Learning to Ride a Motorbike in Vietnam

Wow, when I first arrived in Vietnam, the traffic amazed me!

Wah, waktu pertama tiba di Vietnam, lalu lintasnya bikin saya takjub!

There were thousands of motorbikes, all moving at once.

Ada ribuan motor, semuanya bergerak bersamaan.

Honestly? I was scared to even cross the street.

Jujur? Menyeberang jalan saja saya takut.

Ha, and everyone kept telling me to rent a bike.

Haha, dan semua orang terus menyuruh saya sewa motor.

Well... they said it was easy. I wasn't so sure.

Yah... kata mereka gampang. Saya tidak begitu yakin.

So in Da Nang, I finally decided to take a lesson.

Jadi di Da Nang, akhirnya saya memutuskan untuk ikut les.

My guesthouse owner's cousin, Minh, offered to teach me.

Minh, sepupu pemilik penginapan saya, menawarkan diri untuk mengajari.

He was patient, funny, and very serious about safety.

Dia sabar, lucu, dan sangat serius soal keselamatan.

First rule: always wear a helmet, and do up the strap.

Aturan pertama: selalu pakai helm dan kencangkan talinya.

Then he showed me the brakes, the lights, and the horn.

Lalu dia menunjukkan rem, lampu, dan klakson.

He laughed and said the horn was my new best friend.

Dia tertawa dan bilang klakson adalah sahabat baru saya.

We started early in the morning, in an empty car park.

Kami mulai pagi-pagi sekali, di lapangan parkir yang kosong.

Oh, my hands were shaking when I turned the key.

Aduh, tangan saya gemetar waktu memutar kunci.

I twisted the handle too hard, and the bike jumped forward!

Saya memutar gas terlalu keras, dan motornya melonjak ke depan!

I wobbled from side to side... but I didn't fall.

Saya oleng ke kiri dan ke kanan... tapi tidak jatuh.

Minh stayed calm and told me to go slowly and breathe.

Minh tetap tenang dan menyuruh saya pelan-pelan dan bernapas.

After an hour, I could ride in a straight line!

Setelah satu jam, saya sudah bisa jalan lurus!

The next day, we rode on a quiet street together.

Keesokan harinya, kami naik motor bersama di jalan yang sepi.

Minh rode in front, and I followed close behind.

Minh di depan, dan saya mengikuti dari dekat.

When a big van passed us, my heart was pounding.

Waktu mobil boks besar menyalip kami, jantung saya berdebar kencang.

What if I made a mistake in the middle of the road?

Bagaimana kalau saya salah di tengah jalan?

But I remembered his advice: stay steady, and don't panic.

Tapi saya ingat nasihatnya: tetap stabil, dan jangan panik.

Little by little, the traffic started to make sense.

Sedikit demi sedikit, saya mulai paham alur lalu lintasnya.

By the end of the week, I was riding on my own!

Di akhir minggu, saya sudah naik motor sendiri!

One afternoon, I took the coastal road towards Hoi An.

Suatu sore, saya lewat jalan pesisir menuju Hoi An.

The sea was on my left, and the wind was warm.

Laut ada di sebelah kiri, dan anginnya hangat.

Wow, I can't describe how free I felt!

Wah, saya tidak bisa menggambarkan betapa bebasnya rasanya!

Honestly, it was the scariest thing I tried on that trip,

Jujur, itu hal paling menakutkan yang saya coba di perjalanan itu,

and it was also the best part of my whole trip.

dan juga bagian terbaik dari seluruh perjalanan saya.

So, would I do it again? Absolutely!

Jadi, apa saya mau melakukannya lagi? Tentu saja!