Long Slog and a Day Off in Kon Tum

Augie had warned me about this section of the trip. It involved a really long, highly trafficked, relatively geographically boring 220 km slog from Buon Ma Thout to Kon Tum. We started the day in a relatively modern 15 story hotel in Buon Ma Thuot. Augie took the following time lapse from our window.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/YZMRmdDLyyNcAgpF8
I took this one with a little more traffic noise.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rMMfQp5gKMiH1vCw6

Along the way we stopped for coffee and a call home. Sophie patched us in with Nancy on WhatsApp, so for a little while we were all on the same page. BTW, we are pretty much able to communicate and take calls on WhatsApp all over the country. So if you want to check in in person, give us a call. Just make sure to double check the time difference first!

Kon Tum was a bit more interesting. We stayed in a hotel that served as a hospitality training site for young people from the area's indigenous villages. All good in concept, but the parent organization and managers are French. I'm not sure if I've ever been in a restaurant, hotel, or shop run by the French that could be described as warm and hospitable. Sort of an oxymoron, unless one counts the wonderfully welcoming French who originate in Algeria, then all bets are off. Augie felt that everything was actually pretty well run and that I am being harsh and chauvinistic toward the Gauls. I have to agree that the young people in the program were trying their best and largely succeeding.

The indigenous tribes in the central highlands were introduced to Catholicism by the French. Church buildings dot the landscape. The villages also sided with US forces during the war, which didn't turn out so well for them after hostilities ended. Every once in awhile there are demonstrations with demands for more control of area resources that are dealt with pretty severely by the government. The government believes that US and European entities are fomenting this unrest. Because of this it is not recommended for foreigners to visit remote Villages without a guide and a permit.

In Kon Tum we were able to get the oil changed in our bikes, which took 10 minutes and cost a whopping $5. We also visited the architectural award winning Indochine Café. The use of bamboo as a natural building material was impressive. Here's an article about the place that brother Will forwarded to me: https://www.archdaily.com/392710/kontum-indochi…

Tomorrow we're off toward the coast through the mountains. Should be a lovely ride...Read more