Folks, you haven't lived (or more accurately, nearly died!) if you haven't experienced Ho Chi Minh City in the evening rush hour! After safely arriving at the surprisingly modern airport and getting a taxi, we sat back to enjoy the ride to the hotel. Oh, how naive could you be?!
In the various guide books, they said there were lots of motorbikes there, but I didn't think there were THAT many! Apparently, there are 8 million people in the city and 6 million motorbikes/mopeds (there's a song in there somewhere for Katie Melua!), but I think they underestimated it! As we inched through the traffic, thousands upon thousands of biker locals swarmed around us like locusts. Traffic lights and driving on the right were only very loosely complied with and indicators only used as decorations. All road users basically point their machine in the direction they want and go for it regardless of traffic. Some of the 2 wheeled jalopies carried children (up to 3, mostly without helmets), some carried grannies, some girlfriends and some cargo! The picture above was taken on Sunday morning (from a moving bus) at about 9am, so you can imagine what prime time Friday was like!
Unbelievably, to cross the road, those on Shank's mare can only dream about pedestrian crossings that mean anything. You have to forget about the green cross code, launch yourself into the maelstrom and just go for it. I imagine this results in many tourists staying on the same side of the street for their entire stay! It certainly is nervewracking the first few times you try it, but you quickly learn the secret. If you're timid, you'll never get across. Similar to blagging, you have to be confident. If the road users sense you're serious about it (and they will!), they will magically yield and you can put the rosary beads away until you have to cross again!
We finally got to the street the hotel was on only for the taxi driver overshot the runway by about 600 yards. And what did SHE do? Turn around and come back? No. Go around the block? No. Those options would have made sense. Instead, why not just reverse up the busy road, because going forward isn't crazy enough?! I think my life flashed in front of me (or was that behind me as I was looking with some terror out the back window!) several times as the driver backed into the oncoming traffic behind and to the right while avoiding the idling cars and bikes immediately to the left. When we finally convinced her to stop, we then had to negotiate our first road crossing (with luggage) for good measure! If that didn't send me for the brandy, nothing will!
Amazingly, despite the utter chaos, the system as a whole usually works without anyone getting maimed or killed. Basically the small yield to the big, so driving a truck would be useful! However, during the Chinese New Year, I heard 300 got killed on the road in 5 days. I'm just surprised that it's not like that every week. Anyway, we had landed and it was time to start exploring Vietnam (once we got our nerve back, that is!).
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