Hue to Lang Co

It has been wet in Hue. The bus I took from Ninh Binh arrived in a gray and drizzly Hue and the rain kept coming down for the following two days. So Typhoon Durian struck Nha Trang yesterday and royally stunk up my plans. I tried to stay put in Hue for a couple of days, but couldn't deal with the persistent cyclo and moto drivers and the kids asking for money every corner I turned. When the sun comes out briefly this morning, I decide to pack up and leave town.

After pedaling for twenty kilometers, the sky opens up again. First in spurts of small drizzles, then it really starts to rain in earnest. At first I take little breaks under shop awnings and wait for the spurts of drizzles to pass, then continue on. Eventually I get wet enough and the rain is heavy enough that there is no point in going for cover anymore. I buy a sturdy poncho, throw it on, and keep riding.

The poncho is pretty heavy duty, it keeps the rain out pretty well. But the thick plastic that keeps the rain out also traps sweat in. Soon I am soaked through by my own sweat. I get really annoyed - at nothing in particular, just grumpy from being wet. I ignore the kids yelling "HELLO!" and waving at me along the way, put my head down and focused on pedaling. An hour later when I pass a village, I see a noodle stand and decide to stop for lunch.

Peeling the poncho off my body, I stand in front of the noodle shop, dripping wet and looking like a drowned rat. I squeeze out a smile and order two bowls of noodles and some hot tea. It must be the food, because after the two bowls of noodles and the tea, I feel much better. I am still wet, but I don't care that I am wet anymore. Throwing the poncho back on, I head off into the drizzle again, except now I am not grumpy anymore.

I actually start to think it fun to be riding in the rain. I am soaking wet, water is seeping into the poncho and running into my eyes, muddy water is being thrown upward by the tires, wind gusts are trying to push me back, and I am humming R.E.M.'s "It's The End of the World As We Know It." (I usually have a soundtrack in my head when I ride. I have no control over it. It's just whatever happens to pop up at the moment.) I wave back to the kids and talk to a couple of them who decide to ride along with me for a couple of kilometers.

Late in the day, the road goes up a couple of minor mountain passes. At 7% grade over a couple of kilometers each, they're the perfect warm up for tomorrow's mighty Hai Van Pass. Slowly inching up the gradient, I wave at the passengers on buses laboring up the same slopes - then enjoy an exciting downhill coast.

At four o'clock, I ride into Lang Co, a sleepy town along the coast. The menacing Ai Van Mountain, at over one thousand meters tall, looms large a couple of kilometers down the road; its black peaks hidden behind rolling clouds.

Time to rest up. Tomorrow morning, Hai Van Pass is the first thing to be conquered.

Stats:
Distance: 72.7 km
Time: 4h 5m
Average speed: 17.8 kmph
Odometer: 523.8 km