Simply Saigon

Frenetic, dirty, smelly, insane. As I imagined, but nowhere near how I'd imagined it to be. 8 million people in suburban Saigon. It's a hell of a lot. Traffic truly is nuts. Concern for safety non existant, it seems, til you cross the road at peak hour, and make it to the other side alive. Grant tells me that to kill a person in an mva would pretty well be life/death penalty. So, pedestrian and cyclist really do co-exist with bikes, bikes, bikes, cars, buses. Helmets are compulsory, mostly obeyed. Children under 13 don't have to wear them. Families, entire families, travel on one bike. Some wear face masks, some don't.

 

Had dinner last night fairly soon after arriving, I was ravenous. Then harrassed til bloody midnight about needing to eat again. If you live a late start, end day late life, you eat twice. Until Wednesday, suits me fine. Then Sue and Bill will be here and will want to start early, so things will change!

 

My hotel room faces Bui Vien St, pretty much the busiest street in Saigon. Stuck ear plugs in last night and eye mask on, slept from midnight to 9.30!!

 

Went to the Reunification/Independence Palace today. Were told was lucky to have got there then, not later, as was closing at 3.00 because the President of India was coming to visit the President of Vietnam there. A few people in our group harrassed the tour guide to say why - he had no idea!! He told us, "I don't care. I care about working to earn money to look after my family. That is all." Shut them up!! hehe. Made my way back slowly, and wandered into a park I'd seen earlier. Bought an icecream and bottle of water, and was going to go sit on the grass to eat/drink/chill. Wandered over the grass, halfway across realised that it wasn't solid ground under the grass the whole way, it was MUD in the middle. So I was mid calf deep in mud. Went to sit on a park bench instead, and had a whole little laughing conversation with the man over the path, who himself had one leg and one arm only. He thought the mud on my legs, and my "oh well" gestures were the funniest thing ever!!

 

I have some photos I want to upload but the usb ports here a bit dicky, so can't. Later.

 

Well, it's time for me to go have something to drink and a small dinner before later dinner. Weather isn't horrendous here. Thunderstorm and rain yesterday, but not muggy last night, or overly warm. I turned air con off in the night as was too cold. Today was pleasant, slightly sticky, but really, not bad.