The Ho Chi Min Trail January 8
On info from some other travellers, I rode out to a section of the HO Chi Min trail about 30km from here. There was an old Vietnamese rocket, and some evidence of demining, bombing, and defoliants, though I didn’t really figure out that’s what I’d seen until I talked to some strallers this evening who knew what to look for. (The difference between a bomb crater and a buffalo wallowing hole can be small after 30 years of erosion) I did explore the area a fair bit, though i was careful to stick to the roads, as there’s still mines everywhere.
I found two beautiful rivers, and some amazing pockets of rainforest. I ran into a buy carrying a live iguana he’d found in the jungle, with it’s mouth tied shut and tied back to it’s hind leg. Wonder what pet shop it’s bound for. (though the locals do seem to keep a fair number of pets)
Saw some women walking on the road, puffing away on their pipes and home rolled cigar sized cigarettes clamped in their teeth, rolled with green leaves instead of paper.
Riding in the dark wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the potholes and bugs. Luckily the ferry across the river was still running.