Day 27: We're Coming Home

This final day of H2H 2015 began earlier than the rest, and even the terrible morning people (cough, Damo, cough) were up and ready because we all knew what was at the other end: our friends, our own beds and, most importantly, pizza and BBQ.

I had set a different route into the city from past years in order to completely avoid Highway 1, which is harrowing on a bike, but once I explained it to the DHL drivers they were having none of it. This new way would require a ferry crossing, which they said would take hours since holiday traffic was pouring out of Saigon. So much for that, Highway 1 it was - little did I know that a branch of AH17 has been added to the highway, allowing us to go around the worst stretch. Another benefit was that this significantly shortened the route - instead of nearly 100km as proposed by me, we were now facing a trifling 83. We had told everyone to meet us at Cargo Bar in District 4 at 4pm, so with ample time we enjoyed a long breakfast and could take our time on the road.

We rode differently today: the whole team together, with Kim and Damo out front and me at the back (which, I have to admit, was extremely boring), while the DHL van and Mr. Cuong the white van man acted as buffers at either end. The traffic, especially on the AH17 branch, was surprisingly light and completely manageable, much safer than in years past. After an extended water/Revive/Coke break at a roadside cafe we carried on - our first stop on the way into Saigon would be The Boathouse in Thao Dien, where Bekah, Bex and Thea, the injured riders, would meet us for the final leg into the city.

We rejoined Highway 1 in Thu Duc District and began following the metro construction past Suoi Tien. Coming over a rise you could see the unmistakable silhouette of the Bitexco Tower in the hazy distance and a cheer went up - we could see the end of this amazing journey, and it was an exciting moment.

 We entered District 2 with time to spare and turned off the highway towards The Boathouse, located in the BP Compound. As we went through the security gate at the entrance an extremely drunk Vietnamese man decided to crash his motorbike right in the middle of the group. Unfazed we carried on past the expensive villas and it was high-fives all around as we parked our bikes. Rider Damo is friends with Rod Quinton, the owner of The Boathouse, and he had arranged a 2 million VND tab for the team. We settled into the leafy riverside environs of the restaurant and enjoyed a few very well-deserved brews along with chips and salsa. We also reunited with the three girls who had returned to Saigon earlier in the ride, and it was great to see them in high spirits.

The drivers, Anh Thuong, Anh Thang and Chu Cuong, received Hawaiian shirts as a token of our appreciation for their patience and hard work over the month.

 After one final team picture, and the first full team shot in over three weeks, it was time to head to Cargo and the grand finale. Bekah and Thea, still unable to ride, went in the van, while Bex bravely mounted her Giant and rode along.

Across the river and through Binh Thanh, entering District 1 and riding along the river - it was strange cycling past skyscrapers and condo towers after several weeks of scruffy towns, herds of cattle and epic natural vistas. After one final regroup at a cafe around the corner from Cargo it was time to finish: Bekah and Thea walked along while we held up traffic to finish as a whole. Rounding onto Nguyen Tat Thanh we could see the crowd of friends and supporters gathered at the entrance to Cargo. It was an emotional moment for everyone and, if you'll allow me to indulge for a minute, an especially important one for me. This was my third H2H, and on the previous two I had experienced muscle strains with five days remaining, leaving me unable to finish either time. This year I had sorted the problem out and cruised through the final days with nary an ache or pain. As much as I love the charity, team-building and leadership aspects of H2H, actually finishing the ride was my top priority this time around, and I was doing just that. I'm not usually one for crying, but I couldn't help it as the crowd cheered for us, we chanted H2H and everyone started hugging each other. We had done it. I was so proud to have co-led such a great group of people so a successful finish. (And shout out to co-leader Chris Rolls, who was an absolute pleasure to ride with. To borrow his own favorite phrase, he's a top man.)

And what friends we have - within seconds of dismounting our bikes we were handed pizza, beer and a bottle of Scotch whiskey with a GoPro attached to it (thanks Matt and Alex!). I could see a whole range of emotions on each rider's face: joy and pride at completing such a daunting physical challenge, elation at seeing friends and loved ones, and perhaps a few twinges of sadness as we all realized something special was coming to an end. 

No sadness here though.

It's difficult to sum up something as big and varied as H2H. What I've learned over three rides is that it's a huge undertaking made up of small moments: the smile of a child when you wave back at him; a panorama of utter beauty that flashes by as you rocket downhill at 60kph; the boy in Dong Le who said One Direction sucks; the whole team belting out 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in Buon Me Thuot (Ok, I guess that's a 7-minute moment); stretching with the children at the orphanage in Pleiku; Team North America crushing Team England in kickball; talking to coffee farmers next to the hills they harvest; drinking with cops - the list goes on. As time progresses we'll forget parts of the ride; I'm guessing I'm the only person who can still name every town we stopped in. But I think we'll remember these moments, and we'll certainly remember each other and the causes we rode for.

Of course, the star of the show on H2H is always the incredible country of Vietnam. We've all adopted it as our home, some for longer than others, and what it gives back to you on the ride can never be repaid. The countless people who helped us out of pure generosity, the staggering scenery, the food and the roads. H2H wouldn't exist without this place, and I for one am thankful to have the opportunity to see it in such a way. I enjoy Saigon and all of its creature comforts, but the real Vietnam is out there, somewhere on the road, and I miss it already. Until next time.

Words by Mike Tatarski
Images by Mike Tatarski, Chris Rolls and Tat Lay

P.S. We are still fundraising for our charities until the end of this month! We've nearly broken the $45,000 record set by the 2012 team, and we want to thank everyone for their support. If you'd like to donate please do so here: http://www.justgiving.com/teams/h2h2015

Day 25: Lam Ha to Bao Loc (103km)

Day 25 started with a warm up in the hotel lobby to Gasolina, a 2004 hit with Spanish lyrics by Daddy Yankee.  With confusion on Chris Gallet's face, his first response was...

"Tim, what are they saying?"

Far right: Tim Gomez

We would like our readers to know, that Tim Gomez is from the UK and his heritage is from Guatemala. Not Mexico.

After getting the blood pumping, I decided to set of early from the pack. Not because I was treating H2H as a race but to visit my aunt who lives on the route. She lives in a town called Di Linh, it's exactly 60km into the ride and would be a great place to stop for lunch.

The last time I visited her, she cooked all this for me.

The last time I visited her in 2010

She even fed me.

I know what you're thinking... Look at the size of that gob...

So, I called my sister in law, to call her sister to tell my aunt that I was coming with 16 other hungry riders. 

My aunt is such a humble lady and really enjoys cooking for people. That morning I managed to sprint 60km in just 3 hours. With no break and no regards for any of the graded hills. I just wanted see my lovely aunt and make sure that she was fine with cooking all that food. 

When arriving there at 11am, I learned that there was some miscommunication. One of the sisters was using FaceTime and it mysteriously cut off moments before asking her to cook food. 

Blind panic! 16 hungry riders promised lunch only to learn that there was some miscommunication. Quickly thinking on my feet, I remembered the local town well and recommended a really nice restaurant to all the riders up the road. 

Instead of food, my aunt offered water, Pepsi and Red Bull. God bless her soul, she though that Red Bull is what we needed to get us through the ride. 

My Buddhist teacher was right. 

Compassion, without wisdom, is like a bird trying to fly with only one wing. 

Speaking of wings, Red Bull does not give you wings. Just a giant sugar rush followed by a comedown. 

With Carolyn being able to speak Cantonese to my aunt, the same questions came up. 

How old are you?

Are you married?

Do you want to marry Tat?

Was she really trying to hook me up with Carolyn? Love my aunt. Not the first time she's tried to find me a wife. 

From an early age, I've always made it clear with my mum and aunts.

"I would never let you choose my clothes, let alone my wife." 

Anyway, it was nice for the other riders, to stop by and show their respect for my aunt. Even if it was just brief. Just such a shame that my aunt never got the message in time. She would have loved to have cooked for everyone. 

For future riders, please see below for the location of the restaurant in Di Linh. 

The restaurant is at the end of Di Linh town centre. Just moments after the turning to Phan Thiet. 

It's the largest restaurant in the area

Lots of tour buses stop there and the staff speak English.

Words: Tat

Photos: Chris Tran

The scene is safe! First Aid Training.

The reality is that when we are on the ride we will often be miles away from the nearest hospital so we figured it would be a good idea to at least know a little about the basics in first aid. The course was provided by International SOS through the company Talisman and over 8 hours Mr Dong taught us everything we would need to know in case of emergency. From CPR (if only real people gave a satisfactory click like the dummy) to snake bites (do NOT try to catch the snake!), Mr Dong was a great teacher and we all learnt a lot.

Hopefully we will not need to put these things into practice but unfortunately last year the team were faced with an emergency situation on the roadside and so it is always better to be prepared. After man-handling dummies, bandaging each other up to look like mummies and pirates, and being forced to look at gory pictures of burns, fractures and bleeding we are now set to help each other out on the ride itself. Thanks Mr Dong!

Here are some action pics:

So much concentration.

A happy patient.

Looking slightly more concerned now!

Words by Bekah Round.

November's Charity Murder Mystery

60 guests - 1 creepy mansion - 1 Victim - Who dunnit?

Saigon Murder Mysteries - my project that I've been working on since August 2014. It was from living in a creepy over sized mansion that led me to running 3 successful mysteries. So for this reason, I decided that it's time to give something back to the community by donating all ticket sales to the Riders of H2H 2015. 

I'm suspecting that not everybody knows what a murder mystery is. So let me sum it up.

60 guests, 1 murder victim and one murderer all socially interacting to guess the murderer. Like a real life game of Clue or Cluedo if you're British.

The night was a great way for new riders to forcefully break the ice by completing tasks given to them on a task sheet of their character.

All guests came as characters that were sent to them before they arrive. Some went all out in costume, some came in smart work wear (which is fine) and 1 person changed gender (which is also fine...)
The truth being told, as the organiser I had a hard time filling female main characters as many of the guests wanted to be a sub character in the plot or found that the flirty personality of their character did not match their own nature. 

The solution?
Beg an actor from the Saigon Players to change gender for the night. 
Photos of this legendary character will follow, but just to pre warn you... 
There's no way these photos can be unseen.

We've had 3 murders at the mansion before. Some where dramatic and some were painful to watch. You can add your own meaning to the work painful. 
The victim on this occasion was Mitch Maverick, a Poker tournament winner about to claim his winnings before being shot dead. 

Victim - Mitch Maverick, a Poker tournament winner shot dead moments before collecting his winnings. 

Thank you to Lucky Dog for providing the catering, complimentary drinks and for your generous donation towards our campaign. Sorry, had to mention them. OK back to the murder.

Meet David, or Sheriff Sam. A general all round nice guy who some describe him as a gentle giant. David works in HR who's job is to interview people everyday. But tonight, interviewing people has just been taken to another level. 

All guests are now suspects and everybody is encouraged to conduct their own investigation into finding the murderer while proving their own innocence. 
Sheriff Sam on the other hand used his positional authority to get information out. 

The following images you are about to see are not for faint hearted. 

Sheriff Sam interrogating a potential suspect

The suspect stood right next to the Victim as the gun shot went off. Was it him?

We warned you that there's no way you can unsee these photos.

Thank you to everybody who attended Murder at Deadwood Saloon. All ticket sales were donated to the riders of H2H equalling a total of US$750.

A great start to the campaign and a pleasure to see so many kind hearted souls on the night. 

For all photos from the night, and details of future murder mysteries visit the Saigon Murder Mysteries' Facebook page. 

https://www.facebook.com/mysteriesinsaigon
or
www.saigonmurdermurdermysteries.com