Jono Cane's Blog

Day 56 18/12/2009

Today I wanted to go on one of the tours to see the Cu Chi Tunnels outside HCMC but because I had to pick up my Thai visa today, I couldn’t. Instead I went to the War remnants museum, it was a good thing that I bumped into Lauren in the street who I met in Mui Ne and who also wanted to go there, I also ran into Bobby an American I met on Cat ba island in the North who bought me a Vietnamese coffee.

The museum was… well, how do I put this..um, horrendous would be the word. The photos on display were terrible to say the least, the documentary about Agent Orange and other chemicals that affected everything from crops to live stock and newborns even several generations after people were exposed to the chemicals was shocking. It really was an eye opener but at the same time found it hard to keep them open as it was so graphic. If anyone comes to Saigon definite check this out!

After I had to pick up my Thai visa from the embassy, it literally took 2 seconds and I was off to try and sell my bike. I asked around looking for suggestions on where to sell it and some locals pointed out a few places on the map. As I searched and searched I got hungry and found more Com Dia (rice with random stuff), that really was disappointing as it always seemed to be inSaigon compared to what I had experienced cycling down from the North. Anyways, whilst eating I asked some locals if they wanted to buy my bike, one guy who lived in a house right next to the food place seemed interested, I did a bit of bartering and we settled on 600,000 VND also having him pay for the meal I just ate and a motorbike ride back to my hotel. It was about 1/3 of what I paid for it in Hanoi but given the condition of the bike I was very happy with the offer, he asked me to produce an invoice that I made up there and I gave him all the tools I had used to fix the bike when it had broken down on me, that Im sure he is going to have to use as the bike was in quite bad condition. Haha.

Its funny that he just looked at the bike and did not even test any part of it let along ride it… So many things were broken: the brakes, spokes, weld joints, slowly deflating tires and the fact that only 8 of the 18 gears actually worked just to name a few.

He promptly gave me the money and I hastily left without turning back.

I got back to my hotel and went back out immediately to enjoy my vast riches spending some of it on some beer a camera battery charger and some clothes that I needed.

I still had the bike pump at the hotel but I thought I could get something for it; I went back to the first hotel I stayed at and sold it to the receptionist for 2 beers.

I met with Lauren and Joey and went out for a few more cheap beers until I got hungry again and found a really nice lady selling dumplings on the side of the road, this woman reminded me of my mum, really enthusiastic and just a lovely lady. Her English was great too; we ended just chatting for her for ages.

After, we went out for more drinks but not having a late one as Joey puts we are poorists: tourists with no money. J