Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) was just as other travellers had told us it would be.......crazy traffic, friendly people and good food, especially the Pho noodle soups. With 7 million people, and apparently 3 million motorbikes, crossing the street was always an adventure. With no rapid transit system and a very spread-out city, the motorbike is the vehicle of choice for both the young and old. The tourist pedestrians have to be very careful since the one-way streets and stop signs only seem to be 'suggestions' not the law for the two-wheel drivers. There are very few traffic lights so if you want to cross the road you build up your courage and enter the madness since the stream of traffic never ends........we have learned that the motorbikes always find a way to swerve around you.
On our first full day we walked around the centre of the city which wasn't too far from where we were staying. We had an interesting visit to the War Remnants Museum which had very graphic pictures of the casualties of the Vietnam War along with captured U.S. army vehicles and planes. Since the country is now run by the Communist party, the description of the events clearly laid the blame on the Americans for the millions of Vietnamese people who died in the war. There was no mention of the South Vietnamese people who died at the hands of the North. The real truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The Independence Museum, former home of the South Vietnam leader, with a bomb shelter in the basement, provided a more balanced view of the country's history.
While in HCMC we also took a two day overnight tour of the Mekong Delta. We really enjoyed the peaceful living style of the river people. The Cai Rang floating market was the highlight for us........the locals did their grocery shopping by boat or traded vegetables and fruit with one another. We also liked the canoe trip down a mangrove channel and a visit to a rice noodle processing hut (and their manual production line).
Back in the city we dodged many more motorbikes and tasted more versions of Pho before deciding it was time to leave the chaos and start heading up the eastern coast of Vietnam. Our first stop was in Mui Ne, a beautiful little village on the edge of the South China Sea. Our lovely hotel is across the street from the beach and has it's own pool for cooling off which was been a relief in the continuous 30C heat and humidity........I'm not complaining, I appreciate that it is better than the alternative back home :) Last night we strolled along the beach and settled down for dinner at a family run outdoor restaurant right at the edge of the water. The food was very good and inexpensive but the service was very poor......we were in no hurry and had a wonderful table by the water so it didn't bother us too much but several other more serious diners left in a huff. The servers were 3 young brothers, probably 8, 10 and 12 who didn't speak English (not a problem for us). Mom did the cooking and dad just seemed to be directing the boys around to the 25-30 tables which were mostly busy. Nobody smiled so they didn't seem like a particularly happy family which was unusual for what we have experienced in Vietnam (and SE Asia) so far. I tried my best to get our 8 year old server laughing but nothing worked. After he prepared our bill I gave him a separate tip and encouraged him to put it in his pocket but I watched as he solemnly walked away and handed the tip to his father. While none of that may go to the child hopefully it will let his parents know that he is doing a good job and earn him some play time where he gets to be a kid again and have some fun.
I included a picture of Rhonda with her 'bucket' drink of rum and coke at a streetside bar in HCMC. She doesn't contribute too much to the family blog but I wanted everyone to know that she is still with me...........in spite of the amazing massage offers that I am receiving while walking around the cities (even with her by my side!).
No comments:
Post a Comment