Back in Saigon and my new place:
I always get the same sensation as I pear out of the back seat of my taxi heading away from the Tan Son Nhat its that somehow it this all doesn't seem real. Maybe its such a sharp contrast of the motorbike, bus, truck and car clogged roadway, noise - blaring horns, load exhausts, from the comparatively well organized even though crowed freeways of California I just left. Here in Saigon not only are the roads jam packed but the sidewalk and edges of the road are filled with people doing their thing. Street side sellers, folks just lounging or even sleeping on there motorbikes, people walking or pushing carts and then the sidewalks are all filled with parked motorbikes or motorbikes being piloted around the jammed traffic on the road and maneuvering around hastily created shops of street sellers set up for the day or the evening.
It probably isn't that far in kilometers from the airport to the city center in district 1, but with the traffic and all its takes about a half hour in a taxi. A couple years ago I stated staying in guest houses instead of hotels. A guest house is a much cheaper alternative to a hotel, while a decent hotel price starts around $35.00 a night, a guest house starts around $300.00 a month. Most guest houses outside of the touristy areas rent out their rooms on a monthly basis but, say like in Pham Nu Lao backpackers area here in Saigon and where I am now you can rent a spot to sling your back pack and lay your head on a daily basis. A guest house is basically a home where they rent out some bedrooms, anyway that is what it was but now you'll find guest House that are more like family run, very basic mini hotels. The past couple years I had been staying in one that was a family's home where they had added on a few extra rooms they rented out. It was little to constricting for my taste, when I came in I had to walk through their living room and dinning room to get up to my room. Though some might like this as it offers an up close and personal look at Vietnamese home life and even become a surrogate member of the family.
This year I'm staying at a new place Gia My found for me, located down an alley, off a main road in district 1. A row house with 8 rooms, renting, m
ostly to long stay foreigners and run by a very sweat Vietnamese lady, Miss Thao and her lovely helper, Miss Hanh. It is set up more like a no frills family run hotel than the family's home I had been using. I like this new place, small balcony with plants, no view but allowing place to step outside, new traditional lacquer finish Vietnamese bedroom furniture, hot water in the bathroom (shower and sink
) cable TV and decent TV, DSL connection 24/7, comfy king sized bed. an AC unit that can turn the place into a meat locker and included in the price is a fantastic 1 day turn around laundry service that even irons my boxer shorts. The only downside is that its a through alley and there are speeding motor bikes using it to beat the traffic light on the corner so its a might noisy at times. Rooms for Rent - 36/21 Le Thi Rieng Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist. 1, HCMC Miss Thao's e-mail address thanhthao775@yahoo.com Phone number: dial 84(country code) 8(city code) 925-3278 (number) In Saigon just dial 925-3278
I always get the same sensation as I pear out of the back seat of my taxi heading away from the Tan Son Nhat its that somehow it this all doesn't seem real. Maybe its such a sharp contrast of the motorbike, bus, truck and car clogged roadway, noise - blaring horns, load exhausts, from the comparatively well organized even though crowed freeways of California I just left. Here in Saigon not only are the roads jam packed but the sidewalk and edges of the road are filled with people doing their thing. Street side sellers, folks just lounging or even sleeping on there motorbikes, people walking or pushing carts and then the sidewalks are all filled with parked motorbikes or motorbikes being piloted around the jammed traffic on the road and maneuvering around hastily created shops of street sellers set up for the day or the evening.
It probably isn't that far in kilometers from the airport to the city center in district 1, but with the traffic and all its takes about a half hour in a taxi. A couple years ago I stated staying in guest houses instead of hotels. A guest house is a much cheaper alternative to a hotel, while a decent hotel price starts around $35.00 a night, a guest house starts around $300.00 a month. Most guest houses outside of the touristy areas rent out their rooms on a monthly basis but, say like in Pham Nu Lao backpackers area here in Saigon and where I am now you can rent a spot to sling your back pack and lay your head on a daily basis. A guest house is basically a home where they rent out some bedrooms, anyway that is what it was but now you'll find guest House that are more like family run, very basic mini hotels. The past couple years I had been staying in one that was a family's home where they had added on a few extra rooms they rented out. It was little to constricting for my taste, when I came in I had to walk through their living room and dinning room to get up to my room. Though some might like this as it offers an up close and personal look at Vietnamese home life and even become a surrogate member of the family.
This year I'm staying at a new place Gia My found for me, located down an alley, off a main road in district 1. A row house with 8 rooms, renting, m
ostly to long stay foreigners and run by a very sweat Vietnamese lady, Miss Thao and her lovely helper, Miss Hanh. It is set up more like a no frills family run hotel than the family's home I had been using. I like this new place, small balcony with plants, no view but allowing place to step outside, new traditional lacquer finish Vietnamese bedroom furniture, hot water in the bathroom (shower and sink
) cable TV and decent TV, DSL connection 24/7, comfy king sized bed. an AC unit that can turn the place into a meat locker and included in the price is a fantastic 1 day turn around laundry service that even irons my boxer shorts. The only downside is that its a through alley and there are speeding motor bikes using it to beat the traffic light on the corner so its a might noisy at times. Rooms for Rent - 36/21 Le Thi Rieng Street, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist. 1, HCMC Miss Thao's e-mail address thanhthao775@yahoo.com Phone number: dial 84(country code) 8(city code) 925-3278 (number) In Saigon just dial 925-3278Tip: also needed is the country code your dialing from - example: US 011, GB 00, Austrilia 0011 and Japan 010. A complete number, USA to Saigon 011-84-8-925-3278
