I made it to Vietnam!!!
The bus ride from Phnom Penh took about 6 hours. Crossing the border was easy, since I already had my visa.
Saigon is a feast for the eyes. So much motion, so much color.
Just crossing the street is an experiment in trust every time. Imagine a flood of motorcycles coming at you. You can't wait for a break in the traffic, because it will never come. You step out, you walk slowly, no sudden moves, you don't stop. The traffic miraculously parts and weaves around you. It's kind of a thrill, I'm not gonna lie. :)
I'm staying at the Nga Huong Hotel, which is actually a dorm. But it's pretty decent. This is the first place I've stayed in that has air conditioning! I checked in around 2pm, dropped my bags in my room, and then hit the streets. I easily accomplished my two goals - to find a map and to use an ATM. Then I just walked. To a noodle shop (first that I'd eaten all day)...to Ben Thanh market...to the Fine Arts Museum (a very cool Chinese-influenced yellow and white building...courtyard-style, with open, airy galleries displaying a mix of contemporary paintings, war-era art, propoganda art, and even some older 4th century Buddhist sculptures)...past the colonial Opera House and fountain...to the People's Committee Building...past the elegant Notre Dame Cathedral...to the massive and amazing French-style Main Post Office (which was flooded with tourists buying postcards and crafts). By that time all the other museums I'd like to visit were closed for the day. Hopefully I'll be able to fit them in on another day. I had a delicious snack called xoi, which is sticky rice mixed with beans and sprinkled with salty sesame seeds, fresh coconut shavings, and coconut cream. I also tried sugar cane juice, which I watched being made from fresh stalks of sugar cane being pressed through a mobile mill on the roadside.
I can tell already that Vietnam is going to be spectacular!
The bus ride from Phnom Penh took about 6 hours. Crossing the border was easy, since I already had my visa.
Saigon is a feast for the eyes. So much motion, so much color.
Just crossing the street is an experiment in trust every time. Imagine a flood of motorcycles coming at you. You can't wait for a break in the traffic, because it will never come. You step out, you walk slowly, no sudden moves, you don't stop. The traffic miraculously parts and weaves around you. It's kind of a thrill, I'm not gonna lie. :)
I'm staying at the Nga Huong Hotel, which is actually a dorm. But it's pretty decent. This is the first place I've stayed in that has air conditioning! I checked in around 2pm, dropped my bags in my room, and then hit the streets. I easily accomplished my two goals - to find a map and to use an ATM. Then I just walked. To a noodle shop (first that I'd eaten all day)...to Ben Thanh market...to the Fine Arts Museum (a very cool Chinese-influenced yellow and white building...courtyard-style, with open, airy galleries displaying a mix of contemporary paintings, war-era art, propoganda art, and even some older 4th century Buddhist sculptures)...past the colonial Opera House and fountain...to the People's Committee Building...past the elegant Notre Dame Cathedral...to the massive and amazing French-style Main Post Office (which was flooded with tourists buying postcards and crafts). By that time all the other museums I'd like to visit were closed for the day. Hopefully I'll be able to fit them in on another day. I had a delicious snack called xoi, which is sticky rice mixed with beans and sprinkled with salty sesame seeds, fresh coconut shavings, and coconut cream. I also tried sugar cane juice, which I watched being made from fresh stalks of sugar cane being pressed through a mobile mill on the roadside.
I can tell already that Vietnam is going to be spectacular!
Notre Dame Cathedral:
Sugar Cane Juice Press:
Post Office Interior:
A BIG thumb's up!!!
ReplyDeletep.s. Remember when we first visited Geneva College and you said you couldn't go there because you couldn't cross the street (by the dining hall)??
ReplyDeletehahahahaha
ReplyDeleteHey, I just found this and I'm reading through the whole thing, but I just had to say your mom's comment is pretty much the most hilarious thing I've ever heard in my entire life.
ReplyDeleteyay, i'm glad you found it!
ReplyDeletei fell behind at the end and need to add pics and cover the last week or so of my trip...
eventually. :)
we should get together at panera sometime next week and speak korean! and catch up. :) i'll look for you on skype and we can make a plan!