The down to earth Saigon

Mood
Frantic...... too many things to do..too little time



Besides enjoying high life in Saigon, me and Cousin Rain also experience the real, dusty Saigon. For a country who just come out of war about 20+ years, it is already doing pretty well and if we are not careful, they will soon overtake us. You can see a lot of small time businesses everywhere maybe cause the government can't be bothered to make them apply license.

Low start up cost, all you need is a couple of chairs and you have your biz...

The French came and left the Notre Dame and since we are a big fan of old buildings we came over to look see look see. Insides looks just like ...... well like a Church. There is a post office adjacent to it. Looks like a railway station though and check out the phone booths. Darn Cute one.

Favorite spot for Wedding Pictures. After take picture can go inside and get married.

The below is another favorite wedding spot, The Ho Chi Minh Museum. This time I didn't take picture of the building cause it's also from the French Colonial times. But to proof that it is also a favorite wedding picture spot, I took a picture of the wedding couple poising. And do you know many people go to Vietnam to look for brides? They produce very good woman. Hardworking, beautiful and most of all pure. Pure starts with the V word. They can even provide certificate on that. For as much as SGD2000.00 (unconfirmed) you can get a 18 year old fresh from schoolroom bride. No guesses who goes there to look for bride lor and they are all over 40 and the really horny ones go for 2nd wives there.

Happily ever after...

The main mode of transportation here is by motorbike and the main mode of transport communication is via the honk. You honk when you want to cut out, when someone want to cut out, when someone cuts you, when you want to turn, when u want to make illegal U-turn, when you think got passenger, when you want to alert pedestrians, when you think some biker riding too close to you.. basically all the time. Yes, they have things like traffic lights, double lanes, no yellow lanes though and they even had a policeman standing at those junction BUT HOW CARES man. They drive like there is no tomorrow and that includes our taxi drivers.

Don't look at the cigarette booth. The focus should be on the bikes.

When I don't go fine dining, I squat on stools too small for my butt on roadside stalls like this one. Don't think about things like hygiene when you are eating here. We got lost trying to take shortcut and end up at some back lane. Feel hungry so we just squat and eat. While we eat, motorbikes and what not just honk and avoid our fat assess. Day 1, I would have screamed and run, after D2.. nothing fazes me anymore. There are a lot of this kind of stalls littered all over the road and their food are quite tasty. 160000 VD. (means around SGD1.60)

The lady uses the same spoon to scope food into her mouth and then cook our food.

Off the beaten track, me and Cousin Rain decided to travel far out to Cholon, the largest Chinatown in the world. It feels like almost like home cause people there speak Cantonese. They thought we are Honkies ho ho ho. Anyway spend some time at their local market which is Bin Thay (spelling not very correct). Had myself a minor accident there. There is this guy pushing some groceries along the small lane that we are standing bargaining for cheaper cashew nuts and wham..stupid trolley rammed into my leg cause I was standing behind Cousin Rain. Stupid man didn't even apologize. He glared at me like it's my fault and adjust the trolley and move around me. Grrr... end up limping a bit on the way home. But I had fun browsing their market. Bought nice souvenirs for the women folk at home :)

I love to go markets...

Last installment, will share the food, the ups and downs and what to look out for when going Free and Easy...