Friday, December 15, 2006
Hi folks, blogging from our hostel after our first day in Ho Chih Minh City. Some impressions…
First day and I already have a very good impression of the Vietnamese people. They are really friendly and they try to accomodate to your needs and to help you. They are very enthusiastic! They make you feel very much at home; you don't feel it is very foreign in a foreign land.
The traffic seems scary and intimidating at first, but after a while you adapt to it and you realise that Vietnamese roads are much safer to cross than Singapore roads! In Vietnam, as a pedestrian, you are an integral part of the traffic. In Singapore, you are a distinct individual walking on the pavement alienated from the traffic on the road. Why do I make such a coimparison? In Vietnam traffic order is natural - pedestrian walkways and roads are yin and yang. Vehicles drive onto the pedestrian walkway! Pedestrians stroll along the road! Cars and motorbikes travel like teh currents of a river, weaving in and out at will, but spiritually communicating with one another. Vietnamese drivers use their concentration and their horn. They never use their mouth or fingers, as Singaporeans tend to do - cut my lane: swear words fly and the finger goes up at the offending driver. AS a magazine states, go with the flow, don't stop abruptly. I feel safer crossing a series of major roads whose motorcyclists look like they are starting a marathon than crossing Geylang Road or Sims Avenue, outside my house, even though I do it everyday :S
Vietnamese coffee is POWER. No coffee of any kopitiam in Singapore can match up to the strength of esctasy that drives up to your brain. Only Yong Heng Coffee Stall at the hawker centre (NOTE hawker centre, not coffee shop) opposite Temasek Junior College (TJC) can match up with the Vietnamese one. You feel the power the moment the coffee slides down hits your taste buds - it strikes the chord of your tongue.
Parkson Departmental Store is the "atas" emporium - prices can be ridiculously high for certain items and absurdly low for others. Like the turkey - one whole turkey costs about SGD52. We tried to take a picture of the price tag but are stopped by security.
Okay shall continue blogging when I have the chance again. I may continue to add or edit stuff in this post so keep a lookout!
¶ 12/15/2006 11:53:00 am First day and I already have a very good impression of the Vietnamese people. They are really friendly and they try to accomodate to your needs and to help you. They are very enthusiastic! They make you feel very much at home; you don't feel it is very foreign in a foreign land.
The traffic seems scary and intimidating at first, but after a while you adapt to it and you realise that Vietnamese roads are much safer to cross than Singapore roads! In Vietnam, as a pedestrian, you are an integral part of the traffic. In Singapore, you are a distinct individual walking on the pavement alienated from the traffic on the road. Why do I make such a coimparison? In Vietnam traffic order is natural - pedestrian walkways and roads are yin and yang. Vehicles drive onto the pedestrian walkway! Pedestrians stroll along the road! Cars and motorbikes travel like teh currents of a river, weaving in and out at will, but spiritually communicating with one another. Vietnamese drivers use their concentration and their horn. They never use their mouth or fingers, as Singaporeans tend to do - cut my lane: swear words fly and the finger goes up at the offending driver. AS a magazine states, go with the flow, don't stop abruptly. I feel safer crossing a series of major roads whose motorcyclists look like they are starting a marathon than crossing Geylang Road or Sims Avenue, outside my house, even though I do it everyday :S
Vietnamese coffee is POWER. No coffee of any kopitiam in Singapore can match up to the strength of esctasy that drives up to your brain. Only Yong Heng Coffee Stall at the hawker centre (NOTE hawker centre, not coffee shop) opposite Temasek Junior College (TJC) can match up with the Vietnamese one. You feel the power the moment the coffee slides down hits your taste buds - it strikes the chord of your tongue.
Parkson Departmental Store is the "atas" emporium - prices can be ridiculously high for certain items and absurdly low for others. Like the turkey - one whole turkey costs about SGD52. We tried to take a picture of the price tag but are stopped by security.
Okay shall continue blogging when I have the chance again. I may continue to add or edit stuff in this post so keep a lookout!
