bikeway.pl

Travel diary:

It all started from…
… an add in the Internet , or actually in the bicycle discussion list “pl.rec.rowery.” It was December 2002. To go or not to go? And why not? On leave in warm countries in the middle of winter? I called Wlodek, we met and a decision was made – to go.

The plan is as follows: Tunnels of Viet Cong, Saigon (or actually now it is called Ho Chi Minh City HCMC), ancient cities around Hoi Anh and Hue, Halong Bay and everything that is worth seeing on the way. We’ll use the Loney Planet World Guide “Bicycling in Vietnam”, and mostly the National Highway No 1.

Team?

Initially five people, but finally three: Aneta, Włodek and me. Aneta and Włodek have no previous experience of traveling on a bicycle. It won’t be easy, will they manage to do it? I’m ready to paddle my own canoe, just in case

Preparations?

My bike is ready, but in the meantime both the war in Iraq and SARS epidemic (which seems to be sort of strange disease) broke out in Asia. Doubts came into mind. To go? Not to go? Our hesitancy continuous even after an exchange of letters with Polish embassy and consulate in Vietnam. At the end I made up my mind: I don’t go. I returned my ticket and – started to regret. How could I not go? Now or never If not now then when? I’ve got no children, my wife is not pregnant (at least by now), who knows what will be later – I should go. In a year or two the situation may not allow to go. And then I’m sure to regret my decision till the end of my life. OK, I’d GO! I took my ticket again and now I’m in the train to Warsaw

At the Warsaw airport they almost strip me of my screwdrivers, but I win that fight It’s because of that Iraq war. “Higher security measures.” Men-at-arms everywhere and they check everything again and again.

22.03.2003

HCMC. Arrival.

First impression: a swarm of people. A lot of scooters, bicycles, cars – uninterrupted stream of vehicles. No one cares much about lights, junctions, intersections, or any rules. Crossing the middle of the roundabout, going against traffic, not noticing the red light – it’s a standard here. Surprisingly, very few accidents. Maybe because they move slowly. Scooters 25 km/h and cars 40 km/h. Scorching hot, but not as much as I expected. (May in India is much hotter.)

Sajgon street

On the way we buy coconuts to drink and pay 20 000 dongs instead of 2000. Well, still not experienced enough

Despite troubles with the traffic we manage our way to a hotel. We check in and it’s OK. Price $3 per person. Almost immediately we turn in. It’s 7:49 PM right now when I’m writing it. In Poland six hours earlier.

Route: 13 km.
23.03.2003

Tunnels of Vietcong in Cu Chi.

We leave. Tunnels I visit on my own. It’s 62 km instead of 40 as written in the guide. Aneta gave up due to a long distance. Tunnels are superb, very interesting and give some clue what the war here was like. I walk through them (some are enlarged especially for tourists). There are three levels and they are almost 200 km long !!!

Cu Chi tunels

I have an “encounter” with the boss of Vietcong; I “chat” with his secretary and I eat a meal of regular soldiers. Boiled sprouts and cassava – the only things they could grow here. When Americans were encamped here, it took them the whole month to figure out why soldiers disappear every night. They set their camp right in the middle. There were 16 thousands people underneath them. Six thousands of them survived the war. Americans bombed, napalmed, and still they were unable to conquer Vietnamese soldiers who were living in those tunnels.

In Vietcong tunels

Making haste to Saigon to be in the hotel before the sunset (it gets dark about 6 PM).

Now I know how to ride in the streets. All “killers”, I mean mad car drivers from Warsaw, should be sent here to learn how to drive. The most interesting is a traffic circle with 6 roads and suddenly a few dozens of scooters and bicycles start in different directions, and I am there, in the middle, look around and study the map .

At dusk we go to see the city. You can find it strange when you are in the park and you stroll along the line of scooters with young daters, one after another every meter on the distance of a few hundred meters.

Tomorrow we set off. My arms and neck got sun burnt. I’m thinking of buying special gloves that are used by all women here. They are plastic and long over elbows.

We ride in face masks …., no, not due to the epidemic, rather because everyone rides here in face masks owing to dust and fumes. I suspect that all these TV shots from Hong Kong showing how mother puts a face mask on her child for protection against SARS don’t expose anything extraordinary, rather their habit

Route 123 km

24.03.2003

Leaving HCMC is a tough task. Continuous stream of vehicles. But I manage to get out of the city. Then, a long road with a wide side. Today it’s a little cooler. We make 80 km just because the others go a bit slower. Still it’s hot enough and we have to rest every now and then. We didn’t allow glove vendors to cheat us. They wanted 2$ instead of 30 cents . My, as you call it, “Scottish nature” was of much help.

Leaving HCMC

Today we sleeps in some post-communist hotel in Xuan Loc for 80 000 dongs per room. It’s about 4.5$. Standard is strange; closed area with a tennis court. Crowd of rich people in European clothes and nobody speaks English. Like in Poland .

25.03.2003

We start about 8.30 AM. Breakfast was surprisingly expensive. The wind is against us. My average speed is 20 km/h for the whole day, especially, that at the end of the day it starts to be a little hilly and this damn wind in the same time. Aneta is quite weak in the afternoon. We have to catch a bus to Phan Tiet, where in a hotel we find a very nice girl Thao. She introduces us to Vietnamese customs. Uhh, we forked out, forked out and overpaid far too much

“Hello !!”- everybody shouts on the way. It’s nice, but after a few dozens of such greetings you’re fed up with it.

Route 75 km.

26.03.2003

Phan Thiet, or actually Mui Ne Beach is a real resort, a great deal of hotels, expensive and fully equipped ones and it’s a pity that in a few years this place may turn into one of the world’s packed resorts :”-(.

Phan Tiet Beach

I’ve got used to high temperature. “Little Vietnamese I speaking too”. Food is so hot and spicy. Chilies are everywhere – in rice, soup, watermelon. Everywhere you find soya sauce with floating chilies. Ice is everywhere – Cola, tea, beer, coffee. It helps you to survive hot weather.

Route: one day break.

27.03.2003

I ride alone. We are supposed to meet each other in a predetermined hotel. It’s because of a gulf of difference in our speeds. Aneta is out of form. It’s visible. But she’s determined to go and doesn’t cry even as much.

Higway No 1 picture

Every place I stop they try to marry me to some local girl. I’ve got about 35 propositions . I think they’ve got some problems with it. Or, maybe they want to marry their daughters to a wealthy White for the sake of easy life?

Regarding SARS we learnt that it’s just in China and there’s nothing on our way. Temperature around 32 C. I’ve just checked on www.wp.pl that in Wroclaw tomorrow will be 18 C so, don’t overheat guys .

Cham Towers

I’ve left today at 6.40 AM and till 10.30 I cover 72 km, then a break for a nap and meal to avoid hottest hours. And again from 2.15 PM till 4.45 PM – 45 km. Towards the end I am blessed with beautiful views of the sea. Hotel – 15$ / 3 people.

Route 117 km

28.03.2003

We slept a great deal and set off at 10.30 am. On the way beautiful beaches and mountains (somewhat like those in Croatia). We approach first ruins of towers of Cham who was the ruler of the Phan Rangh dynasty from the XIVth century. In the afternoon, between 3 and 5 pm, again strong wind blowing into our faces. It could have been a better idea to go from North to South. It’d have been into our backs instead. Or maybe it’s only here. I’m on the spot at 5.50 pm. From 3 till 5 pm I make 45 km. Hotel 120 000 d/3 persons.

Route: 95 km

29.03.2003

Today we manage to cover the distance quite quickly. It’s a little downhill and with the wind (at last!). On the way everyone shouts “Hello!”. Is it all their English erudition? When we stop, they try to talk to us:

Vietnamese 1: What you men?

White : ?????

Vietnamese 2: Name, name.

White : Greg
Vietnamese 1: What you men?

White : ?????

Vietnamese 2: Old, old.

White: Ba muoi Toi.;-)
Vietnamese 1: What you men?

White ????

Vietnamese 2: From, from.

White : Ba Lan
Vietnamese 1: What you men?

White ????

Vietnamese 2: Marry marry.

And so it goes.
‘Than Rangh’ is a commercialized town. A lot of hotels that turns this charming place into something like a European resort. They make their livings from beaches. We stroll around the town for a while and Aneta, like a typical woman, this shop, that shop, and then somebody stops her, and then somebody wants to sell something to her, but she doesn’t like it, uff, anyway. One problem is that every Vietnamese woman is half size of Aneta Anything she tries on is too small or she doesn’t like it or not worth the price. They are probably waiting for the USmen. A stupid T-shirt is 22 bucks. I’d rather buy a Chinese one in Poland for 4 bucks, so what . People very friendly. Everyone is ready to help and they even show the way correctly. Hotel 3 $ /person.

Route: 58 km

30.03.2003

Nha Trang.

We visit ruins, stone beaches and then Wlodek goes to the barber. He finds girls doing the job. They shave his chin, cheeks, forehead, then cut hairs in nostrils and ears. At the end they make a massage of his head for the grand finale and that’s it.

Giant Buddha

The funniest thing is to cross the street. Never-ending chain of vehicles. How to cross? The point is to jump in and move forward very slowly but steadily. Then you find yourself on the other side with no problems. Somebody may honk but honking is something quite common here. No problem.

Route: 24 km

31.03.2003

We ride further. Lovely mountains and bays and the wind into our backs finally. Everyone is fascinated with color of our skins and hairs. When I uncover not sun-burnt parts of my body, then they are really in shock

I met a funny grandpa who told me about Vietnam. His English was good (even better than mine) and I was able to make out what he was saying. It’s actually a very rare event in Vietnam.

Barber

1.04.2003

The route turns into quite hilly, something like our “Jura” near Cracow. I meet a Dutch man called Peter. He’s been riding for 2 months, started in Bangkok all the way through Cambodia and he heads for Laos and China. He’ll be back not earlier than in August. Uaa!! Ours is just an ordinary school excursion comparing with this guy’s journey.

In Quinh Nhou I’m at 2 pm. We’ve lost each other. There’s no hotel at the previously agreed address. Only a barber nearby. I’m looking for them until 9 pm, first waiting at the entry road to the town and then riding form one hotel to another asking for them.

Vietnamese seem to know as much English as they need to sell a place in a hotel. Not less, not more. It may be a common problem around the world that everybody’s learning English but no one then speaks it. I finally manage to talk to some Chinese guy (!!!), for the hotel’s staff doesn’t take in. In another hotel some girl helps me (it was the most expensive one in this town) and she writes down in Vietnamese that I’m looking for two people on bicycles. Further searches bring no result. I leave information with a barber who speaks a little English. He doesn’t stop asking: “Ma brend, ma brend?” What means “my friends” and more precisely “your friends”. I’m trying to get on the Internet, maybe they’ve left some information there. Nothing works today though. It’s the April fool’s day. Maybe it’s a joke?

I check in a hotel for 6 bucks. It’s for Vietnamese people. They yell and scream like crazy. My windows are facing internal hall. Forget the peace and quiet.

Waiting for Aneta and Wlodek I’m trying to talk to some Vietnamese again. There is some importunate boy. He’s asking for everything. I’m finally tired of answering the same questions again and again. I prefer stopping the least times possible, for then I don’t have to answer the same questions repeatedly.

And on top of it I’ve got a “snake bite”. I’m trying to fix it for about an hour, ugh. Finally one boy helps me. He goes with my tube to a water tank and finds the holes and then he hits the patch a few times with a stone. It works out! I’ve learnt something in this way. From now on I’ll only use stones

Route 125 km (but around the town 26 km)

2.04.2003

Get up at 5 in the morning. Suddenly the noise appears again. At 5.30 the noise is being interrupted by the national anthem being aired in TV and then unexpected silence. Have they gone to work? At the junction I’m at 6.20. Five to seven a few Dutches guys appear. I take the address of the next hotel from them. They go the same way as we do on the basis of the same tour guide. I hope I find my friends today. I get on the Internet and read that they went by bus and there was no hotel at the address. They slept in the hotel where I was asking for them. Damn Vietnamese!

I find them 20 km from the town on our way.

Last night I ate 5 kg watermelon and got diarrhea, but I’m OK by now. Scorching heat 35C in the shadow. (I’ve measured with my thermometer).

Pavement is worse now. Hundreds kilometers of broken asphalt and bridges under construction. I manage to find my way between trucks what makes Vietnamese workers stunned. More green. In the south it was more wildly. It’s hot as usual. I drink 2 – 2,5 l per hour. Break from 11 am till 2 pm is reasonable. Even some nap. They even charged me once for such a nap. More precisely, for using somebody’s hammock.

Route 124 km

3.04.2003

We’ve met again two Dutch guys and now we’re riding together. We chat. Ron was in New Zealand (his page unfortunately in Dutch, but pictures are interesting).

My dehydration is over by now. I devour rice and vegetables and it’s OK. The wind that was against us has changed definitely and is no longer an obstacle.

Route 64 km

With Dutch guy in street Cafe

4.04.2003

Boiling hot. I meet the same Dutch guys again. It seems we are destined to ride together for some time. We sleep in the same hotel. 15 $/ 3 persons.

Route 136 km
5.04.2003

Hoi Anh.

Today we have a break, because Aneta doesn’t cope with distances and heat as good as we do. Instead we visit ancient cities and the old part of a rather small nowadays port town Hoi Anh that was somewhat important for Europe even in the days of yore. It played a role of an important harbor. Dutch used to trade here. Nearby there is “My Son” (fee 50 000 d.) – a religious center from 3th till 14th centuries. We find here a great deal of Hindu temples. Ron left us by bus. He’s return flight is on April 11 and before he wants to visit Halong Bay, which is about 800 km from here. Tomorrow we expect to win with the highest mountain pass that is as far as / or only 600 m high above. I’m not afraid, but Aneta may have problems. Shall see.

Slowly we approach the end of our journey. Only 10 days more. We’re able to deal with Vietnamese quite well by now and we’re no longer gullible. Today we were offered a coffee maker for 3$ the final deal was 1$ (haha). They have excellent coffee here. I’m going to buy such a coffee maker and I’ll try to prepare the Vietnamese style coffee at home. The nicest drink is a juice from bamboo shoots with lemon. Can’t bring it to Poland though . (The coffee maker I’ll buy for sure.)

Route 15 km.

6.04.2003

We make for Hoi Anh. Today I ride with Peter. Short swimming in the morning at the beach before Danang is perfect for scorching heat. I swim in clothes. Then in 5 minutes everything is dry. After passing Danang two Vietnamese people on a motorbike stop us. They are the staff from the hotel where we slept last night. During a change of the room they mistook “yellow paper” and put another guy’s to my passport. This “Yellow paper” is given to a foreigner at the entrance to the country: name, date of entrance, date of leave, and so on. It seems to be more important than a passport itself with a visa and the same pieces of information. At least I’ve got real “yellow papers” (In Poland documents for nuts are yellow

Danang Bridge

We take a rest at the Cloud Pass (Hai Van Pass). A meal and a rest. Picks are covered with mist. It’s the highest pass on the National Highway No 1. 9 km of uphill ride and 600 m height in this scorching heat.

We vie with Peter. I am in 43 minutes. Inclination sometimes 10%. Peter is one minute later.

At the pass the crowd of vendors. Can’t get rid of them. This is a sightseeing point and a lot of buses stop here. The outcome – a lot of small shops and vendors. At the pass there are bunkers built by French. They were used later by the North Vietnam Army and Americans as well. It’s the said border of North and South Vietnam.

While waiting for the others we freeze. Mountains. It’s colder and windier. Aneta and Wlodek are 1,5 hours later. Aneta is getting better about riding. We’ve done 800 km within 12 days so the outcome is obvious.

Fast downhill ride. It’s definitely colder. Hotel. Together with Peter we’re wondering how faster we would be if we rode uphill with no luggage. Short chat. Go? – I ask. OK, let’s go. We leave our bags in the hotel and go. Now it takes me only 33 minutes 45 seconds. Peter is again one minute later. 9 minutes faster than with bags. Speedy come back. It’s getting dark.

Later me meet in a restaurant …. Dutch guys Again. So many of them here. We dine with them. They travel from HCMC to Hanoi, but because of excessive hot they’re unable to ride. They move a few dozens kilometers every few days. It seems that they travel ?with bikes” instead ?on bikes”

- How did you cross the pass? – asks Peter
- By bus, and you must be crazy to ride uphill twice!!

In the evening we meet other Dutch people. They travel on recumbent bicycles. They complain about noisy people who pay too much interest in their bikes. Vietnamese touch their bikes every time. They’re really troublesome. We’re amazed that while traveling on bikes that are exotic even to the white race, they haven’t get used to it by now. We comfort them that our bikes are equally touched so they have nothing to worry about.

Route 106 km (twice ride uphill)

7.04.2003

Hue

Now we go to Hue. It’s so hot as before, even though it’s Central Vietnam. But noticeably less people and cars. Views are not so attractive as before, but we like Hue. There’s a 19th century citadel with a double moat. Magnificent gates. Internal part of the city is closed. We’ll visit it tomorrow. We chat with a teacher. He earns 300 000 d per month. It’s about 20 USD.

Hue Street

Route 80 km
8.04.2003

I visit other attractions of Hue. Royal Tombs are splendid and worth seeing. A Vietnamese boy joins us. He wants to improve his English and becomes our guide around tombs. It’s actually a large park with several buildings, moats, ponds, and in the middle there is a hill surrounded by the wall where, probably, the king is buried. The legend says that no one can come out from there alive not to leak out the secret of the king’s burial place. Even his family didn’t know that place. Some say that maybe in the moat. Forbidden city doesn’t seems to be as impressive from inside as from outside. All buildings are damaged and practically it’s a big rubble heap covered with grass. Our next destination we reach with Peter with average speed 30 km/h. We cover 65 km. It’s my record breaking result.

Forbidden City Gate

Route 105 km

9.04.2003

We get up even though we don’t have enough motivation. Peter after breakfast goes his way to Laos. I wish he hadn’t. He’s a really nice companion.

In the north people are different. Wilder. Number of people in suits of North Vietnam. They look terrific. You can’t know their mind. Children scream hello anyway, but are also wild a bit. Prices in the shops still higher than in the South. Is it the outcome of propaganda? Do they treat us like enemies?

People are poorer here. Empty shops. A few bottles of Cola, biscuits. That’s all what they offer. Less cars. And people. Children come back home on foot. They probably can’t afford bikes. Aneta is much faster by now. Tomorrow we go by bus to the North.

Route 123 km

10.04.2003

Today we came by bus from Dong Hoi to Thanh Binh that is 90 km from Hanoi. (9 hours travel for 250 000 d per person, hotel 4 USD/person). Traveling by bus is exciting but not extreme. First you have to haggle, but then is OK.

6 days to go home. I’m tired and ‘d like to go. I’m tired of fighting with Aneta’s moods. She is quite OK by now, rides faster and doesn’t need a day of break after each day of riding. Now she rests after 4 days. We’ve covered over 1500 km.

The difference in temperatures is noticeable. It’s no more 360C but 280C. At 9.30 pm it’s 20 0C and it’s quite cold for us now.

11.04.2003

Close to Thanh Binh there’s a landscape park (“Halong Bay – without water”) Sheer rocks rise from rice fields to the height of almost a hundred meter. Inside we find a pagoda to visit.

We leave the National Highway No 1 and enter the area of less traffic and the place where a White is quite rare to be seen. Difference is obvious. They don’t rush for our money. They are curious, but don’t scream ‘hello’. Just gaze at us. Sometimes there was an accident because of this gazing business .

We met a Vietnamese who speaks Polish. He was in Poland for a few years. We buy cheap beer 1000d per glass. Seems to be good even though it’s just like British plonk. Its name is Ba Lan what means Poland ! Why? We don’t know.

Prices are more ‘human’. They don’t have the same margin and bargain as in the South. Generally people are more normal and natural. Looks like a White is a rare event here.

Route 76 km

12.04.2003

Hai Phong.

We’re running out of money. It’s Saturday and banks are closed. Tomorrow we want to go to the Halong Bay and have no money to pay. We’re lucky. One amiable guard opens a bank for us and let us use the ATM. He doesn’t even want a tip for it

We eat on the street. Food is much better and cheaper than in those tourist-oriented restaurants. Everyone in the restaurant we dine is shocked. White people (= $$$) came to have tofu, which is considered here as food for the poor (so, what’s going on?)

I’m for a bit of watermelon. And again it causes dehydration of my body. Now it lasts for two weeks even after my coming back home.

Hotel 15 USD/3 persons

Route 78 km

13.04.2003

Halong Bay.

We take a hydroplane (90 000 d) and then we hire a boat for 4h for 3 people (450 000 d), But finally we decide that it’s much better to go in a slow boat for 60 000 d/person and come back by bus. Amazing isles. We admire, take photos, swim.

14.04.2003

Hanoi.

We leave early in the morning. I make up my mind to ride instead of going by bus. We want to see some of Hanoi in the afternoon and the rest of it next morning. Our plane takes off tomorrow at night.

I ride my bike and … I’m on the spot before Wlodek and Aneta have arrived by bus . It turned out that the bus was going three hours and had left at 11 am from Hai Phong. This is a sort of paradox of traveling.

Le Nin. Always.

On the way I stop to buy something to drink. They want 15 000d for a 1.5-litre water bottle. I bargain that I may pay maximum 5 000d, because it’s the price in the whole Vietnam and no way to pay more. When they don’t agree I leave. From neighboring shop a girl pops up and gives me a water for 5 000d. Competition makes miracles

I’m lost in Hanoi because I can’t ride over one bridge and have to take another way. Comparing to HCMC there are a lot of cars here. Much less bikes. I liked HCMC much more. Hanoi is a big city, the capital. Prices similar to those in Warsaw. Sometimes even higher. Tomorrow we fly back home so we won’t spend much here.

Hotel is OK. Quiet section in the city center. Narrow by-streets. Difficult for two bikes to pass each other. Vendors offer their products. Children play. Women make laundry. Life.

We want to find some carton boxes for our bikes. A man wants 100 000d (6.6 $ = 25 PLN). No way. It’s too much. We have such boxes for free in Poland. But I’m a little worry about my bike. We have a time till tomorrow to make up our minds. I hesitate. Ron had a cover for his bike. Maybe it’s a good idea for future?

Route 133km.

15.04.2003

Airport.

Finally I buy a carton. Wlodek buys PE foam film and will wrap it up around their bikes. In the morning we ride around Hanoi. Unfortunately we can’t get into the HCM museum. The break is just then.

They ask me in the hotel how I’ll manage to transport the carton. As you do – I answer – on my bike!! I pack it on my bike and leave. I block half street because it’s quite narrow. It flips over oddly but I manage to ride. No one is under impression.

At the airport we arrive late at night. Riding with a carton “on board” during night has its charms. We start to pack slowly. Next to us a few dozens of Vietnamese people set the camp. We’re fed up with them. After a short discussion it turns out that one girl leaves for work in Russia and the rest of them are her family and friends, their families and their friends, all of them came to see her off and say goodbye. Well, the Vietnamese go to Russia for work. Russians to us and we to Germany.

At the passport control it turns out that we have to pay 14 USD of the airport charge. Of course who knew?! We’ve got no money and the ATM accepts only local cards. (It’s and international airport by the way!!!) Everyone is nervous. The window where we could take money on the basis of passport is closed (10.30 at night).

We talk to Russian pilots. They say that this airport fare is not included in tickets. Brrr!!! Why no one told us? One of the officers says that we won’t fly in this plane. It’s 11 mp. Our visas expire at midnight.

One Polish man comes up to us and asks if we could lend him money. He’s got the same problem. But some Belarus in his line lends him money and passes through control and disappears. We ask the lucky guy to find the Belarus man and borrow some money for us too and we give it back at the airport in Moscow.

Officers request me to hurrrrry up. Our plane is ready to start. I’m trying to make out that everything is OK and approach them. I know I don’t have this stupid charge paid, but maybe they let me pass? …. Nothing. They’re just laughing…. I hate them for this as much as…

Wlodek negotiates with other officers in the same time. It’s 11.10. Suddenly the Pole approaches us. He found the Belarus and borrowed money. We jump into the plane, angry but content about the happy end.

I’m fed up with Vietnam and communist mentality. Next to me a woman talks to her companion. I’ve got a reflex. Maybe they’ll want something from me, touch me or sell something.

Route 44km

16.05.2003

Moscow, Warsaw.

I’ve got some unhealthy satisfaction while observing a Vietnamese girl who can’t manage to eat with a fork and a knife. It’s a leftover of yesterday’s stress from the airport.

In Moscow the Belarus who helped us leaves quickly for his destination. His is a domestic flight. We remain at the international part, Szeremietiewo 2. First we ask other passengers to help us to get in touch with him, then we send information through the broadcasting system. No results. It’s a pity. It’ll be very difficult to return him the money. No name, no address.

Andrzej Wajda, a renowned Polish film director, flies with us. A famous figure in Poland has a probably easier life than a White in Vietnam. Everyone knows who’s who, but they don’t rush to touch him, pluck him, yank him and point with a finger.

I gaze through the window how they pack our bikes. Aneta’s and Wlodek’s bikes are dealt with respectfully. They are wrapped only in a foam film. Mine is in a carton and they throw it. How awful!! Later I find some damage of one of the wheels, but I can still ride on it.

We are at the Warsaw airport. It’s 10 am. We assemble our bikes and drive to our own destinations. Aneta and Wlodek go to Saska Kepa, and I ride on my bike to Lodz. Sort of ‘not enough’

Route 140 km

Epilog.

Altogether, I’ve done about 2000 km by bike and 500 by bus in Vietnam. We took over 1500 photos. Unfortunately not all can be put here on the Internet.

Total costs 1114 USD.

And mind to have some bucks always with you at the end to avoid unpleasant surprises.

All Photos

Tags: bike trip, Vietnam