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

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