27 November 2022, Sunday

I woke up feeling super excited because it was D-Day! After two days of roaming around Ho Chi Minh City, the day had finally come for us to saddle up and start our cycling expedition. After washing up, I walked over to Avanti Hotel for an early breakfast at 6:30am. The other group members were already dressed in their cycling attire, whereas I was still in my non-cycling clothes. As I exchanged greetings with them, I could sense excitement in the air and it was contagious. The buffet spread was decent and I ate as much as I could, without overstuffing myself. After breakfast, I went back to my Avanti Boutique Hotel to change, checked out of my room and walked back to Avanti Hotel to meet the rest of the group at 7:30am.

After loading our luggage and suitcases onto the coach bus, we did our first official roll call and took a group photo before setting off at 7:42am. However, we did not start cycling from HCMC. We first had to travel about 65km to Mỹ Tho, the gateway of the Mekong Delta, where we would begin our ride.

En route to Mỹ Tho, our Vietnamese guide Linh briefed us about the programme for the next three days, and gave us some background information about his country. Linh told us that there were 8 million motorbikes in HCMC, or about 80% of HCMC’s population of 10 million, which was a crazy figure. Everywhere you turned, you would see two-wheelers around you. They were as ubiquitous as plastic bags in Singapore. Very soon, I would fully understand why it was essential to own a motorbike in Vietnam.

At 9:22am, we made a stop at a factory that made coconut and bamboo products. After a toilet break, we were served hot chocolate before being ushered into a small room for a product demonstration. The lady staff touted the water absorbing qualities of bamboo fibre and showed us how a piece of cloth made from the material could absorb large amounts of liquid, making it very useful to clean up accidental spills in the kitchen. I wasn’t intending to spend any money but I somehow ended up buying three pieces of kitchen towels and one hand towel for 110,000 dong (S$6.36) altogether. We resumed our journey at 10am and arrived at our cycling start point in Mỹ Tho 35 minutes later.

Our bicycles were already set up and waiting for us to claim them. As this was completely new to me, I didn’t really know what to do so I observed the others and followed suit. I found my bicycle with my name tag on it and I mounted my GoPro camera onto the handlebar. The GoPro was a farewell gift from my ex-colleagues and I was happy I was able to put it to good use on this trip. I also pulled out from my bag my cycling gloves, sunglasses, helmet and water bottle and geared up. The support staff were handing out drinks so I grabbed a can of ice-cold Sprite and chugged it down. One for the road! Shortly after, GJ led a short warm-up session for some light stretching. With all the necessary stuff done, it was finally time to start cycling.

We lined up on the right side of the road with our bikes. The sun was bearing down on us and it was scorching hot, but I remember feeling very excited at that point. After dreaming about going on a cycling trip for years, it was finally happening. Just before 11am, we put our feet on the pedals and off we went!

For the first part of our ride, we cycled along the busy main road, where cars and trucks whizzed past us. Not long after, we turned off the main road and into the rural areas, and that was when it became really enjoyable. We cycled on paved roads used by the locals to access their houses and plantations. Everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by coconut plantations and banana plants.

As we rode through the local villages, I was beaming the whole time because this was exactly what I imagined the trip to be. We got a very good glimpse of what life in rural Vietnam was really like – from the type of houses the locals lived in, their places of worship, the shops and items sold within, the crops they grew, and how they went about their daily lives in general. It was not uncommon to hear the occasional loud music and singing blaring from the houses. Evidently, the Vietnamese love karaoke and they have some powerful hi-fi systems and speakers.

The village houses were what we would call “kampong” houses in Singapore. The older ones were made of wood with thatched roofs from dried coconut or palm tree leaves. The newer ones were built with bricks and concrete and some came with zinc roofs. I imagine this was what Singapore’s countryside looked like about a hundred years ago.

My favourite part about cycling through the villages was seeing the excited faces of the children as we cycled past their houses. The younger ones were especially cute. Upon seeing our entourage, some of them would even run from their doorstep to the gate and greet us as we rode past. I would give them a cheerful “Hello!” and wave to them, and they would reciprocate. To them, it was unusual to have so many foreigners in their village. I don’t want to make it sound self-serving, but I really hope these brief encounters brought some joy to their lives. I know it did for me.

The deeper we went into the villages, the clearer it became why it was essential for every family to own a motorbike, or even two. The main spine through the village was a concrete road just about large enough for a small vehicle to pass through. As such, cars were not conducive in this environment. Being located so far away from the main town, motorbikes were simply the most efficient and practical mode of transport there. Bicycles are too slow and suitable only for travelling short distances.

After crossing a small bridge, we arrived at our first break stop at 12:15pm. We had covered about 20km thus far. The support van brought along refreshments, which comprised of fresh fruit like banana and dragonfruit, biscuits and other snacks, and of course, ice-cold Coke and Sprite. There was a small pushcart hawker selling sugarcane juice with green lemon so we ordered a glass each. It was so refreshing to down that freshly-squeezed sugarcane juice in the midday heat!

After a short break, we resumed cycling at 12:30pm. We had another 13km to go before lunch. Just 15 minutes later, it started to rain heavily out of nowhere so we sought shelter at a coconut de-husking plant. Fortunately, the rain stopped almost as soon as it started, and we were on our way again after 10 minutes. In fact, for the entire trip, this was the only time we encountered rain while riding. We were really blessed to have good weather throughout the trip because I don’t like to ride in the rain – the roads are slippery, you can’t cycle as fast, your shoes get wet, the mud splatters around, and the scenery and experience just isn’t as great when it is raining.

At 1:30pm, we made a brief stop to gather everyone before conquering Cổ Chiên Bridge, a 1.6km long bridge spanning across the Cổ Chiên River in the Mekong Delta. We would be having our lunch after crossing the bridge, so we had to work hard for our food! However, the challenging part was not the length of the bridge, but its 20-degree incline.

As I rode up the bridge, I huffed and puffed a little but the breathtaking sight of the blue skies and magnificent clouds, along with the mighty Cổ Chiên River on the side, pushed me forward. It actually wasn’t that bad because we were not on high altitude. When we reached the apex of the bridge, we stopped by the side of the road to catch our breaths while big trucks, buses and other vehicles zoomed by. It was so beautiful to stand there for a moment and take it all in.

After snapping some pictures, we breezed down the second half of the bridge and reached our lunch stop at 1:50pm. It was a very basic, no-frills eatery. The food was already prepared and laid out on the two long tables. Lunch was simple fare consisting of fried egg, fried fish, chicken curry, fried noodles, rice and bánh mì. Nevertheless, it was delicious.

After filling our tummies, it was time to hit the hammocks! Beside the dining area, there were two rest areas with about 20 hammocks altogether. It was a simple setup, with each end of a hammock tied to a metal post. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be any fun so I just hung around at first, but UJ asked me to join in so I climbed in to the empty hammock next to him. To my surprise, it was very comfortable! We swung from side to side, chatting and laughing, while looking at the underside of the thatched roof. It was so relaxing and fun. This lie-in on the hammock ended up as my highlight for the day. Really loved it.

After a good rest, I reluctantly got out of the hammock and back onto the saddle. We had another 23km to go. When we moved off at 2:45pm, the worst of the midday heat was over and the conditions were much more pleasant for cycling. It was still sunny but not as hot, and there was a nice breeze.

At about 4:10pm, we reached Ao Bà Om (Ba Om Pond), a large rectangular pond measuring 500 by 300 metres. The surface of the pond was covered with lotus plants. A huge, manmade white-and-pink lotus occupied centrestage in the pond. The lotus is the national flower of Vietnam and it symbolises purity, elegance and strength. This is because lotus often grows in muddy ponds, yet it is still able to rise above the water without being tarnished by the mud.

After cycling around the pond, we adjourned to the nearby Bảo Tàng Văn Hóa Dân Tộc Khmer (Khmer Ethnic Culture Museum), where we got off our bikes and walked around the compound. The museum was located in a very quaint area with lots of mature trees surrounding it. I went up to the second floor of the museum for a quick look before roaming the area, which also housed the Chùa Khmer chùa Âng (Angkorajaborey Pagoda), a Khmer temple. The evening sun cast a soft glow on the buildings and it was magical.

I saw SD, JDU and AC having fresh coconut juice so I joined them and bought one for myself for 15,000 dong (S$0.87). However, it wasn’t that great as the coconut wasn’t very sweet.

At 4:53pm, we left the temple and cycled to Nhà khách tỉnh Trà Vinh hotel, our accommodation for the night. It was just a short distance away and we arrived at 5:06pm. After parking our bicycles at the hotel’s garage, GJ led us on a cool down session, which was really important to stretch the muscles so that we wouldn’t ache the next day.

I found it very cool to cycle right to the doorstep of the hotel. However, this was the only time we would do so because for the rest of the trip, we would end our ride a distance away from the hotel. Our bicycles would then be loaded up the lorry, and the bus would take us to the hotel. I would have preferred to start and end our ride at the hotel each day, but it was not always possible due to the traffic and road conditions in each city.

My bunking buddy for the night and the rest of the trip was GK, a super cool dude and grandfather who resides in the US. I enjoyed having my own room for the past two nights in HCMC but it was also nice to have a roommate. We got our keys and headed up to our rooms. Earlier in the day, Linh told us that we would be staying at the best hotel in Trà Vinh. But he tried to manage our expectations by saying that Trà Vinh is a small town, so we should not expect a really luxurious hotel room like those in the major cities.

As is turned out, the room was not too shabby at all. It was spacious and clean, with large twin beds and even a balcony overlooking the swimming pool. The bathroom was quite basic but it did the job. Some of the group members went for a dip in the pool but there wasn’t much time before dinner, and I just wanted to relax so I didn’t join them. It felt good to take a nice long shower after a day of riding. We covered about 55km today so I think I deserved a good shower.

At 6:30pm, we proceeded to the dining hall on the ground floor for our dinner. We were seated in tables of six. There was another Caucasian cycling group staying in the same hotel as us and they were there for dinner too. They all looked pretty sunburnt. Dinner was a six-course meal and the food was decent.

After dinner, we had a debriefing session at the lobby. It was also a chance for us to raise any issues we encountered from our first day of riding. UJ said that the route we took today was great as we went through the really authentic, local areas that we wouldn’t otherwise have known how to access on our own. We also didn’t think that the other Caucasian cycling group went to the places we had gone to, or saw the things that we had seen. It was really wonderful, and exactly what we expected. We thanked Linh and Mr Hun for planning the route well and guiding us through it safely.

Following the debriefing session, I retreated to my room and packed my stuff for tomorrow. We would be having an early start to the day, with breakfast at 6am. After getting my gear and bags in order, I decided to use the iMovie software on my iPhone to put together a highlights reel from today’s ride. I had used iMovie before but very sparingly, so I wasn’t super familiar with the functions yet. However, it was pretty idiot-proof – you just need to select the photos and videos you wish to include, and Magic Movie will create a movie out of it, synchronised to music. You can still make further tweaks to the clip.

I spent maybe around an hour to put the clip together. The finished product was quite amateurish but I thought it captured the essence of the day’s ride quite well. I sent the clip to our WhatsApp group chat and went to bed satisfied at 11pm. Overall, it had been a very good day. I couldn’t have been happier with how everything had turned out so far. Much more to come in the days ahead!

Postscript (15 Feb 2023)

Here’s an updated version of the highlights reel from Day 1 of cycling. The original clip (done on the night of 22 Nov 2022) was more like a photo slideshow because I had no intention of putting together a video highlights reel, so I mainly just captured still photographs using my iPhone. Over the next few days of cycling, I made a conscious effort to shoot more videos on my iPhone, so the quality of the highlights reel got better as I had more video footage to work with. And now that I have more experience using iMovie, I have improved the editing and made further tweaks to make it smoother. I have also added more video footage from my GoPro camera. Compared to the original version of the clip, where I used only photos and limited videos shot using my iPhone, this extended version is much better. Enjoy this highlights reel from Day 1 of cycling!