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Hello Wonderfull Vietnam

Torsdag 22. juni 2017 -  Søndag 02. juli 2017          ( Update 07. sep. 2017)

Pausedage i Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu - Muang Cha 54 km
Muang Cha - Muang Lay 42 km
Muang Lay - Pa So (Phong Tho) 79 km
Pa So - Co La (Thong Tam Duong) 59 km
Co La - Sa Pa 48 km
Pausedage i Sa Pa 
Sa Pa - Hekou 38 km

Nu var vi i Vietnam og vi havde fundet et dejligt guest house i en helt fantastisk gade i Dien Bien Phu. Gaden havde alt hvad vi havde brug for og der var masse af liv og sjove oplevelser, bare ved at gå udenfor vores dør.
Den første oplevelse blev da vi skulle have morgenmad. Vi havde sovet længe og da vi endelig kom udenfor fandt vi hen på en cafe´ tæt på hvor vi boede. Vi fik bestilt noget at spise og så bestilte vi kaffe.
Kaffen blev en prøvelse i sig selv, det vi ikke vidste var at vi havde bestilt Vietnam Kaffe. Her kommer kaffen ind i en lille stempel kande ovenpå kaffe koppen. Det gjalt det om at have tålmodighed, for det tog godt og vel 10 minutter inden kaffen var løbet igennem. Så har man en meget stærk kaffe i espresso størrelse, sammen med kaffen fik vi noget knust is og kondenseret mælk. Hvad skulle vi stille op med det ??? Vi hældte det kondenseret mælk i kaffen og drak det på den måde. Da vi kom tilbage til hvor vi boede googlede vi Vietnam Kaffe og fik hele forklaringen på hvordan man skal drikke kaffen.
Vi skulle have hældt det kondenseret mælk i kaffen og så ud over isen, for derefter at drikke den, på den måde fik kaffen en karamel agtig smag og det smagte så godt.
Heldigvis var det ikke den eneste gang vi skulle have Vietnam Kaffe, så til sidst blev vi helt gode til at mixe og drikke kaffen.
Ellers havde gaden små butikker, gade køkkner, bager forretninger og en frisør der klippede i det fri. Vi trængte til at blive klippet, så en klipning i det fri midt på gaden ville vi gerne prøve.
Så skønt at blive klippe helt kort og vi kunne mærke at ham der klippede os var mega dygtig med hans barbermaskine. For to klip måtte vi betale 100.000 Viet Dong, som er det samme som 27,- danske kroner.
Indtil nu havde vi ellers selv klippet vores hård med den barbermaskine vi havde købt i Australien til 100,- kroner, men med de priser en klip kostede nu, gad vi ikke selv bøvlet mere.
Det er også sjovt at opleve hvordan frisør verden er i de forskellige lande vi kommer til.
Vi blev to hele dage i Dien Bien Phu og fik kigget lidt på byen. Vi gik op for at se Victory Monument, som er en kæmpe statue der er sat op til minde om Ho Chi Minhs tropper der indtog Dien Bein Phu d. 6. maj 1954 efter 57 dages belejring af Franskmændene. Dette nederlag blev afgørende for Frankrigs beslutning om at give Indokina dets selvstændighed tilbage fra kolonistyret.
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodija blev selvstændinge lande efter slaget i Dien Bien Phu.
Udover at se den store statue oppe fra bakken, var der en smuk udsigt ud over byen og dalen omkring. 
Vi fik købt SIM kort og ellers ordnet nogel praktiske ting. Vores brænder skulle gøres ren, der var nogle sokker der skulle lappes, vores cykeltasker trængte til en kærlig hånd og så fik vi vasket tøj. Selv på de dage vi holder pause, er der altid et eller andet der skal ordnes.
Kalenderen viste d. 24. juni og det var dag 244 på vores rejse. Det var let at finde ud af Dein Bien Phu, vi skulle kun dreje to gange og så lige finde et sted vi kunne købe bananer og noget brød, for derefter at fortsætte imod Muong Cha´.
Vi cyklede forbi Dien Bien Phu lufthavn, en lille en af slagsen og inden længe cyklede vi ude på landet hvor rismarkerne var flot anlagte og igennem små landsbyer.
Hele tiden ser vi hvordan livet leves langs med vejen. Vi ser børn der bliver badet under en vandslange i vejkanten. To drenge på 10 - 12 år bære brænde på ryggen i en stor kurv og selvom det ser tungt ud, råber de HELLO!!! Det er kæmpe kontraster til livet vi kender hjemmefra.
Der blev tørret ris og majskolber langs med vejen. Majkolberne var så gule at de næsten blænder os i solens skær.
Højeste punkt på dagen tur var 714 m og herfra skulle vi ned i en lang dal, som fulgte en større flod indtil vi nåede til Moung Cha´. Vi var fremme i god tid og det passede os fint, for vi var begge meget trætte. Efter vi havde checket ind på et hotel tog vi os en dejlig eftermiddags lur.
Det var ikke fordi vi sprang ud af sengen næste dag. Ude på gaden kunne vi høre høj musik og propaganda nyheder, faktisk havde de første tonet ud klokken 4:45.
Vi fik gang i kroppen og var klar til at cykle klokken 7:40. Vi vidste at der lå 75 - 80 kilometer foran os i meget bakket landskab. Jeg må tilstå, at jeg ikke troede at jeg overhovedet orkede at gennemføre dagen.
Vi kom afsted og vi ville i første omgang cykle til landsbyen Chan Nua.
Naturen var helt anderledes end det vi havde set indtil nu og det var en fryd for øjet. Det havde regnet kraftigt om natten og imens vi cyklede regnede det også. Det gjorde os ikke noget, for det virkede afkølende i varmenen, som stadig fulgte os.
Vi cyklede langs Nam Na floden. Nogen gange var vi i højde med den og andre gang var vi hævet højt over den. Vandet i floden var brunt og det gav en flot kontrast til de grønne skråninger der gik helt ned til floden.
Undervejs kom vi forbi to store dæmninger, her var vandet dæmmet op så der kunne produkseres strøm via store tubiner.
Der havde været en del jordskred og der var flere skilte som advarede om faren, så vi var meget opmærksomme.
Der var store slugter, hvor små og store vandløb havde deres udløb til Nam Na floden og rismarkerne lå som store trappetrin op af bjergsiderne. Altsammen så smukt.
14 kilometer før Pa So holdt vi frokost pause. Vi bestilte kylling, ris, grøntsager og suppe. Vi tror at kyllingen var en selvdød gammel høne istedetfor. Den var så sej at vi ikke kunne tygge det og kødet ville ikke slippe benet. Men vi fik spist risene og grøntsagerne.
Alt imens vi sad og spiste sagde Heidi: Hvornår ser vi en Mærsk container? Fordi hun lige havde set en anden lastbil med en container på. Jeg når kun lige at sige: sådan en ser vi ikke helt heroppe i det nordlige Vietnam. Inden vi til vores store overraskelse ser en Mærsk Container køre forbi i samme øjeblik. 
Jeg tror vi sad med åben mund og så meget måbende ud inden vi begyndte at grine.
Efter frokost fik vi cyklet de sidste 14 kilometer og ankom til Pa So. Som det første skulle vi finde en hæveautomat, da vi næsten ikke havde flere kontanter. 
Da Heidi gik ind for at hæve penge, var der en mand der gik ind og stilte sig lige ved siden af hende. Meget mystisk og det var først efter et par gange, hvor Heidi sagde at han skulle gå ud, at han gik ud.
Så fandt vi et godt slidt Guest House. Vi skulle se 3 værelser inden vi fandt et der var værd at sove i. Dem der havde stedet ville have 250.000 Dong, hvor værelset nok kun var 150.000 værd.
Aftensmaden blev Bun Cha, som er en form for frikadeller i en suppe med pasta. Det er en typisk Vietnamesisk ret og vi fandt et lille sted som var ejet af en familie. Familien havde tre børn - Lin, Laus og det sidste navn kan vi ikke huske. Lin var 8 år og kunne lidt engelsk, så hende snakkede vi lidt med, mens brøderne bare var nysgerrige. Vi kunne mærke hvor stolte forælderne var af hende og vi syntes det var hyggeligt at snakke lidt engelsk med hende.
Vi vågnede til lyden af kraftig regn næste dag og derfor udskød Marianne alarmen til 6:30 og selv da vi cyklede afsted regnede det stadig. Vi skulle over to stigninger, hvor den første var 19 kilometer lang og vi skulle bevæge os op i 1200 meters højde. På grund af den tunge regn havde der været jordskred nogle steder og vi må cykle igennem mudder af og til. Igen kommer vi igennem små landsbyer og langs med vejen sælges der grøntsager og frugt. Køerne græsser ved siden af vejen og nogen gange går de rundt midt ude på vejen.
Efter vi var kommet over den første stigning kom vi til byen Lai Chau. Ud fra maps.me troede vi at det bare skulle være en lille bitte by, men det viser sig at være en stor by. Men en mystisk by. Da vi cyklede ind i byen var vejen en kæmpe 8 sporet boulevard, fire spor i hver side af vejen, men ingen biler og ingen mennesker er at se. Her var store bygninger og forgyldte lygtepæle, somom at en højrestående eller vigtig person boede i byen. 
Virkelig mærkeligt. Vi fandt en cafe´ der var åben og her fik vi is og vietnam kaffe. Det var somom at trafikken begyndte imens vi sad på cafe´en og der kom også mennesker på gaden igen.
Vi forsøgte at spørge på cafe´en om der blev holdt siesta mellem 12 - 13, men manden forstod ikke vores spørgsmål, så hvad der lige foregik ved vi ikke.
Efter pausen i Lai Chau skulle vi så igang med anden stigning, denne gang var den på12 kilometer, vores ben var godt trætte efter første stigning, men heldigvis fik vi en tur nedaf på 10 kilometer da vi nåede toppen og inden vi nåede til Thong Tam Duong. 
Undervejs ind til byen så vi et stort begravelses optog og holder ligt igen, da vi ikke bare ville flyve forbi i høj fart. Vi så også kvinder i faverige dragter og Marianne spørger om hun må tage billeder af dem, men de sagde NEJ!!! Man kan ikke være heldig hver gang.
Vi fandt et hotel lige i midten af byen og hotellet så ud til at være ret nyt. Vi fik aftensmad på hotellet, hvor de lavede fisk, kylling, ris, grøntsager og bambus skud med mayo. Vi spiste alt da vi var meget sultne og fordi vi havde en hård dag foran os næste dag.
Endnu en dag med regn og endnu en dag med en lang stigning. Idag skulle vi cykle 33 kilometer opad inden vi ville få vores beløning. De sidste 15 kilometer ind til Sa Pa, som ville være nedaf og på flad vej.
Vi cyklede afsted i øsende regnvejr, da der ikke var nogen grund til at udskyde starten, når vi vidste havd der ventede os.
Når vi nåede toppen af passet ville vi nå det højeste punkt indtil nu på vores tur - 2035 meters højde. Energien i kroppen og benene varr meget lavt, så da dagen startede tænkte vi begge to: Pyha hvordan skal vi nogensinde komme op på toppen. Vi må endda af cyklerne efter de første 5 kilometer for at skubbe, fordi der kom et stykke der var umuligt at cykle for vores trætte kroppe. Ellers tog vi en kilometer af gangen og bevægede os stille og roligt opad.
På grund af regnen, hang skyerne lavt ned over bjergene og vi kunne ikke se ret meget. Nogen gange bevægede skyerne sig opad lige foran os på vejen og nogen gange kom der en lille åbning, så vi kunne se ned i dalen og se vejen vi for lidt siden havde cyklet på.
Men mest af alt så vi skyer, dis og regn. Heidi cyklede bagefter mig og på et tidspunkt forsvandt jeg helt, i skyerne når de trak op over vejen.
Da vi havde cyklet 20 kilometer, kom der et stykke på 9 kilometer, hvor vejen fladede ud og vi kunne bevæge os fremad med en bedre hastighed. Men de sidste 4 kilometer blev dagens hårdeste. Her skrånede vejen med 12 - 14 % og der var no mercy......vi måtte af for at skubbe. Vil tro at det blev 2,5 kilometer hvor vi skubbede og så kunne vi cykle de sidste 1,5 kilometer.
Selvom det virkeligt havde været hårdt arbejde, var vi meget stolte da vi endelig stod på toppen og nu var det tid til at få noget cola og chokolade. Selfie af os og skiltet hvorpå der stod højden og 15 kilometer til Sa Pa, blev der også tid til og inden vi satte os på cyklerne igen for at fortsætte ned mod Sa Pa, tog vi noget mere tøj på. Der var en anden temperatur i 2000 meters højde, end da vi startede langt nede i dalen først på dagen.
På vejen mod Sa Pa kørte vi forbi Love Waterfall, et stort vandfald hvor der var massevis af andre mennesker og boder. Så vi holdt kun et øjeblik for derefter at fortsætte ind mod byen.
Vi standsede for at kigge på kabel banen som går op til Fa Si Pan, som er Vietnams højeste bjerg på 3.143 meters højde. Måske vi skulle prøve den imens vi var i Sa Pa??? Her må vi meddele at det kom vi aldrig. For det første bryder vi os ikke om kabel baner og for det andet, var det meget dårligt vejr alle dage imens vi var i Sa Pa. Så der var ingen udsigt fra toppen af Fan Si Pan.
Vi fandt ind til byen og fandt hen til Sa Pa Mountain Hotel vi havde bestilt dagen før. Vi havde bestilt 3 nætter og brugt lidt flere penge på overnatnigen end normalt. Men så fik vi også et værelse med balkon og udsigt ned over dalen og de fine rismarker.
De fleste turister der kommer til SaPa, kommer for at tage på trekking ture og se Fan Si Pan, men vi havde bare brug for at slappe fuldstænding af. Så vores tid i Sa Pa gik med at sove længe, sidde og nyde udsigten over dalen og nogle småture rundt i byen.
Her var en masse udstyrs butikker og Marianne havde brug for nye trekking bukser, da hun havde glemt hendes trekking bukser på Shakespear Hostel i Adelaide. Så det fik vi også ordnet.
Der var en fyr der arbejdede for hotellet, som hed Simon. Han kom fra Fredericia og havde været i Sa Pa den sidste 1 1/2 måned og inden da havde han rejst rundt i Vietnam. Så det var hyggeligt at kunne snakke dansk sammen med en anden end bare os to. Indtil nu havde vi mest snakket engelsk og tegnsporg med dem  vi skulle snakke med underejs.
Udover at slappe af, fik vi også besøgt en del cafe´er. Der var specielt cafe´ Le Petit Gecko, som vi besøgte op til flere gange. De lavede en god kyllinge sandwich og advocado shake plus vi skulle mindst have Vietnam kaffe en gang om dagen.
Sa Pa i sig selv, var egentlig ikke noget specielt. Desværre har vi som turister en al for stor indflydelse og mange ting bliver for komerciel. Gadesælger kan flere forskellige sprog og lære udenad hvad hovedstaden hedder i det land du kommer fra, for så at kunne fange din opmærksomhed og derved måske sælge noget til dig. 
Børn fra området bliver klædt i en traditionel dragt, for igen at kunne fange vores opmærksomhed eller kvinder var klædt i en traditionel dragt af samme grund. Men vi ved ikke med sikkerhed om de er fra en stamme oppe i bjergene.
Ved godt vi er selv en del af det, men vil helst undgå det, hvis vi kan.
Dagene i Sa Pa gik næsten alt for hurtigt, også selvom vi faktisk ikke lavede noget. Noget vi fik ordnet var hvordan vores rejse skulle foregå igennem Kina. Vi havde visum til en måned og kunne forlænge med en måned mere hvis vi gad bøvlet. Vi kunne godt regne ud at vi ikke kunne cykle hele vejen igenne Kina fra Hekou og op til Urumqi, som var mere end 5000 km også selvom vi forlængede med en måned mere var det ikke muligt. Så planen blev: Vi ville cykle til Kunming og blive ved Vera en hollansk kvinde, som havde inviteret os til at bo ved hende nogle dage. Hun var warmshower host og havde slået sig ned i Kunming det næste år, men henblik på at undervise engelsk. Fra Kunming ville vi så flyve op til Urumqi og cykle de sidste 600 km ud af Kina. Vi ville ikke bøvle med at forlænge visumet, da det let kunne tage op til 7 dage og for at være ærlig, så havde vi nok også allerede en forhånds indtryk af Kina, som gjorde at vi ikke ønskede at blive der i for lang tid.
Men mere herom når bloggen for Kina bliver færdig.
Den sidste dag i Vietnam, blev nok også den smukkeste. Vi skulle bevæge os ned oppe fra 1600 m højde og hele vejen ned igennem dalen, lå de smukkeste anlagte rismarker. Som kæmpe amfiteatre, hvor vandet løb ned igennem fra øverste etage. Grøne, brune og orange farver og nogen gange skyer der dækkede det hele til. Så vi måtte stoppe flere gange for at nyde udsigten.
Da vi nåede ned til Hekou, var det let at finde hen til grænsen, men inden vi kryssede den, satte vi os på en lille cafe´ ved siden af vejen og nød to kolde glas sukkerrørs juice. Her sad vi nu og snakkede om hvad vi havde oplevet i Vietnam og kunne se over til næste land på vores tur - KINA!!!


English

Thursday, 22 June 2017 - Sunday, 02 July 2017 (Update 07. Sep. 2017)

Restdays in Dien Bien Phu
Serve Bien Phu - Muang Cha 54 km
Muang Cha - Muang Lay 42 km
Muang Lay - Pa So (Phong Tho) 79 km
Pa So - Co La (Thong Tam Duong) 59 km
Co La - Sa Pa 48 km
Restdays in Sa Pa
Sa Pa - Hekou 38 km

Now we were in Vietnam and we had found a lovely guest house in an amazing street in Dien Bien Phu. The street had everything we needed and there was lots of life and fun experiences just by going outside our door.
The first experience was when we had breakfast. We had been sleeping for a long time and when we finally came outside we found ourselves at a cafe close to where we lived. We ordered something to eat and we ordered coffee.
The coffee became a experiment in itself, what we did not know was that we had ordered Vietnam Coffee. Here the coffee comes in a small punch jug on top of the coffee cup. Here it's about patience, because it took 10 minutes for the coffee to pass. Then you had a very strong espresso coffee, along with coffee we got some crushed ice and condensed milk. What should we do with that ??? We poured the condensed milk into the coffee and drank it that way. When we came back to where we lived we read about Vietnam Coffee on google and got the full explanation of how to drink the coffee.
We should have poured the condensed milk into the coffee and then over the ice, then drink it, in this way the coffee had a caramel flavor and it tasted so good.
Fortunately, it was not the only time we had Vietnam Coffee, so at last we were perfectly good at mixing and drinking the coffee.
Otherwise, the street had small shops, street kitchens, bakery shops and a hairdresser who cut hair in the street. We needed a hair cut, so a cut in the middle of the street we would like to try.
So nice to be cut short and we could feel that he who cut us was very skiled with his shaver. For Two haircuts, we had to pay 100,000 Viet Dong, which is the same as 27, - Danish kroner.
Until now, we'd even cut our hair with the razor we had bought in Australia for 100,- kroner but with the prices a cut costed now, we did not even bothered ourselves more.
It's also fun to see how the hairdresser world is in the different countries we come to.
We spent two whole days in Dien Bien Phu and had a look around the city. We went up to see Victory Monument, a giant statue set in memory of Ho Chi Minh's troops who entered Dien Bein Phu on May 6, 1954 after 57 days of siege by the French. This defeat was decisive for France's decision to give Indochina its independence back from the colonial rule.
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia became independent countries after the battle in Dien Bien Phu.
Besides seeing the great statue up on the hill, there was a beautiful view over the city and the valley around the city.
We bought a SIM card and otherwise arranged a lot of practical things. Our burner needed a clean, there were some socks to be patched, our bicycle bags needed a loving hand and then we washed clothes. Even on the days we take a break there is always something to be arranged.
The calendar showed June 24th and it was day 244 on our trip. It was easy to find the way out of Dein Bien Phu, we only had to turn twice and then just find a place we could buy bananas and some bread, then go on towards Muong Cha'.
We rode past Dien Bien Phu airport, a little one of the kind and soon we rode out into the country where the rice fields were beautifully landscaped and we rode through small villages.
All the time we saw how life lives along the way. We see children being bathed under a water hose at the roadside. Two boys ofthe age 10-12 was carring firewood on their backs in a big basket and although it looked heavy, they shouted HELLO with a big smile on thier face !!! This is a huge contrasts to the life we ​​know from home.
Rice and corncrobs was dried along the road side. The corncrobs were so yellow that they almost dazzled us in the sun's shine.
The highest point of the day trip was 714 m and from here we went down to a long valley that followed a bigger river until we reached Moung Cha'. We arrived early in the afternoon and it suited us well, because we were both very tired. After checking into a hotel we took a nice afternoon nap.
It was not because we jumped out of bed the next day. Out in the street we could hear loud music and propaganda news, in fact, we heard the first yelled out at 4:45.
We got our bodys out of bed and were ready to cycle at 7:40. We knew there were 75 to 80 kilometers ahead of us in a very hilly landscape. I must confess that I did not think I was able to perform this day at all.
We rode on and initially we wanted to cycle to the village of Chan Nua.
Nature was completely different from what we had seen so far and it was a delight to the eye. It had rained heavily at night and while we cycled it also rained. It did not matter to us, because it seemed cooling in the heat, which still followed us.
We rode along the Nam Na river. Sometimes we were right beside it and then later we were raised high above it. The water in the river was brown and it gave a great contrast to the green slopes that went all the way down to the river.
Along the way, we passed by two large dams, where the water was dammed up so that electricity could be produced through large turbins.
There had been a lot of landslides and there were several signs that warned of the danger so we were very attentive.
There were huge gorges, where small and large streams had their outlet into the Nam Na river, and the rice fields were like a large staircase up the mountain sides. All in all, so beautiful.
14 kilometers before Pa So, we had a lunch break. We ordered chicken, rice, vegetables and soup. We think that the chicken was a self-dead old hen instead. It was so tough that we could not chew it and the meat would not let go of the bone. But we ate the rice and vegetables.
As we sat and ate Heidi said: When do we see a Maersk container? Because she had just seen another truck with a container on. I said: We do not see that one in Northern Vietnam. Before our big surprise, a Maersk Container drove by us at the same moment!!!
I think we sat with open mouth and did so much mumbling before we started laughing.
After lunch we biked the last 14 kilometers and arrived at Pa So. First of all, we should find an ATM, as we hardly had no  more cash.
When Heidi went in to withdraw money, there was a man who walked in and stood next to her. Very mysterious and it was only after a few times when Heidi said he should go out that he went out.
Then we found a well-worn out guest house. We had to see 3 rooms before we found one that was worth sleeping in. Those who had the place wanted 300,000 Dong, where the room was only worth 150,000. and at the end we had to pay 250.000 Dong.
The evening meal was Bun Cha, which is a kind of meatballs in a soup with pasta. It is a typical Vietnamese dish and we found a small place owned by a family. The family had three children - Lin, Laus and the last name we can not remember. Lin was 8 years old and was able to speak English so she spoke a little while the brothers were just curious. We could feel how proud the parents were of her and we thought it was nice to speak English with her.
We woke up to the sound of heavy rain the next day, and Marianne turned the alarm to 6:30 as she did not want to go ot in the rain but even so it was still raining when we cycled out of Pa So. We had two climbs, the first one being 19 kilometers long and we had to move up to 1200 meters altitude. Due to the heavy rain there has been landslide somewhere and we have to cycle through mud sometimes. Again we came through small villages and along the way there were vegetables and fruit sold. The cows graze next to the road and sometimes they walk around in the middle of the road.
After we had reached the first elevation we rolled down to Lai Chau City. Based on maps.me we thought it was just a small town, but it turned out to be a big city. But a mysterious city. As we rode into the city, the road was a giant 8-lane boulevard, four tracks in each side of the road, but no cars and no people could be seen. Here were large buildings and gilded lamp posts, such that a in a town where a important person should live.
Really odd. We found a cafe' that was open and here we got ice cream and vietnam coffee. It was like the traffic started while we were in the cafe and people also came to the street again.
We tried to ask at the cafe whether siesta was held between 12-13, but the man did not understand our questions so what had happend we did not know???
After the break in Lai Chau, we had to start with another climb, this time it was 12 kilometers long and our legs were tired after the first climb, but luckily we got 10km downhill when we reached the top and before reaching Thong Tam Duong.
Along the way to the city we saw a big funeral parade and hold back as we would not just fly by at high speed. We also saw women in colorfull suits and Marianne asks if she could take pictures of them, but they said NO !!! You can not be lucky every time.
We found a hotel right in the middle of the city and the hotel seemed to be fairly new. We got dinner at the hotel where they made fish, chicken, rice, vegetables and bamboo shoots with mayo. We ate everything as we were very hungry and because we had a hard day ahead of us the next day.
Another day with rain and another day with a long climb. Today we had to ride 33 kilometers upwards before we would get our reward. The last 15 kilometers to Sa Pa, which would be downhill and on flat road.
We rode off in pouring rain, as there was no reason to delay the start as we knew what was waiting for us.
When we reached the top of the pass, we would reach the highest point so far on our trip - 2035 meters. The energy in the body and legs was very low, so when the day started we thought both of us: Wauv how should we ever get up to the top. We even had to get of our bikes after 5 kilometer to push because there was a piece of it impossible steep road impossible to ride for our tired bodies. Otherwise, we took one mile at a time and moved up quietly.
Because of the rain, the clouds lay low over the mountains and we could not see quite a lot. Sometimes the clouds moved up straight ahead of us on the road and sometimes there was a small opening so we could look down into the valley and see the road we had just cycled on a little while ago.
But most of all we saw clouds, fog and rain. Heidi cycled behind me and at one point I completely disappeared in the clouds as they pulled over the road.
When we had cycled 20 kilometers, there was a distance of 9 kilometers where the road flatted and we could move forward with a better speed. But the last 4 kilometers became the hardest of the day. Here the road shad 12-14% steepness and there was no mercy ...... we had to push. I think it was 2.5 kilometers where we pushed and then we could ride the last 1.5 kilometers.
Although it was really hard work, we were very proud when we finally got to top and now it was time to get some coke and chocolate. Selfie of us and the sign on which the altitude stood and 15 kilometers to Sa Pa, we also had time for and before we sat on the bikes again to go down to Sa Pa, we put on some more clothes. There was another temperature at 2000 meters altitude than when we started far down the valley at first.
On the way to Sa Pa we drove past Love Waterfall, a large waterfall where there were loads of other people and stalls. So we only stayed for a moment and then proceed towards the city.
We stopped to watch the cable car that goes up to Fa Si Pan, which is Vietnam's highest mountain at 3,143 meters. Maybe we should try it while we were in Sa Pa ??? Here we have to announce that we never did. First of all, we do not like cable cars and secondly, it was very bad weather all days while we were in Sa Pa. So there was no view from the top of Fan Si Pan.
We found our way in to the city and found the Sa Pa Mountain Hotel we had booked the day before. We had booked 3 nights and spent a little more money on the overnight stay than usual. But then we also got a room with a balcony overlooking the valley and the nice rice fields.
Most tourists coming to SaPa come for trekking tours and see Fan Si Pan, but we just needed to relax complete. So our time in Sa Pa went on with sleeping in, sit and enjoy the view of the valley and some walks around the city.
Here were a lot of equipment stores and Marianne needed new trekking pants as she had forgotten her trekking pants at Shakespear Hostel in Adelaide. So we got that sorted too.
There was a guy working for the hotel, called Simon. He came from Fredericia and had been to Sa Pa for the last 1 1/2 month and before then he had traveled around Vietnam. So it was nice to speak Danish together with someone other than just us two. Until now, we had most talked English and used sign language with those we talk to along our way.
In addition to relaxing, we also visited some cafe's. There was specially cafe 'Le Petit Gecko' which we visited several times. They made a good chicken sandwich and advocado shake plus we should have at least Vietnam coffee once a day.
Sa Pa it self was really nothing special. Unfortunately, as tourists, we have too much influence and many things will be too commercial. Street vendor can learn different languages ​​and learn what the capital is called in the country you come from in order to catch your attention and perhaps sell something to you.
Children from the area are dressed in a traditional suit, in order to catch our attention again or women were dressed in a traditional suit for the same reason. But we do not know for sure whether they are from a tribe up in the mountains.
Well, we're part of it as well, but we'd rather avoid it if we can.
The days in Sa Pa went almost too fast, even though we did not actually do anything. Something we got arranged was how our journey was going to be through China. We had a visa for a month and could extend for a month more if we hesitated. We could figure out that we could not bike all the way though China from Hekou and up to Urumqi, which was more than 5000km even though we extended for a month more it was not possible. So the plan became like this: We would cycle to Kunming and stay at Vera a Dutchman who had invited us to stay with her for a few days. She was a warmshower host and had settled in Kunming for a year,  to teach English. From Kunming we would then fly up to Urumqi and cycle the last 600km out of China. We would not hesitate to extend the visa as it could easily take up to 7 days and to be honest, we already had a pre-impression of China, which meant we did not want to stay there for a long time.
But more about this when the blog about China is finished.
The last day in Vietnam, probably also became the most beautiful. We had to move down from 1600 m altitude and all the way down the valley was the most beautiful landscaped rice fields. Like huge amphitheater where the water ran down from the top of the tarraces. Green, brown and orange colors and sometimes clouds covered it all. So we had to stop several times to enjoy the view.
When we reached Hekou, it was easy to find the border, but before we crossed it, we sat at a small cafe next to the road and enjoyed two cold glasses of sugar cane juice. Here we sat talking about what we had experienced in Vietnam and could look over to the next country on our trip - CHINA !!!