To Dien Bien Phu

We left the doomed An Lanh Hotel at 8:30 this morning in the van, which carried us 30 minutes past the continuing construction.  The rest of the day was about 100 km from Muong Lay to Dien Bien Phu – and it was glorious riding.   For starters, there was virtually no traffic.  We could hear the birds singing – and there were cicadas everywhere.   Binh tells us they are sometimes so loud that school needs to be dismissed early.

The first 45 km before lunch included a large mountain pass –  giving us great views of the Black River Valley below .   We had two flats (one of them mine), which made us a bit late.  We at lunch at Muong Chai - and it was the best of many excellent lunches so far.  The veggie dishes included green papaya salad, cabbage with garlic, and steamed squash – the fish was deep fried and had many bones. (Binh explained that Vietnamese feel that small pieces of fish might  be insulting- so they didn’t cut out all the bones).  There were a few meat dishes including attractive steamed chicken with lemongrass, and the meal concluded with a vegetable-based egg drop, tomato, and cilantro broth over rice.  Delicious!

The afternoon was supposed to be easier – but the hills just kept on coming.  (This is the day that the itinerary says the “hills are too numerous to count.”  The group waited at the top of each hill – and we streamed into Dien Bien Phu together.   The city looks like a mini-Hanoi, and has a number of boulevards and circles.  Bikes, motor scooters, cars, trucks, water buffalo, roosters and pedestrians all vie for the right of way.  I was pretty happy not to be riding this on my own!

 The hotel is another state owned enterprise the Him Lam Hotel – we entered through a long sidewalk through a residential neighborhood well off the main street, and hotel rooms on stilts are surrounded by careful plantings and wide plazas.  There is Vietnamese music playing loudly in front of the main building – and tables are being set up for some event.   There are two swimming pools, small tennis courts, and probably a lot more.  The rooms themselves are spacious and nice (I especially appreciate the air conditioning) and the bed seems comfortable. 

I do have a gripe though. The Vietnamese have a funny approach to plumbing.  In my bathroom, the sink and the bathtub both drain onto the floor, which has a  drain for the waste water.  However, the drain  is not at the lowest point of the floor.  Therefore, the waste water must cascade into the bedroom, where there is a hole in the floor and it drains below under the stilts.   The real issue is that I soaped my hands and face in the sink (silly me) when I arrived.  Hence, I now have a soapy floor.  Lesson learned.  I’m washing and brushing my teeth over the bathtub (that drain is upstream from the functional floor

drain).

Dinner was great – a special standout was sweet and sour shrimp with pineapples.  Good spicy tofu, fried fish, and greens, as well as ‘vegetarian’ soup to wash things down.  I’m always surprised by the crickle-cut French fries; Binh assures us that Vietnamese don’t eat these at home!

Tomorrow is a rest day – we’re visiting the museum commemorating the Viet Minh defeat of the French in 1953, and have some down time.   We’ve all sworn off bicycles for the day – given location, I think we’ll be taking taxis.    Wikipedia  said “There is nothing for tourists to do in Dien Bien Phu” yesterday, although that sentence has been removed when I rechecked today.  My Lonely Planet guide doesn’t even mention the city.  However, DIen Bien Phu actually sounds like fun in a Vietnam only Lonely Planet.  One way or another, it’s a chance to rest our legs.  Our ride in Laos, which starts the day after tomorrow, is supposed to be less hilly (which is a surprise to me – I think of Laos as much more mountainous than Vietnam).    Bill, one of the  cyclists, did a tour of Thailand and Laos last year – and said that the roads are generally untraveled there – something to look forward to.

By the way, this URL will take you to a satellite view of our ride from Muong Lay to Dien Bien Phu.  You'll catch us at the junction of 2 rivers (Muong Lay), and follow route 12 due south (note the many mountain ridges) to the Dien Bien Phu valley. 

Upload times are long - surprising since router is in my room!  Therefore, photos are getting a "failuer" note from blogspot.  I'll try to add photos later, although the internet might be more spotty in Laos.