29/01/2020 – Little bag of treats

Having planned the route for the loop I set off with great expectation. Cycling along the flat for a while before heading up into the mountains kept me excited, especially as the roads often had a dedicated bike lane.

I was really looking forward to seeing the most beautiful part of Vietnam and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

I reached Jasmine hostel in Ha Giang which was situated to the best pizza I have had since Italy. It was so good in fact that I had it for dinner when I arrived, breakfast the next morning and then lunch before I set off for the day.

I met a load of people who were riding motorbikes around the loop and got some tips on where to stay and things to see which was really helpful and managed to meet up with them at various stops on the loop.

The riding was great and the scenery breathtaking. The weather wasn’t very mixed though, at times I was wearing almost every layer I had, at others beautiful blue sky meant I topped up my tan.

I met a couple of Americans at Little Yen’s Homestay in Mèo Vac where we stayed for a few days as it was Chinese New Year. The celebration that they put on was awesome.

It was interesting to see how a different culture celebrates the turning of the new year. Whilst we may think that the shops all close in the UK around Christmas and NYE, it pails in comparison to Tet. For almost a week nearly everything was closed and the roads were deserted as people spent time with family and loved ones.

One afternoon while riding I was struggling, it had been a really tough day and I hadn’t been able to get much food in me, 2 kids on a moped rode up alongside me. They waved and asked the standard questions ‘what’s your name’ ‘where are you from’ ‘what are you doing’. Giving the normal responses with a smile on my face they then gave me a big bag of snacks, I thanked them and they turned around and rode back to where they came from. Little acts of kindness like these really make the trip.

The rest of the loop was great if not a little cold and I headed to Ha Long bay and Cat ba island. Cycling through Ha Long was strange as there is a lot of investment in infrastructure and buildings, most of which were empty and have a slight ghost town feel.

After a short ferry through the islands in Ha Long Bay, I settled down for a few days off on the beach, thankfully in nicer weather than the week before.