Climbing to Dalat

2/19/09
Lam Ha-Dalat (by Highway 20)
Day: 49.33 km
Cume: 2539.9 km
Avg: 11.9 kph
Max: 43.0 kph
Time: 4h8m
Highs: So many small and large farms growing greens, flowers, fruit in huge variety, PINE and pine scent reminding me of home, cooler temperatures, flowers proliferate the road side, entering the lovely mountain town Dalat
Lows: Malicious truck driver honks horn for no reason only once and right when his horn is next to my ear; long, steep, busy ascent, tired today from yesterday's long ride, sore in the climb, being locked in the hotel (again) and having to wait for someone to wake up to let me out, starting ride day 45 minutes later than I was ready to depart


This is the big day, the day I knew was coming. A long 30 km ascent, gradual at first and then steep in the last 10km. It was a long day yesterday and I was still pretty sore and tired, so this climb was not going to be easy. The countryside leading up to the climb offered an impressive variety of fresh produce farms. Such huge variety!!!

The climb itself was both good and bad. Seeing the sign at the bottom of the climb welcoming me to the Dalat region made me grow very anxious to finally see this mountain community I had heard so much about from farang and locals alike. I had to get through the 10km climb along a major traffic corridor, first. Once I smelled the pine and saw the pine litter scattered on the roadside, my spirits lifted. I thought of Plumas County, somehow that smell transports me back there every time I smell it. Thinking of old friends and many wonderful experiences while attempting to focus on the road and the rear view mirror. Buses and motor bikes abound, everyone in such a hurry! The road was so narrow, I basically rode up the painted line at the road side. Fortunately, most drivers gave me space. Bus drivers still suck and honk at me more than once and more than necessary because the road is truly just barely wide enough to accomodate two buses passing each other abreast. This occurs frequently on this busy tourist corridor.

I continue to play games with the remaining mileage in the climb, doing and redoing the calculation of the number of miles remaining transposed from the kms, celebrating each additional passing km. I pass a road sign for a mountain zen temple, make a mental note to return by motor bike. Finally, the top of the hill, cresting and then dropping down into the outskirts of Dalat. My first traffic circle, my second, the lake, the hotels, all the homes perched in the hills like the famous residences in San Francisco; a certain feel in the air tells me that I'm going to want to stay a while. It's warm, but not hot, the air is fresh, the lake glistening and something is...missing...can't.....quiet.......figure it........out........horns........there aren't that many horns!........what?...............is this still Vietnam???? Really, there's a lot of motor bike traffic, but only scattered horns here and there in the soundscape. People drive quickly, but most people drive pretty mellow. The pace here is slower. I don't fear for my life in the traffic circles (should I?).

With the plethora of hotels and the lack of patronage, I easily secure a nice third level hotel room with a balcony looking out on sunrise, with BBC and HBO, hot showers and a comfy bed in a quieter neighborhood with a few restaurants, a travel office that says it can help me extend my visa, a motor bike rental shop and a inet cafe with the best computers I've seen yet in the country. I'm definitely staying. Oh yah, the hotel was about $6 per night. Not bad. It's possible to acquire a place that costs less, but this will suit me just fine. I place a chair from downstairs on my balcony and settle in for a longer stay.


-----


in a baby's toy
I think I hear Dave Brubeck---
ah, homesickness



-----

Homestay and Run For the Hills

2/18/09
Jun Village to Lam Ha, Vietnam
Day: 112.17 km
Cume: 2490.5 km
Avg: 13.7 kph
Max: 55.5 kph
Time: 8h9m
Highs: Very nice scenary, mountain riding, lvoely morning bird song and while I was in the jungly part of the first big climb, seeing the "Napa Valley of Vietnamese coffee production," occassional cloud cover provides relief from the heat during the climb, little traffic, climb 2 PAVED (not dirt), amazing descent, seeing Dalat/Mt. Longbian in the distance for the first time, hotel in town with comfy bed, meeting amazing Vietnamese guide in Jun Village and talking all night about politics and culture
Lows: Hot sun on long ascent, 4:45 AM start, miserable road conditions on climb 1, home stay @ Jun Village not so good


Perhaps it's because I'm comparing it with the simple and gentle nature of the people and way of life in Kong Lor Village in Laos, but the Jun Village turned out to be rather disappointing. I think they're in enough travel books to receive enough farang traffic that they have basically mimicked the worst behaviors of tourist destinations in other parts of the country. They wanted to sell me everything. They weren't very friendly. Homes were being built, improved with moneys earned from homestays. I didn't interact very much with the family I stayed with and didn't even really meet and/or spend time with them in the two days I was there. Unlike Kong Lor, I didn't eat with the family, I traveled to one of the village restaurants and overpaid for low quality food. One very nice outcome of staying there, though was that I met an Aussy and his Vietnamese guide (Motor Cycle tour guide from Dalat), who spoke excellent English and was happy to answer every question I posed to him about Vietnam and Vietnamese culture. He was super smart and super political and had decent knowledge of world politics, so it was quite an enjoyable discussion. He was very lively and had a lot of very funny and illuminating stories.

Sunsets and night at the village were simply amazing. Looking out across endless green rice fields and into the mountains, red sunset reflected off clouds dominating the sky above the mountains. Crickets and other night sounds. The stars again. Another valuable feature of staying out in the village.

I awoke in the Jun Village at 3:30 to the sound of thumping techno coming from one of the houses just down the road. It was so loud, I couldn't go back to sleep and they played the same song (a song I've heard throughout the country) about three or four times. Combined with the hocking and spitting sounds of the older woman of the house, I couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided to quiet and carefully extricate my belongings from the long house I was sleeping in, pack my belonging in their rightful places in my panniers, load the bike and take off an hour and fifteen minutes prior to my intended start time at 4:45. This sounds ludicrous, but with my lights and headlamp, this was infinitely safer than any other highway I have ridden in this country during the day time. I saw very very little traffic until about 6:30 and riding under the stars had a brilliant affect.

My goal was to attack the uphill before the sun and heat could set in, but they were 60km from my start point and I knew even with the early start, I'd still be making the ascent in the full sun. I can't remember the distances offhand, but I know that there were two major ascents on the day, the first, I believe, a smaller one and the second a major unpaved ascent (according to LP). over the 1500 meter pass. I was so thankful to arrive at the point LP stated the dirt would start only to find about 3-5 year old smooth asphault! No dirt ascent!

The descent between the two ascents was AWESOME! Red soil, hot temperatures and the most impressive collection of coffee orchards I had seen. It really felt like Napa Valley in terms of the scenary and the temperatures and the soils and the coffee production was obviously prolific! LP said that this was some of the finest coffee in Vietnam.

It was a long day at 112 km with two major ascents and I was thankful to arrive at Lam Ha, get a couple of bun bao and settle in the great little hotel in town. I really liked this little town for some reason, it had a certain feel that was pretty neat! I was happy to get to sleep early after sharing dinner with the hotel owner's wife. She's a good cook!

Good Riddance, Highway 14! HELLO Highway 27!!!

2/16/09
Buon Na Thuot to Jun Village
Day: 60.8 km
Cume: 2378.3 km
Avg: 16.4 kph
Max: 57.0 kph
Time: 3h41m
Highs: Thankfulness for Highway 27 and the return to Vietnamese countryside and country folk, the sound of birds frequently arriving in my ear canals, drastic reduction in traffic, the mountains towering in the distance, green rice fields, met two lovely Canadians who shared great road information and experience, morning fog!!!, country sweetness returns to peoples' disposition
Lows: Traffic leaving the city, thick morning fog and my glasses don't mix (sadly), rude people giving bad directions, no swimming in the lake?, a tale of tragedy offered by the Canadians


I have to say, I'm not a very good city person. Something happens to peoples' minds/psyche living cramped together with so many people in so little space with so much technology making so much noise and moving so quickly. Country folk are just different people and they're just plain lovely! I'm so thankful to be able to hear the birds singing again! I knew they were there in the rubber and pine plantations in the morning, but it was nearly impossible to make out anything they were saying over the horns and motors. Now, I can hear them most of the time and I'm so happy to hear their songs!

Highway 27 really opened up and the countryside with dramatically improved scenary really helped my state of mind. Not to mention, I didn't have to keep such a close eye on the road and in my rear view mirror now that traffic died down to a trickle, so I could actually look up and look around. I can see the mountains now, towering in the distance and, thanks to the Lonely Planet Cycling Guide to Vietnam, I know how much climbing and mileage I'm going to need to do the next cycling day. I decide to take a rest day before the ascent and stay two nights in a homestay in the Jun Village along Lac Lake. I imagined it would be lovely like Kong Lor, I'd hang out and get to know the family and feel comfortable and welcome in the village and I'm looking forward to it all day.

The town of Lac is very small, very provincial and people look at me really funny. I guess not many farang come here [wrong]. Restauranteers are not as friendly as in other places, not as helpful with my very very poor Vietnamese pronunciations. There's an inet cafe, that's good. There's a cafe, that's good. The Jun Village is set back from the highway and is very quiet, that's great. The star field at night is so impressive, I have seen nothing like it in a very long time. The evening sounds in the rice fields along the village is deafening and makes for really nice evening walking.

Lighting over the mountains in the Southwest (thankfully not near my bearing for Dalat) makes for good skywatching. This is a pretty neat spot.

Central Highland's Most Esteemed Graffiti Artists, VT

2/15/09
Eadrang to Buon Na Thuot
Day: 82.22 km
Cume: 2317.5 km
Avg: 15.9 kph
Max: 47.0 kph
Time: 5h8m
Highs: Beautiful vista of coffee tree filled valleys!, coffee beans scattered on the roadside, pine trees lining the road 20 meters deep on each side (with sap taps in them), more rubber tree orchards, heat lessened with cloud cover during the afternoon
Lows: Traffic almost unbearable, malicious honking truck drivers who honk their INSANELY loud horns right when they're next to my ear for no reason, finally paying attention to road paint markings of downed/injured/dead motor cyclists/bicyclists


Today, I begin with a few poems which should set the tone for the days ride (another prolific day):


what looks like gravel
scattered on the road side are
really coffee beans!


------

Vietnamese Torture Techniques for American Cyclists Riding Uphill Through Their Country Haiku

I spend my days counting
the deka and hecta meters
marked on the road side


-----


Cycling in Vietnam Haiku

truck horns from behind
sound like bombs screaming toward
a conclusion


-------------

It's a country I love and hate simultaneously all the time. I will say, the more I ride this road, Highway 14, the more I fear it and the drivers who travel it. Today, because I was a little bored (I get bored when I don't get to speak intelligibly in English for days on end), so I decided to finally pay attention to the road markings of downed motor bikes and bicycles. I'm guessing that one would not paint a marking on a road surface unless the information is important, unless, indeed, someone was injured or killed in the course of the accident they attempt to capture. So, I decided to count road markings for the 40 km (that's 24 miles for us American mavericks) betwen Buon Ha, where I had breakfast and Buon Na Thuot where I would spend the night. It became a sort of game. I placed a bet with myself...how many would I really see in 24 miles...I mean, I've seen maybe a few dozen so far since I've been on this highway. Well, here's the final count of motor bike grafitti markings on the road between Buon Ha and Buon Na Thuot: 16!

This will continue to be a fascination of mine as I endure how the Vietnamese treat me and each other with their vehicles.

I spent the fist two hours of the day climbing steadily for 28km. Fortunately, I made the climb early what it was still cool out and traffic "light." Seeing coffee beans along the highway reminded me of highway 5 during the summer scattered with the guts of tomatoes that bounce out of the tremendous truck loads and end up on the roadside. This is obviously a major coffee producing region, so much so that they don't mind losing a portion of their product to the shoulder.

I was fortunate to have received an excellent suggestion from my French comrade in Hue who told me of a great low key place to stay in Buon Na Thuot. I throw it out there, too, the Family Inn right near the Victory Monument. BTW: The Victory Monument is a huge spire (like many of the Victory Monuments) with an American Tank flying a Vietnamese flag mounted to a pedestal in front of the spire. Pretty impressive display. *****EDIT ADD IMAGES*****

Across the Central Highlands

2/14/09
Pleiku to Eadrang
Day: 103.28 km
Cume: 2235.3 km
Avg: 16.2 kph
Max: 51.0 kph
Time: 6h20m
Highs: Completed 80kms before noon with a TON of downhill! More pepper on the roadside (green and black), rubber plantations for miles, more coffee, more sweet coffee fragrance, periods of quiet when I could actually hear birds, lighter traffic, lunch stop with HAMMOCKS!
Lows: Traffic resumed high levels after morning, more up and down, up and down afternoon heat in uphills cooked my brain, run around to find a place to sleep in Eadrang (but I found one!)


At least the scenary was a little more engaging today with the introduction of large rubber tree plantations to the landscape, which provided a little shade at times, too. This was not a particularly memorable day of cycling. There was still a lot of up and down in and out of towns with 8-12% grades leaving towns and following the undulating landscape. I'm beginning to think that Highway 14 is not the best cycling route. It's really as busy if not busier than Highway 1A, more narrow and very very hot (and boring).

I will say that my lunch was an endearing memory. Just when I thought my head was going to explode from the heat in an uphill around lunch time, there on the roadside, like one of those cartoon oasises Bugs Bunny sees in the middle of the desert, is a roadside stall/restaurant filled with tables and HAMMOCKS! I ordered lunch and then laid out in the hammock. After eating, I slept for an hour and then read a while to allow the high noon heat to pass. What a GREAT idea! I discovered after I got back on the bike, that this stall was not the only one. This is a popular truck stop, apparently, with large downhills on both sides and long dusty, busy roads.

This day did, somehow, pull a few poems out of me (like the dentist pulling teeth):


three toddlers
exploring by the road side
of Highway 14



[really, I couldn't believe it. there were alone, unsupervised, and just a few feet from raging trucks and buses]
------


hellos on my left
hellos on my right
ahhhh, celebrity!

Central Highland Introduction, VT

(Please note: I'm changing the format of the blog a little)

2/13/09
Kom Tum to Plieku
Day: 62.13 km
Cume: 2132.0 km
Avg: 15.4 kph
Max: 49.5 kph
Time: 4h2m
Highs: The sweet smell of coffee blossoms in the wind, coffee orchards as far as the eye can see, oceans of pepper corns drying in the sun along the roadside
Lows: Really uninteresting terrain, deceivingly challenging day, not huge terrain but lots of brief 8-10% grades in and out of small towns, INSANE traffic on a terribly narrow road, crusty road quality, malicious honkers


I decided on advice received from a fellow cyclist to skip the long, steep, hot uphill from DaNang into the Central Highlands and take the bus to KomTum. Talk about lack of safety: my twelve passenger vehicle had two extra seats shoved in the walkways, walkways were mostly full of cargo, so I'd trip as I moved about the vehicle. Fortunately, I took Dramamine and had a terrible night sleep the night before and slept on and off the majority of the trip. I understand i missed some pretty nice scenary, from talking to a couple of Vietnamese citizens. Ah well. Better than road sickness in a cramped, hot van. Fortunately, the man was willing to load my bike on the roof and bring it along (for a price) and he didn't charge me for two tickets (like a former driver in Laos).

This ride sucked. I wouldn't do it again and I wouldn't suggest anyone do it. It was hot, uninteresting, almost too busy to enjoy---I spent the majority of my time concentrating on traffic ahead and goings on in my rear view mirror, which was necessary for safety. Surprising was the incredible artistry of local spray paint artists who painted the cuted little outlines of motor bikes every few km on the road way...wait a second...there were numbers, errr, measurements, too, and something that looked like an impact and a staggered line leading over to the little motor bike (or bicycle)...oh, those silly police officers! [Read ahead for my body count on the cycle day from Eadrang to Buan Na Thuot]

The only redeaming quality was seeing coffee for the first time and being pleasantly surprised how lovely the coffee plant is in full flower! I promise photos, again when I find comupters here that can hand JPGs. Well, the other thing was that I made this ride after noon. The bus dropped me off after noon and I made the ride in the late afternoon to get out of Kom Tum, hot and dusty. I might consider revisiting Pleiku, as I didn't make time to see the sites and understand there are some interesting ones in the countryside. There was also a massive pagoda I could see from km away and which dominated the city skyline. The next morning, I was determined to hurry out of there to ride in the cool morning.

Catching Up--ATTN: CYCLISTS

I'm determined to catch up the blog because today, I had the best day of cycling in Vietnam so far and I rode what I believe will prove to be the downhill I will award the "Best Brake Burner Award" at the end of the tour (stay tuned). I have so many things to add but need to put up a quick post for any potential cyclists considering touring to/from Dalat to/from the Central Highlands:

1) The Lonely Planet suggestion of roads (dated 2001) from Lam Ha to Dalat, Higway 20, is WAY outdated and simply wrong. There is a much better road with a MUCH better road surface and a MUCH better grade and MUCH better traffic conditions and, to top it off, MUCH better scenary than Highway 20. Please, if you're in Lam Ha, just south of town on Highway 27, PT 725 breaks off to the East. It may not be marked by number, so ask locals how to get to places like Nam Bam and Ta Nung. Different from Highway 20, you won't see as much of the local agricultural open fields, you will see a good deal of the local greenhouse ag, you won't see nearly as much traffic as PT 20 mostly motor bikes (MANY FEWER BUSES honking in your ear), the climb will be longer (not sure how long) but the grade will be much more manageable. From the top of the ascent, signs will lead you the remainder of the way to the Dalat City Center.

2) If you're planning on traveling to Nha Trang after Dalat (the direction I suggest for this route), take the "NEW ROAD!" It doesn't even have roadside markings yet! It's so epic, you should really consider riding it even if you didn't plan to go to Nha Trang. It was built in 2003 and still has small sections under construction, but the downhill (after a 20km uphill to the pass at 1500 meters) is absolutely magestic and amazing. Road quality is exceptional on 99% of the road (as good as Laos), scenary is unbelieveable, the downhill is awesome and with excellent construction quality, visibility is exceptional so you won't have to ride the brakes and may actually enjoy the descent at a decent rate (if you're into that...o/w just sit up and let the wind slow you down). This road is unbelieveable, it's a miracle of human ingenuity that the whole thing doesn't just cascade down the nearly vertical canyon walls it clings to. The pay off of the climb out of Dalat over the shoulder of Mt. Langbian is the 30 km downhill with some really amazing sections with views, waterfalls (plenty of place to cool down before you hit the low lands! DO IT!) and vistas from the bottom of the valley all the way back up to the pass. NOTE: I WOULD NOT SUGGEST THIS ROUTE FROM NHA TRANG TO DALAT (unless you're into that)! To find the route, buy the new map from a street vender in Dalat (or Nha Trang), the route is listed on the 2009 map or just ask the locals. It travels North out of town and away from the lake, right near the Teacher's College. ****EDIT with specific directions****

RIDE DAY: Hoi An to Da Nang, VT

2/12/09
Day: 51.25 km
Cume: 2069.8 km
Avg: 19.5 kph
Max: 34.5 kph
Time: 2h37m
Highs: Visiting the Marble Mountains was one of the best siteseeing stops I've experienced yet in this country, heard/watched a monk chanting and playing wood and metal gongs and bells in one of the temples in the Marble Mountain Park, GIANT stone buddhas hiding in dimly lit grand caves within the mountain, riding along the coast, finding a nice hotel with a huge view of the river from my balcony on the 4th floor
Lows: Da Nang traffic, spent a little too much money at the marble mountains on items that are now weighing down the pannies!

Really this was a lovely day. I decided to return to Da Nang to see the Cham Museum and to catch a bus about 300km South and up into the highlands as per suggestion of my French comrade I met in Hue. The Cham Museum was nice, a good stop. Da Nang is an interesting riverside town with nice views of the mountains. I was able to take care of some business and find a relatively cheap bus to Kom Tum, so it worked out.

I REALLY enjoyed the Marble Mountains. The caves filled with giant stone Buddhas! Great views of the coast, the village and DaNang in the distance. The temples and shrines just felt magical, being that they were filled with the carvings of the stone carvers who live at the base. The sound of electric saws carving marble fill the air. The artwork is pretty darn impressive and SO ABUNDANT!

****EDIT: ATTACH PHOTOS HERE****

SITESEEING: Hoi An and Environs

2/11/09
35.89 km

Wow, Hoi An is lovely and WOW Hoi An is set up as a tourist destination. It is a town of craftsmen and craftswomen! Every kind of hand craft is represented from wood to stone to ceramic to paper to cloth to paint to sculpture and much much more. It's a place to go to do some serious shopping and buy some serious gifts! I admit, I bought a few! The silk work is sooooo lovely!!! I wish Sharon were here to pick out gifts for women friends of ours!

So, there was a festival on the 15th day of the Chinese calendar in the old town of Hoi An. All the streets are closed to motorized vehicles (thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!) and everywhere there are lamps and candles and colorful lights. There were traditional music and dance performances and boat rides down the river with little floating lanterns in the channel. It was really lovely and I'm so glad I made it!

I spent a day just laying low and taking it really easy cuz I felt like doing it! I spent a day seeing the sites in the old town and checking out all the art and I spent a day on the bike exploring the islands and penninsulas and the beaches nearby. All very lovely and quiet and mellow and my timing was good or I chose the right routes and didn't see any other tourists. The beach was a tourist trap mess and, putting the pieces together, it looks like Vietnam has plans to turn My Khe beach from Da Nang to Hoi An into Cancun because there are major HUGE resorts being built up and down the beach with really fancy names. This is about a few years out! I ended up riding though through the tourist trap and kept on riding along the beach and ended up at the historic port where I found a nice quiet bench to sit on, have a cold drink and take a short nap in the shade. Very lovely.

RIDE DAY: Long Co to Hoi An, VT

2/9/09
Day: 72.04 km
Cume: 1976.5 km
Avg: 17.5 kph
Max: 52.5 kph
Time: 4h6m
Highs: Hai Van Pass ROCKS now that Hai Van tunnel is open! with only fuel trucks and scant motor bikes who can't afford or don't like the tunnel, the lush mountains of Hai Van Pass, waterfalls every few kilometers, gentle grade and great (sad) views of lovely Long Co, acceptable downhill, unbelieveable 30kph tail wind between DaNang and Hoi An
Lows: ZUphill headwind on the way up Hai Van for a good portion of the way, the hockers on the top of Hai Van Pass (OMG: I decided to only speak Spanish, they were so ruthless), downhill not as exciting as all the reports I read about it, stayed about 30kph the whole way and didn't see those killer blind hairpin turns (sorta disappointing, cuz I was looking forward to a real rusher), wanted more time at Hai Van but couldn't stand the hockers trying to sell me coffee (running up to me and surrounding me with shouting)

1) I decided not to take the 5000 dong shuttle through the tunnel because I had read so much about this pass, I just had to see it and experience it for myself
2) I was so sad to leave Long Co, but will need to bring Sharon back to stay a while (especially to go back and see my friends and walk that beach again)
3) Yes, I decided to ride right through DaNang because there was a special festival going on in Hoi An this evening (the 15th day of the Chinese calendar each month is a lantern festival)...as my governor back home wisely said, "I'll be back."


Hai Van Pass. Hmh. 8%, 9.5 km up and same on the down. The book said killer scary adrenaline junkie hairpin turns on the way down to DaNang (such a disappointment). But, I did it and kicked it's butt and was so happy I did it because it's SOOOOO LOVELY up there! The mountains rise up verdant green with waterfalls tumbling down all the way from the top and you can see the falls all the way! Such a trip! The top was a disappointment...as I was riding uphill to the top, a crowd of cafe hockers came out of their stalls and started running down the road toward me shouting, trying to be friendly and then tapping on my bike and panniers as I rode by and didn't pay any attention to them (I have a new policy on hockers that they don't get my business). I stayed a scant few moments to shoot three photos and then rode off amid a shower of shouting and jeers from the hockers. Bummer. They didn't mention anything about this in the book.

DaNang is at first glance quite industrial. I found my way to the coastal route along the sand and cut down the horns and traffic by 60 or 70 percent, it was GREAT! I rode this route all the way to Hoi An with a brief stop to chat with my brother at a computer cafe in DaNang.

I'll stay in Hoi An for a few days to get the feel and explore.

RIDE DAY: Hue Siteseeing and Hue to Long Co, VT

2/4/09-2/7/09
Days: 83.59 km
Cume: 1904.4 km
Avg: 16.1 kph
Max: 48 kph
Highs: Leaving Hue and actually getting back into the coutryside, two mellow passes, felt like a short day (2/7/09), arriving at an empty Long Co Beach and feeling at home with the waves crashing and the salty sweet scent in the air
Lows: SOOOOOOOOOOO MANY HORNS AHHHHHHHHH, 5 yr old boy aims a big rock at me with a mean face and shouts in Long Co Village (interesting)


Hue was a lovley place to ride and walk, even with all the traffic. I ended up staying a few days to take in all the scenary and just to chill out. I took a boat trip down the Perfume River (aptly named for all the sweet blossoms on trees and shrubs throughout the area) to see the amazing tombs of the former emperors and a couple of temples. Really, I just enjoyed walking in the citadel at night and just checking out the scene, walking on the AMPLE public parks along the river on both sides, watching the light show projected on the bridge each night and just ambling around. I was lucky and met a French man on the boat who is also a cyclist and who gave me some good route information on the roads I intended to ride which he had just come down by bus. Brilliant and sooo helpful!

I was happy to leave Hue after a few days of the traffic and speed of the city and return to the country. Highway 1 is unbelieveable, busy, narrow, loud, fast and crazy. I can see why cyclists like to ride down it, because of the scenary, but I don't get it because of the speed and noise and fear factor of the big trucks and buses driving wherever they please (including on the shoulder of the opposite side of the road). It really is incredible how the Vietnamese drive. I'll save comment for my rant that I promise I'll transcribe soon.

Riding into Long Co, though, made it all worth it. From talking with locals, it had been cloudy for fifteen days and the day I arrived, it was sooooooo sunny. I stayed at a fancy and empty resort with an ocean view and the sounds of ways crashing all night long ($10 and slept with the windows open!). The head of the front desk took a liking to me and showed me a few spots within the resort where I could get good ocean views, hang out and read and not be bothered by hockers on the beach. The beach was sooooooooooooooo lovely and EMPTY! I came two months prior to the start of their real season and there was nearly noone at the resort and on the beach. I went for sunrise and sunset walks and decided to stay two nights (I'd have stayed a week if Sharon was with me!). I made friends with a couple of fishermen from the village after I helped them and a handful of other guys to flip over a few of their hand woven bamboo boats to be re-coated with tar. I really wanted to help them do the tarring, but due to some miscommunication, I missed out. They invited me in for tea and snacks and I returned later hoping to help them do some tarring with a six pack of local beers. They thought I was crazy but happily invited me back in and we just sat around and enjoyed each other's company.

I met another gentleman who owns a little restaurant and shop on the street and he invited me to a "party" during one evening after I had lunch at his restaurant and conversation that lasted like an hour and a half. His little brother was so excited to show me his foreign currency collection he has been working on for two years and he was so proud of his American quarter collection after having collected all but six of the state coins! I promised him I'd send the ones he was missing, especially since he's missing the coin from great state of California. When I went back to his shop during the evening not knowing what to expect, Michael brought out a HUGE basket of oysters, fired up a small fire and bar-be-qued oysters until a half hour past I had hit my limit! SO AMAZING! Fresh oysters from his sister who, I guess, has a fishing boat. When I tried to give him money, he told me absolutely not and then drove me back to my hotel on the back of his motor bike. He and I and his two brothers laughed the night away listening to 80's music! One of his brothers likes Michael Jackson and he hates it! We were both singing along while Michael looked on disapprovingly! So much fun! Long Co, so sweet, so kind! Such a relief from chaotic city life!

Tomorrow, the famed Hai Van Pass. I'm ON!


the ocean surges
thrown against the shore
by a bright full moon
I think I see fishing boats
small black dots on rough waters

-----


fog fails to eclipse
the glowing sea basked
in full moon glow


----


these fishermen
who live and die by the sea
launch into dark surf


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KIDNAPPED in Phong Nha For Siteseeing With New Friends

Waking up in breakfast in Phong Nha and getting all geared up to roll out to head closer to the DMZ, I went downstairs in my hotel to get some breakfast. After such a huge day yesterday, I was famished! Upon ordering, a woman walks up to me and knows right away I'm from San Francisco (by the way I speak)! Her name was Lihn and she was making her yearly visit with her husband to Vietnam to visit family and distribute aid to poor rural communities, schools and orphanages she collects through a non-profit she runs in her spare time ****ADD LINK****. She stopped me and basically told me that I was welcome/invited to come travel with her and her family!

This turned into one of the most pleasant and hilarious days as I traveled around with Lihn and Huong and their family and friends. Had I not met them, I would have not known that Phong Nha, which I rode into in the dark, is actually a world heritage site and contains some spectacular caves! The family loaded my bike in the mini-bus they chartered for their trip and off we went to the caves! Splendid splendid caves and excellent light displays--one cave at the top of 450 TALL stairs that we all mountaineered up and one in a cave under the mountain reachable by boat! AND, unlike Kong Lor, the boats used no motors and paddled the boat like a giant gondola through the cave! WOW, what a great experience!!!

****EDIT ADD PHOTOS HERE*************

Afterwards, we had some lunch and head out southward. They said they'd take me as far as I like and just give them the word when I wanted to jump out. We drove through the DMZ visiting a few places along the way and I decided, due to the time and how much I was enjoying myself spending time with their family, to travel with them to their final destination of the evening, Hue. This saved me three days of riding!

I am sooooooo thankful to my new friends for all the good times and the endless good humor and cheer they shared with me! And I'm so very grateful to Lihn and Huang especially for answering my many thousands of questions I had been storing up since entering the country!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to My French Comrade from Hue

I don't know if you'll actually look here (I didn't get your e-mail address), but I hope you do. I need to thank my French friend who I met on the boat in Hue who gave me road suggestions for the South. You were totally right about taking the bus to Kom Tum and cylcling to Dalat. The conditions were exactly as you said and I wouldn't have liked riding that section between DaNang and Tom Kum! Too dry, too steep! You were totally right! I would NOT ride the road again from Kom Tum to Buon Na Thout, though. Very narrow and busy and boring scenary (see subsequent post I'll write about drivers in Vietnam, I've been preparing my rant). I'm really happy now that I'm pedaling in the mountains and nearing Dalat and things are starting to get quiet and lovely!

AND, thanks for the suggestion of the Family Inn in Buon Na Thuot! Again, you were totally right on. The family was super nice, the room was decent and the price was right! And, there was market and food right across the street! Thank you thank you thank you for the great suggestions and please send me an e-mail so I can send you a personal note (if you actually read this).

To the rest of you, now you know where I am today!

RIDE DAY: Huong Khe to Phong Nha, VT

2/3/09
Day: 126.6 km
Cume: 1820.5 km
Avg: 16.1 kph
Max: 59.5 kph
Time: 7h50m (long day!)
Highs: The sun came out a little to wash away the grey, majority of the day was spent riding on the Ho Chi Mihn Highway through the mountain in Wilderness through a National Park, unbelieveable limestone mountains all around rivaling the King's Road in Laos, HUGE LUSH jungle, got a good nap in at lunch stop, lots of hellos and kids following me on bike and on foot, approving glances and nods from adults, felt really good after a long day in the mountains
Lows: The sun came out a little to heat things up!, 3k at 10% grade + 5k ascent at 90km into ride, BAD BAD road signs, TERRIBLE map, arrived after dark (fortunately on a country road, there was very little traffic and a few motor bikes helpfully followed me for the last 5k to light my way) 30 minutes after sunset, a lot of shouting and hollering for the roadside along with the hellos


This was a long but tremendously rewarding day. There is just nowhere to stay and/or eat through much of this section of ride. It was literally Wilderness (with a capital "W"). I could have camped and would have had water but would have had no food for some time, so I decided to push on to the bitter end. The riding was killer, lots of ups and downs, a couple of long ones. The mountains were insanely beautiful, but due to the grey skies, all the photos look mute and uninteresting, but this national park truly rivaled the King's Road in Laos. I got my first taste of Vietnamese style rice farming with oxen and plough rather than the tractors of Laos and Thailand. WoW! It's all very new still, so I'm just in awe of everything, especially the kindness I see from people along the roadside. Very very friendly.

My map simply sucks! It has towns in places where they don't exist or it reverses the order of towns or says town are on the road when they're 4km off the road. It's really bad. To compound things, the road signs were changing all day. There is a marker every km that lists the distance to upcoming towns. It wasn't until 15km before the town I was heading to that they actually declared the distance to the town I was heading to! It was strange. One road sign said 50km to Phong Nha, where I knew there were hotels, and then 10km later, it said 45km. I had no idea how far it actually was and then got hit with the killer climb out of the national park at 90km. It was awesome, though, because the remainder of the day was literally dead pan flat or downhill and the downhill was long and awesome. I need to list town names so this is clearer, but don't have my map with me. I'll return here to ****EDIT***** just in case there are cyclists reading this.

Riding after sunset sucked, but due to the terrain and feeling pretty good from having had an afternoon nap, I was able to step it up. When it finally got dark enough, I broke out all the lights and pedaled on at a quick pace. I arrived at Phong Nha at 7:00 or 7:30 exhausted and starving. The hotel proprieter was more than happy to make me be a big plate of fried rice and the BEST spring rolls ever!!! OMG!!! Very different from the states with a crumbly meshed wrapper that was very fibrous and flakey. So yummy! I crashed shortly after finishing dinner.

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a farmer
surfs his plough thru his rice field
his ox licks its lips

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RIDE DAY: Pho Chau to Huong Khe, VT

2/2/09
Day: 57.65 km
Cume: 1693.9
Avg: 18.5 kph
Max: 37.0 kph
Time: 3h7m
Highs: Invited into various homes along the way, lunch and dinner with Vietnamese families who literally called me off the road and invited me into their homes, rolling countryside, fast riding, hundreds of kids on bikes from school, Huang Khe's charm, the choice to stay in Huong Khe, internet $0.20 per hour!!!
Lows: Uncertainty about going on without road/accomidation knowledge, feeling unsure about invitations into home after all the negative feedback I'd received from Lao, Thai and foreigners about Vietnam

This was a really neat day aside from the concern about where and when to stop! I had only ridden 60km which is under my mark of 80km, but had no idea where the next town with accomodations was. When I rode into Huong Khe, there was just something about it that really caught me. It was like a provincial little European town with a huge lake right in the middle of town surrounded by greenbelts. The hotel in town had lovely wooden spiral stair cases, a balcony for every room, wood furnishing and HOT water. It was all surprisingly lovely to me. There were all these little impromptu cafes around the lake with plastic chairs which were all empty except for maybe a person or two having a soda. I didn't know what they were about until night time when they were PACKED with people sipping tea or coffee or beers talking somberly around the lake. It reminded me so much of evenings I spent in Geneva during the summer!

In town, I enquired about fixing and/or replacing my cell phone because it had been acting up. A young man stopped me to talk to me in English, practicing his English like many many other Vietnamese who stopped me along my way. We talked a bit and then he invited me to his home for dinner and tea. I was wary because of all the stories I had heard from other travelers and warnings from both the Lao and Thai people about the Vietnamese. This made me a little tense once at his home, but when I finally settled down, I had the most delightful evening with Hau and his four brothers, sister-in-law, cousins, parents, aunt and uncle with much conversation, cultural sharing and laughter. They even gave me a bag of food to take with me including the interesting rice snack filled with red beans which I still can't remember the name of. Good for me, though, lots of carbs!

So I was pleasantly delighted with Huong Khe, even though the ride day was short.

RIDE DAY: Lak Xao, Laos to Pho Chau, Vietnam

2/1/09
Day: 80.07 km
Cume: 1636.2 km
Avg: 16.8 kph
Max: 56.5 kph
Time: 4h45m
Highs: Unbelieveably, there was no massive uphill leading to the border as I had dreaded the day before after seeing the hill between Nahin and Lak Xao, it's nearly flat except for a short 3-5 km grade up to the border, remote country, hugged the river almost all the way to the border (simply gorgeous countryside), arriving at the Lao border, arriving at the Vietnamese border and passing WITHOUT having to empty all my panniers or even have them inspected (thank you to the border agents!), rode through dense jungle fog and drizzle, very very friendly Vietnamese people in small villages, HIT 1000 MILE MARK!!!
Lows: Strong uphill headwind while riding up river in Laos, buses traveling at breakneck speeds, more horns, the Lao border check point and then the Vietnamese border check point, my Vietnam map absolutely sucks


This was one very very exciting day of cycling for me. First, having inadvertently skipped the worst section of climbing by taking the bus from Nahin to Lak Xao, I was so thankful to not have to climb a 15% grade up into the mountains on the border. It was a very gradual climb to the border and then one sensational downhill on the Vietnamese side. Contrary to what many people told me, it was not a breakneck downhill, it was 8% which meant that I was traveling a constant 30 kph and rarely rarely touched my breaks, which was way way mellow. It was COLD on the downhill. I put on all the winter gear to get through the drizzle and fog. Apparently, it's like that frequently, if you intend to ride the route.

Second, I finally made it to Vietnam, which has been a long long time dream of mine and crossing the border by bike was such a rush! Third, on that incredible downhill, I hit 1609km, which by my accounting is 1000 miles!!! That's a big accomplishment for me and I was pretty stoked! I took photos and everything, so expect to see exactly the location where it happened (note: cows, sparse houses, mountains, jungle).

I had no route information about the other side of the border. All I knew is I was traveling through a national park and literally the most dense jungle I had seen yet! It was IMPRESSIVE! I believe that this forest had been hit with agent orange, but some of it not, so some of it was pretty massive, thick and big! My maps had none of the villages I rode through and I had no idea when I would actually reach a town with a hotel or guest house. Fortunately, at the 80km mark, a really nice stopping point for me, there was a big town with guest houses and hotels. I wanted to push on because I still had a lot of daylight and energy and am so thankful I didn't because the next town with a hotel was almost 60km away.

REST DAYS: Ban Kong Lor and Environs

With only a short 45k morning ride, I consider my stay in Ban Kong Lor a day and a half of well needed and deserved rest. I couldn't have chosen a better place than to homestay in the village of Kong Lor right along side the river. I was placed with a young couple with two young daughters and living with grandmother, who shared the most lovely and sweet smile with me.

After being quite lucky to run into a very kind Austrian couple who welcomed me to join them in their boat, we traveled the 7.5 km through the Kong Lor cave. Like I said before, it reminded me of huge Catholic churches from Europe or the giant palace-like temples of Bangkok in its grandeur. We brought head lamps and flash lights and just beamed around the tunnel like children exploring unknown territory. We were all ooohing and aaaahing and wowing all the time. It was the height of the dry season, so we had to get out of the boat to drag it over sand bars in several places in the cave, which was really exciting! Through the cave and on the other side we visited briefly for drinks and snacks at Kong Lor's sister village, a remote village accessible by only small dirt roads and paths and by boat through the cave. It was very sweet.

Once I was placed in the village, I took a moment to wash all my clothes the way the locals do, in the river. I know, I know, I know about surfactants and algael growth in water ways and I tried to have as little a footprint as I could manage. When in Rome...

The family was very sweet and spoke very very little English. In their home, I ate the most authentic and best tasting food I had had yet in Laos. The mother always prepared quite a large meal for me with various dishes. Lots of meats and locally grown veggies from their garden. I spent part of the next day sleeping because I was exhausted and part of the day doing chores, cleaning and tuning the bike. Upon doing this, I made friends with the neighbor boys who seemed anxious to play with me, so I broke out the disc, ushered them over to the village school's soccer field and threw the disc for an hour or so. A couple of them were really into it and motioned me to teach them to throw better. All of them improved their catching skills while playing with me and seemed proud.

The village was so mellow. I totally appreciated it. Each household farely independent of the village in terms of maintenance and management of their households. There were obviously shared responsibilities the men took parrt in during the day tending the fields, repairing shared infrastructure. It was impressive to see. It was clear to me that Kong Lor had benefited from the homestay program they had implemented, as many homes had enclosed bathrooms and people seemed to have a few luxury items (like motor bikes, which are scarce in many villages). I loved the fact that they made the majority of the items in their home that they used regularly, from cooking and serving vessels to clothes to household implements and tools.

Sadly, I still don't feel comfortable taking pictures of people in the village up close. For me, it just doesn't feel right, so I have scarce photos which I will post soon. I did write the following the morning I departed the village:


The Village Awakens

clanking pots and pans
crackle of wood fire
ubiquitous rooster calls
a jungle full of birds alight
in an ocean of sound
mountain stillness surrounds
green fields like mute grey in dawn light
a tractor motor starts then stops
starts them stops
starts and revs away
morning new chattering from a radio or television
somewhere out there
the back and forth slapstick
of a morning show
silly voices
commercials shouting numbers I recognize

as humans begin to stir about
begin their daily chores
dogs bark territorial warnings
a pig squeels in the distance
most likely fighting with siblings
ducks cackle

my host leaves me on the roadside
awaiting a songtao back to town
and I watch and listen over the village
wonder and dream
of returning here
or finding my own village
somewhere
to wake up in


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In the end, I decided to take a second full rest day and take the bus to town. Upon meeting some really cool Brits and having stimulating conversation while the songtao wound its way through small village after small village, honking madly and picking up stragling, weary eyed villagers. I decided to make the connection to the next town, 65 km up the road and 35 km from the border, so that I would have an easy shot to be at the border early. I have no idea what awaits on the other side and want to leave time to manage whatever I find. CYCLISTS TAKE NOTE: In the end, I discover the uphill between Nahin and Lak Xao is UNRULY, with 10-12 percent, maybe more, long long climbs and twisty roads that defnitely outdid the ride the day before. I was sorta happy I inadvertently skipped this day, because my legs were still tired.

RIDE DAY: Nahin to Kong Lor Village

1/29/09
Day: 46.05 km
Cume: 1556.1 km
Avg: 16.5 kph
Max: 28.4 kph
Time: 2h47m
Highs: Riding through the valley very early in the morning from blue skies Nahin and under a thin low morning fog with the sunrise light streaming through in spots, cute small villages, the valley lined in towering, jagged karst ridges
Lows: None


I need a rest day. I'm pedaling mellow this morning and riding early to catch the cool temperatures. I can smell two things, though: the 1000 mile mark coming up at 1609km and the Vietnamese border which I'm able to cross on February 1. I want to put myself in a very good location to make an early morning crossing on February 1 into Vietnam.

For now, I'm resting in the village with a homestay after checking out Kong Lor cave, which Lonely Planet (I love and hate you, LP) lists as one of the top ten things to experience in Laos. I heard it was amazing, so I'm here. The homestay makes it all the more worth it.

The caves were phenominal, really really worth it. I joined two Austrian tourists in a boat perfectly set for three tourists and entered a 7km long cave which a river passes through. About a quarter of the way through, our boat stopped and we walked out on shore, our guide flipped a switch on shore and turned on the most spectacular site of illuminated stalagtites/mites lit with various colored lights. It was beautiful lit, not tacky at all. We wandered around oohing and ahhing! Back in the boat, we passed through sections of cave where LP said the ceilings exceeded 100 feet in height, it felt like a cathedral or a temple. There were no echoes the cavern was so wide at this point. So, I guess, LP was right. This was pretty cool.

Traveling back to the village, I was placed with a young family with two very young daughters and a grandmother who had the sweetest smile on Earth. Their home was right next to the river and I looked very much to floating a while. I'll report more on the homestay in the next entry.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW SOON

in Kong Lor's
cathedral stone, I see
Buddha faces, smiling

RIDE DAY: Pakkadding to Nahin (AKA Khoun Kham)

1/28/09
Day: 97.62 km
Cume: 1510.0 km
Avg: 14.6 kph
Max: 72 kph (oh yah!)
Time: 6h38m
Highs: HOLY COW, HIGHWAY 8!!!!!!!!!, limestone "forests," Birdsong like I haven't heard anywhere in SE Asia yet, pedaling through a Lao National Park, Phou Pan Mane summit and viewpoint (BREATHTAKING!), UNREAL views of jagged limestone range, killer downhill into Nahin (sick views and steep descent with excellent traffic visability and road quality), met a French tour guide who hooked me up with some good info on how to homestay in a local village
Lows: 4km 10-12% uphill after 80km of pedaling, need a rest day


HIGHWAY 8

(Insert one of a million AWESOME photos here)


Highway 8 was like the King's Highway, only with excellent visability, so my feeble little camera was actually able to capture the grandeur.

What a relief to turn off onto highway 8 and into the National Park. The bird song was phenominal! The mountains were beautiful! The river was gorgeous! No traffic! That uphill was sick and tiring! Luckily, with little traffic, I was able to safely switchback when I got worn out like Jay and I had to do up the steep grades of that other King's Road in Sonoma.

No poems today, but I certainly have entered into a magic land of rock, jungle, wild beasts, rivers and Wilderness. I'm pushing on for only 40km more tomorrow morning to Kong Lor cave and then to Ban Kong Lor for a rest day. I may take two. Looking forward to it. I'm tired.


PHOTOS to come!

RIDE DAY: Pak Ngum to Pak Kading

1/27/09
Day: 122.8 km
Cume: 1412.2 km
Avg: 16.8 kph
Max: 31.0 kph
Time: 7h19m
Highs: Wide expanses of mountains and the Mekong, riding just after dawn with the sky glowing pink and orange and purple, the use of Howard's "mood cure" to deal with the flat flat boring ride (thanks Howard)
Lows: Long day in flat country with few things to look at except shrubs and fewer villages further apart, stopped short of town with no restaurant nearby and had to get back on the bike after a long day,

There's nothing like a taste of REM, U2, John Mayer, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, Live, Depeche Mode, Chicane, Paul VanDyke and a host of other American musicians to get me out of the dumps of a long, hot, flat, boring ride. I had to employ the "mood cure" my brother so thoughtfully gave me (his 60gb MP3 player packed with music of many genres) for about 50-70km and, wow, how that helps get the moral back up (some of you can only imagine, some know what this looked like;).

It was nice to finally approach the mountains and to ride along the Mekong for many kms today. I'm getting very near Highway 8 which I heard such rave reviews of. Almost out of the flats!

RIDE DAY: Vientienne to Pak Ngum

1/26/09
Day: 79.96 km
Cume: 1288.2 km
Avg: 16.7 kph
Max: 27.7 kph
Time: 4h27m
Highs: Seeing the Friendship Bridge to Thailand through the forest, the wacky and absolutely outrageous Buddha Park, three kids running off with my camera and shooting all sorts of wacky pictures at the Buddha Park(after I showed them how to use the camera), off roading through the countryside, planting rice with some farmers and then joining them for lunch
Lows: Dirt roads and Lao trucks (and truck drivers) don't mix well with bicycles, doubling back after getting disoriented at the Buddha Park

30km offroad today. It made the day a little slower, but much more interesting. There are many photos to go with this day, but I'll have to upload them another time.

Some farm kids called me off the road (probably out of a joke), but when I called their bluff and actually took my shoes off and went out into the rice field, they invited me to help them plant rice, which I happilly did. I've seen so much rice being planted and growing and being seeded and every other phase of farming rice, it was nice to participate, if even or only a short while.

All the stops made this day feel like a really long day. It was quite pleasant though.

A surprisingly prolific day of writing today...I think I was relieved to leave the city and return to the countryside. Here's a small sampling:


a stream of orange cloth
lines the boulevard -- monks search
for alms through traffic

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a line of women
sits and waits to share alms --
what if no monks come?

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small forest temple
hiding in Vientienne
filled with bird song

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I hear a cow bell
I hear a temple bell --
same resounding call

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gasoline
in old beer bottles
how appropriate

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PHOTOS TO FOLLOW when I can find a computer that won't die if I challenge it with JPGs.

Get the Point?

Get the point?

(If not, you'll have to wait until I can upload more photos for clarification)

It's only been about 17 years of dreaming...and now, it's a reality.

...and, yes, I owe MANY posts. I've been in some very very rural parts of Laos and Vietnam for days and loving it! Will try to catch up soon. On my way to Hue where I'll have more time, but it's about five days out.

Doing well, hit the 1000 mile mark about 20km into Vietnam on a very loooooooonnnnnng downhill. Hope you all are well!