It's been a few days since my last post...I really haven't had a chance to get to a computer until now. As I'm typing right now, it's a beautiful sunny day here in Nha Trang. The weather is warm but not too hot and surprisingly, the humidity is not so bad. I don't know if it's because I'm getting used to the weather now or is it because it is getting better.
After the Contiki tour ended and said goodbye to my travel mates, I took a plane out of Siem Reap straight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Three of my travel mates from the tour were also on the same plane coming to HCMC for a few days. Upon our arrival, we shared a taxi to the main backpacking area and we went our separate ways to check into our hotels. We made plans to meet up for dinner later on that night. I ended up in a hostel which I've done many times before during my travels. They offer budget prices for a roof over your head. The one I stayed in was actually not bad. It's an older hostel located in a back alley called Luan Vu. The staff was very friendly and helpful and helped me book my overnight train to Nha Trang. I ended up in a room by myself that had AC, a flat screen tv, wifi, and a bathroom. For $30 for a 2 night stay in the main area of Saigon, I think I got a pretty good deal.
Saigon is nothing like I imagined. For some reason, I pictured a quiet city with not a lot of things to see or do. The minute I got off the plane, Saigon hit me in the face with a bag full of bricks . The definition of hustle and bustle should say "Please see Saigon". I thought Bangkok was a busy city but I couldn't believe how much was going on all at once. From the 7 million motorcycles roaming the streets, to the street vendors trying to sell you everything from sunglasses to dried squid, to the neon lights of all the hotels, bars, and restaurants, Saigon is anything but quiet.
We ended up having Pho for dinner that night. I heard from some of my Vietnamese friends back home that the Pho isn't as good as it is in the states. I figured I try a place and judge for myself. We went to a well known place in Saigon called Pho Quynh. All they served was 3 types of Pho. I ordered the one with everything as I usually do back home. I was hoping it would be at least to similar to the Pho back home. It was tasty but didn't impress me too much. I've been told the Pho in Hanoi is much better so I'm going to have to give that a shot when I get there. Afterwards, a couple of us went out for drinks at a place called Go2 Bar. It is a bar mainly there for tourists. It is located in a busy intersection of Saigon with chairs facing the street to give you a chance to people watch. The prices were reasonable for beers and approximately $2 each for locally brewed Saigon Beer. We ended the night with a stroll through Ben Thanh Market where you can find all sorts of clothes, souvenirs, and late night snacks.
Mekong River Tour
The next morning, my Australian friends and I took a trip down to the Mekong River. The tour only cost $9 for a full day and included lunch. What a deal right? Well by now I should know, you get what you pay for. The trip started with a bathroom break an hour into the ride. We stopped by a small outdoor cafe for about 20 minutes which of course offered us food and drinks for a price. They did however where offering ice cold coconut which I couldn't resist. It was definitely refreshing. We continued onto our destination which took about 3 hours to reach. We hopped onto a boat which crossed the Mekong for about 15 minutes and then onto an island called Unicorn Island where we were give bikes to ride for about a 1/2 hour. That was fun but with the humidity levels being high, I sweated like George Bush trying to read to grade school kids. Afterward, we had our "free" lunch which consisted of a mix of veggies and rice with an option to upgrade your food for a few bucks. We then strolled to some shops to see if there was something we would want to buy. After a short ride on a canoe, we headed back to our boat to recross the Mekong and back to our bus. We probably spent 5 hours getting there and back and maybe 2 hours of actually "touring". If you ever do one of these trips in Saigon, maybe you're better off spending a bit more for a better tour.
Cu Chi Tunnels and War Museum
The next day I spent the morning visiting the Cu Chi tunnels. In case you slept through US history or never studied the Vietnam War, the Cu Chi tunnels were a network of underground tunnels the Vietcong would use to hide and ambush American soldiers during the war. These tunnels are ingenious. They were so well hidden, American forces had a difficult time finding them so they resorted to bombing the shit out of them. Even with continuous bombings, the American side was never fully successful in destroying these tunnels. I ended up entering one of these tunnels and man did I have a hard time crawling through it. Then again, they weren't built to house a 6'2", 200 pound guy.
In the afternoon, I stopped by the War Museum. It tells the story of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective. It's a completely different story than what is taught in our history classes from high school and college. Although the museum is biased, it does paint an ugly picture of the atrocities that occurred during the war from the American side. There are a lot of photos on display that make the photos from the Abu Ghraib scandal look G rated. The funny thing about this is that most of these photos were released by the US government but we never saw them back home.
A Night Out
The night life in Saigon separates the men from the boys. Although Vietnam in general has a conservative culture. People really know how to party. I met up with my Australian friends the second night for dinner and drinks as well as my new friend My who was kind enough to join us. We went to a place called Garden BBQ for some outdoor grilling. The food was delicious. It was a mixture of different meats including beef, chicken, squid, and boar that we threw on the grill and ate until our stomachs couldn't take in anymore. My took us to a local Vietnamese spot called Acoustic for some live bands playing mainly American rock music with the occasional Vietnamese song. I road on the back of her bike to the bar which was a fun experience. She mentioned to me she had never had a passenger quite as big as me and had a bit of a struggle with her bike but we made it ok. After that, we ended up at Go2 Bar for the second night in a row for a few more brews and a little dancing as well. I finally gave in at 2:30am and went back to my hostel for some sleep. People were still out at that hour and it wasn't even a Friday or Saturday night. All in all, Saigon now ranks as one of my favorite cities to visit and would be a place I would like to come back to sometime down the road.
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