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2/6
2/6
A ride to the bus station from the owner of the hotel and a very comfortable van ride brought us to Ho Chi Minh City. Our arrival and subsequent taxi to hotel was unremarkable except for the introduction to HCMC rules of the road. Our taxi backed up into a 5 way intersection and fully turned around in it while other cars and motorbikes surged through the intersection!
Our evening was built around preventing any possible continuation of our perceived bedbug problem: purchasing black garbage bags to heat-treat suitcases and belongings with the sun on our balcony, washing most of our clothes with a hot dryer cycle, keeping all our belongings in the entryway or on the balcony until examined and/or heated by hairdryer to evict any stowaways.
We did manage to find a delicious vegan spot to eat at while our laundry ran.
All of our things in bags. Later, the majority would sit out on our balcony to catch some rays. All of this was probably unnecessary, but if we ever have to do it, we've had a convincing practice run.
Preparing for Tet, this was not the only tree on the back of a motorbike we saw drive by that night!
2/7
2/7
We let ourselves sleep in after our several sleep-light nights before checking out the local market, Ben Tanh. Similar in scope and scale to the Central Market in Phnom Penh. We returned to the Filthy Vegan, as it was one of our first opportunities for vegan Vietnamese coffee, and enjoyed an afternoon snack-meal.
Our evening saw us wandering through Saigon: enjoying the HCMC museum of fine art and a souvenir store appropriately named Saigon Kitsch.
Our hunt for vegan food (being back in a big city) brought us to a building of apartment cafes that happened to look out over a large, city sponsored Tet celebration/outdoor exhibition. We became yet another couple in the crowd as film crews captured, and broadcast live, the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Ben Tanh market was a dizzying mix of locals and tourists bargaining on discount totally legit luxury goods, buying bulk food and spices, or just meeting up for a meal.
Apartment cafes!
Our view down on the Tet festivities before they opened from our spot in
TV van and the large crowd of people involved in kicking off the festivities.
The entrance (we would return the next day to see it).
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