Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
July 09, 2014
The first full day in Saigon was a very lazy affair but a well earned one for sure. Before we did anything I popped along to the Bike shop round the corner which is the Saigon sister shop for the place in Hanoi where we bought Dora from. Thankfully my big backpack had made it down on the train no problem so I grabbed it and had a chat with the lad about how much he would give us to buy the bike back. Only $120 and we paid $300 so I popped it on Craigslist and waited to see if anyone was interested.
We had wanted to ride out and see the Cu Chi tunnels that remained from the Vietnam War but after a massive lay in bed and then popping out to grab my bag we didn’t want to venture too far so we decided on a cinema day and a bit of a night out instead. We wandered to the nearest cinema to see the new Transformers film only to find out it was fully booked with no seats left. A quick walk back and a check on the internet and we found the next nearest cinema so fired up Dora for a trip round town to find it. Disappointment again it was also booked out. Then I realised it was Sunday and obviously a very popular day for the cinema in Vietnam. So we gave up on that one altogether and headed out for some drinks around the backpacker area. It was a really lively buzzing place. The cheaper places to drink are all on the streets. Row after row of plastic seats appear from nowhere until there is barely enough room for cars to navigate through the sea of people. I was surprised to see how popular it was with the locals. A lot more of them sat around drinking than travelers. It’s almost a curiosity to them. To come down to this area on a weekend and watch what the foreigners get up to.
I’ve never been to this area of Saigon before but it reminded me a lot of Bangkok. Bars everywhere and enough girls working the streets to keep an army happy for years. It was a good laugh and before we knew it it was the early hours and we stumbled back to our room after a few buckets, several cocktails and umpteen beers.
The next morning we headed out to the War remnants museum not far from where we were staying. It’s a strange and touching place to say the least. Strange in the sense that it has a lot of American War memorabilia. Some well preserved aircraft and tanks as well as a whole host of weaponry on display that was used against the Vietnamese. The shocking part was the two floors dedicated to the use of Chemical weapons by the US. I wont give you a history lesson on the Vietnam War. That is well documented and there are much better reads out there than I will be able to provide you. The terrible thing that I did not realise about the War and the use of Agent Orange is how much it still affects so many people here in this country. 4 million people were killed during the War but there are still over 3 million people in Vietnam suffering from the effects of AO to this day. It is passed down through generation after generation. Many children still born to this day are deformed or suffer as a consequence. There were many hot spots for AO after the War that the people did not realise. The Americans buried so much of the stuff near their bases that it spread into the wildlife, water supply and crops decades later wreaking havoc on the lives of many. Photos showing children with horrific deformities that were only born a few years ago really hit home that this War really has left a lasting mark on the people of this country. The Americans have still not cleaned this mess up nor compensated the people.
One of the greatest atrocities is that the manufacturers of these chemicals kept supplying the US forces despite Geneva convention dictating otherwise. Since the War these companies have paid compensation to US troupes and their families that were affected by AO but not a single penny has been paid to the Vietnamese citizens affected. The story is a horrible and tragic one and as we wandered round you could see many a person with tears in their eyes. A very sobering place but definitely one that you should not miss if you are here. Everyone should be made aware of this gross act in the history of mankind. There was also an exhibition dedicated to the journalists and photographers that lost their lives during the War as well. Some very graphic photos and some horrible stories of what went on. Taking this all in it is hard to believe the hospitality and generosity that we experienced in Vietnam. These people really have moved on from it all somehow.
The next day brought a lot of head scratching and planning. Dani only had around ten days left before flying back to the UK and we really needed to sort out what we were going to do with that time. We couldn’t sit around in Saigon for ever. Cambodia was always the plan but we didn’t think we could do it justice with the small amount of time left. Plus the fact it would take 24 hours to catch the bus there from Saigon and another days travel from there back to KL to fly home. The cost of a Visa as well as the travel just didn’t add up either so we needed to come up with something else.
We looked into heading back to one of the Thai islands for some nice relaxing and snorkeling but the weather didn’t seem the best and as it was closed season so there were hardly any boats running anywhere and the ones that were were charging a ridiculous amount. So we felt a little stumped for a while. Randomly looking at a map of Asia and wondering what we could do for 10 days and where. Suddenly we thought of Borneo as it has some amazing looking islands as well as the unbelievable wildlife that exists there. I got really excited. If I hadn’t lost my job last year Borneo was going to be my holiday anyway and I got carried away by the thought of it. Before we knew it we had flights booked to Sandaken in Sabah the most Eastern part of Malaysian Borneo. Close to the rainforest and various animal sanctuaries. Turtle island just off the coast of Sandaken where we could go and see the sea turtles. This was amazing.
Another bottle of bourbon was purchased and we started to celebrate our next move. Happy times indeed. Then we started to read into it in a little more detail. Six kidnappings in and around Sandaken so far this year. Pirates coming down from the Philippines and whisking away tourists and westerners. Every government website advising all but essential travel to the area. The last kidnapping was only three weeks ago and there was also one the poor souls who was kidnapped shot dead a couple of months earlier. Hmmm this was interesting reading indeed. Then we checked the various places to stay and how much it would cost. Good grief Borneo was expensive compared to the rest of Asia. Turtle island was ridiculous if you wanted to stay overnight and watch the turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on a night. About £150 for the two of us for one night. We suddenly felt a little deflated and stupid that we hadn’t done our homework properly and thought this through. But hey. We had the flights booked and paid for ready to fly off the next day so somehow it would all have to come together so we went back to celebrating and doing some intensive research on where to go and what to see.
The next morning was D-day for selling Dora the scooter. Our flight out of Saigon at 7pm and no interest on Craigslist for her. We headed back to the bike shop where the lad had offered us the $120 to haggle good and hard but obviously knowing he had a captive audience who were leaving that day he would not budge at all. A quick ride down to some local guys further down the street and we managed to squeeze an extra $10 out of them so received $130 for a bike we paid £300 for several weeks ago. To be fair it was worth every penny and there is no way we could have traveled round the many places we did as a couple for that price. Nor could we have stopped and experienced the small villages and hidden gems either.
It was sad to let the bike go, she had served us so well and not failed us once mechanically for the whole ride down. At this point as well I was very sad to be leaving Vietnam. The place and people have been amazing to us. I’ve done quite a bit of traveling this past year but nothing has come as close to the experience that Vietnam has given us and to me it all comes down to the fact we bought the bike and enjoyed the freedom and experiences it gave in return.
If you ever come to Vietnam for at least 3 weeks then please consider getting a bike and riding through the country. There really isn’t a better way to see and experience the place. If you want a true off the beaten track adventure away from other travelers, backpackers and holiday makers then this is the way to do it. We have traveled through amazing scenery for days on end without seeing another westerner at all. We have stopped at the smallest villages imaginable and met the most wonderful helpful generous people. If there is one thing I learned in Vietnam it is that people you don’t expect can surprise you with their generosity. I have met people who have so little money and wealth who have happily invited us into their homes to share food and shelter. It really is a beautiful thing to experience. People who will go out of their way and bend over backwards to help you even though they know not who you are or where you are from. People who could charge you the earth but are honest and charge you the local rate and not the tourist rate that you find in many of the larger towns and cities. Vietnam has been a wonderful and rich experience that I will never forget and will hopefully learn from. It’s such an amazing place and I recommend that everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. The sooner the better before it gets more popular on the tourist trail. I will return at some point for sure and it has given me other thoughts that we need to come back to Asia at some point and ride around a lot more of it. The thrill of the adventure on the bike is one that is highly addictive and I need more of it.
So with a sad heart yet many happy memories I bid Vietnam goodbye and look forward to what Borneo has to offer. Let’s hope it delivers what it promises and is another great place to enjoy.
