7/6/25
We planed to leave early but the lie in was too nice. Once it started raining we cemented ourselves in bed a little bit longer. Luckily they had hot water downstairs. We could make coffee. We were now on the other side of the river. This time will be next to the main road. It would become our enemy for the day.
The road was occasionally under construction but still passable. The first few kilometres went up and down. Intermittently hitting a 10% gradient. We stopped to get a drink and have a quick snack. We were people of interest here. Some lovely women asked us again and again if we were married, and who’s looking after our children. Our popularity ended up with photos being taken of us. People liked to confirm our destination by saying “Lao Cai” to us.
It was hard to remove from your mind the fact that if people called as loudly to each other at home it would be considered rude. It was just how they communicated with each other here. We wondered how that would compare to China where we hear they are more reserved.
The road continued to go up and down but less viciously. Worse was that it kept deteriorating. Sometimes it would be perfect sealed tarmac, other times we’d be cycling through a couple of inches of mud for no reason. The expressway looked ideal. We briefly considered it to be a get out, but it wasn’t. We’re not allowed to ride on a ‘cao tốc’, so we’d be subjected to the elevation no matter what.
It was about halfway when we stopped for a coffee. The train line crossed over to this side too and we joined the QL4. It proved to be a much more graded, perfectly sealed road. It should take us for the rest of the way. About 5km late we stopped for a soft drink. We though we asked for one orange soda and one pepsi. But we ended up with two orange. So we opened the pepsi too. It was quite expensive. We realised that we had bought the entire bottles by accident. We passed a durian stall and remembered that we still hadn’t managed to try it. Perhaps it would be our treat for making it to Lao Cai.
The road had two more steep hills for us to conquer. It had also turned into a hot summers day. Both only had gradients of a few percent on average but peaked out at 10% and 14% respectively. We stopped at the top of the first one and ate a sweet potato and a couple of sapodillas. The second one had a swooping descent that helped cool us down.
We weren’t sure what to expect but it was far from a small sleepy town at the end of a valley. A built up area soon began. There were miles of shops and houses. The roads were full of traffic. We begrudgingly pushed on, wishing it wasn’t so hot. Soon it became unbearable and we stopped for more ice and water. A super kind shopkeeper gifted us bananas. A man we presumed was her son offered Jonathan a hit on his tobacco ‘bong’.
We hit the road again, newly determined. There was a mere 8km between us and the end of Vietnam. We mashed it out. Occasionally we glimpsed mountains afar, and the train tracks close by. But mostly our heads were down and we just wished it to be over.
Lao Cai was a big place. Excitedly the Chinese border came into sight. A large modern building. Chinese script on the side. We had spied a cheap luxury hotel but needed to make sure it had suitable bicycle parking. Sure enough it had a large underground scooter park. The receptionist had a cool handheld translator. We plumped for two nights. A short break to recoup before China began.
After a brief lounging we walked to the market. Or rather through it. The street was flanked with stalls. For at least 500m. A ridiculous number of people selling almost identical produce. We picked up some salad, and some fried tofu to munch on then and there. Then we headed to a vegetarian restaurant. We’d already planned to eat at the hotel. The fact we were dripping with sweat just from looking at the menu confirmed it.
We took a taxi back and ate with our insanely massive TV. We finished Better Sister and started Survivors. Our dinner consisted of a fish substitute, coconut ribs and a lemongrass drumstick. A big plate of jackfruit with cashews for afters.
The beddings were extremely plush. A bed each, with a real mattress. Everything was clean for once. We couldn’t believe it was only 400k dong a night. The air conditioning was as cold and clean as ice. Colourful lights lit up the border and the skyscrapers across the Red River.
Surly They Won't Make It 