Up at a reasonable time, some delicious muesli and get the girls loaded up. The plan is to Da Lat today. Another hot day, you know I think I am going to stop talking about it being a hot day. Suffice to say that every day hot, just some crank the level right up. As Jessie has not been on the rip for the past few days the electric starter is a no go. I'm pretty sure that the battery in my girl is not the best, it'll hold a little charge overnight from a days worth of driving, but leave her any longer than that and it is no joy. Time for the kickstart, which I am yet to master. Of course Sally 2 starts with no problem, as usual. After a few goes on the kickstart the only thing I have succeeded in doing is opening up my scab when the lever swings back after slipping off my foot. I now have agonising pain in my leg, and a pleasant trickle of orange fluid slowly creeping down my leg. I limp myself over to Elias who kindly starts Jessie for me. I know he is good for something. We eventually get away and are on the road for about an hour when Elias pulls over, I hope that Sally 2 isn't playing up. We chat about the plan for the day, maybe Da Lat will be too rushed, we want to be in HCM on the 26th. If we go to Da Lat today, we will arrive late, and then we will have to go tomorrow and so we will not see anything. We head to a coffee shop to look at the options. We find this wee spot down an alley, and I think it is one of the best coffees that we have had, nice and strong, and with the accompanying 'cake tea' [Tra Bac] so good. New plan, Mui Ne, let's go.
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The good thing about this decision is that we will travel in land for a short while and then we will head back on to the coast. The road is good today and so we make good progress and decide to stop in Phan Rang Thap Cham for lunch, possibly the best name for a town, ever!! Lunch is good, even with the addition of some meat and the exclusion of a ridiculous price. We go next door for a coffee afterwards, while the girls wait outside. We don't even get a coffee as it is so hot, instead we just order some fresh juice. The menu is only in Vietnamese so we just pick a couple of choices and we'll see what get. Best way to try something, blind luck. I translate our choices after they arrive. I have hit the jackpot and got some apple juice, Elias has some sort of weird coconut thing, and our tea, though this time it is Jasmine and not the lovely cake tea, can't have it all the time eh? We actually spend a long time sitting here, with Elias making a few calls home and I take the opportunity to so the same.
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By the time we leave we have decided that we are not going to make it to Mui Ne, but instead we will try and find somewhere on the coast that we can stay, then head to Mui Ne tomorrow. The complete flexibility that you have on the bike is fantastic. We can just change out mind on a whim, completely change the direction of our travels, or stop at a moments notice, you can't beat it.
As we get back out on to the coast Elias pulls over as the sun is setting. There is a hotel right there, right on the waters edge. Elias goes in to check it out. It's a little more expensive but we are prepared to pay to have this view. We waste no time in getting our bags in to the room and Elias gets himself straight in to the sea. I venture down with my camera and get a few snaps of the sunset and the fishing boats. A change from the busy cities that we have been staying in. I think we are the only people in the hotel. It is like having your own private retreat. After Elias has finished his swim we head out for something to eat, not too many choices here as it just on the road side. We ask for a recommendation from the guy at reception who speaks good English and we go to that place, just to the left of the hotel. I order up grilled shrimps, and Elias the fish hot pot. Now for some reason I thought I had ordered squid, and so I was a little disappointed when my large plate of shrimps arrived. Full shrimps not shelled and sill with heads and legs. I cut the head off and start to de-shell, I quickly get bored of this process and just start eating the shell as well. Ha. After dinner we head back to the hotel and it is packed. People everywhere, there is a nice outside area and it appears to be popular with the locals. All sitting having coffee and juice. We get a drink before bed. The plan is to be up early tomorrow and have an early morning swim.