Our plan was to arrive in the city, take a tuk tuk to the train station and buy tickets to the beach resort of Nha Trang some 400-500 km away. Unfortunately things arent't that easy. After arriving to the city we realized that there aren't any tuk tuks! There were plenty of taxis instead. We hopped on the first one. The driver put on the meter and off we drove. We later found out that we had paid way way too much for the few kilometers drive. Apparently the guy had used his engineering skills on the taxi meter. Bloody hell! At the station we waited for a while to get to the ticket counter. There were no tickets left for any trains on that day. That was because the Vietnamese celebrate one of their most important holidays, the Lunar New Year and the ”TET” around this time. I'll tell you more about the TET later. Fortunately we managed to get tickets for the following day, though. Price per ticket was 400 000 dong, or around 16 euros. So, one night in Saigon it is!
What's is there to see in Saigon except for the traffic and all that life? Most Western visitors go see the War Museum, which is actually called ”The War Remnants Museum”, a museum dedicated to tell the public about the Vietman War and the atrocities committed during the war years. I don't want to go into detail about the war since everyone knows that it was terrible story and had no good cause. The museum was interesing to see, but it failed to tell about the things that led to the war, how the war years passed and how the Americans were finally kicked out of the country. To me personally the whole story is still quite unclear. What I know, however, is that the TET-offencive was a turning point that shifted the public opinion in the States against the war. TET was a Vietnamese success which came to being around the Lunar New Year. I believe the Vietnamese are very proud of their history. The TET is just around the corner and you can easily see how everyone is preparing for the festivities around the city. There are plenty of state probaganda to be seen too; lots of communist flags togther with traditional Vietnamese and Chinese symbols. A funny combination.
A bit more about the traffic. There are more mopeds than cars, and public transport is pretty much non-existent. At least we didn't find any indication of a tram or metro network. There were a couple of busses but they drove almost empty. I guess there is no need for real public transport since everyone has a moped and you can easily fit three or four people on one. Or even more if babies are in question. Crossing the street is a form of art, and can be a scary experince for a newcomer. So, how to cross a street where thousands of scooters are driving as one huge mecanical snake? You just walk. Slowly. Somehow the drivers manage to see the pedestrians crossing, and not hit them. You just have to keep your eyes open and walk slowly so the drivers will have time to react. I didn't see a single accident, so I guess the system works. Stressful it still is, though. I don't love Saigon in particular, but I think one might come to like it in time. There's a lot to be discovered and the Vietnamese people are great. But first you need to get a moped :).
Olli left us a day ago because he had to get back to his studies in Finland. Now there's only three of us till the end of the trip. That's too bad because Olli is the Minister of Lottery. We've already come across a couple of situations where the Minister's skills would have come handy. Well, now we just have to figure out how to deal with difficul lottery moments.
As I already mentioned, our next destination is the costal city of Nha Trang. I can't wait! I want to see the sea and enjoy beach life. I suggested the guys we try scuba diving... let's see if we manage to do that. I've tried diving once before and have somewhat mixed feelings about it. I'd like to try it again to see whether or not I really like it. Anyways, Nha Trang should be a good place to find diving schools. Well, swim I will for sure!
(Btw, added a couple of photos to Peltsi's previous post.)
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