Good Morning Saigon :)

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Saigon, Vietnam

The locals prefer to call this city Saigon rather than Ho Chi Minh City, and after visiting, it seems to be a much more endearing name. We flew in over what looked like patty fields and amazing scenery. I have never seen anything quite like it. Once we got through the 'health' scanners, immigration (which is a very serious business mind you!) and customs we finally got out into the arrival hall of Ton Sut Nuht Airport and were ’accosted’ by lots & lots of people offering us a taxi into the city! Very funny! Saigon is much more humid than Singapore but still manageable so far thank goodness.

Once in our taxi (AU$13 from airport to hotel in city) we thought we could relax. Big mistake. The driving here is ... I don't know the word for it.... simply crazy and without reason. They drive on the right hand side of the road, well most of them do! But they don't use lanes, don't use blinkers, they go really fast, really close to each other and just BEEEEEEEEPP! They also drive on the wrong side of the road if they need to, obviously! My heart was in my throat for the whole 30 minute ride. And then the oasis appeared... The Dragon Hotel. Beautiful and refreshing. Gold everywhere and lovely cool tiles. After an initial 'unhappy' discussion with the 'sales' man about the fact that we should have arrived yesterday we were finally showed our room for which we were very grateful (but not grateful enough to remember to tip the bell boys - will try and remember next time!) to find our top three wishes granted; 1. comfortable beds, 2. a toilet that flushed, and 3. good air-conditioning. Bingo - all three! So, I think that we will be very comfortable here for a few days. Have unpacked and hung up clothes and feel half normal again

The streets of Saigon are inundated with scooters..... and they carry everything & anything you can imagine. As well as everything you can't imagine!

Saigon has a certain atmosphere and the buildings & architecture certainly contribute to that. The rich & the poor live side by side and it seems to work amidst the chaos & colour. Occupational safety standards are certainly not like we have in Australia, but the way they do it here seems almost sensible, in a strange way!

There are lots of little alleys where we saw families live & cook & 'do life' together. They are such happy people who work hard and celebrate their lives every day. They are grateful for what they have, are respectful of others and appreciate the good things in life. Relationship with each other is their focus and material things don't seem to matter. They know true humility.
We have fallen in love with Saigon and it's people.

The locals spend a lot of time in their parks, playing games, like a group form of 'hacky sack', and badminton. We found some girls practicing a dance which they will be performing for a big celebration in November.

We decided to brave the elements of Saigon and hand ourselves over to the adventure that is Vietnam. There are very few 'haphazard' footpaths, which I found out by experience. For example, if motor biker finds that he doesn't have enough room on the road, he will just use the side walk - great idea! I nearly had a heart attack! This place is so foreign to anything I have ever seen, it is a complete sensory overload. I feel like I'm in the middle of a movie set and am waiting for James Bond to appear to whisk me off somewhere romantic (well, a girl can dream!). We conquered the side walk 'shuffle' and then attempted to cross the street. I can hear you saying to yourselves "what is she on about?" Well, let me tell you - crossing the street here amidst a million motor bikes, cyclos, trucks, buses, taxi's & people is literally taking your life into your own hands. The best that you can do is say your prayers, shut your eyes and just go! And we did. And we made it. We are old hands at it now! It's certainly an experience. We also conquered finding an ATM, getting some money (Vietnamese dong), finding somewhere to eat & an internet cafe in a city where no one understands a thing we say! Probably a good thing I guess. I always look forward to returning to the hotel for a well deserved rest. I never know how we are going to get back there, but we always do, somehow!

" Fasten your seatbelts as Saigon is a metropolis on the move - and we're not just talking about motorbikes that throng the streets. Saigon is Vietnam at its most dizzying: a high octane city of commerce and culture that has driven the whole country forward with it's limitless energy." Lonely Planet

"Saigon is a living organism that breathes life and vitality into all who settle here, and visitors cannot help but be hauled along for the ride. Wander through timeless alleys to ancient pagodas or teeming markets, past ramshackle wooden shops selling silk, spices and baskets, before fast-forwarding into the future beneath sleek skyscrapers or at designer malls, gourmet restaurants and minimalist bars." Lonely Planet

We spent our last day in Saigon visiting an orphanage and delivering some toys & supplies we had brought from Australia. It was particularly humid and we were pretty exhausted by the time we arrived at the train station that night.

Our train to Da Nang was leaving Saigon at 11pm, so we enjoyed a lovely 'ca phe' while we waited at the station coffee house! It is very sad to say goodbye to Saigon as we have totally fallen in love with this city, but I'm sure we'll be back.

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