air travel, one can be in another country and
in a completely different culture within a matter of
hours ( or in this case 11 hours! Which is an awful
lot of sitting in a confined space!)
I have wanted to go here:
for what seems like forever. My fascination stems
from growing up during the Vietnam War and seeing
footage of the country, and what was happening over
there, on a daily basis, on the BBC news. Also
knowing that Americans, not much older than me,
were being drafted into the Armed Forces and sent
far away to a country, to fight a war they really
should not have been fighting. We were the
flower power children, the make love and not
war generation.
And my trip was finally happening!!!
We left here.....
were waved goodbye......
had a really great flight with these people:
The service was exceptional, and, before long......
We landed in Ho Chi Minh City.....
We thought the driving was manic - it got worse later on!!
Mopeds and scooters are a major means of
transport. If you look closely you can see many of
the drivers and passengers wearing masks as
protection against air pollution. Helmets are compulsory
but often not worn!
After watching the traffic en route to the hotel,
any thought of renting a car or moped quickly
disappeared!!
After a painless check-in, we wandered onto the
streets of Hi Chi Minh City......
the jet lag! Yes, we ARE boring!!
We risked life and limb to get across the road - there are no
traffic laws, or at least no-one seems to follow them!
A large Americano never tasted so good!
We wandered to the Ben Phanh Market......
We wandered up and down the stalls, there were over
300 of them. Food, clothing, everything one could
imagine. I took this photo of the colossal snails for
my daughter, she loves escargot! One of these
would make a meal. The crabs to the right were
mostly alive and trying to escape....
This was at a busy intersection.
After a quick power nap, we headed out
for another walk.....
The evening traffic was beginning to pick up....
Lots of people and lots of noise everywhere.....
We headed here for dinner, we were spoiled for choice - it
all looked good......
The Pho lady , a staple Vietnamese soup.....
Exotic fruits....
That's sugar cane, it's ground into a juice for drinking.
BBQ chicken, the aromas were tantalising.....
Seafood of every description....
vegetarian rolls with dipping sauce......
Prepared for us by these lovely people....
We promised these lovely vendors we'd be back
tomorrow for BBQ pork.....
The Street Food Market was a popular place with
tourists and locals, I could see why...
Outside, fruit stalls with exotic fruits...
Oriental lanterns in the lobby of a hotel....
Ancestral shrines tucked away in most of the
buildings we went into, with their offerings of
fruit, flowers and incense. This one is in the lobby
of our hotel.
And a happy Buddha to wish us a good night!
Talk soon
Zoe
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