Time to whip out the Dong

After the craziness of last night, it was really nice to be able to sleep in for a while.  We didn’t need to leave until 11:30, so we were able to very casually get some breakfast, run some errands, and chill out.  It already feels really weird, as many group members have already left to either head home or onto other travels. 

At 11:15, many of the people who were still around came down to say goodbye to everyone again.  Then, the twelve people who were staying on for the whole Big Indochina tour boarded the bus and headed to the airport.  It was really awkward having such an empty bus all of a sudden. 

We got to the airport, and got ready to head to Vietnam.  The plane was really nice, and had great amenities.  The only problem was that we were delayed by an hour for mechanical issues.

As a quick aside, the currency in Vietnam is the Dong.  Needless to say the Dong jokes have already started, and will probably not stop anytime soon.

As we flew into Ho Chi Minh City, I could immediately see that this is a sprawling mega-metropolis.  I could see that the city went on for miles, as it wound around the two rivers (Mekong and Saigon).  I could also see hundreds of tall buildings and skyscrapers everywhere.  It was a complete difference from where we had just come from.

As we headed into the city center, all my initial observations were reconfirmed.  There are literally thousands of motorbikes zooming by everywhere, and the traffic is crazy.  I think it took us about 45 minutes to get through the city to the hotel, where we checked in and had some free time. 

A whole bunch of us headed to a nearby restaurant to grab some lunch.  We all ordered the national dish, Pho (pronounced fur).  It is basically a soup dish with veggies, noodles and sometimes meat.  It is pretty good, but I still don’t like the hot soup in hot humid weather.

Before we headed to lunch, Hoover had to show us how to cross streets in Vietnam.  Due to the abundance of motorbikes, and the lack of street lights, stop signs, or crossing points, this becomes a tricky process.  The key is to step out into the road (not in front of a bus or car), keep your eyes forward, and just keep walking at a steady pace.  The motorbikes swerve around you.  It is quite scary.

As the new group was going through orientation, Jourdan, Paul, and I dressed up in our stubbies and singlets (short shorts and tanktops) to give them a little stretching show.  We then went out across the street where there was a beautiful park, and there were hundreds of people doing aerobics.  A really nice lady offered us to join, and explained that it is a free gathering that happens every day at 6 am and pm.

At night, we started bonding with some of the new members of our group over a couple of beers in the lobby.  We all then headed to the Ben Tan street markets (more of the same cheap knock-off crap), and then had a nice dinner outside on the street.  We made friends with some of the locals as we were making our own spring rolls.  In particular, one little girl popped up under my arm, and after Jourdan tried to ask her how much she cost in Vietnamese, we bought some gum from her.  Hoover said we weren't allowed to bring any small children on the planes in our bags, so we had to let her go.

After dinner, some friends from the old group met up with us, and we went with the new crew to Allez Boo.  It was a pretty touristy type bar, and was a bit more expensive then other places we have been.  The up side was that they had Air Con.  It was a fun night out, and with the 8 new members, we are now at 20. 

Tomorrow we head to the Mekong Delta and to the guesthouse.