North Vietnam

Hanoi was a busy city and soon I had enough of it. The plan was to cycle to the Vietnamese-Lao border near Dien Bien Phu. This is quite a long journey and it would take me several days to reach Dien Bien Phu.
      
                                           

I cycled out of Hanoi and soon I came in the mountains. Although the road condition was quite good, it was still hard cycling. One day was particular difficult. Most of the time when I cycled I was able to find food and a guesthouse when I needed it.

This time turned out to be very different, even dangerous. I left in the morning and went on the road. It was quite scenic here. The villages here belong mostly to minorities, people from different tribes like Black Thai, Red Thai and Hmong. They don't look even like the Vietnamese I saw in Hanoi!

Most of the people here I had met were very nice to me. But now I was alone in the mountains. It seemed the roads never went down. I was all day climbing. Since my experience was that I always had found some place to eat and sleep, I didn't worry much.

But the day went by and I had not seen any village. The stupid thing was I had no food with me. Now the evening fell it had become a real problem. I was hungry and I wanted to see some people, had a bowl of rice and a place to sleep. But it was already dark by now and there was  no sign of a village.

I cycled a little bit further but it became too dangerous. Luck was not with me I thought. But then I saw lights. On the mountain slope there was a village. I left my bicycle on the road and started to climb to the first house. To my amazement people quickly closed the door. When I moved to other houses it was the same thing. It seemed they were afraid for me.

 
Friends I found everywhere!

Tired I went back to the bike and cycled a bit further. I was hungry but I knew I would be able to handle that until the next morning. More urgent problems were to be solved. I needed a place to sleep. Since I had no tent nor sleeping bag with me, I feared sleeping in the open air.

The temperature here at daytime was cold. At least for me, used to 30 degrees, 20 is quite cold and the night promised to be much colder. I was tired. I was at the point of giving up. There was little traffic on the road and what I had seen was not willing to stop. It seemed the drivers had the same attitude (or fear) as the people in the village I had approached a but earlier.

Cycling is fantastic but at moments like this, I felt I wished I stayed home. But then the magic happened. One of my friends had once told me that when you really need some help, you will receive help. I remember I had listened and though... yeah right... guardian angel or so.. No, it wouldn't happen to me. Or would it?

I sat down the road, my bike next to me. I saw a truck coming from the lower areas. The last few hours I had tried to stop all of them without any success. This wouldn't stop, I was sure so I didn't even try.

And the truck didn't stop. I felt miserable. But then the driver seemed to have second thoughts. After passing me, he drove another 50 meter and then stopped. He came out of the cabin and walked to me. He spoke Vietnamese, nothing much I understood. But I did understand he was willing to bring me to a village where I could eat and sleep!                                                                                            Smoking Opium in Vietnam            

Wow, yippy yippy I thought! I felt my energy coming back. This man was for sure my guardian angel. I put my bike into his truck and sat with him in the cabin. Now I could laugh again.

We drove to a little village where he stopped. He told me to join him into a little house. The people were amazingly friendly, they gave me food and beer. I felt grateful for my luck. They offered me a place to sleep and I slept well, very well!

The next morning they gave me a breakfast and I waved them goodbye on my way to Dien Bien Phu.

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