Well, so far in my world it is. After a nice stay in Sihanoukville, Cambodia (a beachy kinda place where you take boat tours to exotic islands and drink beer out of a snorkel with the Bavarian captain) Morgan and I passed through the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on our way to Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon. We took an overnight bus which got us to the boarder early in the morning. And it wasn't long after getting into Vietnam that we realized the motorbikes. We were passing the international airport of Saigon and there seemed to be a frontage road or some sort of designated motorbike road running parallel to us. It was like flowing water, a mud slide, or maybe a horizontal avalanche.
The amount of bikes roaming the city was shocking! If the busses, cars, and suv's were the boulders in the river then the motorbikes were the raging rapids. They passed on the left, the right, and I'm sure they'd go right over the top of you if they could. When you need a taxi you just hale a bike. Most likely some random guy looking for an extra buck, who knows? Morgs and I went to the War Memorial Museum in this manner. The guys turn into on coming traffic. And not just the wrong lane but head on into a stampead of Vietnamese. We tucked our knees in, I snapped off photos, and Morgan had this look on her face. I'm not nervous, just bewildered. They run red lights...but not without blurting their horns irradically. "I'm coming through, you can't stop me, and you better watch out" they seemed to say. You know that blonde joke with 4 of them at a four way stop at the same time...anyway, you get those scenarios. People are just cut throat. It's a bike eat bike world out here and if you aren't ready, you'll get swallowed.
Vietnam is the place where you see a dad with no helmet racing through the streets with his 6 year old helmetless daughter on the back, beeping through red lights, swerving into on coming traffic after dodging a stopped cargo truck in his lane, and doing it all while on his cell phone. Morgan and I didn't even mention it to each other. It seemed standard, normal, necessary even. I just took a mental note thinking it would be a good excerpt in my blog!
I have riden a motorbike in every country I've visited in Asia. Singapore doesn't count ;). I've been on the left side and the right side of the road. Gone over hills covered in mud, pot holes, and rocks. I've dodged cows, playing children, and kamakazi woman bikers with no headlights in the middle of night. And I'm so so thankful for all of these occurances becuase I'm not sure I could have survived in Vietnam on the bike without them. But if you need water or some snacks. If you want to visit a museum or the beach. If you need to get custom made clothes and shoes designed...you're better off renting a motorbike. They are cheap and super convenient. And ripping through Hanoi at night after the cinema is such a great and unforgettable experience. We were lost then found. Stopped and ate "pho" then went to the "fivimart" and grabbed snacks. We got lost and pulled over. Got found but then lost again. And finally, Morgan and I made it back to the Luxe Hotel on our red manual shifting motorbike. I just ate a box of "Jessica" sugar saltine crackers and wrote this blog...cheers Vietnam!
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