RTG Hanoi Daily Dispatch - for website 2 - Flipbook - Page 34
27 January to
23 February 2024
Day 18 Luang Prabang Rest Day
14 February 2024
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
We woke to a glorious morning in a beautiful hotel
set amidst rice paddies and palm trees. it’s much
cooler here than it was in Chiang mai for our last
rest day, but the crews working on their cars still
needed the full factor 50 and plenty of fluids.
those who opted for the pre-dawn visit to the town centre
to see the monks receiving sai Bat, or morning alms, had
no such issues. it was chilly in the old town as a river of
saffron flowed through the half-lit streets, collecting rice
for themselves and onward distribution to those in need.
an amazing ritual that has been practiced for centuries.
after yesterday’s pothole battering a few cars needed
tlC including the mercedes of gary and martin Brauns
who went looking for a welder for their steering and
suspension. the repair they made in vientiane was good,
but yesterday’s banging and crashing undid much of the
work. Frustratingly, the crew have all of the bits they
need, unfortunately they’re on a workbench in the usa!
dirk van lerberghe was whiling away the time cleaning
his carburettors, but other than that, he and hilde are very
pleased with the way that their speed 8 is running. Peter
morton was changing the shock absorber bushes of his
rover P6 thanks to the thumping that they got yesterday.
he and louise are currently leading their class and a rest
day was the perfect opportunity for them to tie up loose
ends and sort the odd gremlin. nigel dowding and mary
antcliff’s aston martin is chasing the Chevy Fangio, but
they’ve got a minute to make up and admit time is running
out. today they were dealing with a cracked windscreen.
repair wasn’t an option, so nigel was doing his best with
various forms of adhesive tape to make sure that things
didn’t get any worse. graham goodwin, down to his last
pair of shorts before the laundry was delivered, was busy
checking and swapping the wheels and tyres of his Porsche.
“touch wood, there’s nothing wrong with the car and it’s
great fun to drive. We took it steady yesterday and just
about coped with the bumps… we didn’t break anything”.
tonight was a free evening so once they’d finished their
chores, some of the crews took a trip into the old town to
soak up the culture and dine in one of the fine restaurants
alongside the mekong as the sun went down on another
great day.
www.rallytheglobe.com
