So I"ve been in Saigon a few days and it has been interesting. I"m usually really against being in any big town, for the mere fact it's a big town, and it's ugly, too western, and just lacking any sort of culture. So when I knew I ahd to be in Saigon for an extended amount of time, to visit some family I've never met, and also to wait up to meet up with my good friend Lynn who will be travelling with me, I was a bit nervous. So far it hasn't been bad though, the food here has been really good, and the small tucked away places have been really interesting to see.
So when I first got into town, I walked about for a bit, but then met up with my parents to meet some of my dad's family I've never met. My dad was raised by his two aunts, one of which passed away a few years ago, the other is 87 and lives outside of Saigon. This was my first time meeting her, and a few of my dad's siblings who have never made it stateside. It was definitley interesting and touching. My greataunt, who is pretty much my grandmother, was amazingly sweet and welcomed me into her home with a home cooked meal and tears from meeting me for the first time. Her and the family then commented on how I looked so different than pictures she had seen. So apparently, but Vietnamese standards, I am bigger, fatter, taller, and much more friendly looking than most. Ha, i guess I'll take that as a compliment, but apparently they think i'm too big, so I shouldn't work out at the gym as much....you listening ladies, too buff for the family, I should be beating you all off with a stick/my penis.
So after meeting them, which was awesome, I left the fam to venture off on my own. With a bit of research I found out about a small climbing gym outside of saigon i wanted to check out, just to try to keep active and in shape, and also keep myself in climbing condition for Thailand. So I hit up this gym, and man, it is effin tiny. It is the size of our living room, maybe slightly higher ceilings and just....tiny. So I say wtf and gear up and start bouldering a bit. They hafve some fun routes, but a lot of it is traversiing as the ceiling are so low. An hour or so in, a young guy walks in, and apparently its the owner of the gym, Push climbing, who started the place. Turns out to be a super cool guy from Chile who is studying in VN and loves climbing, so started the gym. SO we start climbing, and the dude is an awesome climber, and give me great advice on climbing. We end up talking a lot more and he's super cool guy and definitely knows a lot about the area and gives me some good tips, definitely looking forward to climbing and hanging out more with him.
So as I get ready to leave and head back toward the city, I found there are two ways to get back, pay a guy $1.50 to ride on the back of his sketchy ass moped through a shit ton of other bikes and mopeds, or pay a taxi 4 bucks to get there in AC, abit more time, and a lot more safety. So as I was riding bitch on this tiny as moped taxi, called a Se Om, I notice people next to me, one local girl riding on the back of another moped eating take out with her chopsticks, anotehr dude carrying 3 huge panels of glass sitting on his lap and going about 4 feet higher than him, and then a famly of 5 all riding on a moped carefully balanced and placed for ultimate safety. I realize the pace of life isn't necessarily faster here, it's actually quite a bit slower, nobody going over 20-30 mph, but just a shit ton more people going as they please.
So all in all, Saigon hasn't been too bad. I've seen a few markets that have been interesting, selling every part of any animal you could think of, and a few local food corners that look delicious I plan on trying, but definitely looking forward to getting to some remote areas, like what I have planned in Thailand and hopefully in Laos if my plans work out. All in all, pretty good times, and definitely looking forward to seeing my friend Lynn in 2 days, and travelling some beach communities with her! Should be a blast! Hope everyone back home is having a good week and a good new years so far! Cheers!
Sounds awesome!
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