As of this writing, H2H has cycled just under 1,000km since leaving Hanoi on the 3rd – halfway through our journey to Ho Chi Minh City. For the first week the weather was miserable: the entire northern part of the country was covered in thick overcast and misty dampness, but we also saw some amazing scenery. A few of us even crashed a wedding in Do Luong, where we were graciously received by the bride and groom.
Most of the riding was flat, but we experienced a lot of mechanical problems thanks to bad roads and weather. Personally, I had four flat tires in the first two days; and I’ve also nearly been killed by a motorbike driver, a cow, and a kid on a bike. Needless to say, the 18 of us were glad to have a rest day in Hue on Tuesday.
The first week was still an awesome experience. Once we got out of Hanoi’s sprawl on the first day we became the only Westerners for miles. Our route purposely avoids Highway 1 as much as possible, and we have spent a lot of time on the beautiful Ho Chi Minh Highway. The people of the towns and villages we’ve passed through have been awfully surprised to see 18 foreigners wearing lycra riding bicycles with skinny tires through their area, and we have been greeted with an enormous amount of “HELLO” and “WHAT YOUR NAME?”
Every time a few of us stop somewhere, a crowd gathers. Outside of a supermarket in Dong Hoi at the end of a long ride we all took part in a spontaneous dance party to the tune of ABBA being blasted from the store’s speakers. Drivers actually stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures of us.
Now that our time in Hue is over, the most challenging part of the ride is beginning: heading into the Central Highlands. The first day out of Hue consisted of a 72km cycle to a town called near the Laos border called A Luong, which took us through some incredibly rugged (and gorgeous) hills and mountains, easily our most difficult ride yet. Going up a 10% grade on a Chinese-made road bike with 14 gears is not a pleasant experience. We all finished the day though, and we are constantly reminding ourselves that we are doing this for reason: to raise money for poor children here in Vietnam.
On that note, if you would like to donate to H2H, please visit: http://www.firstgiving.com/childrensinitiative/bikeride. We’re going to be suffering on the hills of the area for the next week, so please make our pain worth it by giving a bit to the charities we work with.
Our next rest day is in Buon Ma Thuot in about nine days, a break that will surely be much-needed. Until then, on to the climbing, and see you in HCMC on the 29th!
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