Can Tho-Saigon (HCMC)

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Ok so it looks as though we have fallen behind in the entries but this is mainly because we are moving around a lot more in Vietnam than we did in Cambodia but anyway here is the latest goss...
Our last day at Can Tho was nice. After the floating markets in the morning we stopped into a cafe for a quick iced coffee for us and something for the kids. We asked for a glass of milk for the kids and were told that it was breast milk!!! As you can imagine, Maureen and I looked at each other to make sure we heard correctly so , quick as a wink I asked whose breast was it coming from!
I was tempted to change my choice of refreshments when after some slower conversation we realised she was saying 'fresh milk'and not 'breast milk', shame that.
So we arrived by bus to Ho Chi Minh or Saigon as the locals prefer to call it on the 27/05/10 and luckily we met some Vietnames/ Australians on the bus who helped us get to our 'base camp' in district 1 where most of the tourists/backpackers stay. Unfortunately the place we wanted to stay at was booked up for the night but had an 'overflow' place across the road that we stayed the night at. It was basic but clean and so we dropped our stuff off and looked for more permanent accomodation. We came across the Noch Minh Guesthouse (30USD p/n)down a little lane way after a seond option we had up our sleeve was also booked out (mental note-just because it is the rainy season does not mean that accomodation will be easy to come by). The room was very nice and our stay their for the next 2 nights was enjoyable except for the unprecedented shutting off of power due to the apparent lack of water from the Mekong River to drive the hydro dams. At least that was one explanation. This would be placed on certain quadrants on certain days and would last from early morning to around 6pm ( we would soon discover that this is happening all over Vietnam) which is pretty hard when it is stinking hot at the moment. But I have to say that Saigon is an amazing place to visit and has everything imaginable. The city center at night is absolutely stunning. Beautiful fairy lights down streets at night with shops that have Prada, YSL Gucci, Brietling,and any other fashion label you can imagine. You would think that you are walking around the streets of Paris with this beautiful architecture . Then you drive around to our district and it is simply incredible, the hustle and bustle of a trillion motorbikes and cars and that buzz of the city. Truely an experience. We actually crossed a road that was so busy it was like playing russian roulette! You just see hundreds of motor cycles coming at you but you cannot stop or chnage speeds- you just have to maintain a steady pace and WATCH them come towards you.
Our first sight seeing adventure was to the War remnants museum (30,000 dong-about $2 for entry). This is one graphic place. You are geed up when you see the tanks, jet fighters machine guns and helicopters from the Vietnam war at the entrance, but when you actually walk around and see the the photos and read the articles about the atrocoties firstly between North and South Vietnam and then the other countries coming into the war, its a pretty sad reminder of just how lucky we are and again, how low human depravity can really go. After the museum we went to the Ben Thanh market for a bit of a look around. This was just after a taxi driver tried to rip us off. He felt the full fury of cyclone Maureen and will never be the same again. Poor bastard
On a lighter note we have discovered how good their bakery's are and also how cheap too! (hey remember we are on a budget).

The next sight seeing attraction was a trip to Dam Sen water park which is Vietnams version of Waterbom park in Bali, without any real safety concern or rubbish bins. We are pretty sure we saw a huggies nappy float by in the childrens pool and the local kids took great joy in 'accidently' kicking and splashing Maureen. But we still had a prety good time and Tane was just in his element with all the cool rides and slides. I think he is pretty grateful for his growth spurt that enabled him to go on just about every dangerous ride you could think of. Ella was growing more and more confident with some of the slides as well. Infact her confidence in the water has come along nicely, in a controlled environment.

Our next stop is an overnight but, essentially 2 day stay in Vung Tau. This can be reached by an 1 1/2 hour trip on a Hydrofoil for about $36 for the four of us one way ( when we were returning we were told that Ella should not have needed tickets so it always pays to ask this question when buying any tickets as kids are free pretty much anywhere in Vietnam. Problem is we can't even give em away!!!) Joke folks. See you on our next entry

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Photos

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War Remnants Museum HCMC

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Tane is in heaven at this place

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Saigon Post Office

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War Remnants Museum HCMC

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Yummy Bakeries

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Room at Ngoc Minh

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River Front at Saigon

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Saigon Train Station