Good Morning Vietnam!

It was close to midnight when we finally made it into our room. The flight to Tokyo was fabulous. JAL's premium comfort is more like business class - noise cancelling headsets, seats slide down rather than push back (so the seat in front never invades your space) - and the bathroom was huge.  I have never reviewed an airline bathroom.  They are all pretty much standard, unless first class is different, and I wouldn't know about that. This one not only had a bidet with individual settings, but it was equipped with mouthwash, toothbrushes, facial masks, etc. The flight from Tokyo to Saigon was less of a luxury - no premium comfort class.  And although we did get the bulkhead seat so there was lots of room, the seat was not nearly as comfortable and the bathroom was back to normal.

Leaving the airport was a breeze. We were really glad we opted for getting our visa before we left instead of waiting on more lines to apply for one at the airport.  There was some confusion with the taxi driver over where this hotel was, but he did manage to find it eventually.  The hotel is fine, nothing fancy but clean and comfortable. And having walked around all day, the hotel appears to be in a pretty convenient location. No pool however. We will have to find one somewhere else.

First order of business was sleep.  We slept till 9am and dragged ourselves to breakfast. We packed up our day back and threw in our bathing suits just in case. Then it was off to explore Ho Chi Minh City.  This place is nuts!! We have been in some pretty crowded cities but this has to be the worst. Traffic is insane and crossing the street is an Olympian event! We walked down to the river and checked out the hydrofoil ferry to Vung Tau, a beach community. Might do that tomorrow. On our way to the Ben Thanh Market - lots of stuff with lots of people - we stopped at the Sky Deck. We went up to the restaurant on the 50th floor. It was way too hazy so we decided it wouldn't be worth to go to the sky deck. 

It was getting warmer and grimier outside, good time to stop for lunch.  We walked into a cafe which was part of a hotel. We were told that lunch was upstairs. OK, we went on up. In the elevator, we noticed that there was a rooftop pool - Eureka! Had a lovely lunch and headed for the roof. The button for the 18th floor would not work. Went down to the lobby and asked about the pool. With no questions asked, the girl came out from behind the counter, went to the elevator and swiped her card so we could go up. Within minutes we had towels, chaises, and a to die for view from the roof. Took a swim and hung around for an hour or so. It was time to do some touristy stuff.

I had noticed that there was dust in the camera again. So before pursing any more photo ops, we

went in search of screwdriver to take it apart and clean the dust out.  After several shops with several directions, we finally found one camera repair guy willing to sell his tools. For five bucks, we bought the screwdriver. Victory. Back in search of touristy stuff. Using the trusty gps, we found our way to the \Ho Chi Minh City Museum.. 

Formerly the Revolutionary Museum, this central behemoth attracts more newlyweds posing for photos on the front steps than anything. Originally built in 1890 by the French as a commercial museum, then a Governor's Palace, and later committee building, the exhibits in this museum cover a broad range, from archaeology to ethnic survey, early photos of the city, and documents from its founding in the 1600s. The second floor is heavy on Vietnam's ongoing revolution, with displays of weaponry and memorabilia from the period of struggle against imperialism and many flags, placards, and dispatches from the rise of Communism, beginning with the August Revolution of 1945 all the way to the fall of Saigon.

From there we moved on to The People's Committee Buil ding,which is now City Hall.

   Saigon's city hall was originally a French hotel constructed between 1902 and 1908, a fantastic ornate example of refined colonial architecture. Unfortunately, it's not open to the public, but there is a small walking mall out front and running the length of the behemoth Rex Hotel, itself an important vestige of the American years when it housed the CIA headquarters.

We looked for the statue ot Ho Chi Minh, which is supposed to be across the street, but there was construction there - no statue.  Moved on to the Saigon Opera House. 

Stopped to get a fresh coconut drink and then decided to head back to the room so that Geoff could fix the camera which he did. Guess we will be traveling with the screwdriver from now on. We rested a bit before we showered and went out in search of dinner.  There is no lack of restaurants here.  Picking one is a problem. We decided on Xu, which I had read very good reviews about. Well, a bit over priced and the dinner seemed eternal. However, the food was very good.  Going to try something a bit more low key tomorrow.night. We did talk to a couple from San Diego who gave us a name of a good vegetarian restaurant - maybe we'll go.

We are back and resting our weary bodies. We don't meet the group till Thursday night for dinner. As for tomorrow, it will either be a trip to the beach or more walking around sightseeing. I'm hoping for the beach! 

Next time.. A Day at the Beach - or maybe not...