The End.

I can't quite believe it. Nearly 10 months on my flight home is finally, inevitably almost here. It's been quite a journey one that has found me doing things I could have never even dreamed of before and discovering things about myself and others that I would never have even contemplated.

The money crisis was resolved slowly after a couple of quite stressful days in Ho Chi Minh City cancelling and rebooking flights (because I had to pay for them in cash now) organising money transfers etc etc. Chao helped me no end in this and her support both mental and physical really made all the difference. The two weeks that followed have seen me and her in a variety of places from mountains in Dalat, to beaches at Nha Trang,to culture and long rides through the countryside on a motorbike in Hue, finally returning to the bustle of Hanoi, the place where this last leg of my journey started just over a month ago.

On the subject of the motorbike. I'm sure many are horrified to hear that I rented a 150cc motorbike with absolutely no motorbike training whatsoever and drove it around Vietnam. I wasn't sure of it at first myself, But I found the feeling of driving through the beautiful countryside and small villages, in control of this motorbike to be one of the most liberating and challenging things I have done on my travels. The feeling cannot be described in words, but anyone who has ever ridden a motorbike could tell you. It was even more fantastic to be accompanied by Chao, who every now and then rode with me on the back of the bike as we explored surrounding hamlets and valleys.

Driving in the countryside is not so difficult, driving in the Cities is a very very very very difficult task. Now I have driven the roads of Vietnam myself,I understand why everyone beeps their horns all the time (this behaviour, at first puzzled me no end, as you may recall from my blog post about 6 weeks ago)

Nobody looks where they are going, no one has any mirrors on their motorbikes, no one is wearing any protection apart from a flimsy helmet,which isn't even required by law. Hence if you crash at above 50mph-you die. That is not even a joke, in my time here I've seen 4 road accidents, and one of them was most definately fatal.

So because nobody looks where they're going or has any training or protection,in Vietnam it's absolutely essential to beep your horn loudly and regularly as possible to alert other drivers that you may be overtaking,or even just turning right accross a junction. The incredible absence of any meaningful traffic laws results in several amusing situations, such as trying to turn right accross busy intersections, is often quicker to switch off the motorbike engine and push it accross major junctions as you have to stop so often for traffic flying off in the wrong direction, or driving the wrong way up the road.

My only real advice from the guy who rented me the motorbike was "remember to drive on the right!!"

I will write more about this some other time, but as a trained driver, I do at least have some experience of traffic conditions and road behaviour, and natural instincts such as checking over my shoulder immediatly kicked in, and proved to be very useful. Asides from the mechanical element of handling the bike (which didn't take to long to get used to, even though it was geared) traffic was the biggest concern.

I had many amazing moments, such as stopping by a lake in a rural village, a young guy approached me and starting talking, I was on my guard as this is usually the prelude to some kind of scam, But then he invited me into his home. Upon entering he enthusiastically introduced me to all his family and the shack on stilts that they called home, it was humbling to be treated as a guest and awarded with food and water, and photos of the family. In the end he just wanted to practice his English and I was the first westerner he had ever met. An incredible experience. Most touching was the grandfather I saw.

It's quite common in Vietnam to see beggars with no legs, or older men with plastic ones (although it's often hard to tell as they are so well covered up) These men were victims in the Vietnam war(s) between 1945 and 1975. Many are, understandably quite cold to foreigners who they perceive as having meddled in their country's affairs for generations, and unleashed unspeakable violence upon them. Many of these men are landmine victims. But to my surprise this particular old gentleman was thrilled to see me and ever so (genuinly) cheerful. Even though he had fought in the Vietnam was against the Americans.

I want to bring this to a close now and I will write more probably on my journey home which starts tomorow and ends on the 25th of June, and involves lot's of waiting in airports... Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh,Ho Chi Minh to Doha, Doha to London.

Expect updates to continue however as I finally start to move an enormous backlog of photos online and create several new videos. As well as post trip thoughts, some time in the next month or so.

Anyone who wants to meet up... I will be back at home at 9 Keats Close from the 25th of June... So give me a call sometime on the home number and we can hang out or something. Email me anytime!