HI!
We are in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly known as Saigon, Vietnam. We continue to be impressed by Vietnam! The streets are literally filled with motor bikes, I have never seen so many bikes in one place. Crossing the street takes some getting used to, however with our previous training we seem to be managing well. Cars and motor bikes just seem to veer around you while you cross, Frogger-like. I was taken by the arm today by a tiny old lady who seemed to be looking out for me while we crossed. Once across I wasn't quite sure who was leading whom, but I think it was her. HCMC has car taxis and motor bike taxis ("motos"). We have been travelling by foot and moto and the more you ride around on a motor bike, the more you feel a part of this city. A mandatory helmet law just came into effect today so rides feel a little safer, though the helmets are teensy - I have a great picture of Chris wearing a tiny green helmet. Not so sure that it would provide much protection, but definitely sure that it provided some smiles and laughs as his taxi wove through traffic. I rode with Goggles Paizano yesterday, literally over curbs, on the sidewalk, through opposite traffic - all before the helmet laws came into effect today. I got off the bike shaky in the knees but otherwise A-OK with a great trip memory.
We visited the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace yesterday. They certainly didn't hold any sad or gruesome detail back about the war here. It never ceases to amaze me seeing the horrible stuff that a country can go through and get past. We are so lucky in Canada.
Today we visited China town and saw some amazing pagodas. These pagodas are a mixture of several religions including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Like Cambodia, it isn't rare here to see small shrines set up with a Buddha, some Chinese figures (at least one of which I am assuming to be Confucius), and sometimes even a Mary statue. Most of the times they have sticks of incense burning, a pile of fruit and a few cups of water, all lit nicely with twinkly lights or christmas bulbs. After China town we went to a local bar where they screen movies all day long. It was a nice break from the crazy hot sun and humidity. We watched Beowulf while drinking iced coffees. Not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a hot Saturday. The movie wasn't so hot, but the seats were comfy and the room cool.
Everywhere people are friendly and welcoming. People driving by on bikes will greet us, and today while my moto trailed Chris', I saw a guy give Chris a thumbs up! People on the street seem quick to offer a hello, or a smile and kids everywhere wave at tourists. The food continues to be great, and pho has become our breakfast of choice. Like in Thailand, a bowl of noodle soup is cheap and tasty, served with a plate of fresh garnishes including basil, corriander, thinly sliced onions, hot peppers, a piece of lime and sprouts. So good.
We are heading to Nha Trang tomorrow for a couple of days on the beach on the way to Hanoi. Vietnam is a very long country - from south to north it is a 31 hour train ride!! We are taking the bus for this leg of the journey and we'll figure it out from there. We want to be in Hanoi by the 22nd of December and have a couple of stops on the way there.
I hope everyone is having a good holiday season. It doesn't feel much like Christmas where we are, but that's ok. We'll be thinking of everyone at home and missing you all.
We'll upload some photos soon.
Bye!
Paula
xoxo
2 comments: