Strangers in Saigon

* My award winning photo of the Saigon Skyline! Check out Bonsai Cruises to book an incredible night!

One of my last nights in Saigon, I wanted to snap the skyline at sunset.  I asked the sweet ladies at the front desk of the Saigon Mansion (my home for that month), and they directed me over to this bridge across town: Cầu Thủ Thiêm  

Hopped on an Uber Moto with my camera / tripod and got dropped off right by the bridge.  I realized I needed to hit the loo before setting up my snap sesh, and was wandering the streets when this young guy on a moto stopped by me.

My first thought was, "Stranger danger."  

Second thought, "Oh yeah, I've got a heavy ass tripod in my hand."

One strategy I started during my first month of travel was to always carry my tripod with my camera bag.  If someone wanted to snatch my gear, they're gonna have to deal with my weapon.

Him: "Hey, are you a photographer?"

Me: "Ummm, yeah, I was just looking for a spot to take pics of the skyline."

Him: "I know a great spot to take pics of the skyline. You want to come with me?"

This is one of those moments when you see your life flash before your eyes.  I've seen the movie Hostel and it left an indelible imprint on my imagination.  

As murdery thoughts were making their rounds in my mind, he pulled a small tripod out of his bag.  

"This is my tripod for my photo class." 

I stalled for a bit, as we chatted.  We introduced ourselves (his name was Lam) and he showed me his student ID. 

He was in college and was an avid photographer.  We talked about photography for a bit and my spidey-sense stopped spiking.

Photo: Lam Đinh

The sun was starting to set and it was decision time.  He had kind eyes and seemed like a real nice kid. 

Photo: Lam Đinh

I trustingly hopped on the back of his moto, but told him I needed to hit the loo quick before we set up shop. 

As we rode through the streets of Saigon away from the bridge, a few murdery thoughts reemerged.  But they were squashed when we arrived at a mini-mart and he offered to pay my small fee for using the toilet.

After that, Lam brought me to this sweet spot on the Sai Gon river, near this park.  It was dark but there were tons of people around.  It looked like a lot of locals with maybe a couple tourists sprinkled in.  We set up our tripods and started snapping. 

Uploaded by ItsMattSherwood on 2018-03-12.

And I got to know Lam a bit more.

He was also a tutor.  If I recall, he was tutoring students in English.  (I could be wrong, it was over a year ago now). 

And, he was SO incredibly nice.  He went out of his way to help some random tourist.  

He was so nice, that he was almost late for his tutoring lesson, because he wanted to give me a ride home!!!  When I realized he was cutting it close, I insisted he just drop me off and I would walk the rest of the way.  

What an incredibly nice and thoughtful guy!  We exchanged Facebook profiles and I checked out his profile.  He is a FANTASTIC photographer.  And an even more fantastic guy. 

Photo Credit: Lam Đinh

Photo Credit: Lam Đinh

Photo Credit: Lam Đinh

Photo Credit: Lam Đinh

This was one of my last nights in Saigon.  And, now, ~1 year later, I'm going back to Vietnam.

I look forward to reconnecting with Lam, and maybe doing some more photography with him.

Photo Credit: Lam Đinh (?)

For me, this story proves that, while it is important to keep your guard up while traveling, it is also important to keep an open mind. 

Some of my most amazing memories from Remote Year center around meeting random locals and them inviting me into their lives for a brief moment in time.  

Sometimes, I get a little sad when I think about how many awesome people I've met on my travels that I no longer see.  But, that's life.  And, if our paths cross again, it will be like we never skipped a beat. 

"See you soon, Saigon!  See you soon, Lam!"

* UPDATE - 2 years later, I submitted my photo of the Saigon Skyline to a photo contest run by the Bonsai Cruise company that does premium dinner cruises here in Saigon and I won 1st place! WOW! Thank you to Lam Dinh and also my friend Dung, who saw the call for entry and tagged me! I guess I can say I am an Award Winning Photographer now!?

THOUGHTS ON TRAVEL SAFETY

Before I started traveling on Remote Year, many of my family members and friends cautioned me about the dangers of traveling abroad.  

"You better watch your back in Buenos Aires.  So much crime there."

"Be careful over there in Asia."

"Are you going to wear a money belt?"

"South America is really dangerous."

I definitely agree that travelers need to exercise strong street smarts, wherever they go.  And, yes, certain countries / cities, extra caution is wise.

But, I also think people are pretty paranoid of the unknown.  I felt just as safe in almost all areas of South America than I did in almost all areas of Los Angeles. 

You stay away from Skid Row, you're good to go.

I traveled with ~70 other people for 1 year and I recall (may have been more):

• 3 Females getting their purse snatched: (1 left a bar alone to walk home; and 2 others who got their purse stolen via a fast moving motorcycle thief in Kuala Lumpur, & Phnom Penh)

• 1 Male getting mugged in Lima by a taxi driver who drove into an alley where guys were waiting

• 1 Female who had her cell phone snatched from the side pocket of her backpack

~70 travelers, who each traveled to ~15-25 countries each over the course of 12 months.  To me, that's not that bad, especially when you often stand out like a sore thumb.

Sadly, female travelers need to be more careful than males.  It's just statistics.  Even if you're walking on the street with your hand on your purse, those motorcycle thieves are driving fast and your hand grip is no match for their slick n crafty techniques.

And, don't walk on the sidewalk with your head buried in your celly.  

It's impossible to always walk in groups, so if you are walking alone, walk on the building side of the sidewalk, not on the street edge of the sidewalk.  YES, motorcyclists can and will ride on the actual sidewalks, so you do always have to be on alert.

In Buenos Aires, and a lot of other cities in South America, young women and men, often wear their backpacks with the pack side on the front.  Much safer than having it on your back, where someone could be walking behind you, and unzip it.  

And, there were several times (at least 3) that I personally left my apartment / hotel with one of my backpack sections accidentally unzipped.  Guess what happened?  Every time, someone on the street noticed it and told me about it so I can fix it.  (Cities: Bogota, Belgrade, Kuala Lumpur)  I personally alerted several people throughout the year that their packs were unzipped.

That doesn't mean you should just let down your guard when traveling.  But, I do think a lot of people are overly paranoid.  If this is what's keeping you from traveling abroad---please reconsider!  And message me if you want more advice.

When I returned from RY, I got this question a few times: "Was there any time or city you felt unsafe?"

The only time really was in Paris at Le Louvre. 

It was the day after Bastille Day, 2016.  Tragically, this was the night that terrorist drove his truck through a crowd of partygoers in Nice, France, killing 87 (including himself).  After buying my ticket to tour Le Louvre, I was eating a baguette sandwich when the alarms started going off.  

"PLEASE EXIT THE BUILDING. PLEASE PROCEED TO THE NEAREST EXIT IMMEDIATELY."

Everyone was on high alert, and we all started to funnel toward the exits, eyes darting around, people looking for their loved ones.  As we approached the underground exit, there was a Louvre security guard who was stopping the flow of traffic telling everyone they needed to go back the other way.  

This was a weird moment.  My imagination ran wild with the idea that a shooter was on the other side of where this security guard was shielding us off from.  So, people started to turn around, but people were also pushing from behind.  Getting trampled temporarily trumped my worry about an active shooter.

Thankfully, within ~30 seconds, the guard opened things back up and allowed everyone to exit through the underground pathways.  And, the whole thing was a false alarm.

Other than that, I found every city I went to just as safe as any other in the good ole USA.  Of course, you do your research about the bad areas of town and you steer clear of them. 

Don't let fear stop you from traveling abroad!   

Book your flight TODAY and then check out my friends at AllTheRooms.com to find a ton of cool places to stay! They are travel experts and they got you covered!

The Thrill of Uber Moto

A year ago almost to the day, I hopped on the back of an Uber Moto for the first time and had one of the most thrilling joyrides I've ever experienced!  Forget skydiving, or bungee jumping, just spend $1 and take an Uber Moto and your adrenaline will be through the roof!

Ho Chi Minh City is home to roughly ~8 million people, and there are ~7.5 millions motos.  It's how most people get around.  To a westerner like me, it just seems like total chaos.  Madness! 

They get so close to each other. 

They drive on the wrong side of the road. 

They drive on the sidewalks.  They dart out in front of oncoming traffic.  The rules of the road seem like merely suggestions.

But, there is a fascinating harmony about it all.  It's the norm for them and it just kinda works.

Except for the half a dozen accidents I saw during my month I was there.  The accidents weren't bad, thankfully.  But, they bump n grind a bit.

Hanoi

It reminds me of India, although not quite as chaotic.  For me, nothing will ever top that!  The traffic is unreal.  SOOO many vehicles on the road.  Bikes, motos, cars, rickshaws, trucks, cattle, monkeys, etc.

4 or 5 family members on one moto.  Dozens hanging out of rickshaws.  Monkeys and cows crossing the roads and everyone just swerves around like it's no big deal. 

I saw a mother with two small children, probably ages 2 and 4, smack dab in the middle of a busy rotary.  All 3 begging for money.  I couldn't believe the 2 year old was just right there!  A little sad actually.  

This was a different girl:

The other strikingly different thing about the traffic in India is the incessant beeping.  They are not beeping to be jerks.  It's how they communicate.  Beeping is just someone saying, "Hey, I'm on your right."  

Uploaded by ItsMattSherwood on 2018-02-09.

India is by far the most incredibly culturally rich travel country I've been to! 

The traffic in Vietnam seems tame compared to India.  But, it is still thrilling! 

Check out the video of my first Uber Moto experience.  My heart was pounding! 

Uploaded by ItsMattSherwood on 2018-02-09.

These next two snaps are from Hanoi, long exposure shots from the top of the hotel I was staying at. You can see the crazy traffic madness:

Wonder if UBER Moto would ever happen in the U.S.?  Probably not.

Guess that means I need to go back to Vietnam for my next adrenaline fix.  Hmmm...

Super Bowl Monday in Saigon

6:30 am.  Monday.  Sun's coming up and it's Super Bowl time!  GOOD MORNING, VIETNAAAM!  

Yes, it's wicked weird but with wings and Coca Cola, feels just like 'Merica.  Kinda.  To use a common Asian quote: "same same but different".

I arrived at the Guru Sports Bar about one drive into the game.  The bar was packed inside, but thankfully I spotted a table with a great TV view outside.  Sat next to Vietnamese couples on both sides --- Atlanta fans.  Or, probably just Patriots haters.

The bar had some western style breakfast specials going on, but I opted for the wing platter. To my surprise, it did NOT disappoint!  I dissected it like Matt Ryan did to the Patriots D in the first half.

BEFORE

AFTER

Everyone was rooting for the Falcons.  Couple Pats fans inside but outside was all Hotlanta.  No surprise.  I’m used to the haters by now.  

The first half was depressing.  I was texting with Stevo, and we kept saying things like “lotta football left to play”, even though things were lookin' bleak.  

On top of that, watching it on Sky Sports was annoying.  (Sorry Jena)  No ads.  During commercial breaks they went back to the booth with 3 British announcers and Ndamukong Suh, a dubious choice at best.  Suh is the Bill Laimbeer of the NFL, and has the personality of a Keanu Reeves or Vin Diesel.  (More Suh dirt here)

My sis and I texted at halftime.  

Sis: “Yes!!! Soooo disappointed. :[”

Me: “Ain’t over yet tho.”  

The halftime show was the highlight of the day for me.  I thought Lady Gaga was spectacular!  She is a phenomenal performer!  And she actually sings and plays music instead of lip synching.  Loved it.  

Then...

People on social media started ripping into the Pats.  Nasty stuff, calling out Pats fans, ripping Brady, etc.  I’m used to it.  But, I'm also tired and cranky.  (And also sick with a nasty cough)  

One of my friends posted:  “I don't even like football, but... GO FALCONS! Beat the cheaters!”

I felt like this was a good time to pick a fight with her.  I messaged her and asked her if she was aware that the Falcons got caught cheating two years ago?  She was unaware.  Or that the Giants got caught cheating this year?  She was unaware.  

Of course she was not aware.  Cuz no one cares if other teams get caught in scandals only the Patriots.  This led to a healthy political debate, which strangely momentarily made me feel better.  Guess I needed to blow off some steam.  Ok, back to the game. 

Watching the second half was SURREAL.  I felt like we had a chance to come back but assumed we might fall up short.  28-3 is a big hole to dig out of.  And especially when they got a beast like Julio Jones, and the MVP Matty Ice.

But, Brady is the GOAT.  And Belichek is the GOAT.  

Funny thing happened.  When they started coming back, ALL of the people outside the bar switched sides.  Slowly but surely, everyone started rooting for the PATRIOTS.  Whaaaaaa!?!?!?

This was a fascinating turn of events.  It proved to me that people just like the underdog.  All of a sudden, the Pats were the underdogs.  And, no one wants to see a blowout.  

It was an incredible moment in sports history.  Greatest comeback of all time. 

We are so lucky in New England.  

I wish people didn’t hate the Patriots so much, because we are witnessing greatness in the NFL the likes of which we may never see again.  I never liked the Yankees, but I appreciated when Derek Jeter retired because he was GREAT and he was humble and classy.  Brady is classier than anyone and always takes the high road.  So happy for him.  Maybe people will come around on Brady n Belichek?  Not holding my breath.

I did shed a tear when the Patriots won.  I didn’t cheer and scream and yell when they won.  It was just a moment of elation, and relief after gritting my teeth, clenching my fists with a nervous leg twitch for 3 hours.  I got handshakes from the Vietnamese couples next to me.  And took some selfies with an Australian guy and a British guy.  

Yup, teary eyes.

I'll leave the celebration up to my boy Mike Bracco, who recorded this raw, unfiltered reaction to the end of the game (NSFW):  Click to watch here

I recorded myself for the last play. OMG OMG. Greatest comeback in NFL super Bowl HISTORY. @tombrady GOAT. I can't believe this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @patriots #SuperBowl #nfl

And then I scowled when Goodell gave the most inauthentic presentation of the trophy to Robert Kraft.

And then I hopped on a motorbike home with “Son”.  Rode through the streets of Saigon, Vietnam back to my home.  

Just your typical Super Bowl Monday morning.  

Well, same same but different.