First full day in Saigon yesterday. Spent whole day walking round the city, must have walked for miles and the kids didn't complain once cos it's all just amazing! Stopped off at various sites and visited Ho Chi Minh Museum which was good but all the display explantations were in Vietnamese so didn't get to know much about what we were looking at. Much as quite a few people speak English you don't see it wriiten much, even in touristy areas which takes a while to get used to.
Glad we left Saigon til last as the traffic here is more mental than anywhere else but we've had 4 weeks to get used to it so now don't think twice about just stepping out into a mad busy road and just walking, knowing that all the scooters will avoid us. It's quite funny watching the terrified faces of people who obviously chose to fly into Saigon and are completely terrified!
Also went to military museum. Most of the stuff is photos of vietnam war (or USA war as it's known here). I'd been warned by people in mui ne that the photos were pretty graphic and horrible and that I should maybe not let the kids see them but they know alot about war from my uni stuff and I figured it was up to them if they wanted to see them or not although I did warn them. Both Lewie and Tess walked round and read the background to all the photos and asked questions and discussed what they could see, genuinely really interested and not freaked out at all. Lots of other kids were there too and seemed to take it all in and understand it. I guess the ones who do get upset are the kids whose parents tell them not to look at the pictures!
After our very long walk we went to the uber posh Sheraton Hotel and took lift to 23rd floor (I NEVER go in lifts!! Hate hate hate them) and had cocktails in the panoramic bar - hidiously expensive for what we had (although I did get a free second cocktail) but well worth it for the incredible view.
Came back to hotel planning to go to Pho 24 for dinner / a Pho chain which is quite western in interior (ie clean) but sells authentic Pho) but Chanh, the hotel manager, recommended that we go to proper Pho place on corner as it was much better, proper Vietnamese and he guaranteed no food poisoning - he was right, it was amazing! Pho only costs about 80p - massive bowl of rice noodles in soup with beef, chicken or shrimp, vegetables and a massive bowl of fresh herbs and bean sprouts to chuck in as you like. Really is fantastic, we will definitely be serving up Pho on a regular basis when we get home!
After dinner we went to the Crazy Buffalo for a drink. Sat at the street tables watching the crazy traffic, prope selling numerous things, people off out for the night...and quite a few fat ugly White guys with beautiful young Asian wives. A wee boy came over selling the usual stuff, normally we just smile and say no thanks but this wee guy was really cute and absolutely hilarious. Challenged me to a best of 3 with rock, paper, scissors..deal being that if he won I'd buy something. I stupidly agreed then before we began game he started limbering up, doing stretching exercises etc! Anyway..long story short, he won. Picked me out a beaded bracelet for 40,000 dong (about £1.20) and agreed to another 3 games and would drop 10,000 for each one I won..needless to say I paid 40,000 for it! Lewie told me I was useless at rock, paper, scissors and I should have done this then that...but Lewie appears to be sitting here tonight wearing a beaded bracelet that same wee guy got 40,000 from Lewie for tonight!

Decided to go to Dam Sen water park today, which turned out to be a great decision - not only cos it was great but also due to incredible thunder storm and heaviest rain I've ever seen, best place to be was in water park, couldn't get Ang wetter! Spent morning in the dry part of the park - big gardens, rides etc.. Really nicely done, kinda of a theme park but with more than just numerous rides.
Water park was great. Loads of fantastic flume type rides, rapids, zip slide etc.. As usual Tess was too small for the really crazy rides which she would have loved. Convinced the guys to let her on a few where the height restriction was due to the ride ending in deep water - most Vietnamese can't swim so the restriction is only for when you land in the water and need to get to the side. She wasn't allowed on The Boomerang though so Lewie made me go on with him. The most terrifying thing I've ever been on! Sat on an inflatable thing and were thrown down an almost vertical drop which then went straight into an uphill slope (stangflg enough boomerang shaped), came flying backwards down the second slope and spun round middle before dropping backwards into pool. I could barely stand up to get out the pool as my legs were like jellly and I was literally shaking. Absolutely amazing though!
Went back to Cafe Zoom for dinner tonight and the Kidd had great fun with the magician waiter. Stopped off at Go Go for ice cream then Azeeboo to sit and watch the lightning. Met our favourite wee guy again - hence lewie's new beads! Came back to hotel quite early as we're out early in morning for cu chi tunnel tour. The rain is even heavier now, stopped for a while in the afternoon but now back with avengence! Have never heard such loud thunder and there is no space between lightning flashes - the sky just seems blinding White all the time with the occassional bit of fork lightning. Fingers crossed our trip will still be able to go tomorrow.