Day 46
Just as we were falling asleep I began to hear what we dreaded – heavy rain. It rained all night and was raining when we woke up. Definitely very bad news for us, if the muddy and trying terrain was ahead of us, in addition to some steep uphills. The rain stopped around 8am and we decided that unless we waited a week, the roads would still be muddy so we chose a point that looked like a hotel before the border crossing, 30 km away, and hoped for the best.
Just as we were leaving, a local man stopped us and asked if we were going to Laos, and then indicated that cycling was no good and gestured that a motorcycle is what we need to pass the steep mountain roads. Regardless, we had to press on.
Fortunately, the horrible muddy road stopped as we got out of Pho Chau. Indeed some of the terrain was steep, a 10% grade at one point, but it is at least paved and smooth. The uphills were not too long before releasing us down the other side, and stunning views accompanied us all the way. This was a lucky break since the rain picked up as soon as we started today and didn’t stop until 5pm.
At 20 km we entered a small town with some very nice homes with new Lexus’s and Toyota 4 Runners parked out front. We stopped and treated ourselves to a wonderful chao lunch and some Vietnamese jet fuel coffee – 4 tablespoons of coffee and less than a quarter cup of water sweetened with condensed milk. Warm, fed and caffeinated, we bounded off to find our in-the-middle-of-nowhere hotel. Approaching the turn-off road for the hotel, we noted that it was a dirt road with puddles that swallowed the wheels of a Jeep that drove by. The hotel was supposed to be 4km in on that road. We were left with no choice but to continue on.
It was indeed our lucky day. Pedaling 100 meters further down the road, we saw another hotel on the road side. We were quoted at 250,000 VND, which for the state of the rooms we thought it was much too expensive. Again, we decided to press on and got on our trikes. They stopped us and offered 200,000VND. We happily took the offer, as we were in the middle of nowhere and still quite far from the border crossing, which we might or might not find any accommodation. After checking in we discovered the higher price was because the hotel sits on a hot spring. If you pay the full price you get to use the “hot spring building”, in which there were several rooms with large tubs and shower heads. After some bargaining, we were allowed to use the hot spring shower for free, since there is no hot water in our hotel rooms. Such a treat after a rainy cold day of pedaling! Although the sulfur aroma was strong, the water was extremely hot, the pressure was excellent, and our skin is now silky smooth.
After some more sign language with some guests at the hotel we have learned that the border is now passable by car, although 2 months ago it was damaged by torrential rains. We hope to make it to Lak Xao, the nearest town after the Cau Treo/Nam Phao border crossing. I tried to ask how the roads were on the Laos side of the border by jumping from the concrete to the muddy lawn, alternatively shouting Vietnam, Laos and pointing at the ground. It was more entertaining than informative. Anyway, it looks the rain is clearing and hopefully we will get there before night fall.