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Published: December 20th 2007
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Boarder Crossing
This was what the boarder looked like. It was just opened to international travelers about 2 months ago. On the 14th of December my 30 day visa to Vietnam began and this was the day I crossed the boarder. I threw my bike on the top of a small pickup truck and rode very cramped with 15 other people for 120 Km. It was a neat experience, even though no one spoke English. The boarder where I crossed was just opened to international travelers about 2 months ago, so I was told I was one of the first westerners to take this route. As you can tell by the photo, it is not a modern border crossing. Overall, it was pretty hassle free except they did do a quick search of my bags at Immigration. After 1 hour, I was on my way, cycling into Vietnam!
In Cambodia, you see many things also printed in English as it kind of serves as a second language. This is not so in Vietnam (at least outside of major tourist areas.) When I arrived in Tay Ninh, 50 Km from the border, I had a difficult time finding a hotel because nothing was in English, besides 'Internet' and 'coffee'. Luckily, when I was riding out of the Cao Dai Temple, a
Vietnamese Cyclists
Having Coffee with some hard core cyclists from Ho Chi Minh City. man named Loi asked me to pull over for a picture. He was a newspaper reporter for Tay Ninh and wanted to put my picture in the paper. We enjoyed my first cup of Vietnamese coffee together and it was fantastic. As a local photographer, the police call Loi whenever an accident happens. He showed me a photo album of pictures he has taken in the past couple of years and I have to tell you it was quite disturbing. I think this album was the thing that made me most nervous so far on my trip. He couldn't caution me enough. Anyways I was lucky that Loi could show me where a hotel was and I got a nice room with AC (the first AC of the trip and it was GREAT) for $6.25 or 100,000 dong (16,000 dong = $1 USD).
The next day I cycled to the Cu Chi Tunnels about 75 Km away. The great thing that I love about the roadsides of Vietnam is the cafes! They are much better tailored to relaxation than Cambodia. In Cambodia people just set up drink stands where you could get a beer or water. Nothing too special.
Crawling thru Cu Chi
After a long day of cycling, my legs were burning bad crawling thru these tiny tiny tunnels. Can you imagine living in these for over 2 years??? In Vietnam however, these cafes are decked out with great shade, fans, hammocks and chairs. I probably averaged seeing one cafe every 1 or 2 Km. And the coffee only costs 20 to 30 cents!
The tunnels themselves were a pretty amazing man-made feat. There were over 250 Km of underground tunnels and they once stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. We got to crawl through a 50 meter section and it was very tight. After a day spent in the saddle, my legs were on fire. By the time our small group exited the tunnel, we were dripping sweat. It is quite amazing to think that the Cuchi people lived in these tunnels for years during the war.
I then caught a bus back to the town of Cu Chi 25 Km away where I had hoped to then catch a bus into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but none of them would take my bike and a taxi was rediculously expensive. So I decided to stay in the town and bike the rest of the way to Saigon the following day as it wasn't too far of a ride.
When I started the next
Crawling through Cu Chi
This was the leg burning 50 meter stretch. morning I came across a group of Vietnamese cyclists having coffee who waved me down. I stopped and they bought me some coffee and tea. These men were all decked out in high performance cycling jerseys and cleats, accompanied by very expensive road bikes. They spoke very minimal English but it was a fun time while they starred at my bike. I then got to cycle with a few of them on the way to Saigon which was fun passing each other back and forth. One of the guys literally cleared a path for me. He rode slightly ahead of me yipping and yelling, while wildly pointing behind him at me. He also would motion to traffic to 'slow down, slow down.' It was a fun 15 Km or so of cycling!
Saigon came after a quick 20 Km or so, but the city is HUGE and it takes forever to get through town. Traffic is nuts, but this is where the tall bike has its huge advantage. People slow down, give me space and see me from a long way away. I still have never once felt unsafe on it as I go to and fro.
As
Saigon River at Cu Chi
A nice shot of the meandering river. I made my way into the heart of the city, I thought that I had found where I wanted to go, but ended up being way off. I parked my bike at a resturant where I had lunch and proceded to wander around for about 2 hours trying to figure out where I was. Its hard to explain, but on the map, all of the parks, directions of roads, and roundabouts matched, but none of the street names did. And when I would ask a local if we were where I pointed, they would say 'yes'. Well I finally figured out I was 5 Km NW of district where I wanted to be. Once I found my way there, I found a dormatory room for $3. I shared a room with 3 bunk beds and 5 Japanese travelers.
The crazy thing that happend to me in Saigon was when I had first let my hotel. I had walked about 1 block when a guy named Steve, from Australia, came walking out of another dorm hotel. I had met Steve at the Cambodian border about 3 weeks ago before I got to Siem Reap. It was so random, but neat.
Inside the Cuchi
A look at what soldiers looked like inside the tunnels planning for battles. We are now in email contact and expect to cross paths in Hoi An around Christmas time. I took a Cyclo Trip around the massive city, which was enjoyable, and saw some of the sites like the Reunification Palace, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Saigon River. Saigon was really the first place that I had seen other tourists that spoke English and where there was English signs. It was a nice break.
I booked a bus to take me and my bike to Dalat up in the Central Highlands where I would then continue my cycling. It cost $7 for me and $7 for my bike. I will write about Dalat in the next blog. I am quite excited to see some mountains again!
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Paul
non-member comment
Cheap coffee!
Great story bro. I'll be looking for pictures of your bicycle and news of the cheapness and fun. I'm returning to Bangkok/Chiang Mai in a few weeks and will be looking for a home over there and doing a lot of traveling too. Prayers for your safety, Paul Venne Los Angeles California