Arrival!

Well it has been a hectic few days here in Vietnam! I arrived in HCMC late Saturday night, Dan met me at the airport where he had been waiting for about an hour - he thought there would be a waiting area at the international airport where he could sit in air-conditioned comfort...wrong! The waiting area is outside the airport, everyone has to stand outside, in the heat and exhaust from passing traffic, while being closely watched by some very serious looking security guards. Luckily it didn't take me too long to pick up my visa and luggage!
Anyway, the next day was spent being a tourist in HCMC. We had a luxurious Western style breakfast then went to see the War Remnants Museum. The museum had old US arm vehicles and artillery pieces, a guillotine used by the French on Vietnamese dissidents and a model 'tiger cage' used for Viet Cong prisoners. Inside the museum there were photos taken during the war and photos taken after the war of children born with significant birth defects due to their parents' exposure to US chemical warfare. If you ever find yourself in HCMC a visit to the museum is a definite must, the experience is brutal and completely shocking, but it shows you just how much the Vietnamese were prepared to endure in order to gain their independence.
We did a few other touristy things, including going to see Ben Thanh Market (lots of souvenirs!)and the famous Rex Hotel and the People's Committee Building. Things are definitely changing quickly in HCMC; I was here 3 years ago and was surprised to see a lot more private cars on the road, especially in richer areas such as near the Rex (where there are even designer shops!). And the private cars are not just any old cars, they are all black or silver Mercedes or massive, gleaming Landcruisers. While the cars indicate the growing wealth of this country, they are definitely not helping the traffic congestion! Pedestrians, bicycles, cyclos, scooters, motorbikes, taxis, cars and buses all jostle along, beeping at one another, trying to move forward on roads ungoverned by any real road rules. However, I was surprised to see that people on bikes now all wear helmets (though there may still be a family of 3-4 on a single bike) and the traffic mostly stop at red lights.
The day was capped off with a terrific seafood dinner at a restaurant whose name I forget and which isn't listed in the Lonely Planet. Marinated mussels, barbecued prawns, stir-fried water hyacinth and salt and pepper trout and snapper, yum! A superb send-off from this crazy city!
That was day one in Vietnam, day two was spent on a 6 hour bus ride to Soc Trang. Nothing too exciting to report on that, it was long, it was cramped, but we did stop for a good lunch (seafood noodle soup and beef noodle soup) and the ferry to Can Tho was a welcome break to stretch the legs.
So I have now arrived in Soc Trang, it is bigger than I expected. I haven't seen much of it yet so will write more once I have had more of a chance to explore. I will also try and post some photos. Right now though I have to go and unpack my bags - which seems terribly cruel considering how long it took me to pack, weigh, repack, weigh, weigh, adjust, unpack, weigh and repack them!