Tag 91: always this technology

Today, we had planned a 230 km long route through the jungle. We had read everything possible about this route, that it should only be done with super reliable motorcycles or not driven at all. The reason for this was that there are no mechanics and very few gas stations along the way. We decided to drive this road anyway: what could go wrong! Before leaving the city, we visited an old US airport. You could only guess where the runway was, but there were some old airplanes, helicopters, and tanks around. There was also a very manageable museum about the history of this city during the Vietnam War.

After visiting the museum, we finally started the feared route... Just a few kilometers in, I broke the clutch lever of my motorcycle while dismounting. The three of us engineers fixed the problem with wire and tape. Honestly, the clutch felt better afterwards than before. We continued the ride on the old Ho Chi Minh Highway through the mountains and countless mountain passes. Now everything was going well and the three of us had a lot of fun riding on the deserted road. Since my motorcycle always had the least power, Jan and Markus went ahead on inclines. On another incline, 70 km before our destination for the day, my engine died - with a not too healthy sounding noise - and then wouldn't start again. Damn, what shouldn't have happened today happened: my motorcycle is done for. Since I had no cell phone reception, I stopped someone on the road to let Jan and Markus, who were probably waiting somewhere for me, know what happened. After about 20 minutes and a nap on the side of the road, the two finally came down the hill. We considered towing my motorcycle with Jan's motorcycle, and while we were attaching the ropes of the hammock to the motorcycles, a pick-up truck stopped and asked if he could help us. We then loaded the motorcycle onto his flatbed and he drove me and my motorcycle (Maggie) to the nearest mechanic about 5 km away. But he said he couldn't fix it, which posed the next problem for us. The three businessmen from the pick-up truck offered me a ride to the nearest city 'Dong Hoi' on the coast. So the three of us agreed to meet tonight in that same city. But during the drive, I already noticed that the pick-up truck didn't turn towards the coast and instead drove towards our original destination, Phong Nha. I had no cell phone reception to let Jan and Markus know. In Phong Nha, the pick-up truck stopped at a mechanic and he said he could fix it by tomorrow morning. Since it was getting dark, Jan and Markus simply stayed in Dong Hoi on the coast and I stayed in Phong Nha in the mountains. I found a hostel, had a quick dinner, and went to bed quickly. What a crazy day today and somehow strange to suddenly be all alone on the road.