There are a few places in the world, where every time you turn your head you see something that makes you think "holy shit, did that just happen." Ladies and Gentlemen...Saigon, Vietnam.
We arrived early in the day, had an interesting cab ride into town with a cabbie who didn't really have a sense of direction, were led into some dark alley ways to find a hostel, and were ready to find a spa for some pedicures, manicures, and body scrubs. We walked in circles around town in the pouring rain looking for a spa, how is it that Vietnamese nail shops are on every street corner in Canada, but nowhere to be seen in Saigon? Finally we found one and couldn't have been more excited. I was led into a room for my body scrub. Not the same room that other people were laying in for their massages, but what looked like the over flow room. No dimly lit lights like next door, but high powered industrial sized light bulbs. This woman gave me a pair of disposable underwear and told me to "take off," and so I started to as soon as she left the room, but she quickly reentered half way through my change and I guessed that this is how they roll, no need to be shy. She began scrubbing the back of my legs and at first it felt really good and she slowly added more pressure with the salts and then she asked me "do I hurt you, hahha ?" My answer was no, because at this point it was all tolerable. She continued and that's when it started to hurt. I told her she was hurting me and she just said "that's ok." I was convinced that she was trying to scrub the melanin right out of my skin considering how dark I've become. I told her a few more times she was hurting me, but it didn't stop. I saw a drop of the solution hit the white floor, it was a glossy looking orange. I was sure I was bleeding. She continued, and her hands moved further and further up my legs and I began to think that I was put in this secluded over flow room because I was gonna get some sort of a happy ending. Before I could panic I was asked to turn over so she could scrub the front of my body down to the bone. I looked at what she was using and it was an orange solution, I wasn't bleeding! Finally it was over and I couldn't wait to get away from this woman.
We spent the night walking around town eating and drinking. We ended up at a bar and asked for a seat on the patio (sidewalk facing an intersection,) prime people watching real estate. We watched scooters packed with people drive by in every direction, bicycles packed with people, cars, and people on foot walk through this intersection with complete disregard for anything coming at them. It's sort of an organized chaos. If you walk into the street people will make room for you, they'll honk their horns till your ears bleed, but they won't hit you. Packed scooters...in Cambodia I was surprised to see 4 people on a scooter, Vietnam one-upped that. Toddler in front standing, dad behind toddler seated, another child, and finally mother seated side saddle holding an infant. Other outrageous things I've witnessed - parent driving scooter while child is standing, but sleeping and almost falling over in front. And if the child is too small to stand they are held, but still asleep. As we sat here watching this outrageousness like it was a TV show, people selling things started walking by. My favorite was this woman who looked like she was selling dried up squid/jelly fish on a rack, with a light, attached to a bicycle. She walked back and forth so many times and with so much poise I couldn't help but stare, this meant I was interested so she slowed down every time she walked by.
The next day we went walking around town to do some sight seeing. War remnants museum was the first on our list. I don't really have much to say about it considering the exhibit sent chills up my spine. It was graphic, very graphic, and at times I had to step away to avoid being the girl crying in a museum. We headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral afterwards and just walked around a beautiful, but busy, city...in the pouring rain.
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