it's off to the bus station where the cyclo tries to hustle me. those cheeky bastards. i meet marc, a frenchman, who gives me advice and we travel together to the airport. he is enroute to hcmc too. he speaks pretty decent english and we chat in broken strange sentences.
ho chi minh city, i really only have 1 day to see, so i figure i'm going to hit the road hard. marc is tagging along and it's good to have some insight, even if i understand every other word. we grab lunch, where i have a very lovely roast duck in a claypot. we then walk to the market, which is another thing sharing a very similar feel to brazil for me. once we get inside the market, the sound of a million hammers banging some mad rhythm sound above us. monsoon season; so much for taking in the city. we snag a taxi back to the hotel and it dawns on me, i may not even get to see reunification palace which was the one thing i wanted to take in. i dejectedly walk up to the room and take a nap.
here is a pot of live crabs from the market
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| From vietnam / thailand trip |
after a powernap, i decide to peek outside. it's not raining at the moment, so i pounce on a taxi and we speed off to the palace.
reunification palace is monstrously huge. open corridors and entertainment rooms for receiving guests. everything is so meticulous and detailed. you walk up 3 floors, gorging yourself with pristine relics which don't look like they would be out of place today. although really, really expensive stuff doesn't seem to age to me. look at my bentley, for example. reunification palace was the last vestige we and the south vietnamese had, and ho chi minh handed the keys over decades ago. it is a colossus of military forte, outdated broadcasting gear, and war rooms on top of grandiose halls. i tried to capture it's feel in photos, but i'm not sure they will do justice.
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| From vietnam / thailand trip |
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| From vietnam / thailand trip |
i walk home purchasing my tropical fav, coconut water and see a familiar logo. i flash the 'hook 'em' sign and it's relayed. loyd, this guy really loves the horns, i got a photo for you.
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| From vietnam / thailand trip |
back at the hotel, i run into to more english girls. i can never discern aussie/english accents, so i always start off on the wrong foot. they laugh it off and we grab dinner. i wasn't planning on going out, but they persuade me and we head off with an aussie to the ostentatious apocalypse now club. revered for it's diverse crowd and frequent fights, it was highly recommended in my lonely planet.
we grab drinks and head to the dance floor, which is planned worse then the big dig. diners sit at fixed tables in front of the dj and with how crowded it is, you are bumping against the diners. we back out and run into another group of travelers. not wanting to sound like the typical dumb american, i introduce myself in portugese to the group wherein i meet suzannah, a lovely english girl, who is on an extended holiday. we start chatting and grab a drink, then head to the dance floor where i floor her with my timberlake executed moves. in honesty, i am bringing sexy back. i swear, i'm even starting to like the new j lo song. this may necessitate a full hand slap to the face when i get stateside, but it's infectious on the dance floor.
we retreat from the dance floor back to the open air courtyard and continue talking. then i almost become part of the allure of apocalypse now. a loose lipped aussie approaches, apparently adopting (alliteration) the might over mind theory to woo the beautiful suzannah. he takes me for the obstacle. he lays his knuckles on my cheek and growls, 'you know, you're a real weasel.' i look him in the eye and reply ' i'm glad you are voicing your opinion,' removing his fist. he replaces it and reiterates his venomous words. i inform him it's the last time his fist touch me and suzannah tells him to get lost. he leaves shaking his head in frustration. who wouldn't want to talk to a d-bag like that? it's a near miss to a skirmish and what would have been an uncomfortable exit.
all in all, it's a fantastic night and wraps up my vietnam trip.
tomorrow i learn to talk thai.
