From Phố Châu to Pom Coong Village

Gitte and Gieter had their flight out of Hanoi. Still, a few days to kill, so I invited them to drive with me to Pom Coong Village and leave the bike later at my friend’s Hotel in Ninh Binh. They wanted to give their bike to a friend, but he was not in Vietnam for a few more days. That way, he can pick it up in Ninh Binh. No need for them to drive into Hanoi with the bike – taking the bus instead, and no need to find safe parking for the bike till their friend gets to Hanoi.
Their bike was fine for the whole trip, except that the rack was not good. Two heavy backpacks and a small one were way too much. In the morning, they went to a welding place to get it fixed again, but the way it was done, I gave it only 30-40 km before it would break again. We said Adios to Trần from the Ly Ha Hotel.

Sure enough, the rack broke after a few kilometers

Gitte made the rookie mistake. Down off the bike on the wrong side = you will burn your leg

Fresh Meat on the way to the butcher

The kids never listen, so we had to stop at a small town in the middle of nowhere to get the rack fixed. Proper this time! I explained everything to the guy from the motorbike repair place. It is nice to talk to them when they do not speak English. We need this brrrrrrrr and this brrrrrrrr. After that, we need two pipes about that long, and you bzzzzzzz it here and here. He nods and hops on the bike to get a cutting tool and some pipe. A few beers later, the bike was ready for new adventures.

Get down to business: Brrrrrrrrr

Why use welding glasses when you have a fake Ray Ban? Bzzzzzzz, bzzzzz, bzzbzzzbzz

Ready to go

Traditional Long House

Fighting the hills

Dinner in Tỉnh Thanh Hóa. Gitte is a Vegetarian too, so we drove around town to look for a place to eat. I have “Vegetarian Food. No meat, no fish” on a note on my phone, so we showed it at a few places till a grandmother nodded, and we followed her into the restaurant. The husband went shopping for some greens, and I checked the kitchen for more food. The beer was cold, and we had a nice table full of food.

We drove a few kilometers back out of town to a Nhà Nghỉ we spotted on the way in. The place was brand new, and the rooms were OK. Had to do a beer run since they did not sell beer. This lady wanted a picture with me, so I put her on the laundry detergent bucket. Big fun for the rest of the restaurant.

The Guesthouse: Đức Tại in Tỉnh Thanh Hóa

Pom Coong

Took them to my favorite Guesthouse in Pom Coong – No. 24. Still the best place in town. Far away from the big tourist center, so you can still enjoy a cold brew with dinner in the evening without all the souvenir-selling places next to you. The food is still amazing, and the place is still cheap. More information on Pom Coong and Guesthouse No 24 in this blog post from last year.
Walking the fields behind the town, we saw a few new resort-style places and lots of new souvenir stands. If No. 24 were not there, I would not stop! But since it is very convenient on the way, you will find me next year again there for a few days.

The rice fields of Pom Coong

Traditional House in Pom Coong

Gitte and Gieter posing for the final photo before they move on towards Ninh Binh – see you again, guys!

Traditional Dance

One evening, a group of British bikers stopped for dinner at Guesthouse No 24. The guesthouse organized a Dancing Show for them in the courtyard. Took a few snaps from the balcony. I have better pictures and a video at the post from last year.