Wow. How do I start about today? Adrian and I made it into Saigon about an hour ago after a serious journey.
It started with my surprise "you have to leave right now!!" statement from the guesthouse owner.
7:15am: Adrian and I hopped in the tuk tuk and we were off!
For two hours we drive on a dirt track through farmers fields, barely making it through the massive holes mid track filled with the rain that fell overnight. We were surrounded as far as you can see by rice fields, cows, pigs, chickens.... Children would run out of thier shacks as we passed by and stand on the street yelling "Hello! Hello!" and waving and would smile and cheer when we waved back! Man, we really felt like rockstars...every shack kids (and actually some adults) yelling "hello! hello! hello!"
9:15 am: We meet two moto drivers on the dirt road and they hand us each a helmet. We hop on the back and head out down a road that no doubt the tuk tuk could not make it through!
9:30 am: The Ha Tien border! This border just opened up 1 year ago, and from what Adrian read online, does not always let tourists through. We pay $1 together to get a departure stamp and $1 each to get through "immunization authority screening" I sign a form saying I do not have AIDS or a fever. We hop back on the motos and are off to Ha Tien!
10 am: Show up at the bus station in Ha Tien. The bus for Saigon/HCMC (Ho Chi Min City) left at 9am. No other buses until tomorrow.
10:15am: We chase after a local bus heading to Rach Gia...we are told we can catch a bus to HCMC from here. The bus stops EVERYWHERE to pick up people! Even when I thought it would be impossible to fit more people on the bus, they find a way! Three kids share 1 seat, sitting on each other's laps; women sit on plastic kids stools in the aisles; 6 people fit across the 4 person backseats; people sit on the stairs in the doorway. The small boy across the aisle starts puking from the bouncing road: a woman sitting behind me rubs some essential oil on his neck and behind his ears, and while his mother holds him another woman pinches three areas on his chest until they are brusied and the kid is screaming. The mother seems okay with it all and the boy doesnt puke again...
1 pm: Arrive Rach Gia. Are followed for 30min by a persistent moto driver who literally just walks behind us as we look for the bus kiosk saying "moto moto..cheap tickets minibus." We buy a ticket for a "big bus" to HCMC from a lady on the street, then sit and talk with an old Vietnamese man until the bus arrives. I search for some quick street eats and end up with a take-out bowl of pho.
1:45pm: Hop on the bus. It is a mix of loud honking and vietnamese music for over 6 hours. We have at least 2 near misses where I swear someone on a bicycle or crossing the street was going to die. We are hot and sweaty and very dusty from the open window...the only moving air. The bus stops every 5 min with LOTS of shouting out the door and exchange of parcels. We stop once for the bathroom. Have you ever tried to eat noodle soup on a lurching, start-and-stop bus?
6:45pm: The bus stops again, but this time two men grab Adrian and my bag and haul them outside and start walking away with them! We hop out of the bus and run after the bus, only to find another bus around the corner! The men stow our bags and we get a ticket. Turning around the other bus is gone. New bus, louder Vietnamese music....the driver just sits on the horn continuously until everything in my brain is honkhonkhonkhonkhonkhoooonnnnnkkkkkkk. It takes sitting down in two different sets of seats and being shooed out by the bus driver before we can settle in seats in the back...whats up with that?
9:30pm: Arrive Saigon at some bus station at night time. Very hot and sweaty. I am considering peeing into my Nalgene bottle (except that I couldnt bring myself to drink out of it later so decided against it). It is 15km to town and we have 8 moto drivers following us down the road. Only one will take us for the price we are offering...both of us on his moto! Adrian's big bag goes between the driver's legs, adrian behind him with his day back on one arm, my day bag on the other arm, me behind adrian with my huge pack hanging off me off the back of the moto, my butt half on the seat LOL. It was actually really scary because every time we started and stopped I slid back a little more until I was sure I was going to bounce off the back. I had a death lock with one arm around adrian, but the moto guy wouldnt let adrian wrap his arm around him....only let him put one hand on his shoulder. Other people on motos were pointing and laughing LOL...but we made it!
10pm: Found a guesthouse in the pham ngu lao area and grabbed some food...first food since breakfast! (well...if you dont count my unsuccessful attempt at eating my pho)
Tomorrow we are finally sleeping in (yeah!) and then heading to the war museum and just walking around shopping. Next day is the Cu Chi tunnels, then hop on a night train or bus to Hoi Ann.
