I had heard there is a water park here in Saigon...it doesn't have great reviews but I figured our kids would love a fun day out. Taxis (like almost everything) are cheap here so it only cost about $7 for the 30 min trip out to the suburbs. We lined up with another family...and even paid for tickets (no English here!) only to discover the water park is closed on Tuesday's and we had probably bought tickets for the little kids fun park next door! Money refunded and we stood in the heat beside a busy noisy road and wondered what to do! After a coffee (unexpectantly iced but it was pretty good) we decided there weren't any other options in the area so decided to grab another cab and head back into the city. We had a scare crossing the road as a motorbike turned around a car and clipped into Tom. He has a graze on his leg and was fairly shaken up (we all were). An interesting cab ride followed with a driver who spoke no English at all ( obviously we don't expect English to be spoken but it is common in the more touristy areas).
Crossing the roads here takes a fair amount of effort. Even smaller roads carry many lanes of motorbikes...often carrying several people, a bit of luggage, shopping or even larger items such as a new tv or a couple of large pigs! There are pedestrian crossings on most corners but there is no slowing down or giving way :) the trick is to simply step out in front of the oncoming traffic...and steadily walk across the road. Motorbikes will go around you...but cars are more likely to beep their horns or run you down. You certainly need your wits about you. The other major hazard is traffic is remembering to look right , and left as there is every possibility someone is driving in the wrong direction...or even on the footpath if that suits :)
We did a bit of shopping on the way back...a few designer tshirts for $5 each and Harry continued his quest to find the perfect inexpensive watch :) apparently this is the one:
My photo of the day is this one. There are a few funky bars opening up in Saigon..and we stopped at this one for a drink before dinner. Wine is quite expensive here and can cost $5-$10 a glass. No more than we pay in Australia but when it costs around 50c for a beer and maybe $3-$4 for a cocktail it's a sacrifice I have had to make!
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