We began in Saigon.
The economic capital, full of hustle and bustle, still retained the charm it exuded when i came the last time. As we took the taxi through the endless traffic of the city centre, the decrepit buildings and scrawly overhead wires and messy construction sites seized our attention greedily. The rude horns of buses and bikes, the polluted air filling our nostrils, the hot blazing sun over the streets. There is an inexplicable allure to it all.
Finally we are out of Singapore, and finally there is something different.
We alighted at Pham Ngu Lao, the backpackers' district, looking for accom. I found out the Bodhi Tree hotel has been torn down! The only cheap alternative was to share a 3 bedroom and add another bed. We hastily put our bags and set out to explore the city.
Walking along the streets, we went to good ol' attractions like the War Remnants museum, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the Ben Thanh market. The guys seemed ill interested in shopping, and the day passed in mostly sightseeing. At lunch we chatted with an angmoh waiter, who's Vietnamese but studied in the States. The food there was pretty decent, too.
Dusk approached. I led the guys down dark alleys to streetside food paradise a couple streets away. Sadly, i couldn't find the Pho stall of old. But we did try most of the local fare, before heading to Ben Thanh. We bumped into Mr Low, our RJ PE teacher there! Had a little gossip about teachers leaving, and RJ changing completely from our time.
The next day, the guys set off for their Cao Dai and Cuchi tour. Left alone, i hitched on the bus to Cholon, roaming its vast marketplace. It wasn't much fun, and i went to the docks next, and hired an hour's boat cruise along the Saigon river. Along the way i went onshore the other side and sipped tea with a kind villager and her kids. Wouldn't it be nice to have a global tongue! When we returned to the docks, i spent the rest of the day trekking around the city suburbs, tasting all the food stalls till i ran out of currency...darn.
At night, we caught the sleeper bus to Nha Trang. It was a pretty novel experience, lying on beds together in the bus! It was quite a squeeze, though, till some passengers got off.
Nha Trang - a beach and island paradise, perfect for scuba diving and watersports or island hopping for the more adventurous. Alas, time was not on our side, and we ventured on a city tour on our own. We walked to the beach, to the local cathedral, the White Buddha Pagoda (vegetarian food there greatly recommended! but beware of the 'Yo one dollar yo'), and finally trekked out of town to an Angkor Wat lookalike supposedly nearby. Turned out the only thing near about it was that we were walking near 5km to reach the damn place.
After all that footwork we planned to relax in a hot springs spa in the suburbs. Being diehard trekkers, we strode on 5 more km before giving up and taking bike transport there. The place turned out to be a huge theme-parkesque facility providing anything from deluxe to family fun packages. We bought the tix, changed our clothes and dived in the fun!
First up was a nice, slimy mud bath. We spent a comfortable time chilling in our little hole of brown, lovely mud. Ahh... then we lay in the sun, letting the mud evaporate from our skins. We took a mineral shower to wash it off, then went to a scalding hot spring bath. Brewing inside for awhile, next was a couple of swimming pools and a waterfall massage. Truly top grade spa enjoyment for dirtcheap prices, literally. After we'd ogled and had enough fun, it was time to go and catch the next overnight bus, to our next destination.
Hoi An. A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Where all our dreams of a deep cultural and historical experience shattered. Ask our opinion of UNESCO now, and undoubtedly we will extend our digitus impudicus. It was all a dirty scam. Or perhaps we simply expected too much. The town with its rustic streets and old Chinese architecture only reminded us of old China. Which we know all too well, from eons of watching chinese tv serials.
I talked to a girl at our hotel, Van, a local student studying in university and working meanwhile. It was the first time i got to further understand the education and job system in Vietnam. Basically, her degree will get her nowhere. A degree in tourism will get her a tour guide position at best. After her studies she might very well come back to the hotel to be the attendant or caretaker. That's all it'll lead her.
Getting back to the town. We traversed through the winding streets, walked through ancestral home museums, watched some cultural performaces, then hopped onto a boat cruise along Hoi An river. It was great fun when the lady driver gave us all a go at navigating the motor boat! And as night fell, we scrawled the markets, then found a comfy bar where we played a couple games of billiard. Some drinks later, and we were eased into sleep...
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