Another Road Trip (III): Take the long way home (Dai Lanh to BBCT)

4:30
Enough sleep....

5:00

What a way to start a day ;-)

No iPhone or Maserati could ever compensate for losing this.

6:00

7:00
The breakfast interaction is done ENTIRELY in tieng Viet ;-)

Xin, Bun Cha Ca..... Khong Ca Phe !   

That is something unimaginable one year ago ;-)

my office for the last 2 days ;-)

7:30 
finish packing (there isn't a lot to pack ...)

7:45
on y va.....

the towering rock formation just now vanished behind the cloud

xe mo to va nhung con bo (motorcycle and the cows)

Yes, the view of the ocean is gorgeous.....

.... I keep staring at it while riding.....

 And that almost kills me...... I only see the GOAT lying on the road at the last moment and am barely able to avoid running it over.....

mot con de o duong (The Viet word for Raod is the same as the word for sugar !)

Oh, what a view .....

And there it is:  Mui Dien:  Vietnam's most Easterly point. From here, it's only 1250 km to Manila!   But that path up the hill (the >-shaped cut in the hill's forest) is STEEP and LONG, so I refrain from climbing out to the actual cape....

From the next hill, I see the whole extend of that path..... it is a LONG WAY to that lighthouse....

But even the regular road is steep and strenuous for some:  A cycling couple from Spain enjoys the same view..... they started cycling in Singapore (GO LOOK a map, LOL) and Heat and Hills and a bicycle are hard work.

what a sight !

Just behind the bend, there is a commotion!  
A fire truck and LOTS of spectators!

There are even spectators in life vests on the rock at the bottom right.

And EVERYONE is WATCHING the young guy with the life preserver facing the big waves.

I do NOT get it.......  he is still STANDING on SAND..... WHAT is the big deal?

Around the next bend:

HOLY SHIT ;-)
But.... "Charlie don't surf !"

toi rat vui !

They wave when they see me, LOL

In the middle of NOWHERE... they're building a 4-lane expressway !

The 4-lane expressway turns into a gravel road for a while... and then back to concrete....

I am happy to be in a country where ox carts still roam the streets !

But this ride is taking its toll.

  I'm stopping at shorter and shorter intervals.  My butt hurts and I'm tired.

So A-Stop and ice cream on a stick is an obvious choice...

I'm home by 11:30...

Quang is cleaning the shower drains...... they have NEVER been cleaned before.... and it's UGLY !

apparently, he doesn't like his picture taken ;-(

15:00
Oops, the day is almost over...

18:30
Dinner 

rubbing my eyes ......the proper way to carve out a coconut ..... 

Quang brings a special treat.  Fresh honeycomb........ but not like any you have ever had...... I don't know where he got it but it is FRESHLY CUT...... there are still bees CRAWLING around in it !

Two Canadians are also guests for the night.  One of them strangely looks like the character Holden in The Expanse....

But what impresses me more than his good looks is his insight into the Honking Issue.
He confirms what I've been trying to convince people in Canada of for years now.
If you hear a car horn honk in Canada it is a MEAN, BITCHY, and AGGRESSIVE 'FUCK-YOU, get out of MY way' type of honk, whereas the ever-present honking in a Vietnamese city is truly DIFFERENT.   It's a FRIENDLY, 'watch-out friend, here I come' honk.  

I am not only delighted about having my strange opinion confirmed, but also rat vui at apparently not having misjudged the Vietnamese ;-)