Good Afternoon Saigon!

As far as large Asian cities go Saigon is pretty tame these days. Granted, one has to be careful not to get hit by a scooter when crossing the streets, but it isn't nearly as overcrowded or smoggy as, say, Beijing or Bangkok.



Saigon is a friendly city with smiling people and surprisingly confortable coffee shops (not Starbucks, thank God, but Highlands coffee.) And while this is probably the most expensive place in Vietnam, everything is quite affordable--$6 for a large cocktail at the poshest bar atop the poshest hotel.



Right now I am enjoying an iced latte at Cafe Terrace in the Saigon Centre, a building that houses among others Deutsche Bank, Thomson Reuters and the US Department of Homeland Security.



Back to the roads. It seems the hierarchy in traffic here has pedestrians nearly at the bottom. Really it is the scooters that rank at the bottom. The scooters swerve around pedestrians, get squeezed by cars and trucks and pushed onto sidewalks by busses.



If you want an adventure, rent a scooter in Saigon. Make sure you have your will updated though.



Oh, finally, a shout out to Hung and Exotissimo for great guidind and organizing of our trip here!



(Pictures to follow later.)