While walking down Dong Khoi in search of some new reading material I was approached by a small boy carrying a brush and a bottle of bootblack.
"Shoe shine, mister?"
Usually I just ignore them, but my one good pair of shoes was looking rather scuffed so I sat down on a bench and had him get to work. His English was pretty good.
"I shine shoes very well - and cheap."
I was skeptical "Really?"
"Oh yeah, five dollars American. In Caravelle Hotel, cost ten dollars".
No shit. Hard to imagine that a shoeshine on the pavement only costs half as much as in the country's most expensive hotel. Needless to say, I wasn't going to pay him five dollars.
At this point two little girls carrying packets of postcards appeared out of the mist. Once again I usually give such types the cold shoulder, but again I was held captive and I did need some postcards, so I got one. The other little girl was put off. "You buy from her and not me? That's not fair!"
You have to admire someone selling postcards on the street at the age of 8 who still has a sense of justice.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Cast Iron or Tin Foil?
So it turns out I'm not so bulletproof as I thought.
After a scant two and a half weeks in Saigon I'd already grown cocky about the place. I crossed the street (usually) without fear and I cheerfully dined at street vendors as if I hadn't a care in the world.
Foolishness! Yesterday I was so ill i could barely stand up. It was the whole lot: diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weakness, dehydration. I managed to nurse myself back to health with some antibiotics and Revive (a curious mix between 7-up and Gatorade, made by Pepsico) but man, I can't remember the last time I felt so physically debilitated. Ho Chi Minh's revenge, I guess.
The culprit was probably some undercooked meat; I don't drink the water and I've been tossing the fresh herbs into my pho since the day i got here, so that's the most likely candidate. I suppose i got of easy; some people in my TEFL program were laid low for days at a time.
After a scant two and a half weeks in Saigon I'd already grown cocky about the place. I crossed the street (usually) without fear and I cheerfully dined at street vendors as if I hadn't a care in the world.
Foolishness! Yesterday I was so ill i could barely stand up. It was the whole lot: diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weakness, dehydration. I managed to nurse myself back to health with some antibiotics and Revive (a curious mix between 7-up and Gatorade, made by Pepsico) but man, I can't remember the last time I felt so physically debilitated. Ho Chi Minh's revenge, I guess.
The culprit was probably some undercooked meat; I don't drink the water and I've been tossing the fresh herbs into my pho since the day i got here, so that's the most likely candidate. I suppose i got of easy; some people in my TEFL program were laid low for days at a time.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Party Like it's 1986
Some history: after defeating the South Vietnamese government in 1975 and finally reunifying the country, the Vietnamese Communist Party set about running the economy under orthodox Marxist principles.
It didn't work out terribly well, and a scant eleven years later they introduced the doi moi (open door) policy, liberalizing the economy to a great extent.
However, one thing that has definitely not changed since 1986 is the musical taste of the Vietnamese people.
Last Saturday I met up with a Vietnamese girl of my acquaintance and several of her friends to go to the Acoustic Cafe, a rock cafe/bar in District 3. She insisted that we get there two hours before the band was set to play, and it soon became apparent why: the cafe was jammed, you couldn't turn around in there. So what was the occasion?
Stick it to the Man, a Bon Jovi cover band.
I wish I were kidding, but no. The place was full of young, hip, well-off Vietnamese who yelled out their favorite 80's stadium rock ballads and sang along (in English) to 'Every Rose has its Thorn'.
Afterward I took an informal poll of the English-speakers as to who was their favorite singer/musical group. I heard:
- Duran Duran
- N'Sync
- Sublime
- Celine Dion
- the Backstreet Boys
This place has a long way to go.
It didn't work out terribly well, and a scant eleven years later they introduced the doi moi (open door) policy, liberalizing the economy to a great extent.
However, one thing that has definitely not changed since 1986 is the musical taste of the Vietnamese people.
Last Saturday I met up with a Vietnamese girl of my acquaintance and several of her friends to go to the Acoustic Cafe, a rock cafe/bar in District 3. She insisted that we get there two hours before the band was set to play, and it soon became apparent why: the cafe was jammed, you couldn't turn around in there. So what was the occasion?
Stick it to the Man, a Bon Jovi cover band.
I wish I were kidding, but no. The place was full of young, hip, well-off Vietnamese who yelled out their favorite 80's stadium rock ballads and sang along (in English) to 'Every Rose has its Thorn'.
Afterward I took an informal poll of the English-speakers as to who was their favorite singer/musical group. I heard:
- Duran Duran
- N'Sync
- Sublime
- Celine Dion
- the Backstreet Boys
This place has a long way to go.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
What Things Cost
in Saigon:
1 bowl pho bo (Beef pho) on the street = 15,000 - 30,000 VND
1 pork banh mi = 6,000 - 10,000 VND
1 cup ca phe sua da (sweet iced coffee) = 5,000 VND
1 large bottle of mineral water = 7,000 VND
taxi ride from District 1 to District 3 = 40,000 VND
motorbike ride from De Than to Dong Khoi = 15,000 VND
Decent cell phone = 1,000,000 VND
1 night in a modest guest house with AC and hot water = 110,000 VND
1 touristy T-shirt at Ben Tham Market = 100,000 VND (before bargaining) - 40,000 VND (after bargaining)
16,500 VND (Vietnamese Dong) = $1 US
1 bowl pho bo (Beef pho) on the street = 15,000 - 30,000 VND
1 pork banh mi = 6,000 - 10,000 VND
1 cup ca phe sua da (sweet iced coffee) = 5,000 VND
1 large bottle of mineral water = 7,000 VND
taxi ride from District 1 to District 3 = 40,000 VND
motorbike ride from De Than to Dong Khoi = 15,000 VND
Decent cell phone = 1,000,000 VND
1 night in a modest guest house with AC and hot water = 110,000 VND
1 touristy T-shirt at Ben Tham Market = 100,000 VND (before bargaining) - 40,000 VND (after bargaining)
16,500 VND (Vietnamese Dong) = $1 US
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Cyclo-ne
A cyclo is a bicycle rickshaw.
Do not use them in Saigon. Do not use them anywhere if you have a choice.
About ten years ago an incredibly depressing Vietnamese movie called Cyclo was released, depicting the terrible hardships endured by very poor people (in this case a cyclo driver and his family) in a poor country. It didn't do wonders for the cyclo industry, that's for sure.
Beyond that, a cyclo is a kind of relic left over from the colonial period - a time when chubby Westerners in white suits would be carted around the Rue Catinat by Annanite (as for some reason the French insisted on calling the Vietnamese) coolies. Asking somebody to literally push you in a chair seems like an indignity for both of you.
More practically, cyclos are achingly slow and actually more expensive than a motorbike or taxi, due to the effort involved. I took one last night on what would've been a ten-minute drive in a motor vehicle but instead took 45 minutes, although that was partially because my driver had no idea where he was going.
Do not use them in Saigon. Do not use them anywhere if you have a choice.
About ten years ago an incredibly depressing Vietnamese movie called Cyclo was released, depicting the terrible hardships endured by very poor people (in this case a cyclo driver and his family) in a poor country. It didn't do wonders for the cyclo industry, that's for sure.
Beyond that, a cyclo is a kind of relic left over from the colonial period - a time when chubby Westerners in white suits would be carted around the Rue Catinat by Annanite (as for some reason the French insisted on calling the Vietnamese) coolies. Asking somebody to literally push you in a chair seems like an indignity for both of you.
More practically, cyclos are achingly slow and actually more expensive than a motorbike or taxi, due to the effort involved. I took one last night on what would've been a ten-minute drive in a motor vehicle but instead took 45 minutes, although that was partially because my driver had no idea where he was going.
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