Tiger Rally 2011 Postscript

Fiona and I took a few days break at the Amari Vogue Hotel in Krabi and were woken by a text message on our last night which said that our BA flight had been cancelled. There were two telephone numbers to contact, one in Thailand which was only open on weekdays from 9am to 6pm while the other as a UK number which of course was closed as it was night. So there was no way to contact anyone to find out the problem and discuss our next steps. No mention of compensation or the process to get it, only a link to BA to book another flight. Fortunately we got seats as we booked at 3am but this is a shameful way for BA to treat its customers as it seems the text was deliberately timed so that there was no way we could make contact with the organisation. The recent leadership at BA has presided over a shameful decline in morale, service and quality, turning a once flagship 5 star airline into a third rate airline. If they were treated like they traet their customers I suspect there would be fireworks.

So now we are booked to go 24 hours later - not the end of the world but an annoyance.

Krabi though was fabulous and we were treated to a fantastice sunset - one that even the staff photograpphed, such was its beauty.

Than Hoa to Halong Bay

There is no choice and we were back on the A1 virtually all the way. The journey can be divided into thirds. First third was manic. The second third soothing. The final third manic with knobs on. The traffic was horrendous on first and third with lorries, death wish motorcyclists and suicidal pedestrians everywhere. By some miracle we all made it unscathed to the Novotel to discover that all boat trips in the Bay had been cancelled by the authorities. We heard a couple of reasons, neither of which made real sense; one was that they wanted to inspect the boats for sea worthiness and second that there was a storm coming. If they had said it was too foggy, then we would have agreed as it was almost impossible to see anything while we were ther.  Instead we sorted our cars out and prepared them for shipping. On the 15th we were called down to Cai Lan dock at 4.30 which was mercifully short 15 minutes drive. We then sat and sat and sat while they sorted out finding containers. These arrived at 7pm and the cars were then loaded and strapped in.

The next morning the participants headed for Hanoi and then to their various homes and destinations.

So ended the Second Tiger Classic Car Rally.

Phon Sa Van to Than Hoa

An early rise for a long day and a border crossing which turned out to be a breeze. My records show that it took under 45 miutes to cross this border thanks to the efforts of agents on both sides of the border. Laos was a breeze while Vietnam customs wanted to search our luggage. Once they saw it was mostly clothing and such like they soon lost interest but it was the nuisance factor which they seemed to enjoy.The one exception was Kees and Minke who did not get into Vietnam until 2pm because of the Thai plates on their car which is also right hand drive which the Vietnamese don't like. Disaster then struck for them 20kms down the road when they got two punctures in quick succession, rendering both tyres unusable.They holed up in a local hotel for a couple of days while new tyres were brought form Vinh and a disreputable tyre dealer  kept upping the price. Once they had been fitted they decided to return to Laos and then back to their home near Bankok in Thailand.

The rest of us stayed at at the Van Chai resort near Than Hoa which had great staff but rat droppings in one room put us off the food somewhat.

Luang Prabang to Phon Sa Van

Although relatively short in kilometres this is a longish day for most people as its is very mountainous. However, the rewards are in the views and the countryside. With relatively little traffic it is also a pleasure to drive. The major hazards were local domestic animals wandering on the narrow roads. On arrival there is also a chance to see the amazing Plain of Jars which is littered with hundreds of stone jars carved from rock brought from more than 100kms away! No-one knows hat they were for or who brought them There are no records of this civilisaton that occupied this area more than 2000 years ago.

Phon Sa VAn is also the epicentre of the Secret War that the Americans waged against the people of Laos during the Vietnam War. They dropped more bombs on Laos than in the whole of the first two world wars. Not only that, many of the bombs were cluster bombs which still kill people to this day. That is shameful enough but the USA have not faced up to their responsibility and offered to help clear the ordnance. This is done by UK and European mine clearance groups.

Vientiane to Luang Prabang

This is the most mountainous day of the Tiger Rally although the first 82km of the 383 we are doing today are relatively flat. Most got off early but my Shogun needed some attention. For most of the rally it had been overheating and drinking water - up to 10 litres a day so I took the opportunity to buy a head gasket - just in case - and some radiator sealant and some STP in case the engine went (in theory it will save the bearings), The radiator sealant smelled like curry powder to me but I followed the instructions and crossed my fingers. We had also been losing fan belts for the air con since the first day and I bought another but to no avail.

The road was glorious, the views stunning and the drive by agreement, the best yet. All arrived in Luang Prabang in good time for a few sundowners and a mooch round the famous night market.

Vinh to Vientiane

This is also a long drive but it actually takes much less time than one would think. Patrick and Louise decide their Ami will struggle in Laos so they leave it at Vinh and it's transported to Than Hoa. They hitch a ride with Steve and Janet in the Vietnam hire car which we are not sure can be driven into Lao. We have done all we can to prepare documents but it's up to the customs officials in the end. The drive becomes foggy as we drive up the mountain. Arriving at the Cau Treo border we are all whisked through very efficiently by out Lao agent, Cong, an old friend from 2008. As the cars go through the border the Citroen DS of Kees and Minke decides to split a high pressure suspension pipe and sprays LHM oil all over the road. I wait for a while but Kees urges us to go on and he will fix the problem. It takes him several hours and he finally gets into Vientianne after midnight. The rest of us make it easily by mid afternoon.

Vientiane is a charming town as yet unspoiled by the modern world although car numbers are slowly increasing. There are fine restaurants here and lovely people. Lets hope it stays that way.

Hue to Vinh

Much better roads today as we leave Hue and head up the A1 to Vinh. But drama is ahead. After 78kms we turn off the busy main highway and onto the AH16 towards the fabled Ho Chi Minh trail. There are actually many trails and this is the southern section which later in the Vietnam War led from the Viet Cong HQ. The road is excellent early on and with the absence of lorries it is a real pleasure to drive. We have time to stop for a two hour visit to the Phong Nha Cave where some Viet Cong hid out as the HQ is just a few kms up the road. We even drive along a secret runway where the Western HCM trail joins our. Its a longish drive of 429km which is not made easier by the decision of the highways department to improve a narrow section which was very rural and charming. Now, however its a quagmire of mud and road building. Bridges are down and drainage channels are going in. The Bentley and the Porsche turn back on advice and make a 100km detour which means they arrive late at night. All others get through fine.That night we stay at the the Phuong Dong Hotel which is a well run local Vietnamese hotel in an industrial town.

Quy Nhon to Hue

Today the drive was entirely up the coastal road as there are no real alternatives for classic cars. However, it was also one of the hardest and most dangerous of the whole event. With traffic having doubled or trebled in the last few years it was a very hard day's drive.There was small relief on Foggy Mountain, which was not foggy for a change, as the lorries take the short cut through the new tunnel. Arriving into Hue was also very busy but La Residence, is a great stopping point and we are taking a day's rest before the journey to Vinh and then into Laos.

Da Lat to Quy Nhon

The bad news was that the road we had recced for the rally had been closed due to extensive works, so we had to take the 'new road' which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was as beautiful in places, shorter by some 60km and had a great surface. Most arrived at the Life Resort in Quy Nhon in a good spirits, although the weather had turned for the worse and it was raining and stormy. Apart from the rather hard beds and pillows it was an excellent stop.

Saigon to Da Lat

After the shock of the traffic getting into Saigon it was good to have a rest day to catch our breath but nothing prepared us for the run to Da Lat. Three years ago this had been a busy road out but nothing to write home about...No, it is gridlock at all time of day. Trucks as far as the eye can see and motorbikes weaving their way in and out with alarming antics. How more don't have accidents is a mystery, It took us two hours to complete the first 50km. The early birds took about half the time while others took even longer. 

Once off the main road it was quieter but still busy most of the way to Da Lat, which is an old French hill station which was also neutral ground during the Vietnam War. The Da Lat Palace, where we stayed is a great piece of architecture in a wonderful setting overlooking the lake and further on, the golf course.

Phnom Penh to Saigon

A reasonably early start was required today as there was another border to go through. The journey to the border with Vietnam (Moc Bai) was enlivened with a short ferry crossing, otherwise the roads were busy and dusty to start with due to the roads being widened and resurfaced. Since the first Tiger Rally in 2008 not a lot of progress has been made!

Once at the border the fun started with the Cambodians not initially willing to let us through as some of the cars are right hand drive. Once convinced we have permission in Vietnam with a few dollars then things went smoothly.

On the Vietnam side we were met by Hoa, our man on the ground, who efficiently saw to our progress through the customs. Once on the road, we made our way to the Cu Chi tunnels created by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. An enlightening lesson on the cruelties of man to man before we headed to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and the nine million motorbikes that awaited us int he rush hour.

Every one made it to the hotel and had a well deserved G&T.