saigon day 5

can't remember what this' called but i had so much of it, even when i wasn't hungry. oh the joys of excess and holiday binging :)

and then it was back home for good, or at least till wanderlust next gets the better of me!

thanks for being part of the journey.

edit: stay tuned for the hong kong post, and review of waku ghin (tetsuya-san's restaurant at marina bay sands)

saigon day 4

needing a break from saigon, we took a day trip out to the mekong delta, passing through the land of coconut candy and longan honey. good fun and a great change of air :)

saigon day 3

today was my lazybones day. the rest went on a day trip to the cu chi tunnels and i opted to remain in my air-conditioned, non-claustrophobic comfort. when they were historied out, we went in search of french food and found this little gem through the combined powers of too many guidebooks to name. after solo trippin for a good few weeks, finally being sheep-like and following the leader was a welcomed relief :) the guys were awesome. they read up, they planned, they hailed taxis, they navigated, they were on hand to be size models and provide style advice... it was like HK all over again  in summer 07 when i suddenly found myself with 20kg of shopping (no exaggeration) and it was Y to the rescue as he gallantly brought my big construction worker plastic bag (the type they use to carry bricks) all the way to the airport. and by brought, i mean CARRIED because the dratted bag had no wheels!

saigon day 2

beef pho for breakfast

saigon sprawl

sozo cafe

dinner at the temple club

saigon day 1

saigon is always a shock to the system. the heat, the crowds, the mass of motorcycles. was very lucky to be with friends if not day one would have driven me crazy. it always takes a bit of adjusting to get used to the overwhelming weight that hits me whenever i go to saigon. something in me snaps and i want to hop on the next plane back. why i keep subjecting myself to saigon is beyond reason - before this, it was my absolute least favourite city. it's not that i don't like vietnam, don't get me wrong. phu quoc and hoi ann i absolutely adore but saigon! gag. but the company more than made up for my lack of enthusiasm, and guess what? by day 5, i was sold. vietnamese food is an acquired taste and i can safely say that thanks for J's persistence and having us fed and watered right at every opportunity, i developed a taste for vietnamese food and can now gobble mi like the best of them. still abhor pho though! every time i go to vietnam i've pho in hope that i'll change my mind. like maybe this time it'd be different! but nope, still not a fan.

oh, and we stayed at a really sweet hotel. i loved my single and the a la carte breakfast on the top floor overlooking the sprawl that is saigon.

saigon

while in aix, J (not to be confused with my host, J) made an interesting long-distance proposition.

"come to saigon."

"who what when where how"

"me, Y and our girlfriends."

"you're crazy."

"haiyah. you talk talk talk about your great SEA adventure. come la..."

"with not one but two couples???"

"friend friend. won't be weird, i promise."

"of course it won't be weird for you. you'll be too loved up to care even if it was."

"ok ok up to you.. don't say i bo jio."

*mumble grumble*

so there i was, sitting cross-legged on the futon in J's room, frantically trying to get access to a visa card to book my air tickets online. i very much liked how my eurotrip was dovetailing into a week in saigon :) the best way to get over prospective holiday hangover is to go on another right after! i must admit, continuing to suspend reality is one of my specialities. never mind that i'd been to saigon twice already (and wasn't particularly enamoured by the city), and to hoi ann earlier this year. was going purely for the company, and with the vague desire of acquiring a taste for vietnamese cuisine. anyhoos, i got around the double couple / 5th wheel problem by booking myself into a single in the same hotel. everybody had their space, everybody happy. also, J and Y are my oldest and dearest friends from school so if there was anyone i wouldn't be ostracised by, it'd be them.

was scheduled to arrive in singapore on the 17th, hang around for the weekend then on the 21st it was all systems go to ho chi minh!