I am sitting here on my very hard seat looking at a topiary bonsai tree in the middle of primary rainforest that is my current abode, Cuc Phong National park. I rode here yesterday from Ha Noi. Its is about 200Km south west of Ha Noi if you go the direct route. I thought I was taking the direct route but when I saw a turn off sign for Thai Nguyen I beame suspicious. Thai Nguyen is the opposite side of Ha Noi to the place I wanted to be. Oh @#$&* I said much to the amusement of the blokes that were helping me. It took me another hour and a half to finally find the road that would take me to the Ho Chi Minh Highway. No wonder the fucking americans never could find it, you still can't today!!
Sucess was finally achieved and I began to mark the Kilometers to my turn off. I had a glorious meal of Bun Cha in a small town with a military flavour something "Cho" I think.
The Ho Chi Minh highway is bordered by limestone Kharst mountains on either side. As the road winds on these walls rush in from either side. It is very inviting to just turn your head to stare in wonder if it weren't for the traffic front and back. I had 5 or 6 life threatening experiences in that one afternoon. The best was when about 40 metres ahead a cow that was being driven across the road decided to turn and run in my direction (this all happened while I was doing maybe 70kph, I started to slow pretty quickly). A large black japanese car (camry I think) was hurtling along minding its own business when the cow ran into it's path too. The driver swerved to avoid the cow and consequently we were going to have a head on. I had images in my head of diving over the bonnet while my stocky little bike got turned into a frisbee. The car locked it's wheels and I made for the side of the road which was a resteraunt. I pulled up in a mass of chairs and tables much to the amusement of all concerned even me, but I think that may have been hysteria. I don't know but I soon got the fuck out of there.
I of course missed the bloody turnoff. They are not very good with street signs here. I ended up going into the top part of the national park before I knew it. This meant I had to do an extra 30km stretch to get on the road to the park. That turn off took some finding too. I really need to learn the language!!! When I arrived I was stunned by the scenery and the QUIET! It is breathtaking. You know when you are deep in a cave the darkness is really really DARK? Well this is really really QUIET. Very good for a person such as I wanting to know more of himself. Fuck all the meditation and shit, if you want that stuff just buy a ticket here and spend an afternoon deep in deepest rainforest blissing out on the sounds of SILENCE.......the sound of one hand clapping. (please forgive me Anthony Burgess).
I awoke this morning after what can only be described as the sleep of the "exremely tired and stiff". I felt almost rejuvinated and after a shower a bit enervated. Breakfast was a traditional pho ga. I read some, I sat and stared, I even just sat there doing sod all. I was not bored for one second, I felt no guilt at my indolence, I just was. This place grabs you in an intense grasp as of a giant squid. I organised to stay another night and did a minor service on the bike (chain tension, brake adjustment front and back - no more excursions into resteraunts for me mate!). Just before lunch I walked up to the reception area and had a look through the Information centre. It was just like the things you find in Aussie NPs. Really good for school groups, very educative. I loved it! I then arranged to do a visit to the Primate rehabilitation centre tonight at 7pm. The woman who organised it for me was embarrassed and sad because all I would see were Loris and it would cost me $20 US! Bloody heck I was grateful for the chance to see any of them, pick me my son!
This arvo I went for a ride on my little bike. I rode up the road through the middle of the park, past the lake.."what the... I'll have to stop here on the way back". On either side of me is unbelievably amazing rainforest. It is primal, untouched and totally stunning. At times inpenetrable, at others offering a vista to startle your imagination. It was hot and rainy so the hillsides very quickly became blanketed in wisps of not cloud, not fog but mist or steam rising from the primordial green. All around was fecund with growth in all forms. I stopped in the middle of nowhere to have a little pipe and I was gifted with this convention of spiders, very large daddy long legs who appeared to be having a meeting of some sort. I watched them for about 5 minutes until the meeting broke up and members went off to thier webs or whatever. A few kilometers further on I came to a small parking area which had a big sign telling me that in 300 meters I could find the cave of the prehistoric man. Always up for the challenge I set off. I was pulled up after about 100meters by a rainstorm. I sheltered under the leaf of either a cycad or a palm, I could not work out which. I was there for about 40 minutes meditating on life, being alone, liking being alone, thinking about sharing experiences, liking that too! Life can be like that. I walked on climbed up some stairs and arrived at said cave. I climbed in and sat down and waited for the rain to stop. It didn't. After another little pipe I climbed back down the cliff. The walk back to the bike was like a big thank you to the world. Back at the bike and renewed with my brand new poncho, I amused the heck out of this Vietnamese driver waiting patiently for his tourists when I did an "einie meanie, miny, mo" to decide which way I would go waving my hand in each direction with the poem as you do. The direction was back to base so that I did, stopping at the lake on the way back. It is beautiful and serene and cosmic and all those hippy things I love to dwell on.
I am home now (home is where my pack is). I am finishing this blog now because I need dinner before my ape experience. Stay tuned campers this can only get better!
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