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For details of the places I visited in Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with GPS Coordinates, see my book Vietnam Caves.

For details on motorbiking in Vietnam and Cambodia, from buying and selling a motorbike, to border crossing, see my book Motorbiking Cambodia & Vietnam.

 

Having looked at the map last night, I knew it was going to be a long drive, as there are not really nice towns to stay in, for the next 200km or so, and it is mostly mountain passes now. So i get up early (6:30am) :-), shower, and then head downstairs for breakfast.

I thought I am going to have one up one them, and ask my eggs scrambled. This way no runny yoke, well, they bring me an omelette, which is funny, bit i do not complain as i like omelettes, and the yoke is not runny.

I have decided to do the route that Jon have mapped out, as it looks as good as any to get to where i want to be. However, to get to the road, i have a choice. I can take a 30km or so small road, that joins up with the main road later, or a can backtrack about 50km, then join the main road. I decide to go for the smaller and shorter route, rather than go backwards.

Te first few minutes is basically just town, then a small road, but mainly flat. Although soon it starts to go a bit uphill.

Yes, mountain pass, twist and turns, here we come.
Not.
Just as i was beginning to enjoy the twists, I come to a section of the road where a few guys are playing with rocks in the road.

The guys dig them up with power tools.

Then they hammer pegs into the rocks by hand, and break them up.

They keep on breaking them down until they are small pebbles, then haul them away. I mean, why dig them up, they did not bother anyone? 🙂

Soon, it starts to rain, and the road gets a bit sandy.

I come across two other backpackers, and leave them behind. As they where having a smoke break, and I know from experaince in Cambodia, when it starts raining, get out of the sandy bits.

Playing chicken with a grader, he flinched.

Just as i think this mountain pass is going to be a duzy, the roadworks ends, and i start to get some twists and turns, but not that cool. I come to a small village, and encounter a pig of a road user.

The pig actually waited on the side of the road as I approached, then seeing me stop, it continued lazily across the road, amazing. Either it knows to look before crossing, or it had to finish farting before crossing.
Just a bit further, i encounter a large number of cars and bikes, all in what i think is a funeral line. They played music and most had white bands around their heads. Will ask a local what it was. You can see a short video of it here.

The road carries on, bit unimpressive, then i get to the main road, and the first section is basically towns and flat roads.

I Stop for a quick snack. I like these stands, as the bread is fresh, i can choose what I want on it, and they are cheap. Around 50c to $1 depending on what you put on it.

At this point i am starting to desperately look for a toilet, but see no restaurant or so to stop at. At one section out of a town, I pass a small cafe like store on the side, with three backpacker bikes parked on the opposite side. I am desperate for a toilet, and decide if other backpackers stopped there maybe there is one there.

It turns out to be two girls with a local guide. He invites me to sit down and chat. Not wanting to be unfriendly (have not had the chance to chat with any other backpackers on the road yet), I grab an ice tea and sit town. There is no toilet that i can see, and the tea have a struggle finding a space. I babble along, while trying hard not to let them know I am struggling not to wet my pants. Luckily they were about done with their coffee, and we quickly part our ways. I only managed to give my business card to them, but did not manage to get any of their names or email addresses, nor did i get a picture of them. (If you guys read this, sorry, please send me a picture of you guys and email addresses.) I hop on my bike and nail the thing, the girls must have thought i am trying to impress them, but honestly, I was now in Code red. About a minute down the road i see a spot next to the river and slam on the brakes. As i relieve myself, a small village downriver suddenly have a unexpected flash flood.

I take on the road again, and then the pass starts. I took a video going up, but as i took pictures, my iPod said it was full. 32GB of stuff, so i delete a game or two, but not enough for videos, so i delete some old videos, and accidentally delete the video going up. Will get a nice one on the next pass. However, did get a video going down. Check it out here.

Suddenly i come to a split in the road. the GPS says go right, but that road looks like a backroad, yet the map shows the road going forward as missing the next town totally, so i turn right.

The road turns out to be, well, not much of a road. And not much of it left.

However, some sections are very nice, and i have some fun in the small road. You can see a short video here.

Soon the road goes downhill, then on the flatlands again, very nice area.

I don’t think this road is made for busses.

I cross over a small bridge and river, then come to a town where i meet a banana man.

I pass local farm tractors, these things are cool. They are lighter and cheaper than normal tractors, and can go in deep mud. The motor can also be used to pull a veriaty of trailers if you change the wheels.

The road goes by quickly, and soon I am in the start of the town i want to be in, not to soon as I am starving, being past 3 and I have only had two bread rolls and two eggs all day. Shame poor me.

Suddenly the bike’s brakes lock up, and at first i am baffled as to why. Then I spot what the bike saw.

I am in heaven. They speak english, and have wifi.
Actually the KFC is in a large mall. As i have my food, I quickly go online and use bookings.com to find a reasonable hotel as both Expedia and my hostel app have no listings in the town. Find one for about $12, and make a booking, then use the map application of the booking to plot me a course. I am at the start of the town, and the hotel is 6km away, wow, big town. Finish my food, then head over to the hotel. They are clean and neat, got wifi and aircon, and hot water, so i am happy. Rest a bit, then go out to find a gas station to fill up the bike for the next morning.

Funny how you drive out about 1/4 of a tank of gas to find a gas station, ha ha ha. That done, i feel a bit peckish, and stop at a small eating place, get myself a roll with veggies on, and a ice tea.

I pour most of the tea into my glass, then review my pictures of the day, and the videos i still have. A child comes sneakily up as i watch a video, thinking i do not see him in the corner of my eye. I am from S.A. kid, but i ignore him to see what he is up to. Slowly he reaches out and takes my tea bottle, just as he wants to take a sip, i look at him. Quickly he puts the bottle down, and makes as if he is watching the video with me. I laugh at him, then continue to watch the video. Just as he thinks i am not seeing him anymore, I watch him sneakily take the tea bottle, drink the last bit, then puts it back on the table and run away.

I just ignore him and finish my snack, then head back to the hotel. By now it is dark, so i use my iPhone and the map application to get back to the hotel. I just love the instrument panel on the bike.