Easiest Visa Process. You can apply for a landing visa and when you get there, have your ID, fill out a one page form, have about 50 USD (no other currency) and boom you are done my friend. 15 minutes tops and that's cause your dumbass was not smart enough to have the form prefilled (it's avaialble on the internet.)
I got in a little after 1:00AM to the hotel. Slept for like 5 hours and I was headed to the office, 1 hour drive away.
Ho Chi Minh city is waay different than Shanghai, there really aren’t too many high rises. I like it, but as the city grows, it’s not going to last long, you can’t have that kind of sprawl. You gotta go up. Sai Gon runs right through the city, the hotel is right next to it and I have a sweet view. Note on the picture: i have a feeling that across the river will look somewhat like shanghai in 10 years or so.
There really isn’t a “highway” no overhead roads you know. Just plain double sided roads with a ton of scooters. Scooters aplenty. Population of about 10 million in the city, 1/3 of Shanghai’s size. The traffic is awful in rush hour. The streets are not developed as Shangahi’s it reminds me more of Jakarta. The road side shops seem more temporary and worn down. I’m sure they will soon make way for more glamorous and probably soulless symbols of progress. They remind me of the streets of Jakarta and some parts of India. Developed, but just not fully.
I get to our temporary office and meet up with TC, our local project engineer. Nicest guy. I’m going to learn a lot from him. He works his butt off, all the time. We sit down and talk about our upcoming project. He goes and does his analysis of some documents and I do mine. He gets his done so much faster and I’m still lagging behind. And he’s a task master. I’m going to be better to have worked with him.
Lunch is at a semi swanky Vietnamese restaurant. We order some rice, some soup, fish curry (fantastic). Then it starts to rain. It’s the beginning of the rainy season here. And as I saw the palm trees and the gigantic banana leaves sway in the wind and the water, all of a sudden, I’m flashing back to a time that’s starting to fade. The river flooding, the creeks flooding, our house was over a meter above the roads, and water still coming up to the steps. You had to get around in canoes or home made rafts for about a week or so. You made the rafts from banana tree stumps. Them suckers float. They’re about 2 meters over 6 foot long. About 5 or 6 stumps, wooden stakes, rope, bam you had your own raft. Be careful in the rip tide though and trust me when the river floods, there be plenty of swirling tides. Toss you over drag you under. But still heck of a lot of fun.
I remember these torrential rains that made the roof drains your personal water falls. The force of the water so hard that you would go stand over the drains to see how long you could let that water hit your skin before you ran away from pain. I can’t remember how long I lasted, but it wasn’t long. Flash, my grandmother and our ayi sitting down on the floor and slicing up breadfruit so they can be fried up for some of the most delicious snacks known to man. Those two arguing like only old friends can and me running into their already sliced raw stock pile and popping few into my mouth before I got snapped in the knuckles with the back end of a spoon. The fun wasn’t eating the raw breadfruit, but trying not to get hit in the knuckles. I think they both knew that as well.
I see the flowers from home and realize I can’t name them anymore…and it fades even further. I see the mini river on the street flowing down hill and remember all the paper boats I made with my friends and my brothers. I see mopeds deliberately going through the water puddles on the side of the road and how both passengers are smiling ear to ear. My friends and I did the same thing. damn, glad it's not all faded...
I got in a little after 1:00AM to the hotel. Slept for like 5 hours and I was headed to the office, 1 hour drive away.
Ho Chi Minh city is waay different than Shanghai, there really aren’t too many high rises. I like it, but as the city grows, it’s not going to last long, you can’t have that kind of sprawl. You gotta go up. Sai Gon runs right through the city, the hotel is right next to it and I have a sweet view. Note on the picture: i have a feeling that across the river will look somewhat like shanghai in 10 years or so.
There really isn’t a “highway” no overhead roads you know. Just plain double sided roads with a ton of scooters. Scooters aplenty. Population of about 10 million in the city, 1/3 of Shanghai’s size. The traffic is awful in rush hour. The streets are not developed as Shangahi’s it reminds me more of Jakarta. The road side shops seem more temporary and worn down. I’m sure they will soon make way for more glamorous and probably soulless symbols of progress. They remind me of the streets of Jakarta and some parts of India. Developed, but just not fully.
I get to our temporary office and meet up with TC, our local project engineer. Nicest guy. I’m going to learn a lot from him. He works his butt off, all the time. We sit down and talk about our upcoming project. He goes and does his analysis of some documents and I do mine. He gets his done so much faster and I’m still lagging behind. And he’s a task master. I’m going to be better to have worked with him.
Lunch is at a semi swanky Vietnamese restaurant. We order some rice, some soup, fish curry (fantastic). Then it starts to rain. It’s the beginning of the rainy season here. And as I saw the palm trees and the gigantic banana leaves sway in the wind and the water, all of a sudden, I’m flashing back to a time that’s starting to fade. The river flooding, the creeks flooding, our house was over a meter above the roads, and water still coming up to the steps. You had to get around in canoes or home made rafts for about a week or so. You made the rafts from banana tree stumps. Them suckers float. They’re about 2 meters over 6 foot long. About 5 or 6 stumps, wooden stakes, rope, bam you had your own raft. Be careful in the rip tide though and trust me when the river floods, there be plenty of swirling tides. Toss you over drag you under. But still heck of a lot of fun.
I remember these torrential rains that made the roof drains your personal water falls. The force of the water so hard that you would go stand over the drains to see how long you could let that water hit your skin before you ran away from pain. I can’t remember how long I lasted, but it wasn’t long. Flash, my grandmother and our ayi sitting down on the floor and slicing up breadfruit so they can be fried up for some of the most delicious snacks known to man. Those two arguing like only old friends can and me running into their already sliced raw stock pile and popping few into my mouth before I got snapped in the knuckles with the back end of a spoon. The fun wasn’t eating the raw breadfruit, but trying not to get hit in the knuckles. I think they both knew that as well.
I see the flowers from home and realize I can’t name them anymore…and it fades even further. I see the mini river on the street flowing down hill and remember all the paper boats I made with my friends and my brothers. I see mopeds deliberately going through the water puddles on the side of the road and how both passengers are smiling ear to ear. My friends and I did the same thing. damn, glad it's not all faded...
1 comment:
Send me ur NUMBER FUCK NUT!@..THIS IS JEFF!
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