Rock Falls, where has the road gone?

Trip Start Jun 27, 2005

222

Trip End Sep 01, 2006

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Flag of Vietnam Tuan Giao, Vietnam
Friday, July 29, 2005

Our hosts made us a large breakfast to send us on our way with plenty of stamina. After saying our farewells we drove out of the village and back onto the main road that we had traveled along yesterday in order to continue our journey North. After a short ride (two hours!) we decided to pull over at then next house shop selling beverages. The sun had been out all morning and my face and the tops of my exposed hands were starting to burn nicely. I applied some more cream to my swollen face and covered up my hands the best I could with a couple of handkerchiefs fashioned into fingerless gloves whilst Tilly communicated with the mother and her children tat ran the roadside shop. As usual more and more villages appeared to check out the strange western arrivals of which a few were amazed at the extent of my facial hair. I took a few photographs of the kids and then proceeded to show them what they look like on the cameras screen. Obviously this sort of technology was foreign to them too and it was interesting to see their intrigue and excitement as the viewed themselves on playback

Coke stop.

. Our next proper stop was at Son La where we refueled, however we decided to continue our journey without much of a stop, as it was a pretty soulless place and more of a business hub. for surrounding villages (according to Chrystal's Theorem?). The road out of Son La was pretty hectic in places, especially because it was closed in due to a few landslides where the entire face of an adjacent cutting would collapse and bury the road. So after a quick assessment and team talk we braved it off road and around the obstacle with new skills quickly learnt like a sponge absorbing water. Along this stretch we witnessed more amazing scenery as we drove through valley lanes lined with paddy fields and clever irrigation systems, up winding passes revealing panoramic views and amazing waterfalls.

Our drive continued until just before dusk when we arrived at Tuan Giao a total of 200km driving. The only accommodation choice here was an old hotel/motel place which seemed very much out of place and was probably less attractive than our previous nights stay in the rustic stilt house. Tuan Giao was a village built around a t-junction joining roads from Lao, Northern Vietnam and the road we had come along. It wasn't at all quaint and appeared to be another business hub with pho stalls lining the streets. However after a hard, arduous drive, over unmade roads we were happy to just fill our stomachs and crash

Rock slides a plenty!

!

Whilst riding today I had time for my mind to wander and enable it to concentrate on what one can live without in terms of objects of desire etc. and what items we take for granted that make life a lot more enjoyable. In conclusion I feel the most important thing for me is to have my own transportation, having my own wheels of freedom in which to explore further and help me achieve what I want to do, when I want to. I now believe that this is also true for the people we have met on this trip. Sure they may have a place they can call home and it may need money to be spent on it to help increase the quality of living inside and they are all wandering around in worn clothes, however there is often a new looking scooter parked outside that's been well cared for. Not sure if this will make sense to anybody else but it struck a nerve with me, especially as we had been heavily reliant on others transportation to get from England to Hanoi and now we were free of the limitations of public transport having the best experience so far on this trip and all because of this old beat up Russian Minsk.

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