Sai Gon, 21 Nov 2008

Maybe the most amusing thing to convey in the past 24 hours is the man sitting next to me at the moment in the internet cafe, an American using Skype to talk to someone. I heard this snippet of his part of the dialogue: 'No, it's not going well, that's over.' 'She wanted me to marry her and I won't do it.' 'I can't find a good one, maybe I'm getting too old.' Gosh, what's he's talking about?

It's rained the past 2 evenings here. A quick heavy downpour and it's over and everything is washed clean.

Tipping in restaurants can be awkward in Vietnam because they're not used to it. I've resolved to simply not do it for now. My Lonely Planet guide book instructed me to tip the staff directly to be sure it gets to them. When I tried this yesterday, it created a lot of confusion. I would have doubled the amount of the tip to simply withdraw from the situation I created! Anyway I ordered a drink called 'Bird's Nest' there. It came in a small can with, among others, the words 'White Fungus' on the label. So naturally I proceeded to drink it without hesitation! It was rather bland, much to my chagrin. With bits of, I assume, white fungus (mushroom?) floating in it.

If you're in Sai Gon in District 1 in the backpacker area and don't mind splurging on breakfast, I recommend the Stella Caffe. By splurging, I mean spending $5 US on breakfast. See the photo below for the artistic handiwork of their barista.

I was chatting with a Vietnamese at a coffee shop last night and she informed me that it sometimes gets cold in Sai Gon, down to almost 20 degrees Celsius. To save you the trouble of Googling a conversion calculator, that's 68 Fahrenheit. Remember to pack your down parka!

I don't know about you, but I've never been served anything like this at Starbucks! Stella Caffe in Sai Gon District 1.
Too bad you can't read the blurry image. Trust me, it really does say 'White Fungus' on the label!