On the Motorbike Again!
I said my goodbyes to Mike, who was headed from Can Tho to Saigon and due to fly out that evening to the States. As for me, I had recently booked a flight to Bangkok departing March 14th, two days later. I had coordinated with friend of mine from Ohio State to meet up in Bangkok on the 15th. With the last two days on my own in Vietnam I decided to get back on the bike and explore the Delta.
In retrospect I wish the bike trip had been longer, as it turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of my time in Vietnam. From Can Tho I went southeast along one of the main distributaries of the Mekong, riding roads through small villages and heading toward a town called Bac Lieu, where I planned to spend the night. Part way along my dive I accidentally took a ferry across the river (yeah I'm not sure how that happened exactly) and decided to ride around for awhile before heading back. The area on the opposite side was even more rural and people more confused when they caught a glimpse of a white guy on his motorbike.
From Bac Lieu I headed back towards Can Tho, stopping at several villages and deliberately getting lost along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed turning off onto a small dirt road and exploring the surrounding countryside. The area is populated enough that I never went more than a minute or two without seeing houses or other people, and although many roads were bumpy I was always close to a paved one with signs.
I didn't want to spend another night in Can Tho if I could instead stop in another town before returning my bike the next morning. It was only 70 miles to to Can Tho, but I did at least twice that zigzagging through small roads. When I got back to the main highway I was nearly at the city, so I turned around to look for a different town where I could spend the night. The road was under construction and traffic was terrible; riding a motorbike alongside trucks and buses isn't so fun. I was nearly ready to turn back for Can Tho when I saw an exit for a town that looked worth checking out.
I found one guesthouse in town that refused to let me stay without my passport (the rental company keeps your passport as insurance for the bike, so all I had was a copy). Across from the guesthouse was a basketball court where local kids were playing. When I pulled up to inquire about a room, one of the boys ran up to say hello and asked me if I could play basketball with them. Luckily there was another hotel a mile down the road which let me in without any issues, so after checking in I rode back to the court to meet the kids.
I was surprised to find that there was actually a team practicing - the town has a basketball team of high school aged boys who compete against other teams across the country. The little guy who asked me to come play introduced me to the one other foreigner there, Stanley, who happened to be an American as well. Stanley is from Detroit, worked most of his career in Phoenix, and since retirement lives half the year in Arizona and the other half with his Vietnamese wife in her hometown. Who would have thought I'd play basketball with another American and a bunch of high school kids in this random place?
We played a couple games, and before long I was breathing heavy; I need to get back on the court more often! The high schoolers weren't on par with varsity players back home but they definitely weren't pushovers. After the game Stanley invited me to dinner, where I met his wife and her family. Everyone was friendly and he suggested I meet him the next day for breakfast. On my way back to the hotel I stopped at a shop for snacks and happened to meet a girl who studies at Can Tho University. Her parents run the shop and she struck up a conversation with me to practice her English, something she rarely gets to do in her hometown.
The next morning I met up with Stanley, and we also ran into the little boy who first introduced us. I never got his real name, but he wanted me to call him Buddy. I was amazed at how much English Buddy spoke, especially when he told me the way he learned was simply by watching TV and movies in English! And just to think, Korean kids, whose parents pay thousands of dollars so they can study at private English academies, can't speak nearly as well. A lot of it comes down to motivation. Buddy said he liked learning and wanted to be able to speak English; a natural talent for picking up languages certainly helps too!
That morning I drove back to Can Tho, which was only 45 minutes on my motorbike. It took me awhile to find Ms Ha's guesthouse, but I got there eventually. From the guesthouse I booked a bus back to Saigon. The earliest bus I could get left at 11 am, which was pushing it for time - my flight left at 4:30 that same day! The bus was supposed to take between 3 and 3.5 hours, but you never know what kind of delays might come up. If the bus broke down, got a flat tire, or there was unexpected traffic I could miss my flight.
Fortunately the bus ride went smoothly and we got into Ho Chi Minh City by 2:30. I quickly hopped on a moto taxi to the airport, which took another 25 minutes. The airport isn't very large, so arriving an hour and a half before the flight was plenty of time. It was still a relief just to make it to the airport and check-in, knowing that I would actually make the flight. Having extra time on my ride in the Delta and stopping in that random town (I never did figure out the name) was definitely worth cutting it close!
In retrospect I wish the bike trip had been longer, as it turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of my time in Vietnam. From Can Tho I went southeast along one of the main distributaries of the Mekong, riding roads through small villages and heading toward a town called Bac Lieu, where I planned to spend the night. Part way along my dive I accidentally took a ferry across the river (yeah I'm not sure how that happened exactly) and decided to ride around for awhile before heading back. The area on the opposite side was even more rural and people more confused when they caught a glimpse of a white guy on his motorbike.
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| On my motorbike back in 2013; unfortunately I don't have any pics from this ride! |
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| Map of the Delta; I went from Can Tho south through Soc Trang and Bac Lieu before heading back north |
Eventually I made it back to the correct side of the river and headed in the right direction. The town of Bac Lieu has about 150,000 people and was a good stopover point, with accessible guest houses and a night market I checked out for dinner. After walking around town for over an hour I saw one other Western couple amid thousands of Vietnamese. It's not exactly a tourist destination!
Here's the description of Bac Lieu from Lonely Planet (I'm surprised they have one):
Few people stop in Bac Lieu, but bird-watchers pass through en route to the excellent sanctuary near town. The town has a few elegant but forlorn French colonial buildings lining the waterfront, but little else of interest. (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/mekong-delta/bac-lieu)
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| main thoroughfare in Bac Lieu |
Even in a town the size of Bac Lieu I was a curious site for most locals. A lot of people took notice, some staring, especially the kids. If I smiled back and said hello or how are you in Vietnamese most smiled too; the kids really got a kick out of saying hello to a foreigner. In the small towns looks of curiosity were sometimes replaced by astonishment or bewilderment, as in "what the hell is this guy doing here!" Again most people were friendly. Some of the kids were shy, others fascinated, and I got the idea that they didn't often see backpackers, especially guys in their 20s.
From Bac Lieu I headed back towards Can Tho, stopping at several villages and deliberately getting lost along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed turning off onto a small dirt road and exploring the surrounding countryside. The area is populated enough that I never went more than a minute or two without seeing houses or other people, and although many roads were bumpy I was always close to a paved one with signs.
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| Typical road in rural Vietnam; actually it's really just a motorbike path, and this one is pretty smooth. Some aren't even paved. |
I didn't want to spend another night in Can Tho if I could instead stop in another town before returning my bike the next morning. It was only 70 miles to to Can Tho, but I did at least twice that zigzagging through small roads. When I got back to the main highway I was nearly at the city, so I turned around to look for a different town where I could spend the night. The road was under construction and traffic was terrible; riding a motorbike alongside trucks and buses isn't so fun. I was nearly ready to turn back for Can Tho when I saw an exit for a town that looked worth checking out.
I found one guesthouse in town that refused to let me stay without my passport (the rental company keeps your passport as insurance for the bike, so all I had was a copy). Across from the guesthouse was a basketball court where local kids were playing. When I pulled up to inquire about a room, one of the boys ran up to say hello and asked me if I could play basketball with them. Luckily there was another hotel a mile down the road which let me in without any issues, so after checking in I rode back to the court to meet the kids.
I was surprised to find that there was actually a team practicing - the town has a basketball team of high school aged boys who compete against other teams across the country. The little guy who asked me to come play introduced me to the one other foreigner there, Stanley, who happened to be an American as well. Stanley is from Detroit, worked most of his career in Phoenix, and since retirement lives half the year in Arizona and the other half with his Vietnamese wife in her hometown. Who would have thought I'd play basketball with another American and a bunch of high school kids in this random place?
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| I knew basketball was popular in several East Asian countries, particularly China, the Philippines, and Taiwan, but it's nice to see it has a following in Vietnam too. On my SE Asian trips I've played in the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan. |
We played a couple games, and before long I was breathing heavy; I need to get back on the court more often! The high schoolers weren't on par with varsity players back home but they definitely weren't pushovers. After the game Stanley invited me to dinner, where I met his wife and her family. Everyone was friendly and he suggested I meet him the next day for breakfast. On my way back to the hotel I stopped at a shop for snacks and happened to meet a girl who studies at Can Tho University. Her parents run the shop and she struck up a conversation with me to practice her English, something she rarely gets to do in her hometown.
The next morning I met up with Stanley, and we also ran into the little boy who first introduced us. I never got his real name, but he wanted me to call him Buddy. I was amazed at how much English Buddy spoke, especially when he told me the way he learned was simply by watching TV and movies in English! And just to think, Korean kids, whose parents pay thousands of dollars so they can study at private English academies, can't speak nearly as well. A lot of it comes down to motivation. Buddy said he liked learning and wanted to be able to speak English; a natural talent for picking up languages certainly helps too!
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| So much for cram schools; just watch movies! |
That morning I drove back to Can Tho, which was only 45 minutes on my motorbike. It took me awhile to find Ms Ha's guesthouse, but I got there eventually. From the guesthouse I booked a bus back to Saigon. The earliest bus I could get left at 11 am, which was pushing it for time - my flight left at 4:30 that same day! The bus was supposed to take between 3 and 3.5 hours, but you never know what kind of delays might come up. If the bus broke down, got a flat tire, or there was unexpected traffic I could miss my flight.
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| Type of bus I took to Saigon; you can never count out unexpected delays. |
Fortunately the bus ride went smoothly and we got into Ho Chi Minh City by 2:30. I quickly hopped on a moto taxi to the airport, which took another 25 minutes. The airport isn't very large, so arriving an hour and a half before the flight was plenty of time. It was still a relief just to make it to the airport and check-in, knowing that I would actually make the flight. Having extra time on my ride in the Delta and stopping in that random town (I never did figure out the name) was definitely worth cutting it close!
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