Getting acquainted with HCMC - Oct. 30, 2010

This morning we went down to try out our buffet breakfast first thing. It was really good. Lots of fresh fruit (including the very yummy dragon fruit!), noodle soup, bread, juice, breakfast meats, rice, noodles, vegetables and more. There was a great selection and everything I tried tasted good!

We decided to head out for a walk to see what there was too see. We asked the guy at the front desk which way we should walk and he looked a little confused, but gave us a map and showed us where the hotel was on the map. We headed out and went to the left.

Durian for sale? The word is, if it smells bad to you, you won't like how it tastes… but if it smells good to you, you'll love it! (Also loved the vendor's pose!)

The first thing I noticed was the electrical lines… check out the picture!!!

The amount of wires out there was astounding! The next thing I noticed was the traffic as we quickly ended up at a very busy road. Here is what a typical side street looks like in HCMC...

After much convincing, I was willing (not happy about it, but willing) to cross the busy streets. Apparently if you are “predictable” people will not drive into you…I have to say that it was one of the scariest things I’ve done. People on scooters and cars seem to be coming from every direction in enormous numbers. (As you can see since I’m writing this, we did make it safely across several streets).

HCMC also has some calm green spaces.

We walked into some stores, walked through a nice park and generally gawked in amazement had how different things are compared to what we are used to.

A little shopping anyone?

After a couple of hours we went back home to give me a break from the craziness out there.

Scooter parking!

The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy… a nice bath in the giant tub, a little online poker and some movie watching. A refreshing change from the craziness outside!

That evening we attended the “free family dinner” put on by our hotel. It was up on the rooftop, which had a cool view of the city at night. Basically any guests who wanted to attend were invited up to sit at a long table, and they set food out in serving dishes just like you were at a family dinner. It was actually nice to talk to the other guests as they all had interesting travel experiences to share. We talked to people from Texas, Russia and Hanoi.

Duc Vuong Family Dinner

I have to say that the cutest part of dinner was when the manager (I think he’s the manager… maybe he’s the owner?) welcomed us at the beginning of dinner. He gave a little speech at the beginning over a microphone (which probably wasn’t needed when there were only 12 of us sitting at the table) about how he wanted us to feel like we were part of their family. 😀 If you are staying in Saigon I would strongly recommend that you stay at the Duc Vuong Hotel… I only have good things to say about it!

View of HCMC at night from the rooftop of our hotel