Independence Palace

Room where treaty was signed

two of the tanks that led to the fall of Saigon

Water puppet theater

Me on the pedicab my driver had a smokers cough the whole trip!

Notre Dame Church built by the French

Central Post Office

Inside Post Office use to be railroad station

One of the dances performed for us at lunch

Bill at the temple

Bill in the Pedicab

The next few pictures I call "How much can we fit on the back of our motorcycles"

32 inch flat screen tv

Ho Chi Minh City Discovery

Monday, March 5, 2012

Today we did a 7 1/2 hour tour of Ho Chi Minh City.  After our tour Bill had a better feeling for this place.  Unfortunately, yesterday we were sent to a not so nice part of town looking for cigars and Bill was not impressed but today it was so different.

We were picked up outside the ship and headed into Ho Chi Minh proper.  It is about 10 miles but takes 30 minutes due to traffic.  The Motorcycles  are 5 abreast and just keep going.  No one stops except the cars stop for red lights some cycles do also.  

Our first stop was Independence Palace.  This is where the King use to live and where 300 top army lived during the war.  It is also where Saigon surrendered.  It seems  America had given them billions of dollars plus soldiers for this war and they wanted more money.  A congressional delegation went to Saigon and Bella Abzug congresswoman from NY who always wore a hat, told them no more money more money means more lives lost so Saigon surrendered.  After walking up and down steps to go to the narrow hallways in the basement to see where the bunker was we went to the kitchen.  Okay enough of this war stuff I was thinking!  We went out and got back in our bus which went around a circle 1/2 way and stopped in front of the two tanks that helped in the fall of Saigon.  Okay  not getting off the bus to see the tanks.  Bill got off and took pictures!  We then went to the National Museum where we saw statutes from the 6 century.  Very interesting and the best part the museum was closed we were the only ones there!  Next we had a water puppet show which was really really interesting and entertaining.  After the show we exited the musuem and there were all these pedicabs for us.

My driver was smoking and coughing like crazy while I was trying to get the hell on this thing.  Bill’s driver was nice.  So off we go into this maddening traffic.  Cars, cycles, bicycles all coming at you twice I saw my life flash before me when my driver went in the wrong way lane to make a left turn and just went right in front of 2 vans and hundreds of motorcycles. As I sat in this with my hand over my eyes my thoughts were “I want she died while on a great adventure on my headstone”.  We kept going traffic as far as the eye could see,  One of the drivers spoke English so when we passed the American Embassy he pointed it out someone yelled “I don’t see the golden arches since every other place as referred to McDonald’s as the American Embassy.  Not to be shy I shouted back “No golden arches, but I almost saw the Pearly Gates”!  I will never complain about the traffic in NY again!!!!!!!!!  Our pedicab ride took us to Notre Dame Church and the Central Post Office which use to be a railroad station it was a lovely place.  After this our next stop was the Grand Hotel of Saigon since 1930 where they had a lovely buffet lunch and a Vietnamese show for us.  I must say the food last night was much much better.  This was mostly fish.  I ate stir fried veggies!!!!!  Can’t wait for dinner!

After lunch we were taken to china town. There they walked around the central market  (wholesale market)  I opted to stay on the bus where we drove around for the 20 minutes they walked.  I took all the pictures of motorcycles with so much stuff on the back.  One even had a new 32 inch flat screen tv!

After this we went to temple in Chinatown that is from the 17th century or earlier!  It was very nice.  Our next stop was Minh Phuong where they make all that lacquerware.  It was great and I bought a beautiful vase and a few other things which they are shipping!  Our last stop was the famous Rex hotel where we had a soft drink on the roof bar this is where the American generals and journalists all sat during the war.  We then returned o our home (Serenity of course).

It was a great day and we saw a lot of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)  tomorrow we have an all day on the Mekong Delta river.  So if  I don’t post tomorrow I will post the day after.

Tonight Carol and Harold are doing the Evening in Saigon that we did last night so it will be just us for dinner again!

Really having a great time..  Got to do my hair and get ready for dinner I am starving!!!!!!!! 

Have a great day....