What to do when you have nothing to do

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The early morning commute to the place of swimming was uneventful. As per yesterday's blog - it's pretty much a case of dodgem bikes/cars/people. You do see some unusual sights when riding around. A good percentage of the bikes have been on the road for decades. Honda and Yamaha look like they were the vehicle of choice. Most are either 110cc of 125cc. It's only the younger people that have had enough money to buy the more modern bikes. It was only recently that the Vietnamese government allowed engine sizes greater that 125cc. The train of thought was that as the local roads were so bad, there so many bikes - it was considered to be a safety issue and if you limited the size of the engines that it would be safer. FAIL!! However - as the quality of Vietnamese roads is improving - they have allowed engines sizes up to 250cc. So now you have a brigade of young hoons in Hoi An (and also further afield) who like to race around on their fiery steeds that are decked out in all sorts of metallic eye-catching colours. Quite a change from the traditional black coloured bikes that were the only ones you could get. Incidentaly - you see very few policemen around here in Hoi An. Certainly no radar/speed police - so there is no one controlling speed and road-safety issues.

It's not unusual to see whole families travelling on a bike. Quite often a little long-legged "jump seat" that fits between the driver's seat and the handle bars are used. They actually make them for the different makes and models of bikes you can buy. If you need one - you just go to the local market and they can sell the correct one for your bike. Then behind the driver (usually the father) you might have a child or the mother, then behind that person another 1 or 2 depending on the size. It's not uncommon to see "babes-in-arms" as well. Westerners are totally horrified at these kinds of seating arrangements - however this is life in such a poor and heavily populated country. I can't quote the exact number - but it's something like 15,000 people get killed every year through motor bike/vehicle accidents.

There are bikes that have had "custom-made" panniers to carry everything from chickens to pigs to vegetables, equipment, bamboo, boxes, furniture, water bottles (the 20L type), cartons of beer, household items, building materials and much much more. To say the simple motorbike is the backbone of daily transportation is an understatement. Fuel is around the same price as it is in Australia (at the moment) - about $1/litre. The price is government controlled. 4 months ago it was $1/litre, then it jumped to $1.07, and now it's down to $1 again. Fuel tanks are quite small - many just 5L max - so petrol stations are always busy.

So - what to do when you have nothing planned?? You get on your trusty steed and go for a ride around the area. My steed is a Yamaha Nuovo (125C) - bought off the local policeman for around $400. I split the cost with a Vietnamese friend of mine. He works at villa nearby, so when I am not "in country" he will take the bike to the villa and rent it out to guests for $7/day. This is the going rate for most bike rentals in Hoi An - unless you want the latest model which can then set you back up to $20 per day. I am not looking for any profit. A rental bike for 2.5 months would have cost me the same amount as my half of this investment. So if the bike lasts until next February - then I have a "free" bike (no more rental) when I get here. It's nice just to get out of the town and ride through the small hamlets and communities, stopping for a cold beer or 2 when the urge dictates. Many of the rice fields have good dirt paths and even good cements paths between them - so I like to get out and "ride the paddies". I always seem to gravitate back to one of my favourite restaurants - Vina Ngon on Cua Dai road, where they have cheap cold beer and good food. This place is becoming so popular now with tourists that I have to be careful of the time I go otherwise I can't get a table. Some evenings you even have to have a reservation!!! Not bad for an 8-table roadside restaurant.

The riding route might include a stop at the Ba Le Market where I pick up some cans of soda water and tonic to take back to the homestay. I do miss my soda water in the 1.25L bottles that we get in Woolies and Coles. The day ends with a nice cool shower, checking of the e-mails, FB-ing with Kathie and a little TV watching to see what's happening in the rest of the world. TV is pretty quiet now. UEFA has finished, so too Wimbledon, and the Tour de France (with it's predictable winner after the first few days) over for another year. Tonight I will stroll across the road to my friends restaurant and have some nice local dish that she cooks up. I'll have a couple of cold $0.75 La Rue beers, try to have a conversation with some of the local eaters and drinkers - then call it a night.

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