Good evening Vietnam

Big jolly this year is Vietnam. We have a motorbike tour for six days in the middle, bookended with city breaks in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) and Hanoi. I used up pretty much all of my annual leave for this trip so by the middle of October was champing at the bit to get away. But at last, today was the day, or yesterday, maybe both: time zones are funny. It’s a lot of flying, something like fifteen hours in the air plus associated hanging around in airports. I was feeling sleep deprived by the halfway point: it was somewhere hot as balls with lots of sand. I’m going to say Tattooine.

Got a bit of kip on the second leg and I’m optimistic that it might be just right to offset the six hour time difference.

Massive thunderstorm of the port side of the aircraft on the decent into HCM. Pretty spectacular at night. I videoed a bit of it to give you the idea but was mostly enjoying the light show.

My mate Dennis had told me of the insanity of Saigon traffic (I’m sticking with Saigon, it’s easier to type and the locals still seem to use it), but it has to be experienced to be believed. Swarms of scooters weave through each other and bigger things, but flow organically around each other (mostly) in a way that must get most westerners wincing with expectation of crunching noise and road rash (Italians excepted).

Everything went smoothly all the way to the hotel where at check-in, they discretely alluded to our double bed. For my dad and I. Er, no. I am lucky to have a great friendship with my old man, but that’s a step too far. Sitting next to him on a plane seat while he sleeps fitfully, snoring, farting and twitching like he’s channeling Dan Biggar before a penalty kick was enough thanks. Coincidentally, his objections were exactly the same. So we have sorted a twin room for two out of the three nights here with cautiously optimistic assurances from the staff for the third. If it turns out Boyd, who is meeting us for the trip had nicked the last twin, there will be tears before bedtime.

So we’ve had a stroll about our fantastically loud, colourful and slightly mental surroundings, supped a few local beers (not awful – no formaldehyde) and done some tourist-tastic “what’s the most Vietnamese thing on the menu?”. Proper exploring tomorrow.