Numbers

3:  Days off for Hung King Holiday Weekend
5,000:  Years since Hung King's Birth
5:40:  "Sleeping in" on our 3-day, holiday weeked
90: minutes spent on Skype connecting with family this morning
69: Minutes on a treadmill
8.1: Miles ran
$7: Dollars spent on a "rebuilding lunch"
2:  Number of coffee's purchased to help keep us awake on a long weekend.
160,000:  Amount of VND spent on 7 DVD's and 2 Television Series discs
90: Minutes on a massage table 
$30: Total cost for said massage
$15:  Cost of "Buy One, Get one Free" Long Island Iced Tea Happy Hour
23:  Floor that we were on for said Happy Hour
17:  Number of times we were offered "Budweiser" as the "import draft of the night" during dinner
17:  Number of times said "import draft" was refused!!

'What is this?  A pitcher for ants?"  (Please reference Zoolander)

 

1.5 ml of coffee = 16,000 VND

Yes, that's a Long Island Iced Tea in his hand which means 4 different alcohols in one glass.

View from floor 23.  Not a bad way to finish off the 3rd month of the year!

67,000: Number of Vietnam flags flying in honor of the long weekend.

300:  Drunk men in a beer hall eagerly waiting for Budweiser to come to their table.

And the Cannon Fires!

There have been exactly 2 times when Heidi has cried about missing "home" while abroad.  The first was standing in a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur when she spotted a jar of dill pickles.  Heidi realized at that minute that while life can go on without pickles, it sure doesn't taste as good.  The second time that tears were shed was just this afternoon, driving home on the bike, when Adam dropped the news that The Hunger Games movie was just banned in Vietnam.  Something to do with uprisings and the government.  Hmmm...  I guess our district (District 5 -- literally, that's where we live) is not the victors this time around.

Fruit Stand

We have found a couple of places around the city that have really saved us in our quest for a normal life in Vietnam. One of these places is a local fruit store just about 1km from our house.

Sometimes the fruit at outdoor markets can be sketchy while the fruit at the grocery store seems way over priced. Somehow we stumbled across this shop that is the perfect medium.

We stop by Trai Cay Cao Cap 141 fruit shop at least once a week. At this point in time in our living here, we are always greeted by big smiles as well as crazy assortments of fruit. It is always an adventure as we wade our way through the gigantic stacks of fruit (some familiar and some not so much). However, in the end whatever we pick, it always tastes goo. Not to rub it in, but we usually walk away with a weeks worth of fruit for about five to seven dollars. Just saying...

Outside the fruit store.

The newest guard dog. He is ferocious.

Momma guard dog.

Check out all of the colors in the background.

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

Hunger Game mania has reached the shores of Vietnam. Ok, so maybe the mania for the new Hunger Games movie in Vietnam is not what it is in the US, but the movie is coming out here this weekend and we are excited.

Both of us have read the books and have been waiting for the movie to come out. Unlike in the states where people have been pushing and shoving to get in line because there is so much anticipation for the film, here in Vietnam we will probably just have to push and shove because that is how you stand in lines here. Nevertheless, we will be there rooting on the Tributes from District 12.

Heidi representing District 12 outside of Hung Voung Plaza. See you this weekend Katniss.

Bargin

Vietnam can be funny. Some goods and products are extremely expensive while others are beyond affordable. Serioulsy, something like a Ipad may be marked up 100%-200% in Vietnam. And even with that mark up you don't know if it is a legit product or not.

On the other hand, everyday goods almost seem ridiculously cheap. Case in point is the garlic we bought yesterday. We have been eating way more garlic since arriving so we thought that we should step up our buying. At the market we handed over a 10,000 Dong note (about 50 cents) to our vendor and asked for as much garlic as we could get for that.

Holy mother of what!!! For just 50 cents we got enough garlic to kill the whole vampire cast of Twilight. So maybe we will not be buying Ipads here but we certainly will be consuming mass amounts of garlic. Keep the bargains rolling!!!

Garlic!!!

Anniversary Weekend

This weekend we celebrated our second wedding anniversary! To commemorate our travel to Mexico to tie the knot we decided to do what we know best...travel some more!

So for the weekend we decided to hop on the fast ferry and go to the seaside town of Vung Tau. We have been to Vung Tau once before so we did not feel the pressure to take in all of the sights that we have seen before such as a giant statue of Jesus up about 400 stairs or the contrived "Vietnamese countryside" theme park. With those things already checked off our list we opted for some new experiences. We rented a motorbike and took a great seaside cruise. We rode our bike up to the oldest lighthouse in Vietnam and took in the view. And we ate at some of our favorite old restaurants and some really great new ones too.

Overall it was a perfect way to spend a anniversary weekend.

We called the hotel to tell them it was our anniversary in hopes of a room upgrade. No upgrade but we did get this towel art. Even if it was not a upgrade it was still very thoughtful

Checking out the view from the lighthouse. Good news, no boats crashed during the shooting of this picture.

Heidi at the lighthouse.

We went on a seaside road trip. Adam could actually turn his head and "pose" for a picture since unlike Saigon, there were NO OTHER MOPEDS on the road.

Thousands and thousands of little fish drying in the sun. It looks a lot cooler than it smelled.

Nothing says two years like a Baileys and Coffee with breakfast.

Nothing says two years like pizza and beer for lunch. Oh wait...deja vu?

Karate

For a place that does not have tons of public parks, the Vietnamese do a really good job of using their public space. The other day we walked by a community center and saw a youth karate class in action. Who needs a classroom when you can kick butt in public!

Kicking butt and taking names.

Dueling Barbers

We noticed that two new businesses popped up on our street last weekend.  One day there was empty space and then next morning ... BAM ... two new shops had opened up right before our eyes.  Despite being only yards apart, both of these businesses offer the same service -- hair cuts for men.  Do not walk up expecting to special order your haircut, men.  These shops offer one cut and one cut only.  It is a mix of a buzz cut and a flat-top.  Even though the end product looks the same, one guy must have had a better business plan. While he had customers lined up waiting, the other fellow looked down right bored.

No, no.  A storefront is not required to open a shop.  All you need is a piece of sidewalk, some blue tarp, and the audacity of hope.

Just a few motorbikes away, another barber is eagerly taking customers and has a line waiting.  What is it about his tarp that draws in the crowds?

Lots of clients makes for one happy barber who is excited to pose for a photo opportunity. Thumbs up for business.

The entrepreneurial spirit lives free in HCMC!

Fame Update

The basketball game that we went to on Saturday is the gift that keeps on giving. One of our friends logged onto the Saigon Heat Facebook page today and was greeted by a picture of us and our friends going crazy after a second horrible call that changed the game for Saigon. Our fame in Vietnam is growing.  Maybe we can stay and become professional "white people at sporting events" models.

Despite the looks on our face we were having a great time.

March Maddness

Saigon has been infected with basketball fever.  Just recently, a new South East Asia professional basketball league formed.  Vietnam decided to participate in the league and the Saigon Heat basketball team was formed.  This team consists of local players from the country as well as a few American players who kept their dreams of playing "professional basketball" alive by moving across the world and playing for fans who have never handled a basketball themselves, let alone watched a game.

Last night, we rallied our friends and took the long taxi to Tan Binh district to root for the Heat.  We had purchased tickets the night before at a restaurant in the city for a rocking "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" deal.  The tickets were only 60,000 VND each but this deal dropped the price to a mere 40,000 ($2 US) per ticket.  That means all 10 of us purchased tickets to the game for about the same price of 2 beers at a basketball game in the states!!  What was even better ... yesterday morning on our weekly shopping trip to the Vietnamese grocery store, we saw a player there purchasing his own Gatorade like beverage so we wished him luck and told him we would be at the game.  (How did we know he played for the heat?  Not many near 7 foot tall African Americans live in this country nor do they rock "Heat" gear).

The game was unlike any other professional sporting event we had ever encountered.  First, the stadium held approximately 1,000 fans (we have seen high school gyms bigger).  Second, the players seemed to have a hard time playing a controlled game where baskets were actually made (we have seen high school games played better).  Third, the cheerleaders looked like they had learned to "cheer" from a combination of Youtube videos and a kindergarten ballet class (yes, high school cheer squads are WAY better).  All of these things (along with 50 cent beers, great friends, and fun rallies at the end to nearly win the game) made for an extremely enjoyable and memorable night.  We are already planning for our next game where for $20 USD you get court side seats (in big comfy chairs covered in satin, obviously), free snack bags, and a Saigon Heat T-Shirt.  Until then we will chant, "Defense, Saigon, defense!"

Our group in good spirits, ready to root on the Heat.

Seats were not assigned but on a 1st come basis.  We managed to get 10 grouped together but right next to the loudest speaker we may have ever heard.  Our ears still ring.

Saigon heat vs the Indonesian Warriors.  This is the view from our $2 seats.

The cheer team.  Some of their moves we have seen being practiced during "Sexy Dance Class" at our gym!

Getting excited about something during the game.  Feel free to yell but just don't stand up to do so!

Adam and Jimmy saw the "hype man/announcer" after the game.  He acted too cool to have his picture taken prior to jumping on his moped and driving away.

This was the highlight for Adam and Jimmy.  They ran into the ESPN Asia basketball reporter.  I proposed a photo.  Jimmy proposed marriage.

Last Day

Yesterday was Adam's parents last full day in Vietnam. Even after three full weeks of travel they were still game to get out, be active, and try what Saigon had to offer. The day's adventure came in the form of a Vietnamese cooking class where Adam and his parents spent a full half day perfecting their Vietnamese cooking skills. They all made it through the class successfully and enjoyed a excellent lunch consisting of the spring rolls, tomato and egg soup, and clay plot chicken that they had just made. Luckily they were also able to pull themselves together enough to pass the test that was given at the end of the course. But really...a test???

Looking good! Ready to chop and peel!

Nobody can be matching these knife skills.

Elliott showing off his ability to pour egg into a bowl from high altitudes. Do not try this at home.

The finished product

Gift From The Sea

Nha Trang is famous in Vietnam for its seafood.  Everywhere you look, fish, shrimp, crabs, and yes ... even eel, are being sold.  Women march up and down the beach selling fresh steamed crab.  Every eating joint seems to have "seafood" in the title.  Fish, on a menu, is most affordable than chicken or pork.  Yes, consuming seafood here is not a treat but a right.

Last night we found a recommendation for a "good restaurant" online.  We asked the staff at our hotel and they confirmed it was good.  When our cab pulled up to drop us off, the place looked empty and lacking any real Vietnamese character.  So, Heidi quickly asked the driver if he had ever eaten there.  He said, "No it's too expensive and the food is too long and not hot."  He then mentioned he could take us to a better place which was much cheaper.  We don't think that he realized that to Adam and Heidi "cheaper" is a holy word. 

We ended up at a very traditional Vietnamese seafood restaurant where your dinner choices are all still very much alive and swimming.  You point to what you would like, they weigh it in front of you, you tell them how you would like your choices cooked, and then you sit and wait for the seafood to arrive in all it's glory.  Amidst the giggles from the staff as we practiced our Vietnamese and they practiced their English we were able to consume the following:  one 3 kilo white fish from the ocean, one kilo of scallops, one kilo of clams, one half kilo of salt-water snails, 2 kilos of the largest prawns we had EVER seen, one plate of garlicky water spinach, one plate french fries, one large pot of rice, and 11 beers between four people.  When the check came and our grand total was $50 USD, we waddled away happily knowing we had made a great dinner choice.

Picking the fresh catch of the night.  Thank you Jimmy for teaching us this process.  Without you we would have been lost.

These were as big as Adam's head.  In other words ... HUGE!  4 Prawns = 2 kilos.

Elliott showing that yes, (Kyle) he eats snails.

Happy smiles must mean good food.  Fish with chopsticks ... you must be in Vietnam.

Up The Coast

About two weeks ago we said goodbye to Adam's parents as they headed North from Saigon to explore the rest of Vietnam. On Friday night we got to meet back up with them in a beach town called Nha Trang that is up the coast from Saigon. The four of us will be here for a couple of days and are hoping/planning to enjoy all that Nha Trang has to offer.

We got off to a good start yesterday with some serious book time on the beach, walks in the sand, a dip in the sea and the pool, and finished it all off with an excellent BBQ dinner. Besides getting to enjoy the absolutely beautiful scenery and beach, it has been so fun getting to hear the stories of Adam's parents travels. As a travel destination Vietnam has so much to offer. We feel lucky that we get to call it home for now.

Even if the weather is not perfect, how can you not be happy when you are at the beach?

Elliott and Sandy just chilling in the pool. Life can be hard sometimes.

We would like to thank these shrimp for growing so ridiculously huge. You were a excellent dinner.

Grillmaster Sandy back at it.