D87 -- Taipei to Saigon

We packed in our usual last-minute frenzy, and said goodbye to our family at the apartment. They were busy packing for their own adventure – to Cambodia – and so couldn't accompany us to the airport. It would have been nice to stay longer, as it was great to have some down time with family after being away from home for two months. Margaret and Damon did a wonderful job of showing us around and making sure we hit most of the highlights despite the fact that Thomas and I slept in each day. And even better still, they gave us a much needed dose of Mexican food!

Even though we were only there a short while, we feel like we got a fair glimpse into life in Taipei and Taiwanese culture. A few comments about the streets of Taipei: (1) There are LOTS of motorbikes with lots of people on them. My family says they've heard of up to 5 or 6 kids and adults riding one motorbike, but I usually only saw 1-3. (2) Many people riding motorbikes and walking around wear masks over their mouths and noses. I'm not sure if it is to protect from infections like SARS or pollution or both. We saw this in Seoul, too. The kids' versions have cute cartoon characters on them. (3) The little image of the person on the crosswalk sign walks when you are supposed to be crossing, and starts running if you are almost out of time to cross.

My friend Dominique met us at the airport in Ho Chi Minh city, which many people still call Saigon. She and I met in San Miguel last summer when we were both doing internships at CASA. She's been volunteering as an English teacher at a convent since last December. We hadn't seen one another in six months, so it was great to get to catch up and very comforting to know we'd have a Vietnamese-speaking friend looking out for us.

We hopped in a cab and headed to the hotel she'd arranged for us - $20 a night for AC, TV, and breakfast! As we drove through Saigon I though to myself, “Now here's something different!” All the places we've visited have been new and interesting, but there's just something different about Vietnam. For one, I've never seen so many motor bikes in my life (and I thought there were lots in Taipei!). The way they weave in and out of traffic is just insane.

On the way to dinner we stopped by to visit Dominique's cousin Viet, who had helped arrange travel, lodging, and dining recommendations for us. He served in the South Vietnamese military during the war and was sent to a “reeducation camp” when the Communists took over. Pretty crazy. Although he didn't speak much English you could just tell that he was a super nice guy. When we made it to the restaurant, we were a bit taken aback to see that everything had either pork or shrimp or both in it. It's Taipei all over again! If you really want to experience another culture, however, at some point you gotta just suck it up. We tried some traditional dishes, including grilled pork wrapped with steamed rice cakes, tiny rice pancakes with grinded shrimp (crunchy! see picture), and a rice dish wrapped in egg. We also ordering Bo Luc Lac (stir fried beef) as well just so we'd have something familiar to eat. That's the dish Thomas always gets at Green Papaya in Dallas. Everything was pretty good! For dessert we all enjoyed some of the Texas Sheet Cake that Margaret had packed for us. Thanks, Margaret!

- Elva