exhausted in saigon
so here i am in ho chi minh city, or as everyone still calls it, saigon. and honestly? i'm wiped. it's day three and i've seen maybe 3% of this place because navigating feels like participating in a death sport on wheels.
i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. 32.21°C but feels like 37.26°C. that's basically body temperature for a lizard. and the humidity? at 59% it's not even the worst it gets. someone told me that during rainy season it hits 80% and you can literally wring water out of the air. fun.
the city's sprawled over 2,000 km² with 12km of coastline, which sounds nice until you realize 45% of it is below sea level. flooding isn't a possibility, it's a weekly appointment. if you get bored, binh duong, dong nai, and that whole cuu long delta are just a short drive away. i haven't driven anywhere because the traffic here is basically organized chaos. millions of motorbikes doing whatever they want, and don't even get me started on the buses that think they're tanks.
someone told me that the food at ben thanh market is life-changing but only if you bargain like a street fighter. tried pho yesterday. it was fine. then had banh mi and it tasted like someone french-kissed a baguette. not complaining, exactly, but my stomach's doing the cha-cha tonight. also heard the war remnants museum will scar you emotionally while the bitexco tower gives you vertigo. haven't mustered energy for either yet.
living here costs an arm and a leg, or at least a kidney. everything's getting more expensive with all these new buildings going up. and the pollution? my lungs are filing a formal complaint. drink bottled water, wear mosquito repellent like armor, and always carry an umbrella because those rain showers come out of nowhere. like, seriously. one minute it's sunny, next you're swimming to the next district.
it's got this weird mix of old french colonial stuff and futuristic skyscrapers. notre-dame basilica and a post office that looks like it belongs in paris are next to buildings that look like they're from the year 3000. the people here are tough as nails though. dealing with floods, heat, and traffic every day? they're basically superheroes. just wish they'd share their superpower for not sweating through three shirts before noon.
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