The title is appropriate for several reasons. First of all the Vietnamese currency is called the Dong and at 24000 to the US dollar we have finally become millionaires. Something we always aspired to be but could never summon the dedication to produce. We liked adventure too much and every time we accumulated a little filthy lucre we would get the travel bug and haul our children off on another excursion.
Now into retirement we can live the good life as long as we stick to travelling on the cheap. Might sound like hardship to some but we much prefer a hostel or back alley hotel to a Hyatt, Hilton, or Marriott where you dress for dinner and make such a big effort to avoid any eye contact with your neighbors. Not for us!
So we are safely ensconced in the Eden Garden Hotel in Saigon HCMC Vietnam. At breakfast we started a conversation with a young couple from Poland, we were soon joined by an Italian who is married to a Vietnamese woman and of course the inevitable young Australian guys who seem to be everywhere in the world. To us this socializing is such a large part of the pleasure of travelling we couldn't imagine life on the road without it. Of course everyone has an interesting tale to relate and breakfast stretched out into a lingering running commentary about travelling while we sipped our Café Sua Dua's. {Vietnam runs on coffee and claims to be the second largest producer of beans in the world. At first we were a little reluctant to try it their way but once tasted you are hooked}.
We've been wandering aimlessly around Saigon for the past few days. The heat, noise and traffic are a constant presence and we've spent more on keeping hydrated than we have on food. On the other hand we've been hydrating mainly with the excellent local beers which usually cost less than a 1$Can. And the food is something else again. We have three or four local favourite places near our hotel we like to frequent and usually we are joined by fellow travellers we've met along the way. Last night we shared an excellent wood fired pizza with Max and Iris a young French couple who now live here. She teaches SCUBA and he's an engineer. Their English is excellent because he lived and worked in Calgary for years. When we reach Na Trang she is going to teach us to dive
. Looking forward to it.
Crossing the street here is considered an extreme sport but in typical Canadian fashion we took to it like a beaver to our forest. We started off by trying to shadow a local but we've gotten so good at it the locals now follow us.
Not really feeling jet lagged because we just sleep when tired ... mind you yesterday we had two long naps and ended up wide awake at 10:30 pm !! So we decided to go out... to our surprise streets were still bustling with activities- lots of people walking around, music 🎶 blaring and a plethora of restaurants and pubs to choose from. We ended up getting a sidewalk table and had one of the best pizzas ever !!!
We like our hotel - great location... even though outside is bustling with lots of noise etc., it is quiet in the room so it doesn't disturb our sleep.... and the free breakfast is excellent.
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| Café Sua Da |
We have walked to many of the sights that we wanted to see already (wandered through alleys to ancient pagodas and markets, past ramshackle shops selling silk and spices ... enjoyed the colonial architecture of the famous post office, cathedral and reunification palace) and I have the blisters to prove it!!!.
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| The never-ending traffic |
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| Narrow back alleys bustling with commerce |
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| We really enjoyed the Cates with our coffee. |
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| Incongruity of ancient and modern dots the city |
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| A bizarre collection of religious art on the grounds of a catholic school. |
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Tiny streets like this are everywhere and create a warren of alleyways which are
impossible to find your way out of.
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| Tai Chi with swords |
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Parks and gardens create an oasis of calm in the inner city
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The magnificent central post office built by the French engineer Eiffel
who built the famous tower in Paris
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Saigon never sleeps... the smog from the vehicles is overwhelming at times and we will welcome a more laid back time when we head off to Hoi An on Monday
We've been wandering aimlessly around Saigon for the past few days. The heat, noise and traffic are a constant presence and we've spent more on keeping hydrated than we have on food. On the other hand we've been hydrating mainly with the excellent local beers which usually cost less than a 1$Can. And the food is something else again. We have three or four local favourite places near our hotel we like to frequent and usually we are joined by fellow travellers we've met along the way. Last night we shared an excellent wood fired pizza with Max and Iris a young French couple who now live here. She teaches SCUBA and he's an engineer. Their English is excellent because he lived and worked in Calgary for years. When we reach Na Trang she is going to teach us to dive
. Looking forward to it.
Crossing the street here is considered an extreme sport but in typical Canadian fashion we took to it like a beaver to our forest. We started off by trying to shadow a local but we've gotten so good at it the locals now follow us.
We have walked to many of the sights that we wanted to see already (wandered through alleys to ancient pagodas and markets, past ramshackle shops selling silk and spices ... enjoyed the colonial architecture of the famous post office, cathedral and reunification palace) and I have the blisters to prove it!!!. 
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