The Highway to Heaven: Da Lat - Hoi An

Leaving Da Lat, we were met with the worst roads we've come across so far, as we tried to bridge the gap across to the Ho Chi Minh Highway in the west. Having planned to ride 110km with a solid 25km of that downhill, we thought we'd arrive with ample time in the evening. With the roads slowing us to walking speed at times, we held earnest fears that the bikes might actually be shaken apart or a spoke might give way. Fortunately the last 30km or so for the day brought flat roads, but the afternoon rains came as expected, and we arrived cold and damp at a Nha Nghi (guesthouse) in the middle of a very small town. We were charged 200,000 VND for two rooms ($12 approx), with the water running out just after Sean and I had had a brief rinse under the dripping tap... no shower for Freddie.

Drink stop on our first day out of Da Lat. A very friendly set of locals, who gave us plenty of free tea, and fruit to take with us

They loved the camera

Darkness had fallen upon our little town, and the gate out of our guesthouse was locked. Our host kindly let us out, but then proceeded to lock us out, pointing at the sign with her phone number on it, urging us to call her upon our return. We tried to communicate that none of us had call credit, but we gave up and decided to look for food. In these small towns we've learned that they operate with the sun, meaning there was no food of any substance to be had that night. Instead, a shop selling Choco Pies, some ginger snacks, lukewarm Milo and other miscellaneous (not-overly-substantial) confectionary was our port of call.

Crazy to think about the atrocities that went on in these parts not all that long ago. You'd think humans would have learned by now... apparently not

We woke to another gorgeous day in the Central Highlands. It seems to run on this cycle, where it's beautifully sunny in the morning, before turning pear shaped by mid afternoon, staying gloomy through much of the evening. Funnily enough we managed to remain dry for the next two days, making our way to Buon Ma Thuot, and then eventually through the Ea Drang Valley. It was weird to be riding through these parts, where such massive military operations and battles took place during the American War. No obvious evidence lies roadside, though acres of land remains infested with unexploded ordinance, that continues to claim lives and limbs every year throughout Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. You really have to admire the people from these countries for their forgiving nature and resilience. The only hostility we receive is the odd indecipherable yell from old men, or the middle finger and a "fuck you" from young school kids who probably only just learned that word and think they're cool when they're using it. You have to bear in mind that these are very rare occurrences, and most of our interactions with locals in these parts are immensely positive (just like our beautiful new Prime Minister): so many waves, smiles and "hellos".

The Ho Chi Minh Highway was certainly worth the extra effort. The roads were for the most part, in great condition, the scenery was amazing, the climate a lot cooler, the people far friendlier (than locals on the main highway), the cost of living far cheaper, and the endorphin levels far higher. For this leg of the journey, it really felt as though we were really getting into the trip. Being four and a half months deep it does sound ridiculous, but up until this point, we hadn't been challenged over consecutive days of riding in mountainous terrain. We had been recommended this route by fellow Kiwi cycle tourers, Cam and Monique (Kiwi Bums on Bikes), but we also saw it as an opportunity to get our legs ready for Laos, and in particular, Nepal.

A lovely bit of tarmac. The roads on the Ho Chi Minh Highway, were in surprisingly good knick

When you try to stage a photo, and you get a wee bit too close

Fried bread snacks man. Gotta love a man who makes a good fried bread snack

Party vote Green

Despite Vietnam being the wettest country we've been to so far, it's fair to say the riding has been the best. Here's me getting my daily dosage of endorphins after some big climbs, and severe undulations

The Big Bike Trip - brought to you by Freddie Gillies (we'd be lost without him)

Buffalo soldier

At times it feels like we're riding through NZ

The Ho Chi Minh Highway - a wee bit cracked and disjointed in parts, but still a par ODI score of about 320

The water quality was a lot better than we expected. Gotta love a clean river

Tempted to make a dam pun, but that one can wait

From Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to somewhere along the Ho Chi Minh Highway. A strapping mishap led to disaster. Rest easy

Unsalvagable

Freddie likes to compare himself to Voldemort. Each guitar he owns is like a horcrux. Whenever one is destroyed, a piece of his soul is ripped out of him

Just some famished hitchhiker named Glen that we came across on a dam... damn fine set of knees he's got. Cheers Dad

We managed to knock out a solid 750km in the seven days we had on the road between Da Lat and Hoi An, with a headwind for the most part. We decided to treat ourselves to a nice hostel on our days off, which served an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, which we well and truly abused. Our tactic was to wake up early, head downstairs at 7am with our laptops, and begin to devour the egg omelettes, pikelets, condensed milk coffees, baguettes, rice, noodles, Vietnamese caramel desserts and sliced watermelon until 10am, when breakfast would end. We found that by having such a large breakfast, we saved money on lunch. Smart cookies we are. The toughest part about our buffet breakfast blitzkrieg was enduring the humiliation of walking up and asking for omelette number four for the morning. The omelette lady's eyes burnt a hole in my stomach, which only made me crave more of her delicious omelettes... and her pikelets while I waited for her to cook another omelette.

Hoi An is the perfect spot to just chill. We managed to kill a lot of time there as we had suits tailored and fitted, met up with our mates Tom and Ryan (our mate, Liam breaking his arm in an armwrestle just a few days prior meant he had to fly home early) who treated us to some beers and a few feeds, which we were truly grateful for. For boys who look so skinny, we can sure pack away a fair amount of food. By the time we had to leave, we'd probably packed on a couple of extra kilograms. Hoi An had served its purpose perfectly.

We could go into detail of each day's riding, but I know it can get a bit tedious reading all that stuff. I guess you'll just have to buy the book at the end of the trip! For now here's a bunch of Sean's photos, because lets be honest, you only really came here to see more of this guy's amazing shots.