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Nobody goes to Phan Rang but Vietnamese tourists. I went for the cham towers.

The Cham towers of Po Klong Garai are the only attraction in Phan Rang. At 8.00 am, I hopped on a moto taxi to check them out. I didn’t know what to expect, so when I caught sight of the red brick towers overlooking Phan Rang from the top of a hill, I was captivated.

Po Klong Garai Cham towers.

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I quit my job. It felt SO good. I’ve worked as an English teacher for two full months now and I’m glad to say that it’s done. I was teaching more classes than any teacher should reasonably teach in a week, which was punishing at times but resulted in me saving a good chunk of money. Now I’ve started to look at the map of Vietnam and I am dying to see what the rest of the country holds.

So Jen and I are headed north. We plan to hit beaches, temples, cities, and everything in between. Over the next four weeks you will be seeing updates from us from various locations around Vietnam. It’s time to get out of the city!

Rich by Vietnamese standards, but it's really not all that much.

Ah, the ubiquitous ladyboy. An almost mythical creature of South East Asian descent. Here is the scenario:

You’re in Apocalypse Now, a nightclub that has been an institution in this city since the days when American soldiers were stationed in Saigon. You notice a Vietnamese woman who initially strikes you as beautiful. She is tall, unusually tall for a Asian woman. Upon further investigation, you notice what appears to be an Adam’s apple. Hmm…

The current Jet Set cast is all-female, which means we have a different perspective on life in Saigon than the first Jet Set season which had an all-male cast. Obviously, neither ladyboys nor the Vietnamese sex industry play much of a role in our lives, but they are a visible part of daily life. Prostitution in all its forms is blatant and unconcealed. One of the more memorable moments was sitting near the ATM next to the Go2 bar and watching as hookers led foreign men to the bank machine to withdraw cash for the evening. And then there’s the ladyboys, who put their own “special” twist on the prostitution situation. Here is my favourite ladyboy picture so far – you be the judge:

Not too shabby, right?  And if you’re looking for “accommodation”, it comes very affordably:

For the record, 60,000 dong is about $3 (per hour). According to a reliable source, an hour with a prostitute in a brothel starts at $10 per hour. For $25, you can have a women for the whole night, and she’ll even make your bed and cook you breakfast in the morning. Ladyboys come even cheaper. With the exception of Thailand and Amsterdam, I’ve never seen it on display at obviously as it is here. The sex industry itself is a draw for many Western male travellers looking to have a little “fun” on their vacation.

Cholon is Saigon’s Chinatown and is chock full of interesting things to see.

First, there are the traditional herbal shops. You can smell the shops before you see them – the air becomes filled with this amazing aroma that is unusual in a city where pollution and garbage reign. Different herbs are held in huge sacks, all unlabelled. The only thing I could identify was cinnamon tree bark; the rest was “maybe a type of mushroom?”, or “some kind dried grass?” And I’m sure they all serve some kind of purpose. I briefly considered asking if they had something like ground rhino horn powder, but I was afraid that the answer would be yes.

Bees!

And the pagodas are amazing. It’s nice to walk in off the busy street and find this little pocket of solitude. The incense smoke hangs in the air and the only sound is people chanting.

Coils of incense hang from the ceiling.

A famous general's horse. You make an offering, stroke its mane and then ring the bell. Supposed to bring you luck before embarking on a journey.

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I had a fabulous Christmas with a Vietnamese family. Fabulous. Not because I got to do the most extraordinary things in two days. Fabulous, because I experienced the ordinary life of an extremely hospitable family over Christmas time. Anh, thank you so, so much!

Anh and I on the first beach we went to in Tân Thiên village.

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It’s a funny thing about travelling. In my “regular” life, I am a very busy person. I work two jobs, play competitive fastball, go to the gym and still manage to have an active social life. I rarely have time to stop, relax, and think. Travelling changes all that.

Many people talk about “finding themselves” when they travel. I believe that this is a bit of cliché, but there is some truth to it. When you remove yourself from your normal routine, you suddenly have an opportunity to view your life from a distance, so to speak, and reflect on the decisions you’ve made and the path on which you are headed. Some of my biggest life changes have come after a trip when I’ve realized that my life is not quite moving in the direction it should be.

And the Jet Set Zero experience is no different. I am working here, which keeps me busy, but I find myself with WAY more down time than at home. I have a lot of time to think about work, relationships, goals, what makes me happy, and the decisions I’ve made that have brought me here. This process is really one of my favourite parts of travelling – kind a “refocus” that is difficult to do when you’re busy living your life.

Some background if you don’t already know me: I used to be heavily involved in music. For a number of years, playing the saxophone was my whole life and I was fairly successful with it. I performed with David Foster and toured around Europe, among other achievements. But something happened after I graduated. My original goal was to become a music teacher until a year of student teaching opened my eyes to what a bad fit that would be for me. Then, I wanted to major in performance, but everyone knows how tough it is to eke out a living doing that (so I scrapped that plan – went with my head rather than my heart). I played in all kinds of bands as an adult but eventually that decreased as other responsibilities took priority.

Now, I am a huge music fan who spends a large portion of her money on seeing live music and going to shows. I have a sizeable collection and get grumpy if I have to walk anywhere and don’t have my ipod. Lots of my friends are musicians, but I myself no longer play.

Last night we went to a jazz club here in Saigon. It’s actually called “Sax’n'Art” as it focuses on the saxophone. The moment we walked in and I saw 4 saxs sitting on stands on stage, I felt that familiar tug. “Why am I not up there?” I thought to myself. “Why did I ever give that up? When exactly did that happen?” The main guy, prominent jazz saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan, ripped into one of the best versions of Sweet Georgia Brown I’ve ever heard and I’m pretty sure I had a gigantic grin on my face until the last note. It sounds cheesy, but it actually filled my heart with joy to hear them play – it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that. His sax even had that unpolished look that I love of an instrument that has played a lot of tunes and seen a lot of gigs. Our evening at the jazz club was one of the better nights I’ve spent here.

As they played, I had time to think about my departure from music, and how much I miss it. I think that, among other things, picking up that saxophone again is one thing I will attempt when I eventually return home. And I have travelling to thank for bringing that to my attention.

The second I moved out of my house when I was 18, I knew that I was a city girl. I had big dreams of moving to San Francisco, which somehow ended up turning into LA (I still am not 100% sure how that happened). When I first arrived in Saigon, I think I felt a bit more comfortable than the other girls when it came to the chaos of city life. Now I’m not saying I was 100% comfortable, far from it, but I did feel a bit like I was at home.

The funny thing about being here for the past couple months is that I think I’ve started to appreciate mellow towns and mother nature more. Hanging out in Mui Ne was ridiculously refreshing, and getting to see some of the natural world has been more uplifting than anticipated. The pollution, motorbikes, chaos, street vendors, and overall bad mood of some of the people in Ho Chi Minh compared to the small villages has made me reevaluate the charm of small towns. I used to think that sometimes the craziness of cities was all that I needed, but now all I want to do it sit and look at some pretty green and blue stuff.

Don’t tell me I’m turning into a hippy.
VS.

VS.

I had been told about the Saigon Horse Racing Club before I came to Vietnam, and knew that it would be an entertaining afternoon. So with that in mind, Jen, Serene and I headed there last weekend.

It’s your standard racetrack I suppose, except having never been to one I wouldn’t really know (but it’s how I imagine). We were not just the only foreigners there, but the only women. They give you a book with all the information like the weight of the horse and jockey, past finishes, etc.  Then you make your bet! Minimum bet is 10,000 dong (or 50 cents), and you get to cheer for your favourite horse. I should add that many of the “jockeys” looked like little kids, and I’m pretty sure they actually were.

My horse took the first race and Serene’s took the second. All told, it’s a fun, cheap way to spend an afternoon in Saigon.

They parade the horses in front of the crowd before the race. The jockey on horse #4 is definitely a child.

Approaching the finish...is that #4 in the lead?

The Cao Dai religion (or Cao Daism) was formed in 1926 in Southern Vietnam. Cao Dai literally means high tower or palace, a metaphor for the highest place God reigns. This religion draws on beliefs from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and borrows terminology from Catholicism with titles like pope, cardinals, bishops and priests. The central philosophy of Cao Daism pertains to the duty that the faithful perform for themselves, their family, society and the world at large. There are reputed to be around 2 to 3 million followers, most in Vietnam.

Cao Dai’s pantheon of saints includes such diverse figures as the Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Pericles, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc and Victor Hugo. Men with the rank of priest and higher have brightly colored robes reflecting their spiritual allegiance: yellow (symbolizing Buddhism and virtue), blue (Taoism and pacifism) or red (Confucianism and authority). Their most venerable place of worship, the Tay Ninh Holy See, is located a couple hours outside Saigon and we were lucky enough to attend a prayer session.

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Location: Cai Bè

A WEEKEND IN THE MEKONG DELTA(3/3): THE FLOATING MARKET

4.00AM: The sky is still completely dark. On my way to the docks, I walk past two Vietnamese joggers. The streets of Cai Bé are quite busy already. Some mom and pop shops are already open.

4.45AM: I set foot on Phom’s small motor boat.

Phom is my new friend. I met her last night as I was trying to secure a boat ride to the floating market for toda. She got so excited when I asked her to take me on her boat! When I saw her this morning she was all smiles, telling it all to the men of her neighborhood!

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