Saigon Part 1

Spontaneity comes in different forms. One manifestation is to tell someone you will be in Saigon in two weeks and then have that person immediately purchase a ticket to Saigon for a weekend excursion. Diana Lee (www.asparagese.blogspot.com) joined me for my first three days in Saigon from Singapore. Although we we both had hacking coughs, we managed to get in a day in the Mekong as well as checking out Reunification Palace. On the Mekong we paddled in little riverboats that were totally reminiscent of scenes in old movies about the war where some VCs are hiding in the rivers sucking air through a reed and then ambush your boat. Our straw hats added to the ambiance. For 6 bucks we got transportation (bus and boat), visited four islands, tested local coconut candy (divine!), had lunch, sampled local fruits, and saw a brief musical performance. Even by Vietnamese standards Diana and I thought this was quite the deal. Because we were both feeling so crappy, we party in Saigon as one should. You know the kind of sick where you are just totally don't want to speak with anyone, everyone annoys you and you want to just sleep? That's how I felt on Saturday night and Sunday morning. Sunday evening, however, was a different story.