Cute kid or bane to my enjoyment?
W.C. Fields was once asked how he liked children. He replied, “Well done.”
After traveling for roughly 12 hours, we first checked into our room, then walked a couple of blocks to get a bite to eat at 9pm. So, was I ready to have a 4-year-old stand 8 inches from me and with his cell phone, playing some video over and over at an audio level equal to a jack hammer with ridiculous laughing and irritating sound effects? No, this is not what I would have anticipated or planned for. I was completely distracted and could not concentrate on ‘anything’. Not even my medium rare steak with a glass of red wine could hold my attention. His mom, blurred in the background, did little to help. I suspect she was grateful for the respite. This went on for the duration of our entire time in that restaurant. In the end I got 3 hugs and 2 high fives and was charmed by my little nemesis. So, what do I have to say to him?
“Well done, young man. Well done.”
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam
The best coffee shop in the world...
Really? Is this the best coffee shop in the world? Let us start with history and some imagination. On April 30th, 1975 the US Army left Saigon and we all remember that final helicopter evacuating the last of the embassy staff and CIA personal from ‘that‘ rooftop.
This coffee shop is on the third floor of ‘that‘ building. I could easily imagine the Viet Cong with Chinese made AK-47′s in their hands, kicking doors down and running up the same stairs I was standing on.
On our first full day in Vietnam, we have a 4-hour guided walking tour of Saigon, and this coffee shop was our first opportunity to sit down with our guide, Nguyen Nam, and have a conversation without having to navigate traffic, sidewalks, and taking pics of statues. He picked the perfect place.
Today this lovely woman is handing Diane and I most excellent iced Vietnamese coffees. Yes, the visual irony is not lost on me.
I asked Nam when he has clients from different parts of the world does he customize where he takes people and what he talks about. He smiles and says “of course.” He goes on to say Indian tourists just want to shop and eat. Chinese are similar but also like to drink a lot. But he said it is the Americans and the French that are more interested in the history.
When he talked about the war, he spoke with a subdued passion and had his game face on. He is 42 and has no direct memory, but I’m sure much of his family does. I appreciated his relaxed candor for the 25 minutes as we hung out in the world’s best coffee shop named ‘Cong’.
In the background, the overhead music is jazz and French vocal standards. In keeping with Vietnamese style, the tables and chairs are quite low, which make me feel like a clumsy ogre. The ceiling is so low I’m tempted to duck but don’t have to. It is a combination 2nd hand bookstore (or library) and coffee shop. I could come here every day and just ‘groove’.
Diane is in her new ‘element‘. Having ordered her second iced coffee of the day and being a world traveler, now in Saigon, Vietnam.
Shopping fever
The moment I walked in I knew I was doomed to make a purchase. I only hoped it would not hurt ‘too much’.
Phuongnam Lacquerware, where have you been all my life? I looked to my left at the examples of artwork and then to my right where the artists were creating, by hand, stunning mother of pearl masterpieces. Then I was taken to the showroom upstairs. I was a dead man walking.
I took the best photo I could (as seen below). The surface was ‘very’ reflective, and you can see me taking the pic.
The shipping alone was $150 to Chiang Mai, Thailand. So, don’t ask how much I spent.
And…I will not confirm nor deny that I may have later walked into Thu Silk and dropped $120 on a custom-made silk robe with a dragon on it. It will take about two days to make after I was ‘fitted’. Now it will only be Top Ramen for dinner the rest of the month.
Food: Day one...
Lunch:
After our walking tour, we went to restaurant next to your hotel. So close, that I didn’t even note its name. The bowl of Pho was $1.36. Yep, well on the way to paying for art and the dragon robe today.
Dinner:
The restaurant tonight could be best described as chaotic, delicious, busy, loud, and young.
So much for the promise of having Top Ramen the rest of the month. Dinner tonight was at ‘The Street‘. I am reminded of the French effect on food here in Vietnam. They brought bread. Yes, a simple idea or accomplishment, but man, what a way to improve a meal. The grilled pork with a nice ‘char’ was outstanding, especially with the green dipping sauce, but add bread and now you are talkin’. The bread had a crispy crust and was soft in the middle. Once you handle it you know your tips of your fingers won’t be completely clean of butter and crumbs ’til you get home.
Diane, seated at ‘The Street’ restaurant, contemplates on ‘how can food be so inexpensive here’? After being in SE Asia for over four months will still laugh at the prices of … everything. It is much to our advantage to come from one of the most expensive cities in the world and travel, live, eat and have fun in this part of the world.
Are there sacrifices for this advantage? Yes, but they seem not to bother us. Especially when the return is so great. Uneven sidewalks, no problem. Language barrier, truly no problem. Then after great thought I’ve come up with one more sacrifice, hashbrowns. It seems they are not a thing here. No problem?
The cat below has no business here in this section. I just thought a random ‘coffee-cat‘ photo would be nice…
Saigon Opera House Night
At the Saigon Opera House, we took in a show called ‘AO’. It told a story from a few thousand years ago to modern day times. A type of Cirque du Soleil, with plenty of acrobatics, clever set design and outstanding musicians. We were delighted to be there. Before the show I chatted with a guy from Minnesota. Once I learned this I mentioned to him that my mom was a cheerleader in Red Lake Falls, Minnesota sometime around 1946. He said that he was a 1-year-old at that time. So, I asked with a deadpan delivery “So, you didn’t know her then?” After 2 seconds we both laughed, and a good conversation ensued. He reminded me of a cross between myself and my dad.
After the show, with advice from our guide, we went a Michelin Guide recommended restaurant called Hoa Tuc. I’m trying to spend a little less money because of a stupid impulse buy on a silk robe, so I was a little worried on the final bill. The total came to 1,032,000 Dong. My heart sank but it was truly an excellent meal. The ‘Grab’ from the Opera House to our hotel, which was a mile away in heavy traffic, was $1.22. Oh, and also a million dong for dinner comes out to be about $41.98. Mind you that was 4 dishes, one vodka martini and two glasses of red wine. wow! Looks like I can afford another silk robe.
Walking deserves its own section...
Is Saigon a walking city? Yes, and no. The distances between places in the central area of Saigon are certainly within walking distance. In 10 or 20 minutes you can get to most places. It is the scooters, motorcycles, and general mayhem which are the issue. As our guide walked us around on our first day in Saigon, he came up with a phrase “be like sticky rice’ referring to crossing the street in a group; and sticking close together. If a cluster of people break apart, scooters will see that as an opportunity and buzz through the group. He added “walk slow”. Crossing the street here seems to be a learned skill. Failures in the education means injury, maiming, maybe a trip to the hospital.
Scooters and motorcycles blended with people and other scooters weaving together like the crust on a fancy apple pie or even a straw hat. All done at 12 mph. Cars are involved a little with this operation. They are not a concern because if they hit you, death ensues, and you wouldn’t care anyhow.
I woke up, walked outside my hotel and stood on the corner making videos for 3 minutes. In other parts of the city I see a lot worse and at a much grander scale, but these below are a samples of the ‘weave‘… enjoy!
I have a man brain. It is useful but can only deal with three items at one time. (I prefer one) Walking is categorized as an item so add conversation and hunger and I have reached my limit. Thus, I am easily overwhelmed. Women are different. They can handle 184 items at a time. Diane will say something like “Hua Hin has a lost and found.” I try to digest this sentence as a scooter pops out of nowhere and I suddenly discover the cement is broken beneath my feet. Mind you, it is crowded and about 95 degrees, and we are walking mostly in the sun. I revisit her sentence in my head. “Hua Hin has a lost and found.” Now Hua Hin was a city we were in a few months ago. But why is their lost and found pertinent in finding a particular restaurant located on General Mayhem Street, which we are currently attempting to navigate?
We tend to walk in single file because, well….. because there is just no room to navigate as a couple. As I dodge the occasional motorcycle driving on the sidewalk, notice stray dogs, navigate oncoming people, avoid parked scooters and other peds I try to make sure Diane is aware and safe, but she is 3 steps behind me and a little to the side such that I can’t see her. She does this because she cannot see around me if directly behind. Sometimes I will invoke the crawl swimming technique so that I can look a little back and to a side, take four to six steps and do the same but look to the other side.
Oh, BTW, Diane was referring to a restaurant in Hua Hin called “The Lost and Found.” Apparently, she has just seen a sign with that same name here in Saigon. My man-brain took 14 seconds for me to figure that out. I am certainly over my 3-item limit at this point.
See the above video of us walking through a market. It was not what was happening with the writings to the left while we were on General Mayhem Street. We would need a camera crew to do all that.
As far as cities with chaos and pandemonium I cannot think of one that has more than Saigon. I suspect with time we would get used to it. But we leave tomorrow, so we will never find out.
Motorbike Food Tour (the other side of walking)
Never will there be a more lacking visual documentation than what you are about to read and see. One cannot capture a lightning strike, nor the moment love begins or even the first drop of a heavy rain. I could not capture tonight on film, but I can harbor it in my mind and memory.
The people who run this tour, the ones that drive the motorbikes, have done it countless times. I hope they understand what they share. I suspect they do not. I will take this evening as a gift. Thanks Harry, thanks Nhi.
I will need to test my skills in writing as Diane and I just returned from a motorcycle food tour where we went from restaurant to restaurant being passengers on the back of a motorbike. I have a new perspective of the city, of the world, from the back of a 125-cc motorbike. My driver (from what I have heard was actually born on the back of one of the machines) took me weaving in and out of oncoming traffic that was right out of a Jason Bourne movie. Then later, leaning left to enter a round-a-bout with 25 other motorbikes and then combining with another 40 motorcycles from another direction felt as natural as dolphins swimming in tandem. Zipping quickly down alleyways with only a small amount of space between building walls was a moving Zen-like thrill. My guide, Harry, tells me he knows a short cut and then darts down a couple alleys, avoiding pedestrians then pops back out onto a main street. But sure enough, I see Nhi with Diane not far behind, then soon to be ahead of us. At 4’10” and not 100 lbs. Nhi was small but fierce and I would not want to tangle with her in a race. She rocked \m/
From the sidewalk this dance of traffic seems ridiculously dangerous and confusing. From my point of view tonight the world made sense. The white lines between lanes were mere suggestions, red lights were a consideration. Acceleration had to be quick as a bee to be safe and out of the way of other drivers When I looked up the cityscape flew by and with the wind in my hair, my mind just turned off and accepted this soaring moment of calm.
Even during extreme slow speeds this was a dance. Honking of horns was out of necessity not anger. A single beep just meant “Woah, my friend. Please be careful. You are about to hit me.” Vietnamese people just don’t get their panties in a bundle. It seems a group effort for everyone to travel down the streets of Saigon. Once we nearly went head-on with another scooter in an ally, both drivers had a comraderic laugh at the near miss. The tour guides we had seemed to go out of their way to be safe and always made sure to secure our helmets. Not only a good idea, and like gravity…. it’s the law. 🙂
I think this tour should be compulsory for every tourist coming to Vietnam. I can’t imagine my life without it. Was the food good? Hells yes! We made 6 stops, experienced 10 dishes including a cold Saigon beer at the last stop. We tried local dishes from bahn mi to Vietnamese crepes to a dessert. What am I going to remember? This wonderful view of the city, and the personable drivers Diane and I had; Nhi and Harry. We were told that the course of this trek took 60 streets to accomplish and covered a great deal of a city of 9 million people.
I wish I could have videoed snippets of our time on the motorbikes. But there was just no way to both hold a cell phone and the grips on the side of the seat at the same time. I wanted to, but I knew I could not. Harry let me know that a portion would be slow and would give me an opportunity to film for a bit. It did not represent what really happened but will have to suffice for now. Most of it will have to live in my head.
Again, these two short videos don’t represent the exciting traffic moments I had tonight. But it does give you a perspective of my point of view.
Ladies, handsome Harry is on the left. Sorry, but I think he already has a girlfriend. I noticed an attractive young woman stalking him. I recognized her from at least two of our stops on our tour. Above is Nhi who is adorable, and a recent college graduate with a degree in international business and destined for greatness. I will soon adopt her as a niece.
High End Dining at Elgin Restaurant
Steak pomme frites with pepper sauce, then a cheesecake sando with a chocolate infused gin. With seared scallops and grilled octopus dishes in between. I did not expect this level of dining just steps away from our hotel. Doug, the Australian born waiter, was a treat and a slight surprise. He landed here in Vietnam because of love.
“When love walks into the room, everybody stand up.” Chrissy Hynde.
Conclusion:
It’s not like I’m used to traveling. Maybe the better word is acclimated. We have had roughly 20 flights in the last 4 months with 5 or so more planned for this month. That is a lot of times to take off your shoes in airport security areas and walk on ‘debatable’ carpet with your bare feet. Few people wear socks in this part of the world, including me.
Have I learned about myself as I have about Vietnam? Maybe. Am I developing a robe fetish? Maybe. I did buy my second this week. I can explain this away, but choose not to, such to leave it to in your imagination. I did get my time or two eating noodles on the sidewalk while sitting on a plastic chair. As you see, I do have small goals sometimes. Would we return here? That will depend upon the remainder of our time in Vietnam. A city we will soon visit is Da Lat which is called ‘The Seattle of East Asia’ because of the weather. Or was it ‘The City of Eternal Spring‘? I never can remember. We will see if it can compete.
A good friend of mine looks good in this type of hat. So, if he can, then so can I. It is hot and sunny everyday here. I was scolded a few times on not wearing a hat. I refuse to wear a baseball hat, or the ubiquitous bucket hat. I landed on the flat cap made famous by newsboys and cabbies from around the world.
The name Vietnam conjures up immediate memories of war history and the dozens of movies and documentaries I’ve watched on that subject. There is a lot to be said on that war. In this blog I even began with that very theme. We went to the War Remnants Museum, there is no need to go there twice. I will leave that there…
‘That’ is NOT what Vietnam is about now. If you have interest, I advise visiting here. I heard our guide, Nam, describe his country as developing. According to the UN it is on the highest end of that scale. My taste so far of this country has been very small, and I am a million miles from being an expert, but I have nothing but good to say about the people I’ve met, interacted with or have just observed. I am very much looking forward to the next 3 weeks in the cities of Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Da Lat along with the island of Phu Quoc.
Thank you for reading!!!