Saigon streets beware!

The day I arrived in Saigon, I was terrified of the traffic. Bikes
seem to come from every direction and crossing the road was certain
death each and every time. I slowly progressed to being nervous of
the traffic. The lawless order and patterns of the bikes began to
make sense to me. The trick is to relax and not concentrate on how
overwhelming the traffic appears to be. Bikes will swerve and avoid
you. The next stage was feeling confident on the back of bikes. Once
you're on one, you really do just have to sit back and relax and allow
the crazy xe om's to do what they want, regardless. I've found that
it's much less stressful to watch the action on the side of the road
as opposed to concentrating on the mayhem of the streets.

And now I have made another crucial step in the process. I have
joined in the sway of the traffic and am now riding on my own, weaving
in and out of the traffic and learning first hand what the rules of
the road actually are. After a few trial rides up and down an
alleyway, I progressed to the streets of Saigon on Saturday evening
when the roads were fairly deserted. And every day I have taken yet
another crucial step in my driving and am slowly but surely mastering
the once unimaginable feat of driving a bike in Ho Chi Minh City. Of
course Mike, who has been patiently (and fearfully?) been teaching me
how to drive, has his own perspective on the trials and tribulations
of Alison behind the wheel. Regardless of my performance, I am proud
of the bravery with which I have ventured on my journey. As of next
week, I'll be riding alone!!