Ho Chi Minh City

I parted from Pam at the Hanoi airport. She was headed back home to Texas and I was headed off to Ho Chi Minh City. I made it there without difficulty. I actually had the entire row to myself until a father and his baby decided to switch seats. No biggie except the baby had no pants on. All I could picture is the boy having to pee and it getting all over me. Put some pants on. I mean the kid was cute but come on. I also babysat it for 5 minutes when the dad used the restroom. I had to make sure the baby didn't roll off the seat. And I was successful. 

I didn't have long in Ho Chi Minh City, and I really didn't do too much. I had a few priorities, such as get laundry done, play catchup on my scrapbook, and run some miles. It would be great to have all clean laundry at once. But it typically takes time to get it done, and I don't have enough clothes with me to wear something clean while it's being done. However, it was at least pretty cheap to get it done and it came back all dry and folded. Of course, it didn't last very long as I now have more sweaty clothes. Mostly from running, but also from walking around in the humidity.

The afternoon I arrived, I planted myself at a nearby cafe and spent some time catching up on my scrapbook. There was a guy that had noticed and said he was also behind on his scrapbook. So I felt a bit better. I'm about 10 days behind now. Well maybe more now at this point. So not too terrible, but I definitely want to catch up soon. Trying to keep close behind with my blog updates would be ideal.

The first day I arrived, I couldn't go for a run because I ran out of clean clothes and they were with someone else getting washed. But once my clothes were clean on Thanksgiving, I went for an evening run. It wasn't a Turkey Trot, but it was good to get a few miles in, even in the humidity. I ran along the canal and Saigon River, which was quite pleasant. On my run the following morning, I narrowly missed getting hit by a bus. It was a little too close for comfort and I will be paying even more attention when crossing streets. It really is no joke that lights aren't not followed here. Motorbikes usually can get out of the way, but buses are a whole other story.

Very pretty underpass by the canal.

My birthday was the first of many upcoming holidays that I'm spending abroad. Spending that somewhere fun and exotic is a good way to spend my birthday. However, with Thanksgiving usually so close behind, I knew that would be slightly different. This is the 3rd Thanksgiving away. The first was when I studied abroad in London. My flatmates and I all came together to make our Thanksgiving dinner after we finished classes. And since it wasn't a holiday in the UK, we went out to the bars that night. A few years ago, my sisters and I were in Portugal and the family that hosted us made Thanksgiving dinner and it was a very suitable replacement. Warmer than most years, and my sisters were with me that time.

This year, no family, and pretty far from home where no one really knows what Thanksgiving is. It definitely wasn't a typical holiday for sure. Fortunately for me, every day is like a holiday for me. On this particular day, it was the only opportunity that I had to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. Going to see where Vietnamese soldiers tried to kill American soldiers on Thanksgiving was a little weird. But it was interesting to see the other side of the war. I obviously wasn't alive during the Vietnam War and I can't say what side I would have supported. I am glad that my dad and uncles were all too young to be drafted though. Otherwise, my experience may have been slightly different. So I spent a couple of hours with my tour group seeing the various traps and tunnels the Viet Cong had used. The tunnels have been made bigger in order to fit tourists, but even so, they can be very claustrophobic. I went into 2 different tunnels, but only for a short distance and it was fine. But I can't imagine living down there and using the tunnels to get around. At the end of the tour, there was a video that we watched. We had sat down part of the way through it, but I didn't need to see the beginning. They called Americans 'devils' and all we did was kill their children. Not biased at all. I didn't need to see the first part. But we did. I honestly probably zoned out. Of all the time I was in Vietnam, that was the only instance of clear dislike of Americans. But it was from a video that was made decades ago from the looks of it. So I'll let it go. I had also heard the War Remnants Museum was very biased, but I didn't get a chance to visit it. 

The tunnels.

After getting our fill, we headed back to Ho Chi Minh City. Since it was Thanksgiving, I got my run and then hung out with a German girl I met in the hostel. We went to grab dinner (not turkey and stuffing) and some cocktails. Which were quite yummy. She also humored me while I went to get pumpkin pie. The one Thanksgiving item I had. I was a little skeptical, but it ended up being pretty delicious. 

Pumpkin pie in Vietnam.

We headed to a nearby bar, where all the Westerners hang out, and got a few beers. And people watched. That's one of the things that's great about Vietnam, all the people watching. So many times where Pam and I, or just I, sat on the sidewalk on tiny stools and took in all the motorbikes and people. Very entertaining. 

Bars galore.

I really enjoyed Vietnam. Hanoi was a great city. People were really nice. Loved all the motorbikes, even though there were a few near misses. I would go back and see more of the country, but glad I made the time to see what little I did. 

Next stop: Cambodia.