Now feeling bonded with my bike, I decided to head in another direction, towards My Son – an ancient temple complex and National Heritage Site just over an hour away by bike. Half the journey was through rural areas – fishing villages, harvested fields, the iconic Vietnamese hats, smokey fires, and then what looked like a temple graveyard. I think it might have been an actual graveyard with beautiful, shapely tombstones – much more colourful than the boring, morbid grey ones found in Western country.
The other 50% of the journey was a little hairy, with lots of trucks blaring their horns as they weaved around bikers. At one point I heard a loud “POP” and thought a nearby bike must have backfired. I rode on for about 15 more minutes, when my bike began to wobble… It was my back tyre that had popped!
I pulled over and wheeled to a shady part of the road. Thank goodness for that! The sun was in full bloom. It didn’t take long for someone to pull over. I pointed to the flat tyre and he gave me the two-fingered zap sign (200k Dong). I expressed thanks and yes please, and he vanished.
Some curious cows and waddling ducks kept me company while I waited. After 30 minutes, I thought I should try attempt to flag someone else down. My wavy arm got a few replies, with waves of hello from passengers while they continued on. Two women rode slowly past and filmed me. My hope was that they were going to get help! The white folk on bikes just grinned as they rode past…
I then upgraded to double, criss-crossed wavy arms, but was left stranded for another 30 minutes! I started to feel a little desperate now as several bikers and trucks continued to whizz past.
Eventually, a kind young man pulled over who could also speak a little English. I had a translated message prepared for any person who might help. He said that there was someone close by who could save me, and that he would go and inquire. He came back saying that his shop was closed, but that he would escort me to the mechanic’s home!
After a few seconds of slowly wobbling behind him, he stopped and said that he would ride my defunct bike, and that I can ride his (rather fancy) one and follow him! “Are you sure??” I asked. “Absolutely” is what I interpreted his response to be.
So after being gracefully escorted, a kindly, wrinkled man covered in grease, tended to the wheel. It was a long nail/bolt that got me. Luckily, he had the right kind of tube in stock. I watched him go to work while showing him my translated message of “how much to fix?”. It was 150k Dong in the end. I gave him 200k and was back on the road!
It was now me, my bike, and a race against time. My destination was only 13 more minutes away, so I forged on and ended up doing a speed-run of the massive ancient complex. There were large golf cart shuttles taking tourists to the main attractions, and I was lucky enough to have one carrying a French group spot me and reverse so that I could hop on for the 2km ride.
You need a full afternoon to properly experience My Son. If I had the time, I would have paid for the headphones and audio guide on offer. It is an amazing site of temples that were bombed to shit by the Americans during their war in Vietnam. Bomb craters can be seen all over, which are now beautiful waterholes with flowering lily pads.
I was now running late for work, so had to skip the museum. According to my Navigatrix, I would make it back in time, but the main bridge was suddenly under construction with no entry of any kind allowed. I followed some pissed-off sounding locals also trying to find an alternative crossing. I could see another bridge nearby but wasn’t sure how to get to it.
So I veered down a little trail that went across some fields, after seeing one other biker doing the same. Puttering down these fields, I got some looks from locals, whom I’m sure were wondering what the F this farang was doing.
EVENTUALLY I got back onto a main road. My bike didn’t have one of those handy attachments where you can mount your phone and digital map. Mine had a little basket, so I had to keep pulling over to check that I was still going in the right direction. The fuel gauge was also in the red, but I made it! I was 10 minutes late for work that day. Not bad going, all things considered!
Next: Vietnam #13 – Rock it Like it’s Hot!
Previously: Vietnam #11 – IENNN, IENNN, IENN!
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