That's German and means "let's get the f..k out of here"... some time ago I wrote about "the most terrible place in the world", but I have to correct myself: Vinh descended to rank 2. I simply didn't know Saigon then.
At least in one aspect the sun is shining for some minutes: I came to sit on a computer which has the Mozilla Firefox installed... how quick everything can be...
Tomorrow I'll be out of here, I booked a 3-day-tour through the Mekong-Delta. From there I'll cross directly into Cambodia. Most of the time, including a part of the journey to Phnom Penh, I'll spend on boats. I won't miss the road travel in Vietnam.
The rain ceased somewhat, but it is still drizzling without interruption. Well, I rather get soaked on boats in the Mekong-Delta than spending one minute more than necessary in Saigon...
Next post from Cambodia...
lunes, 14 de mayo de 2007
My umbrella
I bought it a couple of years ago in Kiel, for 1,50 Euro, in one of these so-called 1-Euro-shops... well, it was raining that day, so the market forces of a high demand probably pushed up the price... I have not been using it a lot since then (it never rains in BCN), but it has become a true companion in the last days. Saigon itself is pretty unbearable, traffic and noise and exhaust fumes of hundreds of thousands of motorcycles and cars and buses, and even more unbearable when it is raining almost without interruption. At least this justifies the one and a half Euro investment long time ago...
So it's pouring down now for almost 24 hours without interruption, and there's really not much to do at the moment. Writing posts, of course, the street where my guesthouse lies, has plenty of internet cafes. Besides that: waiting for the sun...
If someone will ask me later what I was doing those 3 days in Saigon, I won't really know what to answer...
So it's pouring down now for almost 24 hours without interruption, and there's really not much to do at the moment. Writing posts, of course, the street where my guesthouse lies, has plenty of internet cafes. Besides that: waiting for the sun...
If someone will ask me later what I was doing those 3 days in Saigon, I won't really know what to answer...
domingo, 13 de mayo de 2007
Approaching Saigon
The first notion of Saigon appeared about 50 kms away, when we approached Binh Hoa. Traffic seemed to increase with every meter and reached a state of chaos when we were passing this city. Vietnamese traffic has to be seen to believe it... the wild conglomeration of buses, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, rikschas and hand-drawn carriages seems to be something beyond reality. One wonders about the number of traffic deads - officially around 12000 per year, but probably more - and it appears to be low when you take a look at it, it must be higher, you can't stop thinking...
Driving through Binh Hoa was more stop than go, and would continue so until Saigon... I had to admit that I hadn't seen much of Vietnamese traffic so far... unimportant cities of 50000 or 300000 people. Coming closer to Saigon, the highway was jam-packed. Everyone - buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks - tried to sneak into holes in the continuous row of vehicles, honking the others out of their way. We crept towards an intersection, where the traffic had come to a complete stillstand, because half a dozen trucks which wanted to turn off into several directions, were so entirely jammed that it seemed impossible to clear the intersection...
Some kilometers after Binh Hoa it started to rain, and within minutes the rain turned into a longlasting downpour. The advantage was that most motorcycles went off the road, seeking shelter... After a while we reached the outskirts of Saigon. The rain had flooded streets and entire quarters, up to 15 cms high... fortunately it ceased suddenly. The old chaos returned to the streets...
Driving through Binh Hoa was more stop than go, and would continue so until Saigon... I had to admit that I hadn't seen much of Vietnamese traffic so far... unimportant cities of 50000 or 300000 people. Coming closer to Saigon, the highway was jam-packed. Everyone - buses, cars, motorcycles, trucks - tried to sneak into holes in the continuous row of vehicles, honking the others out of their way. We crept towards an intersection, where the traffic had come to a complete stillstand, because half a dozen trucks which wanted to turn off into several directions, were so entirely jammed that it seemed impossible to clear the intersection...
Some kilometers after Binh Hoa it started to rain, and within minutes the rain turned into a longlasting downpour. The advantage was that most motorcycles went off the road, seeking shelter... After a while we reached the outskirts of Saigon. The rain had flooded streets and entire quarters, up to 15 cms high... fortunately it ceased suddenly. The old chaos returned to the streets...
Through the Central Highlands
The last evening in Nha Trang it was pouring down for hours, something usual by now. I was not unhappy to get away the next morning. By bus I travelled to Dalat, a city in the mountains, renowned for a whole bunch of things, too many to tell here...
The bus ride was very scenic indeed, as we were climbing up slowly but steady... more slowly than steady, actually. Dalat is at almost 1500 m altitude, if I'm right... The problem was that we were approaching the clouds, which were hanging quite low. The sun disappeared, and it started raining... fortunately it stopped after a while, we passed the clouds and could enjoy the gorgeous mountains and deep valleys again.
Dalat first appeared like a Swiss model village: so incredibly nice and clean and sweet. When we got off the bus, a motorcycle taxi brought me to a guesthouse, that was recommended in a guidebook, and I landed in reality again, in downtown Dalat. Traffic noise in narrow streets, the sidewalks a little dingy, the dark clouds made everything appear even more unpleasant. When I started strolling around, the daily downpour started, fortunately I was next to a little coffee shop. The coffee was good, the music which they put on, less. Let's call it politely "rock-bottom"... I didn't expect to hear "Modern Talking" in Vietnam... I don't know whether Non-Germans ever heard of this group... if not, don't look for it, please, it's better for your state of mind...
The downpour continued, as always I had left the umbrella in the guesthouse. A certain impression came over me - wrong time, wrong place... I decided that I didn't have to see more, went out into the rain to the next travel agency (as always in Vietnam, just around the corner) and bought the ticket to Saigon, for the next morning
This next morning the sun was shining, which was becoming something rare. We left Dalat, I didn't look back, also because again the landscape was breathtaking at times, especially when we descended a very narrow mountain road for I don't know how many kilometers. This road I would like to drive with a motorbike one day... something not always pleasant in this country, but the many bends, deep canyons and high rocky walls would make up for everything unpleasant like Vietnamese traffic...
When we had left the mountains behind us, we passed through Vietnam's most important coffee growing region. As far as one could see, all over the rolling hills, every meter seemed to be occupied by coffee plantations. Later also tea plantatins appeared, the road was seamed with tea and coffee shops...
When we finally came to National Highway Nr. 1, which would bring us to Saigon, I looked back. I had made a little detour on my way south, which wouldn't have been necessary, but that's travelling... a lot of hours on the buses, but at least through a beautiful region... and anyway, with a certain probability I will never come through here again...
The bus ride was very scenic indeed, as we were climbing up slowly but steady... more slowly than steady, actually. Dalat is at almost 1500 m altitude, if I'm right... The problem was that we were approaching the clouds, which were hanging quite low. The sun disappeared, and it started raining... fortunately it stopped after a while, we passed the clouds and could enjoy the gorgeous mountains and deep valleys again.
Dalat first appeared like a Swiss model village: so incredibly nice and clean and sweet. When we got off the bus, a motorcycle taxi brought me to a guesthouse, that was recommended in a guidebook, and I landed in reality again, in downtown Dalat. Traffic noise in narrow streets, the sidewalks a little dingy, the dark clouds made everything appear even more unpleasant. When I started strolling around, the daily downpour started, fortunately I was next to a little coffee shop. The coffee was good, the music which they put on, less. Let's call it politely "rock-bottom"... I didn't expect to hear "Modern Talking" in Vietnam... I don't know whether Non-Germans ever heard of this group... if not, don't look for it, please, it's better for your state of mind...
The downpour continued, as always I had left the umbrella in the guesthouse. A certain impression came over me - wrong time, wrong place... I decided that I didn't have to see more, went out into the rain to the next travel agency (as always in Vietnam, just around the corner) and bought the ticket to Saigon, for the next morning
This next morning the sun was shining, which was becoming something rare. We left Dalat, I didn't look back, also because again the landscape was breathtaking at times, especially when we descended a very narrow mountain road for I don't know how many kilometers. This road I would like to drive with a motorbike one day... something not always pleasant in this country, but the many bends, deep canyons and high rocky walls would make up for everything unpleasant like Vietnamese traffic...
When we had left the mountains behind us, we passed through Vietnam's most important coffee growing region. As far as one could see, all over the rolling hills, every meter seemed to be occupied by coffee plantations. Later also tea plantatins appeared, the road was seamed with tea and coffee shops...
When we finally came to National Highway Nr. 1, which would bring us to Saigon, I looked back. I had made a little detour on my way south, which wouldn't have been necessary, but that's travelling... a lot of hours on the buses, but at least through a beautiful region... and anyway, with a certain probability I will never come through here again...
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