Finally, the day came and we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City around 8 pm on a sweaty Friday afternoon.
Great was my surprise when we stepped outside the airport to find our fried Jan standing there to welcome us! We had our first encounter with Vietnamese taxi ranks and finally made it to the city and onto our first beer.
The heat was overwhelming and feeling the effects of the long trip I was really relieved we had decided to not hit the road the very next day but to stick around to find our bearings until Sunday.
Ho Chi Minh City was an assault to the senses - one of the first things you notice when arriving in Vietnam is the absolutely ridiculous number of motorcycles on the streets. Like in most Asian countries bikes here are used to transport the whole family as well as whatever else crap you need to carry.
Saturday we got our stuff together and headed over to Jan’s place to give Jerry a shakedown and sort our kit out. It must have been a very long time since I’ve been on a 125 as the less than .. ummm.. explosive power of these bikes took me by surprise.
That being said it never really is necessary or safe to go very fast in Vietnam. (I will get to the overall driving experience later).
We swung by Hien Moto so I could meet the mechanics and also pick up a spare spark plug for the road. We took the plug out and it was clear the bike was running a bit lean so they adjusted the jetting.
That evening Jan treated us to a proper braai (BBQ) on the roof of his building along with his missus and a friend. What a great way to start our journey!
With a lot of excitement and some trepidation, we hit the sack that night........
