Friday, June 3, 2011

Motorcycle diaries Day 1


Woke-up in a cold sweat.  Was dreaming I'd been trying to sell "iPho.  Made in Vietnam" T-shirts at the Lower Hutt Riverbank market and no one was buying.  They didn't get the joke.  Genesis of the dream was the previous evening when we each purchased said T-shirts after a highly amusing negotiation with a very engaging Vietnamese woman.  Pho is a noodle and broth dish which is very popular here.  I would have preferred to be dreaming about the lovely lady who had sold them to us rather than the T-shirts - pity you can't choose your dreams.  
We did manage to buy three $3 T-shirts for only $5 each and a $3 wallet for only $10 so I think our bargaining skills are pretty sharp.  If next time we try to negotiate before consuming several beers they might be even sharper.
After Pho for breakfast we packed and headed off to the motorcycle tour company to get on the road.  All went smoothly until it was discovered that the horn on Mark's bike wasn't working.  Horn's are the first essential for any Vietnamese vehicle so a half hour wait ensued while horn was fixed.  The first 20 min riding was exciting (to say the least).  Decades since we last rode, unfamiliar bikes, different side of the street and big city traffic.  And of course the Vietnamese have very liberal interpretations of the road rules.
Eventually we made it out of the city by way of some back roads and then out into some awesome scenery.
Am typing this in an idyllic setting - pond in front, then rice paddies in a small valley, palm trees at the end.   Mark and Ross in the showers, my turn next.  Mark has just emerged, so over to him.

Len

Just getting out of the city was a major achievement given we had no knowledge of the road rules ( I do not think the locals know them either ) or maybe there are just non.  Given - as Len commented - that none of us have been on bikes for a few years it was a relief to find that all the reflexes still worked and we could change gears, brake and do most of the essential things required to ride a bike. Some skills such as dodging pot holes and large trucks took longer to get working.
Vietnam for those not familiar is a country over run with motor bikes and in Hanoi extremely expensive cars. The food is incredible, probably some of the best in the world. The day prior to departing the highlight of the day was the lunch, rice pancakes wrapped around diced pork,  shrimp and vegetable spring rolls, and pork wrapped in betel leaves. Rice pancakes are made by grinding up rice into a flour like consistency and then making these wonderful crisp pancakes. Dinner followed the same excellent standard and other than sitting almost on the seat on pre-school plastic chairs, was a self cook on a table Bar B Que. This consisted of beef, goat, lots of onion, garlic and a few vegetables along with wonderful french bread.
So day one completed I am sure tomorrow we will wake up knowing a whole range of muscles we have not had any knowledge of for many years. My one advantage I think is that unlike the other two skinny, underweight individuals I am travelling with some extra padding in places most desirable for motor cycling.
Mark

Ross's piece
Has been a remarkable day.  Used a few weeks supply of adrenalin, which always lends a crispness to memories.  Roads varied from odd stretches of dual carriage way to long spells of roadworks with gravel and deep potholes.  Pleased I have been out on the mountain bike a bit.  Our 160cc Honda road bikes have seen plenty of action in the past but are in good nick and while a lot heavier than a mountain bike, seem well suited to these roads.
Road hazards include buffalo carts, loose buffalo, calves, kids, dogs, limousines and attractive women cycling with parasols (prioritising attention being a core part of safety).  Passing plywood factories drying sheets of freshly cut timber by the road, brick factories and numerous  rice paddies and corn fields our trip up the Red River had constant distractions that we gradually gained confidence to look at.
Tonight we are staying with a Zao family in their stilt home.  The Zao are one of the ethnic minorities in Vietnam.  It promises to be a fun night.

Ross


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