We've been back in Saigon since Friday and it feels so crowded and rushed after the slower paced Mekong Delta. So to get a feel of the soul of the place we just sat on benches along the street and "people watched" in peak hour traffic. Fascinating.
Here's some facts for you: 84 million people live in Vietnam (VN). There are 2 million motor bikes in HCMC alone!! 13,000 motorbike riders are killed annually in VN - of those 3 are killed in HCMC everyday! (997 were killed last year!).
On the way down south to Can Tho we saw 2 accidents involving motorbikes (hit by trucks) - definite fatalities! A horrible sight.
People don't wear helmets in the city and it seemed like very, very few wear helmets on the huge busy highways. MAD!! And through all this there're the cyclists weaving their way amongst the 2 and 4 wheeled motor vehicles. Sometimes I just can't watch!
We've mastered crossing the road now - we just send Ben into the fray first! (hee hee). The trick is to step out into the street and keep walking steadily across - no sudden moves or you'll be dead! - the traffic just weaves around you! I always find that I'm holding my breath when we reach the other side - especially at peak hour. Sri Lanka's traffic mayhem is child's play in comparison!
We've done the tourist thing over the last couple of days: -
***crawled through some parts of the Cu Chi Tunnels (at it's height there were more than 250km of tunnels, parts of which was several storeys deep including trap doors, living areas, weapons factories, field hospitals and kitchens that facilitated the Viet Cong to control a large rural area.). They've made the open parts of the tunnels "tourist height" which is double what it used to be and we still had to crouch right down - Ben was bent into about 3!!
*** we visited the Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh - a gaudy coloured, over the top building incorporating conflicting architecture. The religion itself is a colourful mindboggling mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, native Vietnamese spiritualism, Christianity and Islam. They say that we all have it wrong and that their revelations come through mediums at séances speaking with people like Victor Hugo (!!! who is also one of their saints!!! How the author of Les Miserables can possibly be a saint is beyond me!). They say it's the only way to heaven. The service which we watched was amazing – they worship every six hours (including midnight!) dressed in very formal clothes depending on their status in the religion.
Well, girls, there's the most beautiful shoes, handbags, clothes and scarves (all made of VN silk) - but if you know me at all, you'll know that as soon as I'm faced with a mindboggling variety of stuff I don't end up buying a thing!! So I'll have to go into one shop and buy up big!?? bought a t'shirt each for the men in my life so far! That's it!!! How boring right?!
Ross River Virus: for those who don't know, I was diagnosed with Ross River Virus about 4 weeks before we left. For those who care I'm doing okay – my feet get really really sore but the Voltaren keeps it at a bearable level. The evenings are the worst especially after Ben's dragged us all over town for hours! Some nights are bad - but I'm surviving better than I thought.
Well, more from Hoi An - we fly to Danang tomorrow and taxi down to Hoi An.
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