ASIAN ADVENTURE PART II

Hello world!

So it's day three of my wonderful little adventure around S.E.A (if you don't know about it, read my previous post!), and so far I've spent all the time in Saigon. I completely love it here, the city is truly alive with activity, the streets buzz with the energy of its citizens and the buildings tower with opportunity. I definitely feel at home here. But alas, here's what I've been up to!

DAY 1: I finally arrived in Saigon after an exhausting 25 hours on planes and in airports! It was 9PM here and I was completely wiped-out, but desperate to get out and explore! So, after finding the Hotel, hastily showering and getting ready, I headed out to the liveliest part of the city. Here, I met a lovely bicycle taxi man who took me up to an English speaking bar which served food all night - great for me as I had avoided plane food all day! The meal only cost 65,000 Vietnamese Dong, which is around £2 GBP. As well as this, all the bars on this strip served beer and cocktails at 2 for 1. Needless to say, the rest of the night became a bit of a blur. The sun was rising as I finally headed for home...

DAY 2: The combination of jetlag, sleep deprivation and a hangover meant that my second day started much later than I planned! However, there was still plenty of time to head over to the War Remnants Museum, and learn about the history and impact of the war from the perspective of the Vietnamese. This I found exceedingly interesting, particularly because there is so much to understand and consider that is rarely discussed back home. After the museum, I headed over to one of the most recommended national parks, and relaxed in the beautiful and exotic surroundings, enjoying the last couple of hours of sun. I treated myself to a more luxurious dinner at a divine Japanese restaurant, and then took a walk around the square at night, including Town Hall and Notre Dame Cathedral.

I'd made friends with a couple of people from the Hotel upon arrival, and we all decided to go out for drinks. In the centre, we bumped into a number of people, like tourists, bar staff, moped taxi-men, even a police officer, who recognised me from the night before and came up to greet us. Turns out, when you're pale as Casper you stick right out over here! (Although it probably doesn't help that I'm kind of lairey and cheeky when drunk, and that gets noticed). What's crazy about Vietnam is that there seems to be no rules. Prostitutes patrol the streets, just as police officers do. Cafe's offer a joint (marijuana) on their menu and cigarette vendors will encourage you buy cocaine or whatever else takes your fancy. Crime is rampant, and yet it's just an accepted part of the lifestyle here. My friends and I sat drinking buckets of cocktails at a street bar, just watching the chaos surrounding us..

DAY 3: Somehow managed to wake up at seven o'clock for breakfast (despite finally going to bed like an hour before) only to be severely disappointed. At our hotel, breakfast provides one of two options: Local, consisting of rice served with a form of meat; or Continental, consisting of dry, old bread with either jam, margerine or peanut butter. Oh goodie! Luckily, the great location and outstanding staff more than make up for breakfast. So a quick stop at a street food vendor was more than acceptable as a replacement!

Today's activities began with a trip slightly further out to the busiest market of the city, a hub of trade for both tourists and locals alike. The market was a complete maze, a confusing barrage of colours, sights and smells, with the added distraction of hundreds of vendors desperately trying to grab your attention. We spent hours wandering the stalls, uncovering hidden treasures from local vintage ornaments, to classic American knock-offs, music stalls and food stalls and everything in between. Later, I met a charming young man who took us on a bike tour of the while city from the back of his Vespa - amazing! Dinner and drinks in a hipster-wannabe bar proved very entertaining, as they tried to blend American stereotypes of "cool" with their own style. It didn't work too well. Afterwards, an evening walk to some of the main tourist attractions while we hung around for the night market to begin. Once it had, it was immediately apparent that it was worth the extra wait. Unlike the normal market before, the night market benefited from the open air and space, the exciting atmosphere, entertainers like fire breathers, drinks vendors serving chilled beer at every opportunity, and BBQs on every corner. It was an amazing environment and very easy to get swept right into.

On the way back, we stopped at one of the busiest bars in our area - Go2Bar. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when we were robbed by "The Moped Mafia" (I'm not kidding, they actually call themselves that). Men pretending to be vendors crowded around us, distracting us whilst they stole phones from pockets. Luckily, mine was in my bra, so I was safe on that front. Within seconds they were hopping on the back of scooters and shooting away, snatching my bag out of my hand while passing. It had little of value inside (cash, cigarettes, lip balm) and was later dropped, but the experience was scary and frustrating all the same!

So, after a less than helpful trip to the police station to report our crime, we are back at the hotel. Time for some beers and some smokes from the safety of my bedroom, I think!

Anyway, that's pretty much everything so far. I'll be sure to keep this updated as much as I can! I'm plenty busy with activities in the next week, so we shall see!

Thanks for reading, over and out.