Day 105, Wednesday 18 April 2012, HMC
Remarkably I was feeling OK after a few cocktails and beers last night, I think the cocktails were weaker than when they are at full price ! We were up early to get out while the day was still ‘cool’ and were at the market by 6.30 am, which was too early for most of the non-food related stalls.
We walked round the fish section and found bucket loads of eels and squid and octopus.
As well as the inevitable motorcycle – smoked pork anyone ?
We stopped for a heart starter coffee in the middle of the market and this was one of the best I have had in Vietnam, as well as cheap.
And then walked on to Notre Dame Cathedral, which was not open till 8.00 am, we then headed off to the Revolutionary Museum, but that too was closed so it was off to a street stall for pho for breakfast. See my new man bag ? “North Face” bag, $12… so much easier than humping a day pack around.
Then back to Notre Dame for a quick look inside, I loved the floor tiles, especially if you get down low !
Getting to Notre Dame was a real challenge, it is on a large traffic Island and things were moving quickly through here.
Then a walk back to the museum, there was no photography allowed in the museum, but I had to take a photo of that loo doorway !
I love these rubbish bins, I have seen them in a few places in Vietnam – why penguins ???
It was still early in the day, though stinking hot, so we decided to take the long walk back to the hotel and went via the Ton Duc museum – boring, Ton Duc was a past president of Vietnam, and the Ho Chi Minh museum, which was almost as boring – they both were comprised mainly of photos of them shaking hands with people… though the walk around is always good.
By this stage it was about 11.00 and we were in need of more coffee and some food so decided t head back into the centre to look for cafes. We decided to try the really tall building, the Bitexco financial Tower to see if they had a viewing area and cafe, they did…. the viewing area was expensive at $12 NZ a head, but the view was fantastic from just below the helicopter pad. Coffee was outrageous so we didn’t have one there.
We decided to find a supermarket and get some bread and cheese and just get back to the guesthouse to cool down and eat there, however at the mall we found a Highland Coffee and took shelter there over coffee and lunch before venturing back out into the mid-day heat back to the GH. I picked up this pack of biscuits at the supermarket – Arsenal and chocolate chip cookies, too of my favourite things !
I spent the afternoon catching up on blog posts (again) and chilling in the coolness of an air conned room, cookies were crap…
At 6.00pm we took a walk back into town again.
And had a couple of drinks at the Saigon bar at the Caravelle hotel. The Caravelle is where foreign journalists were based during the Vietnam war and the bar is still the same – though the hotel has been upgraded since. Leonie bought us a couple of drinks as she was heading back to New Zealand (and an income !) tomorrow and they were expensive – but very nice – Thanks Leonie 🙂
On the walk back to the hotel we find these guys watering the gardens, subtle huh !
By the time we got to the local restaurant we were whacked so grabbed a takeaway and ate in the room and slept.
Where is Phil now? 