Quick overnight in Can Tho

My family here in Vietnam (& in the US) worry that we are planning to travel the entirety of Vietnam on our own... without the guidance of a tour guide. For us, tours are  just too pre-planned... with little free time & so-so food. To be fair, there's a lot to worry about when you're traveling here. As the Lonely Planet guide book offers, there are many ways for you to part with your money unexpectedly in Vietnam. This is very true, but I think also somewhat part of the experience that you have to accept when you're out adventuring...

And so my uncle arranges for a driver to take us (R, myself & two friends) down to explore the Mekong. A very quick trip... a couple hours  at Cu Chi Tunnels, which was formerly an extensive underground network of tunnels that the communist soldiers used to hide from the Americans during the Vietnam war. Then a couple hours at a snake research center, then an over-nighter in Can tho to see the floating marketing. It takes us about 5-6 hours to finally make it on our detoured trip from Saigon to Can Tho.

Roads in Vietnam are much improved from 12 years ago but traveling by car still has its commonalities with my prior trip. The drivers are just as ruthless as ever. Road signs and signals are mere suggestions for driving guidelines... it's all about honking your horn here and trying to get in front of the driver in front of you. Every man for himself. This seeming chaotic transportation system somehow works... And as a passenger, it can be a bit unnerving.


Cu Chi Tunnels

Aside from the propaganda about the US during the Vietnam war, the tunnels are an interesting sight. Hard to imagine 40 people living in a tiny underground tunnel room for a month during war time. Here's the big american trying to fit into one of the tunnel openings. 

The Snake Research Center
A lot of sleepy/angry looking snakes and sad looking animals at this center. Peta would not be happy with this research center. Below - sad looking sloth.

Can Tho 
Is a beautiful city intertwined with the Mekong Delta. The image below is from the top of our hotel in Can Tho, very close to the waterfront. 12 years ago, this bridge was not here... and I traveled to Can Tho via car & barges... the alternative way to travel that's much faster and more convenient is via Hydrophoil. For the next trip...

Floating Market

Found the best bowl of ramen for 10,000 VND ($0.50) at the floating market.

Saigon week 1

I'm writing this post 4 weeks after my arrival in Saigon.

The airport is much cleaner and more spacious than I remembered. & despite warnings of corruption & such at the airport, I breeze through customs & security without even a mention of "money for coffee" - so different from my experience 12 years ago.

& just outside, in the large crowd of folks waiting for arrivals, I see my uncle, who hasn't changed much all these years. He looks a lot like my dad, so pretty easy to recognize. I arrived late in the evening, just after 10 pm. I wheel my luggage over to my uncle and we walk towards a taxi. He asks the driver, how much? The driver says, 200,000. My uncle shakes his head and we walk to a different section. Again, he asks the price, and this time seems more agreeable. Bargaining is such an integral part of this Vietnamese culture... only the beginning.

At my uncle's house, I get settled into my cousin's room for the next couple nights. The house is tall and narrow. There are 4 stories - the bottom front room is rented out during the day to a group of ladies who sell clothing. The back of the first floor hosts the kitchen. My aunt's sister and brother-in-law & mother live in the two rooms on the second floor and my uncle, his wife and two sons live in the two rooms on the third floor. The fourth floor is a roof-top garden and also has an area for washing and drying clothing.

The house was recently built about 5 years ago, but its walls are covered in grime, and show the evidence of a tropical climate and what looks like crayon/marker drawings of young kids.

In the middle of the night, I'm awakened by the sound of a neighborhood rooster crowing... every 2 or 3 minutes... by morning, I'm irritable and tired. The rooster had an active night. Sigh.Only 1 more night of this before I head to the quietness of a hotel.

In the Vietnamese culture, it's not proper for two unmarried people to travel together. In fact, according to Vietnamese law, it's unlawful for two unmarried people to stay in the same hotel room together (if at least one of the two is a Vietnamese citizen). Fortunately, this rule does not apply to us, so we're in the clear.