Day 5: Backroads and Flat Tires

Friday, 10/25/2024

Woke up at 6:00am again.  Packed up everything and geared up.

Went down to lobby for breakfast and spent some time talking with some of the others.  Then I wandered around outside for a bit. The parking lot had some cool fountain in the middle and lots of large potted trees (like Bonsai trees) around the perimeter of the lot.

Fountain pool

One of about a dozen trees, each different in type and design.

I then went up to the room, grabbed my bags, did a final room check and then went down and dropped the bag in the pile for the truck.

Joe and I both needed some stuff, so we took our bikes and rode down the road into town to find some shops.  I was really needing some AA batteries for my InfraRed camera, and was hoping to find a hard bristle brush to use to clean off the dirt and dried mud from my gear.

I found an electronics store and figured they should have batteries.  The staff inside did not speak English, but with a little assistance from Google Translate was able to express my needs and he took me to the place where the batteries were and I found what I needed. (2 AA Batteries for 80 cents.)

I found Joe across the street where he was looking for sunglasses (had lost his the prior day).  I rode over and we then rode slowly down street to see if we could find a place that might sell a brush.

Found a few stores in one area and saw some hair brushes in one, so thought we might ask them, but as I approached the shelf, I saw some small hand brushes on the bottom, bit larger than I would have preferred, but will do the trick.  $1 for a brush.

We got back to the hotel where the rest of the group was starting to gather and get bikes ready and the truck was being loaded with our bags.

I brushed down my pants and jacket best I could while wearing them and then used it to remove the caked-on mud from a few places on the bike (lights, tank area and sides where my legs touch it.)

We then got on the road, went down a few blocks and turned off the main road onto another smaller road heading into the countryside.  Lots of narrow, winding road which a few of us took at a brisk pace to have some fun.

As before, Tan and Jerry pulled out ahead and I tried to keep up, but my bike was really fighting me today in the corners and slowing me down.

I found them a few minutes later at a Y intersection waiting.  As I pulled up, Jerry started to laugh, and pointed to my front wheel, it was flat.  Guess that explains the hard cornering, but really surprised it rode as well as it did with a flat front tire!  I then saw the extra humor in that his rear tire was flat as well!

Once the rest of the group caught up to us, we rode a bit down the road till we could pull into the covered parking area in front of a building that did not appear to be open for business.  Both Long and Tan started to work on the bikes to repair the tires while the rest of us just stood around in the shade.  A few of the guys rode back up the hill and down another road to try and reach a nearby hilltop to get some views, but were back in about 10 minutes.

Fixing flat on my bike.

We also had some lady from across the street come over and start yammering to us, not sure what she was saying, guides really seemed to be ignoring her and she sat there among us chattering along while a few of us just smiled and nodded.  Then she left.  Never did understand what she was trying to say.

Once the wheels were good (Jerry had a screw or nail in his, mine just had the hole, but the cause was no longer in the tire) we rolled out and continued on our way.  We went up and over another small pass, came down the other side and then stopped for fuel.

We then headed down the road to have our break and get some drinks.  While we were taking our break, the local school was getting out and we drew quite a large crowd of kids staring at us, a few trying to talk to us, and a few more flipping us off (wonder where they got that gesture from?).

We drew a crowd at many stops.

Tammy gave one little girl a Canadian coin she had, and the girl spent probably 10 minutes holding it and staring at it.  Another kid was handing out candy to the other kids and gave me and a small piece.  Was some kind of hard coated sour candy.

We eventually lost our audience and got back on the road.  We turned off again onto the smaller trails and had some more off-road sections which were pretty technical: steep sections, large puddles, bits of slippery mud, and very tight turns, but drier than the other day.

More views from the roads, amazing as always.

At one point we started down a small hill, only to find the small bridge over a drainage ravine washed away, no way across.  Had to turn bikes around in tight area and go back up the hill.

Long rode down another route to talk with a local to see if there was another way around to reach where they were trying to take us.  He waved us down the hill, so guessing there was, but soon we found we had turned the wrong direction and another local got us pointed in the right direction.

This track was sketchy as hell though!  A dirt track along the edge of the fields and then up a steep muddy incline with a narrow concrete path up the middle, but our route joined the hill half way up and on another up-hill angle.  Some of the guys made it up, or stalled on the path, but were able to get going.  I took my turn, got onto the path, but then wobbled when my back spasmed as I tried to take the sharp turn onto the concrete path. The front wheel came off the path and I got it stopped right on the edge of a 3 meter (10 foot) drop into a narrow ditch!

The guide was standing there to assist, so he helped me reverse the bike, which did not want to stop rolling back it was so steep (not even brakes would hold it).  He lifted the front wheel onto the pavement, then held the bike while I got it started and gunned it up the hill.

Stopped in the big empty field across the road at the top while the rest of the group did there turn, then we took off across the field and back onto another dirt track along a field.  We then came up behind some buildings and met up with the road where we then had to stop because Mark had another flat on his rear tire! (3rd flat in 3 days).

We parked up on one side of the street and Mark pulled off into a parking spot in front of a house across the street where Long got to work on the wheel.  This time they found the tube had just ripped open inside the tire, and the tear was on the rim side of the tube.  

An inspection of the rim found a burr in the metal along the rim which was what likely tore open the tube.  We all suspected that the huge nail he had picked up on day one had impacted the rim and scored it, and that was what ripped the next two tubes open.

Starting work on Marks Flat.

Took about 40 minutes for Long to file down and smooth out the rim and get the tire back together.

Meanwhile, another group of school kids, a bit older this time, came along the road. Most waved or giggled as they passed, but one boy came directly across the road and shook hands with a few of the guys, they took a few photos and then he left.

Bit later two girls came by on a scooter, turned around and rode back over to us and basically did the same, especially with Tammy.

Then the first kid came back down the street with 4 other guys with him and more photos ensued.

Popular with the locals again. (Photo by Tammy)

Joe decided to ride up the road to the restaurant we could see to get a drink, and few others walked up and returned with drinks, all while the tire was being fixed.

When everything was good, we road up the road, stopped to get Joe and then continued onward.

We went up another hill and down the other side (Very hilly in this part of Vietnam!) where now Joe had a flat on his rear tire about a mile out of the town.

Again, the Tan swapped bikes and he rode it flat into town where we could find a better place to work on it, and the truck could meet us there hopefully.  This time Long was out of spare tubes in his pannier, only more in the truck.  He was going to try patching it, but the truck showed up then, so was able to put in a new one.

We all sat in a small store/café across the street and had drinks while this went on.

When done, we rode through this town and then stopped just on the other side for our planned lunch stop.  Very busy restaurant, but again, same foods we had been eating.  While the food was good, seemed to be only a few choices everywhere we went.

At this point, Jerry and Long took off to do more off-road trails while the rest of us decided to stay on the roads.

Lots of hills, small villages, and tight corners.   At one point, way back into the back country, we stopped along the side of the road where some odd, rickety looking platform had been built behind a few homes.  Tan inquired from the owner if we could go out on there and they agreed (He also paid them a bit, but not sure how much).

We climbed up the rock and wood stairs to the platform which had a few sections, and was actually built on a steel frame.  The views over the valley were amazing as this was built right on the edge of the cliff!

Wooden platform built on the cliff edge

View from the top of platform.

After a few minutes of this, we got back on the bikes and headed down the hill.  The road was a bit newer in this section, but also a lot of landslide damage since the surrounding dirt was not as stable due to what looked like recent construction. Several rough sections where the dirt had come across the road and only been partially cleared.

We then headed back up again, still finding lots of slide areas cutting the road down to one lane (and it was a narrow road to begin with).  At one point the road was completely blocked by rocks and dirt across the road, but the locals had smoothed out things a bit on one side and built a wood ramp on other so at least people, animals and bikes could get over (no cars though).  So, we went up and down the other side, that was a bit crazy!

How you get around a landslide. (Photo by Tan - I am not in it).

We then headed down hill for quite some time and came into the outskirts of the town of Mai Chau.

Here we took to the narrow, paved lanes between the fields which were in the process of being harvested, so lots of people and crops laid out along the road sides.  We soon arrived at the resort we would be staying at tonight situated in the midst of all the rice fields.

Narrow roads among the fields. (Photo by Tan?)

We got our room keys and went to find our rooms.  Joe and I had to cross the road and down another narrow road to the complex on that side where our room buildings were.

Rooms were very nice here.  Did the usual unpacking, and getting stuff on the charger routine right away.

My room tonight. (Taken the next morning)

My room at Mai Chau Sky Resort (Taken next day, too dark night before)

Tonight, it was time to do sink laundry.  (I did not know they had laundry at the resort that could turn things around before we left in the morning).  I washed all my dirty shirts, socks, and underwear in the sink with some help from the shower and hung it up to dry around the bathroom.  I then took an actual shower to clean myself.

I then wrung all the clothes out really good, and hung them up in the other parts of the room that were not as humid as the shower, hopefully they will dry tonight since this room had A/C running.

I then took the brush and went outside to finish cleaning the caked mud off the riding pants, jacket and boots.

Once done, I relaxed a bit and got the journal written up to the present.

Dinner will be in about 25 minutes, so finished getting dressed and then walked back to the main building where the bar/restaurant was.  Not sure if we will eat there or go somewhere.

I walked into the bar and found most of the group already there having drinks.  I ordered a Coke and then we headed out front to catch our ride to dinner, a little electric cart thing that carried about 8-10 people.

Our taxi tonight.

The guy drove us about 1.5km (1 mile) over to another homestay place where we would have our dinner.  We ate in a large open patio near a creek and this time had some amazing food.

Dinner spread.

After dinner we were asked to move over to another area of the complex and sit in chairs around an open space underneath the building where the family and staff would be doing a show of traditional dances from the region.

Music was mostly recorded, but a few older people were playing a few percussion instruments over along the side.  I really enjoyed the music.  The dances were interesting, and each was introduced by the same girl and Tan would translate the basic concept of the meaning and region of the dance.

At one point they even pulled people in from the audience, so went along with it and stumbled my way through some kind of bamboo stick dance.

They had several bamboo poles that were being held on each side by the dancers and moved up and down and back and forth, and the other dancers, holding our hands were to step through the moving grid of sticks.

There was some kind of pattern I guess because the girl I was with would occasionally step back where she was as I tried to move forward, and of course my huge shoes and feet were catching the pole often.  I basically sucked and probably gave them all a good laugh!

Before they drug us up to dance as well.

When the dance was done, I wandered over to far side of the place to use the restroom and as I passed a table near the middle, I stopped to look at all the stuffed animals on it that we had noticed on the way in.

I guess they are made in the area and are patched together from scraps of cloth with a hard stuffing inside in the shape of various animals.  Among the animals they had a kitty cat, so yes, I had to buy it.

Cost me $6, and is firm enough that it should be okay in my bag for the flight home.

We then went out front and stood around for about 10 minutes waiting for the taxi carts again and they took us back to the resort.

Went back to my room, of course laundry was still wet, not sure it will be dry by morning at this rate!  I will get up early again and use the hair dryer on things if still wet.

Now my pen is running out of ink, so guess it is time to call it.

Goodnight!