Day 19

Spectacular scenery even if the sky was overcast. Again, we drove into and out of cloud bringing periods of almost zero visibility. Tony seemed as if he could see through it, and sped through as was his nature. I was the slowest of the group, imagining hidden oncoming buses, landslides, and unguarded edges to oblivion. Mind you, going too slow was a danger too as we knew there were buses and trucks somewhere in the fog behind us.

It was a stressful few hours until lunch break. Coming around one curve, a man rushed out waving his arms for Lauren and I to stop. It was Tony. He waved us onto a short driveway where 3 local ladies were huddled around a little fire. We were offered little stools on which to sit and join them. We did not share a language. Ungloving, we tried to warm our hands and smiled. The ladies nodded their approval seeming to welcome us.

Back on the road, it was scenery, cold, and rain. There were several stops that would have been spectacular in fair weather. We passed without stopping at the giant Vietnamese flag overlooking the border with China. It was just too dismal to bother – nothing to see.

At some point, we encountered another police checkpoint. Papers checked. No problems. Uneventful. Apparently Matt’s safety brochure served its purpose of demonstrating that he had already handled the lack of a motorcycle endorsement problem.

We stopped at yet another rest stop where there was nice fire going outside. We were quick to dismount and huddle close to the fire. This fire came with a little kitten who was likewise hanging out to stay warm. In fact, her whiskers were singed from getting too close to the hot metal fire enclosure. Naturally Lauren scooped up the kitten and they hugged one another for the duration of our stay.

As we were about to leave, 3 British guys about my age arrived on Honda XR150s. I greeted  them as if they were classmates and speculated they had rented from Tigit. They were amazed as if I had been reading their mail. They immediately began to complain that these bikes were so much smaller than what they rode at home. I just smiled, knowing that the XR150 could go 5X faster than Ha Giang conditions would allow for speed. In fact, bigger bikes seems to be a cultural symbol of manhood. Yet the XR150 could go as fast as any highways in Vietnam would allow in good weather. For my part, I appreciated the bike being light enough that I could pick it up after falling.

I warned them of the police checkpoint coming in a few kilometers. Their happy mood instantly evaporated. Apparently they had not yet had the experience of police encounters in Vietnam. We had earned some swagger now as Vietnam motorcycle veterans as we went back and mounted our bikes.

There were several more stops. They all seemed crowded with large groups of motorcycle tour people. Most of the people were young Europeans in their 20s, many more women than men. Most were on the back of the bikes with a Vietnamese driver. Everyone seemed to notice the old guy (me) traveling with the young woman, Lauren. 

I was very proud of doing this adventure with my brave daughter. I noticed the European women who were riding on the back behind Vietnamese drivers seemed to look at Lauren with some deference and respect as she commanded her own machine. As a pair, we got noticed.

In addition to our group of 4, there were two groups. One group was 5 or so young French women. The other were 3 young British men. Young women outnumber the young men touring Ha Giang by a large margin. I still wonder why.

The young men were about to start their Ha Giang motorcycle tour and noted our weathered and weary appearance as veterans with experience. All seemed curious about us as a father-daughter team. Several inquired and we caused a buzz. I don’t know if it was sympathy for Lauren, or respect that we would have the nerve to try such a thing.

Dinner was downstairs on picnic tables, family style. Before, during, and after dinner there were lots of group toasts and much too much happy water.

After dinner, Lauren moved to the open floor where the Vietnamese Easy Riders, all young men in their teens and twenties, sat in a circle around a hot pot that would be their dinner. Once again, she found more courage than I knew. I spun around in my seat at the table to watch the fun.

At first, they were taken aback but another toast was proposed and she drank with them. That broke the ice and each wanted to meet her with a private toast. She was onto the gambit and maneuvered somehow to avoid more drinking. But she laughed, greeted, and shook each one’s hand in turn. Later I asked her how many marriage proposals she received and she held up 3 fingers.

By now, at the end of a long riding day, a wonderful dinner, and too much happy water, I was done. Rising from the table I was a little surprised walking went so well. The ladder to the floor above was another matter. On the first couple of tries my flip-flops could not make it up the ladder. I eventually abandoned them and made it up the ladder and to my room barefoot.

I fell into bed burying myself under the heavy comforter because of the cold, and fell fast asleep. All good until 3:30 AM and I had to go to the bathroom. It meant a barefoot trip around the balcony to the ladder, down the ladder, and across the lawn to the toilet. I was sorta amazed it worked out.