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Published: October 23rd 2006
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WOW....talk about culture SHOCK, Saigon is a caleidascope of sites, sounds, smells and a beehive of activity unknown to us in quiet , rural Canada.
From airport (Kelowna) to airport (Saigon , aka Ho Chi Min City ) 24 very exhausting hours. My butt was rubbed raw and my inner time clock took a BIG hit . It has taken me two days now to adjust to Vietnam time and finally feeling a part of the local atmosphere.
The 5 hour lay over in Vancouver took its toll . Try killing 5 hours in an airport with very little to do but eat, buy duty free or people watch. I did all three. Thanks for the royal send off Devyn, Ken and Liz. It was great to touch base with you Ken before i hit the road.
The earth always looks so peaceful and at rest from 35,000 feet. One tends to forget there are borders and politics when viewing the majestic world from on high. The Coastal mountains were at thier stunning best and i felt like i could reach out and touch them at one point. With no word of exaggeration i am sure we came
close to the highest ones to within a 1000 feet.
The flight was relatively uneventful across the pacific other than the butt numbing time involved. The two hour lay over in Soeul was a pleasant opportunity to stretch my legs , get a snack and have a general walk about in a very modern and beautiful airport, albeit very expensive for everything.
Five hours after Soeul we landed in Saigon , Vietnam at 10:30 pm. Warm, 28C no rain and very comfortable. Oh so sweet to miss the canadian winter ( eat your hearts out ...LOL )
Saigon airport is rather oldish with a hint of institutionalisn. Almost 50 ish beurocratic but still very efficient. Landing to exit approximately 20 minutes. Bags arrived ( amasing) !!!!
Was amased to not see anyone waiting to meet passengers anywhere in the airport but was soon educated to the fact that you must exit the airport to see the waiting throngs of friends, family and touts, taxis and hucksters. Welcome to Saigon. From peaceful beurocracy to organised chaos , like stepping into a time machine.
The adventure really starts to unfold at this point, Wake up fast ,
departing Kelowna
Coastal mountains BC get all your senses tweaked and stay alert. I find a taxi and ask if he speaks english. He nods his head yes, no words, just a nod. Onto the next taxi, this one " speaks " english, I hop in. He turns the meter on without me asking, wow, thats a good start i say to myself. I simply say take me to neat , clean, not too expensive questhouse. He understands, ten minutes later and 40,000 dong (15,000 dong = 1 dollar) he drops me at the 187 guesthouse. Wow again, an honest and no bullshit taxi driver, this really is encouraging . So, arrival in vietnam to opening my hotel door, maybe 45 minutes top, Not bad for a 3rd world country eh ? We could learn a few things from that me thinks.
Observations about Saigon so far :
Wall to wall motorbikes ( one car to 50 motorbikes) and just as well too. Cant imagine what the traffic would be like if everyone drove a car instead of a motorbike.
Driving rules and regs ? : nobody stops unless its to pick yourself up off the pavement after you have had an
departing Kelowna
Coastal mountains BC 2 accident. ( Which i havent seen yet by the way) The motorbikes seem to move like a large flock of birds or school of fish. It flows and every one seems to be able to read each others minds on what everyone is going to do. Red lights, stop signs etc. only come into affect when really necessary, otherwise proceed at your own risk. And not a policeman anywhere to be seen. It works, and once your mind and senses gets use to it , it makes sense. Everyone is polite and yields when necessary, horns are plentiful but short and to the point to let you know they are there so be careful. No road rage, no yelling or screaming, no middle fingers !!!!!
Pollution: Eyes are stinging and nose full of $%^^& compared to our pristine air of Canada. Wearing a mask like most everyone to keep the bigger airborne particles out. DONT ASK !!!!!
The guesthouse is 16 dollars a night with AC, hot water, stocked fridge, TV and large bed with one blanket. Comfortable, clean and quiet away from noise of traffic so very nice . One draw back. The next room's bathroom can
departing Kelowna
Russian mountains from 40,000' be heard very very clearly since the adjoining wall has 4 window like openings near the top of a 10 foot ceiling Not alot of privacy, noise wise and god knows what else if they had a tall ladder LOL.
People on the whole very friendly and accepting , smiling and welcoming. Everyone asks if i am american. I say Canadian, they smile BIG, I breath a sigh of relief 😊
Being 6 ' 4" i tend to get ALOT of eyes peering at me almost in shock to see the jolly green giant walk by. But they smile a big toothy grin and say "hello" in english. One would hardly guess this country was gutted by the Vietnamese war just 30 years ago.
More observations of Saigon to come....will try and upload a few pics
Stay tuned
PS: Sorry gang, this computer has no usb port to upload pics, hopefully next time
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