RTG Hanoi Daily Dispatch - for website 2 - Flipbook - Page 13
27 January to
23 February 2024
Day 6
Măng Đen to Krong Ban Lung (233km)
2 February 2024
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Michael Merkle and Firdy Naqvi Merkle, 1971 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL
Keith and Norah Ashworth, 1927 Bentley 4½ Le Mans
today we saw our first border crossing of the
Road to Hanoi as we rolled out of vietnam and
into the ancient kingdom of Cambodia.
met us on the other. visa forms, vehicle documents and
customs clearance had all been pre-arranged, leaving the
crews with nothing else than pay the required $40, point
to the numbers on their doors, and let the border guards
know that they were on the rally! there were even boxes of
chilled water and cold towels on hand to make the short
wait in the 34°C heat a touch more bearable. We were then
let loose for the ever-so-easy 75km drive to the night halt
in Krong Ban lung, where each car was given the honour of
a blessing from a brethren of saffron-clad monks.
the day had been a good one for most but, for tim
eades and Jim mclaren their arrival in the car park of the
ratanakiri Boutique hotel didn’t mean kicking back and
relaxing. their escort needed a miracle, not just a blessing.
its gearbox had leaked oil onto the clutch giving its crew along with andy inskip, Charlie neale and Jamie turner - a
few hours of hot dirty work before dinner.
Whilst this transmission repair was going on in one
corner of the car park, in another russ smith was deep
into a fuelling problem with hans-martin and mahnaz
schneeberger’s mercedes. after some investigative work,
the crew gratefully accepted a replacement distributor
from michael and Firdi navqi merkle, in the hope it would
solve the problem.
once we’d left the sanctuary of a very cool măng Đen, sitting
at 1,200m in the northern part of the Central highlands,
there were two regularities to deal with before we reached
the hot and dusty lệ thanh frontier. this is coffee growing
country and, as well as the sight of vast rubber plantations,
we enjoyed the sweet jasmine scent of acres of coffee trees
in full blossom getting ready to deliver their cherries and
precious beans.
the first regularity was run down the hill from măng
Đen, whilst the second took in a long section of forest, aptly
called Coffee trees, before we arrived at the day’s only time
Control in the Windows Cafe. this gave the crews a chance
to taste some of the local brew (hot or cold) and enjoy a
scoop of ice cream.
sometimes border crossings can be lengthy and irksome
affairs but, with the right planning and foresight, most
obstacles can be overcome. so it was today, 4u tours, our
excellent vietnamese agents, left us on one side of the fence
and an equally efficient team from inspiration Cambodia
www.rallytheglobe.com
