3 days ago, Tom and hit the congested road south out of Hanoi, mixing it up with the locals in the general mayhem they call traffic, bouncing our way out of the city along some well rutted streets.
All was well as we stopped at a small roadside stall, some 30+ km's into the day, to have a cold drink.
Auntie was most amused with us 2 sweaty riders, and once she'd got us some cold drinks, using lots of gestures and sign language, kindly invited us into the house area where it was cooler.
We sat in there on the floor with her and her 3 daughters and their children, and with a lot more sign language, the little English one of the girls knew, and my translator app on the trusty iPhone, with much laughter, we "chatted".
That was great, but even though our bikes were less than 6m away outside, we missed the little sod who rode up on his bike, and stole my bike helmet... And it wasn't just the helmet... It had my strobe light and GoPro helmet mount on it... Thank goodness the GoPro camera itself wasn't locked on there at the time.
Needless to say, Tom and I were royally pissed off, and the ladies were very upset for us too... I was kindly offered a baseball cap from one of the girls, as they thought it was mostly to keep the sun off my head... But I already had one anyway... It was very kind of her though.
We were glad that nothing else got pinched, and have now been super security conscious...
So now I am lid-less, and doing my best to be careful and not fall off... Even more careful than I usually am!
Stopping later at a roadside café, Tom got his first taste of freshly prepared local cuisine... It was a bit of a mystery meal to start with, as we weren't exactly sure what we'd agreed to eat..!
I was trying to figure it out as it turned up... Pho Bo, is beef noodles, and it was awesome. Tom was mightily impressed too, and we both were pleased with our (at the time) unknown choice!
Lunch was great, but that day was a bit of a long one in the end, what with the annoying feeling of being ripped off, plus the very oppressive humidity... By the time we had done 95kms, we were beat.
Whilst Tom watched the bikes at the base of a big hill we found ourselves at, both needing a break before attempting it, I went for a bit of a recon mission, and found a great flat spot, cut into the side of the hill where a house had once stood, and we reckoned it was a perfect camp site... Flat, off the road, out of sight.
And it was... Until later in the evening, when we discovered that a lot of trucks are driven at night. Blowing their air horns, using their engine-braking... So we both had, at best, about 2 hours sleep...
Needless to say, the next day, day 2, really kicked our asses. The heat and humidity was rising, and combined with a huge lack of sleep, some stiff hill climbs, and very little food, we rolled into a tiny little village, 84-odd km's later, WRECKED!
We did do OK though, as we eventually found a small guesthouse, where we put up for the night.
Power came on at 1900, when the generator got kicked into life, and the simple room with a fan was just great.
Tom managed to get a good nights sleep, but again, for some reason, I was unable to, and was prepared for another rough days ride.
However, leaving this morning in some light rain, the ride started pretty cool, and stayed at a decent temperature for most of the day. It poured down mid morning, and we were soaked though, so we stopped for some food at the next place we could find... Which ended up being a newly built, pretty swish restaurant.
Again, lots of sign language, iPhone use, and the little Vietnamese we are picking up and/or recognizing, we ordered some Ga (chicken) and Bo (beef)... But that's about all we knew of the meal.
When it arrived, with a huge bowl of steaming gao (rice) it was awesome: there was plenty of tender beef, veggies and garlic, and the chicken, although chopped up, bones, beaks, feet n' all, was grilled to perfection, lightly seasoned with chili and lemongrass, and tasted amazing... we both chowed down with gusto, fueling up with much needed real food, ready for the rest of the afternoons ride.
So now we are resting up, having clocked up almost 94 km's today, the last 2 of which were a much not needed big-ass steep hill... Not what you want at the end of the day... But resting up in a basic, but decent little guest house out back of a small tea café.
Tomorrow, we ride on out more towards the coast, heading south east to the larger city of Vinh, where we will take a zero, and hopefully, I can collect my new bike helmet my good friend Guy is waiting to FedEx to me, once I can confirm where I'm gonna be..!
More soon...
Cheers,
RWK,
OUT!
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Location:48,Thái Hòa,Vietnam
