I had a really cool day with Mr Hung. He took me through the mountains on the back of his motorbike and showed me how the farmers cultivated cabbage, onion, green beans and coffee for a living. Explaining that alot of the ex-army men had no choice but to make a living either from the land or producing baskets for carrying supplies and vegetables as there was no other trade available and the country was still rebuilding after the war.

Easy Rider Motorbike Tours

Yes...Easy Rider aka..Mr.Hung took me on his motorbike all around the town and countryside. Mr.Hung was a legend! His English was good and his knowledge even better.

After realising i wouldn't have enough time to get to all the places in Vietnam i wanted...i decided to get to Da Lat which is a bit further north and is in the mountains, amongst trible villages and lakes. At least that way i get to see a different part of Vietnam before i make my way to Laos. The scenery on route was pretty awesome. Lots of Forrest's, hills, scattered wooden huts with coregated iron roofs, Vietnamese pottering about selling wears and cooking fish, sweetcorn and rice on the road side. Plus we passed a lot of of smaller towns that the bus didn't stop at. Da Lat isn't as big as Ho Chi Minh obviously, however its much easier to navigate and the lake is really pretty. When i arrived i was apprehended by a woman and a guy offering accommodation, so “What the hell” i thought. I ain't booked anything and cant be arsed to shop around. So the guy got me and my massive rucksack on his motorbike and we rode to my digs.

Hired a guy to take me around the Cholon Province, where most of the Chinese/Vietnamese dudes are. Definitely a difference in the look of the place compared to the markets and people of the other provinces. Especially as there seemed to be a large amount of people sitting around fixing re-conditoined electrcal items. I sat in one of those bycycle/chair/three wheeled things that the poor guy cycled around the city for over 2 hours, having to carry my fat arse! We also popped into a pharmacy, however i needed to get some cough medicine but she kept giving me tablets for intestinal disorders...for a moment i was thinking of checking my shorts..just in case she new something i didnt...!! The tour didnt end there though as i was dropped at the War Remnants Museum. I knew a little about the Vietnam war and thought it would be the most interesting of all the Museums in Saigon. Basically the Museum is dedicated to the study and collection of exhibits, displaying the aftermath and crimes against the Vietnam people during the War. To be honest i went in armed with my camera but once i saw the pictures (which were incredible) of all aspects of the war, displaying on the ground action, disfigured kids, body parts, firing lines, American GI's going mental on women and children, i couldn't take many pics, it didnt feel right at all. Plus the place was starting to fill with Americans and just listening to them talking to each other about lunch and their rooms and how much stuff costs...i couldnt stay for long. No doubt the Americans suffered a lot of torture, pain and great loses themselves and i feel really sorry for the GI's who have been mentally effected by the scenes of death and dismemberment and can only imagine what deranged and irrational killing that must have lead them to commit.

Anyway after that uplifting experience i got back to base and went to get a top up card for my Vietnamese Sim. However i think i was just about to get ripped off big time when this massive black dude comes over and starts asking questions....next thing im putting my money away and he's bought me a new Sim with shit loads of credit. Nice chap..if not a bit flash.

Visited Ben Thanh Market and was beseaged by traders. I successfully bartered a bag down from 18 dollars to 11. As the last bag i bought in Siem Reap bloody broke and almost scattered my life, onto the pavement. Im getting through bags like no-ones business man!

Saigon is probably the only city ive entered and not wanted to leave immediately. Not one for cities as you know, this one is so full of culture and real people. I expected to find high rise buildings and modern shops, but instead the modern stores are in amoungst the traditional stalls and outdoor vendors. People are eating at road side makeshift cafes and there are vendors selling fruit, nicknacks, souveniers and cold drinks everywhere. Pham Ngu Lao is the main backpacker street where im staying and just around the corner there are lots of small bars and little cafes and restaurants. Free Wifi is everywhere and there's an abundance of travel agents and travel info centres to help book buses and stuff. I did have to jump on a motorbike taxi eventually, as i was about 25 min walk from base and the heat was just too much. It wasnt that bad...i dont really suffer with my nerves and so i was happy for the dude to weave between buses and cars and other motorcyclists. Only paid a dollar too.

First day out in the city..

I was gonna hire a moped and do a little tour of the place, but to be honest the roads are more hectic than Chiang Mai and i fear it would be the last motorbike ride i ever have. So i stuck to the trusted leg power and decided to walk my way round the chaos that is the cities roads and walk ways. Once again traffic lights are ignored and its a battle of wits..

Survived the near death experience a few times and feeling more confident that they will just weave around me i stray further and further and further until...yes..you've guessed it...good old Diment has got lost again. Was just about to give up and finally risk life and limb on a motorbike taxi when i stumble across the building im looking for...The Post Office. Its actually more like a museum from the outside and the inside is beautifully decorated, spacious and easy to navigate.

Managed to book myself into a cheap guest house (Asia doesn't have hostels and they're not into dorm's either). For 7 quid a night i get a double bed, TV, air con and fan, stocked fridge and en suite bathroom. Now thats bloody good..I did try and ask for a cheaper option, but the girl just laughed at me and said it was “Cheap enough”...fair comment.

On arrival in Vietnam i notice the difference in comparison to Cambodia. Firstly the roads are actually 'roads'. The city in definatley more organised, developed and brimming with industry, plus the bus driver wasn't flooring it, like in Cambodia, probably because unlike Cambodia, where its possible to bribe yourself out of anything, over here they actually in force the law.

Well, bus found...phew...and we were off to Ho Chi Minh City. Only paid $21 for the journey altogether and they gave me free water and a meal coupon, which i could use at a restaurant before the border. I obligenly received my meal...and to be honest i spent a good half hour trying to prise a piece of what looked like a chicken's foot, out of my teeth....so cant say i was exactly grateful for it.

Hopped on the bus to Vietnam. That was after i navigated myself around kids shoving French sticks and triangles of laughing cow under my nose..

The bus actually dropped us in Phnom Penh and then we had to get on another bus to Vietnam. I had about an hour to potter about in Phnom Penh before we were off, however an hour was more than enough time for me to get worryingly lost! I can not believe my dyabolical sense of direction...i am bloody crap. I walked into a simple market and within 10 minutes a cold sweat started to form on my top lip as i realised i was not at the entrance i came in....plus the bus drivers over here, do not wait for you...! i must be riding on pure luck to have got this far in my travels without going AWOL forever.

Vietnam