Vietnam: Motorcycle Diaries, Day 2 (285 km)

Well, we made it through Day 2, but this time there are a few scratches and scrapes, and our bike is not very happy with us...but let me get to that later! We started our morning with a breakfast of muffins and bread from the town bakery before dragging our sore bodies onto the Minsk for another fun-filled day through the mountains. We departed Moc Chau around 8:30 am, and were soon gliding up hills, around curves, and down steep inclines with ease (my skills have most definitely improved...the grinding gears are heard much less frequently now, thank you very much!).

It was a gorgeous, sunny day in rural Vietnam, and the hill tribe people were out if full force. We passed hordes of brilliantly-dressed women and children walking along the road on their way to and from working in the fields. Most of the tribespeople we saw today were from the Black Thai tribe, with their black hair twisted atop their heads, colorful long-sleeved tops, and vibrant skirts. We waved at everyone we passed, and their shy faces quickly turned to excited glows as they waved back to us. Seeing Erin and I was seemed like a treat to these people, as very few foreigners come through these areas. We have not even seen a foreigner on the road at all!

Our easy ride soon took a turn for the worst when we entered a construction site. Apparently, the Vietnamese believe in completely knocking out an entire 5 km stretch of road before repairing it...that meant a vast expanse of thick yellow dust, large boulders, and pure luck to get one through it without toppling over. Of course, luck was not on our side, as we tipped over while stopping for a break. No harm done...just lots of dust! Eventually, driving in first gear got us through the worst of this highway wasteland, and soon we were gliding on somewhat-paved roads. We stopped for lunch in the town of Son La...for tomatoes, rice, and tofu of course, before heading back out for some more riding. By this point, our bums were completely numb, and every muscle in my body was aching, but real bikers are tough, so we can pretend to be tough, too!

As we were rounding one of the hairpin mountain curves just above the town of Tuan Giao, we came face to face with a speeding semi-truck! I slowed down and veered onto the side of the road to avoid getting smashed...unfortunately, the ground was very uneven, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my left side on the pavement, with Erin behind me and the heavy, roaring Minsk on top of us! I knew I was okay, and I could hear Erin talking to herself behind me, so I could not help but immediately burst out in uncontrollable laughter (1/2 nervous habit, 1/2 seeing the humor in our situation). We shoved the bike off of us, I turned it off, and after dusting off our clothes (amazed that we got through that mini-pavement slide without even putting holes in our pants!), we assessed the bike.

Well, amazingly (and miraculously!), the bike took the brunt of the fall, as the back tailight was ripped off, the clutch pedal was bent in half, and lone rearview mirror was smashed, and the alignment was completely askew. Somehow, we managed to start the bike, and I awkwardly guided it back down the mountain to Tuan Giao, where we quickly got the alignment righted and the pedal replaced before heading off on our final 80 km to Dien Bien Phu.

We arrived in Dien Bien just before sunset, checked into the first guesthouse we saw, and wearily found a restaurant for dinner. What a day! Well, I definitely learned some things about driving a motorbike today, and one of them is to never go off the side of the road! Tomorrow morning we will wake up bright and early and attempt to make the long 300 km journey to Sapa.