November 20th: Bac Ninh to Phu Ly – 92 km/57.5 miles
Day 38
Today was what we have dreaded since planning this trip – passing through Hanoi. Skirting the suburb Hanoi, this section of AH1 proved to be as odious as we assumed. Of course there was the traffic. A mind boggling mix of scooters, motorcycles, cars, vans, buses, trucks and bicycles jammed into a narrow stretch of concrete. We soon learned that the onus to take evasive action is completely on the driver currently on the road. Stopped motorcycles pulled into traffic with no warning. There are no lines to mark the shoulder, so we hugged a double guardrail on the right, one atop the other about 5 feet high blocking any merging traffic from view. On the left were an assortment of food stalls, gas stations, refreshments stands and mechanic shops, creating a chaotic stop-and-go traffic. Then came the drizzling rain. It was nice at the beginning, till the road got soggy and muddy and we had to put on our rain gear. It was a claustrophobic, tense ride with nowhere to rest. We just kept pedaling until the flood of vehicles dwindled and we were out of the city.
Entering onto a portion of Ah1 that’s a little more relaxing, we stopped at the roadside to take off our rain jackets. A car pulled over, and the passenger got out and approached us. He stuck out his hand and Cher noticed his fingernails were each over an inch long. His driver insisted that I take his hand. I gave it a quick shake, while Cher was much appalled by the fingernails and tried to avoid eye contact. He then pulled out 50,000 Dong (about 2.50 USD) and put it in my hand. Another 50,000 Dong was offered to Cher, she politely refused. Thinking he might want to buy a ride on our trikes or have some wicked designs, I tried to give it back but he wouldn’t have it. After shoving the 100,000 Dong in my hands, they both got back in the car and drove off, leaving us much puzzled by the roadside. Everyone else here assumes we’re wealthy to be able to afford such an extravagant luxury as travel, and everyone asks money from us. Now that we were on the receiving end, it made us wonder, did we look that down on our luck today? We quickly pedaled away, and were a little spooked.
Although emotionally exhausted after the whole ordeal, we were determined not to sleep in another truck stop motel so we pushed on until we hit the next town – Phu Ly, which is another 30 some kilometers away. And since Bac Ninh was such a lovely town, we got our hopes up for Phu Ly. It was near dusk when we arrived, and after circling the town for a while, we finally found a motel (of course, another truck stop motel). We were so exhausted that even the moldy walls and dirty hairy bedding couldn’t drive us away. If hunger is the best sauce for dishes, then exhaustion gives you rose-colored glasses for living conditions. However, we were determined to have a very early start next morning.