After a day of travelling on Wednesday we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City about 9pm and were collected from the airport by a car from our home for the next four nights, the Grand Hotel. I'd forgotten the sights, sounds and smells of Asia, the frenetic pace of cars and motorbikes, tooting horns, the way the heat hits you and the quiet and gentle nature of the Vietnamese.
Our hotel room is lovely, nice and large, a big bed, good air conditioning - all welcome after a big day!
It has been six years since we were here last but I remembered places as we drove in from the airport and soon got my bearings when we headed out walking on Thursday. We started the day with a good breakfast - omelette, pho, and a bit of fruit to finish. The Saigon River is only a block away so we walked down there and along the river. We took a boat ride up the canals into the city and past very poor housing along the canals - certainly much poorer than that seen in Malaysia and Thailand.
After the boat trip we walked up a main street and found the hotel we stayed in six years ago, only a block from where we are now! We stocked up on beer and water for the fridge at a local supermarket and then decided to unload and have a swim before heading out in the opposite direction to the Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral, both lovely old buildings. From there we walked past Reunification Palace, continued to take life and limb into our hands crossing busy roads and came back to the hotel to watch darkness descend from the rooftop bar of our hotel. We have great views of the river in both directions and can see how much Saigon is developing with much building going on.
On Friday we were picked up by a couple of tuk tuk drivers we met yesterday and had an hour ride to a local temple and back to Bin Than market. Actually being on the road with the traffic gives you a different perspective, especially when the lights have changed and you're still in the intersection with traffic bearing down on you!
We survived all this and got back to the hotel for an afternoon swim before heading over the road for a massage, drinks and the eventual dinner.