This next day we left around 8:30am. This time we took a detour through Ba Be National Park. It was incredibly pretty. There was a large lake and a small village with stilt houses. It reminded by of Mai Chau but even more beautiful. Unfortunately we were way behind schedule so we had no time to stop and admire the scenery. However, at one point we noticed a cave right by the side of the rode. We checked it out for probably a total of five minutes and then continued on our way.
Bryn was basically on empty at this point so we were quite relieved when we found a person with a small gas pump in the little village. We also stopped here in the village for lunch. Surprise! We had pho again. Because we had taken this detour we weren't able to keep our promise and visit the pho shop owners in Bac Kan.
However, we did revisit the cafe in Thai Nguyen. The lady working there was very happy to see us. I also met her husband this time. I think Vietnamese women enunciate more than Vietnamese men because I always have an easier time talking with women in Vietnamese. However, I was able to understand some things that her husband told me. He told me he had an older sister who lived in Texas and that she was married to an American there. The lady also told me that she had a very beautiful 20 year old daughter and if I come back to Thai Nguyen she will introduce her to me. I said "ok" although I honestly don't know when I'll ever be back to Thai Nguyen.
After chatting a bit more we began our last leg of the journey---and probably the absolute worst part of the entire trip. Trucks after trucks spewed dirt and dust in our faces. Soon, it was dark and harder to make out the road. Finally, after what seemed like forever, we reached Hanoi. Because of the detour, it had taken us around 13 hours to get back. To treat ourselves, we went to KFC. I was actually a little embarrassed walking into KFC. It was filled with people and we looked like we had just come back from mining.
All in all, it was an awesome trip and that I will probably always remember. I'd also love to do another motorbike trip up north in Vietnam sometime.
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