June 30th.
Our route in between Da Lat and Hoi An is pretty much open ended. I was told by numerous sources to avoid a certain 200km stretch of the Ho Chi Minh road, so I decide to take us farther inland to skirt the Cambodian border and circumvent any crazy road situations. Next destination: Buon Ma Thuot. Which I can just barely pronounce enough that it meets the threshold of recognition.
Attempt to, more like. Leaving Da Lat is already pretty challenging, and not for lack of directions. The road leaving town (TL 725) is under some serious construction, but also the recent rain make it one big mud bath. It doesn't take long until my feet are caked in orange goop. After many delays on this road due to rough terrain and sludging through muck, we emerge onto QL27 and get to open it up a bit. These roads are just as awful, but they're not under construction. As in there is no attempt being made to fix them up. They just make for a long day.
Bonus pig!
As we are about 80 kilometers or so from our destination I miss a crucial junction and take us down a scenic road that goes into a national park. The views were stunning enough to put me into the false security of autopilot, but I can't say I'm too bummed about our little detour. I end up wasting about an hour of riding time, but on top of that we get caught in a strong thunderstorm and have to pull over to let it pass. We take this opportunity to straighten out our spines on a nice, mostly dry concrete floor. You can view the other endless views of mountains and lakes on my youtube page if you want to see more Vietnam. But seriously, why did I take so much footage? I guess you rarely know when something is going to be worth filming until it happens. I missed so many endearing exchanges between people, mostly. You just can't stage that stuff!
After a bit more listless meandering, I finally concede and ask for directions from a gentleman scooting past with his daughter situated in front of him. He is eager to help and escorts us back to the road I missed and then some, and I learn yet another crucial lesson about trusting the signage in Vietnam. Looking at the map on Google later, I discover that the road we went down isn't even mapped out. My ego is a bit bruised and I'm cold, wet, and tired, but we make it as far as a little town called Lien Son and sink into some beds for the night.
Journey stats:
Da Lat to Lien Son. 152km.
Route notes:
Avoid TL 725 if at all possible. In fact, avoid Vietnam altogether. Just kidding.
Our route in between Da Lat and Hoi An is pretty much open ended. I was told by numerous sources to avoid a certain 200km stretch of the Ho Chi Minh road, so I decide to take us farther inland to skirt the Cambodian border and circumvent any crazy road situations. Next destination: Buon Ma Thuot. Which I can just barely pronounce enough that it meets the threshold of recognition.
Attempt to, more like. Leaving Da Lat is already pretty challenging, and not for lack of directions. The road leaving town (TL 725) is under some serious construction, but also the recent rain make it one big mud bath. It doesn't take long until my feet are caked in orange goop. After many delays on this road due to rough terrain and sludging through muck, we emerge onto QL27 and get to open it up a bit. These roads are just as awful, but they're not under construction. As in there is no attempt being made to fix them up. They just make for a long day.
Bonus pig!
As we are about 80 kilometers or so from our destination I miss a crucial junction and take us down a scenic road that goes into a national park. The views were stunning enough to put me into the false security of autopilot, but I can't say I'm too bummed about our little detour. I end up wasting about an hour of riding time, but on top of that we get caught in a strong thunderstorm and have to pull over to let it pass. We take this opportunity to straighten out our spines on a nice, mostly dry concrete floor. You can view the other endless views of mountains and lakes on my youtube page if you want to see more Vietnam. But seriously, why did I take so much footage? I guess you rarely know when something is going to be worth filming until it happens. I missed so many endearing exchanges between people, mostly. You just can't stage that stuff!
Journey stats:
Da Lat to Lien Son. 152km.
Route notes:
Avoid TL 725 if at all possible. In fact, avoid Vietnam altogether. Just kidding.
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