[monumentum]

Would start off with this. my 1st meal in Vietnam - Lunch in HCMC. Simple fare. No simple price though. I suspect that the "guide" (of whom I'd elaborate on later) conspired with the local, scamming. Ok I'm not trying to be cynical here. But this meal cost 58k VND, approx. twice or more the price of the typical pho (10k~28k VND depending on dining location). Wasnt particularly special a meal though. Justifies my suspicion uh? That's for you to decide.
I'll have some fun recollecting the trip. Sweet aftertaste of travelling I guess. Mmm... In the midst of the now hectic days. This'll probably take some time to complete. Judging by how limited time is right now..
Day #1: Ho Chi Minh City
This was a terrible day. 1st being a greenhorn in this scheming society... Got scammed by some so-called "metered" cab cabbie. Ought to have only paid 132860VND at most, yet paid over 800k VND for that damned trip from Than Son Nhat Int'l airport to HCMC central. In the cab there was this radio call that blared "sei zo.. sei zo.." in Vietnamese ("dead already" in Cantonese), probably a sign for my upcoming farewell to the cash I'd carried. Rather overwhelming city, HCMC.Touched down in the morning abt 9am local time. Checked in to a place called Happy Inn @ USD17/night along BuiVien St. Generally a great place, friendly staff & clean, comfortable room. Room's comparable to a 4-5 star place, only without the additional amenities, though it's a family-run little.. Inn?My concept of "terrible" isn't simply the above. Of course there's more... Then I got scammed by a so-called "guide". I guess there're many of such in such a tourist cluttered place as HCMC. 1st he approached, all kind & helpful volunteering to take me across the city.. Bla bla.. Despite my numerous failed attempts at turning down his help. He was so obstinate; so insistent. When I offered him some cash to send him on his OWN way, he was like.. "No no...". It was at the end of all the touring & rushing thru the sights on a motorbike that he took me to an ATM, & asked if I should withdraw money to pay him ALREADY, for he charges USD20/hr for "tours". Of course then I kicked up at fuss. But I ended up paying him 500k VND, bargaining from the initial appalling 7-digit figure.These are some shots of this bustling city. Something not really appreciated; overused. Seeeeeeee......So the sights above are snapshots of HCMC. Since I did not really like the place... This shall be a brief walkthrough.
I thought the above was rather interesting... Love how the cables criss-crossed. Lame - skyline? Literally -.-! But yes, interesting. If you looked a little closer, you probably can spot some pigeons perched there. Don't really get to see this everywhere, do you?It so happens that the day I arrived was Vietnam's independence day. It came as a surprise. So you could easily say... I was ill-prepared. Too little research ehh? Yes next time DO look out for special festivals etc. when planning your trip; you might catch something really interesting. So above was the preparation by CORDONING off roads. Was totally in a blurrrr... By night, by chance, I took a stroll from the hotel to HCMC centre & witnessed the independence day concert. Regret that I did not snap a shot of how motorbikes choked up the 3-lane highway; riders, in hopes of catching a glimpe of the concert spectacle from their bikes. I managed to clinch a spot faraway from the stage, to snap the above.. Though I'd say it wasnt the best, was still thankful for how "centred" I positioned myself. Oh yes, the crowd was overwhelming indeed! See those numerous tiny heads in the foreground? Hmm..This was my 2nd meal in Vietnam. Dinner. Ate at Pham Ngu Lao. The infamous backpackers' "haven". I beg to defer. Prices of food & water are cutthroat there. This cost me 28k VND. Nice uh. Though I couldnt have known then. Till later would I realise pho could go as low as 10k VND for a substantially sumptuous bowl (including tea & the usual side dishes).
Guess 'cause it's HCMC huh!
Gotta stop here. DoZzZZZzzzZZzZZZZzzZzing.... WORK WORK WORK in few hrs time. Good night.