Ca Na to Mui Ne

Despite being next to Highway 1, the hotel in Ca Na is surprisingly quiet. Just like how I fell asleep last night, I wake up in the morning to the sound of small waves crashing onto the beach. The fishermen are out on their basket boats for their morning catch as the sun comes up. The sea is calm, the breeze cool and the sky blue, it is going to be another good day. Leaving Ca Na, I make a mental note to return to this delightfully empty beach town if I ever come back to Vietnam again.

As Chris and I start riding, the sun beats down unimpeded, warming up everything around us. The dry air blows across the arid landscape; and the land rapidly heats up. We are still riding through the driest area of Vietnam. The road first goes up a few gradual climbs, which are relatively easy if it weren't for the heat.

We stop at a stall selling watermelons at the top of one of the small hills. Sitting down, we maul our way through a small watermelon. This becomes a recurring theme for the rest of the day. Every half an hour or so, we would stop for fluids: mineral water, watermelon, coconut juice, sugar cane juice, etc. With the frequent breaks, the heat actually becomes tolerable.

At the town of Luong Son, we turn off from Highway 1 and go down the new road to Mui Ne. The road goes over a plateau, requiring some decent climbing. The road is obviously new - the lane markings look as if they have just been painted yesterday. In excellent condition, the road goes over undulating hills and through a couple of small villages. It sees so little vehicular traffic, the only thing I have to watch out for are goats or cows crossing the road. Going onto the main traffic lane, we push up hills, coast down to the bottom, ocassionally breaking for animals, and continue on like this for forty enjoyable kilometers.

As the sun sets, we pass a string of upscale resorts and reach the nondescript town of Mui Ne. The more reasonably-priced hotels are just beyond the town. We check into the first hotel just past the town.

As the sky darkens, the air cools with the breeze blowing in from the South China Sea. Time to give our legs a rest - tomorrow will be a rest day.

Stats:
Distance: 113.5 km
Time: 4h 37m
Average speed: 24.5 kmph
Maximum speed: 59.5 kmph
Odometer: 1414.6 km