Jan 2nd Saigon

Written by Jack van Ommen on January 2nd, 2010

For the second time, the first in 2006 on “Fleetwood”, I feel like I am home again. Of all the countries that I have now visited in the tropics, there is a unique feeling I experience here. The warm air, the smells, the noises but especially the warmth and openness of the Vietnamese.

The flight from Hong Kong was very nice in business class. I went through customs at Tan Son Nhat without a hitch but getting the checked back pack was a challenge. It took nearly two hours.  I got to a hotel at close to midnight. In the dark I could not quite find the area I wanted to go, where I was in 2006. I found it to-day and changed hotels. Last night I paid $28.00 this one is about $14.00 It has a/c but definitely a class or two lower. But all I need for now. I like the area here, Bui Vien, because this is where most of the small hotels, restaurants, tour operators are that cater to the back pack crowd. This morning I had breakfast at a small restaurant that turned out to be owned by Mike a Vietnamese-American repatriate. He gave me lots of information and I expect to see more of him. There is WiFi everywhere but on the ones I have used so far the providers do not accept cookies and that’s why I cannot get onto Facebook. So, I am unable to react to messages I get from any of you who use these to communicate with me. I am trying to make an effort to enlarge my Vietnamese vocabulary now that I’ll be here three months. Everyone appreciates my efforts and are ready to help me along.

I am still using the orthopedic sandal that I got after the foot operation. The walking I did this morning, searching for the right neighborhood, did not enhance the healing process and I got blisters on the new sandal I wear on the left foot. I have reserved a bike, $2 a day, for to-morrow morning and will pedal to church and roam my favorite spots. After mass I must go and have a  Cafe Sue and creme caramel/flan at Givral (“The Milk Bar” according to Graham Greene in “The Quiet American”) as we used to do in the sixties and I did in 2006. On Wednesday and Thursday my foot was still draining a small amount of blood but yesterday and today that had stopped and I am hoping that the incision will start to fully heal.  There were several places around here that rented bicycles but hardly any tourist is brave enough to join the e-z- riders on their light motor bikes. I have no problem with it. The traffic looks chaotic but there is a system and no one is out to force a road rage like the occidentals.

In order to keep you subscribing I am making an extra effort to improve the content since there will be no photographs, for a while. While going through security, in Seattle, on my way to San Francisco I discovered that the most important part of my retenue, my NIKON D-40, was still at Rose Marie’s house. She sent it to San Francisco, overnight but the UPS store mis-addressed it. Hopefully it will reach me in the next week here.

 

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