to Tinh Tuc: Long and winding climb

November 4, 2016

We have our alarm set for today. Even though we don't plan to go very far there is a big hill to climb. First, we have to backtrack about 12 km to the junction in Ha Hieu.

There are two smaller climbs before we start the "big one". The landscape is beautiful: yellow-green rice fields, villages, jungle and mountains. The older women dress in purple or blue long sleeve shirts, black pants and black head scarves. Women working in the fields wear gum boats and have an interesting belt where in the small of their back is an attachment to hold a machete. There are various hill tribes that have different head dresses.

The climb starts off rather steep, then relaxes just a little to where we can ride up at a good pace. As we get higher we see the terraced rice fields for which Northern Vietnam is famous. We'd been seeing distance markers for N.Ban all along the climb, there was not much to the town. Then distance markers for QL 34, the junction we are aiming for today where we had read there was a guesthouse. Nine kilometers from the top is a town, Phia Ben and there is a guesthouse and shops.

The pass tops out at 1350 meters, then a 9 kilometer downhill to the junction with Highway 34. We have had very little traffic on the road today, mostly mopeds and only a few vehicles. At the intersection is a restaurant and hotel, we check out a room and decide to stay. The restaurant has everything on the menu, something we've not been used to and the food very good.

Tomorrow would have been shorter if we had pushed on another ten kilometers to the town of Tinh Tuc, but there is another climb that we would rather save for when our legs are fresh tomorrow morning.

Green valleys lead us into the mountains.

We stop in a small town to pick up two sandwiches. Next door is a pork-shop. Notice the head.

Guy mowing down rice stalks with a weed-whacker.

Woman comes walking towards us. Like most people she does not mind having her photo taken. We always ask permission before taking pictures like this. And never pay for a photo.

Green rice fields and small vilages line the road.

Terraced rice fields are being harvested.

We are headed up north to see the rice fields along the Chinese border. As we climb the pass today we get glimpses of what is to come.

Guy hacking out mortises in some very hard wood. These connections are used for traditional houses but also for pig pens.

Women in traditional dress selling vegetables at the Highway 34 junction.

The Son Dong restaurant and hotel is located right at the junction with Highway 34. This is as far as we'll go today.

Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 24,242 km (15,054 miles)

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