The ride out of Hanoi was uneventful other than me keep stopping by the side of the Road to check navigation making sure I was heading the right way. Chaotic motobike driving in Hanoi City was not really that dificult and did not feel chaotic at all.
I took the most direct route to Babe Lake and that still took about 6 hours of constant riding with minimal stops for rest. The ride was relaxing and also easy which was good to get myself more familiar and used to Zuki. By the time I was upon Ba Be Lake, the start offroad riding due to bad road construction was a peice of cake.
I stay at one of the local homestay (Huyenhao) booked online along the way on one of the rest stop when I was pretty sure I would make it on time. Homestay was really authentic and not those weird homestay which turns out to be a hotel wannabe establishment.
Dinner was at at the homestay with them cooking up a dish on the spot. The agreed price was 120,000 dong for dinner and 50,000 dong for breakfast.
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| Lovely wooden room Homestay |
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| The Homestay Authentic Kitchen |
The next day after breakfast I push on for Moe Vac. Babe Lake to Moe Vac ride was more interesting that expected. I decided to just follow google going for the shortest route instead of going through the big sideloop using the main road and in a way defected from following the recommended bike trail which every tour agency recommends.
I end up in a very small road in google maps that without zooming in one would not even see the road. The scenery was supprisingly great and unexpectedly raw that there is no convinient coffee stand at the best view point or even food for lunch or reststop.
This was really a countryside road which the locals used for their daily lives. The plantation fields were all bare since most of the rice fields had been harvest so it was not very pretty but as I go up higher and higher one could see how scenic this place was even on a off season.
The roads were horrible thou, no tarmac at all and mostly form of compacted gravel and stones. Riding was really slow going, but at the halfway mark the road merge back with QL 34 main road to Moe Vac.
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| Gravel Road Up & Downhill the countryside mountain |
I tot the hard part done and now that it was good road or rather better roads, I decided to book the hostel in Moe Vac. An hour later I came across a landslide. Main road was totally blocked off and there was a worker closing off the road for the excavator to poke the slope and somehow try to stabalize the landslide.
An unknown wait I guess but at the same time I saw some of the local bikes u-turn and head down a narrow path which seams to be a bypass only navigatable by bike. The path look more dificult than I was confortable but a few moments later a jeep turn up and four police / military guys came out.
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| Motorbike Landslide By-Pass going through shallow streams |
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| Motorbike Landslide Bypass - Bamboo Bridge |
They asked me something in Vietnamese but I just raise my hands and shoulders giving the body languege that I have no idea. I had my helmet on and mask on so with only the eyes behind my glasses I probabaly look like a local.
I was not about to risk it and acting as natural as posibble, mounted Zuki and make a U-Turn getting far away from the Police Car. It was time to go through the by-pass. Go down the slope was not too bad but then there was a local toll.
A young boy with a string trying to collect VND 10,000 per bike. My languege barrier did not help and they were smart enaugh to show me the money with a big grin. I gave up the extorted toll fee and moved on.
So the by-pass which I could not see before the Toll had a shallow river crossing and also a bamboo bridge crossing. Zuki just became a dirt bike and I was really sceptical on the bamboo bridge.
As some scooters could ride through the bridge, I guess there was only one way to go as U-turn would be worst trying to go back up the narrow steep slope entrance. Mini adventure and I completed the by-pass of landslide and on my way again to Moe Vac with many mandatory stops to soak in the beautiful scenery.
I ended up in Moe Vac after sundown. Not my intention really but timing the ride seams to be harder in Vietnam without knowing the road conditions.
Traveled on: Dec 2023
