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Published: January 30th 2008
Post Office
Never seen one like this before!(Tina)Left Hotel in Phomn Penh and headed to airport for flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Both very pleased to be moving on, as you all know. No delays and after only a 35 minute flight we'd landed, getting quite used to these little hops now. Got in a taxi and taken to our hotel, the Luan Vu, which is a really nice spotlessly clean and cheap guesthouse in a really good location (District 1) right in the centre of the city. Checked in and was told our room was on the third floor, now most buildings in the city are really narrow and tall, so for each floor there were two flights of stairs, what a nightmare, Lynda obviously wasn't as bothered about it as me, must be all those step classes! Anyway room lovely and clean with air-con and boy did I need it when I got up those stairs, decided there and then I would only go out and come back twice in one day, if I forgot anything, tough!
We were informed when we arrived there that their TET Festival (Chinese New Year) is on the 7th February, however for 10 days before that date
The Pegoda
From the outside preparations are made, this includes all family, wherever they are, making there way to their hometowns. Now we were planning on getting the reunification Express, a train that runs from north to south, for the next leg of our journey. We were reliably informed that this would not be possible as all seats would have been booked long in advance. We were a bit panicky now because we were hoping to leave Vietnam on the 7th to make our way to Ko Samui (via Bangkok) but to do this we had to get from Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) in the south to Hanoi in the north. We determined to sort it out the next day. Booked a full day sightseeing tour for 8.30am the next morning, got showered and went out.
Had a wander about and a couple of beers, very quiet tonight as we have both been suffering with dodgy tummies for a couple of days, found a restaurant and did our best to eat something, and after a walk around looking in the shops went home to bed for an early night.
Hi Lynda here, Tina's worried that she's waffling but I assured her that nobody
Pagoda
All sorts of Buddhas here minds. We had to be up and ready and breakfasted by 8 so no lying around for us. In fact we've only had one lie in since we started (very hard for me as you all will know!) The tour began with the war museum nothing as bad as the genocide museum we'd seen in Cambodia, but still some gruesome stuff, Agent Orange and napalm etc. And some awful pictures. Also some prison cells called Tiger cells but again nothing like we'd already seen.
Next they whipped us off to a building that looked quite familiar to me from my visit to Paris last year. Notredame, although some similarities it was nothing so grand. Can't imagine what the locals would make of the real thing! The next place was absolutely wonderful - it was the Post Office, yes I know we didn't believe it either. It used to be a railway station and you could tell that from the inside, there were clocks and telephone boxes and booths, reminded me a bit of St Pancras. We saw a whole bunch of little kindergarten kids out for a day trip (reminded me of Natalie visiting the olive oil factory!) The
next place was one of wonder it was a Pagoda, only a hundred years old but looked much older. It was the first time we'd had things explained to us and it's facinating.
History Lesson 2
The Buddhist believe in the next life and to help them on their way they, when someone dies, the family buy and release the following animals:
Turtle - for anyone who dies young so that in the next life they may enjoy long life.
Fish - for people who have suffered hardship and poverty that in the next life that may have wealth.
Bird - for those that may have suffered oppression that they may gain freedom
Inside the pagoda there were four rooms - one representing the present, one heaven and one hell. The other room was the womens room where women go for fertility or to give thanks for their children. Very interesting stuff. You only find buddhas in pagodas, not in temples. We went for a well earned lunch then which we'd been allocated $1 (that's 50p to you lot)! Believe it or not there was stuff on the menu for a dollar, unbelievable. We spent our
Ho Chi Minh
A statue at the Palace allocation on a beer (no change there then, I hear you mutter)!! When I nipped back to the hotel I got told off for having my shoes on! Inside their homes, hotels etc. they provide flip flops which you have to swop for your outdoor shoes - not really sure why but it helps keep the floors clean, I think I'll do that when I get back.
We were taken to a Chinese market next and were told that we may be ignored because they were generally a wholesale market and weren't interested in selling to us. It was huge but Tina still managed to buy something and knock them down! (That's something good she got from Daddy!)
Seems they were saving the best for last - The Reunification Palace. It's not used for anything at present and is just there for tourists. The majority of the palace is a disappointment, but the basement war rooms and the museum were interesting. Showed pictures of the tanks storming the gates etc.
(Tina) The Palace was built for the second President, and all I can say is that if I were he I'd be disappointed, it was built in
Electrics
Help! Call a sparky! the sixties and remains as he left it, but again it is not at all luxurious as we in the west expect Palaces to be. We saw the cabinet room, the formal dining hall along with all the living quarters, it had a spectacular roof terrace, a really massive space that Lynda said she would like to have a party in. The whole of the third floor was commandeered by the first lady, for entertainment.
We were dropped off near our hotel and had a quick beer then went to try and sort out our travel arrangements. We decided that flying was our only option because the bus was a 10 hour trip to our next destination Nha Trang and having had poorly tummies we were a wee bit concerned as it has no toilets. Our only options if we wanted to stick to our plans was to leave Saigon a day early because flights the days we wanted were fully booked, so it was home to pack again as our flight was 11.30 the next morning, good job we'd seen everything pretty much we had wanted to.
Checked out of our hotel, along with some useful advice
Rush Hour
Nice quiet bike ride!! about places to stay in Nha Trang, the first part of our journey where we were turning up somewhere without a bed for the night. The flight took 35 mins, a half hour taxi ride and we were in this beautiful place. This is a world away from the big cities we have been staying in since our arrival in South-east Asia, and a really welcome change. As we had nowhere to sleep but we had all our (evergrowing) luggage we decided it was better to park ourselves in a bar and one of us look at a few rooms. Lynda got the job so while I sat in the sun sipping the cool nectar of the local brew she did the footwork! Still she did us proud, we are now the occupants of a lovely, two double bedded air-conned room with a Shower Cubicle, no less, and a balcony, the hotel even has a lift, perfect at only 16$ a night, staying here for three nights.
After unpacking, for the first time in nearly three weeks we showered, put make-up on (something we haven't done very often) and hit the town. Lynda was seduced by this restaurant that
Well Earned Drinky Poo
An oasis for a night-cap had all their seafood on show in baskets outside (very up market), the sort of place they sell by the unit, if Bob reads this he'll know what I mean, remember prawns al la punch up!! Anyway had a nice meal, eventually a few beers then went on to a place we had read about in Lonely Planet called Crazy Kims, the lady is on a mission to protect the kids here from Paedophilia and life on the streets, a really worthwhile cause, she has also opened a school out the back for the street kids and encourages teachers and the like to take classes, Lynda may be going.
Also tried another bar called Guava with a beautiful garden setting all lit up and very pretty.
Lynda is taking over now but first can I just say the Maureen you made me cry when you said I'd left your son at home, but no I didn't forget anything else!!
Me back again (Lynda) just to close - we had our first day on the beach (or I should say half day because we laid in bed until 10.30 - what bliss). Along the beach front there is
Beach at Last!
Lazy day at the beach - perfect! just sand and coconut trees. Then we wondered upon an oasis - called the Sailing Club and a bit further on another called Louisiana Brewhouse. Amazing places at least 5* and at home would be private clubs with membership. We had brunch at one and lay on the beach at the other - bliss and a well deserved rest. We're hoping to do a boat tripm island hopping, tomorrow which will be our last day in this haven and the first on our many beach stops.
Speak to you in Hoi An hopefully which we've heard is beautiful and a fairly small fishing village.
Bye for now love and miss you all loads. L&T xxxxxxxxxx
(p.s. Keep Blogging!!)
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karen
non-member comment
Jedi training.....
Hi Lynda and Tina, you are moving so fast! Every time I log on the blog you are in a different country. Cambodia sounds like a bit of hard work, you will probably enjoy Vietnam more now your training is complete young Jedi's. I have friends who went there recently and loved it. Interesting food......I saw a Lonely Planet programe on Vietnam where the researcher tried everything offered to them including still throbbing snake hearts and no longer throbbing pigs penis (it's true!!) and smelly 1000yr old duck egg. Are you up for it???? I'd stick to the cold beers myself. Your photos are great, keep em coming. Stay safe, Karen