Our new digs

(Posted by: Stacy)

Doug and I finally paid our deposit, signed our contract, and moved our four large and two small suitcases into our brand new apartment in Ho Chi Minh City. We're living in Phu My Hung (known by Saigonians as Korea town), located in district 7. Our apartment is in the Sky Garden complex, which I would liken to a giant country club. There is a pool, gym, tennis courts, yoga facility, ample running nearby, and much less traffic than the rest of the city. The complex is, admittedly, a bit much, but we're liking it so far.

There are three phases to Sky Garden, and between each building is a courtyard. Built into the complex are restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, bootleg DVD shops, and just about anything you could need or want. The best part? Everywhere delivers!

The high-rises are everywhere, but somehow there is still a sense of calm amidst the concrete.



From level two (where many of the shops are), you can look down to the manicured grasses, pool, tennis courts, and other pleasant sights.



Our apartment is brand new and rather large. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a laundry room (outside), and a spectacular view of the city.



Finally! No more movies on my MacBook Pro.



Remember the freestanding sink in the kitchen of our last apartment? Well, this may look small to you stateside folks, but we feel like we have a gourmet kitchen.




One of the two bathrooms actually has a western shower! The master bath has a large tub with an Asian-style shower.


Although Sky Garden is a bit more expensive than other parts of the city, it's pretty amazing how cheap everything is. Last night, we had a leisurely dinner at Paris Cafe, which is a wonderfully relaxing restaurant with a 15 foot tall (or so) Eiffel Tower replica. I ordered vegetarian rice noodle, Doug ordered beef instant noodle, and we both ordered a beer. In the states, we might have paid US$25.00 or more for our lovely dinner on giant wicker, cushioned seats, surrounded by fountains and greenery. Our bill totaled US$6.75. Last week, our house was cleaned for US$10.00, our laundry was washed and folded for US$11.50, and we paid around US$3.00 for both of our breakfasts. I don't know if I'll ever get over the shock of how inexpensive everything is. In many ways, it's hard to think about returning to the states and paying triple or quadruple for everything.

All in all, Doug and I are very happy and loving Vietnam. Our apartment is wonderful, our neighborhood is charming, and our quality of life is above average. What more could we ask for? Except for all of our friends and family to move here, of course.