Back from Ho Chi Minh City to be exact. Was tiring, fun, and adventurous. Accomadation wise, transport, food and tours were pretty cheap. Because my friend Lynn booked the flight way way way in advance, we flew on Tiger Airways on the cheap as well. Cheaper than how the normal budget flights are usually. Left my house at about 5:15am to share a cab with Lynn and Lionel to Budget Terminal. Met up with Lynn's friend Eunice over there and had Breakfast at Hans. We then caught our flight and were flying off to the unknown.
Day 1
Ben Thanh Market
We took a cab over to the hotel for US$10. We knew it was a little bit more expenive than usual, but thought that the queue for the taxi was a bit too long, so decided to cut the queue and go for it. Turns out that there was no queue in the 1st place. Just a bunch of people waiting outside the airport for people to arrive rather than waiting inside. Well, after about 20 minutes, we reached our hotel- Lac Vien Hotel. Lionel got off the cab gingerly after witnessing the cab driver weave through waves of motorcycles and traffic better than any F1 driver. Found our hotel inside a street alley. As we were early, we left our bags at reception and went for an early lunch. Local food there consists of some noodles, small pieces of chicken or beef, and lotsa soup. A separate bowl of vegetables with cut lime and chili is also served. Cost us less than S$1.50. Then went to Ben Thanh Market for some early shopping. Shopkeepers grabbing your hand and asking you to buy things as you try to bash your way through, was quite an experience. We then checked in the hotel and since the rooms were so cheap, my friend booked for us the VIP Suite. When Lionel and I walked in the room, we actually thought that the room was too big. At least 4 people could have stayed in that 1 room. Anyway, decided to do some sight seeing, and headed to the Imperial Palace.
Imperial Palace
Got a tour round the palace for free and was pretty interesting. But then it started to rain heavily. So we could not continue our planned city tour. Managed to get a taxi to a shopping centre for more shopping. Didn't actually get anything as there was hardly anything to get. Just 2 storeys of clothes that didn't seem very appealing. We then went to another shopping centre where we somehow lost Eunice and Eunice lost us. We then went hunting but was unsuccessful. So the plan was to sit down and wait for her to show up or contact us. After awhile, she showed up. Apparently, she had a nice dinner while we were hunting for her. As we were in a hunting mood, we then set out for our next hunt- KFC. Walking up and down the streets, is a bit of a skill. Aparently, the trick is to walk slowly as you cross the street to allow the motorcycles to weave around you. Then panic when you see a car or bus. So we hunted and hunted, and finally, arived at our destination. KFC chicken is served on a plate with a knife and fork over there, which is the difference between Singapore's KFC, and Vietnam's KFC. That was why we went there, to check out the differences. So mission accomplished, we set out back to the hotel to rest for awhile, then come out again to visit the night market. Things there seemed to be mostly aimed at the ladies, so I just got myself a belt and then waited at a nearby coffeeshop with Lionel till the ladies finished with their shopping. Got a cab, then went straight back to the Hotel to rest.
Lots done in a day. This is obviously going to be a long story. So this is why I'm breaking this into chapters. Next up: Chapter 2: Mekong Delta!
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