HHard to believe this is our last day in Southeast Asia. We have seen so much, had amazing food, experienced gracious hospitality and gotten out of our comfort zone more than a few times. We slept in a little and then headed down to breakfast in the Park Hyatt café. Breakfast was included and similar to the Sheraton there was a wonderful buffet of unusual fruits, yummy pastries and in addition to the omelet station, a pho station too. As much as Ken thinks noodles are weird for breakfast, it is a healthy way to start the day. Lots of fresh herbs, sprouts, boneless chicken and broth which is kind of like grandma's chicken soup, Vietnamese style. I am positive it has restorative properties.

After trekking around temples for the past 5 days, I was in serious need of a manicure/pedicure. Most of our nail salons in Houston are Vietnamese owned, so I find it ironic that I am having one in Saigon. The spa at the Hyatt was about the same price as at home, but the ambiance was very relaxing and I enjoyed a little pampering for a couple of hours. Alternatively Ken hit the gym, so we both felt rejuvenated!

The rest of the day was spent lounging by the pool, taking a nap, reading and getting ready for our evening activity… a motor bike foodie tour of the back alleys of Ho Chi Minh City (run by XO Tours); After doing some research this sounded like a cool way to see the city and eat some interesting food in the process.   Promptly at 520p, Nia and Tham, two beautiful young women picked us up on their motorbikes (Nia is the same age as Ken’s daughter, Paige and has also recently graduated from University). After strapping on our helmets, we were off into the craziness that is Saigon traffic along with thousands of other motorbikes.   In the beginning I hung onto Tham for dear life, but soon relaxed a bit and hung onto the back of the bike.

The goal of the tour is to introduce us to Vietnamese street food where the locals eat and not the normal pho, banh mi (sandwiches) or vermicelli that we get back home. At our first stop, we met the rest of our 15 tour mates from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Germany and Canada. We were seated at plastic tables and introduced to the rest of the XO team that would be leading us for the evening (besides a young girl/scooter driver for each tourist we were 'escorted’ by several guys for security).   Our first course was Ben Bo Hue, a beef noodle soup that was similar to pho, but wasn’t. It was very good, and as much as I wanted to eat it all, the night was young and there were many more courses ahead!

Everyone found their girl and motorbike and back into the streets we went. The traffic is insane and the girls, along with the rest of Saigon, weave in and out but somehow avoiding catastrophe at every corner. Our next stop was Chinatown, about a 20 minute ride from our soup stop. This is where the locals shop, not in District 1 where our hotel and all of the tourist reside.  We buzzed through alleys where markets and street stalls abound with baskets of live fish, live chickens, hanging meat, vegis, fruits and spices are sold. On the main street, all of the bikes stopped across from a large indoor market where goods for the rest of the city are sold wholesale.  Merchants come to purchase items, then take them back to District 1 where they are marked up 300+%.  

After learning about Chinatown, we hopped back on the bikes and headed to District 7, known for barbecue and karaoke. We pulled into a large outdoor restaurant w/ long plastic tables and small plastic chairs. Good thing we aren’t huge as we would never fit in the chairs. Nia, Tham and the rest of the scooter girls sat with their partners and introduced us to the food. First out was goat breast that the girls cooked on a small grill. While it was cooking they brought out some grilled okra and calamari. There were small dishes of sauces and it was fun to test each with the grilled items. All three were really good. Next came the shrimp and frog. I am not a fan of shrimp and I am not doing frog, but Ken did both. He tried the frog with the skin on and skin off, and said…nothing special. At the end, they brought fresh fruit and chili salt for dipping, which was really good.

We did a quick stop and buzz through District 8, which is the wealthy area. Lots of high rise condos, wide boulevards and more cars than motorbikes, which means not as interesting. Our guide gave us a briefing about the real estate market, inflation and the absentee condo owners which explained why the condos were dark.   

Last stop for the evening was in District 4, the poorest area in Saigon, but also known for their good seafood.   One again, at long tables, close to the ground we started with chili crab claws, where the girls cracked the shells and put the meat into little bowls of salt mixed with kumquat juice. It was soooo yummy! Out next was scallops, mixed with herbs and peanuts on shells drizzled with tamarind sauce. This was my favorite dish of the evening and I inhaled several! Next was clams in the shells with herbs and dipping sauce. I am not a clam fan, so passed, but Ken enjoyed.

Last up, bolut.   For those who aren’t familiar, it is an egg with an almost formed chicken (ie gestated eggs). There were several in the group who gamely sucked them down, crunchy head, beak and all. Makes me uneasy just thinking of it! We ended the evening with coconut jelly and crème caramel, before hopping on the bikes and heading back to the hotel where we arrived safe and sound!

Our 3:30am wake up call came too early and we are now in Hong Kong waiting for our 16 hour flight to Newark.   This will be the longest December 31st of our lives, as we left Saigon at 6am and 26 hours later will arrive in Houston at 7pm.   This trip has been amazing and thanks to all of you for joining with us in our adventures.   Happy New Years to everyone and best wishes for a spectacular 2015.