The Heat was on in Saigon

Match the pictures to the caption:
1) Traversing the canals under a cover of bamboo
2) Three-wheeled conveyance

3) "I've come to fetch you..."

4) Look left, look right... scooter saturation

5) Interesting choice: Confucius, (Victor) Hugo, and Sun Yat Sen as deity

6) Gracious Vietnamese girls playing traditional instruments

7) Kermit: Being readied for dinner

8) War remembrances

(This is a really late post. Better late than never.)

Went to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) from March 23 to 26. Overall, enjoyed the trip though have to say there were parts that were dull. It was not as much of a novelty for me because in a lot of ways, HCM is similar to my native Manila.

Anyway, I say the heat is on because after a long winter in the midwest, boy, was I ready for some sun!

Braindump of my HCM trip. I have attached my itinerary at the end of this message.

Quick reviews:
1) An An Hotel - great value (posted a full review but it is not appearing yet-- tripadvisor must be reviewing??)
2) Victoria Can Tho - was nice but felt it was overpriced. The river view was not as spectacular as I expected and I could have saved >USD100 if we had stayed at Saigon Can Tho (3 star vs Victoria's 4 star) but does not have a river view.
3) Tonkin - As noted above, great service and reasonable price. I had concerns that they were not based in HCM but they had local partners who worked well with us. Our tour guide, Mr Long, was accommodating and kind, and had local knowledge which he communicated in fairly good English.
4) Vietnam House (HCM) - major disappointment. Expensive and service and food not good. We saw a rat scampering on the 2nd floor dining area (!) - We expected more from a restaurant that has hosted US President Bush Sr and other dignitaries. - OK, I have to say the girls playing the traditional instruments made for an interesting show.
5) Cafe 333 - nr An An Hotel - so so. Price was ok but again there was a rat! THe rat provided a distraction for a group of girls who kept squealing.
6) Nhu Huong (Lotus?) Restaurant- arnd the corner from An An. Great pho. Food cheap! We ordered a lot of food so we could try them out and all the traditional food was good.
7) Tan Phat (in Can Tho city - took cab from Victoria). You SHOULD have a local with you when you go. You point to the seafood u want to order and they cook it. There is no English menu and 'steamed'/'fried'/grilled' is not in their vocabulary. We spent 30 mins ordering - everything came out grilled but all tasted great! Best meal we had in the whole trip. Price was reasonable. Would have enjoyed more if we had a local to order for us.
Anecdote: the table behind us ordered frogs (not frog legs). When they served it, I wanted to take pix of it and pointed it out to our server. She got excited and I was afraid we'd end up with that on our table so I gave up on the photo op.... Probably just as well, not sure I want to see how they looked opened up =)

Things I regret:
1) I wish I could have seen more of Can Tho. I thought it would be a small town but turned out to be a huge city. MIght have been interesting to explore if only for a half-day.
2) I wish I had extended 1-2 days and gone to Cambodia instead of Mekong (it was interesting but I truth be told, did not feel it was worth the ~3 hrs trip each way from HCM).
3) I have no regrets booking with Tonkin Travel as they were great (Ly was patient, offered great advice, and offered a fair price compared to others I compared with). Still, I probably could have done DIY (bus) tours - which seemed to be popular with the European/Australian tourists and seemed organized / comfortable enough.

Day 1 : ( Fri - March 23 07 ) Arrive to Hochimhin city
Arrive to Tan San nhat airport around 14 : 30 PM. pick up and transfer to the hotel. Afternoon, visit the the Notre Dame cathedral, the Old Central Post Office. Tour of Chinatown and Thien Hau & Quan Am pagodas. Finish the trip at the hotel around 18 : 00 PM.

Day 2: ( Sat - March 24th 07 ) HCMC - Tay Ninh - Cu Chi - HCMC ( Lunch included )
8 : 15 AM Pick up at your hotel in HCMC ( To be advised ) & drive west to Tay Ninh, head quarter of Cao Dai region. o­n arrival we attend the fantastic mid-day temple service when the followers fill the hall wearing colored robes, a symbol of the curious combination of the Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. o­n the way back a stop for a visit Cu Chi Tunnels, an underground tunnels network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, accommodation, etc. and were used as a military base for the Vietcong in the American war. Driving back to HCMC. Fnish the trip at your hotel around 17 : 30 PM. (Note: came back earlier so we can shop at Ben Thanh- spent 1.5 hrs there. No need for a tour guide here as the speak good English for the most part)
- Includes: A/c private van, English speaking tour guide, entrance fee, 01 lunch.

Day 3: ( Sun - March 25th 07 ) HCMC - My Tho - Ben Tre - Can Tho (L)
8 : 15 AM Pick up at your hotel in HCMC ( To be advised ) Depart for My Tho. Take the boat ride through the Bao Dinh natural canal, view the stilt houses and the fruit plantation along the river sides. Visit the My Tho wholesale fruit market. Proceed to the Tortoise island. Lunch served in the heart of the orchard. Enjoy the nice boat ride through the Tan Thach natural canal in Ben Tre, cruise under the shadow of the water coconut trees. Visit the family where you can experience the agricultural lifestyle. Trekking through the fruit plantation in Thoi Son island, enjoy the rowing boat ride along the creeks before returning to My Tho by motorised boat. Proceed to Can Tho. Dinner on guests' account. Overnight at your proposed hotel in Can Tho.

Day 4: ( Mon - March 26th 07 ) Phong Dien - Cai Rang (B/L)
7:00 After breakfast, take the morning boat trip to visit the Phong Dien floating market with the busy sence right at the time. Keep cruising through the small chanels system, visit the rice noodles making viallge. Experience the " monkey Bridge " in the Delta. Visit the second floating market of Cai Rang. Break time for lunch. Return to Hochiminh city via Vinh Long to visit the local snake market. Free until transfer to the airport for departure. End of services.

-- Includes: A/c private van, English speaking tour guide, entrance fee, 02 lunches, private boat trips in the Mekong delta, 1 Triple room at the Victoria Cantho hotel ( Deluxe/riverview ).

Pain and Gain

Took three months but I finally moved up the Taekwondo ranks.

Started taking TKD in February. So far, I havent lost any weight (though I've lost two inches off the waist), skinned my knuckles, and most recently, injured my foot from a misstep that landed me on my behind (and immobilised me for two days). So why you might ask? Why put up with the pain? (More than the physical pain, it is the embarrassment of having pre-teen kids as occasional teachers that gets to me.) What do I get out of it?

Well, why not? I needed something to get me off the couch and I've always fancied the martial arts. I will leave it to this "essay" to explain why-- this was the paper I had to submit in conjunction with the belt promotion. (Obviously I had too much fun with it.)

Why I am Taking up Taekwondo

I was raised on a regular regimen of Chinese martial arts movies. Tuesdays, police movies set in modern-day Hong Kong where apparently bare hand still beats gun, were my standard fare. Saturday mornings I sat in thrall watching as Jacky Chan clowned his opponents into submission. Meanwhile, I shifted to the China of yore on Sunday afternoons, as kung fu masters defied gravity by flying through space and time, communicated through psychic channels, and channelled healing through their chi.

As such, I grew up imagining someday I would do all these things. In my teens, I took up wushu and karate on two separate summers and thought I was on my way. However, the pressures of high school, and subsequently university, distracted me from actually pursuing this. Now, eight years in the workforce, it is all I can do to watch the occasional Jet Li movie as I lounge on my comfy couch.

It was in this haze of quarter-life stupor that I decided to enroll in Taekwondo classes. Initially, my intent was to force a regular doze of physical activity into a schedule that rotated around work. Primary goals were to tone up and trim down, while learning to kick butt. I gravitated towards Taekwondo because I enjoyed the emphasis on kicking, which I specially enjoyed.

Since starting, I have sees physical improvements such as greater flexibility and increased stamina. It didn’t hurt that I've lost weight along the way. I also infused by a better sense of well-being (from the all the endorphins I must be generating).

The physical benefits aside, I also appreciate the 'extras'. The chance to release pent-up stress has also helped develop my focus. It has also instilled a discipline in going to class regularly (and waking up early on Saturdays!). I also like the challenge of paying attention to the small details (e.g. slight hand gestures, 5 degree differences in foot placement) that apparently make a world of difference in form and substance.

With these in mind, I have strengthened my resolve to pursue my childhood fascination with martial arts. Now not so whimsical, I combine this juvenile enthrallment with my adult realities by bearing sore muscles and grueling practice as I work towards the more realistic goals of physical and mental conditioning.

And truth be told, the other thing that keeps me going is the thought that hey, Jet Li's gotta retire someday too, you know? =)

Back and breathing

Nope, I will not tack this one to 'ningas kugon'. *

Since I went to Ho Chi Minh and Manila in March, it's been hard to get back to the groove of blogging. I remember typing up an entry from an internet cafe in Saigon and apart from the minutes ticking away (which was admittedly peanuts -everything there was darn cheap), I was very conscious of the fellow beside me surreptitiously glancing at my monitor. It did not help that I started that entry talking about how hard it was to breathe because of the cigarette smoke emanating from him. - So I blame my hiatus on that dingy cafe, pesky neighbors, and shortness of breath.

OK, now that I've dealt with my ningas kugon, I need to deal with this propensity for excuses =)

* ningas kugon. "something that is not permanent, usually connotes a behavior or action not meant to last" - http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_Default_files/tagalog_idioms.htm