Vietnam. Vietnam. Vietnam.
3 times for 3 incredible weeks. From the second we arrived to Ho Chi Minh City to the second we left Ho Chi Minh Chi 3 short weeks later we had no idea about all that was to come in between. First and foremost, our guide Hilly was incredible, and was a person that we wish everyone could meet. Not only was he incredibly thorough, loyal, pssionate with Vietnam and world history, but he was interested in creating life long friendships, and making the experience very special for his group. He was a selfless man who really helped us truly understand the Vietnamese culture. They are peaceful, forward looking people, who are incredibly resourceful and hard working. It was an absolute pleasure to see the immense diversity of the 10th largest country in the world with over 80 million people. It’s an absolute must to travel Vietnam by Bike, and above all to visit Vietnam in general. We have found the experience of visiting our first 3rd world country incredible and memorable, not only because of the lush landscape, but because of the character of the people. We visited two of the world’s largest cities (Hanoi and Saigon), temples, hill tribes, plantations and fishing villages. This country is an unbelievable exporter of produce, grains, and nuts- only made possible by generations of farmers. Vietnamese take immense pride in there own country, and praise tourists. They are fully aware that their economy is thriving due to two major factors: tourism, and the recent opening of Vietnamese boarders to foreign investments. Even though Vietnamese are Communist, it has a very western-capitalist feel that is recognized by their work ethic and generational heritage. In Vietnam, regardless of your strengths, your profession is that of your parents, whether it be a farmer, fisherman, government official, or vendor. People recognize their capabilities in acquiring more from hard work- and that they do, all to pass it along to further generations.
Most backpackers, or travelers don’t have the opportunity to travel through the western region of the central highlands…because you can’t. For one-it was recently this year made open to tourists and two, because it is virtually impossible to reach this region…unless your on two wheels. Unanimously, this was a special experience for everyone in the group…however unanimously they were the most agonizing, most rewarding “rides” of the trip. We were riding through; well call them roads…for a couple days. We will highlight one day for you here for an example:
Day (x): Get up at 5 am (6). Force feed yourself endless amounts of eggs, dragon fruit, and bananas for fear of passing out in the 110 degree Sahara desert heat. 7:30 sharp (8:00) leave for a day of cycling, where Hilly would say there are “small hills” in the start, them some flat roads for 50 km until you deserved lunch. 8:15 feel very sore when you remounted your bike. 8:30 start crying because you reached your first hill. 8:35 curse yourself for ever starting this trip. 8:35-10 cycle through the most amazing sites while having the time of your life (sometimes). 10 ish- daily coffee stop along the road. Vietnamese coffee…has the strength of 5 red bulls combined with 6 starbucks coffees all in 6 sips, with a tablespoon of condensed milk. After our first couple coffee stops our group’s tolerance to caffeine was sky high, so after our coffee, we proceeded to do a team 250 ml red bull chug before we left for our bikes. In Vietnam you can get a red bull and a coffee for 20,000 dong, (1 USD). Dangerous for caffeine addicts. After our maaajjor caffeine buzz kicked in it was time to cruise for our pre lunch challenge. Normally after 2 hours of cycling hard we would reach lunch, and complete our morning cycle of 50 km. Around 1 we would always stop for lunch, which consisted of 8 courses of vegetables and fish, if we were lucky we would sometimes get a suspicious taste of various local mystery meat, with our own personal pound of rice. After a few days of “tuna in tomato sauce” the group grew somewhat sick of seafood, so everyone started force feeding themselves with rice for fear of what the afternoon cycle had in store for us…which was normally another 40-50 km up hill. Depending on the day 2-5 pm was spent at times going down a mountain for 3 hours, climbing Everest via bike, sweating, crying, crawling, and realizing that this bike trip was initially why we were doing this trip in the first place, and will continuously serve as a inspiration to continue cycling from here on out. Every second of this bike ride was filled with different scenery, sites, and smiles. Around 6 or 7 everyday we were always found as a group reflecting on the ride, over the famous Vietnamese BA BA BA bia, or a coffee. We would then transfer to our hotel, spend another meal together, and head out for a massage, drink, or back to our rooms for some sleep, all to have another amazing day to follow in the morning!
More details to come when we are not distracted by the blaring Shakira in the background of this bar! CHEERS!!
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