Coastin' the Coast - for real

Had a good breakfast this morning. It was a short bus ride to our starting place.  Before I begin today's journey, here are a few facts about Quy Nhon:

In Vietnam, there is one place that deserves to be visited by more people: Quy Nhon. Even though it is not considered as a tourist destination, this medium-sized town is bordered by stunning beaches and the countryside that surrounds it is also breathtaking.Quy Nhon is the capital of Binh Dinh Province and was acknowledged as a city as early as 1898. However, the town has been in existence since the 11th century, in the time of the Kingdom of Champa. In the 15th century, it also served as the ruling centre of Emperor Le Thanh Ton. Quy Nhon was also relevant during the Vietnam War. Not only was it a site for intense battle, but it also was an important US military and naval base.At present, Quy Nhon is a developing port city with a population of more than 260,000 people with plans to build infrastructure that would encourage more tourists to visit. Naturally, fishing is the main industry in Quy Nhon, making it a great source of exceptional seafood. This destination is highly recommended for all seafood lovers.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to really get to see much of it, but it did appear extremely clean. Binh also mentioned that it is a city of Martial Arts. They were up at sunrise this morning exercising on the beach. 

OK, on to today's activities. Total of 70km - 16k till first break then another 20km with 3 major

climbs before 2nd break and another 14km to lunch. After lunch it was an easy 20km to the bus. The riding today was the best yet. My tush felt somewhat better - Dave was kind enough to give me some zinc for my wounds. The scenery was beautiful and we had a nice breeze all day. The morning was a tail wind and the

afternoon a head wind. I really didn't care what kind of wind it was as long as there was a breeze. I climbed the 3 passes with grades around 9% approaching the top. Still not sure if I'll make it up the big mountain climb in a few days. We are about half- way through our tour and we are definitely getting stronger.




The scenery was a good change of pace from yesterday's brown

dusty village roads . Lots of greenery and seaside views riding along the coast. Passed workers in the salt flats. They started goofing around when they saw Geoff taking their picture. He also upset a class of school kids who rushed to say hi while their teacher was trying to keep them in their seats. Riding past cows, goats, water buffalo, and who knows what else has become common. We have become fearless riders. Trucks, buses, cars, scooters, bikes, animals, all of them think they have the right of way. You just have to GO! I can't believe I ever complained about riding in traffic back home. Bike lanes - what are they?????

We had a 3 hour bus ride into our new location, Quang Ngai City. Route 1 is under heavy construction and some bumps actually had us off our seats. The bus made one stop at a lovely small beach resort so we could use the facilities and have a coffee or whatever. Arrived at the hotel around 4pm and then the fun began. If yesterday was the best hotel, this has to be the worst so far. The room we were in was very small and the AC wouldn't work. Again, communication is the key and we didn't have it. After several attempts of explaining our problem, we finally wound up with a suite! Although, still dated, the AC works and there is plenty of room. Think they just wanted to get rid of us.


Dinner tonight was at a local restaurant for some home-style Vietnamese cooking. We were served a Vietnamese delicacy called goby. A tiny little fish that they brine and somehow cook up. They are caught in this area - so this was a real treat. 

Tomorrow we go to Hoi An. A relatively short bike ride of 45km starting from the hotel, with a trip to the Massacre Museum in My Lai.  Sweet dreams

Next time.... Hoi An