As I write this, I can’t hear a single car horn. It’s been hours since I saw a scooter, let alone having to hope they don’t hit me as I cross a road. There are geckos running around the wall, and a river flowing 10m away from me. We’re in Cat Tien national park, and it’s proving to be the perfect counterpoint to Ho Chi Minh City.
After the success of our French experiences, we thought we’d follow up with a journey deeper into the cosmopolitan heart of Saigon through Japanese pizza.
At the moment we’re having trouble avoiding the French past of Vietnam (not that we’re minding). It begins at breakfast, where along side noodle soups, salads and rice porridge are served croissants, baguettes and a woman waits patiently to make fresh omelettes when requested.
We’ve now been in Saigon for almost 24 hours, and the word “ordeal” springs to mind. As Sim said, when you take your life in your hands walking down the street, it’s hard to be relaxed. On the other hand, $4 Maitais go some way to easing the tension (though we later learned we could have got them for about half that at our hotel). We felt pretty good about the pho we had for 40,000 dong (about $2), but I suspect we could get it cheaper once we get our arm in.
In which our heroes leave the comfort of their Marrickvillian Vietnamese restaurants and go to the source…