From Khe Sanh to Đồng Hới

After a not so good night in Khe Sanh but a better breakfast: the good old pack the bag game. If you do it every day you get used to it and it goes quite fast. All the stuff you do not need is at the bottom and it stays there. Everything you need will be in the bag in a few minutes.
Today’s mission is to cover 240 kilometres on the Ho Chi Minh Road and there will be no gas station on the way. So I did fill a 1,5 litre plastic water bottle for a few extra kilometres.
Quick look at the forecast an it was promising down at the beach. Another break on the way – why not. So Đồng Hới it was. The clock: 61065 km, the sky: the usual Gray and the road: dry and dusty. Lets drive!

Take a left at the monument. There is actually one more gas station about 10 kilometres after the monument. But it does not make sense to stop and fill up again.

Would have been interesting to know what the MacArthur Foundation sponsored over here. Since they are from the US one would think they would write something in English as well. No no no – not here in Vietnam they do not!

View over the valley as the road turns into the mountains

Imagine that place in the rainy season

A lot of green again

The next village is far from here – you can see it if you look at the forest

Driving towards the clouds. They just put power poles here. Still no line but that will be the next step.

Guess that is why they call it Rain Forest? It did not rain but it was super humid.

More forest

Driving was quite relaxing. No traffic, no sign of civilisation – not even power poles! Very rare in Vietnam where usually you find them at last at one site of the road. Now you know you are far out!

A stream with clear water – should be a nice stop on a sunny day for a refreshing dip

After hours the first settlement again. Still no power and very simple.

At the end of the village you can see the first power pole. Soon they will have power – satellite dishes will come next!

Back home people would leave these remote villages – here they even build new houses

A star with a heart – how nice

No fear of a sun burn today

Soon I will turn away from the mountains and head to the coast again

The mountains in the back after I took a right – the road takes me down to the coast

My bunk bed at the Ocean View Homestay in Dong Hoi. Since last night was way to expensive I have to make the money back. The next two nights I pay 5 US $ each with WiFi, fan, AC and shared bathroom with hot shower.
Upstairs they have the private rooms but this one will do for me for the next two days.