Mai Chau to Moc Chau

Sun 01/12/13, 75km

Nice days cycling today although I need to get my mountain legs on! Set off on the assumption that the scooter gangs would return to Hanoi today which would leave some rooms free in Moc Chau. If the place was still solid it'd be another 50km until the next hotels or guesthouses.

The going was very much uphill for most of the day but beautiful with it. Ascended around 1000 meters then hovered around the 1200m mark, give or take a hundred for pretty much the rest of the journey. I was relieved to see the Hanoi scooter types flocking out as I was a few kilometres from town, meant I was going to have to push on another 50km to the next town: I'm not quite ready for that yet. Still, after I'd checked into a hotel I did spend 10km on the bike exploring the area (if you're cycling this way note it's 65km between the two towns and also do take the opportunity to get out and about, it's well worth it, no matter how tires your legs are).

Noticed a lot of photos of couples in wedding outfits against the landscape going on, seems to be all the rage!

Dinner tonight was tofu, greens, pickles, rice and rice wine (princely sum of 30000 dong, or 90p). The rice wine was an all you can drink job and a couple of the locals got me into a toasting session trying to get me drunk. Bless! Made my excuses after the sixth, think I've still got some hills to climb tomorrow, although for a large part of the day I'm following a river (upstream, downstream, whatever, long as it's smooth): after the first mountain pass on the map that is...

BTW, loved the picture of Pigsy I came across on a wall, thought I'd share it.