Day 36: Ninh Binh - Cuc Phuong National Park
37 km / 23 mi
Today we stopped at a mechanic to have our bikes checked before starting into the Northern Loop. Unfortunately I don’t think we picked a very good mechanic, because they replaced all of our bearings and brakes before recommending many other things that “needed” replacement. (I think both the bearings and the brakes were fine.)
Unfortunatley, my bike had been leaking fuel for over a week so I knew I needed something done. When the mechanic perscribed a new carburetor and assured us the bikes were mere kilometers from exploding without a change, we paid for the work already completed and left. Pass on the scare tactics.
We watched gasoline continue spilling onto the sidewalk over a pizza, and sent a text to the Style Motorbikes helpline to get a cost estimate on a been carburetor. To our great surpris, they told us carburetors could be cleaned for 50k dong ($2.50USD) and replacement was unnecessary. We promptly found another mechanic to clean both carburetors and tighten our chains.
This unexpectedly long mechanic process ate up more of our day than we intended, but enjoyed a short drive drive out of the city for the daylight hours we had left.
Day 37: Cuc Phuong National Park - Pu Luong Nature Reserve
114 km / 71 mi
This was a bad day for biking. There was so much rain we could hardly see straight and the bad roads were made much worse with the downpour. On top of that, Mak’s bike died every time he pulled in the clutch.
On one particularly bad road my bike lost control in a puddle the size of a small lake and hit a rock. After a high velocity tip-over, Mak’s bike fell to prevent hitting mine.
A nice Vietnamese man helped us up, and we were able to continue down the road in the pouring rain with crooked foot pegs, Mak’s struggling bike, and my sour mood.
Day 38: Pu Luong Nature Reserve - Mai Chau
48 km / 23 mi
The freezing rain would not let up and the roads have only gotten worse. On the bright side, the drive was through a gorgeous Nature Reserve, and all of Mai Châu offered beautiful views of rice paddies and mountains.
I was wearing socks and sandals at this point as my boots were soaked from the rain the day before and neither Mak nor I could feel our fingers. We stopped for a tea break and left the shop with new rain boots, gloves, and a sweater instead.
Hopefully this gear will help us make better progress going forward. We were not prepared for this weather!
Day 39: Mai Chau - Yên Châu
125 km / 78 mi
The day began with Mak’s bike not starting, but it ended pretty well. We found a great mechanic to replace a spark plug and adjust the timing on Mak’s bike, which meant that now his bike would start, run on idle, and actually turn off when he pulled out the key (a particularly perplexing issue). The mechanic also did some minor repairs after our fall, including tightening our chains, fixing our rearview mirrors, and using a handy metal pole to push our foot pegs back to their original position
Pictured above are the following:
A typical street we drive on when passing through cities. We do not expect anything to be in English this far north.
Banh Mi stands which can be easily found in every city. We often stop to pick up these egg & sausage sandwiches for less than $1USD.
Because there are few hostels in these rural areas, we often stay at hotels for $10-12USD, or $5-6 per person. The first floor of these hotels is almost always living quarters for a family, and we usually interrupt their dinner for someone to check us in. We do not book ahead, but instead just pull onto the nice floors of this garage/reception/family dining & living room area to ask about availability and price.
Day 40: Yên Châu - Than Uyên 12/14
157 km / 98 mi
What a BEAUTIFUL DAY. I had almost forgotten what the sun looked like.
Pictured below are a couple of the great views and the red and white markers we have followed all along this journey.
We drove on the most amazing road along a large river all day, in and out of a beautiful valley. This road between Son La and Sa Pa has been a major highlight, and we were so grateful to have wonderful weather to enjoy it.
Fingers crossed that our luck continues!
Day 41: Than Uyên - Sa Pa
97 km / 60 mi
Today we enjoyed a beautiful mountain drive, and as we approached Sa Pa we were so high up that we found ourselves driving through clouds for at least an hour. It was cold and visibility was poor, but surprise potholes kept us on our toes.
Luckily, excellent food cures all. While Mak and I are all done eating Pho, a noodle soup served in every other building, other meals have been exceptional. One homestay offered a feast of pork on lemongrass, pork spring rolls, pork with vegetables, fries, and more.
(They like pork here.)
At another family restaurant I blindly ordered bánh cuôń from this sweet lady, which turned out to be delicious!
Day 42: Sa Pa
Sa Pa is the most touristy city we have seen all week, nestled into the side of a mountain. The entire city has cloud cover and offers a lot to see and do. For example: I got to try whatever this is for $.25USD. Tasted like probably wet rice.
We are in desperate need of clean laundry, so we took the day to explore the area and go shopping at the Sa Pa market. I got the most beautiful blanket handmade by a woman from Northern Vietnam!
Commentaires