The day started good – chilly but sunny. Breakfast in the V-Resort was of very limited option – a quick cup of coffee and a noodle soup. And we were off….a nervous start for me given the hard 800m climb at the end of the day that we had (1200m in total).
We were to start with on some very minor roads with very little traffic – at one point the road we were on was also in questionable condition, though still paved.
After about 16 km, we came to the main road from Hoa Binh heading south (QL6). What a difference. A very wide road, but with trucks and buses and every imaginable vehicle thundering by.
Even so, there were still cattle to be found everywhere wandering over the highway, forcing the vehicles to stop on occasion, becuase, as with everone else, the buffelo don’t bother looking to see what others are doing – they just do their own stuff.
After about 16 km on this (heading south) we got to Murong Khen where the QL6 heads west over a pass and on to Mai Chau.
This is where the fun and games began….a relentless 6-10% rise for 800m with hardly a flat area in sight for 12 km….for me on day two…..extreme.
I ended up walking the last 3-4 km and 300-odd vertical as i just couldn’t do it any more (much to the amusement of the locals). Jörg powered up the whole hill and waited for quite a while at the top for me. Talk about exhausted!!
For those who died on the steep roads?
The downhill on the rear side (also around 800m vertical) was fun, and offered quite a few nice panoramic views into the Mai Chau valley – alas, it was quite hazy, so the view was not as spectacular as it could have been.
We checked into the Mau Chai Mountain hostel?/hotel? not sure what to call it. But at the moment, there is massive Karaoke going on in the next building with people who are absolutely abysmal at singing – good that I have ear-plugs along.
(70km / 1200m)