This is District 2, which apparently is home to wealthy villas for foreigners. The view across the canal from the Ho Chi Minh Museum is nice--you see the illusion of forest lined streets. So one day I grabbed my binoculars and some water and started peddling.
I remember watching the ferries on the Saigon River last year from the roof of the Majestic Hotel. They lurched frighteningly in the current and I thought "wow, I'm glad I'm not on that thing." Now I know why--the entrance is on the side, and the ferry must spin 360 so we don't have to shuffle our scooters (or us few bikes) around. It's a short ride but fun, worth the 1000d ticket. On the other side it's the usual market sprawl with meats and fruits and who knows what for sale.
Quite suddenly the road gets choppy. On the right you see the unlovely Saigon river with the occasional quaint houseboat moored to a levy with hammock. On the other side--what the hell happened here? It looks like ground zero of some heart-wrenching catastrophe.
And here's why. There are big plans in store for District 2. Though it's a lot faster to demolish houses than to build them.
Away from the coast is a beautiful countryside. And still within city limits.
I've seen many new birds here. few compare to this brown throated sunbird who was happy to sit there and preen for me. Birdwatching doesn't get much better than this.
And there's the new highway that will change everything. I find it a little sad, but I can understand the need for radical development. Ho Chi Minh is a thin sprawl, with every block a dozen self-serving villages. So it is great that they are starting to build vertically. They also have an opportunity to plan efficient public transportation. The plans look nice too, with large green spaces. Hopefully the sunbirds, prinias, coucals, yellow bitterns and paddyfield pipits won't have to move too far.
This is District 2, which apparently is home to wealthy villas for foreigners. The view across the canal from the Ho Chi Minh Museum is nice--you see the illusion of forest lined streets. So one day I grabbed my binoculars and some water and started peddling.
I remember watching the ferries on the Saigon River last year from the roof of the Majestic Hotel. They lurched frighteningly in the current and I thought "wow, I'm glad I'm not on that thing." Now I know why--the entrance is on the side, and the ferry must spin 360 so we don't have to shuffle our scooters (or us few bikes) around. It's a short ride but fun, worth the 1000d ticket. On the other side it's the usual market sprawl with meats and fruits and who knows what for sale.
Quite suddenly the road gets choppy. On the right you see the unlovely Saigon river with the occasional quaint houseboat moored to a levy with hammock. On the other side--what the hell happened here? It looks like ground zero of some heart-wrenching catastrophe.
And here's why. There are big plans in store for District 2. Though it's a lot faster to demolish houses than to build them.
Away from the coast is a beautiful countryside. And still within city limits.
I've seen many new birds here. few compare to this brown throated sunbird who was happy to sit there and preen for me. Birdwatching doesn't get much better than this.
And there's the new highway that will change everything. I find it a little sad, but I can understand the need for radical development. Ho Chi Minh is a thin sprawl, with every block a dozen self-serving villages. So it is great that they are starting to build vertically. They also have an opportunity to plan efficient public transportation. The plans look nice too, with large green spaces. Hopefully the sunbirds, prinias, coucals, yellow bitterns and paddyfield pipits won't have to move too far.
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