DIARY - Friday 25th January 2008 The road conditions are somewhat varied, the main roads are pretty reasonable but here in the North East there is little money for repairs and of course, it is sod's law that on one of the worst weather days I find the worst road conditions. It is the mountainous road from Quang Yen to Dong Dang. It passes through rain forest and what the Americans missed when they bombed the area unmercifully, the Chinese finished off when they invaded Dong Dang in the late 1970s. So we have a wet day in the rain forest. Ankle deep in red mud, slipping, sliding and generally getting bogged down and in a bit of a lather and I didn't drop the bike once! I have to say that had I done the trip to Mongolia on a bike like this, or the Yamaha Serow it would have been a breeze. This little Minsk is amazing. Physically it is just my size, it plods through everything and I am so completely on top of the job I am revelling in the challenge. Who says size doesn't matter? I have a feeling that I shall be getting rid of the F650gs if I can get help to put it back to Dakar spec. in favour of a new Serow. Such is the confidence that a smaller bike gives off road.
It took 2 hours to do 10kms slipping the clutch in 1st and 2nd gear used more petrol than I had imagined and yes, you can guess, I ran out! Now they say that the sun shines on the righteous, well, despite it peeing it down I got to free wheel down the pass when the road improved - straight into more trouble. When I collected the Minsk I was instructed in how to fill it up. The ratio is 10per cent oil to 90 per cent petrol, turn the fuel tap off first, and mix the oil with the petrol as it goes in, then shake the bike hard to finish the mix.
The nerd at the garage dumped the oil in first then started to put petrol in. My howl of rage did nothing for Viet/English relations other than let me blow off some steam because 200 yards down the road the bike stopped never to start again. Now I knew that the oil was sitting in the bottom of the tank blocking the carb, that was all I did know, getting it fixed was something else. It cost me 30,000 dong to have the local mechanic strip and clean the carburettor. I was amazed when he put it all back together to see him put his airline on the end of the fuel pipe and blast a jet of air that sent a plume of petrol up through the air hole in the filler cap. He laughed at the expression on my face - "mix good eh?" his first English of the encounter. It was 4pm when I left the garage, still raining and with the only food eaten all day an orange and 2 biscuits washed down with some water there was no way I was going to do the 70km to the home stay before dark at 5.30pm.
Unbelievably wet dirty and freezing cold I pulled up at a big hotel in Dong Dang. Why was I expecting warm rooms and hot water? Why did I think the food would be good? It was a case of have a flask of hot water, 2 if you are lucky and be thankful we take you in! The dragon made me take my muddy clothes off at the door, reasonable? Of course, I am house trained, but her scorn was apparent and I began to mutter obscenities, things were not going well.
I washed my hair and body in luke warm water, took one look at my face, windburnt and chapped and started to cry. What on earth was I doing here, pig sick of the weather, the food and the lack of English company and besides, I had left my lipstick and hair wax at the last home stay! Ah there is still part of me that remains feminine!