Before anything else, I am ECSTATIC that Prop 8 got overturned. What a hate inspired law, and their lawyers had nothing to defend that law with except that it was passed by a misguided majority. I’m a big proponent of democracy, but not when the law that was passed subjects people to different treatment because of their sexual orientation.
Anyway, we actually went to an amusement park yesterday! It was like a combination amusement park, temple, and regular park. There were haunted houses, a water park, several temples, rides, and a CROCODILE FARM. We got to feed the crocodiles pieces of liver. It was crazy to see how fast they moved and how some of them can stay still for so long that we thought they were statues. When we get ready to feed them too, they all open their eyes but don’t move to catch the piece of meat by surprise.
The haunted houses at this place are kind of different too in that they try to make it an educational experience. The first one we went through was about the evolution of man, but every few minutes or so, a big gorilla would pop out at you. I don’t even know what the second one was about, except that there were a lot of prisons.
What was also interesting though was that on the way to the amusement park (which was about half an hour from where we were at), we passed by tons of construction! New buildings were being built, and the ones that had just been completed were either large investment firm skyscrapers or hi-tech parks. More evidence that Vietnam is getting tons of overseas investment I’d say.
When we got back, Jess and I rested before we finally got together with Ryan and Anna. Ryan brought us to this great restaurant called Hai Lua and night market, which was like Cho Ben Thanh but with less grabbiness and more motorcycles driving through the market itself. (Apparently, all the best restaurants and hang-outs in Saigon are hidden in sketchy looking alleys.) We got some price samples for fake LV bags for Tri, which he believes are higher quality than actual LV bags themselves. Anna couldn’t stay out too long because she had to make up a 3 hour workshop for the next day, but it was great catching up with Anna and Ryan, who I haven’t seen in years.
After Anna left, Ryan took us on a tour of District 1 to the high-end areas. How did we know it was high-end? Two reasons actually. 1) The prices that people pay stuff there is actually higher than what we would pay in the states; and 2) there was a POPEYE'S CHICKEN and CARLS JR! haha...I had to try a burger from Carl's Jr. to see if it tasted the same, which it does surprisingly enough. The big difference was that the bread was more chewy and the meat was overcooked, but better that than salmonella.
Food-wise, I had a turnip cake and bun cha gio for breakfast. Throughout the day, I had fried chicken and chom chom. For dinner, Hai Lua is a fantastic seafood restaurant. We had banh khot, banh xeo, steam crab in beer, and banh hoi. Hai Lua is in the back of Saigon Square 2, and you have to walk to the back of the center to see it. The entrance to the restaurant is super ghetto, but when you actually see the restaurant, it is really nice! The food is set up on a buffet line where you can order either from the line or from your server, so you get to see your food in front of you before you order it. We ended the night with some che and Carls Jr.
Today, we fly to Hanoi. Updates later.
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