Andi's Adventures in Vietnam: Day 1: Ho Chi Minh

I arrived safely at the Saigon airport after a really short trip. I’m now typing as I’m lying on my bed at Miss Loi’s Guest House. I’m on the 12^th floor, with 2 windows, both with surprisingly nice views. You can see that this place is outdated, and the narrow spiral staircase up 12 flights will certainly burn some calories, but it’s actually pretty good for what I’m paying--$14.00 a night. It has tv, air conditioning, a nice big bed with a comfy mattress and a decent bathroom. It’s not the Jungle Club, but when you’re on a tight budget, this is pretty good. I haven’t seen anything really yet, just a drive from the airport through massive gridlock, all of which were motorbikes. I’ve never see so many motorbikes on the road like that before.  At first I thought it was a motorbike parade, but no, it’s actually just the traffic. People weave in and out of traffic and barely miss hitting the next person, and bikes going the wrong way through high speeding oncoming traffic. It’s insane. And I thought there were a lot of motorbikes in Thailand.

 My cabbie told me only in Vietnam will you see this, which means I’ve already had my first real Vietnamese cultural experience of sorts. It’s funny to be in a new country again and stick out as an obvious tourist, knowing absolutely nothing about anything. A few times already I’ve had to catch myself from saying, “sawadee Kah,” or “Tao Rai Kah?” It’s like a bizarre reality when I am resorting to my “Thai” for communication! I guess it just shows that I am fairly comfortable in Thailand now.

I suppose that part of the excitement about visiting a culture so different is all the unknowns. At first it’s overwhelming and a bit scary and then you begin to ease into it. But along the journey you see all this cool stuff that goes deeper than just tourist attractions and beautiful scenery. You get to experience all the little intricacies that make a place its own, like the insane motorbike traffic here. And you start to slightly understand the vast cultural differences between yourself and the people you are surrounded by. Traveling gets into the soul like nothing else. Can’t wait to update you on my adventures here in Vietnam. J  Enjoy reading; I know I enjoy writing.

Pic 1: Back to the self pics again, Pic 2, 3, 4: View from Above, Pic: 5: Welcome to Ho Chi Minh, Pic 6, 7, 8: Some motorbike traffic, Pic 9: The thumbs up is my new motto for traveling alone. :)