Day 181 - On the Road Again

The title of this post should have read '400km to Savannakhet' as my initial plan was to try and make it all in one day. After reconsidering I figured I take the long and more scenic way to Khe Sanh via A Luoi.

It turned out to be a good choice as right after taking the first photo in this post and while going around a corner on the mountain, the rear tire on my bike deflated. After managing not to crash and stop the bike on I had to find a place in the middle of nowhere to repair it.
Would I have taken the direct road to Khe Sanh and tried to make the 400km in a day, I would have most likely been going at 80km/h, instead of 40km/h, and I am not sure if stopping at that speed might have worked out as well.

Lucky I was in Vietnam, never far from someone who can fix a bike and never far from great and very friendly people. After pushing the bike for a while I came upon a house and the family was just outside enjoying a chat with their neighbor, they offered to help fix my tire.

They did not have the tube for my tire but were nice enough to go on their bike and get one. While waiting they offered me tea, then some beer and food.
Some more of their friends arrived to have a drink, celebrate new year and take photos with me. It was great and despite them only speaking very little English and me almost no Vietnamese we go along great and had a very nice time.

Once they fixed my tire, they offered me some sticky rice for the road and when I asked to pay they asked for a very low amount and declined my offer of around 5x what they asked for.
They were all fantastic and proved once again why the Vietnamese are some of the best people you will find in the world.

Given the longer way and adventures due to the tire, I decided to take it easy and only made it to Khe Sanh on time for the sunset.

Tomorrow, will be another day to try and make the now only 300 km to Savannakhet.