Tidbits from Saigon

There are so many things we notice in traveling abroad, that I figured I’d add a few of the things I’ve noticed in Vietnam.

• People are nice, so nice that you can’t take it some times. No thanks, I’d rather do it myself!
• The city drips, all over the place. In the rainy season you must be ware of continual drips as you walk along the sidewalk.
• Oddly the sidewalks are often tiled. This doesn’t make much sense, as with the rain they can be very slick.
• There are hundreds of people exercising in the morning every day. It is incredible! I went for my walking workout the first day here and nearly fell over when I saw the number of people working out in park. Thai chi, Chi gong, yoga, badminton, aerobics, walking, a hacky sac type game, you name it! Keeps my walks very interesting with all of the people watching!
• Vietnamese are so accommodating that if they don’t have it, they’ll say they do and go around the corner and buy it for you. Likely adding on a bit of a tourist tax, but what the hell, that’s service.
• I hear that if you want an honest opinion about yourself, just ask a local and they’ll be sure to tell you exactly how fat and beautiful you are.
• There is a straw epidemic in Vietnam. No matter what you do there’s just about no way to avoid getting straws in your drinks. They’ll strap them to the water bottles, they’ll plop one in your soda can. You can trust that you’ll get a straw even if you didn’t order anything to drink! I can’t stand straws; they were a challenge in Ghana as well. I think they should be banned aside from margaritas, as it’s hard to say if you can avoid slopping ice in your face after you’ve had a few!
• The pho is fantastic. You can get a bowl that you could wear on your head for $3 at Pho 24.
• After the pho you might be so comatose that all you can think of is a massage, as I am at the moment!
• Massage for around $6 an hour, you can’t go wrong there!
• Go to the specialists. I heard a story from someone the other day of a woman who was at a spa and asked for a bikini wax while she was there getting other treatments. They initially they declined, saying they didn’t have anyone. She protested and said, just find some wax already. The next thing she knew she was on the table with four women trying to figure out how to give her a wax job. Leave it to the professionals!
• There are tons of boutiques here. They’ve got that down from the French influence. Too bad Kabul has more garden cafes than Saigon. I hear many of these were destroyed by the 1970s high rises that abound.
• You want a purse? Pick from hundreds of different styles.
• Need a custom made gown? Saigon’s the place to be!
• Need a knock-off Van Gogh? You’ll also find it here.
• Think you’ve tried all the exotic fruit there is to be had? Don’t worry, you are bound to find a few new ones here!
• Barter. It’s as simple as that. Don’t ever think you’ve got the local price, even if you think it is cheap.
• You haven’t experience Saigon until you’ve ridden a motor bike in the rain. My favorite is that they love to put the back of the first person on the bike’s rain plastic poncho over the head of the person in the back. Very smart.
• You can transport just about anything on a motorbike/scooter. The best thing I’ve seen was a full sized refrigerator. Hard to beat that one.
• Somehow women here can still look elegant while riding side saddle on a motorbike with a fashion face-mask to protect from the smog of the two stroke engines. They also wear gloves to protect their hands from the smog.
• Whoever invents the low cost hybrid scooter will be a hero to the world!

Okay, I think that’s all for tonight!

Cheers,

Miel