I got up at 6am and walked to the market to get us all breakfast and lunch for the bus ride to Saigon 0:-) . We missed our bus (because it left early), but then managed to catch one... We spent 8 hours on the bus to get from Dalat to Saigon. It would have been fine, but we were kindly blessed with a few unfortunate happenings: first off, Daryl had the shits...so, he was in a bad place right from the get go. On top of that we were in very uncomfortable seats that didn't recline, AND the AC was broken (very problematic in this heat and humidity). Needless to say, it was an unpleasant ride, and upon arriving in Saigon - where we had not yet booked a hostel - we just wanted to shower off the sweat and then relax!
So, all grumpy and indifferent to everything, we found a hostel (or rather the boys found a hostel that suited them). They chose dorm for $8/night - not one of the many $5 places close by - because it had good reviews on trip advisor. Haha!! Well, I guess that's just another difference; I just hope it doesn't hurt me too much financially.
Anyhow... So, we settled in, showered, ate, relaxed, and then I looked around a bit to see what the city had to offer.
We went out in the evening! The nightlife in Saigon is so completely different. In Vietnam everything has to shut down by 23h, and if they don't, the police drive around to all the bars that still have customers, and take all the sitting stools away and sometimes even the computers and sound systems as a punishment for not closing on time. But, this time we only made it "out" at around 23h30 and walked just a few blocks before coming across a lively street! Everyone, locals and foreigners alike, were seated tight together along the whole sidewalk and street, drinking beer and socialising. It was something new, and surely nice!
The next day was a pretty slow day due to the boy's hangover, but once I finally got them out of the hostel (at around 2pm), we were able to see quite a bit. As we were walking to the sights we saw a mini, astro-turf, football pitch ("soccer field"). A group of Vietnamese were getting ready to play, and the 4 of us asked to join in for a bit (using sign language as none of them spoke English). All of us are passionate about football, and have played quite a bit, so it was just so wonderful to get back on the field!
That evening we met up with 2 Danish girls who the boys had met in Thailand a month ago. We had dinner with them, and then went out for, what was supposed to be a few drinks and an early night, but ended quite differently. I was in a bit of a down mood, so I - the dead beet - left early... I was quite thankful I did though when it came to the activities we had planned for the next day!
On Sunday the 23rd, we took a tour to "The Tunnels". Our tour guide Tony was in the Vietnam war working as a translator for the US army. It was incredible hearing about it so unfiltered as well as being able to really see it first hand. He told us about the techniques the KAmericans and the Vietnamese used as against each other, and gave some pretty brutal descriptions of the gruesome happenings which affected so many people. It was definitely a necessary thing to see when in Vietnam, and hearing it from that perspective was a big plus.
We spent a few more wonderful days in Vietnam! We went to a rooftop pool party at some fancy 5 star hotel. We went to the market :-) We ate lots of good food! We even went to Sky Bar, a very posh bar on the 52nd floor of the tallest building in Vietnam overlooking Saigon all lit up! We each had to get a drink, and my draft beer (the cheapest thing on the menu), cost $6! Holy shiiiit!! That exact same draft beer cost me $0.50 at a bar the night before! I never would have done that if I wasn't with the boys, but I'm glad I did. I spent way too much money, but it was definitely good for me to let go for a bit!
On Sunday night I got on a bus - that was to take 6 hours - across the border, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia!
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