HO CHI MIN CITY 5TH-10TH APRIL

HO CHI MON CITY 5TH-10TH APRIL

We have arrived in Ho Chi Min City and it is absolutely manic,  luckily Hanoi prepared us for the traffic but this is on another level. Our hotel is large but it's a shame the staff are not friendly like in our first 2 hotels and I miss that. We go out for a walk and have to cross a pretty big road a bit like crossing the road that runs along the River Thames except even though there are zebra crossings they do not apply!!

We eat at a lovely restaurant called Hoa Tuc where we have delicious little pancakes that we wrap in lettuce and betel leaves. We manage to dodge the rain on the way home hopefully it will have  stopped by morning.

Up early for breakfast and then we are picked up for our morning visit to the Chu Chi tunnels. Takes about 2 hours to get to tunnels and our guide is really informative and tells us all about the Vietnam war and the results of agent orange which is terrible. Cannot believe the tunnels and that people lived in them permanently for so long, at the end of the visit we crawl through one of the tunnels it is frightening enough knowing you are coming out after 50 metres cannot imagine what life was like for these people.

I have been writing this blog for over three months and I think it is the first time I have had a moan - as I said the staff at the hotel are not very friendly but now they know we have booked a trip with them as soon as we return they ask if we are booking another trip, no conversation about whether we enjoyed today's trip, Jim made the mistake of saying we will probably book up sightseeing trip later - now we are having a little doze and man from reception phones our room and says can you come downstairs to book trip errr no we are having a rest.

Eat at restaurant called Pasteur really nice food and sit next to English couple so good to have a chat.

Up early again as we did book day trip which although ok did involve a stop at a coffee shop where although we were supposed to get a free sample the woman glared at us until Jim ordered something and also a visit to a lacquer factory where people who have been affected by agent orange work but I am not sure if some of this is mass produces as it is a huge shop and have also seen in the market.

First visit is the war memorial museum which has many photographs of war atrocities and people with deformities from agent orange, it is really upsetting, our guide says to me the past is over and we must look to the future but I will never forget those photographs of those poor children and adults.

We also visit a Chinese Pagoda where we light an incense cone, then we have lunch then visit the Independance building , Notre Dame and the Post Office. 

Second moan - we have a really irritating man on our trip who is very loud he is like Mr Shakey hands  man from a comedy show that I cannot remember the name of he  said to Jim "you look like Mr Bean" Jim not impressed!!