Saigon(HCM) never sleeps

Well, I haven't had very good luck finding a good Internet Cafe, but today, in my walk through the neighborhood, I spied this place while waiting out a heavy downpour.

First, my flight here went smoothly. Leaving Vancouver, there was a minor glitch, as we sat on the tarmac before taking off for about 1.5 hours. There was some problem in the fuel valve, and it needed to be repaired before taking off, not the most reassuring thought either. But the pilot promised to make up the time and so how he did, as I arrived on time in SGN. (But any 12 plus hours on a plane long... maybe not in first class ha!!). I want to sleep but I can never get very confortable or sleep for very long.

Breezed right through customs and immigration in Saigon. The new international terminal in Saigon seems to have really improved things-no long lines, and everything processed so quickly. Regressing, I would also like to mention HongKong and Vancouver are two very clean, artistic and efficient airports. My biggest probem after arriving, was waiting for my luggage. I had two bags and mine seem to be the last ones. But at least they were there!!

My Vietnamese Son Thanh was waiting for me as I pushed out through the throng of people. He had come on his motor bike. Now, I was just worried as to how he would manage these bags and me on the bike. Quite a load. Ha!! But he did. (I really have only one bag, as I like to travel light, but I had brought another bag with gifts for local people in Vietnam. As soon as I give all this stuff away, I will be down to one bag. More my style. ) Thanh had looked for a good cheap hotel near his sister's house for me to stay in. This is distance from the central part of SGN, more in the suburbs, so we had to go about an hour to the hotel. He would like to have me stay in his home, but the police do not allow it in that area and I guess they don't take bribes, which is a first too.

Traffic is always quite heavy here, with a lot of horn honking and near misses, but Thanh is a good driver. Now, the new rule is that everyone has to wear a helmet, if they drive a motor bike. The fine is $200 USD -I might be wrong about that because it seems excessive. The inory of the law is that there is no requirement for children on motorbikes or for children who ride bicycles on the road too. I remember the first time I came to Vietnam, I was afraid to cross the street in Saigon. Now, it is still probably as bad, but I have adjusted.

The hotel is in a quiet neighborhood, which few commercial building, which is both good and bad. The bad part is that you always have to go somewhere to find a restaurant or internet, ect. But the good part is the price. The room costs only $10 USD. I might be there first real tourist, as the receptionist was stroking the hair on my arm. I have actually had this happen to me before in VN, but generally in more remote areas. They think this is really something. Ha!! And another thing, is that my room has now windows. But I figure, I am not spending much time in the room anyway. It does have nice shower, bed, and cable tv. My kind of deal. Ha!!

Today, it rained again. Every afternoon, heavy downpours. It is not really cold, but you have to wait it out, or use a poncho.. Thanh was sick today, so I walked about. I found a great deal on lunch. I had rice, chicken, salad, fish, and bananas for 20,000 dong (which is about $1.30). I was proud of myself. Sometimes, the locals try to jack up the price on the tourists too.

One of the reasons I like coming to Vietnam, is that that people generally are always friendly. They enjoy seeing the American, and try to help you or speak with you. They almost always say Hello. And another thing is the food. I enjoy the food. I am eating on the street or close to the street-small mom and pop cafes, which have Barbie like furniture to sit on. I have collapsed on a plastic chair before, so always look for a reinforcement by stacking two together or a more real chair. Ha!! And so far, no stomach problems or system malfunctions. Knock on Wood!!

Ok, I know I wrote but said very little. Just enjoying life........Take care all........