March 29, 2023
Day 2 of the loop! When we woke up we were feeling a bit more hopeful as it was sunnier than the day before, not flawless but better. We grabbed some breakfast at the home stay and then waited to be told to gear up and head out. This was supposed to be the day with the best views and most fun activities so we were all praying for good weather. We were amazed at how stunning it was as we zoomed up the hill to our first view point. We were the third group to arrive and…. the fog came in. The groups before us boasted about how 5 minutes ago it was stunning and clear and amazing. We tried not to stress on this too much because if it is meant to happen it will. Here’s a photo of what we apparently missed out on.
So we shook it off and kept driving. As we did, the fog started to clear, we started to feel the sun and actually see what all the hype is about and wow. This ride is incredible. The views are unlike anything I could imagine with the cliffs and lush greenery. I was so thankful I could soak it all in since I wasn’t driving. We rode past the border of China which was a bizarre experience. We could see the chinese flags less than 200 yards away behind a large electric fence yet we were still in Vietnam. Our easy riders joked that they were going to run over the border and we would have the do the rest of the drive ourselves.
After a quick stop here we headed in for lunch. Meal times are fun because you cross paths with all the other groups on the loop who are having the same experiences as you. We learn about whos crashed in what group, what views they saw or missed out on, and who is going to be getting an easy rider for the following days. Through these talks I quickly learn our group has superior drivers because none of the people driving in our group are having any problems. We went from being one of the last groups to leading the pack. During lunch the sun comes out in full force and we are incredibly optimistic for the rest of the day.
Next is what the guides say is the absolute best part of the trip and they’re not wrong, we go up a slope to the prettiest views I have ever seen. My easy rider usually hangs out in the back of our group so he can jump us through fun little detours which is a blast. We get to see the sky walk here, take photos with Vietnamese locals who find all of us westerners amusing, and drink more coconut coffees. This part of the day we just hung out for a few ours exploring the area and hanging with our group. It was amazing. We started to notice some clouds rolling in so we geared up and got back on the bikes to the homestay. Everyone was together at this homestay and it was so much fun.
We got to dance, and chat, and joke around with all different people. We did shots of happy water with the easy riders, played drinking games and just had an incredible night. At 10:00 they shut the music down again and my group took it upon ourselves to head to the streets again. We had a guy with a speaker so we danced and partied here until we decided to wander back to someones room for an after party. We had probably 15 of us who did this and it was such a wonderful memory. We were up till around 330 and it was so much fun. I will miss the homestays tremendously.
