I headed out to Cu Chi Tunnels today - a recommendation from Jim in KL.
This was my first main ride on the motorbike, and I decided to make it a there and back so I could get back to the hostel first.
I started out by heading to a shop I had located that could sell me some armour for riding with, along with a mask - probably the most needed savfety equipment for the whole journey!
I managed to get good gloves, knee guards and elbow guards for an unexpectedly low price, and then topped up the fuel before heading out to the tunnels.
The main drag out of HCM was very exhausting, as there was lots of traffic, and not very much to see - almost all straight road, with 3 lanes - outside for m/cycle, middle for m/cycle car, inside for lorries.
After getting used to the idea that Google Maps couldn't work out the way the motorbike lane worked and thus offering me multiple forks in the road that didn't exist, I made it to a more country lane like road and was able to relax more in to the riding itself and getting comfortable on the bike.
I eventually made it to the tunnels, where I found a place to park the bike and then made my way around the exhibits before going on the guided tour.
The tunnels were all very small, and I learned a lot about the history of the Vietnam war with the USA on this trip.
I had not realised it had been such a complicated political situation - with French and Americans working on various sides for and against Communism / Capitalism.
The extent of the tunnel systems was mind boggling, with kilometers of tunnels dug out taking several years to achieve - all undertaken as a communist project where everyone helped to dig the tunnels and every had the same (meagre) rations of food as payment.
After going through the pre-set tunnels, we headed back to the car parks and other sites in the area, and then I headed to get my stuff on for the ride back to HCM.
A fellow UK traveller was arriving as I was about to head off, and we chatted a while, he offered a joint but I declined as there was no way I was going to ride a motorbike in Vietnam stoned!
I made it back to the city in good time, feeling much more confident with my gear changes by now, and also with riding in traffic - though I had missed a turn off to avoid traffic, and spent an hour going almost nowhere!