November 3, 2017
Mỹ Tho to Ho Chi Minh City: The last ride of the trip
Today is the last real day of this trip. Six months ago it seemed so far away but the last few days seem to have come upon us in a hurry. At the start of the trip in Japan we had seen ourselves cycling through through China as the final part of the trip but we ended up doing Singapore to Saigon instead. We will spend the next three days in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon rolls off the tongue a lot more easily than HCMC) getting the bicycles boxed for the flight and seeing some of the sights - the War Remnants Museum is top of the list.
Todays ride into Saigon was remarkably easy and stress free. We enjoyed yesterdays short ride through the countryside and were fully prepared for an unpleasant day on Highway One. As it turned out, the first thirty five kilometers saw us sharing the road with a zillion motorcycles with hardly a heavy vehicle in sight. At one point, while we were enjoying a break at a cà fê vòng, I counted over a hundred motorcycles passing us before a vehicle with more than two wheels appeared. The motorcycle lane was mostly clear of debris and parked vehicles so, apart from the cacophony, it wasn't too bad. At about thirty five kilometers we suddenly got joined by a lot of heavy vehicles and these stayed with us until the outskirts of HCMC. There was also a lot of grit and dust being kicked up which made matters even less comfortable. With about fifteen kilometers to go the road suddenly improved with a dedicated motorcycle lane keeping the heavy stuff away from us until six hundred meters from our hotel where we had a tricky traffic circle (roundabout) to negotiate. All in all, a far more pleasant day than we anticipated.
We are staying at the Tân Hoàng Long Hotel in the middle of the tourist area. It is close to the War Remnants Museum and the Notre Dame, has lots of restaurants nearby and has safe parking for the bicycles.
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles)
Total: 7,472 km (4,640 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |