First morning in Saigon

21/01/2012 11:41 AM

So first morning in Saigon and this place is hot, humid, hectic and a wonderful way. There is so much to be done in this city, yet between the hours of 12:00 and 2:00 ones is pretty much confined to the multitude of wonderfully small and delightful cafes and bars. I'm not complaining in the least, these little spots are shockingly pleasant, generally shaded, and there is a welcoming air about them once you get past the imaginary, non-existent sign that reads “locals only”. Upon entry you ask yourself “did I make the wrong decision? Should I not have turned down this sketchy alleyway? Am I going to return home missing some necessary organ?” You then find yourself seated at a little red, plastic table, on a stool only 10 inches off the ground with your knees up to your chest enjoying some deliciously thick, rich coffee, thickened even further with sweetened condensed milk and sharing a smile or a laugh with the locals who seem to somehow live at this places unaffected by the perpetual caffeine high.  You do as the locals do... you sit, enjoy your fascinating surroundings, and just watch the world and its people go by. Everyone else in the world seems to be moving; going somewhere and in a rush to get wherever they are going. Yet somehow, for some remarkable reason it is peaceful; in a way. Perhaps like being in the eye of storm; surrounded by utter chaos and destruction yet living in an obscure reality. It’s absolute bliss.

One does not have to go far to find peace and good things in this city. One needs to take in and accept that things are different here. That a pleasant and peaceful afternoon has an entirely different definition that it does elsewhere. Even with the 40+ degree temperatures, the exhaust from the 10 million motorbikes and the sun constantly beating down, shade, and all things good associated with it are easily found. 

This afternoon I will go in search for two things. Civet coffee, known as the “world’s most expensive coffee” AKA “Shit coffee” and fresh beer. The latter has already been found, however, the mornings are pretty much reserved for coffee. Fresh beer is beer delivered daily to cafes and bars, poured over ice and served cold. My Civet coffee on the other hand, may require a bit more searching as it is not always easily found.

Food?! Food is cheap and plentiful here. My diet pretty much consists entirely of street food, with the occasional restaurant thrown in for dinner. Pho and Bah Mi makes up the majority of my diet, both ridiculously cheap, easy to come by, and delicious to say the least. 

Tonight I am meeting friends for dinner and a night of wandering the flower market as it has been set up in preparations for Tet. On the 25^th I have been invited to spend an evening with a local family to observe the culture and food up a traditional family meal, something I have wanted to do since arriving. 

Tomorrow I may head to District II to visit the Lunch Lady for soup. I was intending to do it this morning, but she sells out by 11:30 and I was a bit behind schedule so tomorrow morning I will hope on a moto-taxi and pay her a visit for lunch. Google her, she’s famous for her varying menu of daily soups. Today it was a fish base. Tomorrow, I'm not sure what it is, but I’m hoping for something involving gelatinized pigs blood and pork cuts. 

The embassy was closed yesterday and is closed throughout the 25^th for Tet, so my visa will have to wait. I am going to do more research on it today.

That’s all for now.

21/01/2012 4:58 PM

So I'm just back from my cyclo tour of Saigon. So Sarah and I met up around 12:30 and headed for lunch at a local hole-in-the-wall that serves up fresh Shawarma-style beef sandwiches and fresh beer. We sat there for a couple hours. I picked myself up a nice pair of fake RayBans for $3 that actually seem to be quite well made so I'm happy with that.

Sarah wasn’t up to doing much walking and the sun was getting to me so we decided to hope into a couple of rickshaws and take an hour long tour of the city. It was nice. I’ve plans to meet some people from couchsurfing later so il hop on a moto-taxi in about an hour and head to the restaurant. The heat of the day has finally passed and it has settled down to about 32 degrees. 

Saigon is really very nice and I look forward to the two weeks I am planning on spending here.

More to come