Some progress and a bit of an upside down moment

 We called the grab guy to deliver breakfast to our hotel and eventually left before 11am, only 100 km to do today so that should be easy we thought, a stop for petrol then a stop to put the waterproofs on as it started raining again very heavily which also meant Fiona's phone had to go back in her pocket so we were reliant on my Garmin GPS which I can barely read ( screen is tiny ) and then we were lost, Google back on and ended up more lost, at one point riding along a farm track which was dodgy and then on a wet muddy downhill section I ended up falling off. The Chinese tyres were no good in deep mud, who'd have thought! The bike trapped my leg but eventually I kicked it off me ( thank god for a light bike) footrest bent and mirror hanging off but apart from my pride I wasn't hurt. A local appeared from a pineapple field and told us to turn back, the road were wrecked, pity we hadn't seen him earlier.

We wobbled the 2 miles back to the tarmac and I set about fixing stuff when another local stopped and seeing I was covered in mud, asked if I was ok. Then Fiona and him discussed the best way to get back on the main road, which we did. Eventually into Tam Coc.

before rain

Lost

Very lost

Lost it after we were Lost

Hurrah for gopro

Fixing the mirror

The local telling us this road was impassable, go back the way we came

We decided to stay another day in Tam Coc for no reason other we were knackered , the town itself is busy, backpacker hell to be honest. We couldn't get another night's digs at our posh place but 200 yards away we stopped in a backpacker Hostel for food to assess our plans and the likable owner offered us a room the next day for a quarter of what we paid in our posh place. 

We decided to go for it, so a flit 200 yards on the Monday, the bed wasn't as comfy but it was ok as was the room.

We walked with the great unwashed for a while and we bumped into Cammila our we Tally pal from Phong Nha, a wee blether with her and got sim cards because ours only last a month and we're about to run out. After we stopped for lunch we realised the sims we got were only Data sims, no use really, the whole point is to use a phone to phone and what's app doesn't count. Back to the shop and the guy said it was data only. I was raging and after being pushed out of the way by ignorant person and his wife I decided to leave before I ended up in a Vietnamese Jail. That's life, it's not worth going too mental when you can't speak the language.

Good crack at the hostel later, the guy and his family were very nice.

Hills

The toon

Paddy fields on Paddys day 

The toon

Tasty

A bit brighter

brilliant

Boat ladies

Tourists

They actually row with their feet until they come into berth then use their hands

Tuesday and another 3 1/2 hour ride, no point in moaning but it was as expected to Haiphong, must be getting used to the asylum as we seem to just expect insane things happen on the road. Into our posh hotel for a bit of R&R

Nice area

No rubbish, a first

Our digs, not too shabby

Northwards again

 I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the desert's bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Of travel I've a-had my share, man

I've been everywhere

Now that song has been on my mind on this trip, made famous by Johnny cash and myself ( lol)

We have both been finding this part in Vietnam difficult, the driving, the food sometimes, and a feeling of being exhausted all the time. I think the vaccinations that Fiona is getting has been taking its toll on her and as a supportive husband me too. After riding 3 /4 of our way through Vietnam we thought it would get easier but it's not. Vietnam is an incredible country with loads to see and if you can be arsed loads to do but we are both feeling tired. OK during our last big trip from Argentina to Alaska and beyond we had some days when we were down but not weeks.

Sorry about moaning about doing a trip most people could only dream off but that's the way it is which is why that song resonates in my mind.

Anyhow, we are OK and continuing on the task in had, Loads of laughs apart from the tiredness, we even had a full day of torrential rain which soaked us to the skin, 5 hours solid at speeds under 35mph only stopping for fuel twice and nothing to eat all day, my god this is supposed to be fun and it is sometimes but don't kid yourself that this is motorcycling, it's a war of attrition.

We have a day off today in a fancy Hotel Woo Hoo, but no time to rest, need to get the blog done so here it is, slightly different today..

We headed to Quan Ngai, a slightly down at heel place that suited us and managed to get a pizza, result. The hotel had a sauna in our room and a massive bath tub but no hot water and a balcony that looked into a industrial building next door but it was clean and cheap!

The further up the road to Hoi An, a place full of tourists, we had to fight our way through them to get to our hotel only to find we got the wrong one, another mile and we got the right one. This is where the top gear crew got suits made,  unfortunately I had no room but made do with a shirt and Fi got a made to measure shirts and top for £35 delivered to our hotel by 10am the next morning.

Made to measure

Tourist hell

Me, tourist hell

Busy

Me getting my inside leg measured for a shirt

I really wanted this jacket but no room

It rained heavily walking back to our digs

We then headed up the coast to Da nang, stayed in a nice place away from the tourists and after some food and beer in a roadside cafe we were walking back to our digs and got invited to join a group of ladies celebrating international women's day, I don't think they noticed my moustache,  they even got us to sing on the Karaoke to flower of Scotland!

Funny boat

Stopped for a break once we got free of the City

Evening meal in a roadside cafe, the chairs are like kids chairs

But the beer is good

Busy cafe

Our new singing friends

The next day over the Hai vang pass to Hue , a short pass but worth the effort. We stayed in a hotel which seems to have a lot of Europeans and Koreans on bus tours.

Of course it was the day for Fiona's latest vaccination which is always a pain. Nice town though and we even went to see the imperial City, a rest day was well earned.

Mighty Hondas on the pass

Nice but the view coming down the bealach is better

Always looking for the rain

Our nice bus tour Hotel, staff were very nice

Imperial Palace

The locals like posing

So do we 

All taking selfies

Rain coming in

Traffic, crazy as always

And a meal opposite the clinic where Fiona got her latest Injection in the Morning

Really

Then to Dong Hai  all the way up the coast, quiet road but jesus, biblical rain, we arrived wet and slightly not amused but the plus side the road was good, we must of passed hundreds of cemeteries, we didn't stop though

 . 

They like their decorations

The rain stopped the following morning and we rode into the mountains again, a short ride but enjoyable to the backpacker hell town of Phong Nha.  We had lunch in the town and got another oil change and the chains oiled for £8 including oil, not too shabby, at night we went to a restaurant where we had to suffer the local news playing at full volume for 3/4 of an hour, so happy when it stopped. We met a fellow tally Cammila and she joined us for a blether, good laugh but although she could understand Fi, she struggled to understand me, nothing new there then.

Bonnie

Our digs

New church getting built, loads of churches which was a surprise

Fi and Cammila

And then a long rode along part of the Ho Chi Min road towards Vinh where it rained on and of but really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the ride but the last bit was not as good and here we are, Friday the 13th, avoiding traffic today and just relaxing in our posh hotel

Ho Chi Min Trail

The kids who are usually polite kept giving us the finger so Fiona was practicing

Nice Cafe for lunch,

Posh digs, cable cars taking people out to the island but not a change i'm going on it