Saigon

The government calls it Ho Chi Minh city, but every local will call it Saigon.

(Bikes everywhere)

It is in many ways a surprise to roam the streets here. Besides the obvious of any large city in a developing country (the average income in this officially 10 plus million citizen southern capital is 4,350 US dollars a year), such as crowded streets with ramshackle buildings flanked by more modern buildings, the noise of claxons and the disorderly traffic behavior, it also shows beautiful parks, and a lot of street cleaners. There are ultra modern stunning buildings and very luxurious hotels and gated expat apartment buildings behind secure walls.

(The people's parliament-not shabby for a communist country)

There is a section in town with a mall where very expensive brand name stores seem to be only habited by store clerks.

(The opera house)

(Backside of a luxury shopping mall and an entrance below)

At night the high rises are flashing light shows, which, while sitting at a rooftop bar,

(Rooftop bar at the Rex with band)

like the Rex, (known for Graham Greene's "the Quiet American" and also as the "war correspondents bar"), spending crazy money for a drink, watching the show below and around you, gives you a feeling of a long forgotten colonial lifestyle.

Views from 51st floor of Biexco building highest in Saigon)

While having coffee at the 51st floor of Saigons highest building, just below a helicopter deck jutting out of the 52nd floor we met a now Canadian Vietnamese who was a rescued boat refugee in 1980, picked up by the U.S. navy, after 7 days a sea with one hundred people, one of which had died in the meantime and food was gone for several days already. He said he went to Canada, because in those days he hated the Americans.

(Another shrine to light a candle for)

And I know, that tomorrow in Singapore the memory of Saigon will feel like having visited a poor example of Asian luxury, but for now the night feels magical and the temperature bearable, almost cool.

(Above and below our boutique hotel in the back alley)

We reside in a "boutique hotel" a well phrased misnomer, because, as where we have the top "luxury room" with large balcony (overlooking "the" alley) most rooms we pass on our way down are small windowless cells, suited for the spartan life of Buddhist monks.

(Above and below jade emperor temple protectors)

(The real protector at the entrance door)

(Here one can pray for pregnancy or healthy birthing)

( here you pray to stay out of hell)

To get to "Little Saigon" (our hotel) requires ducking into a 100 yard long alley with a sushi bar, a "tearoom" and a communist party office, dashing around people displaying wares on the alley floor, often pressing ourselves against a wall to allow a motorbike to pass. The alley ends in an internal plaza filled with parked motorbikes, through which we weave into the plant draped entrance to the 12 foot wide building rising 6 floors up. But the price is right (especially for a Dutchman) even if you splurge for the top "suite".

(Our morning visit to a park to hear the birds singing)

(Owners and visitors sit down for tea or coffee to hear the concert)

There are 14 million "registered" motorbikes in the whole of Vietnam and officially a quarter of them roam the streets of Saigon. My perception is, since they sell new motorbikes every year, that there may be double that amount everywhere around us, surging left and right around us as we try to cross the street. There are many street corners with pedestrian crossings, however since often there are no lights turning red or green, we just have to do what all Saigonese do, take our lives in our own hands and start weaving between the moving traffic assuming that we will make it across and that they will avoid us as much as we avoid the bikes.

(Freedom palace, formerly presentidential palace of US supported democratic government)

(Rooms and gardens of the place)

(Below Vietcong tank that took the palace)

Walking the streets with our guide Vi Bao, we look up once in awhile to see bundles of electric wires apparently serviced by multiple companies - see picture further down (how do they do it?)

Here is a small list of facts we gleamed from her:

(Brides in the park a very common view here since brides take pictures in 5 different dresses, which they will all wear on the wedding day)

(Post office designed by Gustave Eiffel - Uncle Ho on the back wall)

50% of all Vietnamese are 30 or younger

(Tin Tin in Vietnam, Belgian cartoonist is well read here)

Since this is a communist country only 9% bother to vote

(Kindergarten school outing)

"Communism creates laziness" Vi

(Free exercise equipment in the parks to stay in shape)

Motorbikes cost between $1000 to $5000 new

(Bike parking for people going to The park)

Vietnam is the #1 country in googling the word "sex"

(Expensive buildings are built everywhere for sale via hotlines and labeled as Swiss (?) quality)

(Below how it might look - that Swiss quality apartment of yours)

All uniforms we see dotting the streets are young men doing their required 2 year service and they are deployed to the streets because the army has no place for them

(Private home - guide thinks must be owned by someone from the North)

Husbands in the south are more helpful doing household chores than husbands in the north

(Nunber one priority Electricity accomplished, see above and below)

Many husbands have lovers to ensure male offspring

(Notre Dame Cathedral)

We saw Saigon's Notre Dame and it does not look at all like the one in Paris. We took taxis everywhere for 50 dollar cent per kilometer, making the average ride about $2.00 including tip. The first metro line of a non- existent public transportation system, is scheduled for 2017 and is just an eyesore now in downtown.

(Who remembers this Buddhist sacrificing himself in the 70's?; now a symbol by the present government, who was not the oppressor, see below statue)

We could get internet everywhere unlike Japan (the worst) and Korea

We went with our hotel manager to the local police office to report our driver's crime and our electronics loss. It was interesting to be "bystanders" in the dialogue between manager and officer, once in awhile we needed to clarify something to our hotel lady who then translated in the singsong voice of Vietnam. Behind us in the bare walled room with 3 desks (no pictures allowed here) with only Uncle Ho on the wall and some slogans, slept on a bench an arrested fellow his arm manacle attached to the bench.

(When the dead are being celebrated every year on their Death Day, one burns suits and dollars for their wellbeing in heaven, even iPhones are being offered nowadays to people that died before the Internet existed)

Just outside the open door sat our accused driver, waiting for his turn.

Sandee wrote the whole story on a form in English, which the hotel manager than painstakingly copied in Vietnamese and later attested to, by everybody signing for their part.

I strongly feel that in the process the officer will be the one gaining money from the driver. He was very interested in the values of the stolen items. The next day a hotel clerk asked for more clarification, since the police office had called with more questions.

(Dragons are the Vietnamese symbol of power)

We got our signed and sealed document to submit to our Allstate agent (Brandie it is coming in January)

(Tai Chi old style and new style)

(Receiving room of our cooking school, we were told the 3 kitchen God story here)

The last day we took a few hours in a local spa and in the afternoon enjoyed a 3 hour cooking class in the Saigon Culinary Arts Center joined by 2 Phillipino ladies. We cooked a tomato pineapple soup, made a Vietnamese beef salad and a pork noodle bowl, followed by banana lumpia with chocolate coverings.

(Pictures above and below of Ben Than market where we bought ingredients)

(Chef and assistant chef and the tomato roses we had to prepare)

Here we were told about the three kitchen gods revered by Vietnamese. A comfusing story about a man and his wife traveling far to seek happiness. And as they did not and the husband left her (irony here?) she married a farmer. One day a beggar came to the farm for food and the wife recognized her former husband. Now the confusing part of the story related in Vietnamese English: the wife hides former husband in the shed under sheaves of harvested rice, when she hears her husband coming. Somehow husband goes to the shed, wife's follows in panic with fire (?) and lights up the sheaves of rice. Wife tries rescuing former husband from fire now ravaging the shed and present husband tries rescuing his wife. All die in the fire and are now symbols of the three kitchen gods, symbolizing fire, happiness and ? Well, I said it was confusing.

(Above: banana leaf salad; below fermented stuffed eggs)

I took a walk to a barbershop to experience a cut and an ear cleaning, which unfortunately I did not get. I was told that barbers here, after the haircut, would commence to use various tools to painstakingly clean ears, displaying their finds in the lower arm of the customer. I had hoped to show you a picture but I must have taken a modern barber here in downtown. At my urging to check my ears after the cut he took his scissors and trimmed more old men's hair nesting inside.

(no picture of my arm with ear stuff unfortunately so another food source instead)

Sandee says YUCK, but did not remove above comments about "ear stuff" out of respect for the author... And that they have three more months and doesn't want to rock the boat this early. Ha.

Alas no story there but on the brighter side:

Here we go to Singapore.

 

 

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