Julia's Travels: Saigon (Ho Chi Mihn City)

After my short but relaxing stay in China beach, I hopped on a plane to the steamy city of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Lots of travelers seem to dislike Saigon, but I enjoyed my time there; the people were a bit more friendly than in the north, it was easier to get around using English (lucky for me since my attempts a Vietnamese still go down in flames), and the traffic was slightly less insane than in Hanoi. The city even has special police officers set up on select corners to help guide clueless foreigners through the throngs of scooters. I had one help me, but it really wasn't necessary since I have more or less mastered the Vietnamese traffic crossing game (which essentially amounts to playing chicken with oncoming traffic).

In Saigon, I met up with Matt, my friend Liz's husband. Originally, the plan had been for us to meander about and take some photos, but Matt's camera got swiped by some crafty motorcycle-snatch thieves right after his arrival, so we just walked around instead. We ended up having a great time just wandering around the city, taking in the sights and getting the feel for Southern Vietnam's largest city. Two Aussies "blokes" (yes, I have started incorporating these strange terms into me vernacular), Mikey and Leigh, who I met at Hoa's Place, were also on my flight to Saigon, so we all took Matt out to enjoy a little Bia Hoi (Ingenious Vietnamese beer invention, see Hanoi blog entry for further details). Needless to say, the four of us had tons of fun.

I managed to break yet another pair of sandals ins Hanoi. This is an ongoing problem that I have..there is something I'm doing with the toes of my right foot, that cause all of my sandals to prematurely kick the bucket. So Matt and I beat feet to the market in search of replacements. This wouldn't have been an issue, but I have pretty large feet and Asian women tend to have tiny feet. After much searching and negotiating, I settled on an 80,000 Dong (about $5 US) pair of sandals that were a mere two sizes too small. It remains to be seen how long they will actually last.

In Saigon, I also had the opportunity to meet up with some friends of a friend of my dad, Kevin and Brenda, a young Canadian couple who have been living in Vietnam for several years now. Not only were they super cool and welcoming, even though they didn't really know me, but they had some unique and fascinating insights into life in Vietnam and the national psyche. Plus, they've traveled extensively through SE Asia and had some fantastic travel tips.

-Julia