Easy Rider day 6-9: Galactic

Marble Mountains lie between Hoi An and Danang, these are quite vertical rocky looking mountains of about 300m high. On top and inside are caves with temples and Pagodas of several centuries old. The climb is steep, but the pictures are cool.

Many Buddha’s carved out of the rocks

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Funky temples

 

We ride on and when I thought I have seen the most of Ho Chi Minh Road, it turns…it turns... (I’m looking for the right word that corresponds with my emotions…. got it)

...it turns galactic.

Remember the snake wine from the Mekong Delta? In a local shop along the road I found, let’s call it, Lizard wine. Very good for ‘boom boom’, assures the shopkeeper with a grin. In other words the local Viagra hehe

*&^%$$##* thinks the lizard

In Hue at the Imperial Enclosure, a Citadel of several emperors since 1800, we’re back amongst fellow Westerners with English, German and French speaking tour guides. My hero stays behind though, watching the bags at the bike (and more importantly saving himself the entrance fee).

Chinese influence over the centuries has left her footprint especially in Northern Vietnam, as you can see for example at architecture.

Inside Hue Citadel

 

 

Quiz time:

What does not belong in this picture?

After a long ride a man’s got to do, what a man’s got to do.

We go quite a bit out of our way to see an impressive war cemetery, where ten thousands casualties of the American war are buried. It is a beautiful peaceful place with several temples. We are all alone there, which makes it also kind of special. Each grave has fresh incense on top of it and many were burning too. I was wondering what an immense job it must be to light all that incense, and whether they do that every day.

Then come two busses filled with teenaged school kids, who first had a communal Buddhist prayer and then they all go out on the cemetery to light fresh incense on the graves…

War casualties

I end the day in a hotel room with a view to think this all over

Take off to our end destination Dong Hoi.
One last look at last night’s scenic hotel

We ride towards Vinh Moc tunnels along the coast

During the American war a little village with a population of 300 people went underground and lived there for 6 years. There are 3 layers in Vinh Moc tunnels, the deepest at 23 meters below the ground. We go all the way down… very impressive to walk around these tunnels and realize people were cooking and having babies here while bombs were exploding above them.

I mention to the guide that 12 babies born during 6 years time was actually not that much. She mentions that in such a small place with 5 people staying in each tiny room, producing babies was rather awkward… Which I can somehow imagine.

Vinh Moc family loft apartment

23 meter deep…

Many things in life I understand but some things are a mystery to me. Su has a habit of filling his tank only half full of petrol every time. And then of course we are the next day or so out of petrol again, I stressfully watch the meter going deep into the red while we hope to pass a petrol station. And when we finally reach one Su rides on! I tap him on the shoulder and say: ‘Oi! We need petrol’. He then wiggles his hand and mumbles ‘not very good’. (?????)
But then again, we seem to find a ‘good station’ just in time, coz we never ran out.

We reach Dong Hoi early and during a walk along the beach I get a hint of how it must be to be David Beckham when I pass a group of teenagers. They all start screaming and each wants to go individually and in groups on a photo with me. Rather funny, and it puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

My fans

On the last day we ride through Phong Nha national park, the reason I wanted to go so high up in this trip. To be honest it is a bit disappointing. Phong Nha cave, the largest cave in Vietnam of approximately 50 km, could not be entered by boat because the river water was too high. Instead I walk into the dry parts, but although stunning I want more, I want the wet cave :-( (maybe I’m getting spoiled).

Phong Nha dry cave

The ride through the National park was mystical and beautiful and makes somewhat up for the missing of the wet cave.

Rocks of hundreds of meters high covered in mist towering above the road

Coming back in Dong Hoi means the Easy Rider trip has come to an end. It was a great experience, which will be locked in memory for ever. But now I am rather excited that tomorrow I’ll be staying in a luxury hotel in Hanoi and will find pizza(!) for dinner.

Bye bye motorbike and mr. Su