I make my way over a steep mountain pass through one of the most beautiful national parks in Vietnam; meanwhile a cancelled ferry makes for a long, wet and winding detour.
Climbing the Da Deo mountain pass should have been a scenic highlight of my trip.
Instead it was a wet, soggy affair, though beautiful all the same.
Breakfast at the guesthouse was accompanied by a special performance from the local cultural centre.
My guesthouse was run by a husband and wife team, and the husband streamed the function on Facebook live so nobody would miss out.
So our instant noodle soup with egg came with a side serving of singing and dancing, and, courtesy of Facebook live, I watched dancers in flowing red ao dais (traditional dress) flowed gracefully around a stage.
Ok, this was a quite the cacaphony for 7am. But in a remote area like this I could see why Facebook would be taking off for older folks, giving them a sense of connection to village events when they couldn’t leave their properties.
It was soon time to say goodbye to the guesthouse and continue the third and final leg of my cycling journey along the Ho Chi Minh road.
Passing through small towns, jungly mountains, shrouded in low-lying cloud, provided a serene backdrop.
I passed one of the dancers I’d watched only 30 minutes earlier via Facebook live, this time struggling through the rain with motorcycle, high heels and red ao dai (traditional dress) in tow.
Eventually, it was time to start tackling today’s challenge: the Da Deo pass.
This mountain pass is the gateway to Phong Nha, known for its caves and national parks and adventure tourism.
Smooth roads made for a satisfying and ‘hard-but-not-too-hard’ kind of climb – though I felt a little bit cheated doing all that climbing without more views to reward me.
I made just the briefest of stops at the summit. Rather than views, Deo Da Deo (the Da Deo Pass) is marked with a sombre war memorial, signifying the heavy bombardment suffered by this area during the Vietnam War.
The mountain remained shrouded in thick cloud and it wasn’t until the long, fabulous descent kicked in that I was able to finally take in some serious views. Green valleys spread out before me like a magical storybook as I zipped down the hill.
As any cyclist knows, whizzing down a mountain is absolutely THE BEST THING EVER. Soaked to the bone though I realised the hard way that this region of Vietnam gets surprisingly cold. Despite wearing two raincoats I was now bloody freezing, my body no longer generating warmth from climbing.
Before I knew it I was on the flat again, and starting to get hungry.
I found a lady selling the latest trend in Vietnam – ‘Do an vat’ (fried fast foods). She shows me some freezer packets and I point at random.
Meanwhile a gaggle of kids congregate noisily on the step. They’d found a tiny newborn kitten and there was a family argument about whether they could keep it. (Dad out his foot down).
After the fried food shop I had two choices. Continue on highway 16 into Phong Nha, or take a back way Id used in the past. This involved cool suspension bridges and a ferry and would get me to the right end of town for my guesthouse.
Back way it was, obviously.
The only problem was that the rain. Having stopped at lunchtime it had now resumed again, only heavier, and my decision to take a cute back road short cut was now looking more and more stupid.
An anxious feeling settled in my stomach and was soon confirmed as I cycled through deserted villages only to find that the ferry had – not surprisingly – been cancelled due to the weather. The perfect blue river I remembered was now a red, frothing rainy season torrent.
In a cold, wet, miserable state I looped alllll the way back again, eventually finding myself back at highway 16 and my lunch stop cross roads.
The silver of the day was finding my way to the wonderful Phong Nha Friendly House guesthouse, where host John lavished me with the most thoughtful service you can imagine, and a wonderful home cooked family dinner (John worked as a chef in Taiwan for many years).
Arriving in Phong Nha felt significant. After nearly a month in remote areas I was finally in a place where tourists were not a rarity, a place where could recharge and enjoy some small luxuries like ordering food from a menu. Phong Nha also marked the start of what is sometimes called the ‘golden centre’ – the stunning regions through Vietnam’s very middle which take in the popular destinations of Hue and Hoi An, along with the lovely cafes of Dong Hoi.
Sunny weather returned to following day.
With most caves closed due to the rain, it’s a perfect day to cycle around the surrounding countryside The Pub With Cold Beer is a backpacker favourite and there I find a perfectly positioned river view hammock.
Riding home, I was treated to a fabulous sunset over limestone hills. Yesterday’s wet, cold, miserable weather fades away.
