RTG Hanoi Daily Dispatch - for website 2 - Flipbook - Page 27
27 January to
23 February 2024
Day 14 Nan to Loei (383km)
10 February 2024
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
today was an auspicious day in thailand but
perhaps a little bittersweet for the Road to Hanoi
Marathon. it’s Chinese new year and people across
the region are celebrating the arrival of spring and
the year of the dragon. We’ve just tipped over the
halfway point of the rally and, unfortunately, this
means we’re on the home run.
Phillip and Trish Monks had problems with their Jaguar Mk 2 today
in a nod to the calendar, today’s amendments were folded
neatly into lucky red envelopes. once the 48-hour car
notes had been digested alongside breakfast, we drove
deeper into the backcountry and explored the remote
border region along the thai / laos frontier, one of the
most sparsely populated areas of thailand.
Whilst the traffic through the towns seemed lighter, all
wasn’t entirely quiet on new year’s day. a brass band in
Ban non nok must have jarred with some of the townsfolk
who’d been hoping for a gentle start to the day. For the rally
though, this sort of rousing accompaniment was just what
they needed on the way to the first regularity at Wat sali.
Just getting there was a real treat, but the timed section
itself was amazing. it ran for almost 17km through ancient
jungle dotted with unruly clumps of bamboo and bananas.
the contrast between the prehistoric forest and the modern
road surface couldn’t have been greater and sharing this
with no one but a handful of itinerant monks made for a
very special start to the new year. Fred gallagher and loren
Price served us a decent selection of snacks at a relatively
chilly (20°C) shong Paen din time Control overlooking the
hills with a lofty 900m of altitude.
the Ban na Bua test followed and was a neat little 3km dirt
spur with a few wiggles, a blind crest and a hairpin through
banana and rubber trees. a policeman at each junction,
miles of warning tape and a scattering of local marshals
ensured this section was locked down like Fort Knox.
From here the rally ran straight into the second short
regularity at huai mun and on to the lunch halt and time
Control in Phu soi dao, perfectly placed to satisfy a hungry
rally. and, under a waterfall in the grounds of the national
Park visitor centre, sticky rice, chicken and mango salad was
served al fresco.
sadly, Philip and trish monks’ Jaguar had to stop with a
blown head gasket just before the regularity start and was
www.rallytheglobe.com
