In the big city now...

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)...we have arrived!

We arrived today around 2p, after a 4 hour ride from Can Tho.  It was fairly uneventful and our driver did a good job of finding his way to our new home for the next 6 days.  Amy and I have stayed here since 2010 (I think), so that helped in finding its locale, as it's off of a very busy, main drag, but is down an alley.

The best part of our drive was encountering this cyclo, which was laden with at least 5 goats.  Yes...goats.  They were all living and moving and we could hear them 'talking' too.  Amy took these photos and they are brilliant!

There is one goat on the top in the back of the cyclo.  There are 2 goats in each basket on each side of the back tire, one facing the front and one facing the back.

We are staying at Ma Maison Boutique Hotel.  It is a lovely, serene place, amid a traditional Vietnamese neighborhood, located in District (Quan) 3.  When we first came to HCMC, we stayed in the 'backpacker district' but it was so loud and many years ago, Amy found Ma Maison and it's become our 'home base' here in HCMC since.

It is owned by Natasha Long, and run by her and her Uncle.  It is so beautiful and Amy and I both have our own rooms, which have sliding doors for entry and is long and narrow, but holds a desk, a bed, closet and full bathroom.

These gorgeous flowers welcome us as we get to the front gate of the hotel.  They are on trees and are so vibrantly pink.

 

The front gate, from inside the hotel.  The hotel is a lovely butter yellow color. 

The entrance and front desk.

The dining area.  They offer a full breakfast each morning, which is delicious!  You have 3 choices for breakfast ~ American breakfast, Vietnamese breakfast or Healthy Breakfast.  American breakfast has eggs (style is your choice), Vietnamese breakfast has pho (noodle soup) and Healthy Breakfast has muesli and homemade yoghurt.  All 3 varieties of breakfast also come with a small baguette, butter, fruit and juice and/or coffee and/or tea.  Vietnamese coffee ~ ca phe sua da ~ is Vietnamese drip coffee (ca phe) poured over condensed milk (sua = sweet) and ice (da = cold)/ice.  I am not a coffee drinker, but Amy loves it!!

The stairs up to the rooms.  There is no elevator and Amy and I both cringe when a nice Vietnamese man carries our giant suitcases/bags up to our rooms.  It's kind of embarrassing how heavy our bags are.

They always have flowers welcoming their guests.

We settled into our rooms, unpacked and then went out for Bahn Xeo, Vietnamese pancake.  It can be filled with any type of meat, but Amy and I had egg Bahn Xeo.  It is delicious.

The pancake (below) is typically wrapped in leaf lettuce with mint, but this was washed in water and we couldn't be sure that the water was safe, so we didn't eat it.  Here in Vietnam, we have to use bottled water for everything to ensure it's safe.  We use it for drinking, of course, but also for brushing our teeth, rinsing the toothbrush, etc. 

Bahn Xeo (pronounced "Ban Say-oh").  It's a fried pancake and ours had eggs, onions and bean sprouts inside.  I dipped it in the little bowl at the top right, which was hot chili and Nuoc Mam (pronounced "Nook mom"), which is fermented fish sauce.

We then walked for a little while, trying to get our bearings here again, as we haven't been here in 4 years.  We didn't have a map, but had a pretty decent idea of where we were.  It's very crowded here and it's a very big city with loads of cyclos and cars.

The 'Pink' Church.  It is a Catholic Church here in HCMC.  It is bubble-gum pink and very decorated.

Mass was going on when we walked by and it was very crowded.  Vietnam is officially an atheist state.  Despite this, many people practice religion ~ Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Catholicism.  There are other religions too, but these are the most common.

Final Can Tho update...

For our last night in Can Tho, we went, as a group, to 1985 Cafe, a hip music venue and coffee shop to hear Baby G, a former interpreter for IEP, sing with his band.  He was pretty great and the band ~ a guitarist, drummer and keyboard player ~ were terrific.  There was a rotating cast of musical singers and we were treated to many pop songs in English, as well as music in Chinese, as well as Vietnamese, including rap in Vietnamese.  The rapper guy was pretty great.  A fun evening.  The owner is a young, Vietnamese woman and it's a pretty cool place.  We were there to celebrate Jenni's birthday and she is one of our nurses and the wife of one of the surgeons and founders of IEP.  Over many years, she has spent 7 of her birthdays in Vietnam.

This is Jenni and Bruce Lehnert.  And yes, her picture is on his shirt.  His tribute to her.

As we were walking to the Cafe, we passed a flower stall.  My favorite!

Such pretty Gerbera daisies.

The stage.  The venue was packed at 8p, when their set started.  In true Vietnamese fashion, it was over at 10p.  This is one of Amy's favorite parts of being in Vietnam.  Anytime there is a party, it is done early.  Ha.

Flowers in the corner of the Cafe.

There were vintage photos throughout the Cafe.  I suspect these are family photos of the owner, but am not sure.

Great lighting.  Super hip place.

Baby G.  Don't know his real name, but his voice was good. 

 Tomorrow begins our work at the Pediatric Hospital #1.  I will be working with their Physiotherapists and Amy will work with the Speech Therapists.  In Vietnam, therapists are all trained as Physiotherapists, but the department at the hospital is large enough that many of their staff have started to work in more specialty areas.  There has been a group from Australia who has come to Vietnam over the past few years and has developed a training program for Speech Therapists, and Amy has played a part in their development too during our time here in HCMC.

It will be so nice to see our friends again and to work with the staff all this week.  Off we go back into our world of pediatrics...

xoxo
Stacy