I met the group at the Sushi Bar after inadvertently going to the wrong place initially -- yes, there are two places named, "Sushi Bar" within a block and a half of one another. Ha!
The dinner was really good times -- the group's camaraderie oozed throughout the room and was infectious. Everyone welcomed me with open arms. I believe most everyone was American, and from various places throughout the States. I got a lot of interesting travel suggestions as, not surprisingly, most everyone has traveled much more than me. I'm now very interested in checking out Hanoi and Paris (yeah, kind of an eclectic mix, I know). The food was solid and of course cheap (I had two drinks, a roll order, and a regular udon bowl for $12).
While we waited outside for our cab to the next destination, I saw perhaps the most ridiculous street sign I've ever seen...It's a little small in the photo, but it was a picture of a mouse / rat on what looked like a bicycle with a bar through it. So -- no rat cycling?? W.T.F?? Even the people I was with, many of whom had been in Saigon for several months, had no idea what to make of it.
From sushi, it was time to head off to an ex-pat sorta bar owned by a crazy Vietnamese guy. Since a couple of us were virgins to the bar, it was an entry requirement that we shoot a shot dropped in a beer. Good times.
Lots of good convo ensued, and I spent the majority of the time there, talking with one of Laurel's co-workers, Neal (a gay dude from Jersey). The drinks continued to flow, and as our party dwindled from a peak of ~21 to 4-5, we decided it was time to start bar hopping. The first was a little strange -- it struck me as a sort of upscale Cuban place filled with Vietnamese salsa dancing (maybe I dreamed this, but I don't think so)...I did manage to get a pic for your amusement from a guy that I had hoped to hook up with Neal...
We decided it was time to hit up a place to dance, so off we went. While we walked around, we passed this interesting looking place -- I think it's an opera house, but I'm not sure (what's up with the bridges and opera houses on this trip??).
We moved on to a seriously crazy place. A Vietnamese band played hits from the 80s and 90s. You haven't lived until you've heard 4 Non Blondes's "What's Going On" from a Vietnamese band.
Although my favorite was probably Europe's "The Final Countdown." The end of this song marked ushered in the house music and thus the dancing ensued. I have no idea how long we danced, but it was excellent times ;)
From there, we hit up an outdoor bar that was right across the street from this place...
I might've been feeling pretty good at this point, and I might've fallen out of my chair onto the street. Once I got back up, Laurel and I had an interesting convo about how to deal with all of the kids around -- the kids were basically being pimped out by their parents to solicit money from the Westerners. Different ideas were kicked around, but we didn't come up with any mind blowing epiphanies.
All in all -- yet another great time!
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