After breakfast and a second round of coffee (iced with condensed milk) we got on the road for our second day of pedaling and the first day with serious elevation.

The initial climb oout of Hoa Binh nothing remarkable, only 1,000 feet over 2.5 miles. However, the thing to note was the temperature. By our standards it was pretty hot by 9 am. And unfortunately for us, heat is like kryptonite.

After topping out, we cruised down the descent and chugged through the endless stream of small towns on the way to the major climb of the day, a 3,000’+ test along a solid 7 miles.

To prep for the uphill we searched for lunch in the last small town before the climb. Chris had his heart set on Banh Mi (sound like bon me) and by a stroke of luck we found the one place in town that served it.

Banh Mi is a simple and delicious sandwich. The process for making one starts with cracking an egg into a hot pan to scrambled. While that’s sizzling, a baguette is prepared with sauce #1 and sliced veggies. Once the egg is done, it’s added to the concoction. Then finally, the meat happens as the various strips of pork are added.

I waited politely until our host wasn’t looking to shove my meat portions into Chris’ sandwich 🙂

The calories served us well for the rest of the day. It was a very hard effort, one that has lead us to make some adjustments for the trip. With a handful of hot days ahead (some near or above triple digits) and an insane amount of elevation to tackle, we’re going pull the ripcord on the next part of the route and skip ahead to the mountains and the town of Sa Pa. The climbs won’t get any less steep but the temperatures are much more in tune with our internal thermostats.