We walked at 6AM, our usual time, and watched the sun rise as we journeyed up the Mekong River. The pilot boat had to guide us part of the way. It took about 2 hours to go up river from the China Sea to Saigon. We saw boats of every kind; it was a beautiful sight. Our tour today was “Highlights of Saigon.” We were on Bus 4 so all day our excellent guide called out “Number 4” and we fell in behind him.
Here were the highlights:
--The President’s Palace, now called the Unification Palace. We saw the bunkers underneath where the
South Vietnamese conducted the War.
--The former U.S. Embassy where the famous picture of the helicopter pulling people to safety was taken.
--The Saigon Museum with impressive ancient sculpture.
--The water puppet show set to music.
--Another pedi-cab ride but more treacherous than the one in Nha Trang
--A trip to a lacquer factory with gorgeous things but I resisted.
--A photo op at Notre Dame Cathedral built by the French.
--A walk through the Chinese Market. There were more goods together than we have ever seen and the
market went forever.
Our guide was a baby during the Vietnam War. He said that his father was an officer in the South Vietnamese Navy. After the war he was sent to a re-education camp for 2 years to become a communist!
Trivia Fact: Vietnam is the second largest exporter of rice and coffee.
Our day ended with “An Evening in Saigon..” We watched a Vietnamese dancing show on a hotel rooftop overlooking the city and then had a delicious Vietnamese meal at a nearby restaurant.
You-all are looking younger and perkier as the trip progresses! Do you sometimes want to add some experiential perspective to the guides' speeches? Have fun!
ReplyDeleteCarol
Mom...you look so beautiful!! Your blog is so awesome....your doing so good at it! And, great job making sure you both are in the pictures. Dad--artistic photo of Mom. Nice. Miss you both. Loves.
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