Oh, Saigon.

We were sadsosad to leave Thailand.  Our expectations, particularly of Bangkok, weren't meteorically high and were surpassed in every category.  Plus, we made friends at the beach with an awesome couple, Chelsey & Dave, and traveled back to Bangkok with them.  We all stayed at the Atlanta and had fun times and foods and laughs and puppies.  We were comfy and complacent and full of fruit shakes and it was like ripping off a band aid to come here.

Our Friends:

The puppy:

Our very first experience in Saigon was with a taxi driver who tried several tacts to overcharge us.  We had agreed upfront that he would use the meter but as soon as we were out of the airport parking lot he started to ask whether we knew how much it would be, would rather pay a flat rate, that there would be other charges, etc.  When he realized that we weren't turnips who were ready to hand him our dong (its the currency, I'm not being dirty) he tried to leave us on the side of the road in monsoon force rains.  After refusing his kind offer of being ripped off and deserted, the 3 of us had to spend a purgatorial hour and a half in rain drenched traffic together, grumbling.


We're staying in the heart of downtown Saigon, district 1.  And, yet, the next morning and each subsequent we've been awoken by a rooster crowing at dawn.  I'm starting to miss the call to prayer and dog howling in Lanta.  As unwelcome 5 am wake ups go, it was a bit less grating.  This city is loud, crazy cacophony all day, all night, always.  The power goes out fairly often and the pollution makes Hong Kong look like Mongolia.

But, we're adjusting.  Its now day 5 and we've had some amazing times and have figured out how to cross the lawless six lane roads choked with motorbikes.  We're eating bahn mi like we've just come home from fat camp and today spoke to a travel company about our trip to the Mekong.  Vietnam didn't make the best first impression, but we're going on a few more dates before we flee and return to the loving arms of Thailand.