The newly renovated Opera House
Notre Dame Cathedral, in front of which stands a statue of The Virgin Mary that is claimed to have wept and has since become evermore an icon for devout catholics (who make up ~ 10% of Vietnam's 83 million population)
The old and the new - looking out of the Museum of Reconciliation towards The Bitexco Financial Tower, a 65-storey tower that opened just today!
The Bitexco Tower boasts a heli-pad half way up. The building is shaped like a lotus petal, a symbol of Vietnames culture.
A Viet-Cong soldier exiting one of the Cu Chi tunnels near Sai Gon (now known as HCMC)
John Pringle is petite enough ("Tunnel-ready") to be able to attempt the disappearing trick!
No sweat, John - you're hired!
You too Janet! However one of our number got stuck on the way out. She said it was because of her "rib-cage", but we know better!
HCMC (Sai Gon)With the exception of Marg and Peter (who passed through here en route to Angkor Wat, Cambodia a couple of days ago), the gang is all here. We are ensconced in a lovely "boutique" hotel (the Bong Sen http://www.hotelbongsen.com/ right across from The Sherarton, a Gucci store and just down the street from Louis Vuitton, so this is definitely the "high rent district, yet we are only paying USD 65 per night for extra days. Yesteday's late night arrivals were first encountered on the veranda of the 7th floor breakfast room, where we have a marvellous buffet including both western and local favourites (dim sum anyone?)
We have not yet asembled our bikes (officially) although some Bike-Fridayers have done so since it takes them an extra 30 - 60 minutes to do so. The plan is to take the boxed bikes to a spacious place out of town, fit the rentals and reassemble the boxed bikes, test them and store them overnight ready for the first days ride proper on Tuesday. Janet and George have some concerns for;- 1) although our bikes were first off our Asiana flight they came out on the regular baggage carousel having to negotiate a sharp 90 degree turn, jamming up the works and doing GOK what to the bikes. That on top of 2) the Seattle "large baggage" handler rotating them end over end in the erect position - what was he thinking? And, of course, 3) the day of our flight being the day of the Yemeni bomb scare our bike boxes were opened and somewhat shoddily closed by TSA!
Today (Sunday) Jean had orgaised for ten of us to go on a full day tour that began around the downtown sites - Notre Dame Cathedral with the statue of The Virgin Mary outside (which is reputed to have wept real tears 2 years ago), The Central Post-Offce, and The Vietnam War Museum, before heading out of town, through seemingly never ending 'burbs, to a 6 or 7 course lunch in a riverside pagoda. Then it was off to the main feature - The Cu Chi tunnels, where we saw first hand a small, representative part of the ingenious 250 kms of tunnels and jungle booby traps that allowed a (supposedly) inferior army to take on and dismiss "Uncle Sam" - these poor beggars didn't stand a chance!
We have not yet asembled our bikes (officially) although some Bike-Fridayers have done so since it takes them an extra 30 - 60 minutes to do so. The plan is to take the boxed bikes to a spacious place out of town, fit the rentals and reassemble the boxed bikes, test them and store them overnight ready for the first days ride proper on Tuesday. Janet and George have some concerns for;- 1) although our bikes were first off our Asiana flight they came out on the regular baggage carousel having to negotiate a sharp 90 degree turn, jamming up the works and doing GOK what to the bikes. That on top of 2) the Seattle "large baggage" handler rotating them end over end in the erect position - what was he thinking? And, of course, 3) the day of our flight being the day of the Yemeni bomb scare our bike boxes were opened and somewhat shoddily closed by TSA!
Today (Sunday) Jean had orgaised for ten of us to go on a full day tour that began around the downtown sites - Notre Dame Cathedral with the statue of The Virgin Mary outside (which is reputed to have wept real tears 2 years ago), The Central Post-Offce, and The Vietnam War Museum, before heading out of town, through seemingly never ending 'burbs, to a 6 or 7 course lunch in a riverside pagoda. Then it was off to the main feature - The Cu Chi tunnels, where we saw first hand a small, representative part of the ingenious 250 kms of tunnels and jungle booby traps that allowed a (supposedly) inferior army to take on and dismiss "Uncle Sam" - these poor beggars didn't stand a chance!
[For a balanced account go here www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%E1%BB%A7_Chi_tunnels The official (somewhat biased site is http://www.cuchitunnel.org.vn/ )
Lastly a quick visit to an over-stuffed market - with a chance to practice "taking your life in your hands" by crossing the street in the face of oncoming 18 lanes of mopeds criss-crossing back and forth (if not actually going in the oposite direction!).
Incidentally we have two (unsuccessful) purse-snatching / pickpocketing episodes to report - the first involved Janet, when one of the mopeds going the wrong way down a one-way street on the sidewalk turned and came back towards us and Janet suddenly was aware of her necklace tightening around her throat, as also did her purse - fortunately the would-be thief was unsuccessful! 2) Rick and Dan, out with their wives, were walking along behind ('twas ever thus!) when suddenly Rick finds himself being imporuned by a woman of loose morals, grabbing him in the "unmentionables" - He, of course declined and brushed her off, only to witness Dan take the women by the collar and force her up against the wall, seeing her other hand in Rick's pocket. Again the attempt was unsuccessful, but these are just two happenings in the first day! Caveat traveller! Weather not too humid, sunny to start, turning to overcast. Nice to have a/c in the room and the bus. Cheers.
Lastly a quick visit to an over-stuffed market - with a chance to practice "taking your life in your hands" by crossing the street in the face of oncoming 18 lanes of mopeds criss-crossing back and forth (if not actually going in the oposite direction!).
Incidentally we have two (unsuccessful) purse-snatching / pickpocketing episodes to report - the first involved Janet, when one of the mopeds going the wrong way down a one-way street on the sidewalk turned and came back towards us and Janet suddenly was aware of her necklace tightening around her throat, as also did her purse - fortunately the would-be thief was unsuccessful! 2) Rick and Dan, out with their wives, were walking along behind ('twas ever thus!) when suddenly Rick finds himself being imporuned by a woman of loose morals, grabbing him in the "unmentionables" - He, of course declined and brushed her off, only to witness Dan take the women by the collar and force her up against the wall, seeing her other hand in Rick's pocket. Again the attempt was unsuccessful, but these are just two happenings in the first day! Caveat traveller! Weather not too humid, sunny to start, turning to overcast. Nice to have a/c in the room and the bus. Cheers.
How is the humidity? Is there space to assemble bike in your room? Is there a place to leave bike at hotel? What is breakfast like at hotel (I assume we get breakfast)?
ReplyDeleteHi Group 1,
ReplyDeleteThank you for recounting your misadventures with the local thieves....the techniques seem very sophisticated and I'm very glad you were all as alert as you were. Well done.
Hi to John, Kumiko and Jean and their fellow travelers. I can hardly wait to start our own adventure.
Yvonne
was the Dan in the pickpocketing incident Dan McG? if so he is my father, could you tell him I say 'hi, and I hope you're enjoying what seems to be quite an adventure!, love Marcia'
ReplyDeletethanks!