Madame Madame You Want Moto Bike ... Madame Madame You Buy Something

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With only about half a day, I had three things on the list of things to do before leaving HCMC. I guess that two out of three isn’t so bad!

I knew I had gotten up early but didn’t realize that I was actually quite quick in getting ready so even the small restaurant fronting my hotel was not opened … oh well; I’ll grab breakfast somewhere on the street I guess. I hopped into a cab and didn’t even bother asking … I already I had my book at the ready for the taxi driver to take me to the Jade Emperor Pagoda. You would think that after almost two weeks I would be “templed out” but no, not at all. I am still awestruck at the sight of one of these amazing buildings.

I arrived about 15 minutes before the temple was actually set to open so I had to pass the time and so what better time than the present to do some traffic-watching especially that this particular temple is just down a little street from a huge traffic circle. Madness … throw in an ambulance and a funeral procession and you have sheer mayhem! And yet they don’t seem to suffer from road rage and I am happy to report that the vast majority dutifully wear their helmets! There sure are some cute ones, I tell you … I saw one young girl who had one that looked like a small baseball cap but this hounds tooth pattern … fit very nicely with her little red moto!

The Jade Emperor Pagoda is a little worn from the outside, with paint faded and flaking, but step inside and it is incredibly ornate, atmospheric to the point of almost being eerie. The rooms are dark with the ornamentations done in dark rich woods and of course the smell and smoke of joss sticks and incense cones wafting through the air. You enter the building and you are met by these two large menacing figures of two generals, one that defeated the Green Dragon and the other the White Tiger. They are about 4 meters tall and are actually made of papier mache, which you honestly would never have guessed just by looking at them. In the main sanctuary, you have the Jade Emperor who is flanked by four guards called the Four Big Diamonds because they are said to be “as hard as diamonds”. There is also the Hall of Ten Hells which “is presided by Thanh Hoang, the Chief of Hell” who is flanked by his red horse and a number of other figures. The other figures “represent the Gods who dispense punishments for evil acts and rewards for good deeds”. There was also this other small figure called Than Tai clothed in a white robe and holding a small wicker fan. Later on I would see a woman putting a candle at the foot of this figure, fanning herself and then fanning the actual figure. There were no descriptions in my book for this particular God and what it actually represented. The last room is made up of twelve small figurines of women covered in children and brightly coloured robes; each representing a human characteristic both good and bad … I can tell you that one is chugging from a jug of wine quite happily! The fact that there are twelve is also a symbol for each of the twelve years in the Chinese calendar. There is also a more ornate figure, wearing an elaborate headpiece which is said to be Kim Hoa Thanh Mau, the Chief of All Women.

By this time I was quite hungry and so I walked by this small bakery that was just calling out my name. So I bought one banh bao which is a sweet, doughy bread filled with meat (my meat of choice I realized afterwards was wieners!) and then another of the same type of sweet bread but that was sprinkled with sugar and raisins. Mmmm … so I literally sat on a street corner, eating my pastries and watched traffic go by. Well there was a guy right there eating a bowl of soup so I blended right in ... well sort of!

I must have been high on the exhaust fumes or something because I misread my map and took a right instead of a left and wound up completely and utterly lost. The traffic along the way was completely insane. At one point, like a mirage, I saw a temple. I asked a man on the side of the street and he identified it for me by using my guidebook and then he sort of pointed at the fact that I had to cross the street to reach it. Ugh!

Well I had no choice really so … first step off the sidewalk not too bad … oh there they all come … they’re all coming my way ….slowly … slowly … slowly … no sudden movements it might scare them … nose is itchy but that can wait ….yes swerve around me please …. thank you for not hitting me ….slowly … slowly … slowly some more… is that sidewalk here yet ... a few more steps … slowly …. slowly … slowly … Oh my God I made it …..woohoo! Honestly, I almost did a little dance of joy! Once you see the couple of videos that I shot you will understand why that was an accomplishment onto itself … I deserve a little medal!

So after my harrowing experience of crossing the street, trying to find my way back to go visit the Botanics Garden was kind of out of the question. So I didn’t even bother to visit the temple and I just tried to flag down a cab (and Sophie ... remember me flagging down the cab at the Joss Stone concert ... that's what it looked like at one point!) While I was trying to do that I had a chat with a nice man who was a Vietnam War veteran and he tried to show me that he could read English when he saw me holding my guidebook. I have a little crush on him now.

I should also be commended for the fact that FINALLY a taxi driver understood something I said … a day full accomplishments for me! This then took me to the Ben Thanh Market for last minute souvenir shopping and to take a few photos. I did find some traditional hats that were embroidered which I really wanted but had no clue how I would have them survive the flight back to Cambodia and the three more flights to go home (and no wearing it is not an option …. I don’t want to be like THAT GUY that comes back from Mexico with the sombrero on his head!). I will have to contend myself with the memories, I guess (and the four million photos of women that I have wearing them ... ahem Cam, I guess there were a lot of tourists in HCMC that day!). So it’s a purse for me instead!! So I did manage to find a pretty cool souvenir for my mom and dad. They each have their own so there won't be any fighting and like I always say …mom it might make you cry or at a minimum it will have you saying your trademark “ah mon Dieu ….mmmmerci!” I am almost looking forward to being home just to give it to you guys, that’s how excited I am over it!!

It’s a well known fact that I hate bargaining (especially when the purse that I bought was $ 5 … how can I bargain that down any further???) but I think that I was being taken for a ride when I excitedly (and those of you who personally know me knows what that looks like!) found mangosteens. I had been dreaming of my new favorite fruit since boarding the plane to come to Cambodia and the day before I leave I find them … gotta have them. Well, the young salesgirl was not letting them go cheaply and I was not going to pay and arm and a leg for fruit (well maybe my left arm … but I digress). So after some serious haggling back and forth (using a calculator no less), I got my mangosteen!! Awwww yummy goodness … man I wish they had these in Canada. There was also a huge candy section at this Market but no luck mom, the corn candies were not to be found … there were some corn candies but more like a soft marshmallow kind of consistency … not the same!

So now I have made my way back to the hotel and I just need to pack my suitcase. It is becoming more and more of a puzzle as to how everything will fit into a carry-on and my backpack but I’m sure I’ll be able to fit it all in. I of course took a short break to have soup at the restaurant downstairs and of course topped it off with a coffee. I love my Vietnamese coffee! The young waitress asked me if I wanted fresh or condensed milk ... are you kidding? ... who would want fresh!!

So in a few hours I will be back at the Palm Village resort in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I am still debating whether I should maybe spend my last day going back to the Angkor Wats. Part of me thinks I should because Lord knows when I will ever have the opportunity again to visit those awesome sights but another part of me is ready to just lay low and enjoy the pool, sun, maybe hit the Psar Chaa market one last time and definitely without a doubt get a pedicure. My feet are in one sorry state … they are permanently dirty at this point. Even the thought of high heels right now is sending shivers down my back ....

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Comments

[Cam Le]

Proud of you
Hehehe... I'm so proud of you for crossing the street by yourself, It's not so bad after all, isn't it. You seemed to visit lots of places for just 3 days. It's fun to follow your journey. Oh, don't be sad for not be able to bring a hat with you for souvenie. Last week, I saw them in one store at Rideau market. One more good news, you still can find mangosteen in Canada in Vietnamese groceries store, but of course, it's rare and not taste as good as it should be due to long travelling before coming to Ottawa. Cam.