"Today's ride is on a fabulous backroad through several little villages and a range of scenery. The road is mostly flat with two small climbs. On reaching the highway we will drive to Quang Gnai, on the way passing through thesmall town of Sa Huynh, a pleasant fishing backwater perched on a broad curve of palm-fringed, golden sand. Speckled with blue fishing boats, sleepy Sa Huynh is a convenient and relaxing place to rest en route to points north".
WE LEAVE THE MONSOONS AND ENTER THE RAINY SEASON
Well, things didn't quite work out that way - for two reasons. Firstly it p ----- ed down rain all day till we reached Quang Gnai, but also we received a message via the blog for John and Kumiko to call home urgently, with the unhappy need for them to abort their trip on account of not one, but two, family emergencies - made even tougher since Kumiko having just recovered from "the trots" (thank you, Cipro) John, too, had just spent a busy night on "the throne". With the excellent assistance of "the Crew" it was arranged that they would "cab it" to Nha Trang, fly to HCMC, overnight there then fly back to BC the following evening. So sorry John and Kumiko - we miss you already and our prayers are with you. This, of course, necessitated retrieving their bikes from "the truck" that was already headed up the highway in advance - so, all in all, not a good day.
The day was not without its interesting moments, however. After leaving Quy Nhon, we enter an area of sand dunes where the government in its wisdom has constructed a four-lane divided highway with a very wide boulevard. With the natural vegetation removed, sand has drifted onto the highway such that a front end loader is busy trying to clear a path. We pass a solitary and deserted factory with a "For Lease" sign out front. For 20 kms we are the only vehicles. The wonders of central planning!
Finally the new highway comes to an end at a village specializing in bonsai production. We have observed some amazing bonsai at the Cham Tower, the Seagull hotel and elsewhere. It is an everyday item in the is part of Vietnam. At lunch we chat with a group of 10 Aussie (motor)bikers who are coming down from Hanoi. They advise it's been nothing but rain for the past three days. Not good!
We continue busing to the Central Hotel in the town of Quang Ngai, definitely off the gringo tourist route.
The highlight of the day is when Binh, our senior guide, serenades us with his guitar and western and Vietnam songs (including one he composed himself) after dinner in the hotel.
INTRODUCTION
In the fall of 2009 the Cross Canada Cycle Touring Society (CCCTS) announced a planned tour of Vietnam for sixteen participants to take place in November 2010, conducted by Pedaltours of Auckland, NZ. The response was overwhelming in that 48 members signed up! Thus there will be three groups touring. This blog is a rendering of the experiences of the first group who will travel between November 1st and 21st, 2010.
Vietnam is a fabulous experience. We stay at mostly 3* and 4* hotels and beachfront resorts and cycle away from the highway.
Our tour starts in Ho Chi Minh city (formerly Saigon) leading on to the beach resort of Nha Trang, historic Hoi An, and the imperial city of Hue. Thereafter we fly north to Hanoi and spend the next ten days exploring the scenic far North, including Dien Bien Phu. The Northwest is "the roof" of Vietnam, where the Hoang Lien Mountains (Tonkinese Alps) soar to over 3,000 metres (9,900 feet) and some of Vietnam's most spectacular scenery is to be found. This is definitely "the road less travelled"! Much of the area is sparsely populated and the mountains are still home to many ethnic minorities; the Montagnard women still favour elaborate costumes of brightly coloured skirts, tops and hats - each ethnic group favouring its own colour variation and design.
Sapa is an atmospheric former hill station with magnificent views of rice terraces and mountains; the temperature can drop to zero in mid-winter (January, when group three will be travelling).
We will travel by train, boat and bike as we follow the rugged Northwest route right to the border with China at Lao Cai; on several days venturing away from the civilised tourist meccas, cycling through traditional villages and staying in small towns with modest lodgings (Oh, Oh!)
So come prepared for the unexpected, for breathtaking scenery and bring a sense of adventure (and toilet paper!)
Thanks to the folks at Pedaltours for the text above and at the start of each days posts - NB There is no knowing at the start just how often we can update this blog since we don't know the availability of Wi-Fi, but by pre-posting the days activities all you armchair travellers will at least have an idea of what we are hopefully up to. Cheers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment