Saigon

Trip Start Oct 12, 2005
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Trip End Mar 31, 2006


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Monday, November 21, 2005

Arriving in Saigon has been a definite return to the reality of large Asian cities. Instead of strolls, bike rides and motorbike jaunts in the Hoi An countryside, we are dodging traffic and constantly avoiding eye contact with the various motorbike drivers, book sellers, Zippo lighter peddlers and just about any other street vendor hungry for Western business.

Ho Chi Minh faintly resembles a shabby, dirty version of Tokyo. Much more hectic than its Northern counterpart, Hanoi, some prefer the more cosmopolitan atmosphere of Saigon. It's fun to be in the middle of the action again but we really prefer the quieter parts north of here. We arrived in Saigon on Sunday and will leave for Phom Penh Cambodia on Wednesday, the 23rd. It should only take about a half day to get to Phom Penh so we plan to be settled somewhere by Thansgiving Day. Many of the Western hotels run Thanksgiving Day dinners for expats so we may check that out. Surprisingly, Turkey (or "Western Chicken", as it is called here) seems like the only meat that is not really eaten in Southeast Asia, so it will take a bit of creativity to come up with our own version of Thanksgiving.

We've been taking in a little war history here in Saigon with a visit to the Reunification Palace -- the seat of the South Vietnamese government from the 50's until a VC tank stormed the gates on April 30, 1975 and Saigon fell. Interstingly, the North Vietnamese government chose to keep the palace in the same condition as it was on that day and turn it into a museum. We also wandered by the site of the former US Embassy which was so famously evacuated via helicopter right before the city fell. The site now houses a newly rebuilt US Consulate office.

Kristy's former Assurant co-worker, Khai Le, is in Ho Chi Minh visiting his parents for the week so we enjoyed a lovely dinner with he and two of his friends. We had a "Hot Pot" dinner which is a bit like fondue. We had a delicious bubbling pot of soup broth containing an entire fish (head and all!), mixed with fresh herbs and vegetables served over rice noodles. The fish was taken right out of tank next to us and two miutes later on our table. There were also tanks of turtles, but we'll save that for another night.

Today, we're meeting up with Ruth and Doug again before they leave for Siem Reap and then meeting Lisa and Harry from Northern Ireland to plan our Cambodia travels. Right now the plan is to hire a taxi to the border instead of taking the hideous 12 hour bus ride.
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