Today is dubbed an EBD (evil b*tch day) by former riders because it's a 100km day that usually involves either pouring rain or scorching hot sun. However, we were lucky in that we had cloud cover in the morning but thankfully the rain stayed away. The cooler temperature makes such a difference and the whole team kept up a good pace all morning. Then, at around 12 noon the clouds disappeared and the sun came out with a vengeance. The phrase mad dogs and Englishmen springs to mind! At this point I had about 40km to go. I opted not to fry an egg on the pavement, (I easily could have if I'd had an egg handy,) but instead cracked on with completing the day's mileage. Zach was the lead rider and sent a message back to the group, "last 30km is rough, at 85km it's mostly uphill." Groan!
Onwards and upwards with the song 'Love is like a butterfly,’ the theme tune to a UK 80s sitcom rolling around in my head. There are sooooo many butterflies in this area, it’s like cycling through butterfly confetti!
I made it to Ea Drang where I joined Zach, Dennis, Kacey, Leanne and James for a well deserved cold drink.
We are in the central highlands of Vietnam and although there is often a backdrop of greenery and crops being grown, today the general scenes were orangey/brown, dry and dusty. Consequently, I didn't take many 'view' photographs but I wish I had, as even the less scenic areas are all part of this wonderful journey we are on, and all are beautiful in their own way.
Today's road is busy with the usual motorbikes, buses and trucks many of which overtake far too closely even though the road may be clear and they would have lots of room to move further out. Cycling through the towns brings the usual mix of people, vehicles and motorbikes coming at you from all directions. Motorcyclists in particular like overtaking then immediately stopping directly in front to drop off a passenger, buy something, make a phone call or whatever. It’s like being in a computer game where to win you have to avoid a multitude of hazards. Thankfully we’ve all negotiated the hazards so far with just the odd exception, (watch out for kamikaze goats Patrick!) Today’s hazards include ‘Wacky Races' type diesel contraptions carrying various loads including people, crops and animals. You can hear them chug-chugging along and can only hope that the driver keeps the exposed whirring engine away from you as they pass.
I have become more used to the hectic and apparent lack of rules style of Vietnamese traffic (I should hope so after so many miles!) I think I’ll even miss it when I go back to the UK. I may need to brush up on the Highway Code though to remind myself of the dos and don'ts!
Jane Gradwell
Today we would also like to thank We Make Saigon Sweet for their exceptional kindness and sponsorship and their chocolate brownies that will blow your mind. This is a wonderful bakery with a BIG heart!
You can order your brownies here: https://www.facebook.com/wemakesaigon/
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