March 28 2011 - Saigon (96km of 2121km)

We're here! We're in Saigon. The GPS says it's 2121 Km from Hanoi. We crossed Vietnam from North to South! In 25 intense days (21 days on the bike and 4 days of rest). On one of the 10 most beautiful roads you can ride on a bike (http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/cycle-routes/). In our eyes still linger the wonderful landscapes we crossed, always chasing some new horizon. In our minds there's a kaleidoscope of memories and feelings that move us still: the perfumes, the smells, the bright colours, the reflexes in rice fields and rivers, the smiles, the beauty, the unexpected, the whiteness of silk that defeats the dust, the hospitality and the simplicity of these people, the irrepressible laughter of the children, the unending cheers, the poverty, the filth, the burning sun, the rain, the mud, the wind, the traffic, the smog, the garbage, the horns, the tastes, the delicious food, the heat, the relief provided by coconut milk and sugar cane juice, the tiredness, the fulfillment, the ocean blue, the foaming waves, the blue skies, the golden and white beaches, the freedom, the adventure, the unending discovery...our journey is over. We stop in a caotic, unstoppable city. We park our bikes amidst a thousand mopeds. Knowing that tomorrow we won't be leaving on our bikes again...takes our breath away. It kind of crosses our minds that Saigon would really be a nice starting point...

---

We left My Tho this morning with mixed emotions: fulfillment for we finally made it to the final destination of our trip but also a feeling of nostalgia. Nostalgia for the freedom we experienced riding all of those kilometers in the past month.

A last goodbye to the Mekong river,

to fantasy,

to dust,

 

to beauty,

and colorful surprises...

We disassemble our bikes and we treat ourselves with a nice dinner as reward.

 

To be continued...