The buses "win" the rain...

Line of vehicles waiting to deal with the fallen tree incident on Gia Bac Pass, Highway 28. Photo: Trang Hieu

The trip... held my breath

At about 3:00 p.m. on October 1, when the car was about to go down Gia Bac Pass, Highway 28 into Ham Thuan Bac Commune, an accident occurred. In front of me, a line of cars was parked in a curved line on the winding pass road before going down to the plains, for unknown reasons. Because the place where the accident happened was hidden from view. It was raining heavily, making everyone afraid to get out of the car, even though they were very curious. Maybe it was raining heavily, and the rocks rolled down onto the road? Or maybe a tree fell onto the road? I wonder if anyone was injured... After about 10-15 minutes of waiting, the line of cars behind my car got longer. The rain also lessened. Several drivers ran to check. A woman came from behind and knocked on the car door, asking me: "Is there a way to the residential area here?". She was probably a tourist and did not know the terrain here. “No, ma’am. This is the only road. If you turn back, you will go straight to Da Lat. Wait and see, the road will be cleared soon!”, I replied with consolation. But fear stirred in my heart when I looked around, the dark forest, the misty clouds, evoking the history of more than 100 years, the French opened this road and the sacrifices of the K’ho Nop people and the Kinh people. The small, abandoned shrines hidden along the road proved that…

It took an hour for the cars in front to move. When they arrived at the scene of the incident, they saw the fallen tree being sawed into pieces and piled up by the soldiers. The tree was estimated to be about 30-40 meters high, so the weight of its trunk broke the power lines along the road, causing a widespread power outage. Every car happily drove past the pile of leaves that had not been cleared yet. But when my car had just passed by,... bang. The 12-seat limousine seemed to be tilting. "Oh my god" - the driver exclaimed with a tense and frustrated expression. At the same time, he honked the horn, even though the road ahead was empty. And I discovered in time that there was a shrine on the side of the road...

Dai Ninh Pass, National Highway 28B is under construction and still messy. Photo: Ngoc Lan

The car just kept going sideways like that. It was clattering, clattering like a normal car going over the speed bumps on the road. The tourists sitting in the back asked each other questions that I knew were Chinese, asking what was wrong with the car. The rain was getting heavier and heavier. The road was slippery as if greased. Other cars traveling in the same direction honked their horns one by one. A feeling of anxiety arose, similar to September 30, the car went on the Dai Ninh pass - National Highway 28B from Phan Thiet to Da Lat, in many sections, the wheels were pushed by the mud, making everyone in the car hold their breath. Because of the mission that had to be carried out, they and I decided to go on the route that only 2 days before, on September 28, the press reported that at Km 40, rocks and soil fell onto the road, blocking the way, causing a long line of cars to wait in a scene where on one side was a cliff, on the other side was a ravine with a slope under construction.

And now, at Gia Bac Pass - Highway 28 back to Phan Thiet, the car with a flat tire was driving in the rain... The driver encouraged the passengers as if encouraging himself: "Don't worry, just keep going a little longer and it will be fine!". It was indeed fine. When the car reached Ham Thuan Bac commune, it was no longer raining so it was smoother. The dry road proved that at least it had not rained all day. Storm Bualoi No. 10 only caused widespread rain in the highlands. The coastal plains in the southeast of the province were also affected but only a few times.

Familiar road, "strange" road

Storm No. 10 had not yet ended when the East Sea was hit by Storm No. 11. On October 3, we went from Phan Thiet to Da Lat for a meeting. The bus was full of officials and civil servants, people who, by the nature of their work, were allowed to stay at the base. There were no tourists. "Because who would choose these sudden rainy days to travel , and also go through a road under construction, which is getting stranger and stranger" - That was the thought of a driver named T. who has been driving the Phan Thiet - Da Lat route for over 20 years. In the past, the Dai Ninh route had not yet appeared, because the Dai Ninh hydroelectric plant had not yet been built, so he had to go through Ngoan Muc pass in Phan Rang to Da Lat. After a period of attention, expansion and renovation, the Dai Ninh route was named National Highway 28B by the Ministry of Transport, and he has been driving this route ever since. Therefore, although the road is narrow and has "potholes" here and there, because he drives it every day, he has become familiar with it.

Dai Ninh Pass is under construction, dusty, if it rains the muddy ground is very dangerous. Photo: Ngoc Lan

Familiar with the road, driving without the stress of now, when Highway 28B is being pushed to the construction, the road suddenly becomes strange and very strange to him every day. In addition, in recent days, storms have been brewing in the East Sea, approaching the mainland from far away, but Da Lat still has rain spreading here. To widen the road, the basalt soil on the pass was dug up, splashing with rainwater combined with the soft, bouncy traffic that seemed to challenge the grip of the wheels. During the day, driving is still manageable. At 2-3am every Monday morning, the trips carrying officials and civil servants from Phan Thiet to the provincial administrative center for work were already very difficult, now traveling in such circumstances is many times more stressful.

Another driver has been in the profession for 15 years, but every time the week ends and the bus company assigns him to take officials and civil servants late at night on the first day of the week, he is as "nervous" as a student entering an exam room. Not only because he has to travel late at night, on a mountain pass with many sharp turns, with his sleeves, facing the rain and wind in front of him, and mud under the wheels. But also because the bus is full of officials and civil servants, people who, according to him, are brave when they arrange their families and go on business trips away from home. He heard somewhere that officials are the nation's assets. If there is any mistake, the business of the bus company where he works will "go down the cliff". Checking back from the time the province merged until now, it is right in the rainy season, so the cool, clear nights and early mornings are very rare. Otherwise, the bus travels in the rain and fog. Recently, several more fierce storms have threatened to cause heavy, intense rain in the highlands, as if to demonstrate its power to the small vehicles running through the vast forest.

Because of that fear, the drivers who pick up and drop off officials are more cautious. Thanks to that, no incidents have happened. I happened to hear a very funny conversation between the driver and a civil servant. "Oh, looking back, you seem to be thinner and older than last month, don't you?", "Don't you look in the mirror? Just driving, why are your faces so wrinkled?", "Yes, sir, your income is higher than before, but I don't understand why your face is wrinkled, hehe." "Well, wrinkled faces are nothing, in the past time, we have overcome difficulties and challenges very well. Let's continue to accompany each other!".

According to forecasts, in October this year, there is a possibility of 2-3 storms or tropical depressions appearing in the East Sea. Although unrelated, during these times, Da Lat always rains regardless and spreads to the mountain passes down to the sea as usual. The buses "overcome" the rain and the difficulties ahead continue to roll...

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/nhung-chuyen-xe-thang-mua-395357.html