In 'Nam

The cold, wind-blown beaches of Northern Vietnam

So, the last few weeks have been a mix of stressful and amazing. After two weeks of daily bike problems, rain and cold weather we decided to put the bikes on a train from Hue and head for the warm weather and sun of Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City). The train ride took 24 hours and meandered along the coast line of Vietnam, mountains on one side, the ocean on the other. It was a long, but gorgeous train ride. We definitely would have rather done the trip by bike, but the cold weather and breakdowns was making for a frustrating trip. However in each of our break-downs we had a unique experience that we would have missed had we just cruised on by ...

One of the breakdowns in Northern Vietnam. Sign read "Guip Toi! Hue!" (Help me! Hue!)

A group of kids at one of the mechanic shops. This one's going to Canon.

They were fascinated that they could see themselves immediately. I have thousands of these...

We reached Saigon just as the Chinese New Year (Tet) began. The new year celebrations last for two weeks which means everyone returns to their villages to be with family and friends. Most shops close for at least a week so Saigon wasn't as bustling as it usually is. We found a good mechanic in the city that helped us fix the pile of metal that had become my enemy over the last few weeks and headed for the beach of Vung Tau. About 30 km outside of the city my bike broke again and Leland pushed me the remaining hour. (However, this was our most successful trip yet because despite the breakdown we actually made it to the destination we set out for). Same, same in Vung Tau ...

Sunset point... a second too late, but still beautiful.

All shops closed for Tet, but there were many celebrations going on along the beautiful coast with lots to see and eat. With one day left on our visa we headed back to Saigon and found out that we couldn't renew our visa because the government would still be shut down for two more days for Tet. We hopped on the ghetto bikes and headed for Cambodia!!

About a half an hour into the trip my chain guard got caught in my generator ... Awesome. A little Vietnamese guy pops out of the woodwork and gets busy getting it out and wouldn't accept any money. Up and running again we make head for the border. Surrounded by amazingly green wheat fields, mountains and rivers we cruise through the dangerous one lane road trying to make it before sunset. But now guess what... this border doesn't have an officer on the Cambodian side at the moment. Awesome. We stay the night in the tiny town of Moc Hoa where we are treated like celebrities for the night .. "eeellloooo!" people shout from both sides of the street as we stroll down. Asking directions the next morning was the same, we drew a crowd of about twenty people trying to point us this way and that. With less than a dollar Vietnamese Dong (VND) and no ATM's in sight we divide the gas in my bike between the two bikes and set back toward Saigon to then try another border crossing...

After 9 hours of riding we make it to the Cambodian border with only one of four screws holding my engine in place and the bikes on the verge of explosion. Great success. The farther old Bessy rode the more and more faith I put into the pile of metal.

So now we're in Cambodia ... more to come...