End of the Line!

Cyclo-ing in the City
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Well here we are in Ho Chi Minh City, our last full day in Vietnam before we start our Cambodian adventures. Its another early start to the day with no romm until at least midday. We wait in the lobby until it is light enough to head outside and then go down the road to a street stall and enjoy a local breakfast of pho (noodle soup) and ca phe den (black coffee) before heading back to the hotel and taking a cyclo tour around some of the more prominent sights in the city. Motor bike traffic here is far worse than Hanoi but they do stop at the traffic lights! Our first stop is the War Remnants Museum where there is a lot of US military hardware on display and inside a history of the war. The most compelling and interesting exhibit is the war photographers display with many marvellous photographs and information about the photographers and their stories.

Cathedral and weddings
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Back into the cyclo and round to the French built Cathedral adjacent to the restored Post Office. Both buildings are worth the visit. The Post Office is grand with all the old phone booths being polished timber and on the outside walls are the names of prominent European scientists of the 19th century who contributed to the development of electricty. Onwards again visiting the Presidential Palace where the tank crashed through the gates at the end of the Vietnam War, past the Opera House and quite a few French buildings ending at the main markets. We have a bite to eat, browse around the markets where at one stage I am beset  upon to buy a T shirt by a bunch of stall holders then its back to the Hotel and a wait until 1 pm when we finally get a room.

beset upon to buy a T shirt by a bunch of stall holders

Presidential Palce
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A shower, change of clothes and a rest makes a big difference to ones health and temper and we are soon heading out again for a wander before tea which is to celebrate our leaders birthday. In our wanderings we have an eerie encounter when we stick our heads into a shop which appears to be closed. As we do all the lights come on and staff wake up and scurry to their places, this is quite a large store as it turns out which just sells to tourists, mainly taken there in buses. Its almost surreal with all the staff smiling and bowing as we roam arround, eventually Carol buys acouple of small items and we leave, as we go out the door the lights go off!

Inside the Post Office
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Tea is a grand affair with great food, a big birthday cake and presents and is in Vietnam House, an upmarket restaurant but not that expensive. It starts to rain as we leave and this helps to cool things.

Its still raining when we get up and aftera quick breakfast we say our goodbyes to the group who still have the rest of the day on tour and head for the airport. the traffic is frantic, image a wall of motor bikes coming at you and the street is two way, the bikes part just enough to let us through but it still takes about 15 minutes to go half a kilometre. Eventually we clear the traffic and get to the airport which is brand new and has few services and not even a currency exchange at the moment, it is coming though. Immigration clearance and customs are no problem and soon we are on our way to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

Its goodbye Vietnam and good morning Cambodia to para phrase a well known quote. We have had an absolute ball throughout Vietnam and the food has been extraordinarily good, hardly a bad meal anywhere.