Saigon!

I am currently now in Saigon and it is pretty humid over here. Yesterday, we visited some relatives on my mom and dad side.. and I even got to ride on a moped, but here they call it "hondas". Those are the most common way to travel around in Vietnam. The moped to car ratio is probably 30-1. No joke! Crossing the street is quite dangerous on account of that they don't stop for you, even on a cross walk. You really have to dodge traffic, haha. We went to eat at some local place and it was about 30 bucks for 7 people including drinks and such. Food here is really inexpensive, probably about 1 dollar for a bowl of pho or a plate of rice with porkchops.. but if you want the more upscale cuisine it is about 2 dollars for a plate. Haha.
Today was a little more relaxing. Just shopped a little and got my hair done. Went to some famous hair salon, but here it was pretty inexpensive, but upscale according to the Vietnamese standards. I am amazed at all of the scary drivers and how they navigate around the city. There are lanes to somewhat designate the actual cars, but the mopeds just drive around everyone. Honking is constant and never stops. People weave in and out including the taxi drivers and I can recall countless times where I inhaled my breath on how people come so close to crashing, but actually don't! We went to this ice cream cafe that was about 5 stories and while walking home from there.. it starts pouring! When I say pouring, I literally mean pouring, like you go out for a second and you're drenched.. or the perfect kind rain to have a romantic "pouring rain kiss." Haha. Usually, the rain only lasts about 20 minutes.. but we waited in front of a store under a roof and it never seemed to stop. So we just decided to wing it and walk back to our hotel. Let's just say I wasn't the driest when I got back. =] It was pretty fun though.
It is interesting, how people all here wear pants and long sleeves despite the weather. They are so accustomed to it.. where as I walk around in shorts and a tank top. I can understand one part, they don't want to get bug bites. The other part is a little more unique. They all want to be pale. They cover up their arms with gloves and wear masks and hats so they can stay pale. Nobody wants to be tan!! Our culture is so different and my relatives laugh at how we have actual beds for people at home to become more tan.. and now shower time.
P.S. The television isn't all that bad, they have the Disney Channel, HBO, and MTV.. along with countless other Vietnamese channels.