This morning I woke bloody early to get my bike over to Gary's hotel to get the sale I needed. I arrived shortly after 6am and found Gary waiting outside the hotel for me. The hotel was down a really narrow network of alleys which were just over a metre wide in places and were home to shops, hotels, hostels, businesses, people, you name it it could be found down these alleys. His Dad was just getting some coffee's and so Gary and I chatted about the bike till he came back. I reminded him what I'd had done to the bike since I had it and what else I was including with it, which was a lock, an extended luggage rack, a helmet, a spare spark plug, a very basic tool kit, and a very fetching green poncho, for two. His Dad returned, with a hangover, and Gary chatted about the bike with him and after a discussion Gary went for a spin on it. His Dad and I made small talk till he returned. I was ok till now as his dad was still with me but when he returned he told his dad to hop on and they went off together. Yes, I'll admit a small part of me wondered if I'd ever see the bike and them again but I'd hung on to the registration document so knew that if they did make a dash then the police would stop them somewhere and confiscate the bike. Hopefully anyway. After about 10 minutes of waiting I heard the familiar hum of the engine and they returned. Phew! "She certainly goes some doesn't she, quite feisty" Gary said on his return. This was promising. "Yeah she can hold her own I said", as much as a Vietnamese bike could I thought. "Here's the thing, Michael" Gary started and I immediately knew where this was heading, which was expected, "I found a website last night which I didn't realise exists and there are hundreds of bikes on there for sale". "There are loads of bikes out there" I admitted. There was no point pretending. Gary continued "so I'm going to offer you $200 for it". It wasn't a bad offer and certainly better than the one from HCM motorcycles. I pondered a while..I scratched my chin..I made a few 'umm' noises..I took a deep breath..I let out a deep sigh........I responded. "You see for me Gary the money is really important for the american part of my trip and the more I get now the better it will be once I get there. I'm not trying to make a profit just get back as much as poss. Would you go to $230?". "We've got to think about our budget too while we're here Mike" Gary said. "I'll go $220 final price"....Another deep breath from me.... "That's a steal at that price" I said "but ok you've got a deal". I needed the sale and that meant the bike only cost me $80 for my time here. That's certainly not bad. We shook hands. Deal. He checked the registration document and looked surprised to find out that that was all that was needed. By holding that piece of card you owned the bike. There's no 'Police, camera, action' PNR systems here! So that was it. I'd sold it. The bike and I were no longer an item. We had split up. My butt could reform a normal shape again. I didn't think I'd miss the bike and that selling it wouldn't be a problem because the last couple of days had caned my arse and it wasn't the most comfortable ride in the world, but suddenly a small part of me missed it. We'd been everywhere together and it hadn't let me down much at all. We had seen Vietnam like it should be seen. The back roads, the dirt tracks, the mountain passes, the beach paths, the villages, the people, the scenery. It had been an adventure. Not all good, but definitely not all bad. Like anything there are ups and downs and this journey had been testing but I'd do it all again. With at least one other person next time but definitely...I'd do it again. I discussed some route options with Gary and his Dad for a while but soon had to be on my way. I wished them luck on their journey and they said the same and we said our goodbyes. I should have brought my camera for that moment but it was too late. I thought afterwards I should have asked them to keep me updated on their progress too but again it was too late. Never mind. Onto the next adventure. Back at the hostel I quickly put the money in my locker and dashed down to eat breakfast. After that I got my bits for the day ready, knowing I wouldn't need much money except for entry to the tunnels and waited downstairs in the lobby for the coach to arrive. It arrived about half 8 and after a few stops at various hotels it was soon full and we were on our way. After about an hour and a quarter we stopped for a break and were told about the place we had stopped at. I have no idea where it was but it was basically a manufacturing facility where disabled people, who had been affected by agent orange, worked to raise money for themselves and other sufferers. Coaches of passing tourists was their main business and we were told our money would be greatly received. Ok, I thought, let's see what it is they do. We entered the premises and walked through the area where the disabled people create their products. This was eye opening as you got to see every stage of the process of making all the items. And it soon became apparent what it was they actually made. In short it's art and pottery, in various forms. The photo's show it better. At one station there are people gluing crushed egg shell onto plates in various shapes and patterns, then there are people cutting and scraping off the excess shell to give a clean edge. Another couple of people paint the plate and the egg shell. Another couple use a very fine sanding and polishing process to give the items a high gloss and another one cleans the items and protects them. On the other side of the room there are people drawing shapes onto mother of pearl pieces, another few sawing the shapes out, another group gluing these onto items and again the painting and polishing processes. Every part of the decorating process is done by hand. And the quality is outstanding. In the shop next door there is a sea of plates, pictures, trays, vases, pots, screens, all made using these methods.There were even two ceiling high giant vases that must have taken ages to complete. It was inspiring. I HAD to buy something to support it. But I'd only brought a small amount of money with me. I could have spent a fortune in there but most of it wouldn't have survived the journeys ahead. The prices weren't cheap but the products were worth every penny. I settled for a business card holder made of bamboo and inlaid with mother of pearl in the shape of two Vietnamese women with some other drawn on artwork around it. I just couldn't afford any more. My indecision made me the last one back onto the bus. Oops. Another eye opening experience. The rest of the bus journey took about another hour and we finally arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels. Our coach included a guide, who had been talking to us every now and then on the bus, and he arranged our tickets at the tunnels. It cost about 90,000 Dong as a tourist and 25,000 Dong if you were Vietnamese. His explanation for this was "welcome to Vietnam" with a cheeky grin. It would be nice if being English got me a discount at home but no such luck so why not have it here for the locals. They WERE on a lower wage. We started the day watching a video describing some of the war and it was so badly produced it was laughable. The video was narrated by a fairly monotone woman who's English accent was good and she was easily understandable, except for the really bad recording equipment used, but her vocabulary level wasn't so good. She used the phrase "killing american soldiers" about 8 times in one sentence, just because she didn't have any other way of saying it. Plus her voice was really high pitched, close to mickey mouse's. And just like the museum yesterday it was very one sided. After the video our guide took us around the area to show us various types of trap used by the Vietnamese, with some still working, as well as some of the original tunnel entrances which were absolutely minute. Some of the group had a go at getting in and it was clear that the Asians amongst us could do it far easier than the non Asians. One of the most interesting facts I found out was that the Vietnamese used tyres from the american vehicles to make shoes as they were waterproof and lasted longer than their own ones, plus their footprints left the same patterns as the american tyres and were less easily spotted by them. Genius. Part of the visit is the opportunity to shoot some weapons ranging from hand guns right up to AK 47's. It is about a pound a round but the minimum spend is 10 rounds and I didn't have enough money for that, which was a shame as that would have been a great experience. The noise from the range was deafening though and so I settled for videoing other people shooting whilst trying my best to cover my ears. After the range we got the chance to go down some of the tunnels. They were absolutely tiny, and incredibly hot and stuffy. You could just about shuffle along in a squat position but crawling was the best option. It was a large group so it took a while for everyone to get through and everyone came out sweating and panting. The Vietnamese would sometimes have to spend days down there which was a feat not to be sniffed at. It would have been torture. At its height the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border. In the area of Cu Chi alone there were more than 200 km of tunnels! We were shown a few more exhibits depicting how the jungle area was used on the way back to the entrance but it was still hard to imagine the area exactly as it was as the forest had already started regrowing. It had taken many years of failed attempts as the agent orange effects were still taking their toll but a few years ago a re-planting effort had worked and the forest had been growing ever since. It was good to see. We got back to the coach about lunchtime and the journey back took about 2 and a half hours without stopping so we were back by 3 which gave me time to do some bits that afternoon. The journey to and from the tunnels had taken most of the day but I still think they were worth the visit. You hear so many stories about the tunnels and they are the stuff of legend so it was good to see them for myself. I got dropped a little way from the hostel so had to walk a short distance. My route took me past the HCM motorbikes shop/pub and Ben was in so I stopped by to buy him a beer and we sat and talked for a bit about the sale and where I was off to next. After the beer I thanked Ben again for his help and finished the short walk to the hostel. Back at the hostel I had a few things to sort out. I enquired about the best way to get to the airport and what time I'd need to leave to get there for half 7 and they said the bus was the cheapest option at 10,000 Dong but I would need to get the first one at about half 5 in the morning. A taxi would be about 200,000 Dong by comparison. I chose to get the bus and was shown where to get it from on a map which was only about a 10 minute walk away. I also had to settle my bill so I knew what money I had left for the journey to the airport tomorrow and dinner tonight and I had to pack as it was an early start. Once these bits were done it was time to embark on another journey to meet Huy at his coffee shop. His English name is actually Sam so I'll use that from now on. Second time lucky hopefully. I walked the same route as before and was soon at the same place I was at yesterday. In my email to him last night I'd asked him to include a Google map in his reply with a pin dropped on his location and it was indeed the opposite end of this street. I'd also brought my phone this time just in case. I finally arrived at his coffee shop about 20 minutes later than arranged as it had taken much longer to walk the street than I'd anticipated. I couldn't fully remember what he looked like but knew I'd recognise him if I saw him. Despite the fact they all look the same to me, jooooookkkkke, he wasn't there. His full Vietnamese name is Huy Ha Nhat (I think). So I tried asking for him using that name. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: "Hello"
Them: "Hello"
Me: "I'm looking for Huy"
Them: "Huy?"
Me: "Yes"
Them: Blank look
Me: "Huy Nhat"
Them: Blank look
Me: "Huy Ha Nhat"
Them: Blank look
Me: "Huy Ha...Ha Nhat...Nhat Huy...Nhat Ha...Nhat Huy Ha...Ha Huy Nhat...Nhat Ha Huy
Them: Confused look
Me: "Sam"
Them: "Oh Sam, he not here"
I stifled a laugh. They offered to call him but I said I'd text. I ordered an iced coffee and sat and let Sam know I was there. He replied saying he'd be two minutes and he soon turned up on his scooter. It was an odd situation, we'd met only once but were arranging things like old mates. The conversation flowed with no problems though and he asked loads about my journey to HCM. It turned out he part owns this coffee shop with his friend and his main job is working in a warehouse at the airport. I told him how much I loved the Vietnamese coffee and he disappeared into the back of his shop. He returned holding a coffee grinder which he said he had loads of and I was welcome to that one if I wanted it. I offered to pay for it but he insisted I have it and that my coffee was free too. A genuinely nice bloke. I told him to let me know if him and his wife were ever in London and I would return the gesture as best I could. After about an hour of chatting it was time for me to go. I asked him for a recommendation for somewhere for dinner and he showed me a place nearby on my map. I thanked him again and we said our goodbye's and I headed off in the direction of the restaurant. It was in the opposite direction from the hostel but had a nice walk along the river so I didn't mind. I found the restaurant which specialises in giant crepe type things with various fillings. I chose the pork and prawn filling which was very tasty and it was accompanied with the usual fresh herbs and salad. After the meal I made my way back to the hostel. It was over an hour walk but took in my surroundings as I went and stuck to the main roads again and was soon back at the hostel. As I'd done most bits already for my departure I spent the evening relaxing with Mikkel and Stefan in the chillout room upstairs. I printed some boarding passes, drank some beer and watched a movie. I'd done a fair bit of walking so was pretty shattered now. After the film I said goodbye to Mikkel and Stefan as I would be up before them in the morning and we swapped Facebook details and again the usual if you're in London chat. It was good to have met them on the way in to HCM as they had had a very similar experience to me travelling North to South and so we had a few things in common. It would be good to see them again one day. I said hello to the new room mates we now had, chatted with them briefly and prepared my stuff for as quiet a departure as possible in the morning and was soon in bed. So that was it, for the last time, goodnight Vietnam, it's been an experience.
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