Granted, I wasn't on vacation, so I didn't expect to see the beach or other notable sites, but I, at least, hoped to see something that would capture the essence of Ho Chi Minh city (still called Saigon by locals). Instead, I found myself let down, once again, by the "romance" of international business travel - airport, dinner, hotel, factory, dinner, hotel, airport.
The hotel was nice, though...
and I did see a building that looked important and historical...
but this was the view from my window...
Incredibly nondescript.
There is one thing, however, that did leave an impression on me. I can only describe it as the 'Qi' of Saigon. Qi being the flow of energy within all living things or, the essence of life. Here's the Wikipedia definition.
If you view Saigon as a living entity, then the lives of people moving through it are its Qi, and Saigon's Qi is best captured and explained by the way traffic moves through its crowded streets.
This was taken from a rooftop restaurant.
This was taken on the way to the airport. Amazingly, I saw no accidents nor any close calls. Although there was a lot of honking (warnings to get your Qi in line), there really was a flow - no one moves to fast or too slow. Stop, and lose your Qi licence.
This reminded me of a friend of mine in Shanghai (another Qi-filled city) who never checked for traffic before crossing the road - which, until you get used to it, is terrifying to witness. When I asked him why he didn't look both ways, he replied that if he sees the oncoming cars or bicycles, then it's up to him to avoid them. However, by not looking, it's the responsibility of oncoming cars to avoid him - which works great, as long as everyone is part of the same Qi.
No comments:
Post a Comment