Taking It To The Street

I was running around doing some errands the other morning and thought I would just take a few shots of the streets around where we live.  There is always something different to see.  People really do live their lives outside here and it's wonderful to get a sneak peek!  This is what I saw.....

Another laminating guy!  Apparently the city must be full of them!

A lady selling jackfruit...

.....and guitars.  An eclectic mix.

The locksmith cart.

The local shop on wheels.

A breakfast restaurant.

This looks really good!

And these two sizzling away smelt divine! 

Meals like this are perfectly safe to eat.  Fried up on the spot they are some of the best street food around.

Electric bikes are popular in HCMC.

Not too sure what she is cooking up here.

Portable restaurant.

Outside a goat meat restaurant.  Again, not sure if they are going to use them for stock or something.

The great escape

Watch out for chicken droppings...literally!

Fresh OJ on the go.

A rather disturbing child's t-shirt

The hairdresser having a little morning siesta.

Nearly Disneyland but not quite.

Pick a pot

Oh dear....epic fail.

You might come  to the conclusion that there are a lot of motorbike incidents where you loose a wing mirror...and you would be right.

Drive through florist.

Very Top Gear Vietnam

I don't know how this family sleeps with so many birds!

Telling it like it is.

Another absolute cracker of a Photo from Another Side of Vietnam.  I'm not quite sure if they are taking the p*** or if it was a genuine Google translate error.  Either way, hilarious!  At 22,000VNV ($1) a packet I'm assuming the filter isn't the best so it's accurate too!

Contemplating Life After Vietnam

A very strange thing happens when realise that you are counting down the time you have left living overseas in months rather than years.  There is a definite shift in...well...everything!  We are now in the period of our posting where the majority is behind us and the imminent return to Australia is becoming more real.  Of course we always knew it was coming but one day you just go"OMG...I've only got "x" amount of months to go.  For us that magic figure is nine.  

Now a lot can happen in nine months.  A woman could have a baby (no, I'm not) or I could finish that book that has been sitting on my bedside table for 2 years.  Hell, I could WRITE a book for my bedside table in nine months (no, I'm not doing that either).  Ultimately though, nine months is just not enough.  To be honest, I don't think any magical figure would ever be enough.  The prospect of returning to Australia is exciting and daunting.  As I type I still don't know whether I should write "Australia" or "home".  It's very confusing!  There is a large part of me that is ready and an equally large part, in the heart region mainly, that cracks open and bleeds.  I panic that I have done all that I set out to do with my time here.  Such grand plans when we arrived.  I'm too scared to sit down a try to figure out what I achieved and what I didn't.  It seemed like we had so much time in front of us.  

So do I have a VN bucket list?  Not really.  I have just become super aware of appreciating every moment.  Buying that thing that I always said I would buy before I left (ok... things), getting that dental work done, visiting that town or restaurant, doing more of that volunteer work.  To be honest I think you have to try to stop yourself from turning into one of those bitter expats who seem to do nothing but complain. It is almost a self preservation thing to have the little things annoy you so badly that you WANT to leave and your heart does not get broken.  Putting up the invisible barriers if you will.  I have vowed to make our last nine months here even better for us than the last two and a half years.  Sure, I may leave my shattered shell of a heart on the tarmac at the airport but I think we can fit a lot in in nine months.  So hold on to your conical hats, it's going to be quite a ride!

Cuc Gach Quan...Again.

I simply cannot get enough of this place.  Some of the best Vietnamese food in town in an amazing setting.  Had lunch there again yesterday and yet again, fabulous.  They consistently get it right.  The decor is eclectic but somehow it just works.  

Retro pieces.

Tranquil dining areas.

Quirky decor.

Ridiculously steep stairs.

Potentially decapitating low doorways.

The old and the new(ish)

Dining in the roof.

Dining in bed.

Hideaway nooks.

Mind your head.

Slivers of sunlight.

Waiting impatiently.

Almost there.....

Yeah baby!

Thien Ly.

Pomello salad with prawns.

Tofu with meat sauce.

Soft shelled crab.

Red rice.

Perfection.

So good in fact that they have expanded across the road to number 9.  If you can, try to take a stroll around the neighbourhood to walk off all of that fabulous feed.  It's a great little area with its own feel.  Cuc Gach Quan is located at number 9 AND 10 Dang Tat Street in Tan Dinh District.  Ph 38480144 or 01657101010.  Even though it is in district 1, it is not down town.  Head up Hai Ba Trung, past the pink church and past Tan Dinh Market. Yummo!

Probably the best steak in Ho Chi Minh City

I only say probably because I haven't tried them all....but I'm working on it.  Sometimes you just need a steak.  A big, fat, juicy, artery clogging steak.  As far a price goes, it's up there with one of the most expensive in town but...sometimes, you just need a steak!

El Gaucho Argentinian Steakhouse has in my opinion not just the best steak in Saigon, but one of the best I have had EVER!

Starting with complimentary bread and fresh salsa....

...and of course the obligatory bottle of red.

A huge selection of sides to choose from.  Fat chips, corn, mash, creamed spinach.  You pay extra but look at those chips, I mean, LOOK AT THOSE CHIPS!

But this baby is the hero.  There is an enormous selection of cuts to choose from including meat from the US and Australia.  They even have Waygu.  They come in two sizes but the smaller 250g is always big enough for me.

There is also of course a large selection of sauces (extra) as well.  If I'm going to pig out, I do it properly so I usually go with the blue cheese sauce.

This is the last photo and you were lucky to get that one.  I struggled to put my cutlery down to take it.  So if you feel like spoiling yourself and boosting your iron levels, I can highly recommend El Gauchos.  

The Laminating Guy

You may recall a few previous posts where I have captured, or tried to, just what an integral part of life motorbikes are here in Saigon.  Some of the most astounding things are sold, carried or collected from them.  This guy is my second favourite (you will have to wait for my favourite as I never seem to be able to get a photo of him).

Enter Laminating Guy!  This particular guy has a great setup.  It looks like he covers books as well.  Yes, there is a motorbike in there.

Loving his beatbox so he can listen to some tunes as he laminates his heart out.  Believe it or not we have actually had cause to use this guy when Nicks ID card went through the wash!