The town of Cho Ben was very busy with people going about their daily lives as we rode through it after leaving our hotel just after 7am today. Open air stalls tended by women in conical hats had colourful displays of fruit and vegetables for sale, various raw meats were on tables in the open air, chickens were clucking around, and locals were sitting at tiny chairs eating various steaming hot foods. There were sounds of Vietnamese chatter accompanied by the cacophony of beeps and horns from passing motorbikes and vehicles. It was a vibrant scene which I felt lucky to witness. Good morning Vietnam!
Andrea, James, Leanne and I got a banh mi opla (egg baguette) from a street stand and everyone else headed to a restaurant that we had passed on our way into Cho Ben the day before and we joined them there for breakfast. After breakfast Leanne led the morning stretch and we were joined by a local guy from the restaurant who thought it was hilarious. Our stretches were also the morning's entertainment for many people passing by!
The first 20km today was similar to yesterday afternoon's ride in that we shared a tarmaced but dusty road with a lot of huge trucks who blare their horns with a 'coming ready or not' type warning. As things became more rural, cycling was much more pleasant and the views of the limestone karst mountains, typical of Vietnam were gorgeous, there was low cloud so it was quite atmospheric too.
The people are so friendly and children shout hello and wave as we go by. I even got a wave from a conical hatted lady who was in a distant field watering her crops.
We stopped after about 30km at a roadside refreshment stop for fresh coconut water and sugarcane juice. Lunch for me was a simple meal of boiled rice and morning glory (water spinach.) Andrea did a superb job of miming a request for chicken wings, but they didn't have any which was a shame after all her efforts.
We cycled 86km today to reach Cam Thuy where our hotel had both running water and electricity, unlike last night’s which was more of an either/ or situation! Good to laugh about though and part of the whole H2H experience.
I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful country and its people. Bring on day three!
Jane Gradwell
No comments:
Post a Comment