Đồng Văn (day 10)

Although our sleeping quarters were situated at the back of the homestay, we were happy the imbibed karaoke for the wedding across the road stopped early in the evening. Definitely had one of the best sleeps on the trip. The mattress was the right softness.

Our hosts treated us to crepes with bright yellow local honey for breakfast. The provided tea was refreshing, but had a sharp flavour, strangely similar to pine sap... Coffee was instant-milk style. After pouring in the hot water to the glass A noticed a bit of liquid under the glass. He realized it must have a crack in it. He quickly walked over to the edge of the patio and then it sheared in half spilling its contents safely into the garden below 😲

As we left our homestay, we had a much better view of the nearby mountains, which appeared more like a spiny back of a serpent. We followed the main road for a few kilometres before taking a side route through more mud, and very rural mountain villages, eventually reconnecting with the main road. It definitely got quite twisty in a couple places as we ascended the passes, and back down in to the valleys below. Up and down the mountain is the theme here ⛰️

We were following behind a police truck. Then they waved a while baton out the window. They wanted us to pull over. It was the first of three license checks today. They thankfully accepted the digital international drivers licenses on our phones. By the third stop S told them about the other 2, plus they were really busy with a herd of scooter riders 🛵😂, so they waved us onwards.

We followed the river at the base of a steep valley, then veered off again on to more tight switch backs, and picturesque passes. There was noticeably more tour group traffic; most on scooters with guides chauffeuring the tourist. S decided on a quick lunch stop in Yen Minh, where we met by another group of off-road tour adventurers, like ourselves. Two Aussies and two Brits.

As luck worlds have it, the next view point we stopped at provided a great view of the zig-zag track and valley below; apparently it's often socked in with cloud. As we further ascended in to the saddle valley above, we were graced with clear skies and SUN! It was also noticeably warmer too. The darker lush and manicured landscape we'd become accustomed to gave way to dry and rough rocky terrain.

S ducked of the main road again and we traversed steep jagged canyons. The intermittent narrow concrete roads gave way to kidney jarring rocky pathways. There were much fewer homesteads, and mostly located at the bottom of the valleys. Check out the time-lapse video!

Another narrow track took us higher in to the mountains, providing a great northern view of the walled Chinese boarder across the valley, and eventually descended into Đồng Văn for our evening accommodations.

S pointed out a pathway to a lookout as we entered town. As it was only mid-afternoon, we decided to go for a hike once we settled in and cleaned up at the hotel. Turns out the view point is actually the ruins of an old French Fort.
http://dongvangeopark.com/chuyen-muc-demo/dong-…
https://north-vietnam.com/dong-van-ancient-town/

Ride info, 140km
https://calimoto.com/calimotour/t-0OH4oFjP90Les mer