Saigon Surprise

June 21
Saigon

We have not walked long distances with our backpacks since Brussels. The sun was down and there was a bit of a breeze last night as we made the 20 minute walk to the train station.

The train ride from Nha Trang to Saigon did not disappoint in terms of being uncomfortable, smelly and long! This time we were prepared for the AC.

The problem was the AC was only on for short bursts leaving us freezing, then it would shut off for long periods leaving the air so heavy and close. Good for the boys to see that this was not even the lowest class the train had to offer. They had a peek into the hard seats and realized it could be worse.

Our car.

People slept on the floor of the aisle. The train would stop for periods of up to one hour during the night. This meant arriving later in Saigon. Our guy from the hotel did not give up on us though. He was waiting and gave us an entertaining ride through the morning rush hour traffic. Saigon (now that we are in the south we will call it Saigon) has just over 8 million people and every second person must own a scooter. The driving skills continue to amaze me. I was just thinking today how it is unbelievable we have not seen one accident. Later in the day we saw one taxi bump into another. Tempers flared with one driver hitting the other with a metal baton. That complete they both drove away. Case closed.

Thick traffic. I'm glad we entered Vietnam in Hanoi. It was a gentler introduction to the country. We have built up confidence to cross the street and it is not nearly as busy as I was expecting. A pleasant surprise.

Our hotel is off a busy street, but down a quiet alley way.

The view from our window.

The bathroom with the shower unenclosed brings back prior memories of Asia. The type of bathroom that is so small there is not room for a shower stall, so when the shower is on, the entire bathroom becomes soaked.

When the room is only $20/night, there has to be some drawbacks. I was paranoid about bedbugs when we first started out in Amsterdam, but now I have mostly forgotten about them. Still have not seen/felt any.

Thinking of being soaked, we witnessed a torrent of rain this afternoon. The boys were thrilled we had to seek shelter in a McDonald's for 1.5 hours as the rain come down. When it rains in Vietnam, it pours. The roof leaked through the light and fan fixtures.

Waiting out the deluge.

The city of Saigon is much more western than that of any other city we have seen so far. More diversity in everything, including people. Walking in district 1, the center square is dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. A statue of him sits at the end of the square.

The day ended with eating pho at a food stall around the corner. Delicious.