Moto Saigon

My new host sister and a friend of hers, Nam, took my roommate Julia and I for a spin around downtown Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City) tonight before dinner. They must all have thought I was crazy. I held them up for at least five minutes while I tried to adjust the straps on my oversized glorified skullcap of a motorcycle helmet. My mother Luom tried to bring me a smaller helmet, but the straps on it too were loose, so I kept adjusting the first one until its straps were snug under my chin. The EMT in me is far too conscious of the dangers of two wheeled motor vehicles--a helmet with a loose strap may as well be no helmet at all. Besides which, this was to be my first "motorcycle" (they're really scooters) ride in Vietnam and my 20 year old sister only has two years driving experience. Luckily my apprehensions were all for naught. Thuy navigated the narrow alleys near her home like a pro, and when we got to the main streets, sometimes teeming with motos, she had perfect control. Now that I've been "in it" I am even more amazed that the mass of motos on the streets so effectively navigate, I couldn't possibly count the number of times my bike's handlebars and footpegs passed less than an inch from the neighboring motos.
Saigon is not Hanoi. As far as I can tell from the little I've seen the two are nearly polar opposites. Where Hanoi was filled with streetside open air stores vending all manner of things, Saigon is far more metropolitan. Shops are more frequently enclosed, and it would take at least two sets of hands to count the number of designer stores I have seen in the last 24 hours. In addition, Saigon encompasses a much bigger area and is the nation's focus point for increasing development and international trade. Tall buildings are common, and there is ample construction happening. The fellow on my IHP study abroad program lived in Saigon three years ago and as we drove into the city yesterday she was overwhelmed by the changes. She didn't even recognize her old neighborhood. The moto drive was thrilling, despite the inherent danger, I think that a motorcycle ride is the best way to get a sense of the city. We passed the opera house, museums, parks, and crossed the river. My nose was treated to jasmine , lotus, and less pleasant scents fading in and out and overwhelming each other as we drove down wide divided avenues and tight alleways. On the way home we squeezed by a mother and young toddler--she held the back of his shirt to stabilize him as he peed in the center of the alley.
Public urination is quite common and clearly legal. It's a strange day when I haven't seen at least three men making use of el banyo grande--though of course, its less common on the main streets in the center of the city. My "might as well be plywood" fold out bed is calling to me, and what will be an early breakfast (but late by Viet Namese standards) at seven a.m. is not many hours away. Tomorrow the class will got to Ben Thanh market and the war museum before jumping into afternoon lectures and case study preparations.