Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Rooftop area of Lofi Hostel Saigon

There are very few cities that have completely blown me away. After having a long sleep I was ready to explore the place. I strolled through the streets and absorbed the bustling, vibrant atmosphere. One thing that really hit me was the different smells of the place, with food stalls all along the street cooking up local dishes. Another thing is the sheer amount of motorbikes; the population of Ho Chi Minh City is 10 million, and there are 6 million motorbikes, and it is CRAZY. And looking through my photos so far of the trip, I have pretty got a collection pictures of traffic. It is also so noisy, with the system being such that you beep to let other vehicles know where you are. This all ultimately makes crossing the road a massive challenge, involving saying your prayers, and simply taking a leap of faith and walking straight across. Funnily enough, it works perfectly as the vehicles meander round you as you keep a steady pace, in a straight line, and feeling like an absolute BOSS.

Time to cross.

I reached the War Remnants Museum, drenched in sweat from the humidity. This was a fascinating and moving insight of the Vietnamese war and the atrocities committed by the Americans (albeit a very biased viewpoint). I spent the rest of the day wandering around, where any street can lead you to something new.

War Remnants Museum: War Crimes Gallery

That evening I chilled on the hostel rooftop, sipping some 30p beers, and went out with a few other travelers also lodging at the hostel. What followed was an incredible meal experience that I could write pages about but is better left by saying "wow, I love this city and its people".

(this is so funny, as I'm writing up the blog the hotel porter keeps inconspicuously popping on the computer next to me to check his Age of Empires game he's got on the run)

The next day involved discovering the best cafe ever: Highland Coffee. The coffee, as I said before, is outrageously good- despite the fact the beans come from a weasel's arse (the weasel only eats the best coffee beans). This, together with a warm Vietnamese baguette, made my life. I also visited Co Chi Tunnels outside the city where the people escaped to during the war, basically living in a huge underground network of tunnels for months on end, and I crawled through one for 30 seconds before claustrophobia kicked in and I had to get out. The evening was spent eating more cheap, phenomenally tasty food and going to a bar where they had swings for seats, dart boards and lots of a beer- a lethal combination. I also met the funniest man in Vietnam, Don, who was a tour guide for these two old Aussie blokes who kept calling me a Pom. I stood my ground, and asked them how Australia were doing in the cricket lately.

It's only been 3 days and I already have enough stories to write a novel. Today I meet my tour group and begin the 22 day tour of Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Happy old lady with her portable food stall.