Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was hot and busy. Everyone complains that HCMC is run down, smells and that nothing works, but I personally quite liked it. I found it to be extremely well-developed with well-known branded shops, inviting restaurants and great looking nightlife. It was also disgustingly hot; I know I've been begging for heat the last 2 weeks, but I didn't expect to be thrown straight into an oven from the cool mountains. Obviously it was motorbike city and the roads were packed with traffic and the sound of honking, but that's no different to anywhere else in Vietnam. Although its main downside is probably that the city is renowned for being incredibly dangerous, particularly for tourists, as we were constantly warned by the locals, staff, and signs to beware of bag snatchers and robbers, and to carry a minimum of valuables around with us. Apparently motorcyclists will actually zoom past you and either grab your bag off your shoulder or attempt to cut the strap, sometimes resulting in girls being dragged behind the bike until the strap breaks. Pretty nasty really. Thus I definitely had my wits about me!
The long:
Friday:
Finally, the first lie-in in 3 days. I got up at 10, had a nice relaxing shower, packed my bags, had some food, and then it was time for Ronnie and I to say goodbye to Da Lat and the boys as we got on the bus to HCMC. It was sad saying bye to them as it felt like the end of a 4-day era, which I really enjoyed, but I am looking forward to meeting the next group of people that I hopefully end up spending a few days travelling with, and we should still see the boys again on Sunday for a few hours. The bus took 7 and a half hours, arriving in HCMC at 8:30pm, but thankfully the "local bus" that we had been dreading turned out to be a sleeper bus, so Ronnie and I hogged all of the backseat recliners, essentially chilling on a sofa for the day, so it wasn't as bad a journey as expected! We stayed at Vietnam Inn Saigon, which is a huge hostel that had clearly run out of the private rooms that we had booked, so we got a free upgrade to a family room; not too shabby! The only issue was that our room was on the 8th floor, one floor below the (fairly awesome) rooftop bar, which pounded music into the early hours of the morning when I was trying to squeeze in maximum z's. Oh well, at least it'll be good for tomorrow night when we celebrate Martin's (from the Buffalo Run Tour's) birthday. Ronnie and I watched the "Devil Wears Prada" in bed and dozed off for yet another early start the following morning.
Saturday:
Raj (from Buffalo Run, whose birthday we celebrated in Hoi An) joined Ronnie and I at our hostel for our day trip to the Mekong Delta. I will probably end up travelling with Raj for the next 6 days as we both want to see the same things in Cambodia and arrive in Thailand in time for the Full Moon party. Anyway, our tour bus picked us up at 8am and the guide nattered his way through 2 hours spewing facts and tips about HCMC. We stopped for a quick breakfast and toilet break, where I managed to nab myself an ice cold coconut, so had an excellent start to my day.
We started the tour on Phoenix Island, where we were introduced to 2 of the main exports coming from the Mekong Delta. The first was honey, which we tried mixed with warm jasmine tea, and was rather delicious (and incredibly sweet).
They gave us a small plate of tropical fruits to munch on too, which featured this evil phenomenon that I will now proceed to have nightmares about:
^ Since when do they come in miniature form?! We sipped and nibbled whilst listening to a band of old Vietnamese men playing traditional instruments, with some very questionable (verging on painful) vocals, apparently singing "giai dieu que huong", or the "country's melody". We were invited to purchase their CD, which I politely declined.
Before we moved on we tried some of the local rice wine, which our guide told us is the only alcohol that the locals will drink. It was a bit of a shock at 10am in the morning! We then got on a gondola where a very smiley (or should I say "lippy", seeing as he had no teeth) man rowed us to another part of the Island.
We donned traditional Vietnamese straw hats in an attempt to shade us from the sweltering heat but, unfortunately for us, didn't have much success; there was no hiding from that sun! I actually thought my face was going to melt.
At our next stop we tried the second major export of the Mekong Delta; coconut candy. As well as getting to try all of the various flavours; plain; peanut (my fave); chocolate; coffee; ginger and durian, we got to see the manufacturing process from start to finish, which I really enjoyed. It tastes like an improved version of fudge, as it is more caramely and chewy, and less buttery.
From start:
To finish:
Then came the highlight of my day. The anaconda. I'm not quite sure what this had to do with our tour but I gladly seized the opportunity to hold my slithery friend.
^ Coooome to momma. I seriously, seriously want one. And it's a manageable pet. I'd just let Mr Slithers slide around all day and lay him in my lap in the evenings, stroking him and pretending that he was my handbag. Thoughts, MJ? The whole tour group then got on a motorised pontoon for a 30-minute journey along the upper Mekong Delta to Tourist Island, where we had lunch.
It was so interesting to see local people as we travelled along the Delta, with people washing themselves and their clothes in the water (not so nice); teens playing around and attempting to surf on old pieces of scrap metal, and men wading through the mud clearly looking for something in its depths. At Tourist Island we were provided an included lunch of fried pork, rice, egg and vegetables (although all I can personally see on this plate is herbs and garnish):
There was the option to buy other dishes from a menu and they were particularly keen on encouraging us to buy the "crispy elephant ear" speciality, which I would have liked to try as it did look rather impressive, but I ain't made of money! (Plus I think there would be a lot of bone picking).
After lunch we got back on the pontoon for another 30-minute cruise along the Mekong river to Mekong City, which I learnt is the 12th largest river in the world; I had no idea it was so vast!
There we got on a bus to "Vinh Drang" pagoda, which was indeed very beautiful, although I doubt I will see anything that tops the amazing one that we visited recently in Da Lat.
I was particularly enamoured with the Bhudda statue there; big, fat, laughing Bhuddas are my favourite!
It was also once more great to see practicing monks wandering the grounds. I just feel that it makes the visit so much more meaningful and provides real insight into how some people choose to live their lives.
Although Ronnie, Raj and I had a lovely (albeit baking hot) day together, and I was glad to sample some of the Mekong Delta produce, the tour didn't quite live up to our expectations. We had all really been hoping to see some of the floating markets, but instead kind of just lazed along the river looking at nothing in particular, which was a bit of a shame, but never mind. By the time we got back to HCMC it was dark and we were all feeling pretty exhausted and lethargic from the past few days late nights, early mornings and jam-packed days, so nothing could have brightened our spirits more at that moment than spotting the familiar glowing white and green logo of Starbucks! I tried my favourite Christmas bevvy, Toffee Nut Latte, in frappucino form for the first time, and I must say that I was rather impressed! It was exactly what we needed after having sweated our heads off all day and we slurped away all the way back to the hostel. On the way we saw the only McDonalds in the whole of Vietnam, which Johnny had talked about on countless occasions during Buffalo Run, so I thought it deserved a snap!
We didn't have long in the room as we needed to meet up with the others to celebrate Martin's birthday, so after a quick freshen up the 3 of us headed up to the 9th floor rooftop bar to enjoy a free bar whilst overlooking the lights of HCMC.
Not too shabby a view for $13 a night, eh?
The 3 of us went to dinner at "Allez Boo", a restaurant all of perhaps 20m away, but which we spent a good 30 minutes walking trying to find, essentially walking in a huge circle. (Where are you and your map reading skills when I need you Michaela?) Anyway, despite its appearances, hence why we chose it in the first place, dinner was an absolute flop. All of our meals came out at different times, with Raj's pizza missing various toppings and Ronnie being served 2 main courses because she had tried to explain that she wanted her chicken to be grilled instead of fried, and had pointed at the "grilled pork chop" to try and communicate this. The waiters were friendly enough but it took forever to get the mess sorted, so wasn't exactly the relaxing, delicious last meal the 3 of us had hoped for. But onwards and upwards! We went to Hideout hostel to meet the others, which is where the bar crawl started. Martin was well on his way to a hideous hangover but we get him well fuelled throughout the evening. I bumped into David (W&C) yet again, whose birthday it also turned out to be; I don't think I've celebrated so many birthdays in such a short period of time in all my life! The drinks were cheap and strong so we had a good laugh there for an hour or so,
before moving on to the next stop, "Miss Saigon". There I ran into yet more people that I had met earlier on the trip and got on really well with, but had not had the chance to get to know well as we constantly only crossed paths for a day or night. They were 3 Canadian guys, 2 of which were headed to Koh Rong in Cambodia the following day and selling it incredibly well, particularly as I'd already heard so much good stuff about it and Dan Silvertown specifically told me to spend time there. Honestly, I was worried about being on my own for 5 weeks and now I don't feel like I have nearly enough time at all! Raj is also super keen on seeing the tiny island so who knows, maybe we can work out a travel plan that allows us to make a pit stop there en route to Thailand (although I sadly think that might be wishful thinking). The toss up between Koh Rong and the Full Moon party begins. All advice welcomed. At 1:30am everyone headed to a nearby club to hit the D-floor, but my exhaustion had finally gotten a firm hold on me and all I wanted to do was go to bed. I bought myself a small bag of cashews to munch whilst Ronnie and Raj hit McD's, before we all dived into bed for some much needed sleep.
Sunday:
After a little lie-in the 3 of us girls headed out for a 30-minute walk to the War Remnants Museum.
We took a few snaps with the US fighter planes before heading inside.
Nothing could have prepared me for the information that I was about to be smacked in the face with. I have never felt so ignorant in my life. If I had known the emphasis and focus there would be on the war throughout Vietnam I would have done my homework before arriving. I cannot believe how little I knew of the horrors that occurred and how forcefully present the consequences still are in millions of peoples lives today. The first exhibition is centred on "Agent Orange", which I learnt was one of many toxic chemicals used by the US Army during the war, which approximately 4.8m Vietnamese people were exposed to, for which scientists estimate the aftermath could last for generations. The museum has teamed up with a photographer to present a photo exhibition named "Orange - Message from the Heart", which consists of 50 pictures regarding the victims of Agent Orange and how they have tried to overcome their pain and live the most normal life possible. The purpose of the photo collection is to send a message from heart to heart, bringing people closer together to sympathise and share with those affected by Agent Orange. Prepare yourself.
I honestly had to choke back tears. I felt sick to my stomach reading about the infinite number of disabilities that entirely innocent people have been left to cope with, in a country where health care and medical treatment isn't exactly readily available. The pictures honestly broke my heart. The unnecessary and extreme atrocities committed by American soldiers is mind-blowing, and I have no idea how they got away with it for so many years, especially considering the international efforts and protests against the war.
Entire villages were set alight, under the US policy to "burn all, destroy all, kill all".
I actually salute the 3 American men who burned themselves to death, leaving their wives and children behind, to show the US government that they would not be forced to go to Vietnam, fight in a war that they did not support, and die a shameful and meaningless death. Hiding women and children were bombed, gassed, and slaughtered. For what reason? Chemical weapons were used to wipe out surrounding natural resources and prevent the liberation of South Vietnam. During the 10-year war, toxic rains poured down continuously on Central and South Vietnam, defoliating mountains, plains and crops, destroying clean water resources and upsetting the delicate ecological balance. Studies estimate that the total volume of toxic chemicals that the US sprayed over Vietnam amounted to 100m litres, of which Agent Orange made up around 80m litres. The chemical spraying is estimated to have affected between 2.1 and 4.8m Vietnamese people.
Unfortunately we did not have time to see the entire museum, as Raj and I had to be back at the hostel to catch our bus to Phnom Penh at 3pm but, to be perfectly honest, I don't know how much more I could have taken at that point anyway. It was definitely the most confronting experience that I have had with the effects of war, and one that I doubt I will ever forget. I was honoured to have a picture taken with one of the victims of Agent Orange, one of a number of whom works at the museum; their presence makes the reality of it all so much more powerful. This friendly little guy makes key chains,
which Ronnie, Raj and I bought and will treasure for the memories that it symbolises that we have shared together in Vietnam.
^ Ronnie being the dragon, Raj the horse and myself the monkey, with these being the most fitting to our characters.
At the hostel I had a sad goodbye with Ronnie, who I most definitely won't see during the rest of my travels but I hope to again one day, although sadly Australia is very far away. It will be strange not travelling with her from now on as I have literally spent every hour with her for the past 2 weeks, but new adventures and friends lie ahead. Raj and I got on our VERY snazzy bus to Cambodia (it even had wifi!) and settled in for the next 7 hours. With long but comfortable waits at both the Vietnamese and Cambodian border, we finally made it to Phnom Penh at 10pm and checked into our hostel, "Mad Monkey", for an early night's sleep.
