If You Chill It, They Will Come

OUR FIRST EVENING at the Phong Nha Farmstay, we went for a bike ride in search of “The Pub With Cold Beer”, a simple covered porch attached to a woman’s home. She sold two types of beer and fresh peanuts, the latter of which she was out of on our visit.

Sitting down with a drink, we learned the story behind “The Pub”. Ben Mitchell, co-owner of the Farmstay told the proprietor of TPWCB that if she kept a refrigerator stocked with cold beers he would get people to come by and give her $1 USD a piece for them.

A lack of electricity and general skepticism about Ben’s claim, meant she didn’t jump at the idea. She wasn’t ready to burden herself with a bill for something she thought would never work to her advantage, but Ben was so sure of his plan that he fronted her the money.

And on this day we were glad he did. A $1 cold beer after off-roading and pushing our bikes through knee-high water across a washed-out street was a welcome sight.

VERDICT: Mostly Harmless - but bring cash.

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Phong Nha Farmstay: Rural guesthouse near Dong Hoi, Vietnam. Great jumping-off point for visiting Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.