Cycle Vietnam: First Day on the bike and the Cu Chi Tunnels

It has been some very interesting 24 hours here in Vietnam. We met the rest of the group of 18 cyclists. As we expected it is largely comprised of people from the UK. Other countries represented are Australia, Ireland, Canada and Australia. Julie and I are the only Americans. Most are near our age and very active and well-traveled folks. The places that they have been are simply amazing. We have a whole new list of travel destinations (as if I needed that). I think they group will be a lot of fun.

We got on the bikes and rode 20 miles in the 97 degree heat. It was flat with a tailwind and was not bad at all. We have plenty of support in cold drinks and snacks (fabulous fresh tropical fruit) to keep us safe and comfortable. We rode though small villages and rubber tree plantations. Sometimes it was beautiful, it was always interesting.

Here is my garmin data for the day. It will show our route and all kinds of data if you are interested.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1669019954?share_unique_id=5

Our destination was a spot 30 miles from Saigon called the Cu Chi Tunnels. It is a network of 260 kilometers (160 miles) of tunnels build by the Vietnamese Liberation Front (what we know as the Vietcong). We had a 2 hour tour that included going into the tunnels. It was a very thought provoking experience. We know well the sacrifce and valor shown by the American soldiers in this terrible struggle. This was a very stark and real example of the hardship endured by the opposing force. I think we will be processing what we saw for a long time.

After the tour, we hit a Vietnamese restaurant and had some of their famous noodle soup called Pho. It was fabulous. We were serenaded by the owner of the restaurant playing and singing Simon and Garfunkel’s song Scarborough Fair. Tomorrow we leave Saigon and head for the coast.