Day 7 Cycle Ride from Hue to Hoi An

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We were up early for a decent breakfast as we thought we were probably going to need it. We didn't instill a lot of confidence in our guide Hai as he asked explained the cycle ride is around 140km not the 100 we had been led to believe. When we questioned the length of time it would take us he replied 'i'm not sure no-one usually cycles for that distance so i've never done it before' . As you can imagine this did unnerve us somewhat but we said that we would just see how we got on and if we needed to retire to the comfort of the minibus then we would just do that. This agreed we met our other guide from the cycle tour company outside the hotel and got kitted out with all the necessaries - helmet, water bottles and Trek mountain bikes he then made sure all our bikes were ok for us and we set off.

We made our way through the town and more importantly through the traffic. The method that works the best is just keep going and don't hesitate. Up ahead our mini bus with cycle guide was waiting for us to direct us through some of the junctions. He just kept on appearing and resembled the man from the Japanese game show "Banzai". He spoke no English and relied on pointing a lot. There did come a point where the road that we would normally have taken was impassable due to flood water, and therefore we had to follow a different road. This however was a longer route and we did have to go through a small 50yrd patch of road that was flooded and was almost over our pedals, this would have been bad enough only just to add insult some small children thought it was great fun to try and splash us on the way past. A little further on Banzai was waiting to see we were going the right way and for us to top up our water bottles, and keep us going with a ready supply of bananas.

We started to go out more into the real Vietnam, where every child we saw shouted "Hello" and waved. Even the older generation of villager once they had looked at us like we were mad smiled and nodded at us. The children also seemed to have an obession with High Fives. Unfortunately this is where we had another "blow out". After two children on a bike had given Kathryn a High Five, they cut across Dad and forced him into a ditch! He sustained some cuts and bruises and a lovely graze on one of his knees.

The countryside we passed through was peaceful, green and simple, and there was a massive amount of flood water. At this point we had started to get a little concerned about Hai as he was increasingly getting further and further behind but we carried on and he didn't slip out of site so we thought he must be ok but perhaps at little unfit. Once again, the people who are obviously very poor had flooded houses and crop fields but accepted it as a way of life. The slow pace on the bikes rather than speeding past in the bus meant we could take time to soak up the atmosphere of the place a little more and we were loving it almost as much as the locals were. When we stopped for a bit of a breather we became a subject of curiosity to a small group of children who tried out their english on us followed by lots of giggles. Shortly after this we stopped again as Banzai flagged us down outside a chemist so he could patch up Dad's wounds much to the amusement of the rest of us. Opposite the little pharmacy was another cemetary - we have never seen so many, and there appeared to be one in every spare feild we passed. We came to the conclusion that there are more dead people than alive in Vietnam! This was where Hai caught us up and told us of some sort of sporting injury he'd picked up. So as not to make him embarassed we encouraged him to journey in the minibus with Banzai although it was quite amusing to think before the holiday none of us would have put money on the guide being the first to give up on the bikes.

Lunch was 15km on from here, so spurred on with the promise of a sit down on a chair and a cold beer we set off again. After about 45minutes, and through a small village, we made a left turn towards the sea. Unfortunately two of the party didn 't see us turn and despite shouting "Mum and Barbara" completely ignored the shouting and carried on. There must be loads of locals with this name! Dad carried on too, and Russ had to go and retrieve them. Lunch was on the beach at a very local outdoor restaurant with soup, prawns, rice, pork and a bird which could have been anything! This washed down with a beer was very welcome as the sea came crashing in as it was quiet overcast and windy on the shore.

We set off again feeling rejuveinated and were once again joined by Hai as there was some of the route that would not have been clear if we had been taking it alone. Most noticable after lunch was the change in terrain to more jungle conditions, and the increase in temperature and humidity. Not long after we went over a big suspension bridge which tested us a bit and the route began to climb. There were a couple of challenging hills which only Russ managed to cycle to the top of, and the rest of us had to get off and walk. At the next rest stop, Hai told us it was 15km to the A1 Highway, which was not really safe to cycle up, and then we could get back on at the bottom of the Hai Van Pass if we wanted to. We continued on through the little villages and appreciated that most people never get to see Vietnam like this.

At the 75km mark as the road approached the Highway we relinquished our bikes and got into the mini bus feeling like we had really achieved something. We were glad we did not cycle along the highway as the number of wagons, coaches and other farm vehicle meant it was pretty hairy even in a minibus. We were soon making our way to the Hai van pass and it had started raining. Hai explained that we could cycle up the pass if we wanted, go up in the minibus or miss it out all together and go through the recently constructed tunnel through the mountain. We didn't want to miss out completely on the pass but the thought of getting soaked wasn't pleasent either, so opted to go up to the top in the bus. When we reached the top the low cloud completed obscured the view, which apparently is normal for this time of year. Time was getting on and even with the short journey so far in the mini bus, Hai thought that we wouldn't get anymore cycling in that day (much to his relief!) even though Dad and Russ were still quiet keen to do a bit more. We set off for Denang, and the Cham Museum which houses art from a period in Vietnamese history when Hinduism was being followed. There are also a lot of items that have been recovered from a historical site at My Son that before the Vietnam War had 70 buildings and afterwards only 20. After here we made our way to Marble Mountain which in a totally flat landscape towers above everything else. At the foot of the mountain there are literally hundreds of shops selling huge marble sculptures, goodness knows who buys them. The marble used to be taken from the mountain itself, but is now all brought in from local quarries. The light was starting to fade as we headed up the steep steps to the top, and whilst we just got there in time to take a photo from the pagoda, by the time we reached the cave with the alter and buddist statues in it there wasn't enough light to get a picture inside at all. Really we would have rather missed out of the museum given the option to get to the mountain in the daylight. We climbed down in the dark, and got back into the bus and set off for the hotel in Hoi-An which was only about 30 minutes away.

We arrived at our Riverside Resort hotel, and had to laugh as due to flood water most hotels can boast a riverside resort! The Guide said that due to the flood water in the Old Town we would be better sticking close to the hotel for dinner that night, and recommended a hotel about 200m down the road. They thought that the water level would drop overnight for sightseeing tomorrow, so we would be okay.

We got a hot well deserved shower in our rooms, which were Japanese themed which given the bike ride made the bed on the floor a little challenging to get on and off. We headed down the road to see what was on offer, and the set menu for $5 at the first place we came to swung it. The food was nice, but they had no idea how pizza should be and the base could have been used as a frisbee it was that hard. The banana pancakes with chocolate suace were not quite as described and didn't have a sauce, which we have discovered is normal not to quite get what you asked for, more what the chef wanted to cook.

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