Ask Silver Whisper's crew members what they do when they come to Ho Chi Minh City, and they all respond almost uniformly: "Look for the guys in the blue shirts just outside the gates of the port. For a few dollars, they'll give you a tour around the city on the back of their motorbike."

Actually, there's no need to look for the blue-shirted guys, because they'll find you as you exit the gate. I negotiated with one to take me to the market, about 10 minutes away, and to bring me back for $5, and I probably overpaid. But it turned out to be one of the most exhilirating experiences I've ever had, in part because there are no traffic lights (or traffic laws apparently). Motorbike drivers weave and bob their way through the maze of city streets, avoiding pedestrians, other motorbikes, busses, trucks and cars.

My driver wanted to take me to see girls (I politely decined) and to a DVD shop (where pirated DVDs are sold for $1 each). I insisted instead that we go to the market, and he happily obliged. Once there, he said he would wait for me for one hour as I toured one of the most fascinating -- and congested -- markets I've ever seen.

Inside, knock-off brand name watches, perfumes and clothing, cheap T-shirts, restaurants and butcher shops, where, no kidding, something that resembled skinned cow tails were being sold as meat.

I found the shopkeepers -- and indeed the people of Ho Chi Minh City -- to be friendly, hospitable and good-spirited. Their most accomplished English phrases: "Only one dollar," "Special for you" and "Come take a look."

Other passengers shuttled on busses between the ship and the market, and some did city tours, but none, I suspect, had as much fun as I did for five $1 bills.

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