Day 60 - Phan Rang to Da Lat (October 30)

Riding into the Mountains...

Christian Churches in Vietnam are large, clean, and...

...well maintained.

Today's ride would take me up into the mountains. Over 6%-10% grades, I would climb at least 5,000 feet in approximately 25 miles. Once the climb began, it would be uphill all the way with only very short breaks of either flat ground or slight downhills.

At the beginning of the ride, I backtracked to the North to an intersection where a sign was located that indicated "Da Lat." The hotel manager told me that this was the route I should take. I crossed Highway 1A in one kilometer and continued to the west. I was looking for Highway 20. It was not clear that I was on the right highway because none of the mile makers (actually kilometer markers) showed the name of my destination: "Da Lat." The towns that were indicated were Hiep Thanh, Thanh My, and D' Ran. The first two towns were off of my route, but D' Ran was on my route, so I was reassured that I was on the correct route.

I was looking for Highway 20, but the mile markers said Highway 27. When two highways share the same route in Vietnam, the mile markers are not always clear. Sometimes, this is even true in the U.S. From the map, I knew that I was in the right place. The map indicated that I was on Highway 20, yet the mile markers indicated that I was on Highway 27. I was somewhat worried, but I seemed to be going in the right direction.

I was futher confused though when I noticed that Tan S'on was shown on the mile markers as being ahead 27 kilometers. That seemed strange to me because my map indicated that I had passed through Tan S'on some five kilometers ago.

Climbing to Da Lat

In Nha Trang, two days prior, I had gathered some intelligence about the road to Da Lat. There was a new road, Provincial Route 723, that comes straight from Nha Trang to Da Lat, but I was told that it was partially finished and the location where it was not finished had become a wide river because of the heavy rains that had fallen over the last few days. PR 723 supposedly has a good surface and wide shoulders and had been widely praised as having nice views. Highway 20/27, however, had been described to me as the old road. By old, it was meant that the road was rough, narrow, and curvy. This made for hazardous riding conditions, but fortunately there was very little traffic that used the road. Except for one or two close encounters with large buses, the road was pleasant and safe.

Curvy Roads and Waterfalls.

At the beginning of the climb, I noticed two pipes from the hydroelectric system that climbed up a steep mountain and connected to a reservoir that sat just above D' Ran.

I began my climb, the road switched back and forth crossing under the hydroelectric pipes a couple of times. People using the road or working along the side were shocked to see me climbing the road. Some cheered me on as I climbed. Others laughed.

Once I reached D' Ran, I had planned to grab a bite to eat. But the roads in D' Ran were muddy and there was no place to stop. So, I grabbed some water and continued going. The road to Da Lat was located at a right turn near a communist monument. I could have turned left and followed a more established road, but that would have added 20 miles to the ride. Now following the road to the right, the road narrowed significantly and I thought that there was no way that a bus would go up this road. One hour later, I would be proven wrong as a bus would pass me by almost pushing me off the road into the drainage ditch.

The road to Da Lat climbs almost the entire way. Leaving D' Ran, I was not given a break. The road continued at a 6 to 10 percent grade. Exhausted, crabby, hungry, and thirsty, I stopped by a coffee field that had a view of the reservoir above D' Ran.

After lunch, still exhausted, I decided to push my bike instead of riding it. I eventually got on the bike, but I again pushed the bike later on as I came into a village. I was exhausted and my legs were so tired, it was hard to turn the pedals over. The road became flat after the village and I was able to ride most of the way for the next 15 miles into Da Lat.

In last few miles into Da Lat, I noticed a lot of orange fruit hanging from the trees. But, I could tell that these weren't citrus fruit. No, the trees were full of persimmons. When I arrived in Da Lat, there were people selling this fruit in every stall.

I entered Da Lat and rode towards the tourist section of town. As I entered that area, A woman came out to direct me to the Hoa Binh or the Peace Hotel I located at 64 truong Cong Dinh street. There I met the an Easy Rider, Stephen, who speaks English, and who offered me a tour of the area by motorbike.

Day 60 - Phan Rang to Da Lat - 100 Kilometers

Day 59 - Nha Trang to Phan Rang (October 29)

Wedding Day

For whatever reason, it was a good day for a wedding. Even though it was a Monday, I passed three weddings along the way. There was even a wedding at the hotel at which I stayed in Phan Rang, Thong Nhat Hotel (343 Thong Nhat). When I returned from dinner, the bride and the groom were greeting guests as I entered the lobby.

For the next few days, I traveled alone while Terry headed into Saigon by Train to get his bike repaired and prepare for the next part of the trip. I headed south to Phan Rang on my way to Da Lat.

As I leave Nha Trang and turn onto Highway 1, a motorbike driver pulls up beside me. Instead of "hello" he says, "How are you doing?" Only someone who spends his days speaking with English tourists would say hello this way. I find out that he actually works as a bar tender in one of the swank bars near the beach.

Pagoda on 23 Thang 10 in Nha Trang

Large Tree on 23 Thang 10

Today's ride was easy and enjoyable. The wind is at my back for large amounts of the ride and I am able to easily keep a 20 miles per hour pace for long stretches of time.

The day starts as a sunny day. It is nice to have clear skies today, but the cloudy skies and rain are actually a good thing because they keep the temperature cool.

Pagoda Gate

I rode past the location of Former U.S. Naval Base at Cam Ranh Bay South of Ba Ngoi. All I saw were empty airfields.

I think this is what remains of the abandoned Dong Ba Thin or Flander's Airfield.

Christian Cemetary

Mountains South of Cam Ranh

Just before I reached these mountains, I stopped for water in an calm village south of Cam Ranh. A grandma and her daughter come out to great me. After it is established that I want water and I have that water in my hands, the daughter rushes right back inside to watch her favorite soap opera on the television. Grandma stays outside and watches me fill my water bottles from the 1.5 liter bottle that I bought from her.

Grandma eventually tries to talk to me. I'm not sure what she is saying, but she seems to be indicating that I should return to Cam Ranh and grab a motobai or bus to help me in my journey south. I try to indicate that I don't need transportation. I have my bike, there is a strong wind, and that wind is at my back. Just then, to illustrate my point, a rain jacket flies through the air (from where I don't know) and wraps around grandma's face and upper body. We struggle to remove it, laughing. Feeling that my point has just been illustrated by the rain jacket, I wave my goodbyes and head on my way towards Phan Rang.

Not more than 10 miles from the Grandma-and-the-rain-jacket incident, I stop for food in a place where I think I will be alone. As with past lunch stops, a shepherd slowly approaches. Having eaten two PB&J sandwiches, I am now ready to leave. The shepherd has gotten with 5 yards of me. I laugh, wave, and I am on my way again.

Cham Towers North of Phan Rang

Day 59 - Nha Trang to Phan Rang - 110 Kilometers

Rest Day-Nha Trang/Train to Quang Ngai (October 27/28)

Nha Trang is know for being a party town for foreigners and Vietnamese alike. I didn't experience any of that, probably because I was too busy preparing to retrieve a jacket that I had left in Quang Ngai.

Small Garabage "Trucks" in Quang Ngai.

I made plans to leave Nha Trang to travel by train to Quang Ngai. My train left at 2:04 a.m. on Sunday. I awoke at 1:00 a.m. and caught a taxi to the train station. I was barely awake. Not knowing how to read any of the signs or without any way to communicate (I don't speak Vietnamese), I had to just guess when my train would come in. I knew that when the train came in the Vietnamese in the waiting room would probably walk towards the train.

Ticket to Quang Ngai

A train pulled into the station. Everyone started walking towards the train. I showed a station agent my ticket. He nodded. So I walked towards car 2.

I boarded car 2 and noticed that someone was sleeping in my seat - grandpa. I first sat in the seat next to him, but another man who just boarded the train had a ticket for my seat. So I tapped the sleeping man on the shoulder. He moved and I sat in that seat - across from his wife - grandma. I looked around and noticed that the car was only 30 percent full. So I moved to the chair behind my ticketed chair. I sat in this seat until grandpa lighted up a cigarette.

I noticed that the car had no smoking symbols along the wall. There were at least six "no smoking" signs in this car. But just as with many other laws in Vietnam, this one was ignored. So I moved to a seat far away from smoky grandpa.

Using the Toilet Wasn't a Nice Experience.

As the train travels through the countryside, I'm reminded of the odors that I experienced while cycling - the manure, garbage, smoke, smoldering wood, porta-potties, animals, deodorant, and diesel exhaust.

I took a short nap since it was late and not yet light outside. Eventually, the sun comes up and we pull into the train station at Dieu Tri. The vendors all have their stalls open and as the train pulls in a cachonophy of voices calls out to the people on the train and disembarking the train.

While I wouldn't eat off of the floors, the train is actually kept clean. Someone periodically sweeps the aisles and the train. But the toilets, a whole in the ground, are not exactly pleasant.

A while later, I speak with a student, Tuy. Earlier, they had offered a breakfast meal, pho (noodles and pork). I skipped the pho, because I don't eat pork. I had to tell Tuy that the reason I skipped the pho is that I am a vegetarian.

Fifteen minutes before the arrival in Quang Ngai, we were offered another meal. These meals are part of cost of the train ticket. I told the server that I was vegetarian ("toi an chay"). He brought me rice, soy sauce and cucumbers just as the train pulled into the station. So I had to eat the meal in the waiting room of the Ga ("Train Station") Quang Ngai while Vietnamese looked on and the motorbike drivers urged me to take a ride with them.

I walked the two kilometers to the hotel in which I previously stayed in Quang Ngai. Along the way, some Vietnamese were shocked to a see a foreigner walking down the street (Quang Ngai does not get much tourist traffic - the site of the My Lai massacre being the main tourist site near town). Other Vietnamese offered me a motorbike ride or food.

Arriving at the hotel, I shook the hotel owner's hand. He had been expecting me because we had called him the previous day to tell him that I would be coming. He didn't speak any English, so I had the receptionist at my hotel translate. I had to demonstrate that I wanted to pick up my jacket. After some pantomine, they retrieved my jacket. Before I could leave the hotel, I was offered his daughter's hand in marriage, I think. Although she was beautiful, and I was flattered, I had to keep going. I only came for my jacket. So, having my jacket in hand, I headed back to the train station.

Return Ticket

I had a mostly uneventful return. After I boarded the train (TN1), I was quickly offered an upgrade to a sleeper car from the hard seats I was originally offered. This upgrade cost me 100.000 VND or a little more than $5. At the sleeper car, I met an english teacher in one of the high schools (comprehensive school) in Quang Ngai. He was on his way to Saigon to visit his brother and sister. He informed me that I should have paid 50.000 VND for the upgrade.

The train ride made me understand why so many Jazz and Blues songs are about trains. The rhythm of the train rolling over the tracks swings - no really, it swings! This is especially true for this Vietnamese train. I spend a few minutes doing a jig to the train's rhythm.

Narrow Hallway of the Sleeper Car.

Six Bunks per Room in the Sleeper Car.

Eventually I arrived back in Nha Trang. It was 8 p.m. After 18 hours of travelling, I had experienced train travel in Vietnam, met a few Vietnamese, and got my jacket back.

Leaving the station, I met some taxi drivers and some motobai drivers. I prefered a taxi. I walked right passed the motorbais and went to a taxi. The driver opened the door for me. Sitting inside the taxi, I told him how much I would pay. This was the amount I paid to my taxi driver earlier in the morning. He refused to drive me to my hotel for that amount. So I got out and started walking. Seeing their opportunity, the motorbai drivers offered any kind of deal. I wasn't interested. As I was just about to leave the station property, the taxi driver grabbed me. He would drive me to my hotel for the amount I offered.

This ended up saving me a bit of time. I wanted to get back to the hotel, eat, and go to sleep. I had been up all day and I was exhausted. The next day I would ride for at least 60 miles and I wanted to be well rested.

Day 58 - Tuy Hoa to Nha Trang (October 26)

Today was an early start - we began riding at 6:00 a.m. It was raining very hard. In fact today, it would rain all day long. We found highway 1A and turned south. Not five kilometers from our starting point, we came to a roundabout. I negotiated the roundabout ahead of Terry, but behind me I heard a quick woosh of air - Terry's tire had a flat again.

In fact, it was worse than that. Terry rode through what looked like a small puddle. It is almost impossible not to do this. Because it has been raining so hard for so long, there were puddles and flooded roads everywhere. However, this puddle was actually a deep pothole.

Hitting the pothole, Terry flipped over his handlebars. He had some small scrapes on his leg and some damage to his front tire. This was actually fortunate. He could have been hurt much worse. His bike was still salvageable and he could continue riding.

Terry brought his bike over to the island in the center of the roundabout. Inspecting his bike, he discoverd a tear in his front tire (the "replacement tire"), his forks had been bent back eliminating the normal "rake" of the forks, and his tube had slightly buckled and cracked in a few spots. With his bent forks, the handling of the bike would be much different.

It took quite a while to figure out how to fix the bike. Terry was limited to a torn tire and a damaged tube. He would need to position them carefully so he could continue to ride.

By 7:45 a.m., Terry was still not ready to ride. I was getting cold. Because it had been raining heavily, I was wet and the wind was making me cold. I couldn't put on a jacket because I had left my jacket in Quang Ngai a few days ago. Terry suggested that I continue riding to stay warm. So I got on my bike and headed south.

The ride went well and at a point, the wind was blowing nicely at my back. The views were very nice along this stretch of road. When the rain cleared and the clouds lifted, I could see for many miles. I was surrounded by green hills on my right and sandy flat lands surrounded by rice fields on my left.

The Climb to the Pass at Vung Ro

Vung Ro Port

Coastal Views South of Vung Ro

Beach at Dai Lanh

I neared Nha Trang. The rain came down heavily. The road became a small river in places. The road began to climb. There was one last steep hill to climb coming into Nha Trang. I crested the hill, and turned towards the city. The road was narrow and traffic went by quickly. I crossed many flooded sections of road until I came into the city proper.

In the city, I now rode in the center of the road. For a kilometer or so, the entire road was flooded, but there was less flooding in the center of the road.

Eventually, I found the tourist/backpacker quarter and booked a room at the hotel Sakura (1/32 Tran Quang Kai). An hour later, Terry limped into town on a tire that he had to continually reinflate along the way from Tuy Hoa. I had been there before (See my Wyoming posts).

Day 58 - Tuy Hoa to Nha Trang - 120 Kilometers

Day 57 - Qui Nhon to Tuy Hoa (October 25)

Rain and more rain...In fact, rain all day long.

My pre-ride inspection was foreshadowing of things to come later in the day. I tried to inflate my rear tube because it looked as though it were going flat. Unfortunately, the tube tore at the stem and I had to replace the tube in the pouring rain. Fortunately, that tube didn't cause me any grief for the remainder of the ride.

Leaving Quy Nhon, we took the coastal route. The Coastal route had less hills (not that it mattered much) and, more importantly less traffic. Although it was raining hard, it was a fantastic 18 miles of coastal riding. At first the road was rolling as we road along the cliffs near the ocean. The rain was falling hard, but it really didn't matter because the scenery was so nice.

While Terry was taking a pit stop, I sat on the shoulder of the road. A local beer truck came along. Wondering why I would be riding my bike in the rain, he offered me a ride. I had to wave him on, because I planned on continuing to ride.

Today marked the beginning of the end for Terry's bike. He blew one tube during a heavy downpour. It was nice to take a break from the rain. We pulled into a local gas station to hide from the rain under the awning and to give time for Terry to fix his tire. We discoverd that the blown tube was caused by a tear in the sidewalk of his tire. I had the same problem coming into Hue. So he took out his spare tire, which was a narrow racing tire. There was a problem. The only tubes that he had were too big for the tire, but without any ohter choices, Terry chose to put the larger tube in the tire.

So with the tire and tube repaired, we travelled on. But no more than 5 kilometers down the road, the tube gave way. It turns out that the larger tube would not work in the smaller tire. So I rode on as Terry fixed his second flat.

As I entered the northern part of Tuy Hoa, I was shocked by what I saw. I saw at five kilometers of newly graded land that was bare and ready for development. Electrical poles were placed along empty avenues awaiting new houses. Pump stations for water or sewage were also placed at equal intervals along the avenues. This was just one example of the roaring economy in Vietnam. Houses, buildings, and hotels are being built everywhere.

Tuy Hoa - Empty Lots Awaiting Development

Looking to the North

Looking to the South

As I sat around admiring the empty lots that would soon have new buildings sprouting from them, Terry rode up. He had fixed his tire. As we rode through town, the roads were flooded. We turned towards the ocean to find a hotel. As we did, we passed an old American Huey helicopter placed inside the wall of a government compound.

It was windy and wet at the beach, but we were able to find a nice hotel, Nha Khach (03 Duc Lap) across the street from the beach. After cleaning up, we went to dinner. The restaurant was actually very nice. It was the type of restaurant that large groups or families come to celebrate, drink, and eat seafood.

A neaby table was eating a flat bread that intrigued me. At this table were a young group of Vietnamese. I was interested to know what it was, but I was hesitant to approach and ask. Eventually, I walked up to the table and pointed at it. The people at the table told me that it was "Bun", a deep-fried flat bread. It was one of the friend's birthdays and they were celebrating. They spoke some English and were interested in having a beer with us. However, we had to ride the next day, so we didn't have time to spend time with them.

Day 57 - Qui Nhon to Tuy Hoa - 105 Kilometers

Rest Day - Qui Nhon (October 24)

This rest day was spent shopping. Bike touring involves a lot of shopping, mostly shopping for food to eat along the way and snack food for a rest day. But sometimes, we buy breakast, lunch, or dinner food.

Putting finishing touches on columns (by hand!) at the Buddhist Temple.

For breakfast, I found some raisins and a box of corn flakes. Adding some soy milk and I had breakfast for a few days. We stopped by the Quy Nhon trade center where I found some peanut butter. A few days later, I would find some jelly and I now I would have the perfect cyclist lunch food - PB&J. I was also able to find some vegetarian noodle soup in a cup. Now I had dinner because most hotels provide their guests with hot water.

Terry pointing out what he wanted at a Vietnamese vegetarian restaurant (Co'm Chay).

Day 56 - Quang Ngai to Qui Nhon (October 23)

A random statue to the Revolution.

Terry and I had gone separate ways in Hoi An, but we ended up sleeping in the same city, Quang Ngai. I decided to get up early to ride and just 30 meters down the road, I saw Terry. So I did my best to keep up with him for this ride. With the wind at our back, we were able to complete this 180 kilometer ride before dark.

Terry Truckin' Down the Road.

The scenery began to change during today's ride. I think that riding from Hue to Ho Chi Minh City is a better idea than riding from Hanoi to Hue. There is really not much to see between Hanoi and Hue except for one not so remarkable Vietnamese city after another, but futher south the scenery gets more interesting. For example, on today's ride, there were rolling hills near Bon So'n and between Phu My and Binh Dinh.

The Beach at Sa Huyen

Drying Grain on the Shoulder of the Road.

Taking the Piggies to Market at Bon So'n.

The Vietnamese carry everything on their motorbikes. I saw pigs in cages, ducks (still alive) tied to a 2 by 4 by their feet, and even puppies. When the puppies passed, a dog sitting on the side of the road took up the chase, until it discovered its tail and started chasing its tail instead.

The Bull Speaks: I Own This Paddy, Buster!

This was a good day of riding because we had the wind at our backs. This really helped us to get into Quy Nhon. Before too long, we were within 10 kilometers of town. Before we entered town, though, we made a detour to look at some of the nearby Cham Towers. An effort has recently begun to rehabilitate these towers. Many towers are covered in scaffolding.

We turned off of Highway 1A at a sign that said "Cham Architectural Treasures, 300 m." At 300 meters, we found a Buddhist Pagoda, but no tower. Retracing our steps, we saw a tower off in the distance, we saw a tower. If we just stayed on a road on the edge of a rice paddy, eventually we would come right to the tower. One problem though, the road ended at someone's house. In our confusion, Terry tried to cross a very narrow path through a paddy. I decided to try to find a better route. Fortunately, a person who lived nearby the tower, led us to the tower on his motorbike.

Terry Blazing a Trail to the Cham Towers

The tower and our guide.

Finally, we entered Quy Nhon. What a great city. It has a nice beach, with no one bugging you like in Nha Trang. We tried to stay at Barbara's Backpackers, but Barbara, a Kiwi, has only a bunk room. We stayed instead at the adjacent hotel, the Lan Anh at 19 Duong Xuan Dieu right on the water. We were able a nice room rate. Although Barbara is out of the hotel business, she still makes good muffins and Western food. Yum!

View from the Wrap-Around Balcony at our Quy Nhon Hotel.

Day 56 - Quang Ngai to Qui Nhon - 180 Kilometers