Day 44 - To Ho Chi Minh City or Sài Gòn - Trial by fire: new bike, first tour, first time in Asia

December 8, 2024

Day 44 - To Ho Chi Minh City or Sài Gòn

We did well yesterday leaving ourselves just 60 or 70 km to Ho Chi Minh City. I was excited about the ride ahead, anticipating the intensity rising as the day wore on until that lull, when we reach some unknown destination.

We left Blue Star 2 in search of something to eat and coffee. We didn't have to go far, but in that short distance there was a lot happening.

As we drank coffee a disabled woman rode past on a hand-powered cycle.

I broke all of the rules by ordering a couple of vegetarian banh my with noodles in them (rather than on the side).

The vendor's mother controlled the finances.

It was time, as the skies changed from clear to overcast, for us to head to the centre of a city with 9.5 million people.

I took photos along the way, often at traffic lights. These represent a summary of our ride.

Snack time; the kind women gave me a bottle of cold water.

How many crops could I see growing from this point? Many!

A poor picture but it's a small version of the rice cultivator I mentioned yesterday.

Semi-trailers with containers suggest that we are getting closer.

Like yesterday, there are lottery ticket vendors at most intersections.

Those on two wheels had their own section of divided road. It grew increasingly hectic.

These machines make a sugary drink by squeezing sugar cane.

I reckon me head's worth a wee bit more than that!

This reminded me of seeing a truck of watermelons tip in Iran. The driver was fine; the melons were not. But the red and green on the black tarmac looked superb.

I told Winston that I'd wait for him when things changed. I anticipated that this would happen about 10 km from the city centre. That was more or less right and from this point we pretty much followed our noses, with me following. We ran a bit off course but this was easily corrected at the end.

A cold drink and an iced coffee before the final leg.

I saw a hotel a couple of km from Saigon's central post office and called stumps. It may not have been the best choice but it had been an intense 70 km. Then again, it did adjoin a restaurant offering steamed rice rolls with intestines, a rare combination indeed.