Day 40
Started with a light mist today that went on all day. I like the rain, cozily ensconced in my rain gear while I roll along. My romanticism didn’t inspire Cher as she rode on in quiet misery today. Although after today I think that my fantasy about riding in the rain is limited only to modern city roads – paved and non-muddy. Also the temperature has to be right – not too hot to wear rain gear without sweating. My romance with the rain died down as we spent the day slogging through muddy streets while passing semis and buses as they sprayed us with muddy water.
Happy to arrive in Thanh Hoa, we soon were a bit disappointed. It has a rough edge, and the people show it. Today was the first day we were warned against going down to the end of a street by locals. With numerous karaoke joints on the streets and shady hotels, Thanh Hoa seems like a party town where local business men come to cut loose.
After being disappointed by many towns that we had passed, we decided to do some research on our future itineraries. From what we read on the internet, it seems like the next big city Vinh will not be a pleasant place to stop either. Which means we will see not much until we get to Laos, and then mystery. The map doesn’t show many cities or villages between the Laos/Vietnam border cross and our destination Thakhek.
Off to our next spot. Looks dry outside for now. Hopefully we’ll get a view of the sea as today we will wind down to the coast.