Well, Accountant Cate, IT Andrew and Planner Kez have safely arrivedat our Ho Cho Minh City hotel after a great couple of days in Singapore.
Singapore is a great looking City and don't feel obliged to do the Raffles Singapore Sling - bit too pricey! And the peanut shells on the floor !!!
It is off to explore this City prior to meeting our Intrepid Group this afternoon. Here's hoping we have fun and don't get run down by all the bikes...
Kez
Update, 18 Jan 6pm...
Yesterday we three musketeers tripped around HCMC or as District 1 is still called - Saigon for a few hours while we waited for our group meeting. First we ventured to the Independence Palace for a tour of duty then it was on to explore the town on foot via Notre Dame Cathedral - a tall red brick building, and the Old Post Office, the river front and then a check of the quality of the facilities at the Park Hyatt.
From there our itinerary was to travel back to the Dragon Hotel via the Hindi Temples and other sites and statues of the City Centre.
Today we travelled out to the Cu Chi tunnels to explore the former war zone and local headquarters of the VC. We went into one of the tunnels but Cate and I only went the first 20 - 30m section, but brave young Andrew traversed the tourist accessible length of 140m. There were practical demonstrations on how to fire an AK47 or other relic weaponry (25 000VND per bullet), rice paper and rice wine making, garmentry and other fascinating exploits from the time and present...
We got to sample Pho 2000's best for lunch, which was delicious as Kevin S had told me it would be, and I want to be able to cook that one now so I think I will have to go to a cooking school in Hoi An. This afternoon the trippers braved traffic yet again for a cyclo tour of District 1 - basically the same route that we walked yesterday, but I decided it was all too much excitement for one day and I am eagerly awaiting their return and stories.
Farewell for now, as we are off to the Mekong Delta tomorrow for a boat ride and farmstay, before coming back to Saigon on Wednesday to collect our luggage and catch the Reunification Express to beachy Nah Trang for a few days of relaxation and snorkeling.
Kez
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