Saigon Cafés
Sunday afternoon I spent four hours at a small coffee shop along the river just north of District 1. Customers arrive (all men) one at a time and each places a pack of cigarettes on the small plastic table, orders an iced coffee and sits quietly while watching the scooters drive by. At one point a 30-something Vietnamese fellow took a seat near me while busily talking on his cell phone. 20 minutes later his friend showed up with a brand new watch and the two discussed and compared their watches. Eventually the cafe’s owner, a tattooed man in his early 40’s, took up a small plastic chair next to them and joined the watch discussion. The mid-day road-side coffee shops are only populated by men and this started to make sense after a friend told us the unemployment rate for men is high in Saigon.
Vietnamese of all ages, especially the older ones, are content to sit and watch, existentially contemplating their life, the universe and everything. Or maybe they’re just spacing out, who knows. Regardless it’s a refreshing contrast to the West where the almighty productivity takes precedence. The patience of Vietnamese is truly stunning. Every morning on the highway below our apartment window a small lady sits on the edge of the highway selling gasoline from small glass bottles. I’ve never seen a customer, however every 10 minutes or so either a scooter stops for directions or she shifts her plastic stool to remain under the shadow of the overhead billboard. She represents a stereotypical Vietnamese lady for me:
- Her clothes: sandals, dark slacks with a bright pink jacket covering her arms, the typical Vietnamese conical hat (nón lá).
- Her relaxed and patient demeanor: watching the traffic go by without, it seems from my far vantage, too many concerns or worries.
- Entrepreneurial spirit: working in the informal sector and creatively making ends meet.
Like this woman, many Vietnamese around the city are never 100% working and never 100% relaxing. Their life exists in an indeterminate state between the two. The cafe, for instance, is run by a family. At one point the lady that served me coffee left on her scooter and returned an hour later with a fresh haircut. Her husband spends the time between serving customers smoking and watching the scenery in deep thought. Families running restaurants are to be found between mealtimes napping in hammocks or playing cards.
After the coffee shop I took a motorbike 12 km straight across nighttime Saigon. Twice my 50-something driver asked for directions and we filled up at a gas station. The Saigon night streets vibrated with light and energy with every inch of real estate taken up by scooters, cars, or just people standing around smoking and chatting (of course this includes the sidewalks). With this many scooters in traffic it’s not uncommon to actually touch other scooters or cars. In a roundabout another driver’s handlebar hit my driver’s arm at low speed and I had to tuck my knees in to avoid him. Finally, after 50 minutes on the back of the scooter, I arrived home with a sore butt.
An analogy occurred to me while riding the bike home: Perhaps you have played the trust game? You fall backwards with your eyes closed and depend on your friend to catch you before you hit the floor, thereby cementing your trust. Driving a scooter in Saigon is like playing the trust game. However, instead of a friend catching you it’s a stranger, and instead of the floor it’s a trip to the ER, and you play it about one thousand times every ride.
Typical cafe, with typical cigarettes and lighter.
Chilling at the river cafe.
Typical Saigon rush hour.
Child waiting for his family to pick up food.
Fellow resting in a hammock in his bus.
Empty Saigon lot.
Sarah made fast friends with the restaurant owner who shared durian with us.
Rainy day in a restaurant along the river.
Turtle Lake, downtown Saigon.
The Factory art gallery and coworking place near our apartment in the expat neighborhood.
Night activities along the river.
Fellow painting an alley beneath Pasteur Street Brewery Co.
Scooting
After our almost scooter accident Sarah decided not to ride them anymore and I don’t blame her. With no public transportation the locals take scooters to get around Ho Chi Minh. Scooters are the fastest way to get around since they split lanes, drive on sidewalks, park anywhere that’s flat and carry a family of five. On my only ride since the accident my driver was weaving in and out of stopped traffic and going into oncoming traffic as is typical in this city. I felt pretty nervous compared to previous times but what the heck, I’ll keep doing it. We use an app called “Grab” to summon scooters, similar to Uber or Lyft in America. The driver shows up a minute later, hands you a helmet and you’re off.
I feel quite cut off from Vietnam in District 2. As I write this I’m staring out the window of our high rise apartment which overlooks empty pits, cleared fields, cranes and other signs of a changing neighborhood. I’m told the Vietnamese government has big plans for this district. The slums have been been paved over to provide more high rises with pools, gyms and Starbucks for expats like myself. The cost of progress, I guess.
Outside this window at any given moment there are hundreds of scooters going either direction along the highway. It’s like a group-think experiment watching them navigate. Without any safety distance between them every five seconds I see something we would classify a “close call” in the West. I’m reminded of ants working together to build something without a leader or a computer program we made for a college class called “Life”. Between the scooters and our window is the half-completed metro system that will connect Ho Chi Minh’s many districts. If it’s ever completed it will change the city and hopefully reduce scooter accidents – now that’s progress.
View from our window. Lots of scooters and construction. The metro construction is visible in the foreground.
Metro construction in our district, District 2. New high rises visible in background.
Scooter traffic around Turtle Lake in downtown Ho Chi Minh.
A scooter “parkade”. The fellow is collecting parking fees.
Typical scooter load.
Vehicles and pedestrians must cross this flooded road to get to our building complex.
Construction workers. The lower one is welding without fall protection, the other is smoking while watching, also not tied in.
Enjoying a drink near the lobby of our high rise during a tropical downpour.
Culture Shock / Into Vietnam
Culture Shock
When I first arrived in Thailand a month ago I couldn’t help feeling impatience with the way Thais do things as it seems so backwards compared to the way we do things back home. As time passed, however, I realized it’s just different, not better or worse. These are the ways they do things. Now after a month abroad I value many of the Thai ways more than the Western ways and I’m in for reverse culture shock when I return. The people seem much happier than other places I have traveled (a grin, for instance, will remedy just about any awkward situation – compared to North American culture where a grin may be perceived as romantic interest). Thai culture seems much more open and social than Western culture. The people enjoy themselves on the streets instead of sealed up inside air conditioned homes and are frequently socializing with each other on the streets. This is much easier to do in a warm climate than in Canada, however, the people themselves seem to crave constant interaction and friendship which adds to the welcoming atmosphere. I don’t know what’s behind the grins and happiness of Thai people. Hopefully on the inside they are as happy as they seem, however, Sarah read a book written by a Thai prostitute titled Only 13 which sheds light on Thailand’s darker aspects.
Into Vietnam
Vietnam feels different from Thailand in many ways. We arrived on the island of Phu Quoc seven days ago. Phu Quoc is a charming, forested island south of the Vietnam mainland and is actually closer to Cambodia. The people here are less friendly than Thailand and it has a more “down to business” feel which actually seems more authentic. Thailand is known as the land of smiles and Vietnam feels like just simple daily realities and hard work.
To reduce my vast knowledge gap on this country I picked up Vietnam: Rising Dragon on my Kindle a few days ago. Sarah and I brought Kindles on the trip, however, I haven’t set as much time aside to read as I would have liked. Traveling while unemployed affords surprisingly little free time.
Sarah peeking out from our Bangkok apartment.
Grabbing a beer off our balcony in the Huai Kwang neighborhood.
Beautiful downtown Bangkok. This photo taken between two of the largest malls I’ve seen in my life.
Taking the Bangkok bus. The people sitting next to us helped interpret to pay our fare.
Westerners pumping iron in Lumpini Park.
My favourite rooftop bar in Bangkok – Skytrain Jazz Club.
View from our hotel in Phu Quoc (town of An Thoi).
Sarah walking down a path by the harbour in An Thoi.
An Thoi harbour, the concrete structure is for an 8km long cable car installation to be completed next year to help attract tourists.
Shack in An Thoi.
Leaving Lampang
We head out to Bangkok tomorrow morning via a 9-hour train ride.
Eight days in Lampang (pop. 750,000) felt just right. Lampang is a small and friendly city southeast of the much travelled Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. This city offers a chance to meet and get to know some locals. We went a few times to a bar a couple blocks down the street called Apirome where we were greeted each visit with warm smiles and friendly “hellos” not just from the bar owners but also customers. Apparently we were the first guests from outside Lampang since they opened a few weeks ago. We spent time getting to know the owners and exchanging photos of our hometowns. Hanging out like this made the entire trip worthwhile and beat the socks off all the temples and tourists sights Thailand has to offer.
We have made an attempt so far in Thailand to get past the typical tourist spots and get to know the real Thailand but inevitably all we will know at the end of our month is just how little we actually understand and leave with more questions than answers. I’ve felt this way every trip, I think it’s part of traveling. I can’t bear to think of how many questions I will have after a year here.
Getting over fear and allowing myself to be myself
The most difficult part of traveling is dealing with the self-consciousness. I’m trying to fit in while still respecting the local culture and not seeming like a wannabe local. I find I’m often uneasy, especially in the markets, with everyone staring at me. I remind myself that they are just curious about me as I am about them, they mean no harm. Sarah and I will always be outsiders here and treated differently. When we approach Thais I often hear them say “Farang” (the Thai word for someone of European descent). I’m comfortable with that and just happy to be here and don’t expect to integrate. I’ll try to be myself and make some more connections and friendships.
Lampang abandoned buildings.
Sunset near the Wang River.
Hot springs just outside Lampang.
Wat Chalermprakiat, a hilltop temple ~ 70 km north of Lampang.
Wat Chalermprakiat.
Plant and flower shop along market street.
Local coffee shop with great prices.
Asawin, local market in Lampang.
Giant billboard showing Thai King.
Love the stationary stores in Lampang.
Bridge across Wang River, Lampang.
Friday night market.
How I Feel
Starting to feel more adjusted to the temperature, climate and culture. Remembering slowly why I came here in the first place. I feel today this is where I want to be and am much more relaxed than at home, it’s like an alternate reality.
Sarah and I were talking about how much we prefer feeling closer to the culture of a place as opposed to sipping martinis on a beach being pampered. We have witnessed a scooter accident and a tourist evacuating his stomach from our balcony. Everything feels different and makes me realize I can get by on so much less. The Thai people seem to be a very happy people.
Neither of us are in a vacation mode right now. We don’t mind missing out on the tourist sites to just relax, work on our projects and experience Thailand. We head to Lampang on Wednesday. We chose it because it’s in a completely different part of Thailand and supposedly isn’t so full of tourists. We will, however, be staying at a Guesthouse instead of Airbnb, so I expect a different experience.
Our Kamala Beach Airbnb.