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Published: July 11th 2012
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What to do with your weekend as the wet season starts to get going? Generally we head into Saigon and see how it goes. We had a great time even though the heavens opened!
On the Saturday we decided to see some temples. It was a dry start to the day but we couldn't be bothered to walk as it was still quite hot. Instead we took a taxi which took us half way around the city at a massively inflated cost. We phoned the driver who regularly takes us back to Binh Duong and he had an argument with the driver who was trying to rip us off. Eventually we paid an amount we were happy with and went into the Jade Pagoda. We are very lucky to have such connections because this sort of behaviour is sadly becoming more and more common.
Outside the pagoda all sorts of offerings were on sale. We were offered terrapins, turtles and goldfish in plastic bags. It wasn't clear what you were supposed to do with them as there were no dragons to feed, but behind one wall was a large pit with terrapins and turtles in. No doubt they were
collected to be resold!
Inside the incense was overwhelming. Josticks are a feature of all Buddhist temples so you just have to get used to them. There were several rooms where people were praying and receiving blessings. Most of it was typical of other temples we had visited but some rooms were very ornate. It was a bit odd to see one woman caressing the head of a stuffed horse though. A stairway round the back leads onto a verandah where you get a good view of the green tiles and the terracotta walls. It also provided welcome relief from the overwhelming incense!
From the Jade Pagoda we walked a few blocks to the Duc Thanh Tran Hung Dao temple. This one had a few more brightly coloured dragons and a variety of other porcelain animals. The tigers looked particularly strange! It was nice enough but, as some people say, once you've seen one temple, you've seen them all!!
From there we wandered back towards the centre of the city via a nice park. There was a huge white statue in the middle which is one of the biggest communest memorials we have seen in Vietnam. Back
in the centre we called in at the cavernous central Post Office which never fails to impress.
That evening we got the news we had been expecting for a couple of days. Family issues mean we have to return to the UK as soon as possible. It's a shame but our Vietnam adventure is drawing sharply to a close.
We couldn't leave without seeing some water puppet theatre, could we? We went to see a show at the
Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre which is located close to the Reunification Palace. It's cheap and cheerful, but the awful weather that evening made access difficult, even by taxi. Once inside we were amazed to have seats in the second row and that certainly made photography easier! The show started on time and was accompanied by live musicians who also told the stories (in Vietnamese) and provided voices for some of the characters. It wasn't too hard to follow and the puppets were quite entertaining. The art of water puppetry is a closely guarded secret and, even sitting so close, you couldn't see how some of the "stunts" were achieved. it was nice to see the puppeteers come out to take a bow at
the end but we're not really sure we would like to stand waist deep in that water!
On Sunday we took a wander around the army surplus market which we like to visit from time to time. Trish managed to buy a Vietnamese military cap which she had had her eye on for a while now. Then we walked along the river and over to the other side where we saw some "real" Vietnamese life on the little market stalls and on the balconies of houses. It was a nice way to finish our weekend.
So, unfortunately, that's it from Vietnam. I still have a couple of small blogs to publish though, so watch this space!
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