So Tet came to an end and regretfully it was time to return to Hanoi. Ewan had gone before so I took Lan on the back of my bike to Hanoi. It was convenient this way as she knew just how to get back to Hanoi without getting lost and all in a mess which would have been my experience if I had come back alone.
I spent a week in Hanoi getting over Tet and getting ready for the big trip south. The plan was to ride down to Cuc Phuong National Park, spend a couple of days here then go on to Vin Long National park. From there I would go via the Ho Chi Minh highway to Tan Ky and Phuong Ngha. From there I would go to Dong Hoi for a few days fishing. Then it would be on to Khe Sanh, The Ashau Valley and Hue. Then down the coast to Da Nang and Hoian. From Hoian I planned to go to the 4000 Islands (by Plane and leaving my bike in Hoian). Then back to Hoian and south down the coast to Nha Trang, Mu Nee and Vung Tau. I would try to avoid Saigon and head straight into the delta at Ben Tre. I will be heading for Oc Eo which is near Chau Duc. The plan is then to get into Cambodia and ride to Angkor Borei the old capital of Funan (400 bce to 400 ce). Then I will ride back to Saigon, put the bike on the train and go back to Hanoi by train. At that time I should probably go home and sort things there. That was the plan, it didn't turn out that way......
I finally extricated myself from Hanoi. The bike was packed to the roof and google maps directed me to the outskirts of Hanoi and then promptly got me lost amongst a puzzle of rice paddies and hidden lanes through non descript villages. The last call came when the batteries died. I managed to make it to Cuc Phuong National park by instinct. The last section involved riding along the top of a rice paddy wall! But what Fun ? I was having a ball. I found the road and then I found Cuc Phuong. Thanh was there and he had organised the accommodation perfectly, The next day I spent walking through the various "sanctuaries" for a number of different monkeys and gibbons. There was also sanctuaries for other animals, carnivores, bears and the like. It was fantatic to see the red shanked Langur and the Delacroix Langur. Two of the most rare of the genus. There they were right in front of me just sitting on a branch contemplating life. It reminded me of the time I was in Da Nang with Ernie and Vicki and Thanh and we saw Red Shanked Langurs there.
That afternoon Thanh and I rode over to Vin Long National Reserve. We had an awesome afternoon in this little boat being rowed around this amazing wetland edging onto razor sharp Limestone Kharsts. It was very impressive just in a panorama point of view but also in other ways from the majesty of the surrounding Kharsts to the waterbirds and Eagles in the sky. We had a fantastic time chasing the eagles as they were a bit unusual here. After a lovely meal I dropped Thanh on the corner of Highway One where he was going to catch the bus to Hanoi. I headed back to Cuc Phuong for my last night.
I resolved not to go south through Nhim Bhinh but rather cut back through the lesser roads to the Ho Chi Minh Highway and then south to Tan Ky. This good thinking as I have already done this twice. That I had never gone the same way twice should have warned me about the potential for error. Regardless I set up google maps (batteries fully charged) and attached it to the bike. I set off with full confidence that this would get there in no short order. Silly boy. I began to become suspicious when the directed track seemed to be taking me back into the more mountainous parts of the park I had just left. I stopped and consulted the phone which cheerily announced that it had found a short cut that would save me 8 minutes from my trip. Conned by this confidence I accepted the change and set off on the new route. This was my biggest mistake. If I had ignored this things may have been different, needless to say I didn't ignore the advice. The track led me into what could only be described as a goat track in a very poor disguise. I came to an extremely steep hill covered in Mud. I made it up 2/3 of the hill and the engine stalled. I immediately started to slide backwards down the hill, The bike fell over and I was in the mud. I stripped the bike of all my gear and dragged it up the hill. I went down and picked the bike up and tried to get up the hill. The bike went down 5 times before I gave up and wheeled it down the hill to the flat bit at the bottom. Then I was able to get the bike up to the top of the hill. I got off the bike and collapsed on the ground totally exhausted. I lay there for about 15 minutes until a Vietnamese bloke came along with his wife. He asked If I were alright? I told him that "no I was not alright but did he have any water?" It is amazing at times like these the language does not need to be the same, we could understand each other despite not knowing each others language. As it turned out he didn't have any water. So he left his wife with me and took off back down the hill and disappeared. He came back 15 minutes later with a bag of sweet donuts and some warm tea. I scoffed the tea and a donut straight away with much gratitude. I then had the energy to repack the bike and make it to the top of the mountain. Then I had to go down the other side. It was almost as bad as going up. The last section was a very steep scree covered in wet rocks and mud. The Vietnamese guy held onto the back of the bike and skated down the hill behind me acting as an anchor and stabilizer for the bike. If it weren't for him I would not have made it. Another 2hours of bush bashing and I was on the Ho Chi Minh Highway headed for Tan Ky 200kms away.
In Tan Ky I was so tired and sore, I collapsed on my bed and did not move till the next morning. I got up early and in pain. My back was spasming and I was in agony. I paid the bill and geared the bike up and headed off early. The trip to Phuong Ngha was about 350 to 400 in length. the trip took all day and it passed for me in a cloud of pain and agony. This is a shame because the last bit into Phuong Ngha is very beautiful and spectacular. Huge forested Kharsts Mountains surround the road. The road slithers between the mountains giving stunning vistas all round. There are gawping mouths of caves everywhere. You get the very strong impression that there are caverns unexplored all around that will dwarf what we already know. One day....
I rode straight to the resort I stayed with Vicki and Ernie only this time I stayed in the dorm for $10US. I had some food and laid straight down on the bed and tried to go to sleep. I spent a pain filled night full of fear and anxiety that I had injured myself seriously. Next Morning I resolved to ride to Dong Hoy and just relax for 3 days and get my back better. I was up early, a cold shower did not help the injury but at least I was clean. I rode to Dong Hoi using google maps suspiciously and ignoring all advice to take short cuts. It was a little difficult as all the falling over had broken the thingy I used to hold the phone to the bike. I had to keep stopping and take my phone out of my pocket. Anyway I managed to make it to the "Beachside Backpackers Dong Hoi". The receptionist took sympathy on me and gave me my own room with Aircon and TV.
I spent the next 3 days lying on my back in my room at the backpackers. I would emerge for Breakfast. lunch and dinner and to gaze wistfully at the wonderful Gutter right in front of me on the beach. After the second day I realised that I was not getting better, in fact it was worse. I had regular spasms in my lower back that would take my breath away. I had heard and had confirmed it myself that you could fly from Saigon to Pakse in Laos. (This is where you go if you are going to the 4000 Islands). So I booked a flight from Dong Hoi to Saigon. I flew there stayed a night and then caught a plane to Laos the next day. The next day I was on Don Det.
So begins my recovery.
