I was actually 40km from buenmahhtout! I stayed at Buon hoa. I watched some rubbish TV, in English for a change and was fairly tired in the morning. Had breakfast at the sandwich stall and just sat there watching life go by, relaxing. I have been keeping too busy again.

Massage office is closed till 3 p.m., so I get back into bed and have really nice sleep for an hour and a half and set off at about 12. It is later than I had hoped but I was tired. By about 1 my legs are burning through my jeans despite SPF 30 sun block. I have ridden through some rough roads, sometimes intentionally picking the worst bits to build some confidence handling bums on the road or having to take sudden flight off the road.

i pull into a small eatery and am served, after some persuasion, noodle soup with about 8 boiled eggs (small eggs, a little larger than that of a pigeon). Then I just lean back against the wall and enjoy the breeze as I watch the dusty road under construction outside and the amazing heat, estimate about mid 30's, very hot to be out there. The two women who have been running the place keep giving me food: 3 clementines very nice, box of sweets for Tet which I work my way through, water melon seeds, some of their own food that I decline as I dont like it much. We try conversing of sorts. In my mind I am hoping they are going to charge me enough otherwise I have to pay them more. They beat me to it, there is no charge! It is an offering, I am surprised yet again. The poorest, simplest people have the most generous spirits. The people who try to con you are the upstarts who want to get as much out of you as fast as possible, you can almost see it in their faces, as if they are looking at you to see what they get away with. Sometimes I let them get away with it depending on their circumstances and sometimes I dont.

Anyway I thank them, take a few photos and leave. There is no pretention here as we will never meet again and there can be no obligation ebing created which reflects the generosity of their spirits.

I leave at 2.45, having been there about 2 hours.

While I am riding behind one bike on a hill, the woman passanger manages to drop some bank note, I beep as hard as I can which ofcourse means little here. I stop the bike collect the 50k note and chase after them on the bike as fast as I can. There is a slight problem, I cant remember what they look like and by now there are about a dozen bikes ahead of me, some of them with multiple passangers. I pass a family on the side of the road who are off their bikes but uncertain if they are the right people. I continue chasing and looking at a few more bikes but no luck. I go back and approach that family and manage to make the man understand that someone had lost the money, he seems to understand readily which made me think they were the right people, but they are not as he does not accept the money. I should have been a little more observant but unfortunately few people, usually youngsters, wear distinctive clothes here.

I forgot to mention the buitterflies, there are thousands of them for the last few days, wafting through the air, in the trees, across the road, must be their hatching time I guess. They are yellowish/white, quite a nice sight.

Last few days I have also seen a few buses broken down which cant be nice for the passangers.

The bike is running well specially with the front wheel being made true now and I am enjoying it. today I have only done about 100Km but not over concerned, I am about 3 days from HCMC maximum and partly reluctant for this leg of my trip to come to an end.

The people I have met have been wonderful and the good ones have more than made up for the not so good ones.

Tonigh I managed to get a nice hotel again, the best so far actually, the room is huge, then I had steam, sauna and massage. Later having spent about 2 hours eating and chatting to the eatery place I am relieved that he does take money for the food.

I have a little walk around the lake opposit the hotel, it is dark now, but some lights around the lake, groups and couples of youngsters spending time here. One group call me over and having wished them happy new year offer me a drink of beer.

On return to the hotel the chap in charge of looking after the bikes, has a friend with him (might be the night shift) who cheekily asks me for some drink money which he does not get.

I have proper WIFI for the first time in my travels since getting the laptop.