Robby in his element

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Woke up this morning at 5am by a jazzed up version of Jingle Bells blasting from somewhere nearby! On looking out the window Rob saw people ballroom dancing in the car park of the building opposite...no idea what that was about! We decided to go to the War Remnants Museum today which Robby was especially excited about. We walked via the Ben Thanh Market (a big indoor market selling fruit, flowers, souvenirs, clothes etc.) and past the Reunification Palace (where a communist tank crashed through the gate the day Saigon surrendered). Crossing the roads here is mightily scary, I've seen nothing like the traffic here. You're supposed to "just walk" and the bikes will go round you. This does not come natural to me so Robby has to hold my hand like a child for when I have a mid-road meltdown! It's really hot and sweaty here (37 today) especially when you're walking.

The museum was both interesting and distressing. Pictures of the victims, descriptions of the conditions PoW were kept and the torture techniques that were used on them and pictures and descriptions of those still suffering the consequences of the toxic chemicals used, all heartbreaking. We did note however that it was a very one-sided depiction of the conflict. Robby enjoyed seeing the tanks, planes and guns.

Have received a bit of touting today but it's a bit less hassley than Cambodia, you say no and they leave you alone. People mostly seem to want to sell you sunglasses here. Oh other differences is a severe lack of tuk-tuk drivers, they have cyclos and taxis instead and it's less sleazy than the last couple of places we've been. Unfortunately the spitting is back, in Laos and Cambodia they didn't spit and the surgical masks are here in more force than any of the other countries, these are especially scary when worn with sunglasses and hoodies! So far it reminds us mostly of Malaysia.

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