CROSSING TO CHINA

Immediately we had a pleasant surprise! After the poor roads we’d been on for the previous few days it was nice to go the last 20 k’s to the border on a new Chinese-built road. When we got to the new modern Chinese border post I felt a bit self-conscious amonst the few luxury-bus passengers in my old garb (toes sticking out of my shoes, shirt ripped down the back, and smelling like a rat). I wished that the marble-tiled hall was more crowded so that I wouldn’t be so conspicuous. From the border we were welcomed into China and onto the new highway – a series of tunnels and high bridges, spanning valleys and zooting through hills. Some of the tunnels were a few k’s long with dark sections in the middle (hectic on a bicycle without headlights). Along the road we met Swiss cyclist, Christoph, who had more luggage than me (he even had a trailer). On our approach to the city of Jinghong (on the Mekong river, again) we met 2 more cyclists coming the opposite way – Kathy and Sandro, who’ve been cycling all the way from their home in Austria, and were on their way to Singapore. Right now I’m taking a rest in Jinghong, and am enjoying the local quisine. Leana is staying elsewhere in the city (one needs breating space now and then), Distances cycled since Laos have been:- Mengla 72 km; Menglun 76 km; and Jinghong 78 km. Total since CT is 46 927 km.

LOFTY LAOS

After spending a week in Vientiane it was time to get a move-on through the North of Laos as once again, our visas were running short. For the first day or 2 up to the backpacker hang-out of Vang Vieng the terrain made for a relaxing ride. After that the Earth turned on its side as we found ourselves grinding up long mountain passes and flying down the brake-smoking counter sides. On the uphills Leana tended to pull away from me, due to my heavy bike as well as my reluctance to put pressure on the already worn second-hand parts (or perhaps she’s just stronger than me). However, on the downhills my bike, Old Saartjie (a good downhill runner) was almost unstoppable. I had to know my braking in the innumerable bumpy corners, else me and Old Saarjie may have still been hanging from the branches in the beautiful indigenous misty mountain forest. The last 2 days to the border were the slowest, with the broken road surface adding to our problems. Heavy rain turned the unpaved sections into a veritable clay pit, coating tyres and making for some fun “ice-skating”. At least there was a heroes welcome at the crest of every big hill, where there was usually a village. Even the local motorbikes had trouble, as was evidenced by skid marks and tell-tale footprints in the mud. As has happened from time to time, at our last stop before the border we stayed at the same place as 2 other cyclists (Julian and Aurore from France), on their way South from China. Daily distances cycled since Vientiane were:- Hin Hoeup 102 km; Vang Vieng 69 km; Kasi 61 km; Phou Khoun 47 km; Xiang Nguen 106 km; Luang Prabang 26 km; Pak Mong 116 km; Oudom Xai 84 km; and Natei 82 km. Total distance since leaving Cape Town is 46 703 km.

LOAFING IN LAOS

Since my last report from Savannakett in Southern Laos, we've advanced to the capital, Vientiane. I say "we" with some reservation, as Leana probably got tired of my "Ugly Mug" (who can blame her?) and sent me on may way. However, fate has a way of intervening, and on that very day her front wheel hub collapsed. After struggling along, she "happened" to find me where I was staying for the night. After sourcing an ancient rusty spare hub at a small all-purpose store the following morning, I spent most of that day repairing Leana's bike. We subsequently cruised to Vientiane via some beautiful river- and hilly tropical scenery - very tasty dried/smoked fish at the roadside! Vientiane, on the banks of the Mekong river, is not at all a bad place as far as capital cities go - I've been cycling around a bit to explore the place, including the giant stupa in the picure (I'm sure it has a name). The "Arc De Triomph" (it also has a name) was built in 1959 from cement donated by the USA for airport construction - now some jokers refer to it as the "vertical runway". The main problem for me was still that I had limited gears due to a useless middle chain-ring. I'd been informed of a good bike shop in the city (the only one), which happened to be closed for the first 4 days after we arrived. Once re-opened, Leana bought a new front hub, but my spares would have taken too long on order so the owner gave me a 2nd-hand part - which is better than what I had, but won't last long. I was still focused on heading for China (even after all the disappointments in that regard over the past year or more), so I applied for a visa - which was granted, no questions asked! As it seemed so easy Leana also got a Chinese visa, but now she's not quite sure what to make of it. Daily distances cycled since my last report were:- Tha Khaek 131 km; Vieng Kham 109 km; Pakxan 91 km; Ban Hai 90 km; and Vientiane 70 km. Total distance cycled since leaving Cape Town at the start of this journey is 46 010 km.

LEAP INTO LAOS

I found Laos to be literally a breath of fresh air, the quiet road through the rolling tropical hills was in stark contrast to the “hustle & bustle” which is much of Vietnam. Thus far the people seem extremely friendly, and there is a continuous chorus of “sapa-dii” (hello) emanating from the stilted bamboo houses (complete with satellite dish for TV reception). In these hill villages the younger children often run around naked (why not? – the climate is good and after a swim in the river they can simply “drip-dry”). As we’ve approached the Mekong valley life appears to have become a bit more modern – but the locals remain friendly. My biggest problem is that my bike (Old Saartjie) is so worn-out that I can’t even use the middle chain ring anymore (a major problem on a hilly road!). I’ve looked around for spares, but around here there is nothing suitable (anyway, I don’t have any money). I spent almost an entire day paying some attention to Old Saartjie and fitting used spares which I've previously replaced on Leana's bike. I initially wrote and published this report in the town of Savannakett on the Mekong river, where we spent 2 days (Thailand is on the far banks - see recently-built Friendship II bridge in background of photo). Since then we have moved further up the Mekong to the town of Tha Khaek. Daily distances cycled in Laos have been:- Xepon 54 km; Donghen 133 km; Savannakett 80 km; and Tha Khaek 131 km. Total distance cycled since Cape Town is 45650 km.

RETREAT BACK SOUTH

Unable to gain access across the Vietnam border to China in the North, Leana and I had to beat a hasty retreat – I guess it’s not the first such retreat in the past 6 decades or so! Our best option was to cross into Laos from Central Vietnam, which meant a fair amount of back-tracking. First, however, we had to deviate to the N-E coast, to experience the famed Halong Bay – World Heritage Site. From Haiphong (big river port and 3^rd largest city) we took a ferry to Cat Ba Island, and stayed over in pretty but touristy Cat Ba town for a day (impressive views from our cheap room – photo). As with many touristy places in this country, karaoke and massage are advertised all over (also known as “singing and sex”). Much of Cat Ba Island consists of beautiful, hilly, tropical forest National Park – through which we cycled to the Northern ferry port. From there the ferry took us through the surreal Halong Bay (flat sea scattered with tall pinnacle rock islands) back to the mainland. Earlier Leana had received spares from SA, and on our Southern retreat one day we spotted a guest house which had adequate space for me to do an overhaul on her bike (with spectators and unwelcome helpers – of course). As fate would have it, 2 days later we cycled the entire day (135 km) in “Typhoon Rain” – deep flooded roads and wet gravel clogging up the new parts on Leana’s bike and destroying what was left of those on old Saartjie (my bike). We retreated back across the DMZ to Dong Ha, from where we headed West on Highway 9 (formerly a branch of the infamous “Ho Chi Minh Trail”) towards Laos. Before reaching the border town of Lao Bao we had to traverse a testing ascent over the “watershed” (where rivers flow East to the sea and inland West to the Mekong river valley). We crossed the border to Laos on the very day our Vietnam visas expired – how’s that for cutting it fine! Daily distances cycled since the retreat from Hanoi are:- HaiPhong 109 km; Cat Ba 14 km (+2hr ferry); HaLong city 37 km (+1 hr ferry); Bieu Nghi 27 km; Nam Dinh 127 km; Tinh Gia 135 km; Vinh 103 km; Ky Anh 104 km; Dong Hoi 96 km; Dong Ha 98 km; and Lao Bao 84 km. Total distance from Cape Town to Lao Bao is 45252 km.

PUSH TO THE NORTH

Since my last report from Central Vietnam, we had to get a move-on towards Hanoi in the North. However, both Leana and I were suffering from flu, which hampered our progress somewhat. Therefore we had our visas extended – in the city of Hue. Hue, and surrounding areas, was the scene of some intense battles during the US/Vietnam war. Not too far North of there we crossed the former De-militarised zone (DMZ) on the 17^th Parallel, the border between the former North and South of the country. Since the end of the war the ruined cities and towns have been mostly re-built, but in places there are still water-filled bomb craters amongst the rice paddies. Peasants still dig up bomb fragments to sell as scrap metal, and these people continue to be maimed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) – there are big signs in the region warning against this practice. I was again reminded how small the world is, as in the city of Ninh Binh we bumped into British cyclists James and Tracey – who we’d previously met in Cambodia. Just to confirm the tennis-ball size of the globe, in Hanoi we also bumped into Canadian cyclist Marc, who we’d met in Nepal and last seen in Bangkok. In Hanoi we also bumped our heads against the Northern border, as we were shocked to discover that Chinese visas are not available to South Africans in Vietnam. The implication of the non-visas meant that we had to re-invent our route (now I think I know what a headless chicken feels like). Hanoi, the capital and second largest city in Vietnam, is quite pleasant as far as large cities go. Yes, the roads are clogged with throngs of motorbikes, but the French legacy of tree-lined boulevards and architecture is still evident. The old part of the city, where we stayed close to one of the lakes, is interesting to explore and to observe Hanoi people going about their business. Daily distances cycled since my last report from Hoi An have been as follows:- Phu Bai 122 km; Hue 14 km; Dong Ha 73 km; Dong Hoi 104 km; Ky Anh 107 km; Vinh 106 km; Tinh Gia 115 km; Ninh Binh 107 km; and Hanoi 96 km, Total distance cycled from Cape Town to Hanoi is 44318 km.

SOUTH CHINA SEA COASTING

Since leaving Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) Leana and I headed for the SE coast of Vietnam, from where I posted my previous report in Mui Ne. Up to that point we were slightly disappointed in the environment (scenery and people) which was not quite what we'd expected. The countryside seemed relatively arid for this part of the world, and we were cycling through endless large towns in heavy traffic. However, since moving Northwards along the coast, things have improved. The road alternates between the coast and the nearby plains, and the switch between the two usually involves some sort of pass (hills!). At the coast we regularly find ourselves high up on the slopes, looking out over turquoise bays with boats and islands in the distance. We also cycled past stretches of isolated beach and picturesque fishing villages. On the plains we mostly found ourselves surrounded by emerald-green rice paddies, set against a backdrop of the mountains to the West. The peasants under their traditional grass hats were all around, tending the rice, herding buffalo, or drying crops on the paved shoulder of the road. Large flocks of ducks galavant in the channels amongst the rice paddies (of course they'll end up on the dinner table, but they don't know it yet). There were also a number of cities along the way, and we stayed over in Nha Trang as well as Quy Nhon (attractive places with beaches, islands, and surrounding hills). There are many monuments (mostly related to war), and we also saw a number of the surviving ancient Cham Towers. One of the war memorials which we did visit is the Son Mai site, in memory of hundreds of villagers massacred by US troop on 16 March 1968. We managed to find cheap accommodation close to the beach a few times, where it's a pleasure taking a dip in the warm tropical waters. One complaint which I do have is that locals behave as though every foreigner has bags full of dollars with which he is eager to part. It's even difficult to find basic foodstuffs in the markets at a reasonable price, and in touristy areas this situation can be painfully taxing. Currently we are in the touristy town of Hoi An, which has a historic old quarter and various Chinese Temples (photo). We have been here for a few days now, as Leana is struggling to shake a bout of flu. Daily distances cycled since Mui Ne have been:- Ca Na 131 km; Nha Trang 140 km; Tuy Hoa 130 km; Quy Nhon 102 km; Sa Huynh 118 km; Mai Khe Beach 79 km; Vinh Dien 125 km; and Hoi An 21 km. My total distance cycled since leaving Cape Town at the start of this journey is 43 484 km.