Scents of Saigon

After a fourteen hour flight, a lay over in Hong Kong, a Starbucks coffee, and about five disgusting, individually wrapped, airplane meals that left me unsatisfied, I finally landed in my destination--Saigon. I got in at 10:30 a.m. where I was greeted by Denny and his family.

Obviously, being the food fanatic that I claim to be and obsessed with Asian cuisine as I am, the first thing I yerned for a was a delicious and traditional Vietnamese lunch. We were taken to a modern-interiored restaurant by Denny's cousin, and were presented with a delectable array of Vietnamese dishes which I, predictably, cannot pronounce nor know the name of, but fell madly in love with at first scent and sight. They included some savory meat on a stick which we wrapped in rice paper with cilantro and mint and dipped in peanut sauce, tiny stir-fried clams which tasted like lemongrass that you scoop like salsa with crispy rice chips, steamed rice noodle dumplings with shrimp, dipped in fish sauce, and soft rice cakes with green onions, dried shrimp, fish sauce, and deep fried pork skin chips to top it off ... washed down with a cold Vietnamese beer and fresh coconut water. Basically, the meal was everything I could of asked for as my first meal in Vietnam, or any meal at that matter.

The smell of fresh noodle soup wafts into the room above the family-run restaurant we are staying at. Everyday, groups of locals crowd the popular restaurant to get their daily fix of steaming bowls of Chinese noodle soup and Vietnamese coffee, which I have also started a not-so-secret love affair with. Condensed milk and strong coffee are true soulmates, God couldn't have matched better. Down the street there is a salon, where a few young Vietnamese ladies, with funky haircuts, work. Denny took me to get a hair shampoo and mini facial for three dollars. I got my hair washed and massaged and they washed my face with some undiscript soap and continued to do a bunch of other somewhat-scary (yet awesome) massaging techniques that included banging my forehead with something random and cucumbers placed strategically on my face. Then they blowdried and straightened my hair ... I felt like a new woman, with stick-straight hair instead of wavy, ready to take on Ho Chih Minh.

This city is insane. I've never seen so many motorcycles in my entire life. The city is covered with them like ants that creep up on you and won't let you cross the street. Everytime I step outside, I fear for my life. I guess that's just how it is living on the edge as an intrepid traveller ... you're always scared you're gonna get hit by a racing motorcylcle in the streets of Saigon. Regardless I love the city. It's so full of life from it's overcrowded walkways, street-food stalls that envelope the city in fresh scents of mint and basil, sugarcane juice, sweet fish sauce, and deep fried spring roles. I adore the outdoor caffes that adorn tree-lined boulevards and wish I could idle away days in them with my journal, a pen, and Vietnamese coffee.

I woke up at 5:30 a.m. today. Jet lag wouldn't let me sleep through the night, but a hot cup of Vietnamese coffee accompanied with noodle soup for breakfast woke me right up, and now I'm ready to explore. I can't wait to see what more this city has to offer. I can feel it's history, though i'm unfortunately lacking in education about it, through every building, every street-side food vendor, and in the warm-hearted people that encopass it. I can't wait to eat more delicious things and get lost in the cities intriquite and congested streets.