So after having an amazing time in Phnom Penh, Cambodia I hoped on a 12us dollar 8hr bus to Ho Chi Minh City. I hung out there for a couple days and then found an old motorbike for 300us and decided to head up the coast on an adventure through Vietnam. I cruised all the way to Phan Thiet, small little tiny town just outside of Mui Ne and found a place to stay for the night before checking out the beach. When i arrived at the beach I was pretty amazed that I was the only white non Asian looking body on a beach filled with a thousand Vietnamese people. Some people came up to me and started talking but I didn't know a thing at the time. I hung out there for a night then headed up the coast through Mui Ne and along a dirt road that spit past red dunes and white dunes. After all that i kept going and made it all the way to Nha Trang. I hung out there for a couple days staying a hostel called true friends which only cost 4us a night and did two dives off Mun Island with Oceans5 for only 75us as well. Nha Trang itself is a fun place to be and the dives weren't that bad themselves, similar to Thailands baby brother.
I then hoped back on the donkey for a 6hr ride and cruised all the way to Quang Ngai for some rest after two hours of the ride was in a crazy mess of Vietnam night traffic. Woke up the next morning and headed out to Hoi An to see what the scenery there was all about. I got there and went through all the markets from food, clothes, suits, spices, jewelry, North Face backpacks, and tons of everything in between. And on the last night I ran into two former backpacker that cruised with me throughout some parts of Thailand on a whim when I helped a drunk Vietnamese man get to his home on the back of my motoi. I was cruising by a bar and saw Quaid Blake and Clare Hohne and if it wasn't for this crazy old man I wouldn't have found them. Said hello's and goodbye's that night then rode off up the coast before running into Quang and Lang on the side of the road taking pictures of the beautiful giant Buddha pagoda. We hung out and conversed a lot on Vietnam, China, Buddha, the Pagoda and the US before parting. I then took a left thinking that it would take me along the coast to Hue but turned out to be a sidewalk road that was actually the side of Monkey Mountain, didn't see any monkeys though. I was cruising along and then all of the sudden my motoi broke down with something in the cylinder sounding jammed. So I then pushed my way about three kilometers before receiving some help from an older drunken Vietnamese gentleman. He kept saying things to me that I couldn't understand because he speaking so fast, but I understood that he was helping me and when we got down to the bottom of the other side he grabbed my arm put in on his shoulder to tow me 20 kilometers into Da Nang. He took me to what seemed to be his house but ended up to be his friends place, who then called a friend who spoke English and she said they will fix your bike tomorrow morning for around 400k Dong, 20us, and there is a place for you to stay right next to the hotel the man your sitting next to that works the graveyard shift for around 8us. I was sold and really thankful for everything that they did even though they were profusely trying to get me to drink beer which I insisted on one not to be rude.
Got a ride to the hotel from the man taking care of the bike and started moving some stuff around before hearing knock knock. I opened the door and there was the guy giving me the thumbs up with a smile in his security graveyard shift uniform. I was stunned and woke up the next morning with him outside taking me back to his home and fifteen minutes later giving me my motoi and I was then off again up the coast for the second try in making it to Hue. I cruised my way there and hung out for a night. Then cruised out the next day to Vinh, super communism town where the hotel staff man didn't even put my passport in his log book because it was from the U.S.A, and then started making my way up to Hanoi.
This is where it gets very interesting and a little crazy.
I'm cruising along going about 40km and listening to music while other riders are looking at me and nodding there heads as if a sign of hello. Then all of the sudden i move around a car and BAM there's a motorbike with two farmers wearing no helmets and who were clearly not looking. I look up and I'm on the ground with my motoi on top of me spewing gasoline all over the place. I stand up about to say "you ok" to the dumb dumbs and the blood just flows right off my face filling up my cough/dirt mask into my hands. I start to stumble around realizing what the hell just happened and spit out some of my teeth going "oh no not the teeth". People look at me with there jaws dropped and start holding me down and giving me paper towels to hold on my nose that has a huge gash in it. As I'm rubbing the blood off my hands from the help of a woman pouring water on them a truck comes flying up and all the amazing local helpers basically throw me into it taking the towels away. I get in the car and the driver looks at me and hands me a towel because my hands were filling back up with blood. We then get to the hospital were it takes four hours of excruciating pain to get morphine, stitches on a crazy unsanitary looking table, check up the nose, four ex rays that clearly showed my nose was broken but they said it wasn't:), and all touching me on my hurt shoulder where i was clearly saying owwww for all around 4us dollars. I then had the whole squadron of police show up with my iPad and talk to me briefly on the incident and told me I had to stay in the hospital. I woke up and hung around to then getting a cab to the police station and arguing for 8 hours of what happened and got the bike fixed up for free by the very nice police chief, who probably worked something out with the local mechanic, in semi working conditions so I could get up to Hanoi. I was so happy to leave.
I then got up to Hanoi in the dark riding about 150km and when I was fifty kilometers in the headlight burnt out. I then was like well I'm making it there with a broken face, bruised shoulder, and no headlight in the dark riding with sunglasses for another 100km. That was quite the adventure and when I got Hanoi I could feel how crazy I was and passed out for three days recuperating. I then sold the bike for 100us, which I was more than happy to considering all the damge of bent front forks, headlight not working even after a new bulb would be put in, speedometer box clearly shattered, and the gas and oil line both leaking. After that win I bought an overnight bus ticket to Laos for about 25us and was happy to make it move on and look forward.
Overall I had an amazing time meeting locals, meeting people from all over the world, diving, riding up the coast that was purely beautiful, spending a night in a Vietnamese hospital, learning Vietnamese language and culture, and just realizing that things can happen to you at anytime in life and how you deal with them is clearly up to you.
Some thoughts:
You'll find me realizing that you can't control every single person, every single moment, every little precaution, and what the future has in store for you is out of your control to give you experience in life. I hope you find yourself realizing this when your caught in a situation that presents the biggest curve ball and you deal with it at upmost calming state of mind.
Have fun and do what you love.
Some others along the journey:
You think riding a motorcycle is dangerous in Vietnam?
Try riding at night!It's a totally different story.Everyone uses high beams.Almost got multiple head on collisions by trucks and busses.Can't see hidden potholes.no traffic regulations.non-florescent traffic signs and road lines.I call it dancing with the devil in the dark!
This is your LIFE
Do what you love, and DO it OFTEN.If you don't like something. Change it.
If you don't like your job, quit.
If you don't have enough time, STOP watching tv.
If you are looking for the love of your life. STOP: they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.
Stop over analyzing.
All emotions are beautiful.
Life is simple.
When you eat, appreciate every LAST bite.
Open your mind, arms, and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences.
ASK the next person you see what their passion is, AND SHARE, your INSPIRING DREAM with them.
Travel OFTEN: getting lost will help find yourself.
Some OPPORTUNITIES only come once, seize THEM
life is SHORT
SO...
Live your DREAM and wear your PASSION!
Sorry the Pics may be a little more than out of order but overall if you read the story you can put most of them together.
Bye for now....
Lang and I
Quang Thanh and I
Vietnam Border
Delicious Noodles and Mango for brekki
Street Art
The graveyard shift security helper man who was purely amazing I gave him my fake gold Daytona Rolex
Busted....
Monkey Mountain where the donkey broke down
A grungy poor kid I gave a lift for about 50km
Oceans5 Dive Crew
The dude I hit and broke three of his ribs with my shoulder.
Chinese Chess
Next day Smiles
Trashed front rim, broken speedo box, broken headlight box, bent fork, leaking gas line, leaking oil line, and second gear jammed. Sold for a lucky 100us.
The ever so Epic Panoroma's
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