Wow.....what a day!!!
The biking team met at 5 a.m. to start the long trek from Dong Thap to Saigon. There were 7 riders for 6 bikes. In the van that followed us (and then went ahead to find places to rest), we had a driver, a bicycle repairman, an ER nurse from our Catalyst team, a photographer/cheerleader from our Catalyst team, and the extra rider, who would rotate in when we took breaks.
We hit the road around 5:20 a.m. It was absolutely surreal to be riding out on the streets of Vietnam before the sun came up. The sun did come up, however, and it got HOT! We took breaks every 10 'ish miles to reload water bottles into our pockets, to inhale a couple of granola bars, and to use the "facilities". (We'll call them "rustic" and I'll just skip the color commentary!)
Admittedly, I didn't see much of the countryside, because I was focussed on the road. There's more traffic in the region south of Saigon than I would have expected, but that's probably because we were on one of the few main roads. I've never consumed so much water in my life -- Catherine, the ER nurse, made sure we were well-hydrated. We stopped for a very nice lunch somewhere around the 60 mile mark, which was a great break.
Things got dicey shortly after the lunch break. Traffic started getting very heavy once we hit the Saigon city limits, probably about 2 hours before the end of our ride. (Saigon, with its more than 10 million people, is huge.) The last hour was just plain scary. I've seen Saigon traffic before -- when we were here in 2001 -- but never from a bicycle. Rather, it was always from the safety of a sidewalk or cab. We hit Saigon at 5 p.m., right at the start of rush hour. It was simply amazing. We wove in and out of motorbikes, and, to a lesser extent, cars and buses as well. Somehow, the six of us stayed together and made it to the end in one piece. (All seven riders were great about that -- supported one another (as did Catherine and our cheerleader, Sandy) and worked to stay together as a group.)
Today was extraordinarily challenging, but I'm so happy that I did it. For goodness sakes, how many people can say they've ridden a bike 100 miles (yes, I rode all 100 miles.....once I hit 60, I didn't want to get into the van!), ending with a trip through the incredible rush-hour traffic of Saigon, where the only rule of the road is that you shouldn't get hit.....or hit anyone else. Other than that, it's one big game of Frogger.
Time to find some food.....100 miles on a bike can make a girl hungry. (And sore.....I'll need to spend the plane ride home standing up!)
Photo from the Beach at Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand
People starting to gather for our clinic in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
A house near our clinic in Kien Giang
Measuring "patients" in Kien Giang
Boys at the Kien Giang clinic
More photos from the clinic days in Kien Giang
Applying flouride in Kien Giang
A cemetery outside the dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
The dump in Rach Gia, Kien Giang
Many of the people we served in Kien Giang live in the dump. You can see "houses" in the distance on the left.
People living in the dump
These are the same boys from the fifth photo above. I saw them in the clinic one day and then again at their home in the dump the next day.
This is a source of water in the dump...
...and this is a truck pumping raw sewage into that water
Our clinic in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Life in Tan Hoi Trung, Dong Thap
Driving through the Mekong Delta
This bridge crosses the water between the road and a house. There are donzens and dozens of bridges, one after the other, spanning the waterways.
Our clinic in My Hiep, Dong Thap
Our clinic in Saigon
During our clinic day in Saigon, we saw girls from the Little Rose Warm Shelter, including those who have been the victims of human trafficking.
This little girl is holding one of the many "goodie bags" that we handed out.
Bikes, bikes, bikes
We distributed 250 bikes while in Vietnam, including to the girls we saw at the Saigon clinic. (You can see that this little girl is using the bike to haul the food that we distributed as well.) Bicycles are an important mode of transportation in Vietnam.
Photos from Camp in Long Hai, Phuoc Thuy
We hosted camp for 330 kids, including the girls we saw at our clinic sites.
The camp was held on this beach on the South China Sea.
Most of the kids at camp had never been on a bus, taken a shower, or slept in a "real" bed. Everything from having a lunch big enough to fill their bellies to using a toilet that flushed, was brand new to them.
I painted A LOT of little fingernails at camp!
Saigon Opera House
Government building in Saigon
Sidewalks in Saigon
The team for the 100-mile bike ride from Dong Thap to Saigon!
The ride raised money for the bikes that we donated to children in Vietnam.
Hitting the road at 5:30 a.m.
Early morning traffic in the delta region
Taking a break along the road
Lots of bridges along the route
Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles all share one road
Carb loading -- Pringles and...
...bread carried me a long way
Lunch at a local restaurant along the way
Our last break with 15 miles to go
One rider jumped in the van so that Tuan (middle, long pants) could get on a bike and lead the way into Saigon for us.
Saigon at last!
This is what we looked like 100 miles and twelve hours after leaving Dong Thap. We had just finished weaving our way through Saigon's rush hour traffic.
The Foerster Kiddos
