Saigon by Night...by Vespa

The narrow alleyways race past. Colours, sounds and smells rush by. Cries of kerbside food-vendors cut through the chorus of rattling scooter horns. Clouds of smoke and steam swirl through our wheels and spiral off in the dust as we pass. My driver drops down a gear and cranks out a short burst of throttle, expertly threading us through the chaotic night-time traffic of this busy Saigon backstreet. With the bikes around us dancing in and out, avoiding each other with millimetres to spare, we swerve around bicycles, food carts, fruit sellers and parked taxis, my knees brushing past each obstacle, but the driver knows what he's doing. Suddenly, the path ahead narrows to what seems like a dead-end and the world slows as a looming brick wall approaches. Then, like flocking birds, we all turn and bank in unison, bursting out beneath an arch of paper lanterns onto a wide tree-lined avenue. I look back to see the rest of the group pop one by one from the shadows, their fifty year old two-stroke engines ringing clearly above the chaos. We all meet at the next set of traffic lights as a wall of traffic rolls across our path, everyone eyeing the green signal which will send us once again into the bedlam. I spy Rosie through the haze of petrol fumes and we share a knowing smile. We own this night, this perfect night, in this perfect city of noise and dirt and crumbling walls, with history so thick it clogs the air and food so good it could take a lifetime to fully appreciate.

There's no better way to see Ho Chi Minh City than on the back of a scooter, and when that scooter is a restored 1960s Vespa, it's like being part of your own slice of pre-1975 Saigon. Whisked from one food joint to the next, with a few boozy and musical interludes, we really got to see a side of the city we'd so far been missing out on, and with our expert local guide meeting us at each waypoint, we picked up some valuable tips and tricks for our life here in Vietnam. I even decided that life aboard a scooter isn't as crazy as it looks and have since been eyeing up a two-wheeled stallion of my own. 

Vietnam Vespa Adventures operates out of Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An and Siem Reap (Cambodia). We took the "Saigon After Dark" tour. www.vietnamvespaadventures.com

Phu Quoc...

...the tropical paradise 1 hour from Saigon

Saigon Flower Market

Just what you need...

...when settling down to watch the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off...

Truly scrumptious, as Mary would say.

Out and About

Celebrations

Another year, another birthday, except this time we celebrated Saigon style!

Some images from our first few weeks

A super fast photo update...

Having taken a break from blogging to finish another Open University module, I'm now back. A lot has changed. 

Here's an update:

November 2013: We visit some good friends down in Devon for a week or so and fall in love with Exeter, Dartmoor and the gorgeous countryside and beaches around Plymouth. I never knew how beautiful this part of the world was.

Beard was getting out of control

December: Rosie runs her 10k in true Santa style and in just under 1 hour and 10 minutes, raising £120 for Age UK. Many thanks to those who donated - she was truly touched by your generosity.

So many Santas

January 2014: Rosie interviews for a maths teacher job at British International School Ho Chi Minh City (in Vietnam!). Later that month Rosie is offered the job at British International School Ho Chi Minh City. She accepts and we start planning our move to Vietnam in the summer. Remember when we said we'd love to return?

February: A quick trip to Prague and a Birthday for Rosie.

With musical accompaniment

March: With me studying and writing, and with not much else to do, Rosie gets herself a job in my parents' village as a childminder.

April: Rosie is asked to deliver a Maths Enhancement Course at London Metropolitan University to student teachers so we pack up and leave Northamptonshire to return to the city. Simon returns to his old job at Rathbones as a temp and we move back in to our old flat which is between tenants.


May: We make a quick trip to see our friend in Brooklyn - 

and his mum happened to be there too 

We buy lots of shoes...

...and eat lots of cupcakes

June & July: We shop more, we say goodbye to old friends and make new ones to meet us out in Saigon

Late July: We move back to Northampton for a week or so, and...we...pack!

1st August: We arrive here in Saigon. A spacious two bed apartment waiting for us in District 1, the hub of the city, and after two weeks rest and acclimatisation, Rosie has now started her new job. I'm on the hunt for work and hope to start my next OU course in October.

Here's the view from the living room, way up on the top floor of Central Point Apartments.

Saigon is as hot and awesome as we remember it. More blogs to follow shortly...

While Simon writes...

...Rosie runs!

And she's working up to a 10km run in December in aid of Age UK - oh, and she'll be dressed as Santa Claus as she does it.

She would be very grateful for your kind sponsorship which can be made via her personal donation page at www.doitforcharity.com/Rosellen

Photos to follow after the event!

Moving On...

Sadly, all good adventures have to come to an end, but although we have returned to the UK, we have not yet slipped back in to our old lives and are still unemployed and homeless.  I am therefore graced with a large amount of free-time and since our return, have been able to fully re-immerse myself in the joys and frustrations of creative writing. Along with my continued studies at the Open University, I intend to squeeze at least a handful of short stories and poems from the piles of novelty notebooks that will inevitably pile up around me, so that I may set them free into the world via my new blog at www.whatiwritewheniwrite.blogspot.com. Please do check it out and subscribe to the email alert list at the bottom of the page.

Many thanks and happy travels!