Apr 21-23 2024 |
This was section 4 of my north Vietnam journey. Here are details of the ride from Bao Lac to Dong Van via the Bamboo Ferry. And some challenges along the way.
Bao Lac > Meo Vac via the Bamboo Ferry
As mentioned in my prior post, there was a terrible storm overnight in Bao Lac - seriously, it was one the worst I have ever experienced. Departing town I quickly saw the after-effects - trees and bamboo strewn across the road right from the edge of town, and crews clearing the debris. But further on, it was more precarious, with lots of sawed-through brush. It crossed my mind that things may get worse and the road may not be passable at some point. But I rode on.
Clearing the storm debris outside Bao Lac
The next couple of hours were fairly easy riding, great views, a few patches of debris.
The ride from Bao Lac to the Bamboo Ferry
Stuck & Shortcut
Things took a turn for the worse. At a fork in the road Google Maps instructed me to turn right, down a single-lane road. I stopped and surveyed things, thinking this can't be correct. Sitting outside a house at the intersection, a man said "Meo Vac" shook his head and made a X gesture with his arms. Bad news, it appeared I needed to do a U-turn and backtrack for 2 hours. But me being me, I thought I would ride down the road a ways and see what the problem was.
And it didn't take long to find the problem: a huge stand of bamboo had slid down the hill and was across the road. The edge of the debris had been cleared a bit and ridden over. If this was the roadblock, I thought it was worth trying to get my 150cc bike over the debris. The front wheel went over, but then I couldn't get my back wheel across, with the bike sliding down the bamboo towards the edge of the steep bank. I rocked and rev'd the bike and finally managed to get it over. I then proceeded further down the hill. Soon I found complete chaos: the road was covered in brush for about 100 meters - there was no way I was getting through that. So I turned around and rode back to my prior crossing. But this time, coming from below, I struggled to get my front tire over, finally did. But then I could not get the back wheel over. It suddenly dawned on me that I had a major issue on hand. I removed my bags from the bike, then spent 10 minutes working it until I got it over - incredibly. Rode up the hill and met the same guy, a big smile on his face.
Road blocked
And then things got more challenging. He jumped on his 125cc and waved me to follow. We rode up the other fork of the road and after about 0.5 km, he suddenly turned down a single-track goat trail, slick with mud, disappearing into the bush. I stopped, looked at the scene, and with no option, followed, much slower. This path got steeper and more intense, one section featuring a 20-meter dropoff on the left, and severe brush and creeper vines on the right that were constantly snagging me. The last segment was a roller-coaster drop with a turn at the bottom. Somehow I made it. I gave him a decent tip and rode on, lucky to have avoided hours of backtracking.
Local "short-cut" arouind the blocked road (will add some video)
To the Bamboo Ferry
The road progressively become more dirt, less pavement. After about 1 hour the lake of the ferry crossing came into view, far down the valley. This section of road turned into another single track, very steep. I had to move to the side and stop to let a big group of foreign riders blast by me coming up the hill. I tried to wave them down, alert them that the road was blocked up ahead. But no one stopped - perhaps because they were a group, or because this section of the trail was so steep, and/or they were "intoxicated" living the dream riding this wild technical and exciting segment of road in Vietnam (or maybe they really were intoxicated, Eastern Europeans I think). Anyways, I doubt they were too happy to find the blockage further up the road, where they would be stuck as I can't imagine anyone riding up the goat trail I rode down. Ce La Vie.
Approaching the Bamboo Ferry
I got on the ferry, paid 40,000 VND ("Dong"). The next section of the ride to Meo Vac was exceptional. It started as single-track up from the lake, then followed a road up and up and up a mountain.
On/off the Bamboo Ferry
This area is a bizarre moonscape of spikes of volcanic rock, a common topography of the Ha Giang area. It started pouring rain and I needed to stop. After the rain cleared up it was onwards through the spiky terrain, now with intensive agriculture in it (somehow), including a large ganga field that I stopped at (and sampled).
Into the Ha Giang Moonscape
Lava moonscape between the Bamboo Ferry and Meo Vac
Meo Vac to Dong Van: Onto the Ha Giang Loop
Unaware to me, Meo Vac is located on the (in)famous Ha Giang Loop. Right away, this section of road featured epic views, a deep river valley and steep mountains on all sides of the road.
The Ha Giang Loop, Meo Vac to Dong Van
These days the Ha Giang Loop is a must-do on many a back-packers SEAsia tour. Pillion ridiers are driven by locals for a few days, in large convoys of bikes, with many wearing yellow cartoon duck-themed helmets - what fun! The major sights and stops are clogged with bikes and selfy seekers. This section from Meo Vac to Dong Van was a short ride, less than one hour - great after a long and exhausting day.
Ha Giang Loop "riders"
2 Days in Dong Van
This is a great town - an amazing setting, ethnic culture, an old town. I ended up staying an extra day. One of the highlights was riding north of town, where the fence and watchtowers of the China border are visible across a steep valley. I ate some great local cuisine and stayed at decent local place. The receptionist was a tribal girl, could not speak a single word of English. Turns out she was 16, probably working there on some type of internship where she gets to go to school in return for work and room and board - but may end up a super-model.
Dong Van, PRC border, the receptionist
Ride: 90 km / 5 hrs
Stay: Nhà nghỉ QUANG TRUNG $14 / 4/5
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