Oh Charlene, where do I even begin? Maybe when immediately after we met it decided to torrential downpour in Ho Chi Minh City and the streets became rivers? Or how about when we took a wrong turn in Mui Ne and crashed straight into the pavement leaving me with some pretty gnarly battle wounds? Even though we had a pretty rough start, you made it up to me when you led me to some tiny village in the mountains on the way to Dalat where I was fortunate enough to experience a moment of pure happiness with some Vietnamese children. It has been quite a journey with you, Charlene, but today I had to let you go and hope that you will give many other backpackers the whirlwind experience that you gave me. As you can imagine Charlene was one hell of a gal, however, she was also my beautiful Yamaha Nuovo motorcycle that took me on the adventure of a lifetime from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to Hanoi. There were times when I wanted to throw you off a cliff, and there were times when I felt like such a badass cruising with you along the coast and going wherever the wind takes me. After a bittersweet goodbye I think its necessary to reminisce on the crazy times that Charlene and I had.
I remember when I first saw your golden star sticker at the top of your front fender and I knew it was the beginning of an intense love affair. The short time we spent in Ho Chi Minh City will definitely not be forgotten. Especially after we experienced our first monsoon together and drove through the streets *coughs* rivers of the city. It was an unforgettable first bonding experience, and our relationship began to blossom after that crazy night. The next day when Rachel, David, and myself were all speeding down the highway out of Ho Chi Minh City to start our Vietnam adventure and Charlene made me feel some type of way. As we watched our first sunset together over the Saigon skyline we raced off into another rain storm while we were on our way to Mui Ne. Everything was all fun and games up until Mui Ne when Charlene decided to teach me a lesson and throw me on the ground leaving me with some deep scrapes and bruises. To be fair, it was a mutual mistake. I wasn't paying enough attention to her, and then BOOM Charlene and I go into the pavement.
Our relationship began to hit some major speed bumps (literally) in Mui Ne and I started having doubts about what I had gotten myself into, however, the trip must go on! The next leg of our trip was to head to Dalat and take in some beautiful and romantic scenery. Our little mishap in Mui Ne had me a little nervous the entire drive up and everything was going just fine until Charlene decided that she just didn't feel like going any further. I just couldn't get her turned on (hehe) and our only option was to coast down the mountain and find a mechanic that could give her some tender loving care since apparently I wasn't cutting it. Eventually we found a mechanic and I was a little apprehensive that he was getting so handsy with my girl, but I had no other option. While Charlene was getting all fixed up, in the meantime I made some friends with the local children and had the purest experience I've had to date while I was teaching them to grass whistle. Although the struggle to find Charlene some help was stressful and put a damper on our relationship, she made it up to me by introducing me to these amazing children.
After our ever-so bumpy ride from Mui Ne to Dalat we finally made it to our hostel and it was time to do some chillin. Our time in Dalat together consisted of taking in some beautiful views and cruising down some crazy roads together. The drive to and from Dalat was magical and I have to thank Charlene for that because if we never met and I decided to take a bus, then I wouldn't have discovered some hidden gems in the Vietnamese mountains. Charlene frustrated me so much at times but one of the many things that she taught me is that a huge aspect of traveling is the journey itself. If you're rushed to get from point A to point B then you miss out on all the good stuff in between. It's all about the journey and not always about the destination! And even though we got in an accident, I was determined to finish what we started and that meant sticking together up until Hanoi. And we did.
Charlene and I then made our way to Nha Trang just for a stop over so we could party it up in Ninh Vana. Luckily for me, we had a little break from each other and I left her in a garage in Nha Trang for two days, but when I returned she had some mysterious flat tire revenge. I have no idea how she got a flat tire while being in a garage, but Charlene is capable of some pretty incredible things. What a woman she was. I had to get her all fixed up again before I threw her in the bottom of a bus to go to Hoi An. It was actually very convenient that I could put her in a bus because she requires a lot of attention on those long drives. You can't go on cruise control and you're always focusing so that you don't get hit by a truck and die. Riding a motorbike is exhausting and stressful, but in the end it's completely worth it.
We were now about halfway through our journey together and it was time to drive the Hai Van Pass together. I was praying that we wouldn't get caught in a rainstorm because I've heard some horror stories about getting stuck in the pass and not being able to find a mechanic, but we went for it despite the stories. We were jamming out to some tunes while we were on the pass and we had a special moment together as we were twisting and turning through the tight curves of the mountain. I felt so cool just winding through the hills with my own Charlene and just going with the flow. The best part about it was that we had no issues all the way to Hue!
Our stay in Hue was very short lived because I was itching to get up to Phong Nha and then up to Hanoi in time before my visa ended. We had to part from our group and now it was just Charlene and I speeding up to Phong Nha National Park. This was a time in our relationship that was definitely a "love" moment because of the fact that I could just pick up and go. I didn't have to wait around for a bus or organize a tour through some booking agency. Charlene could just take me wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted. That is the best aspect of buying a motorbike in Vietnam, because you can just pick up and go if you want. The drive up to Phong Nha was smooth and we enjoyed our stay up in the park and our near accidental entrance into Laos, but after one night it was time to bus it up to Hanoi where we would spend our final days together.
My mission in Hanoi was to find another backpacker to take good care of my beloved Charlene, and at first it was a little harder than I thought it would be. I was posting in every Facebook group and messaging all my friends, but I just wasn't having any luck. Desperate times called for desperate measures and I created a sign that said "Motorbike for sale" and I would drive around the backpacker area and hang out in hostels with the hope someone would buy my bike. I eventually came in contact with a fellow backpacker who picked up my Charlene for me and will hopefully give him the same awesome experience she gave me. It was a little sad saying goodbye, but then a part of me was thinking good riddance! Dealing with the repairs and such are such a hassle, but that's also what made for an unforgettable motorbike experience in Vietnam. So thank you, Charlene, for giving me some crazy stories and memories. It really was a once in a lifetime adventure and I'm so fortunate that everything did and did not work out, because that's what traveling is all about.
I chose this song because whenever Charlene and I were together I felt like "the man." Crusin' and explorin' through Vietnam.