Myth Saigon

After a longer but much more scenic journey on the train we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in the mid-afternoon.. In fairness everybody still refers to here as Saigon, so then shall I. A taxi to our hotel once again gave a glimpse of what to expect on the roads, and this time it was above and beyond expectation - the terms 'packed' and 'herrings' pale in comparison to the actuality. That said, it's surprising in its fluidity. Our hotel was tucked into a small court and not too far from the centre of District 1 (of 24) but far enough away from the traffic to not be disturbed.
We took a tumble into town and weaving round found it not so difficult to cross the streets with a bit of careful navigation. Happened to find ourselves outside Notre Dame church, an almost impeccable replica of Paris's behemoth - with a few exceptions, the rivers either side being replaced by floods of tarmac and the intricacy in stone masonry somewhat left to the imagination. Looking ahead it was food time and after sharing the worst prawn rice in Asia we headed to another place, advised by a few hotels.. This was where i tried pig ear for the first time.. And probably the last to, only hunger and the wish to not have wasted money drove me to eat more than that first mouthful inspired.. You got used to it but there was still a hesitancy so for a change I left a fair bit. After finishing we were charged for using the hand-wipes provided.. Not returning either then.
Next day we took a trip up Nguyen Hue where the main celebrations for Tet were to take place the next evening. Already activities were under way, the first bit of excitement was 8 lads parading down the strip with a dragon 'costume' - the type on poles with a cloth body and flapping jaw - then heading further down there was a state youth big band reciting a few numbers to a small crowd; then heading back to the top of the road the apparent opening was getting ready to take place. Two rows of red and gold kettle drums to the front and rear of a swiftly constructed platform stage.. Then as it started a troop of flag bearers marched on and the drumming began. A fair sized crowd had gathered and we left just before a gaggle of young girls holding lotus like flowers made of cloth spread over a wire frame joined the proceeding.. It was quite fun but wasn't worth the heat or having the crowds' barging to contend with. Heading off we went and booked our tickets to leave in two days time and then to dinner where we tucked in to a small feast at Barbecue Garden, a large outdoor eatery where you ordered your raw food to fry on the griddle in the table to your liking. Much preferred to the gastro-disaster the night before.
For our last day we took a walk around a small park there and took in the Ben Pha market and riverside before getting ready to leave, back onto the buses and into Cambodia.
Since we only trekked round the one district it was hard to get an idea of the place other than it's overwhelmingly large size; the night market surrounding Ben Pha was tiny compared to the endless stalls in Hanoi and the market itself - open during the day - was a tightly packed menagerie as much for locals as tourists. The night before we left was without doubt the busiest on the roads anywhere so far. One of the main roads had a good queue developed - three lanes with mopeds wheel to wheel, to the side, rear and anywhere else offering an advantage in the move towards the festivities. This was a fun road to cross - once again the inexplicable fluidity of it all somehow allowed us time and space to hover through, although most vehicles weren't moving anywhere fast. There was a notable contemporary feel compared to Hanoi, large skyscrapers peeking around and over the average 4-8 floor buildings, and it had a much more colourful feel to it - though that may be explained by the re-arrival of sun in my life. Plenty more of that soon.