We flew from Seoul to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) for a two week bicycling
tour along the coast of Vietnam. The tour started with the highlights of
HCMC. Shown here is the opera house which was built during the French
colonization of Vietnam.
We went to Cu Chi, an outdoor museum which shows the tunnels built by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war. It was more interesting than we had expected. Here is the guide showing us how a soldier could climb into a hidden tunnel and disappear.
Here Pete is climbing out of a different exit of the same tunnel. The tunnel was surrounded by old bomb craters from the war, which had obviously missed their target. It made us visualize how difficult the Vietnam war was for the American military.
We had a wonderful meal while in HCMC. Pictured here are sautéed pumpkin flowers. We also enjoyed carmelized pork cooked in a clay pot, and a salad of pomelo, shrimp and pork that was wonderfully spicy and pungent.
It's quite a change from Korea to be back in the tropics, with its heat and humidity. As we rode we saw a lot of rice, bananas, tapioca and corn growing at lower elevations. The rice fields are vibrant green.
We also saw many lotus ponds. The lotus is such a beautiful flower!
These are rice paper wrappers drying on bamboo mats. The rice paper is used to make spring rolls, one of Vietnam's national dishes. We especially like the fresh (rather than fried) spring rolls.
In addition to agriculture, there are also cows, goats, pigs, chickens and some sheep being herded. We've had to share the road mostly with cows.
It feels great to be riding again! Since Vietnam is such a long country it's not possible to just cycle and cover all the miles in two weeks; Here we are in front of the tour bus that is used to drive us to our over night locations after we finish riding each day.
This is Chi, our cycling guide. He is holding a cashew nut fruit. Only the bottom part is the edible nut. Although it's labor intensive to prepare the cashews for eating, they are readily available and are very tasty!
On our way north we spent a night on the coast in the town of Mui Ne, which is known for fish sauce and dragon fruit. Down on the beach were fishing vessels used to catch the anchovies that are fermented to make fish sauce.
Dragon fruit, or pitahaya, is the fruit of a type of cactus. It's grown in southern Vietnam where it is very hot.
We ate dragon fruit as part of breakfast and also as a snack while we were riding. It is high in vitamin C and also has a bit of protein, calcium and iron. The flavor is mildly sweet.
As we climbed up to 4,500 feet, we came into coffee country. The soil was so red and fertile.
The roads are in great shape. We even saw pine trees, which didn't seem like they belonged in Vietnam.
There are lots of greenhouses growing flowers for HCMC and Hanoi markets.
Although the motor scooter is the predominant form of transportation in Vietnam, we still saw a few local cyclists on the road with us, especially in the countryside and villages. We often received a friendly greeting.
In the city of Dalat we enjoyed cycling around the lake which is used for storing irrigation water. The temperature and humidity was much lower, making it much more comfortable for us to ride. Dalat is a big honeymoon destination for Vietnamese newlyweds.
We went to Cu Chi, an outdoor museum which shows the tunnels built by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war. It was more interesting than we had expected. Here is the guide showing us how a soldier could climb into a hidden tunnel and disappear.
Here Pete is climbing out of a different exit of the same tunnel. The tunnel was surrounded by old bomb craters from the war, which had obviously missed their target. It made us visualize how difficult the Vietnam war was for the American military.
We had a wonderful meal while in HCMC. Pictured here are sautéed pumpkin flowers. We also enjoyed carmelized pork cooked in a clay pot, and a salad of pomelo, shrimp and pork that was wonderfully spicy and pungent.
It's quite a change from Korea to be back in the tropics, with its heat and humidity. As we rode we saw a lot of rice, bananas, tapioca and corn growing at lower elevations. The rice fields are vibrant green.
We also saw many lotus ponds. The lotus is such a beautiful flower!
These are rice paper wrappers drying on bamboo mats. The rice paper is used to make spring rolls, one of Vietnam's national dishes. We especially like the fresh (rather than fried) spring rolls.
In addition to agriculture, there are also cows, goats, pigs, chickens and some sheep being herded. We've had to share the road mostly with cows.
It feels great to be riding again! Since Vietnam is such a long country it's not possible to just cycle and cover all the miles in two weeks; Here we are in front of the tour bus that is used to drive us to our over night locations after we finish riding each day.
This is Chi, our cycling guide. He is holding a cashew nut fruit. Only the bottom part is the edible nut. Although it's labor intensive to prepare the cashews for eating, they are readily available and are very tasty!
On our way north we spent a night on the coast in the town of Mui Ne, which is known for fish sauce and dragon fruit. Down on the beach were fishing vessels used to catch the anchovies that are fermented to make fish sauce.
Dragon fruit, or pitahaya, is the fruit of a type of cactus. It's grown in southern Vietnam where it is very hot.
We ate dragon fruit as part of breakfast and also as a snack while we were riding. It is high in vitamin C and also has a bit of protein, calcium and iron. The flavor is mildly sweet.
As we climbed up to 4,500 feet, we came into coffee country. The soil was so red and fertile.
The roads are in great shape. We even saw pine trees, which didn't seem like they belonged in Vietnam.
There are lots of greenhouses growing flowers for HCMC and Hanoi markets.
Although the motor scooter is the predominant form of transportation in Vietnam, we still saw a few local cyclists on the road with us, especially in the countryside and villages. We often received a friendly greeting.
In the city of Dalat we enjoyed cycling around the lake which is used for storing irrigation water. The temperature and humidity was much lower, making it much more comfortable for us to ride. Dalat is a big honeymoon destination for Vietnamese newlyweds.
