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July 29, 2005
The Motorbike Diary
(Day 161) To some, the traffic here can be intimidating, even downright scary. To me, it looked like an exciting challenge. I had skipped skydiving and bungee jumping in New Zealand due to budget concerns. There was no chance I'd pass up the extreme sport of driving in Vietnam.
I had a bowl of pho (with medium rare beef and soft tendon) for brunch and went ou in search for a motorbike to rent. Finding one was easy; There were plenty of places vying for the business of a suicidal backpacker. For only US$4, I had my own 110cc Honda Wave and pulled out into the street, joining the madness, honking at everyone and everything, grinning like a madman the entire time.
Swerving between the buses, cars, bicycles, and other motorbikes was a real thrill. I took it easy at first, to get used to the clunky gears and try and make find some pattern to the chaos. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any. Some red lights were obeyed, others were simply ignored. It wasn't too uncommon for someone trying to make a left turn to drive into oncoming traffic for a few meters before getting into his proper lane. As minutes ticked by though, I began to get the hang of it, knowing when to be color blind, and realizing that as long as I play to the objective of not hitting anything, I'd be fine. I became more and more confident, so much so that I even ventured to free my left hand for pictures.
HCMC is a deceptively large city. My game plan was basically to find a pretty girl and tail her (honking all the way of course) until I saw another, and as a result, it didn't take long for me to become hopelessly lost. To make matters more interesting, I got caught out in a midday shower. I took cover near a shopping mall, waiting for the storm to pass. While clouds can hang around for days, rain itself never lasts for very long. Within twenty minutes, I was on my way again.
I eventually made it back to my hotel, after using up two tanks of gas. I did have a couple (okay, more like seven) close calls throught the day. The fact though that this blog is still being updated should be assurance enough that I made emerged from my adventure relatively unscathed, save for a few gray hairs.
If there's one rule that applies to the roads in Vietnam, it's that size matters. Motorbikes yield to cars, which in turn, yield to buses. I had piece of mind then, when as promised by the tour company, a luxury coach pulled up to take me on my overnight trip to Nha Trang. In case of collision, at least I'd be on the winning team, I thought. That is, until I realized the only other vehicles on the road at night were other buses and long distance cargo trucks. Only a tank would be safe out here, and even then, I'd have it customized with a horn.
Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!
Posted by markyiin at July 29, 2005 08:37 AM
Comments
i'm kinda getting fed up with vietnam. its colorful and all.. but man.. the harassment travellers get from touts is maddening. and most times when tourists go to get food, they'll be given the 'tourist menu', which is basically food at about three times the price locals are paying. i have to say, this isnt one my favorite countries to visit...
chung: i can understand about the dog... i got offered that in cambodia as well...
frank: i dont think the color is french influence. laos and cambodia were both under french rule at one point too, neither of them are as colorful as here.
jon: they tasted just like grapefruit, only better. not as bitter, a bit more sweet.
lisa: you'll have to send me pictures ;)
simon: haha, yeah, its a lot of work to keep a blog. i havent decided which countries in europe to go to yet. how expensive was it there?
Posted by: markyiin at July 29, 2005 08:46 AM
are you going to halong bay?
Posted by: matt at July 29, 2005 09:15 AM
New idea, Mark... I remember your post about Beer Lao(?) from before. How about a running commentary on the different beers/drinks you've had while on the road? :)
Posted by: Ray at July 29, 2005 09:28 AM
This entry is hilarious! I'm learning how to drive a motorcycle, and sure am glad I don't live over there.
Good thing it's a long flight to Istanbul - this is my first digital camera, and it'll probably take me that long to figure it out. :p
Posted by: Lisa at July 29, 2005 12:47 PM
ugh... stuck in hue cause the trains got booked out. dont know what to do tomorrow, maybe just catch up on entries (i'm about 3 days behind). will be in hanoi soon hopefully.
Posted by: markyiin at July 30, 2005 07:49 AM
The plane ticket I got was pretty expensive since summer is high season. Other than that, things in Europe wasn't as expensive as I expected. It's about the same as US I would say. Train tickets can get expensive too but if you can one of those package with 30 days or 60 days of unlimited train rides, that might be better.
Posted by: Simon at July 30, 2005 07:58 AM
Travelling in Eastern Europe (including Turkey) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) is cheaper. If you're on a tight budget, don't linger too long in Western Europe and I'd stay away from Switzerland and the Nordic countries ($$). If you make it to Europe during the winter and feel like doing something crazy and off most itineraries, you might be able to swing a cheap trip to Iceland from a European hub... natural hot springs pools, Icelandic blondes, and good nightlife to check out...
Posted by: badabing at July 31, 2005 02:52 AM
Love your blog- I read it every day. If you're going through China or so, you might want to check out Mongolia and then take the Trans-Siberian Railway through Russia. Russia is an amazing country with plenty to see. That's actually probably the cheapest way to get to Europe from Asia. You might need to get a visa to go into Russia though. I'm not sure about that.
Posted by: steveeast112 at July 31, 2005 01:37 PM
Sorry Badabing, I think Switzerland is a very pretty country. Mt. Alps is a glamourous place, worth to pay a visit even it's expensive. If you get there in the winter, you gonna meet many different nationalities from all over the Europe and you don't have to worry any terrorism. Again, Mark, don't let ($$) to scare you away the place you ought to be.
Posted by: Frank at July 31, 2005 10:04 PM
There's a separate menu just for tourists? I definitely wouldn't dig that either. -GEM
Posted by: GEM at August 2, 2005 03:10 AM