Today is Tuesday April 13, 2010 and we are in Pleiku, Vietnam. We spent the night in the Hoang Anh Gialai Hotel and we are preparing to get under way. But wait! There is a major change in plans! Our schedule, our route, our entire plans for the next few days has been changed by the Government officials who have been our escorts. Allow me to explain the events leading up to this change.
We met the two men pictured here (along with a couple others) a few days ago when we picked up our bikes at the Hai Van Pass. The one on the left is Chom. He and I hit it off right away and became very close friends during the ride. Very friendly, quick with a smile, a laugh, or a joke. I found out on this our 4th day of riding that Chom was a police officer, and the man next to him is his boss, the Police Chief for all the territory between Hue in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.
They have been traveling with us for the past few days, partly for our protection and to make sure our passage through the countryside was uneventful. We found out later that they were also reporting all of our activities to higher officials in Hanoi. They had witnessed most of our church visits, and became particularly interested when we baptized new believers. One of the other officers carried a small video camera with him and had been recording much of our activities. To make a long story short, this morning before we left Pleiku, we were told to stop visiting churches and to stop baptizing Vietnamese - we were "saving" too many people!
And so we begin our journey, but in a different direction. Our first stop is a cultural one; we are to visit a reconstructed village, an outdoor museum, showing how Vietnamese villagers once lived. Here we found huts made of wood, thatch, and tin. There were animals, such as goats, cows, and water buffalo roaming free for us to observe. There were people there to demonstrate to us how they used to live, communicating thru interpreters. And there were real villagers nearby who suddenly appeared to see the Americans. We spent a couple hours here talking to the villagers and taking pictures.
Before we left the village, another change took place. Our Mission Team Leader, Joe Bishman, informed us that the next two days would consist of long, hard riding. He gave the riders the option - ride bikes, or take a break and ride on the bus for a while. Of the 12 American riders, 5 of us decided to continue the ride. The other 7 boarded the busses, allowing some of the Vietnamese pastors to take their place riding.
We finally head off once again, heading south thru Pleiku. However, those of us on the bikes quickly realize that the busses are not with us! They have taken another route (and the police escorts are with the busses, not the bikes!) And so the bikers, 5 Americans and about 15 Vietnamese pastors head off into the mountains of the Central Highlands. Did I mention that all of our interpreters are on the busses!! We are off on a real adventure!
We ride for about an hour, soaking up the sights of the mountains and the villagers we pass by. We stop for what we thought was a water and stretch break. Suddenly, we are surrounded by a large group of villagers. Seems they are the congregation of a local United Methodist church. Just goes to show that if you can't visit the church, the church can come and visit you! We met the pastor and many of his congregation here along the side of a mountain road.
We board our bikes once more and continue our journey into the mountains. About an hour later, we stop once again, this time for lunch. We sit for lunch and are joined by a Vietnamese who calls himself "Danny". (Danny is the short man in red) It seems Danny learned to speak English as a small boy when the U.S. Army was stationed here in the late 60's. Danny is now the pastor of a small United Methodist church here in this mountain village. He informs us over lunch that we are the first white men (American's) to visit his village since 1975! 
Danny and the members of his congregation have provided our lunch. Then he presents to each of us a gift - a shoulder bag hand-made by the ladies of his church. We have discovered that the Vietnamese are all about hospitality and graciousness. We are embarassed that we do not have gifts to give in return. Danny introduces us to his son, and together with several members of his congregation, we pray for each other and are on our way once again.
We are now crossing back over the mountains heading south-west. The ride is mostly uneventfull for the rest of the afternoon. Up and down the hills, round and round the curves we go. The roads are not the best. In some places, the highway is more stone and potholes than pavement, but on we go. The weather is very warm - in the mid 90's and we are dog tired as we journey on. But, no matter how tired we are, we perk up each time we pass through a village or small town. We are energized as the Vietnamese recognize that we are different (foreigners) and they smile and wave and yell "hello" to us!
One other note about this particular ride - the five of us (Americans) are really bonding with our Vietnamese counterparts. As we ride beside each other, we are developing a mutual respect and friendship. We may not be able to talk to each other as easily as we wish, but we are still able to communicate. These guys and gals riding with us are amazing, and I would ride with any of them anywhere, anytime!
We continue riding, following our Vietnamese guides. We have not seen the busses all day and are not sure where they are - but we continue to ride. The sun sets and our last two hours of riding are in the dark - not fun! In a strange country with no street lights, the potholes and bumps are difficult to see. But we have faith - faith in our escorts, but mostly faith in God, that He will protect us and lead us to our next destination. And lead us He does. Around 8:30 pm we arrive back on the coast of the South China Sea at a resort hotel. Everyone is exhausted, but thrilled at the events of the day. A quick shower and supper, and off to bed. Tomorrow we continue south along the coast.
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