DAY20 Off@Hue

Day 20, a quiet morning, the only thing lively is the chickens.

Many homes in Vietnam keep chickens. So much so that you don't even need an alarm clock.

They start crowing about two hours before dawn. When I was in elementary school, every school had a chicken coop.

I guess most of them don't exist now. There are a lot of things in Vietnam that remind me of the Showa era.

First thing in the morning, I decided to visit Chua Tu Hieu temple. It's an old temple with a long history. It's 4.8km one way from the hotel.

There is a service called "Grab" that uses motorbikes as a taxi in Vietnam.

While I was walking 10km round trip to the temple, three Grab riders asked me if I wanted a ride.

Vietnamese people use motorbikes, so I guess they don't walk more than 50 meters?

I went into a cafe and ordered cafe mui (salted coffee). This was also delicious...I think I'll get addicted to it.

The sweetness of the whipped cream first hits my tongue, followed by the saltiness. The bitterness of the coffee hits you at the end. It's a new taste!

Visited the Imperial Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty. Apparently they rent traditional costumes, and many tourists are walking around in cosplay.

For an early lunch, I went to Jollibee, a Hong Kong-style family restaurant.

Fried chicken, rice, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and soup cost 58,000 VND (340 JPY).

If I were traveling in another country, I might have stayed in my hotel, even in a tourist area.

But in Vietnam, it's fun to wander around an ordinary town.

People, shops, towns... you can discover all sorts of things just by walking.

It's similar to Japan before the high economic growth period.

Vietnam is interesting now, as there is still so much I don't know.

I got hungry after 3pm, so I went out into the town.

At a restaurant, I had round noodles topped with fried pork, peanuts, and vegetables.

I dipped it in fish sauce and sweet and sour sauce. This is also delicious. My lips are tingling because I put too much doubanjiang on it.

I recommend this in the hot season.

I wandered around the nearby market.

T-shirts and other things are sold for about 300 to 500 yen.

A lot of Vietnamese clothing is coming into Japan, but it's so cheap here.

I bought water and food for tomorrow at WinMart.

Today, the sky finally looked like blue. But it's hot.

It's supposed to rise to 30 degrees tomorrow. I'm glad to be cool in the shade.

*Today's distance: 16.8 km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 693.6 km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY19 Hai Lnag-Hue

Day 19. I went to bed at 8 o'clock last night, but a total of seven trains passed close by.

Different trains make different vibrations.

Heavy freight trains make a lot of noise and vibrations when they pass by.

I remembered the "crunching, crunching" sound that broke through the sky when I camped in a tent near a runway while crossing the United States.

Surprisingly, it's easy to sleep when I'm tired.

Today is about 30 km to Hue. I'll finish by noon.

I'll take tomorrow off and try to rest.

Travel becomes boring when it becomes monotonous. It's better to keep looking for changes and enjoying each day.

Apparently it rained again in the middle of the night. Drizzle, then cloudy.

I ran 12 km and ate bun bo at a restaurant along the Asian Highway.

Today it was only 29 degrees, but it seems that the rest of this week will be over 30 degrees.

There are some places where the unpaved shoulders of the road are full of puddles and mud, so it's unavoidable.

Even if I wash my shoes and socks, they get dirty again quickly. Thanks to that, I've started to hand wash my underwear and socks every day.

Taking a break on the side of the Asian Highway. It's nice when the wind blows. It's usually a tailwind.

Nguyen, from Hanoi, is cycling across Vietnam. He said he's been to Japan before.

It seems human-powered travelers don't come often in Vietnam, but there are quite a few of them.

At a cafe in Hue now. Hue is also a big city! There are more people, motorbikes, and cars, and it's getting lively.

The promenade along the river is pleasant. I took a detour and it was past noon.

Being near the river is calming and soothing.

Maybe it's because I usually run along the river.

Maybe the gentle flow of the river makes people feel relaxed.

Around 3pm, after running 37.9km, I checked into a hotel in Hue.

I must have entered the wrong destination on Google Maps by mistake, so I went back the way I came and ended up running an extra 6km.

The hotel is close to Hue Imperial Palace and in a quiet area. However, there is always someone singing karaoke at the hotel, and it's really tone-deaf.

*Today's distance: 37.9km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 676.8km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY18 Gio Linh-Hai Lang

Day 18, it started raining during the night.

I woke up to the sound of rain pounding on the roof.

But why does the weather forecast say it's cloudy?

Is it impossible to see clear blue skies in Vietnam?

If anyone knows, please let me know.

I started just before 6am. I entered Dong Hai town soon after.

I ran 13km and took my first break. I ate a banh mi that I bought on the roadside in Dong Ha town.

Today's had a boiled egg. The baguette was fluffy with a crispy exterior. The taste changes depending on who makes it.

As I entered the south, there were more general stores.

They were all made in a similar way.

They didn't sell fresh food, but they did sell detergent, shampoo, and other daily necessities, as well as snacks. Many stores required you to take your shoes off before entering.

The scenery on the Asian Highway also changed in many ways.

There were places with no shops, places with a few small shops scattered around, and places with shops lined up in a row in the downtown area...

Places with large populations are convenient locations, so there is a lot of traffic and people.

On the way, a boy of elementary school joined me on a bicycle.

He was a cheerful and honest boy with a big smile on his face even though he didn't understand the language.

It was like seeing myself from a long, long time ago.

15km after leaving Dong Ha, I was feeling down because there was nothing there, when I found a restaurant!

Without hesitation, I walked in and ordered a rice dish.

It was a generous portion of rice, topped with deep-fried tofu, chicken, pork, and leaves. It was simple but had a great Asian flavor.

At 2:30pm, I checked into a hotel in Hai Lang after running 42.6km.

The last 15km felt unusually long because it was so monotonous and I was so sleepy.

Fortunately, it wasn't too hot, even though the temperature was 27°C.

There was about 30km left until Hue. Today's hotel was also nice and clean.

After taking a shower and relaxing in bed, I heard a 3-level earthquake and a lot of noise!

I wondered what it was, and realized that the train tracks were running right next to me.

I wonder what the last train will be? Surely there wouldn't be a super long freight train running in the middle of the night (as they often did in the US)...?

*Today's distance: 42.6 km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 638.9 km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY17 Le Thuy-Gio Linh

Day 17, I was forced to squat to relieve myself in a toilet without a seat. I had to maintain a stable posture by using my quadriceps. However, I was required to use my head and body more than I would if I were sitting on a normal Western-style toilet.

I looked at the other vacant rooms and saw that the toilet had a seat. I wonder if the owner thought, "This person will be fine without a seat"...?

Today was another 44km trek on the Asian Highway 1. The temperature was 20-27 degrees. By the way, it was 25-35 degrees in Ho Chi Minh today. It was gradually changing from subtropical to tropical. There might be a rain shower. I'd like to make a commercial video of myself washing my head with a rain shower (lol).

I get advice like, "If you go to XXX, you should see YYY, it's delicious, so you should definitely eat zzz," but I'm a contrarian, so I don't do that much. It's often more fun if I don't have any prior information. I enjoy my own free-spirited travels and life.

Started before 6 o'clock.

After 18km, I finally took a break. I had pho bo at a restaurant along the Asian Highway. The chilli peppers, herbs and coriander served as stomach medicine. This restaurant was also delicious.

After 25km, I took a break on the side of the Asian Highway. If I run with a buggy, I can have a mobile cafe that I can enjoy anywhere. The downside is that when it gets hot, I can't carry fresh food, and cold food quickly becomes lukewarm. It's still okay at the current temperature, but I want to avoid heat above 40 degrees as much as possible.

Around 1pm, I arrived at the former Military Demarcation Line Memorial Park, located at 17 degrees north, on the banks of the Hien Luong Bridge. 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War, I once again prayed for lasting peace in the world.

After 3pm, I ran 45.7km and checked into a hotel in Gio Linh. The hotel I had planned to stay at went out of business, so I went another 2km south. The room was very clean and cost 200,000 VND (1,200 JPY). There was no refrigerator, but the toilet had a toilet seat! It's nice to find a cheap hotel.

The karaoke next to the hotel was really loud. It was at a level that would get me sued for noise pollution in Japan. I was so tone deaf that I couldn't believe my eardrums. I wonder if the person singing with him/her had damaged eardrums? I could hear the sound from 100 meters away from another karaoke store I passed today.

*Today's distance: 45.7 km 

 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 596.3 km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY16 Quang Ninh-Le Thuy

Day 16, I woke up naturally before 4am. I'm still in Japan time even though I'm in Vietnam.

Yesterday, I traveled over 500km from Hanoi. It's the same distance as the distance between Kyoto and Tokyo. I've completed about one third of the planned distance.

The buggy is mainly on paved roads, so there have been no problems so far.

Last year, there were too many bumpy off-road sections in Spain and Portugal.

I'm not pushing myself too hard, so I'm in good mental health and in good health.

Before 5am, something that sounds like the national anthem was played over the local radio, and I could hear announcements in Vietnamese.

It's strange that no one complained.

Other things I heard in the morning: the horns of cars driving on the Asian Highway, the crowing of chickens, and conversations between passersby (Vietnamese people tend to be quite loud).

At 5:50am, I was seen off by Mr.Quang, the hotel manager, and started my run.

He had worked in Tokyo for about three years, so he can speak Japanese.

Thank you for your hospitality.

I bought some banh mi for lunch at the bakery.

All the students around here start going to school at 6 o'clock, so the roads are crowded.

Today's temperature is 20-25 degrees. A little humid.

It's currently 21 degrees. I went into a cafe to take a break.

The coffee here is more bitter than sweet.

But it's delicious.

I could have taken the day off, but I'll shorten the distance and finish early.

I ran 20 kilometers and took a break. A general store-like convenience store in the countryside.

Japan used to have a lot of privately owned shops, but what about now?

These kinds of shops, which are always used by local people and are indispensable to the area, liven up the community.

A shop like this where you know the names and faces of the staff and customers alike...

Cloudy with occasional drizzle. There are not many cars on the Asian Highway today.

Large vehicles over 10 tons are not allowed to pass through.

There are some wind turbine propellers spinning.

A rice paddy area on the plains. Most of the work is done by hand, and it doesn't look like they're using much machinery.

Just before lunch, I ran 31.3 km and checked into a hotel in Le Thuy.

I finished up with a shorter distance without taking a break.

The weather was cloudy, with occasional drizzle.

At today's hotel, the shower had hot water but the water pressure was quite low.

Even at the same 2.5 million VND, there can be quite a difference between good and bad hotels.

Today was a dud.

But there was a roof and a ceiling, and I was grateful and moved just to be able to stay there!

*Today's distance: 31.3 km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 550.6 km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY15 Bo Trach-Quang Ninh

Day 15, I naturally woke up before 4am.

Today's temperature is 18-24 degrees. It gets hotter as I go south.

It's been raining and it's been chilly, but soon I'll be in southern Vietnam.

I'll be entering the tropical climate. I've been getting weaker and weaker lately.

I started before 6am. Today the main route was the Asian Highway again.

I soon crossed a mountain pass. That said, it was only a 30m hill. It was a long, gradual climb.

I ran 26km and entered the city of Dong Hoi, and took a break at a cafe.

It was sunny and a little hot.

I was grateful for a cold drink. The coffee here was not too sweet. 

I alternated it with hot tea.

There was a lot of traffic in the city, and of course the horn war was fierce.

Today I saw a two-lane road jammed, and a truck behind a car kept honking its horn, but the car just kept driving slowly. The truck next to it was also moving slowly. The large truck kept honking its horn. Was this some kind of revenge for the tailgating?

It is common to see large trucks driving through groups of motorbikes in the city.

After that, I had lunch at a restaurant just after crossing the Nyat Le River.

Today I had rice. It was topped with spring rolls, deep-fried tofu, meat, and shrimp, and came with soup.

The rice was dry, but the seasoning was suitable for Japanese people.

If I eat just this, I can't move for a while (lol).

These days, I basically only have one main meal. The rest is fruits like bananas, nuts, and flour-based foods.

On the way, I passed a resort spot called Regal Resort. It was deserted. Some parts of the hotel had been demolished.

It must have been a very prosperous place in the past. It's not like the Tale of the Heike, but the bell of impermanence sounds.

Just before 3pm, I ran 41.7km and checked into a hotel in Quang Ninh.

The weather was just right, not too hot or too cold. I was allowed to use the washing machine at the hotel. It cost 300 yen for 50,000 VND.

*Today's distance: 41.7 km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 519.3 km

*Today's photos are here

*YouTube video playlist is here

DAY14 Ky Anh-Bo Trach

I started at 6am. It had been a while since I last had a rain-free day. I could run on dry roads with dry shoes.

I was amazed at how good it felt to have dry shoes inside!

However, when the road is dry, dust starts to fly up.

This is the second week of my trek.

A day spent running on the Asian Highway.

15 degrees in the morning, 22 degrees during the day.

It's a coastal area, but it's mountainous.

As usual, there are a lot of large vehicles such as trucks and buses.

It looks like there will be no towns or shops for a while.

There is a tunnel just after I enter Quang Binh Province.

Tunnels are quite scary places for my buggy.

With large vehicles coming and going, it's always a scare.

There was a sidewalk, but there were stairs along the way, so it was a disaster.

I carried the buggy down and then dashed down the road for about 50 meters.

It was thrilling and so scary!

The bun bo I had at the food stall was also delicious. As I passed a local restaurant, an old man at the restaurant recommended something to me.

He said, "Just stop by," so I accepted.

Today I had bun bo instead of pho. Unlike pho, which has flat noodles, bun bo has round noodles. The taste of the soup and the hardness of the noodles vary slightly depending on the restaurant.

Children often called out "Hello!" to me.

I replied with a smile. Just knowing that made me feel happy.

3:30 p.m. Today was 45.2 km away. I finished at the hotel in Bo Trach.

Just like yesterday, I took a cold shower.

I kept the tap running to wait for hot water, but it was only a little lukewarm.

Well, I guess it's better to be able to take a shower.

This shows that there aren't many countries in the world where I can drink tap water and take a warm shower whenever I want.

*Today's distance: 45.2km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 477.6km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here

DAY13 Cam Xuyen-Ky Anh

It was drizzling when I started at 6am.

In the end, I wore my rain suit and ran in the rain for four days in a row.

The insides of my shoes had never been dry in these four days.

I ran 40 km south on the Asian Highway in silence.

The rain stopped around 8am and the road finally dried up.

Even though the maximum temperature was 20 degrees, it was chilly with the wind. 

The wind was mostly at my tail.

There were puddles here and there, and the scariest thing was when two large vehicles came running side by side.

My heart always started pounding when someone honked at me.

There were towns periodically so I could get drinks and food anytime.

Today, I ate pho at a local restaurant around 10am and had Vietnamese coffee at a cafe in the afternoon.

Pho is healthy because I get vegetables, meat, and rice at the same time. I can also drink the soup to get salt and water at the same time.

Sometimes I was barked at and chased by free-roaming dogs.

Speaking of free-range animals, I can often see chickens and buffaloes along the highway.

3pm, 40km today. Finished at a hotel in Ky Anh.

*Today's distance: 40km 

 Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 432.4km

*Today's photos here

*YouTube video playlist here