Day 3: Welcome aboard - sort of

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Geo: 10.7592, 106.662

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. That was so much better. 8 hours straight. Slept so deeply in a room perfectly chilled, didn't even miss the water bed. And without putting the jinx on ourselves, the stomachs were rock solid!

Breakfast recounts are going to get boring! The options are amazing. Suffice to say that the Ying and Yang selections are obvious. Mac and Richard think they are dining Brazilian and Loraine and I opt for the more cholesterol friendly fruit and grains choice.

Today was walking and gawking. Just two days into the trip and we are tackling the every which way pattern of the traffic like a local. The secret is to move forward with confidence. The first attempt was a failure - we baulked at the crossing despite the encouragement of a very bony, wizened local who volunteered to walk us over. This meant there was some serious studying in place and after a few small crossings, some trial and error at lights, we now stream across in a line and take them on at their own game. Walk bold, walk straight and walk at a steady pace. Everything then just weaves and swerves around you. There is logic in the chaos.

First stop was a local market just a stone's throw from Uncle Ho. We had strolled along Nguyen Hue marvelling at all the new sights. Tucked in on the ground floor of a high rise it gave us our first taste of bargaining. LO_RI splurged on a stylish chapeau for "him" and WayJay haggled for two necklaces for "her." Both employed the walk away strategy as the secret and secured a rock bottom price method and negotiated an 85% discount. So happy were the shoppers that they departed wearing their spoils.

With the landmark of the BITEXCO Financial Tower clearly towering over everything else in District One it was almost a "simple" task to hunt down the skydeck. We were whisked up to the 49th floor for a 360 view of Ho Chi Minh City. And it seemed to sprawl in every direction for miles all wrapped around the slow, snaking, muddy Saigon River.

The magic of the visit was getting insights into the architecture and learning about the inspiration of the lotus flower for this building. Stretching some 260 metres into the air, each of the 6000 panes of glass had to be individually cut and shaped to sculpt the lotus flower. And protruding from the side of the building the cantilevered helipad added a full year to the construction time.

The skydeck gave the perfect eagle eye view to the Benh Thanh Markets. Acres and acres of red roofing hiding the gems of our next destination. These were local markets with everything!

And just saying....LO_RI admitted to betraying the code of the "team" and abandoned the shopping to get refreshments. Richard confessed they had been #unfaithful. While we sweated our way up and down the laneways, their bargain of socks was secured in a heartbeat so they were languishing in air conditioned comfort sipping on iced chocolate and iced sodas!

Sweating our way up and down alleys and dodging the persistence of the sale people was no mean feat and with a humidity of 80%, staying nonchalant was bloody hard work. But of course, we managed to enjoy the expedition. Bought a neat little hat for Mac after trying on dozens and being told over and over and over and over how young and handsome he was (must be the lotus leaves.) I left Mac to his own devices on this one and when I turned around and saw him sauntering down the alley way with a smile AND wearing the hat I knew he was a winner.

I am a complete "take" at every stall. I actually paid more for the two handbags I bought than they asked for. Felt I had enjoyed so much fun in the banter of the bargain. I could spot them a couple of extra dollars. The stall holders, all 40 000 of them were so gracious and polite and had such a playful and engaging demeanour. It was fun!

And @Aunty Gail, did try on numerous shoes and engaged in lots of negotiations but left the "ugly sister" today - maybe the next markets will "bling it on."

Next stop was the War Remnants Museum.

The museum was a confronting and emotional look at the effects of war.  Photos of Napalm and victims and acts of torture hung on the walls, the tools they used for torture and death were on display and devastating photos of the effects of Agent Orange we hanging all over the room.  There are tanks, bombs and planes outside. We visited the torture chambers and the cages that POW's were kept in and the cells. It was a difficult museum to visit, It is hard to define your feelings - the horrors displayed in the halls and on the walls are real events from a war that touched the lives of our families.

Loraine and I definitely were at a loss - what sense is there in all this killing and suffering? At some stage it must have made sense to someone. Mac noted the Agent Orange stats which included a reference to 2000 fourth generation victims - try making sense of that.

There is a display honouring photographers and correspondents who lost their lives covering the war. It was a moving tribute to the men who kept the world informed about the atrocities going on in Vietnam. Kim Phuc's picture is on display. She was the girl in the photo running down the road with her body covered in burns from Napalm. 

I kept thinking of Bruce's words from yesterday - history is written by the winner. Today we read endless boards about the War of US Aggression, the puppet troops and the tormentors. Bruce was right in summing up the optimism of the people all reflected in the beauty of the lotus flower. There wasn't much left that was whole in Vietnam in 1975 but it does seem that the yellow star is resilient and rising. And the message does seem to be strong. The Museum was flooded with group after group of school children - from the very young to teens - getting the victor's perspective of history.

Last trek of the day was to find our way back home. And we didn't even have a map. Mac was really working on his homing pigeon senses and true to form, landed us at the right interesection of the right street with plenty of time to do another spin by Uncle Ho and still have time to shower and dress for the APT checkin.

Got to meet and greet the fellow travellers and with a couple of beers and wines under the belt tuned into Long's introduction to the cruise. No idea what he shared but sure when the time is relevant and imminent we will make sense of it. Were very pleased to meet Sue and Chris, check in with Joy (the namesake) and do a bit of riotous pre dinner comparisons with the bikie group from Wollongong. There could be some adventures ahead with this crew and I can guarantee that NONE of them are on a zimmer frame.

And the day ended the same as it had started - in the level 1 dining room for the buffet. All vestiges of breakfast have disappeared...and in its place is a100 course dinner. We chose a table for four and proceeded to eat and drink our way through the dining room. Not sure we can keep going at this pace but as the "first one" we have killed ourselves, gorging on lobster, oysters, crab, prawn...in all sorts of styles and flavours. @Dick, another one for you!

Candles arrived at the table at 8.15 and as the clock approached 8.30 all of the lights in the Sheraton were dimmed for Earth Hour. Definitely didn't dim our enthusiasm for the food and we joked that it was like our own version of the restaurant NOIR.

Have officially retired the name badges, have taken off the new jewels and shelved the hat. Have fallen asleep writing this so guess it is time to give in. Need to prepare clothes for tomorrow - pants lower than the knees and covered shoulders....check. Have decided to wear my poppy to Long Tan. Wonder how that will go down!

Steps: 14 485
Temperature: 34...feels like 40... humidity 70%

PS Have sustained two injuries. A cut from the crab claw on my finger and the top of my foot is pressure bruised from the sandals. Hope I recover!

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Comments

[Aunty Gail]

I'm exhausted! And my tummy feels full......what an interesting day....lots of fun, but emotional too..... plenty of time and lots more markets to find the 'right bling'.....I have every confidence in your shopping & bargaining abiliti
es!!