Day 3 – Ruby Toots and John Cena Go to the Beach
Distance: 138km / 86 miles
Bike Condition: Ruby’s starter button is struggling, but otherwise, the bikes are running like champs!
Driver Condition: Cruisin’ past the authorities…
Finally, a short day!! And, definitely the most drive scenic so far. While we thought yesterday’s drive up into the mountains to Dalat was pretty nice, descending out of Dalat to Nha Trang was absolutely spectacular. Jungle-covered mountains filled the landscape, those in the distance shrouded in fog, while others towered directly above us. Pine forests bordered the roads, small waterfalls cascaded down the cliffsides, and valleys were home to picturesque rivers and lush green farmland. The valleys in this region also housed quite a number of greenhouse farms, which were an interesting feature on the landscape. If it had been easier to stop constantly, I probably would have been pulling over for photos about every 3 minutes, with stunning scenery every time we rounded a bend.
The first half of our descent from Dalat was on nice, seemingly pretty new paved roads, with gradual curves that made it easy to sail through the mountain terrain. This nice pavement eventually gave way to several gravel and roadwork sections, making things a little slower, but leaving the mountains the roadway eventually flattened and smoothed again. This is about right where we flew by a police checkpoint on the side of the road. Ha ha, see you later suckers!!
After yesterday’s run-in with the traffic police, we were a bit more prepared for today, as Nha Trang is another area where police checkpoints and traffic bribes are common. To shelter our skin from further sunburn, we were both in long sleeves today, which also helped us to blend in a little better since (1) more of our white skin was covered up and, (2) the Vietnamese typically have most of their skin covered for long bike journeys. Dopey tourists are usually rocking swim trunks, tank tops, and very red sun-burned skin, so we stand out like sore thumbs.
We also wore our buffs over our lower faces so we would look like bandits. Just kidding. The majority of the Vietnamese we see on motorbikes (especially women, but also men), wear face masks over their mouths and noses to protect from all the exhaust and dust on the roads. Wearing our buffs served a similar purpose, in addition to also helping us blend in more, since they looked like face masks – again, something most tourists aren’t wearing.
With mostly smooth mountain roads and a nice fast highway into Nha Trang, we made good time, arriving around noon. Just in time for lunch!! A nice change from the last couple of days of mid-afternoon or early evening arrivals.
While Shawn’s bike has stopped backfiring, Ruby Toots continued to toot her way to Nha Trang… something I’m hoping will end soon. My starter button has also pretty much crapped out, so I’m getting a lot of practice using the manual start. This makes me feel like a badass when I get it to start on the first try. Unfortunately, it takes me about twenty tries most of the time, so I mostly just feel stupid. I’d prefer the button just worked. We’ll see if we can get that taken care of at our next maintenance. Otherwise the bikes are working like champs and John Cena remains strong.
Nha Trang is a big tourist town, a fact that is polarizing enough to either draw or repel travelers. For us, it was a convenient stop regardless, and there are typically good reasons why certain areas draw tourists. Nha Trang has a really nice beach, where we spent the afternoon relaxing. We even checked out beach brewery, Louisiana Brewery, where Shawn was happy to have his first craft beer flight since New Zealand. Though the main draw is the beach, Nha Trang also has some cultural sites, a couple of which we plan to check out on our way out of town tomorrow.
Tomorrow we’ll continue up the coast to Quy Nhon, another route that should have some spectacular coastal views!