Saigon!

We had a long travel day that we did not expect only because we didn’t think it through. Lol! I don’t know why but we both thought our flight from Tokyo to Saigon was a couple of hours. We did not take into account a two hour time change. So actually it was an almost 6 hour flight. So…… because we thought it was short we booked a basic economy seat that would have been miserable had we not happened to have an empty middle seat. Luckily though I booked a car to take us to the airport and one to pick us up in Saigon to the hotel. That was nice!

We love the hotel here. Its on the Saigon River with a beautiful view of the bridges.

We had a couple of hours to kill before our first tour here so we walked to a store for room provisions. And went to the bar to play rummycube .

Chris: The flight from Tokyo was longer than we expected, how could one possibly know how long a flight is going to be ? How could one find such information ? It’s a mystery ! The flight was on a VietJet A321 and it was actually a pleasant flight , after we squeezed ourselves into the least leg room seat I have ever been in on an airplane. I’m not a tall guy and I could barely get into the seat, any bigger than me and I don’t think it would be possible. But, uncharacteristically we didn’t pay for the upgrade, it was like twenty bucks each so that is all on us. The flight attendants were smartly dressed, well groomed and very friendly and attentive. They had a very good drink and snack menu available for purchase but the prices were very reasonable, they even came around with a hot food cart a little over halfway through the flight. I had a rice and beef dish that wasn’t bad, not great but not bad. Rhonda had a gigantic bowl of soup that was delicious. She slept a good part of the flight and I did crossword puzzles. Over all it was a good flight and we felt refreshed and excited when we arrived in Saigon.

The natural next paragraph after the above would be to go into our first day in Saigon and I will definitely do that, after I make a few comments on the state of inflight service on some US carriers. Namely, American Airlines.

We were in premium economy which is a very nice upgrade from economy, not quite business class but it is still a very nice and comfortable seat. And they don’t give it away, it can be pricy. The flight from DFW to Tokyo was fourteen hours, it was not a thru flight, the cabin crew had not already been on duty for several hours. They are most likely DFW based and came from home. And most looked like they had had on their uniforms for a week and slept in them. They appeared to have absolutely no pride in themselves or their airline. One woman had long stringy hair the appeared to have never met a brush or comb. The service was spotty and grudgingly offered. The American Airlines flight attendant union just got a great new industry leading contract. Their attitudes need to reflect that. Their customers deserve better.

Rhonda: One of the tours we have looked forward to the most was a Saigon city tour on the back of a scooter. It did not disappoint. Our scooter drivers arrived and showed us how to put on our helmets and jump on the back. That was it. No safety tips, no waivers to sign, nothing. And we were off. It was crazy fun!! There are no red lights minded, lanes to stay in, drive on the sidewalk? Sure! Wrong way on a street , great!

Chris: Our drivers were a young man and a young woman, they asked us who we wanted to ride with, we opted for Rhonda with the guy and me with the young woman. My driver was a tiny little thing and really cute in looks and personality but Man, she could handle that scooter like a bat out of hell. We got on, they pulled out into traffic and we were doing it !

We had been told that traffic in Vietnam is insane, that’s an understatement. It’s crazy on top of insane and at first glance seems totally out of control. We have seen traffic like this before, most notably in Mexico City and it is always aggressive and angry with constant honking and yelling. It can be scary and make you want to huddle together in the back floor board of the taxi. In Saigon it is gentle, crazy but gentle. It flows to and fro. It is not aggressive. It’s more like a dance production and every performer knows their part.

We learned that something like seventy to eighty percent of the vehicles in Saigon are scooters, or motorbikes as they call them here. They are everywhere and they often appear to move as a single entity, like some bizarre multicellular organism. The motorbike is an integral part of life here. You see people carrying everything on them, including quite literally the kitchen sink. We saw families with two kids on one bike. We saw newborns and dogs and and huge boxes and sacks and every combination you could think of. Motorbikes are life to these people.

We joined the dance right out of the front drive of our hotel, no back streets to get us comfortable with ridding. No, we were instantly surrounded by hundreds of other motorbikes or three inches from a bus. It was so exhilarating. It was so much fun, Rhonda and I were both just holding on, probably too tight at first and laughing out loud. Being out in that traffic, I mean out in the middle of it, at night going forty to fifty miles an hour at times was an amazing experience.

Rhonda: After a super fun 45 minutes we went to dinner. It was a street vendor who is a Michelin Recognized restaurant for beef stew. And we could see why! It was melt in your mouth beef in a broth that we could have ( and did) drink with beautiful flaky baguettes. It’s a leftover French influence. There is a French Quarter here too.

After dinner they took us across the bridge over the river to a back street to see the city from the other side. It was stunning!

By this time we were exhausted and ready for bed!