Coast to the Coast

A week ago we embarked on a bike ride from Saigon to Can Gio, about 65 kilometers away on the coast. It was possibly the longest ride Lauren and I have ever done, so it was kind of a big deal for us. Saturday morning we filled our Camelbacks, left the kids with Ms. Thuy and headed off to meet eight of our good friends.

We left from our local bike shop, Saigon Cycles at 6:30am to beat the heat.

20k in found us at a small ferry dock. We squeezed on the ferry
with more motorbikes than you'd think could (should?) fit on that boat.

While on the ferry Lauren took this photo of either a barefoot motorbike rider
or our buddy's gin and juice water bottle. Both photo-worthy.

8:30am...stopped for delicious Pho...

...and 333 beers and coffee sua da. It was really hot.

A short while later, we pulled off the road for some hammock time and more beers.
I know, we're doing this right, aren't we? It was really hot.

Then it was time to hit the road.

Now, this should be a photo of us, after 65k of riding checking into our resort. It isn't.
This is a photo of us realizing the woman behind the counter will NOT budge on her demand that
we all have our passports and visas. We didn't. After a lot of back and forth, we headed 6k down
the road to the only other place in town. Fortunately they were willing to bend the rules.

Once there...

...we watched a dramatic storm come in,

found some statues, lounged by the pool and

shared stories over meals.

The ride home was a bit more focused. We stopped less frequently and made great time. Lauren and I both felt a great sense of accomplishment when we finally pulled in front of our house Sunday afternoon. This trip was a perfect mix of amazing experiences with incredible people. That's our goal these last few weeks.