Day 51 17th jan
Today is going to be an easy day....
We need to clean the bike up again and take a look at an oil leak that's started since the piston was replaced....
I've brought a selection of tools with me but typically I need a socket I've not got... I wipe the oil off the engine and take the bike for a quick ride around the block... The oil leak is not huge and nothing's really noticeable on my return... I take it for a longer ride to warm the engine up properly... It's when the engines hot that it starts to leak out so I clean it all up again.... Without the necessary tools I'm not going to be able to sort it myself and as it only leaks once hot and the wheel only rubs because of all the weight, which has now been removed, giving adequate clearance for normal riding we decide to leave it all as is... The guys got back to me who initially made contact about the bike, but he has decided to look for a 1964 classic Honda 90 instead so with the advert still active online and the bike now looking tidy again in front of our hotel we can do nothing but sit back and wait.....
With our map in hand we leave the hotel and walk to a central market... It's an old single story building and is a real tourist trap... Its a total aladdin's cave inside with the main products on sale being clothes, bags and watches.... If you want something fake then you need look no further..... The place is rammed to the roof with produce, the sellers seem to rent a tiny little space, walled on either side with a shelf between.... They fill it from floor to ceiling, leaving only enough space for you to be able to see there upper body and head amongst everything else... Its brilliant they bury themselves amongst there own stock.... If you want something from within the stall itself they climb up tightly packed piles of clothing, using the produce as a step ladder to get high enough to reach....the girls are tiny here, they climb at least the own hight again.... Safe in the knowledge they'll have a soft landing if they slip.... The walkways are narrow and the girls selling the gear all call out to you as you pass, some look at what your wearing already and try to sell you more, some try to offer you whatever they think you'll like, some just grab hold of your arm and refuse to let go.... Its a real experience....
After spending half hour in here it feels like it's getting hotter so we wonder off to find the cool of the river... We locate a seat and stay there for most of the afternoon.... I like Ho Chi Minh city... It has a good feel to the place.... A pace of life I like.... But right now, watching the water and river weed pass by is all we want to do.....
On our way back we stop in at the Saigon Opera House and Shiree disappears off inside.... She's spotted something online and has gone in to investigate.... From here we walk in the rough direction of our hotel and stubble across something that looks oddly familiar.... We have just walked to the place where the Top Gear crew started there journey North from..... It takes us by surprise a little.... Its opposite a large very well to do building which we later learn to be the official government buildings of Saigon which is surrounded by very expensive prestigious hotels.......
It looks like a busy roundabout on the show..... It's far from it in reality.....
Once back at the hotel reception we book a "city tour" for tomorrow.... So we need to be up in good time... We freshen up and head out for a drink.. There are loads of bars on offer round the corner from our hotel that stay open till well into the early hours.... Are initial intention was to go to a few bars and just have one drink in each but this did not happen.....
With later regret we found the cocktail list a little to much to our liking in the first bar we entered and just keep on ordering... Shiree's last drink of the night was served in a plastic 6inch round child's bucket..... And although funny at the time, And I can still picture Shiree's face, straws in mouth, smirking away as she arrives back at the table with it.... In hindsight this drinking from a bucket idea was probably not the best..... a bucket contains more drink than you'd imagine.
1.30am we stager into our hotel room.... Set the alarm for what feels like 5 minutes time and quickly go to sleep.