Day 7: Dong Van to Bac Me

We were randomly woken again today by Radio Vietnam - this time at 05:00 in the morning. Or, at least, I was - I swear Ryan could sleep through an earthquake. There was no fresh bread in the town, so we had pancakes for breakfast instead (can't say I was too disappointed about that...)

Today was a rolling ride through the same spectacular mountains - prefaced by our guide telling us the big climbs for the day would be 2, 3, 4 and 5km.

The scenery along this part of the trip was amazing. We had been riding under grey skies the entire trip - today was more of the same, and the peaks of the mountains were shrouded in clouds. Despite there being a massive and steep drop-off from the side of the road, it was not uncommon to see people working on the mountainsides. Their children would often be on the roadside above and we got lots of smiles and "hellos" as we passed. It was also possible to play "spot the buffalo" - all the buffalo wore bells around their necks, and even in what would seem to be the most isolated spots, we could usually still hear the soft notes of buffalo bells echoing up from the valleys.

You can see our road halfway up the mountainside

We had another picnic lunch from the van, which we ate under the front porch of the local school teacher in one small village. He also, somewhat disconcertingly, had a pool table under his front porch. In fact, we ended up seeing quite a few pool tables, but always outside (I guess the space inside is too precious to waste on such a thing).

The last leg of the ride took us out of the big mountains and back into terraced valleys. There were houses on every corner of the road (taking advantage of the flat ground) and lots more kids to wave to. It was, however, becoming a bit of a challenge to wave a cheerful hello back without looking too exhausted.

We were supposed to stay that night in a government hotel, but it was under repair, so instead we were put up in a family-run guesthouse. Our guide regaled us with stories of rats and cockroaches in the government place, so we were more than happy with the alternative arrangement. Our room boasted the most tiny bathroom yet - with the shower coming directly from the sink and hooked into the non-existent space between the sink and toilet. At least we were used to it by now.

We still had dinner at the government hotel. I'm happy to report that the only wildlife we shared it with was one vocal cat.

Our guesthouse - one room wide

Try not getting the toilet wet in this one...

Day 6:Ban Me to Dong Van

We enjoyed fresh bread for breakfast at the homestay before farewell-ing our host, saddling up once again and riding out of the village.

After having ridden mostly downhill so far, today would be a bit of a test for our legs - the biggest climb of the trip. It switchbacked its way up several mountains to give us a total climb of around 1000m over an unrelenting 20km. Again - the roads were not very steep, but this climb felt like it went forever. I was also struggling with the effects of the fermented pork - although the fig leaves seemed to be doing their job because nothing was making it out (despite feeling like it certainly wanted to). It was also testament to the climb that today the van trailed along behind us - usually it would go about 20km ahead and we could all ride at our own pace and reconvene when we reached it. Today it waited behind before catching up with the last rider and then waiting again (no way were we going to succumb to the temptation of a free ride, though). At one rest stop, after we were all feeling like we had been climbing for ages and surely it mustn't be too much further, our guide helpfully informed us that we were about 15% of the way up. Sigh.

View of the road below

Eventually we made it to Heaven's Gate, which marked the top of the pass, and were rewarded with a picnic lunch from out of the van (bread rolls, cucumber and beef from a can). A few workers had also stopped their scooters at the top and Ryan once again become the centre of attention and the subject of several photos. A group of German tourists on motorcycles also paused at the top and were astounded to find out that we had ridden up. I think we were just as astounded to know that we had all made it.

Of course, a climb that huge is always rewarded with a ripper descent and this one did not disappoint.

The day was cut in half by a couple of hours in the van - the 140km to our destination being too far for us to manage in one day (apparently only one person in the history of the tour had ever done it, and he arrived at the destination well into the night). We were happy for a rest, and as we drove the scenery gradually became more and more spectacular. Instead of terraced hillsides, we were now driving through (and around) massive, steep-sided limestone mountains. The limestone was black (apparently because it was so old) and dotted with caves. And every piece of land that was accessible to humans was being farmed. The previous corn crop had all been harvested and now the land was being prepared to plant the next - it seemed like even the tiniest pocket of soil between the rocks had been tilled ready for planting. It must be a spectacular sight when the mountainsides are covered with a green sea of corn plants.

We left the van and rode the last 15km into Dong Van so that we could enjoy the scenery up close. I don't think words (or pictures) can really do it justice, but these mountains were by far the most spectacular scenery of the trip. We were all feeling a little weary, though - on one climb out of a village, a small boy rolling a scooter tire along with a stick easily kept pace with me until he started getting too far from home. It's amazingly demoralizing to know that you are slower than a 4 year-old. On foot.    

Dong Van nightlife...

Day 5: Pan Hou to Ban Me

Given that the resort was alongside a river in a deep valley, we were glad to start the day by riding in the van back to the top of the mountain, before being set free on our bikes.

The hills were gradually getting steeper, although we were still mostly riding down. Often a climb or descent would carry a signpost showing a gradient symbol labeled with "10%" - and only ever 10%, regardless of how steep the road seemed to be. I'm not sure the average non-English speaking Vietnamese person would even know what 10% meant, and we started to think that they only had one kind of sign, until much later in the trip we rode past a couple that said 12% (which we took to mean that the hill must be exceptionally steep)("oh no - look a 12% sign...").

We were tearing down one very long and enjoyable descent when Ryan decided to demonstrate how worn down the tread was on our bike tyres. I almost lost control coming round one steep, off-camber, slippery corner, only to hear Ryan skidding out behind me - in full view of half a dozen local people working on the roadside. Luckily, the road was so slippery that he managed to slide along without taking any skin off. We both rode a little more cautiously after that...

Along the way we stopped at a small ceremony being held at the roadside. Apparently there was someone ill in the adjacent hut, and the medicine man (don't know exactly what he was called - shaman???) was conducting a ritual to induce the person's erstwhile spirit to come back into their body. He had constructed a bridge for the spirit to cross and had part of a large pig sacrificed next to him on a small table. As we were standing there, a couple of villagers brought up the pig's head suspended on a bamboo pole between them. The men who brought the pig's head were fascinated by our bikes - particularly Ryan's. We saw plenty of bikes being ridden by villagers - these all had skinny tires and one gear. It therefore became common for our bikes (mountain bikes with front suspension, knobbly tires and multiple gears) to be viewed with much curiosity. It was also a favourite for the locals to try and sit on Ryan's seat - most would end up only being able to perch on the top tube and even then only just being able to reach the pedals.

More and more people stopping to see our crazy Westerner bikes

We stopped mid-morning in one small town for a coffee break. Here I had my first real Vietnamese coffee - with water dripped through a percolater perched on top of a glass of condensed milk. The ratio of milk to coffee was about 1:3 - it was incredibly strong, thick and sweet. In fact, it was almost undrinkable. But it definitely had a kick.

Our guide offered to take us along a slightly longer back road rather than continuing along the main road, and we were all eager to give it a try. The first few kilometres, though, were rough cobblestones - none of us were sure we would be able to manage rattling over 25km of the stuff. Fortunately, the cobblestones soon ended. Unfortunately, the road became very muddy and chopped up. But fortunately the local scooters, by all riding the same path, had made a narrow, compacted ribbon of track through all the ruts. And this was heaps of fun to ride (still downhill). The road took us through some isolated villages surrounded by tea plantations, and turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

Cobblestones

Tea plantation

Lunch is worth mentioning because one of the dishes we consumed was fermented pork. The fact that it was eaten with fig leaves (which our guide said were a good preventer of diarrhoea) maybe should have given us some forewarning for what was to come...

There is a scooter under there somewhere 

After lunch, we continued along the main road beside the river. The riding was flat and fast. I had a very close call with a buffalo's rear end at one point, after a handful of buffalo cut in front of a truck and caused a sudden traffic jam. We were trying to ride through the mess without getting hit by either when one buffalo came to a sudden halt directly in front of me. I don't think I will need to get any closer to a buffalo's bum in my life. Ever.

Our accomodation for the night was a homestay in a local village. This was in a traditional stilted house. Upstairs, the house was one large room which had curtained-off alcoves all around the edge containing mattresses. Our guide and driver had been sharing rooms up until this point - it was funny to see the guide position himself across the room as far away from the driver as humanly possible in an attempt to escape his snoring :-) The Vietnamese family slept in a separate house next door. Our host cooked a meal for us which ended with slices of the most (apparently) delicious orange Ryan had ever tasted. In fact, I think this orange remains the highlight of his entire trip (and I'm not just talking about food...)

Our homestay

 Wandering through the village

Day 4: Pan Hou

Today was a rest day. I don't think any of us really felt like we needed (or deserved) a rest, but if we were going to have to stay put for a day, this was a very nice place to do it.

We spent the day wandering up and down the road past the resort. We never saw any real wildlife in Vietnam, but there were plenty of domestic animals to see and today was no exception, with all sorts of encounters along the roadside. It seemed that every animal had babies as well - baby chickens, piglets, puppies, kittens, buffalo calves.

The suspension bridge to the resort

Along the road we passed a tea factory. There were no workers when we were there, but two women invited us to sit down for tea. Ryan and I each tried a tiny cupful to be polite, but the Brit was in his element. Afterwards, we weren't really sure whether we were expected to pay for the drink, but looking questioningly at the women and asking "money?" only resulted in shaking heads. Given the complete lack of English in the village, we were expecting some kind of agitation or demand for payment as we walked away, but it never came.

Further along we also came across two women fishing in the river. At least, we think they were fishing - they were wearing gumboots and walking through the water, presumably stirring the bottom with their boots, and dragging nets behind. We later asked our guide what they were catching - the answer was "whatever gets in the net" (likely small fish and freshwater shrimp).

After lunch at the resort, we walked in the other direction towards a bigger town. We passed some women embroidering on the front porch of their house. On the return trip, the few items they had displayed outside had magically multiplied and they were clearly hoping for a sale. The Brit ended up bargaining for some embroidered purses for his grandkids (no mean feat with absolutely no common language between the them).

We also passed one slightly disconcerting sign directed towards tourists visiting local houses. It listed a number of rules, including instructions not to cook cat or dog meat in the stove, and not to bring snakes into the house.

Our tour included a complimentary herbal bath back at the resort, and despite reserving times at the beginning of the day, the three of us all ended up being scheduled for the same time-slot . We were lead into a steamy bathhouse which had several large half barrels sunk into the floor. These were filled with hot water strained through a concoction of herbs. It was like having a bath in a giant cup of tea, and I had to resist the temptation to have a taste. While we were soaking, there was a French family having massages - at one point I opened my eyes to be confronted by a topless middle-aged woman sitting upright directly across from me while she had her neck massaged. Needless to say, I closed them again rather quickly.

As we prepared to get out, the Brit got up first to have a cold rinse-off under the shower. He did the male thing of thinking he could figure out all the taps and dials without asking for help - this resulted in a spray of cold water shooting directly out over me in my tub (which happened to be the closest to the shower). The massage-girls were horrified and rushed over to shut off the water. I'm sure it only reinforced the Frenchies impression of us as uncultured cretins...

Day 3: Bac Ha to Pan Hou

We were woken at 06:00 this morning by the dulcet tones of radio Vietnam. I think they deliberately parked the broadcasting van in the street with all the tourist hotels.

We rode away from the town into cloud once again, which persisted as we descended down a dirt road. Near the top, we could barely see 20m ahead, but as we dropped down off the mountain the mist gradually cleared to reveal views of the terraces below. The road itself was great until we got to the part of it that was still being upgraded. The surface went abruptly from smooth, fast, hard-packed dirt to long sections covered with chunks of jagged stone. Ryan and I both managed to bump our way down without losing any skin, the Brit and our guide, however, elected to walk.

My teeth still hurt just thinking about it

We cruised along the rolling roads of the valley floor before stopping in a local town for lunch. Most of our meals consisted of an assortment of communal dishes which we all shared. There would usually be some kind of broth or spring rolls, a couple of vegetable dishes (like pumpkin-vine leaves, cabbage or grated kohlrabi), a tofu dish, a couple of meat dishes (most often beef or pork), loads of rice and little dishes of fish and chilli sauce for dipping. And usually nothing but chopsticks to eat it with. The highlight today was a plate of small fresh-water shrimp which had been fried and we ate whole (tasted like prawn chips).

We started the afternoon riding alongside the river (so nice and flat). All along the roadside were thin sheets of plywood laid out for drying, or stacked up ready to transport.

Unfortunately, the road eventually left the river and started to climb. I think we were being eased into the riding gently, because this climb was nice and gradual (although it did go on a long way)(which we were learning to be the nature of Vietnamese roads). The technicality of the ride was increased somewhat, though, by having to dodge the occasional buffalo and the not-so-occasional buffalo mine (lets just say that a buffalo's waste is proportionate to the animal's overall size and that riding through one of those things is a really bad idea). And then we were rewarded with a ripper downhill on the other side :-)

We finished by riding through a few small villages, which gave us our first real taste of how friendly the local people were - with everyone smiling and waving and calling out hello (there was very little English spoken in the areas we visited, but everyone still knew the word "hello"). After riding about 90km for the day we were reunited with the van and drove the rest of the way to the Pan Hou resort.

One last climb - you can see the road we came up on the mid-right of the picture

This place was seriously nice. It was accessed via a suspension bridge over the river and consisted of multiple thatched cottages nestled within beautiful terraced ponds and gardens. We were a little startled at one point, though, to come across a pony peacefully nibbling the grass along one of the walkways. We were also starting to get the hang of Vietnamese showers - usually a fairly "normal"-appearing bathroom otherwise with a shower-head attached randomly to one wall somewhere. Showering would therefore result in pretty much everything in the room getting wet. We soon learned to leave all clothes/towels/shoes outside and got in the habit of drying off the toilet once we were done. At least the water was hot.

The food at the resort was also excellent. We didn't know it at the time, but this would be the last place that we would have fresh fruit juice to drink - we were too busy enjoying banana pancakes to think about it :-) After the meal, our driver produced a questionable-looking unlabeled water-bottle (apparently the vessel of choice for home-brewed rice wine). We both declined, but the Brit crumbled under the pressure from the guide and driver (who both took tiny sips as he downed his shot). We were also learning that these home brews usually had some kind of "special" ingredient which would be soaked or infused into the wine and it was a fun game inquiring of its nature after the Brit had consumed the contents - this particular brew was laced with opium poppy.

Two maps from Endomondo - one from the morning and the other after lunch.