2023 - HCM City to Hanoi by Bicycle: 02/09/23

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Day 4: Fri 10 Feb - HCM City

Temp: 35 feels like 39c

Another very pleasant start to the day, cool and clear. After breakfast Kev and I walked to the Water Bus Station for our river ‘cruise’ to nowhere in particular. It departed exactly at 8:30am on schedule and arrived at the our destination 30 seconds late, shame. We got off at the last stop (Linh Doi) and took a stroll. Within a few minutes we realised that the two hours we had to kill till our return journey was about 1 and 3/4 too many. Never mind it was a change in scenery. Wandered a bit more and found a lovely little Catholic Church. Kev wouldn’t go in for fear of the roof collapsing but I took the chance and within seconds a man appeared out of nowhere. He turned all the lights and fans on while I enjoyed a few minutes of quiet and contemplation. After a chat with the guy, we continued our walk. Got back to the River Bus Station with about an hour to spare. Managed to get a couple of pics and it was good to get out of the city for a bit.

After all that fresh air we both were ready for a rest in our rooms. I went out again after that and visited Nguyen Van Binh, better known as Book Street. Every shop, stall and even a converted bus is dedicated to selling books. What a fantastic idea; well done Saigon. Not sure it will last with proper books becoming obsolete, however you never know, even vinyl records are making a comeback. Back to the motel to await the arrival of the remainder of our team from the UK, Switzerland and Australia. Not sure they will be up to doing much after their long flights.

About 6pm we got a group message saying that the UK had arrived and were having a quiet one at the local. A map showed where they were, so I headed out to catch up. Nice to see Simon (Si), Simon2 (Baz), Sean again and meet John for the first time. Franziska from Switzerland had arrived but was resting, while Ken from Australia was still coming.

After a walk down Walking Street (they have a street for everything) I had a quick meal of chicken, rice and salad and then headed back to the motel. Another enjoyable day.

Catholic Church

Book Street

Some massive projects in Vietnam

The bright lights of Walking Street

Linh Doi

On the River Bus

Cheeky little dog

Walking Street

Catholic Church

Book Street

Linh Doi

Walking Street

A lovely front door at Linh Doi

Day 3: Thu 9 Feb - HCM City

Temp: 34 feels like 39c

Another nice leisurely breakfast on the roof started the day off well. This time I had company; Kev.

Most of the morning was spent wandering around some old haunts that we’d seen many times before. Although when you’re our age it’s always a good thing to refresh the grey matter at regular intervals. There’s always something to look at or photograph. Ended up at the GPO which is one of the best French era buildings in this country. It’s also a very popular place for the locals to hang out.

We then walked to the Saigon River Bus Station in the city where we booked a trip for tomorrow. With a good amount of ks under our shoes we decided to take a break back in our rooms. Kev is from Canberra so he was feeling the heat, but for me it felt rather comfortable.

After lunch I visited the Fine Arts Museum just across the road from the motel. While I appreciated the skills of the artists most of the works weren’t my cup of tea. A lot of modern stuff concentrated on the Asian style, which is completely understandable. Although I did enjoy the ancient artefacts exhibition and the old French architecture of the buildings.

Another local walk just on sunset did me in for the day.

I ended up having dinner at the in-house restaurant again. It may not be as cheap as the ones around the local area but it sure looks safer to me.