Short muses on my vacation

Been gazillion years since I wrote on this blog or even paid it any attention... Was rather surprise to see that it still existed.

Blogspot decided I might still come back after all... or perhaps such musings have some value to the site. I don't know.

Have been sometime since I started working already. Been about... say almost close to a year? Ups and downs. Not that easy to explain either. Think the hardships were mainly becos I wasn't use to how work was going to be like. Going in with the wrong perceptions.. and even thinking that work could be stimulating.

Like real....

Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, 05 May - 09 May 08

Just came back from a trip over a week in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh city). Shopping was a bit bad though. Had expected to come back with truckloads of stuff. Didn't manage to though. Hate it when a place becomes too touristy. Things sold are catered to the tourist market. Somehow the city seems to be sort of disjointed... Any development you see most likely sprang out of the tourist dollars that was pumped in by people bored of visiting the conventional Thailand for shopping (me included).

Shops like these were common in HCMC and they serve the local fares such as pho-bo etc on their menu.

What results is an interesting mix in the landscape of the city - high-rise air-conditioned buildings and cafes on one side against the roadside stalls that the everyday Vietnamese would patronize. The difference in prices, could be substantial. We decided to try out one of these shops for their ca-phe sua (local milk coffee). We were paying twice or thrice more for the same thing in cafes that cater mainly to tourist or the upper middle class locals.

Iced coffee at a roadside stall opposite a school after our visit to the museum.

One of the key takeaways we had for this trip was to cross the roads bravely. Drivers here at HCMC are always on alert for pedestrians and motorcyclists that frequently zip out of nowhere. There seems to be little point in following the signals (red, green or yellow there's always cars/motocycles on the move). Just cross and they'll avoid you naturally. Panick, and you're likely to get knocked over.

Another point to note, perhaps you would like to pick another time to visit Vietnam. It was HOT, HOT, HOT while we were there. Temperatures averaged 34 - 35 degrees everyday. I came down with a heatstroke. The trip was an eye-opening experience, and allowed us to see the city in the hot summer heat and through torrential rains typical during this period.

Waiting for the rain to end at the Ben Thant market