I wanted to dedicate a blog to the Hai Van Pass although I'm not sure my words will do it justice and I'm not sure the photos will either- I don't have the literary or the photography skills to do so. But needless to say, I've had the best days ride on the road made famous by Top Gear.
It was great to get back on the road and on the bike after four days off. It was also quite nice to have a day that was a little cheaper compared to those spent in Hoi An. The pass itself starts almost on the sea front in Da Nang and slowly rises high into the mountains. I had heard the road was one of the best in Vietnam but I didn't realise just how good it could get. I followed the twists and turns, reaching the peak which was a saddle in-between two mountains. Once I reached the top, I looked down over another road, on the other side of the mountain, that almost mirrored the one I had just driven up. Thankfully though, this one was downhill. It was so good I seriously considered turning round and doing it all again.

The day wasn't entirely without fault though. About 1km out of a town, that I have no idea what the name of it was, my bike began to splutter and eventually came to a halt. It turned over by there was no chance my beloved bike would fire. It was a long, hot push back into the town where I found a local mechanic asleep in his hammock. Having tentatively woken him, I showed him my bike and tried to explain what happened. Once he had woken up, it didn't take him long to find the funny side and once again, it was at my expense. The mechanical magician quickly found the fault and fired up my bike as if nothing had happened. I took the jokes and the expensive bill on the chin and got back on the road. The rest of the journey seemed to fly by, making up the lost time from the pit stop.

Tomorrow the adventure continues and I leave Hue for Khe Sanh, slightly off the beaten track. I'm off with an easy rider again, not Duc unfortunately but someone new. God knows what this one's going to be like. I've asked to head west to pick up the Ho Chi Minh Trail- a road that cuts right through the jungle and rain forests, with very little civilisation (it looks great on the map!). Once we've picked up the trail, I have planned to head north to Khe Sanh where we will stop for the night and then to Phong Nha on the second day. Apparently villages can be miles apart, there are very few petrol stations, and it can be hours between seeing anyone. Maybe if I hadn't have had the issues with the bike today, I may have decided differently but I thought it would be best to take a guide with me. Hopefully I'll check back in in a couple days.