The Long Train South. Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City

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So yesterday consisted of waking up to no power in the building. There was enough light coming in from the sky-light windows, but it wasn't long before the heat came in with it, and with no fans and no A/C, it was not a good place to be. We went for breakfast at a cafe with internet so I could book my hostel in Ho Chi Minh City (from here on I'll be calling it Saigon). I ordered the same Vietnamese dish Anh had which was some beef, egg, and vegetables, booked on Hostelworld.com at Saigon Mini Hotel 5, in District 1 (the main tourist area where most the sites and hotels are, technically still called Saigon). It's a little pricey, but I didn't see anywhere offering dorm style accommodation, at least if there were any listed, they didn't have good ratings. It's the top-rated place on the site for Saigon, so hopefully it's worth the $25 USD a night it's gonna cost for a private single room.

Early afternoon we headed for the train station. I'd had butterflies since breakfast, as I've not heard anything good about the public transportation in Vietnam, and was nervous to be going it alone again (even though I've never had any problems before, it can still be intimidating). Anyways, I must say, expecting what I was, I was pleasantly surprised by the train! It was more cramped than a similar 6 bed per stall hard-sleeper in China, and less comfortable. It's a hard slab with 1/4" think 'mattress', pillow, and a blanket that's way too warm even in the A/C'd cars. The ride is also much more jerky than the trains I've taken in China; but it's affordable and it's bearable, especially on a budget and for those who dislike flying. I had the cart to myself for the first several hours of the trip which was nice.

We left around 3pm and were scheduled to be in Saigon between 4-5am the next day.

Sometime after sunset a man who would occupy the bunk above mine (I was in the middle) boarded with his son. They were with more family staying in another car, and all the kids decided to hang out in my car as the bottom two bunks were still unoccupied. (Something to keep in mind, when booking train tickets- there's not room to sit up straight on the middle and top bunks, so until you are occupying the bottom bunk, other people will use it for a chair. The kids were eating, playing, and napping in the unoccupied bunks, so that when the people who had booked them did arrive on the train after 10pm, they had to brush crumbs and dirt of their beds.) The kids were otherwise well behaved- not loud or anything. The little boy did keep going in and out, opening and closing the door, which made me uncomfortable in my paranoia about thieves, as they target foreigners on public transport, and I didn't want anyone who didn't need to know I was in the cart to know it. Turned out to be just paranoia, and the ride was fine and theft free 😊

I was also surprised by the dining cart. Though small and a little dirty, the food was pretty good (for a train) and the prices were very reasonable. In China, you have to buy everything ahead of time, as they price gouge the captive consumers. (I don't compare everything in Vietnam to China because I think they are the same; it's just that having lived in China for 5 months, I now compare everything to it).

Anyways, we got in around 5am and I was pleasantly surprised to find metered, legit taxis outside the station. In many places (China again...) you need to walk a block or so away from the stations to get a decent taxi. Most the ones waiting outside will only take cash (not public transport cards in the cities that have them) and demand a higher than meter price fee in an attempt to take advantage pf tourists and new migrant workers who might not know better. So I get to my hotel, which looks closed, and am relieved when I see movement, as the security and reception guys were sleeping just inside with the lights out. The let me in, but aside from my reservation being for that night, they were booked solid. No chance for an early check-in. The let me crash on the lobby sofa for a few hours until the sun rising and people starting to come and go woke me. Still couldn't check in until 1pm, so I meandered on down the street to Stella's, acafe/restaurant with free Wifi and I must say, pretty tasty food!

I went back to the hotel to check-in at 1pm, and they asked where I went. I guess after the first guest checked out that morning, the had it rush cleaned for me so I could check-in. I found that very kind of them, and certainly wish I had known :P I hated to waste the better part of a day, but I was burnt out and wanted a shower before I went anywhere. So I checked in to my little room (there's a reason they call it 'mini hotel') and did just that. I figured it was a little late to try the museums and what not, but the receptionist recommended I check out the Ben Thanh Market, in an old French-style building. It seemed full of just as many locals as tourists, and had stalls selling everything from spices and coffee to clothes and souvenirs.
I found a cute sun-hat for $3USD. I know your supposed to bargain in these places, but $3 for a hat that will get much use in the next few days and hopefully years seemed a very fair price. And again, I feel $1 isn't a big difference to me, but for the vendors, it adds up.
I found a little juice stall too with pictures of fruits I'd never seen. I pointed to a big, green, spikey fruit called a Soursop and ordered a "smoothie" of it. It tasted rather like coconut and I enjoyed it. I was told later than it's a taste most people love or hate. I found it rather reminiscent of coconut though... From there I checked the map and saw I was near the opera house, so I headed there. Not much to see, but I realized I was a few blocks from the Hard Rock Cafe, so I figured I'd stop in for a drink.

The bartenders there are great. They were practicing their flare (still in the learning stages) and were all very nice, funny, sociable guys. Everything you'd expect from a great bartender. They all spoke English very well and I had conversations with several of them before the dinner rush hit. I also met an Australian guy named Tim who's working there, as he came over to chat as well. He asked what I was trying to do with my time and volunteered many suggestions and recommendations, including some good bars, and that I could afford to miss the Mekong Delta tour, but that the CuChi Tunnels were a must see. I got a lot of good information from him and even an invite for a soft-opening of a new expat bar tomorrow.

Quite excited to meet some expats here and get a new insight into Saigon and Vietnam 😊

Tomorrow I'm gonna try to wake up early and go do the city tour, museums, and whatnot before meeting up with Tim again. Guess that's a wrap for the night...

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Comments

[Heather]

I really enjoyed your post about Vietnam! You gave such detail I felt like I was there too! My blog is looking for travel reviews, photos, etc, to share. If you have the time, check it out at dirty-hippies.blogspot.com, or email me at [e-mail]. Continued fun on your travels! Heather :)