Day 15 - Ho Chi Minh City

So, we got up today ready to give Ho Chi Minh City another chance and thankfully, she came through! We had a great day! We thought we'd start it off with one last shot at proper sightseeing, so we bundled ourselves into a taxi and headed off for District 5 and the Giam Lac Pagoda. Thus far, the religious temples had been somewhat disappointing, not because they weren't amazing (because of course they were) but because often it felt a bit zoo-like, walking around as a tourist when people were there worshipping. But this pagoda was different. It seemed a more natural sort of place (albeit absolutely stunning!) with monks walking around, tables set for lunch, school children doing homework and so on. We just seemed to be another piece in the community that was moving in and out of the temple.

So, quite happily, we decided to explore. The front grounds were littered with shrines to various gods, including a very tall, very gleaming white statue of the goddess of mercy. There were also golden statues of lions and dragons and even a cherbic buddha waiting at the front entrance to greet us.

Once inside, we walked around the first floor, a strangely barren sort of place, except for the wall of loved ones. Here two people sat before a wall of photos, pouring tea while a monk sang a very beautiful, haunting chant and rang a bell. As they laid out their food for their lost relatives, Tracey commented on the connectedness of it all and whatever your beliefs, it seem very beautiful to be able to care so practically for those who've passed. Made me miss Dad an awful lot though. Upstairs, the temple continued out into the open air, rows of sitting statues surrounded by smaller versions holding candles. Milla counted all of them - a grand total of 164!

All in all a beautiful temple that left us wishing we'd seen much more of the same. Then, off to the markets of Cholon, apparently the largest Chinatown community in the world (outside of China of course!)

This place was amazing! It had a similar feel to the Central Markets of Adelaide with all the goods, foods, and crowds, but magnified at least a thousand times. There were more people there than I've ever seen in one place, and sadly, this was where we really saw the first heartbreaking signs of poverty - children carrying children, leading blind parents, holding up disabled loved ones, asking for money, for food, for anything. The hardest moment was when two children tapped my arm and then simply stood there, moving their hands from their stomachs to their mouths. My heart seemed to stop for a moment - I just wanted to gather up every hurting person I saw and bring them home.

Despite this, we did keep going, and the markets were absolutely amazing! Where most stalls back home would have had three or four of each of their goods, these stalls were packed to overflowing, goods bursting at the seams. Strangely enough though, many people refused to sell to us. I'm not sure if it's because it was a wholesale warehouse where you have to buy a box of each item, or because we were Westerners or because they simply didn't like the colour of our shoes. I'm sure it wasn't really as arbitrary as that, but without the shared language for explanation, it certainly felt as though we were being turned away on a whim. But there's also something freeing about an environment of unknown social rules so I just jumped right in, haggled like mad and loved every second.

After weaving our way thorugh the maze of Cholon for a few hours, we decided we were ready for the outside world again and started looking up the next pagoda. Of course, pulling out a guidebook in front of thirty cyclo drivers was a terrible idea and immediately we were swamped with offers. Shaking our heads, then our hands, then pratically our whole bodies in an attempt to say "no thank you" we started walking away to get some space from the crowds. But one cyclo was particularly persistant and after awhile we accepted his offer of a ride to the Quan Am Pagoda, which turned out to be several kms away, an impossible walk in today's heat and crowds. So off we went!

Of course, choosing the most persistant cyclo driver is not always the wisest idea, a fact that became blatantly clear as the man followed us into the temple, acting as an impromptu guide, all the while telling us how much we'd like the other temples he could take us to after this one. After repeated explanations that we wouldn't be going to any others (which seemed to fall on deaf ears) I finally had to get a bit tough and say "We don't need your help anymore so thank you, but NO, you need to leave us alone now." The poor man's face fell so fast, I felt awful but had we not done something I'm sure the man would still be with us, helping me write this diary entry here in our hotel room.

Unfortunately, the temple itself was a bit of a letdown after the Giam Lac Pagoda, but the pillars covered in Asian characters were beautiful, and there were turtles in the backyard, a fact that pleased Milla to no end and made Tracey and I smile.

From there, we decided to go for a bit of a walk, exiting via the side door in case Mr. Cyclo hadn't really taken the hint and was still sitting in wait for us. And excitingly, in walking, we found the nice side of Ho Chi Minh City at last - the people were friendly, smiling and nodding as we passed, something we hadn't experienced since Hanoi. We even caused a bit of a sensation when Milla gave a little boy a stuffed koala and suddenly children appeared from everywhere, holding out hands for a koala of their own. It's amazing how something so small could mean so much - the excitement and gratitude was beautiful to behold, although a little overwhelming for Milla I think. My favourite part? The two little boys who tried to pretend like they hadn't gotten one yet - it's nice to know children are children, no matter what pat of the world you're in.

After happily wandering the backstreets for a little while, we realised we'd never find our way back to the area near our hotel by ourselves, so we decided to catch a cab. I suspect this driver was somewhat less than honest since even with all the people and crazy traffic, I could still tell we drove past the same few landmarks over and over for about fifteen minutes. So, after a VERY long and overly expensive cab ride back to District 1, we decided to wander to Dong Khoi street, the souvenir Mecca we'd started down the day before. After all, there's always time for a bit more shopping right?

Then, finally back to the hotel room for dinner (I could really get used to this cheap room service thing) and then the sad task of packing since *sigh* we leave tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to seeing Martyn, but I really LOVE Vietnam as well and wish we could stay at least another week. Maybe I could convince Martyn to come over here? Hmmm...

Lucky for us, the night's entertainment was not quite complete. At our request, the hotel had sent up scales to our room, but somehow they weren't quite what we expected. Still, they did the job and will hopefully stop us from facing any excess baggage charges tomorrow when we leave...not ready to go but I've definitely had a fantastic time!!

Day 14 - Ho Chi Minh City

Today began, thankfully, with a bit of a sleep-in, all of us exhausted from all the travelling we'd done of the last two days by every means of transportation imaginable - car, minivan, boat, foot - no donkey to be seen but I suspect just give us time...

After a yummy breakfast of frosted flakes and Tang (pretty sure that's what the Ironmen eat everyday *grin*) we headed off for the 'cultural tour' suggested by Frommers. Much like Hanoi, it seems Ho Chi Minh doesn't really do the "step right up" variety of tourist attraction, with the colonial style Post Office noted as a highlight (just a building like most others really). So, after a quick jaunt through the markets (which are entertaining for about the first two minutes and then quickly degrade into human cesspools with too many people, too many goods and far too much noise)...

and a zip past the Notre Dam Cathedral of Ho Chi Minh City (which is quite impressive actually - those Catholics really know how to build a church)...

we hit the street of Dong Khoi, a haven of little boutiques and souvenir shops where no one yells at you and the air conditioning is an unimaginable God-send. Of course, the traffic is still madness, especially in Ho Chi Minh City where a red light simply means drive up on the sidewalk until you can join moving traffic somewhere further down.

This walk proved particularly successful with Tracey finding that ever-elusive wedding outfit she's been looking for, me finding something that actually fit my 5'11 frame (even though I didn't buy it - after the shroud-dress I'm a bit scared for silk now to be honest) and Milla being fetted by all and sundry (although the people here are generally not as friendly as those of Hanoi which makes sense with their war history but does feel a bit sad).

So, all in all, everyone was pretty happy, the disaster of yesterday's tour well and truly behind us and I was beginning to warm slightly to Ho Chi Minh City despite her often cold reception to us. Everything seemed like it might actually be on the upturn... but then, sadly, disaster again... *sigh*

Going back to the tailor's to pick up our clothes, we both felt a bit of dread that everything might go wrong but since this proved largely unfounded in Hanoi, our fear was tempered by a faith that everything would once again turn out fine. Mistake. Looking very determinedly at the upside, I did get two serviceable skirts and Tracey some passable 3/4 pants, but in reality, the workmanship was particularly poor and with the suits, Tracey could have easily parked a couple of rabbit families under the arms and still had enough room for future generations. We both felt a bit speechless, especially since any suggestion of alteration was met with looks of disbelief. How could we be anything but estactic with the rabbit situation?

After this, we headed back to the hotel room, hoping to take a breather, regroup, and see the funny side. Instead, we returned to find the two beds they'd provided (to make up for the one large bed they'd given us the first night) were singles and once again would make sleep pratically impossible unless Tracey and Milla were willing to sleep stacked vertically. Keeping in mind that we had so far been very very patient while the staff just shrugged dismissively through mistake after mistake, saying only slight variations on 'oh well, you'll just have to cope', I headed downstairs to rectify the situation, asking for another bed to be sent up. After a half hearted promise that they'd try to do something, we then got the phone call that housekeeping was shut for the night and nothing could be done. Well, Tracey cracked. Heading downstairs (with admittedly a bit of stomping *grin*) she explained that this situation was not acceptable, and though there was no yelling, obviously the staff could recognise a woman on the edge (perhaps wild eyed rage looks the same in every country) and when we arrived back later, there were indeed three beds.

Sadly though, the disasters (word of the night) did not really end there. Okay, perhaps "disaster" is over-stating it, but there seemed to be a veritable conga-line of bad experiences waiting to still dance past us - rude guards at the bookstore, almost getting run over by several sidewalk motorists, terrible food at an overly expensive restaurant, etc. The one bright spark in all this madness - Milla got a haircut that looks absolutely gorgeous and the people at the salon were lovely. Thank goodness. So, tomorrow, we're off to district five to see the Emperor Jade Pagoda and Chinatown - hopefully all goes well or we may just SNAP! But I'm still ready to love you Ho Chi Minh City - just give me one reason...

Oh, that's right...