Well not quite... But it was all that was going through
my mind as I was detained by the Vietnamese Airport Security passing through the Thermal scanner. Apparently yellow isn't a good
color to be (Sounds racist but I assure you I mean in terms of being a thermal
image). Although when the Vietnamese security guard with the body of a pre-pubescent 12 year old was blue, I understood I could be in a bit of trouble.
I was hustled off to the Medical Quarantine with another 10 Vietnamese, told to sit with the face mask & wait with a thermometer under my arm. I guess I should be thankful he put it under my arm.
After 10 minutes, left only with my thoughts of how terrible my holiday was potentially about to become,
the doctor returned & examined the temperature...
He removed the thermometer... Flicked it a few times... Examined it... Glanced at me... Flicked it a few more times...
"3 more minutes"
That can't be a good sign. As the doctor left he waved off one of the
Vietnamese who had passed his thermometer test. Another 5 minutes
passed. The doctor returned & once again inspected the thermometer.
Flicking it a few times... Then a few times more... Without saying a word he walked away &
consulted with what I can only assume was his superior. He spoke a few
words, showed the thermometer & pointed in my direction as they both starred
intensely at me. He returned with every step syncing in with my heart beat.
"You go"
Not the most ideal way to begin my first trip outside of Australia. Some people said it was brave to go alone. But in my mind the line between bravery & stupidity can sometimes be thin.
Before leaving I had a watched a few travel shows about Vietnam, my favorite being the Top Gear Vietnam Special. Partially inspiring the idea of hiring a bike myself to ride where I wanted. But in the short trip from the Airport to my hotel I had a change of heart. I really had no idea just how insane the roads of Vietnam are. I saw the aftermath of a kid being knocked off his bike.
The driver dropped what looked to be about 10,000 dong (Which may have been 100,000 dong, still less then $10, they're similar color) & drove off.
Throughout my trip, whenever I discussed the traffic with other travelers I'd hear:
"Yeah the roads are crazy, but it just seems to work"
Honestly, that's the stupidest thing I've heard. The statistics usually range from 32 to 100 deaths per day, depending on the year. So basically to me the above statement similar to saying:
"Yeah peeling an apple with a hammer is crazy, but it just seems to work"
The statistic isn't surprising when you see the condition of the roads, the sheer volume of traffic & the day to day use of motorbikes. Loads can be as little as one person, to one whole family of five or six. Fridges, sheets of glass, stacks of beer, there is nothing they can't work out how to transport via motorbike.
All of this mass of metal flowing through the streets of Saigon leads onto another unique part of Vietnam. Something as simple as crossing the street seems oddly suicidal here. There are Zebra Crossings, which you would assume would give perdestrians the right of way. This assumption however, would be a fatal error of judgment. It seems the only rule of the road is the biggest vehicle has right of way. There is no way better to see this first hand then on the back of a Moto (Or on the front if you're insane enough to hire your own). Motor bikes duck & weave between trucks & oncomming traffic. As insane as it sounds, this is actually one of the better ways to get around, cheap, quick & oddly fun in a "I have a death wish" kinda way.
