Being sad to leave the delightful Miss Minty Ha, her willowy friend Nam and her gleaming establishment but greatly consoled by having my helmet decorated by her fair hand (now now, don’t chortle). The alibangbang and caterpillar mounted next to Noddy and the fixed bottle-cage nice mementos.
Today would prove to be one of the finest riding days, small city streets, mud tracks by the canals and rivers, a railway track plus good weather.
I tried a pristine white road, it went parallel to the RWGPS prescribed route so twas bound to join up later. Wrong. I ended up at a small shack at a watery dead-end. The lady warned me to stop but I went on to have a look and consider a wade…
Whilst still in the outskirts I met a man who looked like he’d just stepped out from Belsen, he was slowly pushing a child in a home made trolley (with chair castors instead of wheels) over the rough concrete roadway. Right next to him was a curious place where they made pony sized decorated wicker ponies and dragons. The ladies were all too shy to be photographed. Any idea what these were for gratefully received please.
Deep in rural countryside I saw lots of frames pointing sunwards. Solar panels perhaps? I realised afterwards that it must be tobacco drying
Annoyingly I realised that I had a slow puncture at midday. Whilst pumping as best I could, I attracted half a dozen curious well wishers including the garbage-lady. A young girl was sent to fetch a footpump that turned out to be more of a deflater than inflator so I started again whilst not in the shade. I made it to the rather dirty, out of the way Hotel due to the admirable roadside Rua Xe puncture and motorbike maintenance guys. Not one would accept even one dong but offered Tea and a hit on a bamboo whistling bong.
I left the puncture repair till the morning at 430 am. Early to bed early to rise. Turned out it was a very slow puncture caused by a fractured valve stem.
The reception toilets looked like a rural Indian railway station. Breakfast was dire and noisy with the other guest, a Korean noodle-slurper, sounding like a small herd of cows walking through a muddy field. New inner tube inserted and it was off we jolly well go.