Acclimatising in Can Tho City

Monday 10th March 2014

Went to the British consulate in the morning in Ho Chi Minh to sort out all of the documents we needed to get our work permit and after the shock to the system that Ho Chi Minh gave us, it felt quite nice to speak full English with someone and be on home soil! (Never thought I would say that, let alone this early!) The whole process was quick, easy and we even got some of our money refunded - rule Brittania!

We met an employee of the company we are here to work for and she accompanied us to the bus station and to Can Tho City - which was about 3 hours journey. As we approached the buses in the terminal I saw a nice orange one and said "please let that be ours".... It was! Phew, the others didn't look appealing! The coach ride was comfortable; air con blowing, complimentary water and wet wipes, vietnamese comedy on tv, in fact it was better service than you'd get on national express!

We arrived to the hotel of our employers choosing, "it'll be comfortable" he said. In our tired state (still a bit jet lagged) we just said "yeah it'll do" and flopped on the bed to rest. Then we realised when the tiredness wore off that it was a right dump. Shower only pointed straight down off the wall with barely any pressure so we had to sit in the tub and use the showerhead sat down. Towels were so thin i could blow my nose in them and they would disintegrate. After Claire had a nap we headed out to check our surroundings and we could see we were quite a walk from the riverside - which is Can Tho's main attraction and where everything tourist happens - and the 30 minute walk down felt barely dissimilar to walking around Ho Chi Minh albeit with bigger streets.

The waterfront itself looked OK but it was dark and we were starved so we went to a restaurant that turned out to be the most expensive meal we've had so far along with tiny portions. To make matters worse Claire chose her meals well while I made terrible choices and to compound my misery my $2 ice cream I ordered to cheer me up consisted of one scoop. ONE SCOOP. We plodded off back to the hotel less than enamoured with our first impression of Can Tho.

Tuesday 11th March 2014

We spoke to our employer and she wanted to meet us around 4pm that day so we both decided to do something touristy to cheer ourselves up and headed out to get ourselves on a boat trip to the rivers of the Mekong delta. I must say though that the riverside looked remarkably better in the daylight, lovely views of the river and flowers and trees all around us but by the time we'd grabbed an ice coffee, eaten and walked down it was too late to go to the floating market and we only had a couple of hours available before having to head back and meet our employer. The place was deserted too - we'd expected to be bombarded with offers and hasslers trying to get us to go onto a tour boat but there wasn't a soul in sight - turns out you have to be here at pretty much dawn! We went up to a big sign and tried the tactic of looking around inquisitively and eventually a couple of women came running over and offered us a private tour boat. As we only had 2 hours we negotiated 2 hours hire for $15 which I didn't think was that bad.

The tour itself was fantastic and by far the best thing to do here. We headed down tiny little rivers with beautiful scenery and little houses either side where children would often see the westerners and shout hello and wave their little hands off - it was so cute. There were gentle breezes, dragonflies dancing around and the driver even made us little souvenir bracelets from the reeds, as well as a beautiful flower 'thing' from the reeds and little flower buds. The driver was so nice too, which made the whole experience the most relaxing thing we'd done so far.

After that we didn't actually meet our employer until after we ate dinner (found a place that did the best crispy spring rolls), and she then gave us details of where we will be going to be teach etc, which put a few questions to rest in our heads. She then said we had a choice of either going straight to the place of work tomorrow or we could have another day off.....we chose the day off obviously!

Wednesday 12th March 2014

We intended to make full use of this day of holiday and as we had such a rubbish shower we decided to head to the water park that the lonely planet guide had suggested as while we don't mind the heat we usually handle the heat by having a dip. We walked about 40 minutes to the place to find it completely deserted, our hearts sank. I formulated a plan B and used the lonely planet guide (which we are finding out is quite frustratingly out of date now) to see if any hotels in this city had a pool we might be able to persuade access to - there was just one that did and by some karmic act it was the closest one to us, in fact it was just one road over!

We got there at the Victoria resort and it seemed really posh - so much so that I was certain they wouldn't allow us to use their pool - but the receptionist was really nice and allowed us to for a fee (I was willing to pay nearly anything at this point) and we had a chat with him about the water park, to which he told us that it only opens at weekends at certain times of year as not enough locals use it so therefore it doesn't make any money. Even though we thought the entrance fee was cheap (£1) this is just far more than the locals can really afford and therefore they usually just jump in the river for free.

So we had a day pass to use the pool at this lovely resort and we spent the day just swimming in the pool, drying off, reading a book before repeating the sequence again. The setting was fantastic - French architecture clearly present. Another thing present were the people who could afford to stay at this $150 a night resort - old Americans. Nothing wrong with them per se, just reminds me how the other half live (plus these lot had those really annoying nasal-y accents that grinds on you). We lapped up every minute being here though as it finally felt how we had wanted it to feel - like a paradise.

We knew setting off on this adventure that it wouldn't all be bumming around and we definitely knew plush hotels aren't in our price range but perhaps we'd kidded ourselves so far that it might be a little more "holiday-like" than it had been, so these two days were just what we needed to help us acclimatise to this strange environment.

We then headed back to town and stopped at the same bar\restaurant we went to the night before (as the price was great) and we both felt that we had been mainly eating noodles, meat and bread since we arrived so we were in need of some fruit, so we both ordered mango smoothies and they were like heaven through a straw! Sweet, thick, cool and downright delicious. I've since gone back for more!

Later we met one of our employers called Callie - if you thought Claire was small, then just imagine Claire standing tall over Callie! - her frame and demeanour are very welcoming though so it was great to have a friendly face to get to know. She told us more about the school we'd be teaching in and that the next day we'd have to wake up at 5 and travel 2 hours to Long An to meet the school, give a teaching demonstration and check out the house we'll be living in, realising this me and Claire sharply said goodbye to get some sleep!

In all, Can Tho IS more laid back than Ho Chi Minh city, especially by the waterfront, but the further away you get, the more it begins to resemble it's bigger counterpart (pollution, noise and all). I get the sense that most cities in Asia will be similar to this, so the idea of us working and living in a smaller province seems very welcome right now. Nonetheless, we both really enjoyed our stay in Can Tho and feel we must return at least for the floating markets. But Claire and I are adjusting to the lifestyle of being here and being on the road with more ease with every passing day, albeit we perhaps underestimated how difficult it might be at first but these days in Can Tho have certainly helped and we now feel that it will get easier with each passing day.

Now just the small task of travelling to meet the school and starting work! Out of the frying pan and into the fire eh?

The first chapter of our adventure: Ho Chi Minh City

Day 1

We touch down in Ho Chi Minh City after an 11 hour flight without a wink of sleep and barely 5 hours from the night before. We spend about an hour at the airport waiting to get our visa and then we head outside to take our first steps on our adventure....

That's when the mayhem begins. We landed at 7am local time and the taxi driver is blaring dance music on our way to the hotel. There's what seems like thousands of people riding scooters in the street, all in a rush, all beeping their horns constantly and all zigzagging in every direction. I try to deduce if they drive on the right side of the road but you'd be easily confused by some people disobeying that apparent convention by driving the wrong way and stopping wherever they want. I'm instantly reminded of documentaries of salmon swimming against the tide. We are full of adrenaline (the only thing keeping us awake) and we can't stop laughing at the madness around us. We ask the driver if he ever crashes, the reply we get is "all the time!".

We are dropped off near our hotel but we can't see it, we then face something we never realised would be so daunting: crossing the road. When there are constant streams of bikes and cars going in all directions without stopping for any lights, you quickly realise crossing is going to take some bravery. Claire and I watched and waited for a couple of minutes before taking a run at it - holding each other's hands for dear life and nearly screaming all the way.

After that drama we found our hotel (the Thien Thao in district 3) and as we were 4 hours early they took our bags in for us - which was great of them - and to pass the time we went for a walk to gather our bearings. In our jet lagged state, the narrow pavements, dirty streets and crazy traffic were just as scary but eventually we found a park which allowed us some respite from the roads. We returned to the hotel for a power nap before setting out for dinner down to the backpacker area and we stumbled across an amazing rooftop bar called "The view" where we gladly sank a couple of drinks among the sunset skyline - it was just what we needed.

We ventured further and found a local place that did the specialty dish Vietnam is most famous for: Pho. If you've ever had ramen it is quite similar in that it is a big bowl of noodles and soup with vegetables and whichever meat you choose. You also get extra veg and sauces to use as you wish - to which we added chillies for a kick. This is the most common dish in Vietnam and I've instantly fallen in love, plus it cost less than £1 so my wallet is as happy as my stomach!

Day 2

We sleep deeply and wake up refreshed, then head straight out to see the sights. We take a taxi to district 1 (where all the sights and embassies seem to be) and arrive at the Notre Dame cathedral (yes just like the one in Paris). District 1 is so different to the other districts, the influence from French rule is obvious here with the beautiful buildings that also include a grand post office, museums, parks and boulevards. It's also clear this district is the most popular as not only are the streets clean and wide enough to walk alongside each other, but we also spot other westerners for the first time. We find a place to get a Vietnamese coffee nearby and instantly I fall in love with that too - just what you want in 35 degree heat.

We head to the war museum and get quite an education, during which we barely speak to one another as we both feel so bad for all of the people that were involved in the war, I especially feel terrible for the victims of agent orange. Claire's brother had told us the museum isn't for the faint of heart and he was spot on, however I'd recommend it as it certainly gives you a view of the events you wouldn't have heard of before.

We spend over an hour in the evening trying to find a place as nice and cheap as the place we went to the night before. We fail and therefore head back to the rooftop bar to eat as well as drink this time and further discover how much of a star find it is. I have braised pork and eggs and once again I am blown away by how amazing it tastes.

Day 3

We sleep terribly - the effects of being on a different timeline now fully taking effect. We get breakfast at an amazing local bakery that does amazing pastries, Claire then naps while I delight in watching a childhood favourite in Vietnamese (Pokémon! Yay!). We then head out to buy local sim cards - needed while we are living here - and enjoy more coffee and noodles.

After lunch we head to the Xa Loi pagoda which is a Buddhist temple. Claire has a real moment of enjoyment here as she gets just a tiny sense of the spirituality that surrounds this beautiful setting, a feeling I would've shared had my jet lag not fully kicked in and I rendered me unable to appreciate nothing other than the lovely scenery and peace and quiet.

We return to the hotel so I can take my own power nap, and in the evening we head out to the backpacker disctict again to eat.
When we get back to the hotel I feel the pollution of the city has started to take its toll on me as I can feel it in my lungs - if I were to stay any longer I'd need a mask like the locals wear!

I do get a treat to end the day with; thanks to Asia's love of premier league football, I get to watch my beloved Southampton beat Crystal Palace 1-0 live from my own hotel room! Being 7 hours ahead it means I'm watching a 3 o'clock kickoff at 10pm, so by the time it finishes I switch off the TV and fall asleep instantaneously.

Day 4

Not much to be done today and as we are still adapting to life here we decide to take it easy today so we head back up to district 1 to check where the British embassy is - which we need to visit tomorrow to complete the documents needed for our work permit. We get some more coffee but we can see that I'm district 1 the price is significantly higher than other places; in fact we paid the same price here for 2 coffees than we did for 2 meals and 2 beers in the backpacker district! Everything in this area is more expensive, so my tip is come here for the nice views and streets, then get out to eat and drink!

As we head to the park Claire spots a coconut seller hassling tourists and decides it is the time to try one out. He cuts one up and shoves it in our hands before telling us the price is 150,000D - again, the same as the meal and drinks in the backpacker district but this time just for one coconut! - as we both take sips we immediately regret the decision and grumble about the price.

We stroll through the park which is full on this Sunday with kids having fun making their own little dance videos and take our time to lap up the nice district before returning once again to our area which is a stark contrast.

Tomorrow morning we sort out our documents and then get picked up by our employer to spend a couple of days finalising our work permit in Can Tho City before heading to where we will be living: Tan An.

We've waited so long to start our adventure, so we've both felt bad that we haven't settled so far, however we've both come to the conclusion that Ho Chi Minh just isn't our cup of tea (too big, too noisy, too busy and too dirty) and that the jet lag and upheaval of leaving home has made our experience tougher than we thought it would. We won't be perturbed though as we know the rest of Vietnam will be very different, plus it makes us realise we just aren't big city people.

4 days in and we are already finding out a lot about the world and ourselves, so we just have to roll with the punches and take it all in! So we look forward to heading to Can Tho for a couple of days as it's supposed to be more laid back - like us.