Mai Chau to Ban Don village. I tackle some more serious climbing with incredible views to match – and have a surprise encounter with a cycling group at an off-the-beaten-track swimming hole.
Today’s challenge was to conquer one thousand metres, and I’m talking about up not along: nearly1000m elevation to ascend the mountain pass between Mai Chau and Ban Don village, in the up-and-coming tourist destination of Pu Luong.
I set off on another magnificent October – the air was cool and fresh, with deep, crisp colours. Traditional stilt houses lined the road and people bustled about.
Now mountains started to reveal themselves as the road climbed gently towards the turn off to highway 15C. I was also at the very start of the epic Ho Chi Minh Road, which runs straight down the centre of Vietnam.
A cluster of ramshackle buildings and pot holes greeted me at the turn off and dust swirled in the air, as I stopped for a coke and toilet break in a dark and dingy shop.
The moment I started to climb, however, things improve quickly as an excellent road and awesome views started to reveal themselves.
There was a fresh breeze in my face and – after two weeks of touring – my legs felt great.
Swimming hole detour
I made a turn off to visit a swimming hole and cave at Ban Hang village.
The water was freezing but brilliant blue and I had a great time sitting under the small waterfall for a shoulder massage while a five year old did fearless jumps off a piece of rock (his brother was not so keen).
To my very great surprise, a group of around six sweaty, puffed out English cyclists, all in their 50s, pulled up.
They were on a supported mountain bike tour (bags being carried in a van) and looked in horror and fascination at my solo set up.
One bloke lifted my bike to see how heavy it was. “Oof you’ve got a bit of kit there,” he said.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun being an honorary member of their group for fifteen minutes and was a bit wistful when they rode away.
The were all expats from Saigon who worked in manufacturing and mentioned how much harder it’s getting to work in Vietnam as a foreigner.
We went on our separate ways and – refreshed from the cool water – I was soon back to tackling the Very Big Hill. Unfortunately my swimming hole detour made the route even steeper and I ended up pushing my bike up the steep gradient back to the main road.
In the end, the scenery was so lovely that even climbing was a pleasure.
Soon I was stopping to take photos of Ban Hang village from way up above, now looking like a toy town.
An icecream shop (or at least a shop selling icecream, which is all that matters) materialised at just the right moment.
At one point I jumped off the bike to investigate a small concrete path leading off the highway. .
Well, the views were quite stunning. A broad sweep of bright yellow-green stepped rice paddies curved around a picturesque valley. This was what Pu Luong was famous for, the Pu Luong of the pictures, and I was seeing it all un-toured, by accident and in a golden afternoon light.
Descent to Ban Don Village
All there was to do now after all that work was enjoy the long, long, downhill stretch into my final destination – Ban Don village.
There are a number of roadside guesthouses hugging the edge of the mountain, all with spectacular views of the valley below. I had a peak at the Pu Luong May which looked like a great place to stay or eat, with a huge viewing deck and lovely rooms, but decided to press on.
The weather gods had the las laugh, turning dramatically from bright sunshine to drenching rain in a matter of minutes and leaving me sloshing down narrow paths as I tried to find somewhere to stay.
I had my heart set on sweeping valley views and eventually found a lodging with just that at the Valley Home Guesthouse. It even had a pool – which would have been great if it wasn’t raining!
Even though it was a Friday it was almost too easy to negotiate the room rate down, which was important. Pu Luong, especially Ban Don, is not a budget-friendly destination due to its proximity to Hanoi. With these views, you can see why.
