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Friday, December 27, 2013
a few of my Vietnam videos for you to enjoy
Thursday, December 26, 2013
First day on the road in Vietnam
I was told to take highway 14 north because it is a great new highway and it is the best road. Getting out of the city of Ho Chi Minh proved to be difficult and then missing a turn, I almost went into Cambodia. When I finally got to 14, I was expecting something entirely different.
Road construction is going on in many places with no flagmen or safety devices. You just figure it out as you go and try not to get hit.
Every now and then there is a sign which does no good unless you can read Vietnamese. The rules of the road is if your bike can fit through an opening, go for it just watch out for steam rollers.
Unfortunately other vehicles like trucks use this same philosophy and it can get pretty tight sometimes.
This may sound dangerous but then you have to add into the fact that I am riding with one hand while snapping these shots.
Even this bridge that I stopped for a photo opp rocked and swayed every time that a truck of other vehicle rode by.
And if this wasn't thrilling enough, I still managed to find a roller coaster with absolutely no safety bars or belts or any other concern for safety. On the up side, the lines were short.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Vietnam at first glance
I've been in Saigon, Vietnam for a week. The initial cultural shock luckily have wore off. It was very intimidating with the traffic and the language barrier and every corner I turned was like nothing I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot.
Staying in the city for this short length of time has given me a chance to enjoy the city and take it all in
Most of the people here have their lives centered around 2 wheels.
Here is a scooter " pegging" a 3 wheel bicycle that is carrying about 15 sheets of drywall ( that is enough weight to make most small pickup trucks squat.)
This bicycle is made for hauling one extra person, NOT over a half a ton
There are many of these 3 wheeler work horses. I've even seen then with double forks for extra weight like hauling a truck load of steel re-bar for all the concrete construction projects going on.
Here is the double front forks of one of the heavy duty trikes.
They utilize even inch of space on their bikes too. Here he even has some room left on the front fender luggage rack.
It is one thing just to ride with these big loads but factor in the thick traffic with road etiquette that allows no stopping for intersecting and bikes coming at you from every angle and it can be intimidating for even the most seasoned rider from the States.
So now I have a bike like what they ride however I did a little bit of Yankee customizing just in case they couldn't tell where I was from. Now I'll explore on two wheels and see what else I can get into-
Staying in the city for this short length of time has given me a chance to enjoy the city and take it all in
Most of the people here have their lives centered around 2 wheels.
Here is a scooter " pegging" a 3 wheel bicycle that is carrying about 15 sheets of drywall ( that is enough weight to make most small pickup trucks squat.)
This bicycle is made for hauling one extra person, NOT over a half a ton
There are many of these 3 wheeler work horses. I've even seen then with double forks for extra weight like hauling a truck load of steel re-bar for all the concrete construction projects going on.
Here is the double front forks of one of the heavy duty trikes.
They utilize even inch of space on their bikes too. Here he even has some room left on the front fender luggage rack.
It is one thing just to ride with these big loads but factor in the thick traffic with road etiquette that allows no stopping for intersecting and bikes coming at you from every angle and it can be intimidating for even the most seasoned rider from the States.
So now I have a bike like what they ride however I did a little bit of Yankee customizing just in case they couldn't tell where I was from. Now I'll explore on two wheels and see what else I can get into-
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Dental work in Vietnam
One of the things I wanted to do while I here was get some much needed dental work done. Over the years, every time I had a dental problem, I would just have the troubling tooth pulled which still was more then I could afford usually. This wasn't the best idea but since it started out with my rear molars, it wasn't very noticeable. One thing that was getting more and more noticeably was one of my front teeth was dieing ( and the other was a old crown done in my Marine Corps days.) I knew that eventually one if not both were going to need fixing. I had a bridge with a crown next to my front tooth that was also done in The Marine Corps. This lasted well as it didn't give out till after more then 30 years but last year it failed. for about 2 years I stopped trimming my mustache to help hide the problem. As the problem got worse I started to smile a lot less being very self conscious about my teeth. Needless to say, I needed to address the problem so I looked into getting some dental work while in Vietnam. A Facebook friend had a son that lived here and he had a dentist that worked out of her house ( she moved her dentist office out of the commercial space to save on rent). I sent several emails back and forth and she met me the first day that I arrived and began working. Working 3 to 5 hours everyday, I have been in her dental chair getting all this and then some done. In all I received 9 porcelain crowns, 4 fillings and 2 partial dentures ( porcelain and titanium )for my rear molars. I have so many teeth now that I feel like Gary Busey when I smile.
If you are interested in contacting this dentist, her practice is called Golden Smile Dentist Office. She is Located in Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon) and her Email is
If you are interested in contacting this dentist, her practice is called Golden Smile Dentist Office. She is Located in Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon) and her Email is
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