Day 18

May 8 2013

Ho Chi Min City (Saigon)

About being taken for a ride--Surprise Surprise or not.

First things first. During breakfast I met with Pierre and handed him the $255 for the bike paid in a mix of US dollars, Thai Baht and Aust Dollars. I had enquired about the location where I would find many repair shops. After calling at several shops and about to give up hope of getting it all done today I saw a guy in a workshop who could do things in two stages. I told him that I had been a Honda Mechanic and that I was able to allow it myself save for the lack of tools. I had made a list: adjust steering head bearing, new clutch and front brake cable, possible new brake shoes front, rubber seal in tank cap, general check and oil change. He asked me what the most important thing was. Well that was the front brake. Ok he said, I do that today and the rest on Saturday. Ok Done. I left the bike and started walking back. About 3 km back to the hostel I got drenched, not by the rain but by my own sweat. At the hostel I removed my T shirt and could wring the sweat out of it. Never seen that before.

After a shower and a cool down in the air-conditioned dormitory, I went to find an electronic shop to get a second 220V to USB adaptor so I could charge two items at the time. So now to the surprise surprise factor.

Up until now when you turned left out of the narrow laneway connecting the hostel to the main street. With a map in the hand and following a line drawn by the receptionist where I could find my adaptor I turned right. After 200 m (Two Hundred Meters) I passed a pastry bakery with some very appetizing little buns as they make in Europe and Australia. After a few weeks on rice and noodles it would make a welcome break. I went in the shop selected a salad roll and a nice bun and sat outside. Across the road buses were coming and going. It was now 3 pm and a bus pulled up and let some passengers out. On the side of the bus I saw a name I recognized; it read Phnom Pehn –Ho Chi Min express bus. Hey that was my bus of two days ago. Now I recognized the spot also. This was were I got off the day before yesterday. The bus had stopped about 200 meters from the hostel. The taxi driver had taken 15 minutes at least, to take me there driving the long way around. He had literally taken me for a $15.00 ride. In comparison this would have been a $60 ride in Australia. To put it in perspective in this part of the world, the 6 ½ hour bus ride from Cambodia to HoChiMin City cost $12. Anyway again such is life.