We get up and head for breakfast. It consists of Cosy Marie and some coffee, just what you need for a day on the bike. It is hot today, much hotter than it was yesterday, there looks to be little chance of rain which is good. I have had enough of that. In contrast the road quality is not as good as yesterday and so the time it takes us is longer. We have a plan, Pleiku tonight. It is the next big city according to our map.
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We are so concerned about having to drive at night that we completely skip lunch, in fact we only stop to to take a photo of a large village style house in a town that we pass through. It is at this point that Elias notices that I am leaking some oil from Jessie (My Moto) so we stop off at a garage. They mechanic just puts a new seal on, now when I say seal, it is like some rolled up tissue paper, i'm sure it will so the job. Elias has a rattle when he drives, his chain has a bit of give in it and it is hitting against the casing, driving him batty. He says to the guy, but it is difficult to convey what you want done when there is no English to be spoken.The guy takes a piece of the casing and grinds a bit away, later on we find that this did not solve the issue. Awww well. We stop for a coffee but they serve no food, so I bust out some pringles that I have, not that they do much for the hunger situation. Then we check how far away we are and work out that we are making good time today.
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After a lovely stress free day of Moto we arrive in Pleiku before dark. It is a big city, the biggest one we have been in on the bikes. This throws up the new challenge of city driving. It is amazing that after only a couple of days how much more confident I am on the bike, with the exception of the U turn. We pull up at a hotel near the centre and get it for the same price as the night before. As we are unloading the bikes there is another westerner, Dave from USA, works in HCM, and he is cycling. Now that is brave. Not sure i'd be up for that! I notice today how bad my sun burn is, compounded by the wind burn. I have changed many many shades browner over that past couple of days. Perhaps by the time I get to HCM I will be black. The 3 of us head out for dinner and we get the good old half chicken and rice combo with a few beers. Elias and Dave order two portions of chicken, I just order two portions of rice. Dave tells me how he has been in Vietnam for 5 years and has no plans to go home. He is 43 and has a Philippine girlfriend who is pregnant. After dinner we find a wee spot on the street and ask about beer, the guy just takes off to the shop and buys us some cans. Then sells them to us, ha. Genius. We sit down and enjoy the beers, Dave offers for us to stay at his house when we get to HCM. What a result, may well take him up on that. We all head to bed, more biking in the morning.