I f***ing LOVE Saigon!

Our travel from Phu Quoc to Saigon (HCMC) was largely un-eventful. We had asked our hosts on Phu Quoc to arrange a taxi to take us to the airport - yes, we flew - and at seven the next morning, one of the quest house staff loaded us into a new Suzuki SUV and gave us a nice, slow drive out. The flight lasted only 45 minutes, which beat the heck out of our overland options. 

Upon arrival in Saigon, we eschewed the many taxis at the airport (200,000 - 300,000 Dong for the ride to downtown), and instead hopped on the #152 city bus. It was air conditioned, almost as quick as a taxi, cost only 5000 Dong ($0.25 CAD) and left us feeling like kick-ass travelers. The bus dropped us about a kilometre, or a 10 minute walk, from our guesthouse. Perfection.

*****

Those readers with long memories will recall me gushing about Saigon in the 2014 blog, but don't imagine I won't do it again.

One would think, given the squalid state of some cities in the region, that Saigon would tend toward that condition. I'll have none of it. Sure, should you find yourself walking past a recently closed market site you will find debris littering the sidewalk, and the liquid evidence of seafood and pork sellers moves quickly to a fine reek under ther afternoon sun, but return an hour later to be astonished in its transformation. The streets are messy and chaotic in the evening, but every stoop is swept come dawn.

And the parks! Acre after green, lush acre of immaculately manicured grounds. Mature trees soaring 30 metres into the heavens are a dime a dozen. Everywhere are bright and blooming flower beds the size of soccer pitches, while smaller examples line the many paths. Walking out of the hot, noisy, afternoon traffic into these cool oasises, the city seems to disappear and one breaths the rich new air the parks provide.

Siagon has all the things make a city an exciting place - it is a commercial, cultural and governmental centre. It's traffic is mind-bloggling, the noise cacophonous. It is vast and confusing, it's architecture running from colonial French through communist concrete utilitarian to ultra-modern, with a modern, grid-style street pattern approximately lain over the rabbit-warren alleys of the old city. 

And the people are just nice. I can't think of another way to put it. Purchase something from a shop-owner and, beyond whatever pleasure she may gain from a sale, there is clearly another, more immediate excitement of having tasted the exotic (us).

*****

Kim and I enjoyed three nights in Saigon, staying in the back-packer's district at the same hotel we stayed at two years ago. On the afternoon/evening of our arrival, having missed our breakfast and lunch while traveling, we ate. Really well. A couple of meals. And drank a bit. Oh, we looked for the bar where I had purchased the Binh guitar during our last trip, but it had changed hands and the new owner didn't want to sell guitars. But it was a bar, so......

Our first full day we were off early, if 10:30 is early. Over breakfast, I had searched on line to see if Binh, the guitar guy, was still building in Saigon. We found an address nearby and headed out. What we found would be a thrill for any guitarist. You may recall from our last trip that in many cities in Vietnam venders of certain items will be situated in clusters - you'll find an area, usually a few block long, of folks who sell ladders, or kitchen ware, or what have you. What we found was my candy store. Luthiers. Two long city blocks, every storefront vending guitars, mandolins, violins, Vietnamese folkloric instruments, all hand made of solid woods right on the premises. The competition intense, and the prices ridiculously low. We were there for a few hours, and Kim can no longer can comment that it would be nice if I was able to play a tune as we travel.

During our final full day in Saigon we staged the great march. From our digs in the back-packer district we walked east to the Vietnamese antiquities museum, and from there to the Emperor Jade Pagoda. This was a hike of at least fifteen kilometres and we were able to complete at least a third of it walking through the cool of Saigon parks. The museum is small, run out of an old French colonial house and took about half an hour to tour. At the same site is a zoo - Lonley Planet opines that if you are an animal lover the only response the zoo offers is heartbreak - and a botanical garden. We weren't going to the zoo and you can't get to the gardens without going to the zoo, so.....off to the jade pagoda. 

The Jade Pagoda is located mid block on a mixed commercial/residential street, a bit difficult to find as it is so un-assuming. A quiet, cool and shady court yard and a small temple with reinforced paper mache icons. One thinks, "ooh, Jade Pagoda", but no Jade. The Jade Emperor is one variation on God and this is a temple to worship him (hey, I didn't choose the sex) so less bling than one might expect. But the hike was well worth it.

*****

Since we have arrived in Vietnam we have yet to eat in a restaurant, all of our dining road-side el fresco. The area where we stayed has great street-food venders - fabulous phos, curries, duck salads and fried chicken. 

*****

Some more Saigon photos.