Today is the day – Ant is arriving, albeit later than he should be as BA were 4 hours late into Hong Kong and that meant he missed his connection to Saigon. So I met up with Fiona (see pic) who we were with on our Travel Indochina trip to China in September. We had a “ladies who lunch” lunch together with Helen and Ann and Abby, Helen’s baby. A really interesting Morrocan lunch in a Morrocan tent like structure in a back street in Saigon, followed by shopping in the “Lucky Plaza” followed by drinks in the “Underground bar”. But after many texts, I discovered that Ant would be arriving at 10pm, so I hopped on Fiona’s transport as she was going back to the airport. And finally he was here! So this is now officially a “we” blog again! Ant’s missed connection meant that he had to suffer the indignity of taking a United Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Saigon and all that that implies…. Being advised that we were commencing our descent into Saigon by a Captain with a Kansas City accent made me think that we were on a bombing raid over the densely populated city, but thankfully on this occasion agent orange and napalm have been banned from U.S. passenger airlines for security purposes (unless of course, they are in containers of 100ml or less). Ant was genuinely surprised to find Gill so relaxed in a £6 backpacker hovel in a back street in Saigon, but she already knew the locals! Saigon in not a late city but we manage to find a nice streetside bar where we polished off a bottle of French white whilst catching up late into the morning! Today (Sunday) we have a leisurely start to a Saigon city walk inspired by Kev and guided by the Lonley planet. We saw the main market (same, same but not very different), lunch on the rooftop of the Rex Hotel which is where all the American correspondents filed their copy during the American War. More war atrocities followed as we visited the Ho Chi Minh City museum, surrounded by old war planes and Huey helicopters, now the venue for elaborate Vietnamese wedding photos. Things went even more downhill when we visited the War Remnants museum where we were faced by picture after picture of Agent Orange, napalm and landmine victims and replica prison cells where Vietcong were tortured and “re educated” by the Americans. Of particular note were the two foetuses pickled in jars, their deformities a result of the chemical warfare. And outside, tanks, howitzers, more helicopters and planes that did the damage in the first place. But onto happier things, we ended the day like Kings drinking champagne mojito’s on the rooftop bar of the Sheraton overlooking the garish façade of a local hotel and the sprawling metropolis that is Saigon. We ate dinner as paupers (£4 for 2 including drinks) in a Vietnamese fast food place, Pho 24, all noodles, but declined the one containing beef balls (memories of Argentina!). The motorbikes here are unbelievable (5 million motorbikes in a population of 11 million people), so many it’s really difficult to cross the road. But to get to the Sheraton, Ant bit the bullet (not the ones from the war they sell as key rings…) and took a mototrbike taxi, Gill wimped out as usual and got in a regular cab… But end the day like Kings - the drinks bill for our cocktails was over 1 million Dong.
Recipe – Take half a glass of Moet, add a generous splash of Bacardi, add some macerated lime and mint and the view. Perfect! (except for the bill – for two, it cost us the equivalent of 3 nights in the hotel for Bed, breakfast and wifi!)
Recipe – Take half a glass of Moet, add a generous splash of Bacardi, add some macerated lime and mint and the view. Perfect! (except for the bill – for two, it cost us the equivalent of 3 nights in the hotel for Bed, breakfast and wifi!)
