As soon as I’m back in My Hoa from Da Lat, the strong winds return. During my last ten days here, it was almost constantly blowing across the flat water at 20 to 43 knots. A GoPro mount that is probably tied too tightly around the centre strut causes it to explode on the jump. Due to the Tet holidays, the repair takes five days. Even after the second attempt, the centre strut continues to lose air. My wings are flat and records are over.
I find the GoPro that fell out of the kite in the morning at low tide after a long lagoon traipse. I borrow the expensive Insta 360 X3 from a Chinese woman and head out onto the water with a good harness mount. In the shallow water in front of the Phan Rang Kite Centre, I crash after a mini hop. The second harness opens and tears the Insta several metres over sharp pieces of coral on the seabed. The total loss results in the most expensive 20-second clip in 25 years of kitesurfing holidays. The coral bites me in the knee one last time.
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Communist Biking: Nha Trang & Da Lat
The wind in My Hoa drops for the first time in many weeks. Down, that means “only” 18 knots here. I go out for some mild cruising with the 12. My friend Tom comes over from Thailand. We put up at the very nice luxury resort My Hoa Kiting Town. In the “lull” we hire 150cc scooters and set off along the winding coastal road to Nha Trang to Cầu Nước Ngọt waterfall. Cold, clear water cools us down nicely.
Two days later, we set off on our big tour. The 600-kilometre journey first takes us two and a half hours to the city of Nha Trang with its half-million inhabitants and white tower blocks. The roads are horribly crowded for long stretches. Tom’s bike breaks down. I’m about to push him uphill with my foot. Tom swaps the scooter twice, then we head for the thermal springs of the I-Resort. Artificial waterfalls, steep slides and hot pools are surprisingly relaxing even at almost 30 degrees. (more…)
On The Road Again: Saigon
Never before have I set off on a journey so exhausted. Corona brought a lot of work at first. Then the reopening brought the biggest slump in profits ever. For the first time in a quarter of a century, I was looking for a permanent job as a web designer. Then, all of a sudden, lots of big orders came in again. What remains is the biggest tidal difference of all time – and all-encompassing fatigue.
When saying goodbye at the airport, the little ones’ last words are “Daddy, warm hands”. That’s the favourite compliment she can give a web designer with chronically cold hands. I will miss her very much. But it’s high time for more sleep, a heavy workout and plenty of big airs at one of the windiest spots in Asia. No exhausting expeditions. To be clear: the plan fails as soon as I arrive in Saigon. (more…)
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.