Weather report: 31˚C (feels like 34˚C), overcast. Night 20˚C.
For today we planned to follow the Ho Chi Minh road. This highway is one of the most important connections between the north and the south of of Vietnam. Because the Ho Chi Minh road cuts through extremely mountainous area with steep hills and only few gas stations, most heavy traffic avoids this road. For us this was reason enough to choose it.
This morning we started much earlier than yesterday. At about seven we hit the road and made the first 50km to Kon Tum in about one hour. Between Pleiku and Kon Tum we’ve seen huge caoutchouc plantations and the first rice fields.
In Kon Tum we topped our fuel tanks, bought some water and had breakfast. We were told to fill the tanks there because of the missing petrol stations on the way. In the end we would have had the chance to get some gas every 60km. This even should be manageable for smaller motorcycles. Anyways.
There won’t be much to say about the next 60km. The road was surprisingly good combined with low traffic we just had lots of fun riding the motorbikes. Yeeeeeha! ;-)
Before the highway entered the rain forest there were a few little villages close to a river. To connect both sides with each other, people have built narrow bridges. We took the bait and passed one of these bridges. A very special feeling on the motorbike though with the shaking and wobbling underneath.
After this little adventure the part of the road we’ve been looking forward to began. Aside from a few single elementary houses next to rice fields there were just trees and water. The temperature sank dramatically. It was the first time I was happy to wear a jacket. The good state of the highway has vanished. Dozens of road works combined with hundreds of cows and goats using the road to find a better place to feed turned the street into an obstacle course. Our speed was slow anyway in order to enjoy the fascinating forest. The weather changed and we expected rain but it stayed dry.
In the early afternoon we arrived in Kham Duc which doesn’t seem to be a place worth it to stay any longer. This impression was verified after a short walk and having a coffee. But as we’ve learned in Gia Nghia not to judge a locality after first sight we decided to stay for one night. We were kind of optimistic to find some good street food and were worn out from riding the bikes the last two days.
Our optimism was confirmed in the evening. After sunset the people appeared on the streets and so did the street food vendors. In addition we found a huge vegetables and fruit market. Fist I was kind of sad not to be able to cook by myself but after a while we found something new to taste: Two different kinds of tofu with noodles. This was definitely our best tofu yet. If there would be such delicious spiced up tofu in Switzerland this vegetarian protein source would have a much better reputation in our latitude. Long story short we found some really nice food to finish another great day in Vietnam.
Tomorrow we’ll ride to Hoi An which is a coastal city famous for its well preserved old town and its architectural mixture between Chinese-, Vietnamese- and French colonial styles. But the pronunciation lays on coastal. We’re really looking forward to eat fish and shrimps!
