After breakfast we set off. Heading though the village, chickens dart across the road as if they're playing a game of, errr, chicken. Leaving the feathers to settle, we hit the open road. In a land where 150cc is the typical maximum engine size for a motorbike, I'm thinking to myself that we're the king of the roads on our 250cc motorbikes; a few minutes later a local whizzes by on his step-through scooter...
Classed as a less developed country, the secondary roads are actually quite good in Vietnam, but there are a few potholes, almost as big as those found in the UK or Belgium. And in places the construction is identical to the concrete surfaces found on the N5 south of Brussels. WiFi is also excellent in most places, even small roadside cafes, and the connection speeds are better than I get back home. Like I said, Vietnam is considered a less developed country.
Turning off the main road, we encounter a few muddy sections and I'm right behind Ta; he slows a few times and as I've mentioned a few times before, momentum is your friend offroad, so stopping suddenly threw me off rythmn. It's very slippery and the back-end is squirelling all over the place as I try to keep balance. Feeling quite proud of myself, but, once again the locals put me to shame, three-up on a scooter passing the other way....
At the next stop Ta says we've all been riding well but tells us we have to make a choice. We can take the main road or a much more scenic road through a hill pass. However, the scenic route has a very narrow section with a long drop below. We debate among ourselves and decide to accept the challenge. Those that choose not to ride it, can walk that section.
Reaching that point is itself a challenging ride through water splashes, mud and tracks hugging the hillside. Eventually we reach the moment of dread. There it is: the road has gone, swept by a landslide with only a narrow track skirting around it. The narrowness is not so much the problem, it's the long drop below. Although not a sheer, it's at least 50m down and no way to stop until you hit the bottom. We all get off to get a better look. It looks scary.
Ta goes first. It's not an auspicious start as he gets stuck on the very first section losing traction and needs a push up from behind. That overcome, he uses the throttle and clutch gingerly to make progress. Doesn't look so bad, but he paddles his feet in a few of the more tricky places of the 100m stretch. He makes it.
A few of us know our limits and will walk it; a few of us know they have the confidence to do it; and a few of us know no better. Which one is BikerDom?
It's my turn. Heart pumping, I set off. OK, you knew the answer! I use momentum to avoid the same problem Ta had, but to no avail; I get stuck there too. Once over the first hurdle, the rest at first is relatively straightforward. The big drop is not an issue as I'm so focused on the narrow track, I don't look down. There's a sharp kink which I take at the wrong angle and my back wheel scrabbles for grip. Finding none it spins uselessly and in doing so slides my wheel sideways over the edge! I stop and use the brakes to hold position. Tang, the sweeper, steps in and helps me lift the back of the bike to get more traction. That portion of the track has a recoverable drop, so the risk was minimal. Once on the move again it's a few up and downs and I'm clear. Well done to me!
Gerard's next and he makes it too. High five.
Riders take it one at a time and the walkers help out along the route, with a push here and a shove there - team work. Gerard and I walk back with Ta and Tang and we each take one of the walkers' bikes and do the challenge all over again. It's easier the second time. Two locals on step-throughs are waiting for us to pass the other way and you guessed it, they put-put their way across without fuss, flip-flops and all!
Moving on and just behind Tang, he waves me on... BikerDom is unleashed! We've been riding behind Ta for the entire trip so far, so this is quite nice. There follows some spirited riding for 20 very enjoyable minutes, sweeping through corners, powering up straights and splashing through mud. I stop just before entering the next village, just in case we are having lunch there. Just after finishing reading my second novel ( ;-) ), Graham arrives with a big grin on his face, followed closely by Ta. But lunch is another 20k and we push on. Still, that was fun.
After lunch we follow a small river for several km, crossing it numerous times, splashing and stopping occasionally for Ta to take action shots. We take a longer stop for a rest and removing our helmets we're all sweating like pigs. Ray looks in pain and it seems he's starting to get cramps. Splashing through the water is great fun, but eventually it has to stop as the rocks become too large to tackle and so we veer back to the main road. The villages and roads are now full of waving children, cows, chickens, dogs and pigs... Were any animals harmed in the making of this blog? Sadly yes, but it was unavoidable; fortunately the rider was unscathed even if mentally scarred.
Refuelled, quick chain lube and then a ferry across the lake. The breeze and coolness are refreshing.
Reaching dry land we've still got some distance to go. It's dark before we get back and the last few kms before reaching our hotel are headlight enabled.
Riding in exotic locations at night is always dangerous, so we have to take extra care, but we all arrive in one piece. We're asked to remove our boots before entering the hotel and Mr Grumpy has a little hissy fit - you know who you are and yes, maybe we'll have tea.
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