I never thought I’d be tripping around on a motorbike around Vietnam for 3 weeks.. I’d say that’s the beauty of travel, doing things you thought you’d never do with people you’d ordinarily never encounter.
Mum and Dad do a good job warning you off the dangers in life when you’re younger such as smoking, jumping off cliffs and riding motorbikes. They instilled in me this notion that motorbikes are dangerous, which they kind of are, especially if they saw a pinch of what went down on the roads in Vietnam.
But they also don’t know what they’re missing out on. When you’re on a backpacking trip there’s a certain sense of being weighed down, especially if you’re like me who takes a load of camera gear with them. On a motorbike this problem is alleviated, strap your bag on the back of your custom made bag rack and off you go, pure freedom.
There’s this sense of weightlessness, like something is missing but I have everything I need. Clothes and my camera gear and enough money to find shelter and food for the night.
People are like intersections
The best thing about travelling solo is that it opens you up to the people around you, unless you are a total recluse you want to spend time with people.
Hostels are a melting pot of travellers coming and going with different interests, ideas and plans on how to spend their holidays. Each chance encounter bringing you closer to something you thought you’d never do…
I was sitting at a hostel in Hanoi and this guy was puffing on a cigarette blowing smoke in my face, I was about to move when a German woman came over and asked for a cigarette. Oh the irony.. Not long after we were engrossed in conversation and looking for a place to eat Bánh mì.
The following day we were discussing about how to get to Perfume Pagoda but the buses didn’t link up very well, after a while she turned to me and said ‘why don’t we just hire scooters and ride there’?
Speaking of intersections they can be treacherous things in Vietnam, scooters pull out blindly and trucks whizz by. It’s up to you to take the necessary precautions and risks.
En-route to our first destination my new friend was approaching an intersection not paying the fullest attention and before she knew it her scooter was sent cartwheeling and her body sprawled over the pavement. Fortunately there was only a loose mirror and a couple of scratches to show.
Down the road taking in the scenery after narrowly avoiding an accident en-route to Tam Coc
Taking inspiration
Apart from the mind-blowing endless mountains ranges and the positioning of villages amongst these mountains, the thing that impressed me most was the spirit of the local people.
The life here ain’t easy. Yet they push on seemingly without complaint. Vietnam has had a rough recent history with many wars waged on their turf against the French, Americans and Chinese.
Despite this they welcome strangers with open arms and a smile on their faces. It’s admirable to see, they could easily be closed off and shun tourists but instead they are generally the complete opposite. They wave as you ride by and ask you if you are married if you stop.
The youth are the leaders. Keen to test their English skills on you, telling you cheeky things to say to their friends in Vietnamese and asking you for a selfie after the broken conversation ends. Perhaps its an increase in access to technology and the growing economy here in Vietnam, but with kids like the ones I encountered on my trip, the future is bright here.
Vietnam your food, culture and people are incredible. Thankyou for showing yourself to me.
Chúc sức khỏe.
