Thursday, September 8, 2011

mornings in Saigon

07.06.2011
Day 7 

Second to the last day of my first solo backpacking.

Left the guesthouse as early as 630am. Hurriedly went to Sinh tourist office and book for a half-day tour to Cu chi tunnel, for 130,000 vnd. You may also opt to do a whole day tour which includes a visit to Cao dai temple.
Tour leaves Saigon at 8am, so still have an ample time to fill my stomach and walk around the city.
One of the famous landmarks in Saigon is the Crazy Buffalo. This place is hard to miss especially to those who love the nightlife - it's very near backpacker's area so expect to see one or two of you housemates to be here during wee hours.


It's easy to fill an empty stomach around the blocks of Pham Ngu Lao, De Tham or Bou VIen, even on a shoestring budget, because you will see food carts everywhere, competing the hustle and bustle streets of Saigon.


Expect to see numbers of sidewalk vendors cum mini-restaurants in every side of Saigon.  Tried it, and I had the cheapest decent breakfast ever, for 22,000 VND.

more ice, please..

Also, when in Saigon, never miss to taste their coffee. Hot or cold, name it, they have it handy. Forget Starbucks, and try the one bein sold in the sidewalk, for only 10, 000 - 20, 000 vnd. It has a different distinct taste, kasi matapang yung kape. So I always ask for more ice.

Moving to the other side of Pham Ngu Lao, I saw how mornings in Saigon really looked like.



       

It's just amazing to see local folks of different ages in one park, doin different form of exercise. I think, if I'll stay in Vietnam, for a month or two, I will definitely get at least Katie Holmes' body. Ahaha. (very wishful thinking).
 
 

2 comments:

  1. Wow reading your entry reminded me of my trip to Saigon last year. I really loved Vietnam very much! And I agree about the Vietnamese coffee. It's really one of the best and shouldn't be missed if you're in Vietnam.

    Great pictures! They really depict the daily life of the people in Saigon. Talo talaga nila ang pinoy sa pag-e-exercise. hehe :)

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  2. Hi, Lovely... what an honor! Thanks.

    Yes, your story of Vietnam and Cambodia helped me convince myself to pursue this trip.. (and the SEA cruise which I'm still praying and saving for..Hehe..)Thanks for droppin by..

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