Stop 28: Let Saigons be Saigons – Saigon, Vietnam

Saigon was short but sweet. Well, not so sweet. Actually really douchey, come to think of it. We liked the little we actually saw of the city, but it was not so good to our health. We were there for three days and only spent a total of 8 hours outside of the room or the hospital. Nurse Jen was the ultimate caretaker, forcing Gatorade and Tylenol down Cam’s throat and escorting her to and from the hospital. Back at the room, Jen watched any and all movies she could find as Cam slept 14 to 16 hours a day.

By the last evening Jen officially had cabin fever and Cam had gained some strength so we embarked on the city in search of fine dining: Pizza Hut. Cam ate white rice as Jen feasted on stuffed crust pizza. Cam cried with envy, Jen with happiness. By three in the afternoon the entire city was dark and quiet asides from the constant lightning and sounds of rain and thunder. We hid out in the mall for some time, took further refuge in a Mexican restaurant for dinner and had dessert at Saigon’s most famous ice cream spot. After a day of shoving our faces with any and all food, we found Apocalypse Now, the alleged hotspot of the city’s nightlife. We left slightly confused as the only attributes this “club” had were middle-aged westerners, Vietnamese prostitutes and disturbingly low lighting. We zigzagged home through a maze of motorbikes and flooded streets and fell asleep happy to be feeling healthy and excited for our next, and last, stop in Vietnam.