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The Siesta Lifestyle

As an American, taking naps or a siesta in the middle of the day has never been a part of my daily routine nor do I think it ever will be.  However, living in a different country, thousands of miles away from everything and everyone I know has taught me that the timely routines, that I  take for granted back home, are, in most cases, out of the ordinary to other groups of people.

For example, due to hot weather in Vietnam, some businesses you will find take a break in the afternoon from 12-2pm for lunch or a siesta. If you are walking around outside during this time you will see many people laying on their motorbikes in the park or curled up in a hammock strung under whatever nearby that provides shade. Since people prefer to not be out during the hottest part of the day this is also why you will notice many more people out late at night socializing with friends. 

Most of the time this “break” time does not hinder my daily activities but, sometimes it really does. Back home a popular time for me to visit the bank is on my lunch hour. In Vietnam this is impossible to do because the banks are closed from 12-2pm.

HCMC visitors also have to be aware of this 2-3 hour lunch break when touring popular tourist stops such as the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace and Bitexco Tower.

Naptime is so popular that some coffee shops even provide sofas for workers to enjoy a drink and a lay down on their afternoon break.

NOTE: According to SiestaAwareness.org taking a siesta gives a person more energy, improves alertness and reduces stress.  

A good friend once told me in her traveling experience she has found that, ‘…it is times like these when you realize it is hard sometimes, it does not matter who you are, it is a completely different culture and no one cares how you “do it in your country”.'

The Battle of Little Big Pomelo

Pomelo

After months of agonizingly waiting, I finally got to try a Pomelo!  Be prepared, if you dive into one of these bad boys, you're in for some work.  After fighting through the super thick rind you get to navigate around numerous seeds and thick, membrane like 'dividers.'  I guess the lesson that I learned is that you should peel the pomelo, like it is an orange, and not cut it in half and spend the next hour, spoon in hand, getting a wrist workout!  Touche market lady, next time I will listen! 

Fruit Name: Pomelo

Color: Pale green to yellow rind on the outside with a white, sometimes pink inside.

Size: 15-25 cm in diameter

Weight: 1-2 kg

Taste: Similar in texture to a grapefruit but, with a thicker rind. The pomelo is sweeter than a grapefruit and lacks that usual grapefruit sharpness that everyone tries to cover up with sugar. 

How To Eat - Cut in half and eat like a grapefruit or peel like an orange and enjoy.

Also, you're lesson in fruit history: the pomelo is the parent fruit of the grapefruit.  The grapefruit is an orange pomelo hybrid.  And to think, if it wasn't for some ancient farmer making crazy fruit in his fruit lab grandparents, across the world, wouldn't have a fruit to trick little kids into trying.  I remember the first time my grandpa offered me a bite of grapefruit and I was like, 'WOW a GIANT orange!'  The joke was apparently on me!  Very funny grandpa, next time you can set-up your own Facebook!

Photo Courtesy of http://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com

Bonus: Rihanna's Mini-Me

Photo Courtesy of http://totallylookslike.icanhascheezburger.com

Source: Wikipedia

Chic Mung Nam Moi!

Chic Mung Nam Moi! Or, Happy Lunar New Year! 

Today, I went on my first Flower Street stroll in HCMC. A lot of preparation goes in to bringing in a "lucky" new year and this flower display shows no exception. While many people leave HCMC to head back to their hometowns for the Tet holiday. Quite a few people and tourists remain in the city and enjoy the flowery sights with their friends and families. 

Nyugen Hue Street is blocked off and filled with flowers.

Around 120,000 flowerpots of 50 different kinds of flowers have been used in the street display. 

Year of the Cat.

Upside to Tet= a lot LESS traffic :)

What Can You Fit On Your Motorbike?

Nice.

Yes, that is a tree on the back of his motorbike. What will they think of next?

This country surprises me, everyday, with something new to stare at and ponder, 'is that really the safest way to transport building material?'

Mui Ne: Villas, Seafood, Sand Dunes & Ostrich Rides!

Bus cost from HCMC: 5 usd

What: Weekend Getaway
Where: Mui Ne, Vietnam 
Why: Beach, adventure time and some peace and quiet away from HCMC.
Transportation: 5-hour bus ride from HCMC. We took a sleeping bus.  It was a good way to travel, as long as you weren't over 6 feet tall. I felt like I was in a spaceship!

Great room with a great view!

A 3-minute walk up from the beach we found a great villa on the hill called the Mui Ne Hills Guesthouse.  


TripAdvisor Review here.


On Saturday, we started the day off right with an ocean view breakfast, at the villa, which included eggs, toast and fruit. 
We rented a motorbike for the day and set off to explore Fairy Stream (aka Suoi Tien), a shallow river that flows between bamboo forests and sand dunes. Visitors can walk barefoot through the water to a small waterfall.

Fairy Stream BONUS: I rode an Ostrich! For only 2.50 usd- (video here).

At the Red Sand Dunes we were approached by kids renting plastic sleds however, we found walking and jumping up and down the dunes to be plenty of sandy fun for us. The dunes are a remarkable "must-see" in Mui Ne.

The remainder of our weekend was spent on the beach
walking, swimming and watching kite surfers (another sport I would love to learn!).

Photo courtesy of pervoliavilla.com

Mui Ne is all about the seafood! Boiled, grilled, BBQ, fried, however, you like it. On our trip we enjoyed squid, prawns, red snapper and grouper fish. Yummy!  

Fishing Harbor

Got Thirst?

I am 3 days away from my two month mark here in HCMC. A warm climate tends to change many routine behaviors for a westerner like me who is not used to it. For example, I wear lighter clothing and I drink a lot more to stay hydrated. From water to Vietnamese coffee to soda.

Although, all of these drinks may not be the best for you here are a few new drinks I have spotted over here:

*PepsiCo.'s Revive Isotonic is a refreshing drink with a grapefruit and orange flavor.  This drink contains Vitamins B3, B6, and B12 to improve the body's metabolism and provide electrolytes to help re-hydrate athletes. Since there is no Gatorade in Vietnam, Revive makes for a suitable substitute.                                                                       *PepsiCo. International owns 7-Up (Outside of the U.S.) that is why certain products are not available in the states.  

PepsiCo.'s Sting is a carbonated energy drink that comes in two flavors, Gold Rush and Berry Blast. Sting is a very sweet, highly caffeinated drink.                          Commercial: The Power of Sting

Tan Hiep Phat Beverage Group's Zero Degree Lemon Green tea is very popular in Vietnam. It is a very sweet green tea similar to Lipton's Lemon tea.

Red Bull, the best selling energy drink, stemmed from this Asian drink. "Thai Red Bull" or Krating Daeng is a sweetened, more caffeinated version of Red Bull.  

PepsiCo.'s Sting Pro contains vitamins, electrolytes and ginseng extract. It tastes a lot like PepsiCo.'s Lemon/Lime Gatorade.  To me this is Gatorade in Sting Pro packaging.

Date Night: Warda Restaurant

In the heart of bustling District 1 down a narrow alley much like one you may find in Aladdin. Warda's guests find themselves stepping into an Arabian Nights atmosphere. The Mediterranean Restaurant and Shisha Bar offers a laid-back, comfortable setting with outdoor/indoor seating.

(Photo courtesy of Warda's Facebook Group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9187816730&v=wall)

The food was excellent, I already want to go back and try some more.

So far Max and I have tried:


Tomato Calamari
Kebeh
Spicy Chicken
Sambousek
Homemade Baklova, Yum!

Virtual Tour courtesy of Vietnam 720 here


Address: 71/7 Mac Thi Buoi, Dist. 1, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
Phone: (84-8) 3823 3822
Hours: Mon-Sat. 9am-late, Sunday: 3pm-12am

        

Vung Tau Weekend

View from Christ of Vung Tau overlooking Back Beach

Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is 140 km² (54 square miles) including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism in Vietnam. Locating near Ho Chi Minh city and Binh Duong province, Vungtau associates with these two places to create a triangle of power economy all over the country.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Hydrofoil Ferry

Vung Tau is a popular weekend get-away for Saigon residents because it is only an hour and fifteen minute ferry ride, or two hour ride by taxi, away. For our trip we went with the hydrofoil ferry $6/person each way. Vietnam ferries are different from what I think of as a ferry back home in Seattle.  This ferry was more like speed boat, shaped like a bullet with 2 rows of airplane seats inside.

Once we made it to our destination it was a quick, easy taxi ride to Back Beach. After hiking on the beach, we checked into our hotel and made our way to the neighboring Beach Club for dinner and a night swim in their Infinity Pool. 

The next day we woke up early and made our way to the top of the Christ of Vung Tau, a GIANT statue of Jesus built by the Catholic Association in 1974 and it was completed in 1993. It is 32 metres (105 ft) high, standing on a 4 metres (13 ft) high platform, for a 36 metres (118 ft) total monument height with two outstretched arms spanning 18.3 metres (60 ft). There is a 133-step staircase inside the statue. After a few hours on the beach, walking and swimming we showered up, checked out of our hotel and went to the Vung Tau Lighthouse. Both the lighthouse and the Jesus lookouts gave us great views of the city.  Then we hiked back down in to town for lunch before catching our ferry back to HCM.

Christ of Vung Tau

Lighthouse

Hike Down the hill from the lighthouse to Vung Tau

Max's favorite statue he spotted from the lighthouse.

  

Going International- Hello Saigon!

Whether you want the finest hotels or the cheapest guesthouses, the classiest restaurants or the most humble street stalls, the designer boutiques or the scrum of the markets, Saigon has it all.

 -Lonely Planet- Ho Chi Minh City Review

It has almost been two weeks since Max and I landed in Ho Chi Minh aka the Motorbike City. With the help of our friends and our 4-story western built home (with a maid!) we have made a smooth transition in to our new Expat lifestyle.

Getting Here

1 of 3 great meals

International flights are the way to go-Asiana Airlines treated us well on our 12-hour Seattle to Seoul flight (2 meals+bottomless water/soda+movies/games/music) and on our 5-hour flight from Seoul to HCM (1 meal+movie). Bonus: The long flight provided slippers and toothbrush/toothpaste in the restroom. 

After a long day of traveling and a lot of sleeping on the plane we reached our HCM destination. 

NOTE on Time Change:  For those of you back home wondering what time it is here we are 14 hours ahead of our WA friends/family.

The City

There is an energy in this city unlike anything I have ever experienced before. Much like the Lonely Planet review above describes there is an enormous amount of variety here.

Some places we have been so far:

• Reunification Building: Formerly South Vietnam's Presidential Palace, this is a restored five-floor time warp to the Sixties left largely untouched since the day before Saigon fell to the North. 
• Notre Dame Cathedral: A French-built Catholic cathedral in the city centre next to the Post Office.  
• Saigon Square: A very popular for shopping mall for hip, young people looking for cheap watches, DVDs, T-shirts, jeans, shorts, slippers, etc.
• War Remnants Museum: Formerly known as the Exhibition House of American War Crimes. This disturbing display of man's cruelty during the Vietnam (American) War includes halls full of gruesome photographs, a real guillotine, a simulated "tiger cage" prison and jars of deformed fetuses blamed on Agent Orange.  
• Ben Thanh Market: Located in District 1 this is probably the largest, most popular market in HCM. A shopper can find everything here from designer bags to live ducks. Popular with tourists, so prepare to haggle. 

Backpackers District

Park in District 1

Park in District 1

Notre Dame Cathedral

War Museum

War Museum

Transportation

Taxi View

The transportation mode of choice is a motor bike hence the city's nickname. For now Max and I have opted for the reasonably priced Taxi rides (10,000 VND/km or 50 cents USD/km). The way traffic moves out here reminds me of a school of fish.  One way streets and roundabouts make it possible for cars and motorbikes to glide through the city.  Cars tend to stick on the left side of the road allowing motorbikes to stay on the right (well, most of the time) the bikes pretty much weave wherever they like.

NOTE Money Exchange Rate: 19,000 VND per 1 USD

Cuisine

With over 500 Vietnamese dishes, there is plenty of food to try.

However, if you are not in the mood for noodles and rice it is not difficult to find Italian, French, Indian, Thai, Mexican and American food.

American Chains here include Carl's Jr., KFC, Hard Rock Cafe and Pizza Hut. They, also, have a fast food chain called Lotteria which to me is similar to the American version of a McDonald's. 

For all you coffee drinkers out there you will love Vietnamese coffee aka Cafe Su Da.  

Step 2 All Stirred Up

Step 1 Coffee & Condensed Milk

NOTE on grocery shopping: The City Plaza, a store which is a combination of  Uwajimaya and Fred Meyer has everything they even sell peanut butter and Cocoa Krispies/ Fruity Pebbles (for Max).