HCMC - Saigon Day 1 - Ripped off (Part Two)

Ok, so after being ripped off (my fault completely), moving quickly to another place, and grabbing a beer, I was able to relax and actually enjoy the place I was at.

It was just an alley with a few tables and chairs set up. There was a restaurant attached, but it was busy and hot in both places.

At the tables, there were a bunch of older Americans (I later found out). Yes, they were vets enjoying a beer. I asked one of the guys sitting next to me how Saigon had changed since he was last there. The only difference he said was that we would have been drinking on the roof of the place (to avoid mortar fire), but other than that, no difference in 30 years.

I met a local girl named Gib who asked me if I wanted to go dancing. I decided I didn't have much to lose since the place I was at was closing up. We went to Apocalypse Now bar, one of the more famous nightlife places among tourists and locals. It was just as I expected, hot, sweaty, full of Westerners and locals. I think I was able to stand the place for about two drinks. I told Gib that I wanted a local place where it was a little quieter. She knew of another place, so we went off in a taxi again.

The new place was much better. Real quiet, real local. It was a bia hoi place. A bia hoi place is where the locals drink beer on ice and grab a little bit to eat. I think the name of the place was Ba Ba, but I'm not sure. It was really quiet though and after the loudness of Apocalypse Now, this was a welcome change.

Ba Ba, would be the place where I would be introduced to Vietnamese food. My first was marinated beef and onions. I know, it sounds simple, but served with a little fish sauce and hot peppers, it made the beer go down fast; especially, with the hot peppers. I stayed out way late into the evening and eventually made it back to the hotel waking up the security guards to get me my room key. Gib was going to meet me in the afternoon to show me around HCMC. I was a little wary, but said that I'd phone her in the afternoon when I was ready to go site see.