Guest Speaker Eitan Pinsky

Eitan Pinsky’s bicycle trip through Vietnam was the topic of our guest speaker’s presentation. Vietnam a country of 80 million people is mired in the past and present. Once having gone through the officious foreboding custom check at arrival the welcoming and friendly demeanor of the Vietnamese people made its mark. Leaving the airport one marvels at the modern highways which is short lived as reality sets in and one learns that drivers obey no traffic rules.  Imagine the horror of seeing a mega truck coming head on in your lane. You either yield giving them the right of way or face imminent annihilation. Ouch!  This is a country where there are no rules.

Vietnam is a favourite destination for Russian tourists. The culture according to Eitan is reminiscent of our own.  Education and health care are not free. The country’s communism is defined by having one party rule and other than that it smacks of capitalism.  Everyone is an entrepreneur with small businesses the economy’s backbone. 

Hanoi is a very large city with high density. Old Hanoi fully intact stands out in stark contrast to the sprawling new Hanoi. Homes are bunched together rowhouse style and their frontages are only 3 meters wide. They are multi storied, having no kitchens and used mainly for sleeping.  Vietnam is all about food and one are constantly consumed by it.  Cooking is done at the front doorstep of the homes and the air is filled with the savoury smell of hot pot.  Fruits are bountiful in their variety and colour. In contrast to Hanoi, Saigon was painfully humid and enveloped by acrid pollutants.

The bike tour consisted of nine adventurous people.  Eitan’s one thousand pictures which can be viewed on his Facebook highlight a kaleidoscope of activities, landscapes and people.  The acrobatic machinations displayed by its cyclists balancing large loads to and fro are spellbinding.  Necessity is truly the mother of invention.

All in all, Eitan shared with us a memorable trip by father and son that will resonate with him years to come.   Eitan Pinsky’s classification is a mortgage broker with RBC.