The Beautiful North

The persistent thud of rain falling on the tin roof outside was the first sound I heard. Yesterday's downpour hadn't given up yet. I was seriously contemplating staying another night in Phong Nha in the hope that the weather would improve. The forecasts were inconclusive. I am also conscious of the clock ticking on this trip.......keep on moving.

Phong Nha to Vinh

Then there was a break in the rain, so about 11am, I made a break for it........BUT the bike wouldn't start. It turned over, but wouldn't catch (and no neutral light). I tried the kickstart; nothing. Just as was contemplating finding a mechanic; a guy working at the hotel pointed out my kill switch was on! I'm such a dickhead!! Red faced, I turned it back off and the bike fired up.

At least it wasn't raining; at least not until I got to the petrol station, then it started. Again. In for a penny and I was too ashamed to return to the hotel, so "waterproofs" on and head north. It was a really nice sweeping, curving road through the karst scenery (or what little I could make out through the gloom).

Then, as I crested the first range of hills and dropped down into the valley, the rain abruptly stopped and the sun appeared. This was unexpected but VERY welcome! What a gorgeous road with the sunshine revealing the staggeringly beautiful landscape. So glad I didn't wait it out in Phong Na! 

The bike appears to have resumed it's rattle on acceleration from a standing start. Sounds like a bag of spanners being shaken...... can't be good?! Due another oil change in about 250 km, so next stop. Hopefully that will improve matters. Again, 1000 km service interval is crazy! What was Mr. Honda thinking??

The mountain road rejoined a more major route after about 100km. Still good riding though and I made decent time to Vinh, the next stop on the route north. Now, call me shallow if you like, but the reason I settled on Vinh was because I saw there was a German bar. Obviously, this needed investigating.

Turned out to be more a restaurant than a bar, but still had the mandatory 2 pints, and no more......

My theory of the weather improving the further north I got was proven wrong today. The day started gray and wet and stayed that way. I had originally planned to head inland a bit to ride through the hills, but the relentless blanket of drizzle persuaded me to stick to the shortest route. Nothing to see in these conditions. 

Vinh to Ninh Binh

I tried tying plastic bags to my lower legs as well as wearing plastic bags over my socks to try and keep my feet/boots dry. Didn't work. I could feel my boots slowly filling with water. 

Didn't stop to take photos today.....no point! Today was all about making the miles in the hope that, somewhere, the sun is shining.

I was only about 10 km short of Ninh Binh (Tam Coc) when the conditions improved enough for me to discard my, by now almost useless, waterproofs. I tipped the water out my boots and finished the last few miles to the backpacker haven. 

After a few relaxing beers the night before, it was time to find a mechanic to do the oil change. The rental company recommended one in this town no longer appears to exist. So Google maps lead me to one around the corner from the hotel.

Worlds quickest oil change! He used some sort of hoover device to suck out the old oil and then poured in a litre of new (ONLY 1 litre!.......I had to Google that to make sure it was right. It does explain the short service intervals). He also lubed the chain, all in about 3 minutes flat. £2.83. Thank you very much! There were 2 options for the grade of oil; I opted for the cheaper one as it'll be dumped after 1000km anyway.

I was going to do the tourist river thing (done once before, maybe 15 years ago?) However, it was a minimum of 2 people per boat. Being Billy Nomates and not wanting to pay for 2 tickets; I contented myself with a walk out to the countryside instead. Very nice too.

Ninh Binh/Tam Coc has the highest concentration of foreigners that I've seen so far in this trip. Predominantly British and French. Hopefully that means it is higher season in the north and therefore better weather.......??

Ninh Binh to Son La

Sunshine, clear skies and a long ride to Son La (en route to Sa Pa) was what the day had in store. Didn't start too well as the bike didn't start. Checked the kill switch: OK. A guy staying at the hotel pushed me down the road to bump start the bike. It worked and I was off. 

The scenery improved the longer the day went on. Again running very close to the Lao border in places. Judging by the attire of some of the locals I passed, this seems to be a more indigenous "hill tribe" area. The most notable feature being the women's hair tied up into a tall, tight bun on the top of the head. This is often covered with a scarf or a tall hat on top of which they perch their motorbike helmets. This gives the disconcerting impression that the helmets are levitating a few inches above their heads! In the event of a crash, their hair is very well protected; their skulls not so much!

Must have been some quite high passes as I had to stop to put on an extra layer; despite the sunshine!

I was passed by a large group on Vietnamese plated BMW GSs at one point. Loads of them, all 2 up with enough luggage to supply a small army. I don't get the obsession with BMWs?! A triumph of marketing over substance in my eyes. But each to their own.......

Because today's ride was relatively long (a little over 300km) by Vietnamese standards; I got a bit of white line fever and didn't stop nearly enough.

I was flagged down by a policeman when a went through some traffic lights......borderline green/red; but when he saw I was a dumb foreigner, he quicky changed his mind and waved me on.

Arriving in Son La, I found a Thai restaurant. Very good it was too. Then an early night as I was knackered from the ride.

Soundtrack: "Market Square Heroes" - Marillion