day 4 in saigon, vietnam. a lot to tell from the moment i stepped on that plane, even way before that (aaaah don't wanna go there, traumatic experience), but i'll stick to the essentials.
our film shoot is on the 4th of may--ten days away. these past four days have been relatively light. lots of time to settle in, see the city, have a taste of the local food and culture, in between finish paperwork on the side. the usual anxiety is there, as i'll be working with a whole new bunch of strangers (and foreigners, at that) and in an alien place at that. but that will easily go away. have faith, walk by faith.
random tidbits about saigon:
1. it's almost like the philippines, except for the vietnamese billboards and the local transportation (scooters, bikes, and cyclos are dominant modes of transpo here). you go to one place and you see divisoria. you go to another, you see raon. and where we live, the compound can double for any generic tenement in pasig or sta. mesa. ngek. pero hindi naman sya mukhang motel. hehe. better version of a BLISS compound, actually.
2. scooters are the primary mode of transportation here, over cars/buses/taxis. you go to any random thoroughfare, laging bumabaha ng mga scooters. cyclos (the modern-day version of a rickshaw) are the viet counterpart of our local karitela.
3. 98% of the vietnamese i've met so far do not speak english. 1% speak and understand english poorly. we've been having a hard time, ordering at restaurants and giving directions to cab drivers. amusing, though. it makes me want to learn the language.
4. 16,000 dong = 1 dollar = 51+ pesos. mas mayaman pa rin tayo sa vietnam, kahit konti.
5. the cuisine is generally sumptuous. a lot closer to the chinese than to ours--noodles, rice, seafood and meat, frogs, etc. sauteed, grilled, or boiled. i don't know what else they put in, but the food does have a strong aroma...and i can't say i like it. ambaho! para kang naglakad sa kahabaan ng chinatown...di ko nga mapinpoint kung anong klaseng amoy yon. and most streets here smell like that, especially when there are restos and/or eateries nearby.
6. most people here are small and slender, with features the same as those of us pinoys. i've been mistaken for being vietnamese enough times (the plumpish figure is a giveaway, though. hehe). the girls are generally pretty (think of those angel locsin/heart evangelista types), but i think most of the guys might need to groom up/bathe a bit. hahaha. ang sama ko, no?
7. despite the language barrier, vietnamese are friendly. everyone is just so congenial. they may not understand you, you may not understand what they're saying, but they're always willing to extend a hand or at least give you a smile.
hay. turista mode. but not for long. will be very preoccupied starting this wednesday. the first three days i've been homesick a lot of times. especially at night, retiring to my room, listening to the pinoy songs on my cd. miss home. miss my family. miss everyone.
snapshots from a day-long sojourn:
a pagoda
buddha statues inside the pagoda
sitar-playing god?
saigon dragons
this is what a typical saigon street looks like...from behindone day before the 26th birthday. i'll be here with strange new friends. happy birthday na lang uli sa mga ka-birthday ko. haha.
No comments:
Post a Comment