Ordering pizza through Foodbyphone.com is almost too easy and convenient. Luckily for adventure’s sake FoodbyPhone only lists two pizza delivery places. This means after Pizza O’Clock I’m going to have to practice my Thai and find places that deliver and actually communicate my order.
I ordered Pizza Capricciosa which was topped with ham, mushrooms, olives and Italian sausage. It came within 45 minutes and was nice and hot when I got to my apartment. The cost was 370 baht ($11USD) plus the delivery charge which was 60 baht ($1.79) and I tipped the delivery guy 40 baht ($1.19) which come to think of it, is way too much to tip in Thailand.
Pizza O’Clock vs. Pizza Mania
The first pizza delivery in Bangkok that I reviewed was Pizza Mania and while it wasn’t the most extraordinary pizza I have had, I didn’t have any complaints. Rather than stringing you along I will tell you right off that Pizza O’Clock was better than Pizza Mania. It could have been the actual type pizza I got but if it comes down to it, I will order from Pizza O’Clock again before I order from Pizza Mania. The price of Pizza O’Clock is slightly higher than Pizza Mania but I thought it was well worth it.
Overall Impression
The Capricciosa I got from Pizza O’Clock was delicious. The toppings and the cheese were all flavorful and the crust was thin and not soggy at all but not crunchy throughout which is how I like it. It was located on Sukhumvit Soi 49 and I’m on Soi 1 so I was kind of worried of the pizza taking forever to get to my apartment and not be fresh but thankfully I was wrong and everything was excellent. My ratings don’t have 1/2 or 1/4 ratings but if I had to rate Pizza O’Clock I would give it 2.85 Buddha (out of 4) so I’ll round up and give it the following.
As you already know if you have ever been to Bangkok or have been reading along in this blog, food is plentiful everywhere in Bangkok. From 7-Eleven convenient stores packed with snacks on every corner to street stands selling snacks and food every few meters cheap food is not too far away. I don’t think I’m out of the ordinary when I get tired of eating the same thing all the time and crave a junk food delicacy like pizza.
I have eaten pizza a couple times in Bangkok. Most of the time I head to Little Italy which is conveniently yes inappropriately located next the California WOW Fitness that I work out at. Their pizza is decent sometimes and good other times and costs only 45 baht ($1.34) and if you buy 3 you get 1 free which is great for killing the benefits of a great workout a workout. This time I was really involved in webmaster mode and didn’t feel like leaving the friendly confines of my computer chair so I decided to test the Bangkok pizza delivery options.
Food by Phone
The Food by Phone website is a surprisingly long established company (for the internet world) that delivers food from a wide variety of restaurants. The best part about food by phone is the website is all in perfect English, you can order completely online and see the pictures and prices of many menu items. Your info is stored so when you order the next time it is very quick and easy.
It may come as a surprise that out of 50-some restaurants which include everything from Japanese, Lebanese Mexican and more there are only two pizza places. I know that there are numerous pizza places that deliver but calling over the phone and trying to order the Hawaiian with extra pineapples or whatever to someone who speaks little or no English is a recipe for disaster, not to mention trying to communicate my address.
The first pizza place I chose was Pizza Mania which tourts itself as, “Pizza with True Italian Taste in Bangkok.” I made sure they were in my ordering area and they were located pretty close at Sukhumvit Soi 23. You may be thinking how a pizza could ever be on time with the sometimes horrible Bangkok traffic and the answer to that is simply motosai. Motorcycles are exclusively used for deliveries as they can zoom through the suffocating automobile traffic.
Pizza Mania
The pizza I ordered through food by phone arrived at my apartment building in around 40 minutes.The price for my pizza which come in a standard size was 300 baht (around $9) plus a 60 baht ($1.80) delivery charge. One thing of note is the delivery guy didn’t come up to my 9th floor apartment, I had to go down and get it.
The pizza I ordered was called Pizza Quattro Stagioni which had tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, ham, mushroom, artichokes, olives. Something I have not seen before, the pizza had its toppings separated in 4 different sections, rather than spreading all of them all over it.
The pizza was not straight out-the-oven hot but it was not cold. It was thin crusted which wasn’t as crispy as I like but not completely soggy. It tasted pretty good. I devoured the whole pizza in record time and was fully satisfied by the size of it without feeling disgustingly full. I would definitely order from Pizza Mania again but its wasn’t so good that I will order it again and not try any other places.
After returning from Vung Tau to Ho Chi Minh City on an early morning hydrofoil trip we barely made it to the Saigon airport in time to catch our flight but of course our Jetstar Pacific flight was delayed. Once we got in the air the flight was only around 2 hours and touching down in North Vietnam had me thinking if Hanoi would be a repeat of Saigon which I found to be nerve racking and not very enjoyable.
After the flight landed at around 4pm I really wanted to head to Halong Bay right away. I asked a booth about the trip to Halong Bay and the packages they offered were pretty consistent with what we actually paid. We decided to book the 2 day excursion to Halong Bay the next morning from our hotel in Hanoi. We easily found the legitimate taxi (so we thought) and started off for the hour or so long drive into Hanoi.
Taxi Driver Hotel Scam
I saw two things that interested me during the taxi ride from the airport. First of all, the air was completely filled with smoke. I couldn’t tell if it was from a celebration or just a bunch of farmers. The date was September 20th, 2009 so if anyone reading this knows do tell. Secondly I noticed the very large presence of foreign companies. Almost every billboard which were plentiful were from Korean and Japanese companies.
Chalk up another victory to the Lonely Planet Guide for warning us about the taxi driver scam. We asked the taxi driver to take us to Church Hotel which was recommended by another guide book, the Hanoi Wallpaper Guide. The Lonely Planet warned about taxi drivers taking you to the wrong hotel, or in our case he took us to a random room above a shop. I know the language barrier is significant, but this guy was obviously trying to make some extra bucks. I was not surprised because of my experience with the rip-off and scam artists in Ho Chi Minh City which were also in the Lonely Planet. This taxi driver hotel scam had me thinking again that Hanoi was going to be a repeat of Saigon.
Hanoi is Nothing Like Ho Chi Minh City!
After the taxi driver started driving to the real Church Hotel I had a chance to sit back and observe Hanoi. It was even apparent on the highway from the airport that Hanoi was a lot more friendly than Saigon. In Hanoi I noticed a presence of young, smiling faced people. It seemed that every time I turned my head in Hanoi I would see an attractive 20-something girl or a beautiful 30 something woman doing her thing. I
thought Hanoi really had a small town atmosphere, especially when compared to Saigon. Most of the streets were narrow and while the traffic was hectic, there was nowhere near the volume of Ho Chi Minh City. We finally got to Church Hotel and incoincidentally was located right next to this big Catholic church. We had a chance to get our rooms and relax for a little bit then it was time to head out in Hanoi for the first time.
Places to Stay in Hanoi: Church Hotel: -Coming soon
Hanoi is a city with many lakes but the Hoàn Kiếm Lake is seemingly right in the center of the city. Both hotels we stayed at were located a very close walk from Hoàn Kiếm Lake. all around the lake was a very peaceful and relaxing place even though it was surrounded by the normal swarm of motorcycle traffic. The noise of the traffic somehow disappeared when I was walking around the lake.
During the day the lake was a place for people who were just getting off work to sit and rest for lunch and by night time it was a place for couples and friends to go and just relax. I would estimate the circumference around the lake to be around 1.5 miles and there is plenty of shops and restaurants across the street from the lake and one restaurant actually outside alongside the lake called Hapro Bon Mua. I met a guy selling Lonely Planet guides and post cards walking around the lake. I first gave him the usual cold shoulder but ran into him again a short while later and started talking.
He said he was a student and explained his life story and we chatted for around 3o minutes. He told me that he knew some good karaoke places and gave me his phone number and offered to show and my friend around. He insisted I go across the street from the lake where there was a large group dancing. It turned out the dancing they were doing was very far from traditional Vietnamese dancing.
Looking Across Hoàn Kiếm Lake at Night
More Rip-Offs
My friend who I was traveling with told me about the Lonely Planet warning about the English speaking people around the lake, I decided not to call back the guy who I spoke with at the lake. I can usually tell if people I meet are good natured but the Lonely Planet had been 100% so I decided to not take the risk of getting ripped off. Unlike Saigon there were very few cyclo drivers and other annoying people on the streets trying to sell you something or provide a service.
Taxi drivers seemingly drove around the lakes multiple times for no apparent reason which lead to large taxi bills. They even did this when we were with our Vietnamese guide who we asked to show us some night venues when he was our tour guide at Halong Bay. We asked him to show us around since he spoke English well but his guidance led to more rip-offs as he definitely brought us to less than spectacular places because he was going to get a commission. This wasn’t necessarily a rip-off but an annoyance nonetheless.
Since my less than optimally planned trip to Halong Bay cost 3 days I only had the chance to visit Hanoi for 1 full day and a couple nights. I had the chance to stay longer I just booked my return ticket too soon. At the time I felt it was time to head home to Bangkok but I definitely want to return to Hanoi as I missed out on a few tourist attractions as well as the city away from the lake. Since Hanoi is close to China I’m thinking I may try to obtain a visa for mainland china and start my journey in Hanoi to see what I missed.
Elefin Coffee Culture is a cafe/restaurant which I think is named for the mispronunciation of elephant or Chang (word for elephant in Thai) I have walked by literally several hundred times. It is located in the middle of Soi 1 right off Sukhumvit road, close to the express way entrance. It is right across from this German restaurant named Tilac which always has an expat sitting on the front drinking a beer but is mostly empty.
I have been hell bent on getting my picture site TourismPics.com up to date so I can begin to create more pages and take more pictures that I didn’t eat anything all day. Sitting on the computer for hours on end without eating isn’t good for your health and causes you to crave some junk food. I was walking to Villa Market to buy some salads and other healthy items when I ended up looking right up at the Chang sign and it was over.
Ordering Food
The place looks very nice inside and there is an apartment and an internet cafe above. The menu was on display on the outside and it had steak which is what I was craving so I had to try it. I walked in the restaurant which was literally freezing so I sat outside one of the 3 or 4 covered, stone tables. NOTE: If you come to Elefin Coffee Culture at night and are wearing shorts, I can warn you that you will end up with at least a dozen mosquito bites!
I was far beyond self control so I quickly scoured the menu for the things I craved the most. I was definitely getting a steak and to be as gluttonous as possible I decided to get a club sandwich too. I ordered a mango icee as well which I hoped would kill my sugar high. I waited to get my food outside in front of a busy Bumrungrad induced traffic jam on Soi 1 and was content to watch the nurses walk home from the hospital.
How Many Calories? I don't want to know
How was the food?
The club sandwich was so small I ate each quarter in a single bite! I polished off the club sandwich which tasted good and its french fries which were crispy just the way I like them in about 2 minutes. I then turned my attention to the T-bone steak which was covered in this spicy gravy and mushrooms. It had another order of fries on the side as well as some steamed green beans and carrot slices.
The steak was pretty good. Most of the time I get T-Bones there is too much fat for my tastes but this T-Bone was good although the gravy which smothered it kind of drowned out the taste of the beef (which may have been a good thing). The mango icee was excellent but I’ve never had a bad mango icee ever in Thailand.
Would I Pick it Again?
Since Elefin Coffee is so close to my apartment I will probably go there again some day maybe to try to find a decent American breakfast which has eluded me in Thailand so far. I was not super impressed. The service was normal, the place was nice in a nice location and I had nothing to gripe about with the food. The price for everything was a lot more than the average 35 baht ( $1.ooUSD) Thai food anywhere in Bangkok. My double meal and mango smoothie which is probably what 2 normal people would eat cost 480 baht ($14.30).
If you missed it, Halong Bay Part I covered most of the first day of my 2 day excursion from Hanoi Vietnam. I stayed and took some pictures and took a nap while everyone else was swimming. I was awaken by a woman’s voice announcing “buy something” and I had to investigate.
Just like Benh Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City vendors were trying to sell you stuff even in the middle of the bay! At first, buying bottles of beer, water and snacks from the floating vendors was interesting, and felt kind of like feeding the pigeons but after a while it just got annoying as the relentless vendors and their calls of “buy something” and “cold beer” just got annoying. I found it interesting that even after midnight, these women most who were young and pretty were still on the bay, some sleeping and some on their cell phones which I could see lit in the distance.
Floating Vendor Ladies that Swarm the Boat
Dinner, Conversation & Partying?
When everyone came back from swimming they announced that dinner would be in an hour or so as it was just getting dark. You wouldn’t expect anything less than a fun, unique bunch of international tourists at a world-renowned tourist destination and that is what we had. Spending almost a whole day with our shipmates let everyone learn about each other. Almost 3 weeks after visiting Halong Bay I can still remember everyone who I shared the White Dolphin with.
Our group consisted of a single divorced mother from New Zealand with her teenage daughter and son who had been in China for months. There was an Australian husband and wife who were bankers living in Singapore. There were two presumably gay guy friends from Australia who have been traveling the world for a year together. Another lone traveler was a Dutch guy who also had been traveling the world for a year. There was also 2 solo female travelers, an in-between jobs Filipina woman from Australia and a very cool mid-20s American girl who just graduated school who we actually randomly ran into in Hanoi 2 days later. Last but not least there was me, an American living in Bangkok and my buddy Jae, a Korean American, living in San Francisco.
Dinner was a great 5 course meal which included very tasty crab. I forgot the rest of the courses but I remember everything being very good. We spent about an hour eating dinner and when it was finished everyone with the exception of the mother and two children went to the roof deck of the boat for conversation.
As our group of about 10 people sat and chatted over drinks we noticed the boat off in the distance was making a lot of noise. It sounded like they were singing karaoke and drinking heavily. Our group consisted almost entirely of mid to late 30 somethings so I would guess the loud boat in the distance had the group of British backpackers who I sat next to on the ride to Halong Bay. Keep this in mind if you do the tour. If you want to party hard, it may be a good idea to get a bunch of young people at a backpacker hotel or hostel to go with or you may get stuck sipping wine and chatting with us old folk. At around 12:30 or 1:00am our conversation turned to the awkward silence that signals bedtime.
Early Rise
Picture Courtesy of gibtach.blogspot.com
Every guidebook, tour guide and previous visitor to Halong Bay raves about the early morning scenery with the beautiful fog covered limestone rock formations. Our tour guide stressed that everyone should get up early to view the beautiful scenery.
I was all about getting some good photographs of what would probably be a once in a lifetime experience but when the guide said we were supposed to get up at 5:30am there was a collective groan from myself and the others.
Even though getting up at 5:30am is not something I ever like doing, I set my Nokia cell phone alarm for 5:30am. I thought the bed was very comfortable in the room and I slept very soundly. I really didn’t know what to expect but I now know that being in the middle of a shielded bay is pretty quiet at night.
I know it is anticlimactic but when I woke up at 5:30 and looked outside there was no fog at all. The day was clear and it looked exactly like the day before. Back to sleep.
Kayaking
After breakfast, which I unfortunately slept through it was time to kayak. We put on our life vests and got in one of the little transfer boats and it took 10 minutes to get to the pier with all the kayaks.
The kayaks were the open kind where your sitting at the same level as your feet. There were 2 people per each kayak and then we were set free to explore the bay. The kayaking was great because you could go through some of the giant limestone rock formation’s caves.
I didn’t bring my HD Canon camcorder because I didn’t want it to get wet, but I was lucky enough to have my picture taken by one of my shipmates.
Saying Goodbye to the White Dolphin
Leaving
After returning from a little longer than an hour of kayaking around Halong Bay it was time to return to the boat for lunch.
I was tired from kayaking and really welcomed the food which never disappointed while on the White Dolphin. Right after lunch it was time for checkout. Just like any hotel, we packed our belongings and payed the bill for drinks and the mini bar.
We then loaded up all our baggage to the smaller boat and waved goodbye to the White Dolphin and soon Halong Bay. We actually got a bigger, spacious, more comfortable bus/van on the way back which made the 4 hour trip seem a lot shorter.
Overall Impression of Halong Bay
Everything met and/or exceeded my expectations including the great on-board service, fellow shipmates, food, tours and the facilities on the boat itself. I haven’t mentioned the price of this 2-day Halong Bay excursion from Hanoi on purpose. I myself didn’t know what to expect when they told me how much it cost.
The entire 2-day trip including everything I have mentioned except drinks only cost 1,600,000 Vietnam Dong or $90! Considering most of the hotels I stayed at in Vietnam cost around $50 a night, the all inclusive excursion was one of the best bargains I have ever experienced while traveling. I did go during “rainy season” (didn’t rain a drop) so the price I paid may be lower than someone would pay during peak travel time in December or January.
Since the flight from Saigon to Hanoi was only around 2 hours I thought it would be a good idea to try to get to Halong Bay the same day. Halong Bay is a good 4 hour van/bus ride from Hanoi so I figured if you could take the flight and then drive straight from the airport to Halong bay it would save a day of travel. If you read about my experience with flying Jetstar Pacific Airlines you will already know a flight cancellation and the associated delays cost me at least 3 hours of travel.
For anyone reading this who wants to go to Halong Bay, there are booths selling sleeping boat tours (for fair prices) at the airport so it still may be a possibility. The moral of the story is, if you want to get from Saigon to Halong Bay in a single day, make sure you take the earliest flight from Saigon to Hanoi and book in advance. I never book in advance so I ended up having to spend a night in Hanoi which wasn’t a bad thing but sometimes it just feels better to get the bulk travel done all in one shot.
Booking & Bus Ride from Hanoi to Halong Bay
Halong Bay is one of Vietnam’s biggest tourist attractions so finding sleeping boat tours is very easy in Hanoi. Most hotels and all tourist information centers had multiple types of Halong Bay excursions to offer. Myself and a friend chose a 2 day package which included 1 night on a sleeping boat. They told us the itinerary which included swimming, kayaking and of course sight seeing and one night sleeping on the boat. There are also tours that include hiking.
Before you can go on the exciting nautical adventure you need to get there. I read you can take an hour helicopter flight for around $100/hr which I would have considered due to the fact I have never been in a chopper before and it would shave 3 hours off the trip. The all inclusive cost for our Halong Bay sleeping boat exrursion included included the 4 hour bus/van trip so why not.
The good part about van trips to excursions like this is you get to meet a lot of interesting people. Getting stuffed like a sardine to fit 13 or so people in an extended air conditioned van or short bus gives you the opportunity to get up close and personal with your possible shipmates. Our group included a bunch of different characters on different points of their travel which I will talk about later. Needless to say, the 4 hour ride which stopped once for a restroom and food break allowed us to get acquainted with some interesting travelers and is a blessing in disguise.
Once we crossed the bridge we knew it wasn’t too long before we boarded our temporary home on the water. They separated the people in the van into groups depending on whether you were on the 2 or 3 day trip which meant we lost some of our bus companions for people in another bus. After getting off the bus it took about 30 minutes to all board a small boat to take us to the large sleeping boat. In a couple minutes we got to the sleeping boat and set sail (not literally) for the middle of Halong Bay where we would anchor down for the first and in our case only night in Halong Bay Vietnam.
Just Boarded Sleeping Boat, Heading for Middle of Bay
Welcome Aboard
When we first boarded our sleeping boat which was called the White Dolphin we were given choices of rooms. I was with a friend so we shared a room which had twin beds, nice washroom, mini bar and most importantly air conditioning. For anyone who travels alone keep in mind you will likely be sharing a room with a complete stranger. If the thought of this bothers you, it’s probably a good idea to make prior arrangements to avoid this situation.
The White Dolphin had 3 levels. The bottom level had all rooms. Our room happened to be the last one on the bottom level towards the back of the boat (sorry for not using the correct nautical terms) so the water was right outside our window. The mid level had the dining room, bar and more rooms and top level had a bunch of lounge chairs and outdoor tables and furniture. We barely got a chance to explore the boat after we got our rooms when we were called up to the main deck for lunch.
Lunch & Conversation
Food was included not surprisingly drinks were not. They served the first meal in 3 courses of pretty good food. The dining room was very nice with tablecloths and the whole nine yards. Most of the tables had 4 seats which allowed us to chat with 2 people who happened to be two friends from Australia who have been traveling the world this year. The conversation was interesting but as soon as we were close to finished we were told that we would leave the White Dolphin via small boat to explore a large cave in 15 minutes.
The Cave & Swimming
We were all shuttled to a big cave which was famous for having several rock formations which looked like objects from a lion to Buddha to the infamous pink genitals! After the boat landed there was a decent hike up a bunch of stairs to get to the entrance of the cave. By that time I was very hot and sweating profusely but it came as a relief to find out it had to have been 10 degrees cooler in the cave.
It was unexpected and surprising to me that the first thing we saw upon entering the cave was this very obvious pink penis with scrotum. Our guide spent a good 5 minutes talking about this pink penis and seemed genuinely excited to talk about the pink phallus which I think was lit up for show.
The rest of the cave wasn’t nearly exciting as the pink phallus. There was a basic 10 minute walk looping around the cave and then it was time for pictures. After leaving the cave there are some great picture opportunities which allowed me to take the one at the top of this post. After leaving the cave everyone got the chance to go to a nearby beach and swim, swim of of the boat or stay on the boat and relax which is what I did. Most of the people in our tour opted to swim on the beach while a couple others were content to jump off the top deck of the boat. Everyone seemed like they burned a lot of energy swimming and after I took a nap it was beginning to get dark…
Regardless of how much you enjoy city tourism Ho Chi Minh City is likely to get on your nerves if you stay within the city limits too long. The Cu Chi Tunnels are located about an hour away from Saigon via car and are a great way to get out of the city, walk around without the endless parade of motorcycles, cyclo drivers and street vendors.
The most common way to get to the tunnels is purchasing an all-inclusive tour which includes transportation. If your hotel doesn’t have a tourism center there is probably one very close by where you can view the various tour packages. Most packages offered are full day 8am to 5pm trips which include the Cu Chi Tunnels and other tourist attractions.
Since waking up at 8am wasn’t a viable option we ended up opting for a “4 hour” trip solely to the Cu Chi Tunnels. I say “4 hour” trip because the Saigon traffic will largely determine how long it actually takes to get there. We decided to leave at around 12 noon and we returned around 5:30pm.
We were offered a price by a taxi driver for a trip to the tunnels but we chose to book through the hotel. I don’t remember the exact prices but I’m pretty sure the hotel charged more than the taxi driver although the trip included admission to the tunnels and an English speaking guide. We ended up paying $80 each which seemed quite expensive.
Dine along a Stream before the Tunnels
Eat Along the Way
The cost of a meal was not included in the price of the trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels. You can bring snacks or your driver will take you to a restaurant before you visit the tunnels. Dine along alongside a flowing stream (Picture on left) and amongst tropical greenery at an indoor/outdoor Vietnamese restaurant.
The prices were moderately cheap, the food was good and the service was excellent as we ate alone in the restaurant. I remember the mango and other fruit smoothies were so good we both ordered two. The restaurant looked like it was ready for a lot of people so I think it would be busieer if you were on the schedule of a full day tour rather than our 1/2 day tour.
More War History
After parking the car you walk uphill through a large (unrelated) tunnel before you meet with your guide at the top. After a brief introduction you are lead to a covered bunker looking encampment to watch a video. The video is a straight out of the 1970s (literally). As well as providing some history about the war and the area it also talks about rewarding the Cu Chi people for being the best “American killer” as well other war time propaganda. I liked how they threw in a classic video (I assume on purpose).
Not Just Tunnels
Array of Available Weapons to Fire
The guide walked us in a small group around the wet, clay floored forest as he explained everything. The first thing he showed us was one of the tunnel entrances (video below) which was so small I couldn’t even fit both of my thighs in it. The people small and flexible enough were allowed to attempt to squeeze in. One German tourist said he saw a bat in that first tunnel which made me think how horrible it must have been to live in those tunnels while constantly being bombed and attacked.
The actual Cu Chi Tunnels are only a small part of the attraction. We were shown the actual infamous array of booby traps used by the Vietnamese. The demonstration of the traps gave me chills thinking of how bad they would hurt a human being or an animal for that matter. There were various set-ups showing how the soldiers would have looked like during war time including a robotic group of soldiers creating weapons from US bomb scrap metal.
Finally we were invited to enter a tunnel as a group. The tunnel was enlarged to accommodate for western tourists (Thank God). I am extremely claustrophobic and while duck walking through the sweltering sauna-like heat and darkness of the tunnel was uncomfortable it wasn’t unbearable.
After the tunnel we were invited to a gift shop where you can not only buy souvenirs but you can shoot high powered assault rifles! You are given a choice of 5 or so assault rifles used during war-time then and now. The catch: each round cost $1USD to fire with a minimum of 10. Even though I knew my money was literally going up in smoke I still couldn’t resist and fired 10 AK-47 rounds while my travel buddy fired from the extremely loud M-60. Don’t worry, all the guns are mounted and do not allow anybody to shoot someone’s eye out.
Cu Chi Tip
If you plan to fire an assault rifle make sure to fit your ear protection properly and/or bring your own ear protection. The ear protection they gave us was shotty at best and firing the M60 was deafening to say the least. As you would expect the area is very hot, damp and clay-muddy so make sure you don’t wear your school clothes or you will get muddy.
Overall Impression
Leaving Ho Chi Minh City was a prize in itself but the Cu Chi Tunnels were definitely a highlight of my Vietnam experience. The trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels not only showed a lot about the Vietnamese people but it made you learn a lot more about how the Vietnam war was fought and the actual poor peasant people who stood against the military juggernaut and won.
We arrived to an empty Lonely Planet recommended restaurant Le Jardin. There was a couple outside in the covered area chatting over a laptop but the restaurant doors remained closed with a young Vietnamese woman walking back and forth to the window and ignoring our every attempt to make contact with her. We were starving and decided to break the ball and chain of the Lonely Planet to find another place to satisfy our hunger when the skies began to open up.
Without umbrellas we started walking down Le Thanh Ton street in search of some food. We saw no decent looking sit-down restaurants in the general vicinity until we saw Bibi restaurant. There was a Vietnamese man sitting on a chair at the entrance and he invited us in (without speaking English) to get out of the intense rain. Upon entrance, it was apparent that the restaurant was not open as it was quiet and empty.
Did Not Know what to Expect
As we sat in Bibi’s high backed, soft, comfortable upholstered booths we noticed how quiet it was. The only noise we heard was the tropical downpour as we sat alone in the restaurant. There was no staff in the restaurant other than the guy that let us in as we waited for some kind of service. Five minutes later the guy at the front door brought me a cell phone with a woman who told me in English that the restaurant didn’t open for another 45 minutes but we were welcome to stay and have a drink.
As a couple restaurant workers showed up we were brought a plate of warm potato chips to wait until the staff arrived which was okay with us during the rain storm. I ordered wine about 5 times but the Vietnamese guy didn’t understand so I ordered my usual, “Tiga Beea” which was easily understandable in Asia.
Chat with the Owner
A business casual dressed Caucasian man was sitting alone at the corner table and we figured he was the owner which he was. Valentin was a 1/2 French and 1/2 Vietnamese gentleman who talked to us about the restaurant scene in Saigon as well as other helpful information about the night club scene and more. He even invited us to attend a party at Bibi the next night but we had other plans.
What You can Expect
The food at Bibi was excellent. I am not a French food connoisseur but I can tell you I had the best steak I’ve had in Asia at Bibi outside of Tokyo. The rest of the food was excellent and tasty as well. My travel buddy who consumes fine dining on a regular basis was equally impressed with the quality of the food especially the foie gras.
I apologize for writing an entire blog entry about Bibi Restaurant without providing a detailed explanation of the food but you can rest assured you will be satisfied. I also do not remember the exact price but I remember comparing it something comparable in the USA and like most things in Vietnam, Bibi was well worth the price. If you are a Lonely Planet follower and are heart broken that there is a huge wait at Le Jardin don’t be. Walk up the street a little bit, take a right and find Bibi and have a nice, quiet delicious meal for an extremely fair price.
From Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City (officially), formerly known as Saigon is a quick and painless hour flight east on AirAsia. I was told to expect the unexpected and I would further this advice for anyone else visiting Saigon.
I have lived in Bangkok for the past 6 months and have got used to the Thai lifestyle, people and general flow of the city so if you have never lived in Thailand or been to Bangkok your experience may be vastly different but that’s precisely the reason why there are tens of thousands of travel blogs.
Getting There & First Impression
Since I like to be thorough I created a whole blog entry devoted to Getting to Saigon Vietnam from Bangkok Thailand. As the plane was making its final descent I could see the snaking river and city approach just like in every Vietnam war movie. I figured that the taxi from the airport would be relatively quick which it was.
Traffic out of a Horror Movie
The first thing any n0n-native to Vietnam will inevitably notice about Saigon is the insane amount of motorbikes and seemingly chaotic traffic. There are motorbikes with 1-4 people and various odd shaped items (i.e. refrigerators, tires, stacks of packages, etc.) swarming around every street and intersection in multiple directions.
If you though sheer volume of traffic is bad, compound that with the fact that many of the vehicles in the street are honking their horns every few seconds and you may find being anywhere in Saigon nerve-racking as I did from the outset. There could be an entire blog devoted solely on Saigon’s traffic but it is worth mentioning that the traffic makes any US city and even Bangkok seem like a rural suburb. When there is a traffic jam in most cities, most of the traffic (cars & trucks) are stopped and there is very little movement but in Saigon motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, cyclos and other forms of transportation are jockeying for position which is like navigating a maze.
Midday Traffic from Reunification Palace
Crossing the Street
Simply crossing the street is a seemingly perilous adventure when you first set foot on the streets of Saigon. Crossing the average street with a traffic brew consisting of motorcycles and mopeds zooming everywhere along with the occasional car and bus is actually a lot easier to deal with than you may first think.
To make crossing the street in Saigon easier keep in mind that most of the traffic is moving less than 30 miles per hour and they’re more aware than most western drivers on their cell phones listening to the radio because they have to. If you want to cross the street simply go for it! Walk slowly and most importantly DO NOT STOP as it will confuse the drivers and actually make it more dangerous for you. The traffic amazingly flows like water around pedestrians.
Money
Even though most American and European travelers will initially get a kick about their astronomical bank account balance while in Vietnam as 100,000 Vietnamese Dong is around $5.60USD the exchange from Vietnamese Dong to American Dollars is very annoying. When your not constantly chopping off zeros and work with the 500,000 and 100,000 Dong bills you are having to worry about mistaking a 100,000 dong bill for a 10,000 dong bill while in a rush.
My travel buddy in Vietnam actually tipped both bellboys who brought his bags up 200,000 dong ($11) each mistaking the 100,000 dong bills for 10,000 dong bills. The large sums can drive anyone bad at math insane especially when certain cash registers and taxis chop off zeros automatically on their screens which further confuse things.
To my surprise, unlike Thailand, the American dollar was widely accepted in Vietnam. For anyone heading to Thailand after Vietnam, make sure you get rid of all your Dong before you leave Vietnam as exchanging Vietnamese Dong was almost impossible in Bangkok.
Things to Do
Regardless of what you think of Saigon neither you nor anyone can call it a boring city. It is enormous and there is an endless list of things to do in and around Saigon. I spent almost the entire time in District 1 and there are over 11 districts. Saigon will always be a good starting point if you plant to visit anywhere else in Vietnam. How much time you spend in Saigon depends on what your interests are. Here are a few things which I did and wish I did.
Eat
If you love Vietnamese food and French food, Saigon has the best of both worlds. You can get everything from a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup called pho (pronounced Fuh) or a Vietnamese sandwich on a street stall for under $1USD to dining at trendy and/or fine dining restaurants.
Saigon was at center stage for one of the more infamous wars in the history of mankind and there are many places you can visit to learn more about the Vietnamese side of the Vietnam War. To learn about the guided tours in and around Saigon you can find tourist information centers spread conveniently throughout district 1 which is likely where you will be staying. From museums to historic sites, Saigon has a lot to offer within the city limits as well as within a few hour air conditioned bus trip. Unfortunately I was in expat hang-out / party mode so I missed some great parts of Saigon but here is what I had a chance to experience:
War Remnants Museum – I regretfully missed out on the War Remnants museum. After visiting the Reunification Palace and seeing some of the photos I wasn’t really feeling like seeing more death, destruction and propaganda but if I ever find myself in Saigon I will definitely check it out.
Places to Stay
Saigon was surprisingly expensive for mid-range lodging, compared to Bangkok for lodging, at least in District 1 where I was staying.
Living in Bangkok which is one of the best places to shop in the world I really had no business buying things common in Bangkok in Saigon but forgetting some necessary items required me to do some shopping. Shopping in Saigon is only half of the story as if you don’t bargain, you WILL pay several times the expected sale price. You can read more about the bargaining process in the entry about Benh Thanh market.
I consider the best part about international travel to experience the people of a nation. I have said it before I totally 100% disagree than the “real people” of any country exist in the rural parts because the cities are what makes any country tick. Again, my view of Saigon may be influenced by the fact that I’m used to Thailand but in Saigon I got the feeling that people were just not happy. It seemed everywhere you went people were trying to hustle you, yelling at you or grabbing at you.
Tips & Warnings
Besides the brief history lessons, I’m not the biggest fan of Lonely Planet books as I tend to like talking to people to get recommendations but the Lonely Planet provided the most useful piece of advice for your time in Saigon.
The advice is if you are approached by any person on the street, DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR EXISTENCE! It may be rude and sound rude but if you even look in their direction let alone say no, the cyclo drivers and shoe polishers will follow you for blocks.
Case in point, I gave a shoe polisher 10,000 dong (50 cents USD) because I thought it would get rid of him and it encouraged him to start brushing, gluing, scraping and literally chewing the glue off my shoes which happened to be 5 year old $30 dollar shoes I got at Ross in San Francisco. His attention attracted about 5 other shoe polisher guys over and I was quickly feeling uncomfortable. When he got done he asked for 600,000 dong ($33). I started to walk away but I remember him using a rusty knife to scrape the glue off my shoes and I could picture this kid stabbing me in the back. He followed me down Pham Ngu Lao and I went in my hotel. I literally left my hotel 5-6 hours later and he was still waiting.
Overall Summary
I have talked to numerous travelers as well as expats who live and/or have lived in Saigon for numerous years and have received mixed opinions. For me, the best thing about visiting Saigon, was leaving Saigon as I had a much better time when I found myself in places which were less nerve racking for me. Regardless of my opinion and the opinions of others, out of all the places I have been I think the statement “You will either Love it or Hate it” applies to Saigon more than any other city.
I have been trying to go from the “Try Everything” phase of just getting here to getting back into my healthy eating and daily workout program. Across from the California WOW which I workout at I usually get something from 7-Eleven and something from a street vendor.
Up to this point I have usually bought corn-on-the-cob and I never noticed that in the giant steamer they have these little red sweet potatoes.
One of the best active diet foods are sweet potatoes and yams which are stacked with complex carbs and B-Vitamins. Up until this point I had not seen sweet potatoes anywhere except for grocery stores which sometimes the ones from the USA are very expensive. The bag of sweet potatoes is only 10 baht (30 cents) and it is the perfect food to eat before and after workouts.
I plan to make these little bags of sweet potatoes a big part of my active diet as they satisfy the sweet tooth and are very hard to pig out on. The only thing which is yet to be determined is if my stomach can handle them.
I don’t know if it is true but I have heard that some fruits and vegetables with peels can get you sick because they store enough water to irritate your stomach. I have downed a 2 bags of these little potatoes while I walk back from the gym at Sukhumvit Soi 23 to my apartment at Sukhumvit Soi 1 and have yet to get sick and I’m crossing my fingers.
Pizza O’Clock vs. Pizza Mania
Healthy Surprise
