My phone rings at 8:57AM and it's Chi Xuan (Vinh's daughter - Vinh is one of my Dad's sister - my cousin). She tells me she's taking me to lunch at 11:30AM and updates me on the booking of our Nha Trang trip. Chi Xuan's friend works at a travel agency. I go through her (and Anh Hung) to book stuff for convenience and so I won't get overpriced. She booked our rooms and our transportation (train tickets).
After I brushed my teeth and exit the shower, I go downstairs and there's Mi Quang on the table. Mi Quang became one of my favorite dishes to eat on this trip. There's a small stand near Anh Hung's house. The place only serves Mi Quang for breakfast. I finished my belated breakfast and Xuan shows up. She's gives me the train tickets and I give her the money. Each one-way train ticket was $12.50. Eight people planned on going: Me, Mom, Son, Ngoc, Trung, Cuong, Hoa, and Linh. I give Xuan an extra $25 for her to keep.
She takes me on her scooter out to this restaurant called Hoang Ty. It's very close to my cousin's house. I told her I just ate but she still orders too much food. It was a make your own spring roll kind of a place. We got some thit ba chi (pork belly) meat and also some pre-made goi cuon (spring rolls with shrimp). I was still pretty full so it was hard for me to gauge how good the food was. I still ate a lot and would say the place is at least above average.
The crowd started coming in around noon as we were finishing up. Our conversation included life updates, Nha Trang planning, and a lot of gossip. We finished off the lunch with some che suong sa hot luu. It was my first crack at this stuff and I loved it. The dessert is a mixed of water, coconut milk, mung beans, jicama, tapioca, and grass jelly. It's a pretty damn good mix.
When I got back to the house, I told Linh to take me to the train station of Saigon (Ga Saigon). It was about a 10-minute ride on the bike. I ran upstairs, and exchanged 3 of the 8 tickets from Nha Trang to Saigon because Ngoc, Trung, and Cuong wanted to cut their stay in Nha Trang by a day. They wanted an extra day in Saigon to visit family. Afterwards, we stopped at a nearby market for me to hit up the ATM but the machine only allowed a maximum withdrawal of 2 million VND. We left with no transaction. After that, Linh took me to the post office in downtown (Buu Dien Tan Pho). It's right next to the Notre Dame Cathedral. I got my withdrawal. The post office was right down the street to where Tony was running his errands. Linh takes me right pass Nha Hat Tan Pho (Saigon's Opera House) on Dong Khoi street where Tony was waiting. I tell Linh thanks and bye, tried to give her some money she didn't take, and switched rides.
Tony takes me on a city tour. First, we rolled to go check out some eyeglasses down on Nguyen Trai street. I picked out a pair of folding sunglasses, a pair of prescribed "Harry Potter" frames, and also got an eye exam -- all for 240,000 VND ($12.00).
Secondly, we went to a bar at a T-intersection in District 1. We downed a couple Tiger beers and told a bunch of crazy stories. There were movies stars, witchcraft, missing people, and tons of old reflections. We had a kid, an old man, and a hooker, on three different occasions, come up to us while we chilled and chatted. After Tony paid, we checked out a picture framing spot next door, and then sped off to our third destination.
Our third spot was noodles. It was at another T-junction intersection. The cross streets are Hai Ba Trung and Mac Thi Buoi. The house special is this little bowl of yellow noodles sprinkled with small chopped pork, green onions, and their house special sauce. The bowl of noodles is also served with a smaller bowl of won ton soup. Spoon in a little bit of their fried chili flakes and you've got a winner. I had to order a second one. We also got some sua dau nanh (soybean milk) as the meal flusher -- all for about $5 on a early dinner for two.
The fourth spot we went to was an electronics accessory store. I don't remember where it was as Tony was snaking in circles through town to give me a good view of the city. I picked up a battery pack for my iPhone for 300,000 VND ($15). I realized later that this was a rip-off but I really needed one so the tradeoff was slightly justified.
After this, we toured a couple more big name streets and stopped at this ice cream spot near the Turtle Pond (Ho Con Rua). This spot had the best coconut ice cream I've ever had. It was served inside a coconut with peanuts, a cherry, and something shredded that I don't know.
After ice cream, Tony had to go meet somebody for dinner so I told him to drop me off at the corner of Vo Van Tan and Nam Ky Khoi Nghia. I decided to skip the taxi and get some exercise in. I hiked home. It was about a 45-minute walk.
I started walking around 6:55PM and didn't get to An La Ghien restaurant until 7:25PM. I ordered the shrimp and pork banh xeo (large one) and a rau ma drink. I wasn't too hungry because I just had noodles and ice cream. Once I cleared my plate and cup, I paid for my meal, and then walked home.
My banh xeo leafed up.
You can barely see my banh xeo underneath.
When I got home, I washed up, reorganized my suitcases, and then helped Linh with her homework up until 11:30PM. It was a long tutor session and my eyes were watering near the end. A solid goodnight sleep came right after.
End of Week 3.
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