Pho Chau, Lam Son and Cam Thuy

Hello,

We are now very close to our destination Hanoi and have experienced a lot and have a lot to tell. Let's start with our last night in Phong Nha, which was interrupted at 4 o'clock in the morning by loud karaoke music and singing. It continued with morning stomach cramps for Matthias. There was no coffee left at the breakfast buffet and a glance at the sky did not bode well. Nevertheless, we gathered ourselves and shortly after, the motorcycle was packed. Just as we were about to depart, the rain started and it became a wet ride. We had a short break at a covered gas station and then continued on. The road was relatively well-built, but it was also very deserted and far from civilization in the middle of the mountains. It happened as it had to happen and the motor of our Camilla started to stumble. On a day like this, you might think it's Friday the 13th - it was actually Friday the 13th. A stop and a first check showed that the CDI, the electronic ignition unit, was very wet. It was quickly protected and packed in a bag and we continued our journey - only for 100 meters and the stuttering started again. So we took out the CDI again and this time we dried it properly before reconnecting it. Fortunately, no further problems occurred from that point on. In the afternoon, we reached our destination 180 km away and checked into our room. After lunch and a stroll through the city, we ended the evening on the terrace with a card game. The delicious breakfast, the sunshine, and the blue sky made for a good start to the day. We quickly hit the road and continued north. We made great progress and decided to drive a bit further than our previously defined destination. The road led through tea and banana plantations until we found a hotel after 225 km. We won't forget the dinner consisting of a pizza-sized omelette made from at least 10 eggs, the baked chicken with its head, and a huge bowl of rice. The next day, we continued our journey and again had sunshine and temperatures of over 25 degrees. After the first 50 km, however, we noticed a scratching noise from the engine. We stopped and took a closer look at the problem, changed the spark plug - but without improvement. So we slowly made our way back through the village in search of a mechanic. The first one wasn't very willing to work and sent us on our way. But we found one - after much back and forth, he told us that the repair would take 4 hours. We agreed and went for lunch, by the river with steep cliffs, and visited a church. After a full 6 hours, our Camilla was running again. However, not as well as before, especially with noticeable vibrations. Since it was already dark, we found a hotel nearby and had dinner. This morning, we left early towards Tam Coc, the vibrations were bearable up to 45 km/h, faster was unbearable. After a long 3 hours, we reached our destination and after checking into our room, we started looking for a mechanic. We have now found one who has already identified a faulty component in our engine and is replacing it. Now we are eagerly awaiting to see if our Camilla will be fit for the rest of the journey afterwards.

Until then,
Malia