Finding comfort in chaos

Finding comfort in chaos-

My first stop in Vietnam is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and I had heard enough to know to come with my game face on. Vietnam has a unique visa process which requires you to either get a visa in advance from a consulate (like India, China, Russia etc etc) or you can apply for an approval letter online (which I did). You then have to print the approval letter, bring 2 passport size photos (common) and $45 USD for the stamping fee (easy enough.) A beach ready european lady, in her long flowy white skirt with matching white scarf draped over pastel flower top was loosing her mind over the process. Her, trying to be supportive instead of embarrassed, husband, kinda stood back in the shadows a bit, in his khaki pants and a safari brim style straw hat. Because over the years he learned to give her rage a wide birth her rants seemed to be simultaneously directed at nobody in particular and/or anybody that would listen. “Oh my Gawd, this is just something else!”… “You’d think they would try to encourage tourism instead of come up with a process so difficult that nobody is going to want to come back!”… “Who is in charge here?”… “This has me up a shit creek!” (I laughed at that last one)… I honestly found it to be one of the shortest and most seamless entries I’ve had and I was in and out in 10 minutes. I really could not fathom where her frustration was coming from, but I’m sure she had a long day of champagne, cheese platters and hot hand towels in first class. Two things ran through my head- (1) this poor, fragile bastard has to live with this woman and (2) wait till she steps outside.

After cruising through immigration I hit the ATM and pull out 5,500,000 dong ($260), grabbed a SIM card, asked a little advice on where to find a guesthouse, bought a .30 cent bus ticket, a .50 cent bag of noodles for lunch and I was on my way. For the past 5 weeks I’ve been dividing my time between tiny villages, tea plantations, and sleepy beach towns with chilled out vibes. My first few hours walking around Saigon was a funny familiar feeling. Pirated products, rickshaw peddlers, beggars, street food, guys offering you “taxi” rides, people unwilling to give directions, families of 4 to a motorcycle, people driving on sidewalks, moments of pouring rain followed by hours of debilitating humidity. The madness, I missed you, good to see you back… The strange this is I really did miss it and somehow felt right at home with it’s return.

I’m entirely convinced that the computer developer that wrote code for the ’80’s arcade game Frogger found his inspiration in either Kathmandu, New Delhi or Saigon. If you’re standing on the corner waiting for the signal to cross, or even for there to be a gap in traffic, over time you will eventually shrivel up and die right there on the side if the road. Either that or fall to the ground weeping in a fetal position until someone came over to help you. Just like most things in life confidence is key. Like walking through an employees only area you know you’re not supposed to be, just act like you belong and you’ll usually get to the other end. There is an actual art to it and when you hone your skills you can just sort of feel the traffic like Neo in The Matrix. In India people would just walk right out in the middle of the street and throw their hand up with arm straight out like a traffic cop, which has a powerful psychological effect the driver always respected. I haven’t seen it here yet, but I got it in my back pocket as a secret weapon. No doubt I’ll be having spectators and drivers alike admiring my skills and quietly thinking well played, well played. In a sense it’s not nearly as crazy as India, because all you really have to dodge is motorbikes, cars and busses. In India its motorbikes, cars, busses, tuk tuks, rickshaws, naked toddlers, one legged elderly, rolling fruit stands, cows, goats, monkeys, ox drawn carriages, dogs, camels. Anything you can image (though I didn’t “imagine” any of those examples)… On the other hand when talking specifically about Saigon, with a population 10 million people, there are said to be 5 million motorbikes, and they are all in a hurry. It’s hectic. I love it.

Bob