Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, was like nothing we could ever imagine. Tree lined boulevards encase the surviving old neighborhoods, and are totally absent and replaced with skyscrapers in the new ones. Everything is steamy, unlike anything or any place. My diving watch steamed up, so we could only know the time if we could stand in air con. We ducked into any place with shade. We carried and drained bottle after bottle of water. We wilted.
The amazing thing about being so hot, is that you are forced to slow down. Take in the details. Appreciate things that you would ordinarily breeze past.
We loved the light throughout the day. Balanced in the early morning, and again in the early evening. It was light at six and then dark at six. The evenings were cooler, and our most leisurely time. We learned how to ride in cabs armed with pleases, thank you's, and google maps on the iPhone.
We stumbled through the Cholon district, chinatown, almost forgetting we were still in Vietnam. Apothecaries, dragon and lion costumes, and Chinese noodles reminded us of home.
"Sometimes, less is more", does not fly in Saigon. The food has layer after layer of flavor. Colored lights bathe everything from hotels to sacred Buddhas. Flowers are dyed, sprayed, and then dipped in glitter. The whole city sparkles through the emanating heat.
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