Day 10 - Along the Nam Ma River - Trial by fire: new bike, first tour, first time in Asia

November 4, 2024

Day 10 - Along the Nam Ma River

The valley of Mai Chau is like something out of a storybook. Sheer forested mountain slopes rise from a flat valley floor. The road hugs the edge of the valley that is completely cultivated in rice, vegetables, and fish ponds. Save for the concrete, power lines, and motorcycles, this valley may have looked this way for thousands of years.

I went out in the morning for a little bird watching but my luck was little better than in Hanoi.

This has been most of my bird sightings so far. Red-whiskered Bulbul are popular caged birds. I’m optimistic that we will see more ahead.

This is the most commonly seen species in rural areas.

A lovely cup of tea and we were ready to set off.

We followed along the Nam Ma River for most of the day south towards Hoi Xuan. The route to the Lao border runs through hilly terrain with only small villages (or so I thought). Considering the hills and potential scarcity of accommodation, it looked a little long to do in two days for the less bike-tested member of the team (Ian could have made it in one), so we made a short ride today.

These signs are common even in rural areas. This one reads “Breast milk is the best food for newborns and children.” Advice to live by.

The houses are interesting.

The children we met seemed to be healthy, happy, and very curious about two strange foreigners. Anh and Ngoc introduced themselves as we rested on a roadside.

The water buffaloes look pretty good too.

Ian never fails to attract a following of admirers. He's got Messi on his right.

We wandered back to our hotel but managed to walk straight past it and onwards towards where we will cross the river tomorrow. We found our way back. That was a good day - 45 km, 560 m of climbing, marvelous scenery, hot, humid.

Today's ride: 49 km (30 miles)
Total: 422 km (262 miles)

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John GrantI've finally caught up ! The photos have been fabulous ! Great work you two !
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