Tuesday 6 Feb 6.00pm Foll0wing yesterday morning's update i've now been around Saigon for two days and one night. I prefer Saigon to Hanoi. Its warmer and the street are wider. Also, as my hotel is a bit further out of the centre than I'd expected I've been more or less forced to try out Xe Om (motorcycle taxis) which has been very exciting.
Yesterday after completing the blog a returned by the afore mentioned transport to my hotel to check-in. I felt it was not too dangerous to let a complete stranger without crash helmet, protective clothing and in the busiest streets you've ever seen take you to your destination(don't tell my mum). Another great aspect is you feel part of the city, as nearly every one else travels the same way. You all stop at lights in great hordes of bikes. I estimate there are 30 bikes to every other vehicle on the road.
After a shower, some washing and a snooze to catch up some sleep from the night before i set off again to see some the local temples in the Chinese sector I'm staying in. Then i went into the City Centre for the first time. There are lots of large hotels and offcie developments. If any Reading people are wondering where some of the Prudential jobs went they're here. But generally the roads
are wider and I think its a nicer city.
After a walk about to see the river front and just get a ground floor feel i treated myself to happy hour at the 9th floor terrace bar at the Caravelle 5 star hotel. I arrived about half an hour before dusk and it was wonderful watching, looking down as the city transformed from day to night with back ground music from the Human League (hope Adrian reads this) . As it got darker the motorcylces looked like candles on a river drifting around in the currents. They were strong cocktails.
Having bust the daily budget I wandered round for restaurants as recommended in Lonely Planet 'on a shoe string'. After 2 failed attempts, third time lucky I found "Annie's pizzas" and was seduced by meat pie and mash potato, peas and gravy, which totally lived up to my hopes and dreams. Who said travel broadened the mind?
Then the final thrilling bike ride through the teaming streets back to the hotel. I looked on in pity (and waved) at the tourists I passed trapped in their hotel minibuses.
Today I have joined those tourists in the buses and took a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, 30km
fromm saigon, where the Viet Cong dug into a 200km network to survive the bombing duirng the Vietnam war. The short 30m stretch of tunnel I went down was mostly about 4 feet high and hardly lit. As the guide said "not good for bad hearts or asthma". Then there was a display of the grizzly man traps they set to maim or kill the US soldiers plus a couple of old tanks.
In the afternoon i did a tour of some of the main city sites, the War Remnants museum (more tanks, planes, bombs etc) the former South Vietnam President's Palace(now called the Reunification Palace), built in 1961-66 and left more or less as was when captured in 1975. Then to the Catholic Notre Dame cathedral (1883), with added neon lighting around the crucifix, and a wonderful working general post office built in the early 20th century where I bumped into Brian and Alison, from the Ecuador holiday, for the second time this trip.
That's it for today. Tomorrow its 9am bus to Phnom Penh. Thanks for all the comments and emails I've received.
Yesterday after completing the blog a returned by the afore mentioned transport to my hotel to check-in. I felt it was not too dangerous to let a complete stranger without crash helmet, protective clothing and in the busiest streets you've ever seen take you to your destination(don't tell my mum). Another great aspect is you feel part of the city, as nearly every one else travels the same way. You all stop at lights in great hordes of bikes. I estimate there are 30 bikes to every other vehicle on the road.
After a shower, some washing and a snooze to catch up some sleep from the night before i set off again to see some the local temples in the Chinese sector I'm staying in. Then i went into the City Centre for the first time. There are lots of large hotels and offcie developments. If any Reading people are wondering where some of the Prudential jobs went they're here. But generally the roads
are wider and I think its a nicer city.After a walk about to see the river front and just get a ground floor feel i treated myself to happy hour at the 9th floor terrace bar at the Caravelle 5 star hotel. I arrived about half an hour before dusk and it was wonderful watching, looking down as the city transformed from day to night with back ground music from the Human League (hope Adrian reads this) . As it got darker the motorcylces looked like candles on a river drifting around in the currents. They were strong cocktails.
Having bust the daily budget I wandered round for restaurants as recommended in Lonely Planet 'on a shoe string'. After 2 failed attempts, third time lucky I found "Annie's pizzas" and was seduced by meat pie and mash potato, peas and gravy, which totally lived up to my hopes and dreams. Who said travel broadened the mind?
Then the final thrilling bike ride through the teaming streets back to the hotel. I looked on in pity (and waved) at the tourists I passed trapped in their hotel minibuses.
Today I have joined those tourists in the buses and took a tour to the Cu Chi tunnels, 30km
fromm saigon, where the Viet Cong dug into a 200km network to survive the bombing duirng the Vietnam war. The short 30m stretch of tunnel I went down was mostly about 4 feet high and hardly lit. As the guide said "not good for bad hearts or asthma". Then there was a display of the grizzly man traps they set to maim or kill the US soldiers plus a couple of old tanks.In the afternoon i did a tour of some of the main city sites, the War Remnants museum (more tanks, planes, bombs etc) the former South Vietnam President's Palace(now called the Reunification Palace), built in 1961-66 and left more or less as was when captured in 1975. Then to the Catholic Notre Dame cathedral (1883), with added neon lighting around the crucifix, and a wonderful working general post office built in the early 20th century where I bumped into Brian and Alison, from the Ecuador holiday, for the second time this trip.
That's it for today. Tomorrow its 9am bus to Phnom Penh. Thanks for all the comments and emails I've received.
2 comments:
Hi Paul,
Great to read about your travels.
Keep it up!
On The Rugby front...
Firstly, Quins lost at Bath.
31-23!!
Not surprising as it apeared that they were playing against the Ref as well.
Easter got two yellow cards (therefore a red!!)
He then had to appear at a tribunal the next Tuesday which was worrying for him as he had been picked for the Saxons.
Anyway, the beaks let him off ( and implicity criticised the Ref's poor handling of the game!!)
So he could play for the Saxons!.
Anyway, he came off the bench and did pretty well!
So well in fact that he starts for the full England team against the Azurri on Saturday!!(playing No.6 replacing Joe Worsley)
Both he and I were gobsmacked!
As you may have heard, England gave the Scots a good tonking on Saturday (42 20) with "wor Johnny" back playing well, and the whole team giving a well overdue competent performance!
Wales lost 9-19 to an Irish team who gratefully accepted a Southern Hemisphere refs liberal interpretion of the laws at the Breakdown!!
Anita and I are off to Venice on Sunday so I look forward to catching up with your progress when we get back.
Cheers
Ian
The photo in the cu chi tunnels looks a bit like those you get at amusement parks as you sweep down the roller coaster, although probably not as much fun...
matt
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