According to the Katie Melua song there are 9 million bicycles in Beijing. Possibly but did you know there are 8.5 million motorcycles in Ho Chi Minh city? And I think they were all out on the streets last night when we embarked on our Food Tour.
Our guides/drivers told us there are really no rules of the road in HCM except ‘just go for it’ and I can believe it. It was pandemonium. How there aren’t more accidents is beyond me. Somehow, though, our skilful drivers managed to duck and weave through the seemingly endless cobweb of traffic and get us safely to our different eating locations.
Not only did our guides negotiate the chaotic traffic safely they also gave us running commentaries about the sights and sounds of HCM at the same time. Incredible!
A soothing beer at the first stop calmed any driving nerves we might have had so by the time we hurtled down some of the narrow alley streets, – and I mean really narrow- I was in a very relaxed state and able to enjoy the gorgeous aroma of flowers down one particular street.
It certainly made a change from the smell of carbon monoxide fumes.
Our penultimate stop was for crepes (with delicious fillings, of course) where Bobs tried her hand at cooking.
and at the end of the tour our guides asked us to name our favourite dish of the evening. A very difficult choice as even the most obscure sounding platters tasted superb. I opted for the clams
and Bobs for the duck salad.
There was only one thing on offer that we couldn’t face – 10 day old duck foetus!
Yuk!
Overall though, a totally memorable and exhilarating evening., brilliantly organised and executed. It should be a ‘must do’ on anyone’s itinerary who visits this extraordinary city.
The security checking at the airport this morning took longer than the flight itself – a 50 minute hop to the resort of Nha Trang on Vietnam’s east coast. The 7 km long beach reminds me a little of Copacabana (only a little name drop!) but without, I suspect, the sophistication.
Although we have done no exploring so far, I was just a little concerned to discover there are direct flights from Moscow here! So I wouldn’t be surprised to find this place caters for a different section of society than what I have been use to. Anyway, I’m sure it will be fine and if ever the sun shines it could be perfect.
Phileas
thelasthurrahsite 