Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
welcome to se asia
My first destination in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh City. I arrived late in the evening and was instantly greeted by the chaos that people can only experience. It was exciting to step into a new world for me. I have never traveled this far east before.
I jumped into a taxi and made my way to see Tiffany, my couchsurfing host. The taxi ride was fun. We were zooming in and out and were surrounded by scooters. It felt strange being one of the largest vehicles on the streets. I was in awe, gazing out the window trying to take in as much as I could. Seeing 2-5 people on one motorbike, kids draped over the handlebars, and all sorts of things piled on the backs. Of course, this is the thing that everyone talks about when first arriving. The motorbikes!
I was unable to get a hold of my host once I found the apartment and found myself curbside with my bag, eating noodle soup at 11pm and 100 degree weather. But why not?! Tiffany arrived and showed me her apartment. It was a single room with a bathroom that we would be sharing. She unfolded a cushion for me to sleep on, and I went to sleep, waiting for HCMC to be explored in the morning.
I spent several days in HCMC. I was quickly introduced to the chaos, heat, over stimulating environment and crowds. But just like with anything, adaptation is key. And I managed well. It was funny because the first day that I was there, I was trying to cross the street. I had to think seriously, “how am I going to get to the other side?”. There is constant sea of motorbikes going. I was standing watching the traffic for a while, really contemplating how I was going to get to the other side. The owner of one of the little shops saw me, and stopped another local Vietnamese man on the street, pointed at me and pointed at him and then pointed at the other side of the road. The man nodded at me, smiled and signaled that I would cross with him. Normally, I like to think I can figure these things out, but I was grateful for this interaction. It was quite comical. We walked across the street, steadily and didn't look to our left or our right. It was as if we were parting the Red Sea. It’s truly a miracle.
This was by far, the strangest thing I ate while in Vietnam. The cousin of my host took me out for an evening. We stopped on the street where they were serving some food and she asked me if I wanted to try Balut. I nodded, not sure what it was. I was also feeling pretty adventurous so I thought I would give it a try. Balut is a boiled egg that has a developing bird embryo inside. It is served in the shell. You crack it open, dip it in some salt and lime mixture, and slurp it from the shell. It was an experience trying this. Everyone on the street was looking at me and giving me nods of approval. I think I instantly gained some street cred. from the locals. I also thought I would just try ONE, but turns out my host ordered an entire bowl with about 20 little eggs in it. We ended up going one-for-one until they were finished.
