Rally Indochina - Along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by Ural Motorbike

The motorbike rally in support of Blue Dragon Children's Fund actually started at the Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum on the outskirts of Hanoi. My bike was hard to start but, once underway, it went like a rocket! - an unusual experience for someone who has an almost identical Dnepr sidecar (which is like driving a small tractor). On the first leg into the beautiful ethnic minority town of Mai Chau there were plenty of coffee breaks and a sedate speed to allow riders to relax into the rally.

Enroute to Mai Chau

Charley Boorman and film crew joined us for the first day

The next day tested riders with a 300 km ride from Mai Chau to Vinh which led us to the start of the actual Ho Chi Minh Trail. Shortly after hitting the Trail, a 30 km stretch of treacherous mud saw four riders come off - some several times! The ordeal was worth it though as it was followed by the most spectacual scenery that I have ever seen in Vietnam! - beautiful soaring limestone karsts, heavily forested and covered in jungle, the drizzle and mist adding to the mystery of this amazing landscape. And if that wasn't enough, a fabulous road with no one on it!

The start of the Ho Chi Minh Trail - 0 km

A local enjoying Rhod's mud-spattered sidecar

At Phong Nha Ke Bang - after surviving the mud!

The road to Phong Nha Ke Bang

Fabulous landscape along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Arrival at Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park was early enough to have a leisurely boat trip along the Con River to Phong Nha cave where the river actually flows nearly 14 km into the cave although tourists are only permitted to explore the first 1500 metres - more than enough to appreciate the spectacular beauty of the cave and formations.

Sightseeing boats on the Con River, Phong Nha Ke Bang

Formations inside the cave

The entrance to Phong Nha Cave

The next day a short ride through more fabulous scenery took us to yet another spectacular cave - Paradise. It was well worth the ride on wet, slippery roads. In ten years of visiting and living in Vietnam I had never visited these caves and was amazed at just how spectacular they are - they leave the caves of Halong Bay for dead. They are off the normal tourist beaten track because it's a long journey to get to them. No problem for a bunch of Ural motorbike riders though!

The ride continued to Dong Hoi on the coast where we put up at the delightful Sun Spa resort. In dreary weather we rode to Khe Sanh, scene of a major battle between American Marines and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War and the title of a song sung by Jimmy Barnes and the Australian Rock Group, Cold Chisel. The Ta Con war museum on the site of the American air base has a collection of aircraft on display.

Waterfall enroute to Khe Sanh

Lunch stop on the way to Khe Sanh

Riders Brendon (sidecar) and Neil (solo)

Lockheed Hercules C130 aircraft at Ta Con museum

From Khe Sanh we left the Ho Chi Minh Trail and headed east to Vinh Moc tunnels on the coast. For six years the inhabitants of Vinh Moc lived in an underground village 30 metres deep in an effort to survive American bombings which saw 9000 tons of bombs dropped on the area. The 2000 metres of tunnels housed hospitals, nurseries, kitchens, wells, and family spaces. Sixty families lived in the complex which saw the birth of 17 children. After enjoying a bunch of delicious freshly grilled prawns for lunch at Cua Viet  beach we headed for Hue and checked in at the delightful historic Saigon Morin hotel.

Archive photo of digging the Vinh Moc tunnels....

Tunnel entrance

Inside Vinh Moc tunnels

Thuy and Dave at tunnel entrance

Live insect passenger on the ride to Vinh Moc

Two relaxing days were spent at Hue which included a river cruise to the Blue Dragon Centre in Hue and the chance to meet up again with Blue Dragon's founder and CEO, Michael Brosowski. Blue Dragon has started an aquaculture project near its centre at Phu Vang in an attempt to alleviate poverty in the area. On the first evening in Hue all riders donned traditional costume and had dinner in what could only be described as "pantomine atmosphere"....

Rally group at Blue Dragon Centre, Hue

Michael Brosowski with Mr Thai

Stephen and Peter as "The Emperors".....

Brendon getting into it..

The ride from Hue to Hoi An saw us back on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and a further encounter with mud along a stretch of road through an enormous gorge where massive roadworks are being undertaken. Fortunately this mud proved to be more benign than the previous encounter and everyone managed to stay upright. Hamburger Hill, the scene of another famous siege during the Vietnam War, was viewed from a distance as we continued on our way to the delightful Vinh Hung riverside resort in Hoi An ancient town. Before checking in we enjoyed a cold beer at Mark Wyndham's Hoi An Motorbike Tours base then "blitzed" Hoi An on our noisy Urals.

Road tunnel on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Fulton

Neil

Road tunnel entrance

With mechanics Long and Diep

Scenery along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

With mechanics Phu, Long and Diep

The two days at Hoi An allowed plenty of time for riders to go shopping or just relax by the pool. The signature cocktail, Custard Colada, (made with custard apple - not egg custard) was particularly fortifying! But Hoi An isn't just about cheap clothes; I visited the young silversmith around the corner from the delightful Ha An hotel and bought a silver ring from his range of exquisite (and underpriced) stock. With a tummy full of the local speciality "My Quang" (prawns, yellow noodles, roast peanuts, fresh herbs and a sesame cracker) and a new Dragon teeshirt as well as my ring, Hoi An was just great..

On the second night at Hoi An, a pleasant cruise down the Thu Bon River took us to the Red Bridge restaurant and cooking school where we enjoyed a celebratory dinner and handed over of a cheque for $47,500 to Michael Brosowski which was the total amount raised by riders in the Rally! 

Anne, Peter (standing), Stephen, Neil, Digby (sitting)

Phu (tongue out), Long (sitting), Thuy, Glenn, Mark and Fulton

Assistant Manager and Lew

Urals at Vinh Hung, Hoi An

Ural 44 at Hoi An

Ural 44 with rider

Digby presents the cheque to Michael

The hottest day of the ride (temperature 33 but with the humidity feels like 42) saw us do a steep climb up the mountains of the Son Tra peninsula north of Da Nang and ride over the Hai Van pass to the other side. Lunch at a seaside hotel at Da Nang followed where a boisterous wedding celebration was also going on but didn't faze the staff (or the riders). We said goodbye to our Urals and climbed aboard taxis for the afternoon flight to Ho Chi Minh City where the weather was markedly cooler and more comfortable.

Lew and Glenn on the Son Tra peninusula

Son Tra peninsula, Da Nang

Diep "water-cooling" Chris's Ural

On arrival at Ho Chi Minh City, we checked in at the well-appointed Grand Hotel in Dong Khoi street and headed off for a tasty dinner at KOTO Saigon's restaurant at 151A Hai Ba Trung street. Tonight (Sunday 21 April), the final night of the rally, we enjoy a Vespa "street food" tour of Saigon and no doubt a few drinks as we celebrate a highly successful and most enjoyable ride and say farewell to fellow riders. The Rally took me to amazing places that I never knew existed in Vietnam and allowed me to enjoy the company of a most relaxed and easygoing group of people! It's been great!

June and July in Vietnam and Elsewhere...

Three months will be up next week and I head for home on 2 August. Can't say that this stint in Vietnam has been particularly taxing as the last few weeks have included travelling back to Australia for Mum's 90th birthday party at Tweed Heads/Coolangatta, a KOTO party and the ANARE (Antarctic) Club's midwinter dinner in Melbourne, a holiday with Peter in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore, a short trip to Thailand as well as the very first KOTO Saigon graduation ceremony at the Saigon Opera House on 14 July.

I also managed to squeeze in a weekend at Luang Prabang in Laos - always enjoyable! While eating at "L'Elephant" restaurant it's easy to imagine that you've died and gone to heaven....

Mum loved her party which brought together members of the extended family that I haven't seen for over 50 years! She's the happiest and healthiest she's been in years and well settled in to Darlington Retirement Community at Banora Point, NSW.

With Mum at her Darlington party

Mum and friend at the family party, Coolangatta Surf Club

Mum and another good-looking chick at the party

Great Vietnamese food at Huong and Van's party, Richmond, Melbourne

With Huong at the party

A bonus on the trip to Australia for Mum's 90th was flying through Melbourne and being able to catch up with Huong and Van, KOTO alumni, who are studying at Box Hill Institute of TAFE, as well as rolling  up to the ANARE Club midwinter dinner. Both are studying well and have good part-time jobs at Sofitel Collins Street. I'm proud of them!

With Peter Koenig at the midwinter dinner

The day after Huong and Van's party, Peter and I flew back to Vietnam in time to celebrate my 65th birthday in Ho Chi Minh City with KOTO colleague, Brenda (who has just left Vietnam after seven years with KOTO to take up a job in Canberra!). 

I've been staying in the same hotel in HCMC for years and management sent a lovely bunch of flowers up to my room on my birthday! That evening Peter, Brenda and I shared a long, tasty dinner at Camargue French restaurant in HCMC (with a couple of bottles of Cotes du Rhone in memory of my sojourn at Lyon...)

Birthday flowers from Spring Hotel, Saigon

With Peter and Brenda at Camargue (Slightly out-of-focus but we probably all were at this stage)

After a couple of days in Hanoi, Peter and I headed off to Kuala Lumpur and Penang which neither of us had visited before but will probably return to in the not-too-distant future. KL has some amazing architecture - both modern and colonial - as well as a great range of cheap food! 

Our hotel in KL - the Royale Chulan

The Royal Selangor Club (formerly the Royal Selangor Cricket Club)

Yes, the Petronas Towers. I suppose everyone has to take a photo....

Peter at gardens at KL City Centre gardens

In Penang we stayed at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion - a restored Chinese mansion from the colonial era that is exactly the kind of hotel we love to stay in. With only 16 rooms and perfect Feng Shui it really is an experience! Friendly staff and lots of little break-out areas where you can relax in privacy really make the place. We also had a great evening meal on the seaside verandah of the also restored "Eastern and Oriental Hotel" watching two ships come in to Butterworth/Penang under tug assistance.

Our hotel in Penang - the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

Hainan Temple, Penang

Khoo Khongsi Pagoda, Penang

Botanic Gardens, Penang

Shoreline Penang - the view from the Eastern and Oriental

A quiet beer on the Penang waterfront - looking towards Butterworth

The fabulous Customs House in Penang

After Penang we spent a few days in Singapore with friends Wayne and Junaidi and Barry who was visiting from Port Macquarie. It's worthwhile visiting Singapore every few years to see how quickly the place changes. The Marina Bay Sands hotel complex and the "Gardens by the Sea" may not be to everyone's taste but they are certainly impressive! Not too many bargains in Singapore these days but still a great range of food - from food courts to upmarket restaurants. A bonus in Singapore was catching up with our friend, Sze Tho, from Johor Bahru in Malaysia, who made the journey down from JB to spend a day with us.

A couple of tourists on the Singapore River

Singapore River sculpture

Peter and Sze Tho relaxing over a coffee

Science and Technology Museum, Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands Hotel with the rooftop "gondola"

"Gardens by the Sea" with plant-clad steel "trees" and conservatory

After Singapore Peter flew out of HCMC back to Australia and I spent a few days with John Salter and his wife, Nui, in Jomtien, Thailand (near Pattaya) before returning to HCMC for the very first KOTO Saigon graduation when classes 1 and 2 received their diplomas.

Time spent with John is always relaxing as two Southport State High School Old Boys reminisce over a drink or two....

The Salter Residence in Jomtien

In the pool with Nui

The bedroom in the luxurious guest suite at "Chez Salter"

John at home

The first KOTO Saigon graduation ceremony was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster ride especially as Mr Doan, class 1, made a moving speech about his life before and after KOTO. He is my hero...

Singing, break-dancing and re-enacting former lives before KOTO (an emotional experience for both trainees and the audience) made up the entertainment which was put on wholly by KOTO trainees.

Classes 1 & 2 on the steps of the Opera House, Saigon

Dressing up...

The Graduates

Tuan and Phan

Hang and Kha

Son, class 1, Ruth, chef-trainer, Brenda, training manager, Philip, Phi, class 1

Onstage at the Opera House

Opera House interior 

Next major event was the Dream Bottle Ceremony for Class 21, the latest class at KOTO Hanoi. The trainees write down their dreams and aspirations for the future, put them in a bottle which is then placed in a special glass cabinet in the foyer of the training centre (where they can see it every day) and they get their dream bottle back when they graduate. Class 21 have only been at KOTO six weeks and are a small class with only 17 trainees but they're doing well.

With Ms Ha, Manager, Jimmy Pham and Cameron Hancock, Welfare Manager, at the Dream Bottle Ceremony

Class 18 provided the MC's (Mr Binh and Ms Ngoan) and the vocalist (Mr Long)

Passing on lighted candles at the Dream Bottle Ceremony

With Class 21

With Lam, class 19, and Bao, class 20, at the Dream Bottle Ceremony

So that's about it for another year! Working at KOTO and Blue Dragon is rewarding but it's always good to come home...