Another quick update as we are again pressed for time.
Cycling has been challenging with some very long days in the saddle. The language barrier has been an issue, but we were lucky enough to meet two wonderful Vietnamese people named Thao and Ha (more on them in another post). It was great to get the inside scoop from them on some of the culture, and we also got the chance to sample some of their favourite dishes (pigs guts to name one!).
We are just prepping up to cross the border into Laos tomorrow morning. If you want to know where we are at any given time, don't forget to click the "Where Are We" above. I am not sure how frequent contact will be over the next few days, but will try and post with more meat on the bones soon.
I also wanted to say a big thank you to Matt Dunn for his donation!
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| Rice paddies on the slopes up to Sapa |
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| Art with low lying phone electricity cable |
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| Valley view after another big climb |
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| Lower Silver Waterfall at the ceiling of Vietnam (Tram Ton Pass 1900M) |
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| John's beard is a real hit with both the men and the ladies in Vietnam |
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| Hand planted rice gives you a brand new appreciation for hard work |
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| Another monster climb out of the way |
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| Another beautiful vista into Lai Chau |
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| Monica not looking impressed by the bumpy gravel roads |
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| One of the many suspension bridges across the river |
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| A series of 11 dams are being built along this river making for interesting views. Some of what we rode will be under water next year and a few towns are being relocated. |
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| crossing the river on a temporary bridge |
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| Why does where we are staying have to be on the wrong side of the river? |
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| Washing day! The minority tribes don't like having their pictures taken, but traditional dresses like these are everywhere. |
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| Looks idyllic until I realized that hand planting all that rice would be the daily routine. |
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| Snow Geese |
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| Add caption |
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| Pigs, chickens and bananas are often seen whizzing by |
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| Bikes like these were used by the Vietnamese to supply weapons in the defeat of the French in DBP. This is what I cycled all the way to see here, and was pretty anti-climatic |
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| I am not sure how they won if that is how they were taught to shoot a gun. |
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| Cemetery remembering all the fallen soldiers at Dien Bien Phu |
Best blog post title yet in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI would like to request you sample some sandwiches while there. Specifically the french influenced onces served on french loaf.
Many cheers from home to both of you!