we encountered almost every farm animal that old McDonald could imagine, not to
mention the hundreds of dogs laid out in the sun….. In the middle of the
road. Now it is apparent that the life
expectancy of a dog here is not long, there are very few old dogs, nearly all
puppies and youngsters. It begs the
question whether they fall foul to the traffic as they do like to lie in the
road or do they become a family delicacy.
Following some wonderful mountain roads that we all
thoroughly enjoyed, the riding experience was superb, we then came across
several kms of resurfaced road that had been dressed with can only be described
as stone ball bearings, very tricky riding.
Dangerous B put on a masterclass on how to recover from a rear wheel
slide no less than 3 times, He seemed to be training to be an Irish
dancer! Our leader also admitted to a couple
of hairy moments.
Then, in the finest tradition of Dangerous B and with total
disregard for his own safety and in a fearless move he single handedly took on
one of Vietnam’s deadliest residents, the Banded Krait, a very venomous snake. As the snake poised to strike, DB swerved and
with one rotation of the wheel, dispatched his would be attacker. When questioned about the act of amazing
valour, DB said he thought it was a bit of hosepipe, such modesty!
While there’s something thrilling about riding through the lush green valleys of Vietnam. Each turn revealing a fresh panorama, sadly it had to come to an end, and what and end.
The roadworks: For about 30 km, our scenic ride took a sharp turn into chaos. There were no clear signs or directions, just endless, bumpy, gravel-strewn roads that seemed to stretch without end. Each km added new bumps, new ruts, and plenty of jolts that tested both our stamina, patience and the motorbike’s suspension. It was like navigating an obstacle course, with every turn revealing yet another stretch of rough, unfinished track.
Eventually, the roadworks gave way to what felt like an
entirely different world. We found ourselves riding through a bustling strip of
shops, bars, and colourful signs—a place that seemed to be the Vietnamese
answer to Blackpool! The contrast was startling, with neon lights and a
carnival-like atmosphere after miles of rugged terrain. The sight of it all was
both bewildering and a little surreal, but we all were relieved to be out of the
ruts and bumps.
Pizza and Chips?
What a journey—from the beauty of green valleys to the bumpy challenges of roadworks, and finally, to a bustling coastal town, we all agreed that this was the best day’s riding so far aided by the lack of rain.
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