I'm giddy to be back in Saigon. Crossing the border into Vietnam and ordering my first cơm gà chiên for lunch right at the border lifted my spirits -- and they've stayed high through the heat, noise, and traffic that is the heart of HCM. My attitude during the long taxi over to T.'s house from the bus terminal could not have been more different than the one I took just yesterday in Phnom Penh on my way to the hostel.
Both days started with a late bus departure, followed by seven to eight hour bus ride, finishing by arriving in the outskirts of a large Asian city. Yesterday I was hungry and grumpy and incredibly frustrated by the horde of men that met the bus yelling at me to let them be my driver. I stalked off in anger and found my own tuk-tuk driver. He seemed to know where I wanted to go -- for the first 15 minutes. Then I realized we'd be going around in circles and he had no clue. I was a long time before I arrived at the hostel, hungrier and grumpier. Today on the other hand, I greeted the horde of men at the bus with a smile on my face and accepted a taxi ride from one of them. On the long ride over I tried out my rusty Vietnamese and had a great laugh with the driver who's English was surprisingly even worse than my Vietnamese! The familiar roads around T.'s house raised my spirits and I was so proud of myself when I was able to give directions in Vietnamese right to her front door.
Now I'm in the backpacker's district, celebrating my return to this city with a beer. Yesterday the day ended with a beer as well, but to ease my frustration. Today is a good one. I've realized that even when on the other side of the world from my heart's home, I can still feel at home. I've learned to love this crazy city despite myself. I look forward to my two days here. A visit to my favorite nail salon, shampoo place, fruit stand, bun thit heo stand, and bakery are in order!
Both days started with a late bus departure, followed by seven to eight hour bus ride, finishing by arriving in the outskirts of a large Asian city. Yesterday I was hungry and grumpy and incredibly frustrated by the horde of men that met the bus yelling at me to let them be my driver. I stalked off in anger and found my own tuk-tuk driver. He seemed to know where I wanted to go -- for the first 15 minutes. Then I realized we'd be going around in circles and he had no clue. I was a long time before I arrived at the hostel, hungrier and grumpier. Today on the other hand, I greeted the horde of men at the bus with a smile on my face and accepted a taxi ride from one of them. On the long ride over I tried out my rusty Vietnamese and had a great laugh with the driver who's English was surprisingly even worse than my Vietnamese! The familiar roads around T.'s house raised my spirits and I was so proud of myself when I was able to give directions in Vietnamese right to her front door.
Now I'm in the backpacker's district, celebrating my return to this city with a beer. Yesterday the day ended with a beer as well, but to ease my frustration. Today is a good one. I've realized that even when on the other side of the world from my heart's home, I can still feel at home. I've learned to love this crazy city despite myself. I look forward to my two days here. A visit to my favorite nail salon, shampoo place, fruit stand, bun thit heo stand, and bakery are in order!
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