Love at first sight. After over a month in India, we were ecstatic to be going to Vietnam. We assumed we would like the place more than the chaos of India. We were right! We are both lovers of Vietnamese food (there is nothing like it) and I feel safer here overall. Our flight was into Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Julia was there to pick us up! It was amazing to see her, after such a long while, and in Vietnam! She has been living here for over a year now, and it was really interesting to hear her take on the place, living here as an expat—often a much different view from just a travelers perspective. We were in heaven when we arrived at Julia & Bart’s house- a beautiful 2 storey French colonial inspired house, with high ceilings, dark wood floors, and a swimming pool!!! Water that we could swim in after being deprived for a month in India!!! Tom was all over that! I think the only thing he wanted to do all day was sit in the pool!
The plan was to sit in Ho Chi Minh for a few days, then slowly make our way up North along the coast, and eventually head back down to Ho Chi Minh when Julia returned from her trip to Europe. We had no set plan and just wanted to go with the flow---that proved to be easier in Vietnam than in India. So on the first day we RELAXED, which was really nice. I motorbiked to the store for groceries with Julia, we swam and hung out with a few beers, and they took us out to one of their favourite dinner spots. It was a great day, and a much needed day after the craziness in India! The restaurant we went to was absolutely delicious! I don’t remember the exact names of the stuff we ordered (a shame—I must find out!) but there was some delicious snapper or swordfish involved, and some tofu, and some pork, and spinach I think? Either way, it’s the sauces and herbs and spices that made each and every dish. I LOVE VIETNAMESE FOOD----just to give you an idea of how much I love it, it currently is at the top of my list for favourite foods! Thailand or Malaysia may be a close second….although this is a difficult list to rank with every dish you eat in different places! It could constantly be changing! Either way, Vietnamese and I are in love- deeply in LOVE. I could eat this stuff every day, all the time. The ingredients are light and full of flavours. My new favourite thing to eat for breakfast is Pho bo—beef noodle soup (traditional thing to eat for breakfast here). And yes folks, it beats the eggs and bacon combo for me! I could seriously eat it for breakfast every day! Ok, so I think you get the idea how much I like Vietnamese food :P
The other things I immediately noticed was the humidity---much worse than in India (although the humidity in Kerala was comparable). Even if its not that hot outside, the humidity is what gets you. You are sweating constantly and your constant shiny face is a giveaway! I could do more walking in India because it wasn’t as humid, but here, I find myself catching a ride more often just because it is so hard to handle (especially with a backpack or heavy purse to carry). Also, motorbikes EVERYWHERE! Which I LOVE! We loved motorbiking in Thailand and we were excited to do it here too! The general rule of thumb here is that the biggest vehicle on the road has right of way- so get out of its way! Motorbikes follow their own rules, weave in & out of traffic, don’t seem to brake for anything, and generally only have right of way over pedestrians! Makes for a chaotic world on the road! But Thomas was determined to master it! We haven’t motorbiked in Ho Chi Minh City yet, but we have as we have gone up north, and it has been less crowded and definitely do-able! Thomas may not completely fit on the motorbike, but he does an excellent job getting through traffic! ;)
Julia left the next day for Europe and we decided (with frequent dips in the pool) to spend the day planning out our Vietnam adventure and beyond. There are plenty of places we wanted to see, but we decided to just head up the coast and spend a few days in a few places and go from there. We can get a taste of a few places and if we like a place a lot, we can always return. That day we organized our bags, relaxed, and found a cute little restaurant for dinner near the house. We decided we would go to Nha Trang the next day by train early in the AM….
