Day 44
AH1 is lauded as the best road in Vietnam and in the North we couldn’t agree more. However, after passing Hanoi it is a trying stretch of concrete, dirt and large vehicles. Our first 20 km were punctuated by muddy sections and gravely shoulders which we regularly had to flee to avoiding large trucks and speeding buses. Later, as we saw hills and mountains rising in front of us, there was quiet, not one vehicle passing either way. Soon the shoulder gloriously reappeared the concrete smoothed and we made quick time to Vinh.
Hoping to save some time looking for a hotel I did some research and was bracing myself as I read about people wanting to skip Vinh, and reviews calling it busy and hectic. We were pleasantly surprised as we arrived. People are friendly, traffic is relatively light, and hotels are abundant. We searched for a hotel that was highly recommended by a travel website, only to find an old hotel with no wifi and dingy little dark rooms, for 160,000 VND (7.5 USD). So off we went on our own hotel hunt. Soon we found a quiet neat little place. For 180,000 VND or 8.50 USD, we got a very functional little room with simple wooden chairs, tables, awesome mosquito nets, air-conditioning, a ceiling fan, a porch (for cooking) and cable tv. For Cher, it reminded her very much of the 70’s in China, so we got a bit of nostalgia thrown in for free. This is one of the advantages of having your own transportation. We were able to check out 5 or 6 hotels in several different areas in about 30 minutes and have our pick in no rush. Were we on foot, it would have taken a great deal longer.
Around the corner we also found a modern grocery store and realized how small the towns were that we’ve been staying in. We were amazed at the rows and rows of packaged food and modern conveniences. Everywhere we turned we were tempted to hoard as many grocery as we could. However, we quickly discovered that a box of Kelloggs muesli, or a small bottle of Johnny Walker Red Label whiskey costs the same as one nights stay at a hotel. We reluctantly took them out of our basket, settling on a large assortment of noodles and congee. Somehow under unknown influences, some peanut butter and jelly jumped into our grocery bags.
Tomorrow we head west. Couldn’t wait to get away from the cities and into the mountains. We’re both quite excited to check out Laos, it being our first time. Well rested we look forward to more curious people, misunderstandings, and survival charades.