Good Morninggg, Vietnam!

8/25/09

Saigon. I can’t even explain it. The chaotic yet weirdly systematic traffic flow boggles my mind. Whole families pile up on top of each other, riding one motor bike. Infants! Some smile at me when they pass, others just stare. Not necessarily rude, not necessarily pleasant. Just looking at me because I’m…not like them.

When we arrived at the hotel that Kristen and An (employees of Teachers for Vietnam) had booked for us yesterday, I noticed that the buildings in Saigon are all about UP. What I mean by that is, the floors themselves are very narrow, but the levels keep going up and up…and up. It utilizes space, for sure. And with a city that’s constantly bombarded with foreigners, they need all the space they can get.

The first beer I had in Saigon was called Tiger. It’s actually imported from Singapore, but just as popular as Saigon and 333(pronounced “bababa”), two of the biggest domestic beers in Vietnam. Tiger is quite good, and I had quite a few with dinner, and afterward as well. However, still feeling jet-lagged and a bit tipsy, I called it a night by 10 P.M. Normally, my nights haven’t don’t even start by then.

We caught the bus to Can Tho at 1:00 PM today, and the ride took about five hours. I didn’t get to see much countryside (actually, none at all) because we followed one continuous road the whole way down. Highway 1 didn’t offer any scenic views until we got to the ferry, where we were in full stop traffic for about an hour. On the ferry, though, I did get a really cool view of one of the soon-to-be biggest bridge constructions in Vietnam. The only piece missing was the middle, and I got a pretty good picture of that.

It’s too hot to continue writing right now, but I will say that the part I’m loving most about Can Tho is definitely…the food! So many different flavors and spices all rolled into one. Awesome.