First Day in Saigon

I got a little ahead of myself with the posts.

I woke the morning of February 1, had breakfast of an omelette, baguette and watermelon, then went out to explore. Bui Thi Xuan, the street my hotel is on, runs right into Tao Dan Cultural Park. The park is a part of a string of sites that extend east for several blocks, ending with the Reunification Palace, the former home of South Vietnam’s presidents Diem, who was assassinated, and Thieu.  I paid my 30,000 Vietnam Dong for a ticket and strolled through. The park was full of food vendors and exhibits of flowers and bonsai trees. I have no idea whether this is an all time thing or because it is Tet, the Vietnamese New Year.  There were lots of families strolling about taking selfies with their smartphones.

I wandered through the park and on past the grounds of the Reunification Palace.  Hung a right a block after Pasteur Street and went by the Norte Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office and City Hall. After that I worked my way over to he Ben Tanh Market, built in 1872 by the French, where I got an excellent Mango Smoothie for $0.87.   Such a value!!!  

After all that, I was late morning.  Returned to he hotel for a nap before heading to the Pham Ngu Lao backpacker area. Dinn that night was Koreans the restaurant next to the hotel ok, but not great. 

One Minute at the Corner of Pham Ngo Lao and De Tham

I got myself an outside table and people watched for the better part of an hour while having a couple San Miguels.

Photo Link And Reunification Palace

Greetings. Day two in Saigon or, as they call it now, Ho Chi Minh City.  I’m taking lots of photos. Too many to post here in fact.  Head on over to my Smugmug page for this trip to access them. I’m not sorting or organizing at this point. Just doing a big dump of whatever I take.

The high point today (aside from the $0.86 Mango Smoothie I picked up in the Ben Tanh Market) was touring the Reunification Palace.  It is the very much 60’s style building that housed President Diem and later Thieu after Diem was assassinated.  It was that building that the North Vietnamese tanks surrounded when Saigon fell in 1975.  Here’s what Wicki says about it:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Palace

A photo:

More at photos at the Smugmug link:

David’s Smugmug Photos

Hong Kong and Last Leg To Saigon1

As noted, I had a 3 hour layover in Hong Kong.  We had stayed ahead of sunset until shortly before arrival, but on arriving it was dark and I could only barely make out the outlines of the mountains (if that’s what you call them) on the Kowloon Peninsula. I had a three hour layover, so checked into the American Express Centurion lounge, where I recharged the batteries with a bit of food and a Botany Gin on the rocks.  Oh, and a glass of Prosecco as well.

I chatted briefly with a guy who was headed to India, which he told me was about a 6 hour flight from Hong Kong.  After 13 hours, 6 hours seems like nothing

I headed down to the gate and eventually boarded my flight to SGN.

The flight was about 2 3/4 hours and was totally full.  It was an Airbus A300 with 2-4-2 seating. I had the window at 64A.  Visited some with my seat mate, a Vietnamese woman who was returning from somewhere, the location of which I never determined.

I dubbed this flight the Crying Baby Flight, as there were about three of them in my section.

The flight arrived on time at 12:10 am.  I cleared immigration easily, having gotten my 30 day tourist visa in advance from the Embassy in Washington, DC.   The checked bag took longer.  They were unloading from two full flights and I stood nervously as bag after bag, box after box, came down the conveyor belt (it seems when the Vietnamese travel they like to bring back consumer goods. There were lots of boxes - Home Depot and a Porter Cable box come to mind - all taped, strapped and hermetically sealed coming down the b LT until, finally, by bag appeared.

I finally got my Osprey travel backpack and headed for the throng outside the arrival area to meet my driver, who was holding up a sign with my name on it. I arrived at Town House 50, my home for the next two days sometime after one, and got checked into my room. It’s a large room with Queen bed and, thankfully, air conditioning.  Cost, you ask? $24/night.  I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator in the lobby and said,”put it on my bill please.”

Flying to Hong Kong

My flight to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacifoc left on time. 1:10 pm on the 30th.  Total airtime was something like 13 hours, but who’s counting?   I was in economy at the back of the plane, my preferred location.   Equipment was a Boeing 777-300, with 3-4-3 seating. I was in the middle section, on the aisle  - 64D - so I could get up and roam. The flight was not full, and the seat next to me was empty, so I was not crowded.  They treat the steerage passengers pretty well on Cathay Pacific.  Two hot meals and I got free wine with meals.  The food was, well, airline food, but it was heads and shoulders above what you get on United.

I was surprised most of the flight was over land. We headed up to Alaska, over the Aleutian Islands and south over Russia, a corner of Mongolia and China, finally on to an on-time arrival at Hong Kong International at 6:30 PM on the 31st.  There’s that pesky International Date Line at work again.

A Journey of 7,616 miles Starts with a Single Step

With apologies to Lao Tzu.

Well, I’m off for SE Asia.  I left overcast Walla Walla on the 1:35 pm flight yesterday. Got over the Cascades and the weather cleared.  All the mountains were out and visible - Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, and of course, Rainier.

I had a three hour layover in Seattle, so ducked into the AMEX Centurion lounge for some food and refreshments. The viewto the south was stunning.

The twilight flight to Vancouver was amazing with the clear winter skies and views of the San Juan Islands.  I cLearned immigration at YVR and made it to the Westin Grand on Robson zstreet via the Canada Line light rail.  Took a stroll down Robson street this morning to grab a last American (Canadian?) breakfast of eggs and bacon with some potatoes as well for a guilty carb loaded pleasure.

Robson Street is the typical upscale city street, with stores like Nike, Ferraragamo, Best Buy, Victoria’s Secret, the occasional Starbucks and the ubiquitous Tim Hortons that you see everywhere in Canada.  Nearly every block had homeless sleeping in doorways, and as the city came awake on my walk back to the hotel they were gathering their things up to move who knows where.  It was a real contrast to the upscale feel to the street.  It seems every big city (and the smaller ones as well) have their issues with homelessness.

Now, it’s off to catch the train and head for the airport and 22 or so hours of travel to Ho Chi Minh City.


Did

Taxi or Hotel Pickup?

So, my flight to SGN arrives at 12:10 am on Feb. 1. I am reserved that night and the next at Saigon Town House 50. They have airport pickup for $17 USD, about 395,000 VND. I can get a cab from the airport for about 220,000 VND, or $9.50.  

Save $7.50 and chance a taxi scam or get a sure ride at 1:00 am to my hotel and a clean bed?  I’ll take the hotel ride.