My last travelogue was sent from Bangkok, just after my birthday. Since then I have moved on to Saigon in preparation for a trip across Cambodia.
Wednesday, 8/20/03 - Monday, 8/25/03
Hung out in Bangkok. I decided that I would extend my trip by a couple of weeks and go to Cambodia. Apparently, going by land from Thailand is a pain--the border town in Cambodia is run by criminals and they screw you at every opportunity (overcharge you for the visa and transport, make sure that your transport takes all day so you get stuck at their hotel, have "breakdowns" that benefit them, etc.) As a result, I decided to fly to Saigon and go across Cambodia from that direction.
As a result, I needed to get another Vietnam visa. While walking to the embassy, some "helpful" guy asked me where I was going, and when I told him, he gave me this line of "Oh, really? I work right behind it. You know, they are really unfriendly and take several days. If you go to this visa agency, they can get it for you in 3 days." Although he pulled off the role of helpful-guy-not-at-all-trying-to-screw-you pretty well, the touting scenario was obvious enough. I told him I was in no hurry, went to the embassy myself, was out in 5 minutes, and had my visa in hand the next day. Further reinforcement that no one on this planet walks up to you on the street and starts talking to you unless they are trying to get something from you. As if that lesson needed reinforcing. (Ok, ok, there was one woman in Bangkok who asked if she could help and pointed me to the restaurant I was looking for, and there is Prathish in Cochin who started talking to me and showed me around out of curiousity and ennui. But 99.9% of the time, anyone who comes up to you in the street just wants to screw you.)
This lesson was again reinforced later that day, when I was in the tourist-ghetto part of Bangkok shopping for used books. I was wearing a Solaris T-shirt, and the guy commented on it as I walked by. I wasn't doing anything, so I decided to see what his deal was. He gave me a line about having a sister about to go to school at UCLA. We chatted a bit, and he didn't seem to be getting to the point, so I asked him what his sales pitch was. Of course, he would never dream of chatting with me for any reason other than personal enrichment. Gee, would I mind talking to his sister--she had never been to America before and was a bit nervous about moving there. After having spent all this time talking to the guy, I wanted to know what his game was. (I had a lot of fun fake shopping with the tout in Delhi and finding out all about the touting business. I wanted to get a similar education out of this guy.) So, I said "Sure", expecting him to walk me across the street to some shop and try to get me to buy something. Instead, he went to a cab! I said "No way in hell am I getting into a cab with you. I'll go along with your scam on foot in a busy shopping area, but I am not putting myself in a situation where I can't walk away." Of course, as I walked away from him, he feigned innocence, but this guy so reeked of a scam he might as well have been wearing a sign.
But, surprisingly, I've gotten very little of this crap in Bangkok. That last guy was in the backpacker ghetto, which is naturally crawling with scam artists.
Most of the week was just spent hanging out with friends, relaxing, and seeing a couple of movies. I finally got around to burning my photos to CD and sent a copy home so I don't have to worry about losing them.
Tuesday, 8/26/03
Packed my bags, headed to the airport where I wrote some postcards, and flew to Saigon. Thien was there to meet me, along with his cousin Anh and his friend Phuc. (That's pronounced "Fook"--get your mind out of the gutter.) I hung around with them the last time I was in Saigon. We had coffee before heading home. Later, we met a bunch of people for dinner and went out for drinks. Since Lost in Saigon was closed by the cops, the new home for the group I hang out with is Guns 'n' Roses. Yes, an unfortunate theme.
Wednesday, 8/27/03
Went to one of Thien's friends' hair salon for a trim. Came out with the sides and back buzzed off and the top blond. What the hell--it was suggested and I was looking for a change anyway.
A group of us went dancing at Apocalype, which was once again dismal. That place is the most popular club in town, and the only bar in Asia that I actively dislike. They charge US$4.50 for a drink and don't put any liquor in it. In a third world country, that is just criminal. And the music isn't that good. And it feels so..."popular". Yuck. Afterwards, back to Guns 'N' Roses.
Thursday, 8/28/03
A bunch of us went to the International Club. I guess you would call this a gym or a spa. Pool, sauna, "oxygen room" (tv room), weight room, various kinds of massage. Legit--nothing funny.
Then off to a really good dinner (Vietnamese cuisine is fantastic) and off to Guns 'N' Roses yet again. And, no, it isn't that great of a bar--it's just where this particular group hangs out.
Friday, 8/29/03
After a simple dinner at a little rooftop restaurant, Thien and I did a little shopping. It was the first time that I have been in a department store in Vietnam. Pretty much like any upscale US department store.
After shopping, we went to the top of the Prudential building for ice cream on the rooftop cafe. It was a pleasantly cool evening and the night view of the city from the open-air cafe was great. The ice cream wasn't all that, in spite of its price, but that wasn't why we were there.
We went to Apocalypse again, which I hope never happens again. Neither Thien nor I like it, so I don't think it will.
We went to Guns 'n' Roses yet again. While Thien and I were playing pool, I noticed the cops outside. It was 12:20am--liquor is only legal until midnight. For some reason I don't quite understand, they don't actually close the bar--they just ask to see the registration on all of the bikes parked outside. If you don't have your registration, your bike gets impounded. Thien had his registration, but Phuc did not. Thien asked me to go get Phuc's bike, hoping that as a tourist who couldn't speak Vietnamese, they would let me go. (They don't like to raise a stink with tourists.) No such luck. Phuc took Thien's bike and raced home to get his registration before the impound truck arrived. They had just loaded his bike on the hydraulic platform on the truck when Phuc arrived with the registration. Talk about cutting it close. So the cops gave me "my" bike and we were off. We parked the bikes in a lot about half a block away and went to another bar for the rest of the night. So ended my first run-in with the Vietnamese police.
Saturday, 8/31/03
A few of us were going to go to the beach town of Vung Tau for the weekend, but the weather report was not favorable.
I bought a pair of glasses to go with the new hair. ($25 for frames and lenses.) I think I'm going to have to wait until I get to Bangkok for the new clothes. :)
I'll be heading to Cambodia early this week. Thien may or may not be coming along--he hasn't decided yet.
Later,
Sid
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