Report from my Strava on this day below:

This ride brought Minh and I much closer to the hills I’d viewed at a distance on Day 1.

Here, on the way to Cao Bang, I could literally reach out and touch some as I sped along the gravel roads in the latter part of the ride. I jokingly said to Minh at one point, ‘I bet that if we asked a local how they feel to be living with all this beauty, they’ll say ‘what are you on about?’

Sure enough, when I stopped to refill my bottles at about 90km, an older woman came out to chat to us, and I asked Minh to asked her my question – ‘How is it living in such beauty?’

‘Where?!‘ she exclaimed.

‘It’s more beautiful over there’, she said , pointing a finger to the east, smiling. ‘They have caves over there, and waterfalls.’

So there ya go.

Such a good ride today, perfect weather, some fantastic flat gravel that I could really get my teeth into, great climbs and a great guide and companion in Minh.

Breakfast was chicken pho, cos why the pho not? Dinner was beef and vegetables, rice and eggs, and it’s all great, back o’ the net, as they probably don’t say in Vietnam…

Riding here, it’s all about one pedal stroke at a time and breathing in the wonder, as you slip away…