This is Another Saigon Post

This is the view from our second Saigon Airbnb. It's a nice open top floor apartment with lots of windows. Great place to hang out and read a book while listening to the ceaseless buzzing and beeping of the nearby street (Earplugs are a lifesaver in Asia). Staying in Airbnb's is much more immersive than staying in a hotel, for better and for worse. I would argue that anything that connects you a bit closer with the place your staying is worth the tradeoff. Even if that means the old lady down the street dies, and the entire neighborhood holds a 3 day nonstop funeral ritual complete with late night buddhist chanting, and early morning Mardi Gras style funeral processions. By late night, I mean 2 in the goddamn morning with the New Orleans style sendoff starting at 5am, horns included. These Vietnamese are hardcore. We did get a bit thrown off our regular sleep schedule, but it was really cool to hear something so different and wild go down right outside the balcony.  

If I was to live in this insane place, I would probably need some sort of Xanax prescription to calm my nerves. The constant frenetic motion of literally everything thats not nailed down does get to you after a while. Saigon becomes a bit more enjoyable after a few beers, mainly because your not twitching spastically at every motorbike or loose chicken that finds its way into your personal bubble.

This is the face of a man who could use a vacation.

You see lots of the motorbike riders wearing masks. It's because they are smart. SE Asian megacities are probably not the best places to be if you have respiratory problems...

Hello ladies... want a ride?

If you look closely, you'll notice a giant alien spaceship touching down in the heart of Saigon.

Hilarious. It's funny because it's opposite. Get it?!

Saigon has tons of these funky cafe things hidden down seemingly non-descript looking back alleys. For instance, Bunker is a bar/venue food place run by an LA expat serving stuff you'd expect to find in a trendy Portland food cart pod. Like the Sushirito pictured below. It was actually way better than expected. I've always stayed away from the Sushirito because I thought it seemed too gimmicky, but I stand corrected.

Pasteur Street Brewing. The best. Makes us feel temporarily at home. Their beer is just as good as anything you'd find on the West Coast. Or anywhere else in the US for that matter. That is one of a few very important things the US is getting right these days. Best beer in the world.

It's been quite an experience immersing ourselves in Saigon. We've seen, eaten, and drank lots of amazing things. Avoided getting run over by millions of motorbikes, and walked way too far everyday. Overall, success. We are ready to move on though. Time for the next culturally overwhelming destination!