Oct 23-24 - Vietnam

Oct 23 - convoy out of the hotel just over 3 km to the Vietnam border.

New country, new support staff - we have to get everything off the Chinese support vehicles and it has to be carried by hand through Chinese departure control, then across a bridge, clear customs and immigration into Vietnam, then onto new support vehicles in Vietnam. So here we are, half way across the bridge, China behind us. The heavy pack is on the back, lighter one on front, cameras, computers, bike spare, clothes, etc all packed in.

So good morning Vietnam.

We notice differences right away. The first difference is that we became millionaires just by exchanging our Chinese RMB for Vietnamese Dong.

Before you get too excited, you need 10,000 for a beer. These notes are worth about $25 each.

The ride away from the border was nice. Road was smooth asphalt instead of concrete. Nicely manicured decorative hedges and flowers in the median.

We noticed the different architecture and particularly the colour on the buildings along the road. Houses were narrow, the lower level often had a business built in front; there was always a ramp for motor scooters or double ramp for cars which would be parked inside what we'd consider part of the residential area, maybe right beside a staircase or coffee table. Levels above looked like they were lived in, and usually there was balcony or deck up on the third level.

 

And some French influence was evident not far from the border...

...school kids on their bikes on their way home, umbrellas to keep the sun off...

...rural landscape... tea plantations...

...farming...

...mangrove swamps...

...and fishing villages...

After the chaos at the border, it all seemed too quiet and tranquil. We hardly heard any honking of horns, we could breath the air... Lunch at 80 km, a relaxed stop for cold drinks at about 110 km. Total for the day was about 135 km, stopping at Cua Ong, just 45 km from Ha Long Bay which is famous for its UNESCO World Heritage designation for its limestone rock formations. More about that later, but we lulled ourselves into expecting a small idyllic coastal village, even cleaner, more colourful, more pristine, than the country we had been in throughout the day.

Our little fantasy was dashed 15 km out when we made the left turn at Mong Duong to head toward the coast. We were suddenly in the middle of coal mines... the river below us was black... heavy trucks... conveyer belts crossing the highway... the dust on the road was black. Water had been sprayed on it at one point, presumably to keep the dust down. Anybody want to guess what Ursula looked like when a cement truck went past her and sprayed her with that mixture? This photo was actually taken the following day after only 45 km riding and no cement truck spray.

Around the corner and we could see the massive thermal power plant that the coal was feeding directly into. All that went though my mind was Roger Whittaker's 'Dirty Old Town'. Whether appropriate or not, at least that put something pleasant in my head. 

Cua Ong is no beach holiday resort. The main guest house used by our group was separated from the main road by a railway track. Turns out the track takes coal from the mines to the dock for shipping to wherever it goes. We were lucky enough to be in a different guest house about 1 km away, otherwise we too would have heard a train every 40 minutes throughout the night.

24 Oct... back on the road to Ha Long Bay. The first 20-25 km still under the influence of coal so we got very dirty again. Busy traffic, lots of horn honking (the tranquility didn't last long). We are seeing more of these rock formation called 'karsts', along the road...

...and off-shore...

Approaching Ha Long Bay, we cross a new (7-years old) bridge that crosses the inlet to a large bay that seems to provide a good-sized natural harbour.

 

 Bicycles get a special lane, apparently to be shared with ox carts.

We're now stopped for a rest day, hopefully with good weather for a boat cruise out to see the limestone rock formations and maybe even get a swim.