It's been quite a while since my last blog post. By quite a while, I think it's been months... I decided that today of all days would be the day to kick start the old blog again.
Why?
Well because today, in this very moment as I write, I find myself in the city of Taipei, Taiwan, sitting in an airport waiting for my connecting flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It is 6:55 am on January 15, which is strange because 14 hours ago it was 12:30am in Vancouver on January 14. Nothing messes with your head quite like a good time change.
Considering all this trip has consisted of so far is one long flight I have little to report so I'll share just a few notable mentionables. Firstly, I am thankful to the makers of Gravol as I had a lovely 12 hour flight that I'm pretty sure I was only awake for an hour of. More than that however, I am thankful to the parents of the young boy who's mullet game was so strong, it put a younger Jaromir Jagr to shame.
In my brief Asian experience I've learned one lesson which is this; airplanes are not the place to experiment with authentic Asian cuisine (no I do not want tuna [i think it was tuna], olives and rice for breakfast) and so if you're offered a safe option and a authentic option, go with the omelette.
It's 15 degrees outside and there's a thick blanket of fog hovering overhead here in Taipei. There's little for me to report as it's still moderately dark out and I'm not leaving the airport.
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7:25pm, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I just wrote the entire second half of this blog post and then forgot to save it. So I'm writing this a lot more bitterly than I was when I wrote this 10 minutes ago.
We arrived safely in Vietnam at 11:00 this morning. The humidity of the 33 degree weather struck us instantly as we walked out of the airport and got our first taste of Vietnam. Hundreds of locals stood eagerly outside, anxiously anticipating the arrival of whomever they were waiting for. It tools us only a moment to find our driver who had been sitting in the sweltering heat waiting for our delayed flight for almost two hours. He packed up our bags and off we went.
Now, prior to our departure in Vancouver we had been told to "have a safe flight". Upon arrival in Vietnam it became immediately apparent that our flight was the least of our safety concerns. There's not traffic in the sky after all... I lost count of how many times our driver cut off or honked at other cars on the road within the first two minutes of our 20 minute drive. How we didn't hit anyone or get hit by anyone is a miracle (and a direct reflection of how much honking occurs here).
We arrived to our hotel in one piece and met Lewis, the host at our hotel. In Vietnam you actually get reasonable star treatment for a mere $20/night. Lewis helped us plan out our next few days and gave us tips on how to not get screwed over by the locals. Our luggage was carried to our room for us and iced green tea was placed directly in our hands upon arrival. Somewhere outside our hotel there is even a rooster who sings us his songs while we pee.
Once we were settled in to our room we ventured out to the streets. Now, Ho Chi Minh City takes sayings like "confidence is key", and "just act like you know what you're doing", and "do as the locals do" to a whole new level and meaning. You see, everyone, and I mean everyone, in Ho Chi Minh City drives a scooter. You can even see babies tethered on to the backs of them sometimes. But in a city with minimal road rules and a lot of people you can imagine getting around on foot is no easy venture. I managed to get hit only once. If you're lucky a local will take pity on you and valiantly attempt to halt traffic for the pathetic traveller just so you have a shot at crossing the street. Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like crossing the street with hundreds of scooters coming right at you.
Ho Chi Minh is quite mesmerizing and here's a lot to take in. Hectic is another word one might use to describe it... We met some local girls who were trying to practice their English by talking with tourists. They helped us find a place to have dinner.
Our first meal in Vietnam was success (and by success I mean it's been an hour and a half and I don't find myself semipermanently living in the bathroom, but we'll have to see how the night goes,once digestion is complete) (will get back to you tomorrow on this) (kidding I'll keep bathroom conversation to a minimal). For dinner we had pork, beef in a broth with noodles. It was tasty but not as tasty as the deep fried fruit spring rolls we had for dessert with chocolate sauce.
After dinner we ventured into the night and found our way back to our hotel. Ho Chi Minh at dark is much like Ho Chi Minh City during the day. Only difference is its dark, risk of death by scooter hit is still very much at the forefront of your concerns.
The long flights and travel couple with the 2,000% humidity here has me completely tuckered out. A shower is in my near future. Tomorrow we will be picked up by our own personal tour guide in our own personal car and we'll go on our own personal toe of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam, I could get used to this treatment) and so until then, thanks for following along. And for those we have been praying for safety and healthy, so far our prayers are being answered.
-mo
Days total hits by scooter: 1
Trips total hits by scooter: 1