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Leave me alone
(Pronounced:
toy
) One of the drawbacks of visiting popular
tourist attractions is being besieged by touts, taxi drivers and
cyclo drivers. The minute you step out, a cyclo will most
likely be pedaling beside you. A firm “no”
(không)
is usually
sufficient. But if that fails after being trailed for several blocks,
then you can try
“thoi.”
Of course, if you want to experience a cyclo ride in your
Saigon trip, remember to agree on a price beforehand;
Thoi
Tôi muon di…
Don’t sit near the
stage of a water
puppetp erformance
— you’ll get wet!
but sadly this won’t stop some drivers from changing the
agreed-upon price after your journey. And even if you have a
destination in mind, most cyclo drivers will try to bring you to
some souvenir shop or take you on a full-blown city tour. We
were warned by past Saigon visitors, so we relied mostly on
taxis, which are almost just as cheap and less of a headache.
But stick to MaiLinh or Vinasun taxi cabs and try to pay
the exact fare; experience has taught us that some drivers
suddenly go deaf when you’re asking for your change.
PHOTO
LESTER LEDESMA (TOP)
Tour the city on a cyclo!
Just make sure you
agree to the fare first
I want to go to...
(Pronounced:
doy moo∙uhn dee
) the Golden Dragon Water
Puppet Theatre! For something cultural to do in the evening
— besides happily partaking of Saigon beer and grilled meats
by the sidewalk — we decided to watch water puppetry.
A tradition dating back to the 11th century, water puppetry
worked to appease the spirits the rural Vietnamese believed
in. Before, it was staged in flooded rice fields; now it’s set on
a pool stage with a traditional orchestra providing the music,
narration and dialogue. The show is entirely in Vietnamese,
but you hardly need a translation to appreciate it.
55B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1; a ticket costs
VND147,000 (PHP301)
06CA Smile
Ser 4
091-097 Feature 6 - HCMC.indd 95
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