We arrived in Saigon at our hotel and promptly went out to explore. Unfortunately most stores were closed for the Vietnamese New Year. We had a wonderful dinner at a fancy local food restaurant and said good by to our guides and driver. Saigon was decked out in it’s finest of lighting at night for the New Year and flowers for enjoyment by day.

Our last day was spent walking and exploring this bustling Asian City. 10,000,000 people and 4,000,000 motor cycles, yes 4,000,000 and none obeying any traffic laws! We opted for a western lunch at a local pizza restaurant as none of us had eaten anything but local food for the past three weeks. It was strangely good but you just can’t beat good ol’ Chicago Pizza. Janie acted as our tour guide and in good Vietnamese fashion, promptly got lost. But that was okay because we discovered a few souvenir shops that were open.

I would say that we all really liked Thailand and Cambodia the most. Our guides and routes were the best and the people were the most friendly. I am not so sure I could ever recommend Buffalo Tours to anyone and that is only because their operational/corporate structure has a lot to be desired. We did not have the bikes they promised, they changed up our itinerary without letting us know ahead of time (including hotels) and did not book our final days in Viet Nam like they said they would. We asked several times if the New Year celebrations would impact our tour and they said it would not but it did. Almost every town we went through was closed up and 2/3 of Saigon was shut down. Our guides were the only saving grace of the trip and that is good because they are really the heart and soul of the company. They are actually saving company face as far as I am concerned.

I doubt I would ever come back for another ride in this part of the world and it is not because of anyone or anything other than the heat and probable lack of amenities that this old body needs after a good ride: soft bed and a hot shower! I don’t ask for much but a hot shower is almost always key. And a washcloth! What is it with washcloths? Even traveling in Europe there aren’t any washcloths! (Someone sounds like they need to get home!) I am glad I did experience this part of the world and come to appreciate the lifestyle and struggles many people face here. Always becoming more aware of the different cultures of the world makes me appreciate more and more my homeland. As we rode through Cambodia, Janie and I kept saying, “By the grace of God, we were born in America”.

We packed our bags and are waiting now to make the long journey home. This is truly a journey for the memory books. We have so many stories to tell and pictures to pour over. I will miss our guide Vuttha and our driver Sawath the most and always hope for their future in such an impoverished country. Cambodia will be in our hearts forever.

Ride on....


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