Still exhausted from yesterday's gloomy ride, we dragged our sorry ass up at 5:00AM and prepared for today's ride to Danang.
We have about 350KM to cover today where they're mostly B-roads passing through small towns and coastal roads. Definitely can't ride fast.. Probably with an average speed of 50-60KM/H, we're looking to complete today's ride in 8 - 9 hours with some photo stops here and there.
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| Moving off from Quy Nhon |
Even if I've ridden in that country before, I'd never take safety for granted because every ride is a new one.. no two rides are ever the same.
After wearing soaked gears for almost the entire day yesterday, boy does it feel good to have freshly washed and dry clothes to wear while we packed the rest into our bags. We brought extra sets of gears but the ones that got wet were definitely gonna stink if we pack them in without drying, so this laundry service worked out really well for us!
Plus it was cheap! 3KG worth of clothes to wash and dry only cost $2.
Mel was traumatised by yesterday's non-stop downpour so she bought this $12 raincoat to keep her dry in case it rained again. She was determined to stay dry at all cost, sacrificing all form of image. Fashion really next level sia, I've never seen anyone dressed like that for touring before LOL.
From this point, we were just 1,052KM away from Hanoi!
Off we go! Ready to head for Vietnam's popular coastal city!
Just a short ride out of Quy Nhon city and we found ourselves riding in between vast green padi fields that stretched far and wide, it was simply idyllic.
Throughout all the riding as we watch the world go by, I'd always find time to pause for awhile, to consciously be thankful for being able to live in this very moment, where I'm able to witness all of God's beautiful creations and take in all that serenity and goodness around.
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| Flying my DJI Mavik Pro drone here |
These feelings and emotions that I experience when I ride are the intangible things that are formed along the way, and that's why they say wherever you travel, that place will become part of you somehow!
Taking advantage of the good weather, we stopped for a short while to snap some really nice pictures!
Tried out GoPro Hero 7 Black's SuperPhoto feature that helps to bring out the photo's shadows and highlights, and with its local tone mapping where selected part of the image's contrast is boosted, it gives an overall HDR effect resulting in an enhanced photo quality.
Clouds started to come in and we decided to make a run from it because we REALLY don't want yesterday's situation to repeat again.
I was literally praying the whole time for good weather today.
"Please please please don't rain on us again like yesterday"
Mel was crying out to me through our Cardo Packtalk Bold comm set, saying "Ya sia.. really don't want to ride in the rain like yesterday's man."
And then, we felt multiple fat rain droplets hitting against our visors and I was screaming in my helmet like "AHhhhhhHHhh fuck this shiiiitttzz! Chiong ah!"
We decided to speed up to outrun the rain, and.. THANK GOD WE DID :D
Goodbye rain.
Luckily the rain lasted for just a short while and we rode out of it, back to sunny skies!
11:21AM
After about 4 hours on the roads, we arrived a small town in Quang Ngai and stopped for coffee break. I'm not a coffee drinker but the local Vietnam milk coffee is really damn good.
So good, we both ended up having two glasses each! Haha.
This adorable friendly golden retriever from the next door's shop came over to say hiiiiii. Awwww it was so cute and it loved human interaction. Whatever fatigue I had instantly left my mind when I saw this furry fella.
Fully recharged after downing two glasses of highly concentrated coffee with sweetened condensed milk for that extra sugar rush, we hopped back onto our bikes and headed straight for Hoi An which was just 29KM away from Danang.
Along the way, Mel and I couldn't help but constantly exchange expressions of amazement and amusement via our comm set from the interesting sightings we spotted on the road while riding.
The locals could carry literally ANYTHING on their 80CC or 125CC scooter! I mean, just look at this? What is this? Some wooden plank to build a house or something?
And this huge truck tyres? LOL how does he even balance it on! Looks like this dude will never be afraid of tyre punctures with spares like that.
Then there's this bunch of piggies all squished together, possibly on the first and last motorcycle road trip ride 😂
It's so easy snapping pictures while we are riding thanks to GoPro's wrist mount here. It has a sturdy swivel function that allows you to grab photos / videos from different angles.
We rode and rode, until we ran out of fuel 😂
Actually after the fuel reserve light came on, we continued riding, saying "Aiya can last one lah", thinking we'd come across a Petrolimax station but... we never did LOL.
So we stopped by the road and I decided to use my skilful non-existent Vietnamese (tiếng Việt) language to ask this cute granny where's the nearest petrol station.
Surprisingly, she understood! Hahaha and pointed to the shop right across us! Are we lucky or are we LUCKY? Cuz we actually happen to stop right outside a petrol station! This old school for one! Hehe.
I mean c'mon, when your bike have no more petrol and you really need to continue your journey, who cares if it isn't Petrolimax anymore? Give me vegetable oil I also take! As long as the bike can run, we're good. Hahaha.
This beautiful lady came along and started talking to us in Vietnamese, while holding our hands. It seems that she was so amazed to see two young girls riding in Vietnam :D She kept smiling and nodding her head. Though I couldn't understand a single word she as saying, her face clearly shows that Happiness is the key to youthfulness and beauty!
And to make this whole petrol-refuel-visit even more interesting, the mechanic nearby gave me his nón lá (leaf hat) as a souvenir! :))) Now my Arai helmet has added protection!
15:20PM
Rode on and shortly after, we found ourselves riding under trees hung with colourful oriental silk lanterns, with bright yellow and orange buildings all around. Right there and then, we knew we have arrived in Hoi An Ancient Town!
It was midweek and I couldn't ask for more while basking in the quirky ambience of Hoi An Ancient Town, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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| pc: northern vietnam |
I see my last name "Phan" almost everywhere too 😂so Phanny haha.
Wish we could stay here in Hoi An for at least 2 nights but due to time constraints, we enjoyed the ambience for barely 2 hours before heading onto Danang.
But I'll be sure to visit Hoi An on my next visit to Vietnam and will cater more time for this historical town.
17:15
Arrived at Danang and the waves along the coast right next to the roads we were riding on were so strong it sent lots of like sea vapour into the air, making it seem a little misty.
There were plenty of accommodation options here in Danang but we decided on Adaline Hotel & Suites because it was right next to the beach and for the quality of the room, the price of just $50/night was quite a steal!
It was so good! Until Mel accidentally chewed on a jalapeno in the noodles and she almost fainted from the spice LOL. Her eyes were all teary. To make up for the spice, we grabbed ice cream even though it was only 18°C here right now, and went back to the hotel for a good night's sleep!
[Singapore. Ho Chi Minh. Da Lat. Quy Nhon. Da Nang]
[Mileage Clocked: 1,151KM]
[Terrain: Coastal Roads]
[Traffic: Moderate]
[Terrain: Coastal Roads]
[Traffic: Moderate]
[Temperature/Weather: 18 - 23°C/Cooling]
Next stop: Da Nang