Vietnam Part 6 : Back at Saigon!
Posted: July 16th, 2009 | Author: faddy | Filed under: Travel | Comments Off
Around four to five hours of sleeping in Sinh Cafe’s sleeper bus, we were awaken by loud renditions of Vietnamese folk songs through speakers that were resting innocently next to our heads.
Still in a dazed state, we looked out the windows and saw a view that we could not catch of Saigon five days back; one that had a sparring number of people and even lesser numbers of vehicles dashing around.
Grabbing our now spilling backpacks which had been thrown haphazardly onto the gravel pavement, Peah, Ikah and I stood still for a moment, digesting slowly the situation that we are facing right now – Nary a cent in our pockets due to the boy at Mui Ne, on a lonely street at 5am with nowhere to go.
Slinging our backpacks over our shoulders, we walked towards Luan Vu Hostel, the only place we could call home here in Saigon. Sleepy, exhausted and wanting nothing but a place to rest our tired bodies, we began envisioning the comfortable beds that Luan Vu had granted us the first two days in the country.
It came to a shock when we saw Luan Vu’s gates all closed up and locked. Knowing nothing else that we could do, or anywhere else that we could go, we desperately knocked on the metal gate, and let out a sigh of relief when a familiar face (albeit sleepy hehe) pushed the creaking grills open.
Seeing us, she smiled but with a slight dismay on her face, pointed out that they had no rooms left at all since we did not make any reservations. However, upon noticing that we look terribly disappointed and on getting to know that we really had no money left and only needed a place to crash for a few hours or so, she gestured towards the sofa at the lobby where she was sleeping at. Insisting that we sleep there, she gathered her pillow and blanket, and joined the rest of the hotel staff to sleep on the kitchen floor :’)
Three hours later, we woke up and after taking turns to freshen ourselves in the staff toilet at the kitchen and giving heartfelt thanks to the ever helpful staff at Luan Vu, we reemerged on the streets of Saigon and faced the hustle bustle that only a city could bring. Vietnamese touting their goods, blaring horns and mad dashes from vehicles and human beings alike – this was the Saigon that we had gotten comfortable with :)
After having breakfast of toast and jam, we did some last minute shopping at Ben Thranh market, the best place to shop in the whole of South Vietnam we reckon hahaha (be sure to bargain like ALOT), and picked up our backpacks which we had left at Luan Vu. After another round of giving them our sincere thanks, we hopped aboard the cab which we booked through the hostel desk and began our journey back home.
Aboard the plane ride, the three of us expressed the same feelings; we still could not beleive the fact that we had gone to a country that had never been in our list of places to travel to, and for six days at that. We laughed over the fact that we had made it back safe and sound, of getting our impression of humanity ripped apart and of the nights one of us spent crying over her boyfriend back home (wakakaka!!).
It was definitely the longest period the three of us had spent in each others’ company, and if the saying that travelling will be the test of true friendship, then I would concur that the we aced the big exams :)
Thus ends my six part series of my virgin trip to Vietnam, and I hope it answers all your questions :) As a reminder, the trip cost us only $600 each, including return airfare and the accomodation for all five nights, even leaving ample room for shopping at overpriced places.
Feel free to e-mail me any other questions if you have any, and I will try my best to answer them from what little experience I had, or if not, I’ll always have my Lonely Planet guidebook on hand :)
Related posts:
- Vietnam Part 1 : Ho Chin Minh (Saigon)
- Vietnam Part 5 : Mui Ne!
- Vietnam Part 3 : Mekong Delta!
- Vietnam Part 2 : Caodai Temples and Cu Chi Tunnels!
- Vietnam Part 4 : Nha Thrang!
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