Ho Chi Minh, Day 1!

 Hi, everyone! Yesterday was super duper fun--I was able to head out into the city with a couple of my sister's friends (since my sister was still in Hanoi). Ho Chi Minh is a lot like Manila in that the streets are small and there are vendors on the street selling fruits and delicacies, but it's a lot cleaner here--also even the streets are crowded, the traffic flows incredibly smoothly.

Aside from the flow of traffic, one of the other things that most fascinates me about Ho Chi Minh is that everyone gets around on a motorbike--sitting in the cab yesterday, I looked out to see people of all types (men, women, flight attendants, teachers, employees, manual laborers) zooming past on scooters and motorcycles. I desperately would like to be able to do that, at least once.

The shopping here definitely doesn't disappoint. Yesterday (from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm) was spent walking around--we went to this great overruns place and Saigon Square--and shopping, shopping, shopping like there was no tomorrow. I was so sad that I wasn't able to get any of these jackets--they look incredible but just trying them on made me want to jump in a tub of ice.

 Below is a photo of me and Ate Lyra, who was kind enough to go and hang out with me while my sister was out yesterday. We also hung out with the Titas Bing and Ruth (and Tita Ruth's mom). One of the great things about getting around is meeting new people and these ladies are amazing--they can haggle their way from 250,000 VND (P500) to around 100,000 VND (P200) just about anywhere plus they're able to navigate a city that isn't theirs and talk to people whose language they don't understand without alienating anybody. I think I was able to stammer through enough sentences to thoroughly establish that a) I wasn't from here and b) yes, I would pay 350,000 VND for those shoes. D:

 In the evening, we headed out to the Crescent Mall which is surrounded by the Crescent (man-made) Lake. The view was great! While yesterday was fun indeed, I'm definitely looking forward to going out with my sister today and seeing more of the non-shopping side of Vietnam. Have a good weekend! :D

Also, Baskin Robins moved to Vietnam after pulling out of the Philippines a couple of years ago and I had my favorite, favorite ice cream in the world for the first time in years. :) Cheers!