On my last day in Saigon, I wanted to take things slow. I had already visited many of the city's attractions, but I still wanted to make a brief stop in Chinatown. However, first thing in the morning, I needed to settle my accommodation payment. I communicated via email with the 'house management' that it should be done with the housekeeper who would be on site from 9:00 AM. Okay, so after my morning coffee, I wandered over to her in the lobby. My Vietnamese is quite poor, so the communication was a bit clumsy. I was a little surprised that I had to pay less than what my booking stated, but I wasn't really upset about it... About three-quarters of an hour later, she knocked on my door, had a mountain of luggage from the next guest with her, and somehow I understood that she meant I was checking out today. Like usual in Asia, she smiled a lot, but we struggled to communicate effectively. However, she understood that I wanted to speak with her boss. He had messed up my booking and had noted my departure a day earlier. After some back and forth and several photos of my actual booking, which we discussed in a triangular communication between the housekeeper, the boss, and me, he managed to spot the error, and the new guest was accommodated one floor down... After all the back and forth, it was already shortly after noon when I started strolling. Chinatown was a bit far from my accommodation, and instead of a taxi, I wanted to take in some impressions of the local bus transport. I had selected my route and waited patiently. During this time, I observed how the local people navigate the bus system. You have to see the right bus line from a distance and signal your desire to board by waving, flailing your arms, and stepping off the sidewalk onto the road. Okay, I tried this as my line arrived... but initially with little success, the bus driver stared at me but continued to drive straight ahead. I felt a bit ridiculous. Had I done something wrong? ... I wanted to give it one more try and waited about 10 more minutes, and then the procedure worked. I jumped on the bus; it doesn't come to a complete stop when getting on or off, rather you get in and out of a vehicle that is moving slowly - as the cashier signaled to me with hand gestures and some hasty words. Then I observed the urban hustle and bustle a bit during the 45-minute ride. Upon arriving in Chinatown, I noticed that the traffic here was even more hectic than in the old town district. Crossing the street is a bit of an adventure when 7 to 10 mopeds/scooters are coming at you in a multi-lane road. A pedestrian crossing with zebra stripes doesn’t guarantee anyone will stop. So, you have to walk across the street with a steady pace; the two-wheelers will swerve around you; at least, that's my hope each time. If you timidly slow your step, they will crash into you as they won't expect it. At first, my blood pressure shot up during the attempts, but somehow it works and the swarm of mopeds navigates around you. So, it's best to keep your eyes closed and push through ;-) ... In Chinatown, you can find sporadic English signs, but many Chinese characters abound. I strolled a bit through the streets, stopped in some temples, and visited the Catholic St. Francis Xavier Church. The temples, as well as the church, are quite remarkable and different due to their Chinese influence compared to what I had previously visited. Especially in the temple grounds, an array of scents dominates the sensory experience from the massive incense sticks of various sizes ... I then wound my way through several side streets and observed the market activities with many little shops for daily needs...
After my brief visit in Chinatown, I left the district and returning to the old town, the chaotic traffic no longer felt as intense as it had two days ago...
This morning, I left quite early for my flight to Hue; my next stop. I checked and found that there is a good and quick connection to the airport with the local bus line and discarded the taxi idea that wouldn't have been any faster to reach the destination. Moreover, I had found some enjoyment in taking the city bus in Saigon. So I walked a few meters to the bus stop, knowing the procedure now, and soon I was on board for the 40-minute journey to the airport. During the ride, there was suddenly a hard brake, I heard the bus driver yelling angrily, and at the next traffic light, he opened the door, jumped over his seat, and ran out, shouting at a motorcyclist through the open door, and could only be restrained from attacking by the cashier of the bus, who held him firmly with both arms around his upper body. Quite a surreal scene; but being a bus driver in Saigon wouldn’t be a dream job for me ... I wish I could have understood what he shouted at him... By the way: I would always refrain from renting a scooter in Saigon... But I arrived safely at the airport, and everything worked perfectly and relatively quickly during check-in. Nonetheless, there was of course another half-hour delay of the flight. Arriving at the quaint airport in Hue, I ordered a Grab taxi and 30 minutes later, I found myself already on the balcony of my hostel for the next two nights, just needing to decide which of the two kingsize beds I would use today... After 30 minutes of settling in and relaxing a bit, I went out for a few hours before it got dark for a little sightseeing tour through my new surroundings; initially along the promenade of the Perfume River with the numerous dragon boats, and then a bit through the city center with the many little shops and temples. Everything here feels a bit more peaceful and less hectic compared to Saigon, which was the capital of
Vietnam until 1945, but it has a lot of charm... Let's see what experiences await me today in the local small pub scene...
