Our flight to Vietnam was on a and since that Friday was declared a holiday, I need not absent myself from work. The airport was not too crowded - our plane was to leave at 1am, Saturday but it was delayed by 1 hour. We arrived in Ho Chi Minh City after about 2 hours in the air. Getting to the hotel was a breeze with the taxi. Gee, the Grand Hotel was really grand with a spacious room and complete amenities. We slept by 4am and woke up at 6am in time for the buffet breakfast, that one I wouldn't miss, hahahaaa. There was an array of breakfast items, from omelets to meat dishes, from bread to rice and noodles. For our first walk outside the hotel, our haunt was the Cathedral, a Catholic church. The hotel concierge provided us with a map that indicates all the nearby landmarks and places of interest. But sadly, we had to walk since there was no bus plying that route. So all we did was to walk for 3 days. Before reaching the Cathedral, we passed by the Opera House where stage plays are held.
I lived in Saigon with my parents for two years in 1970s. My Dad was an engineer and worked in an American construction company. My Mom had followed him when I and my siblings were very little. Anyway, I was the most affected by the sense of abandonment. I had fond memories of Vietnam, though. The huge raw green mango, as big as my childish thigh, was my most favorite fruit. Pho (noodle soup), and Chaio (spring rolls) are still my favorite dish to cook here for my family. Like your photos, @Corie Henson!
@Lara Moss, it is a pleasure trip for 3 whole days courtesy of discounted plane tickets we bought from Cebu Pacific Air. We are always informed when there is a sale and sometimes we are tempted to buy. This year we have 5 trips abroad, done with the 3 - China, Malaysia, Vietnam, and coming up are 2 more - Hongkong and Singapore. @Avigail David it's just sad that we were not able to meet a Vietnamese who would have taught us some Vietnamese words. We ate in Pho-24, a cheap eatery that is near our hotel. I didn't know that pho means noodle soup. Coincidentally, what I ordered in Pho-24 was that special pho matched with spring rolls, now I know it's called Chaio.
After more than half a kilometer of walking, we finally reached the Cathedral. But before proceeding to the Cathedral, we passed by a building that some say is the post office. There were lots of tourists milling in the entrance so we joined those people and got inside the post office building. Guess what? Nothing. There was nothing except a post office where you can buy stamps, hahahaaa. I wonder why those tour guides brought their tourists there. Unfortunately, the Cathedral was closed so I was kind of disappointed. We went straight to the market despite my aching legs. But fortunately, the swelling in my leg did not appear so I was still good for a few kilometers of walking. And for every brief rest we take, the camera gets into action. Tomorrow I'm going to share with you some of my funny anecdotes in Vietnam.
Here are some of my funny anecdotes in Vietnam. THE TABLE NAPKIN After sampling Vietnamese food in a restaurant in the mall, we passed by an ice cream house called Bud's San Francisco. I ordered what looked like banana split. My husband was content with water only, he's not fond of ice cream. Gee, I noticed the wet napkin on the table, 5 packets of classy wet napkins. I immediately took all and put them in my bag. My husband didn't like the idea but I said it's okay since it is normal for restaurants to serve such nice napkins. When I was done eating, I asked for the bill. The attendant said in broken English that the wet napkin is not for free. Huh. "Okay, I will pay. How much?" The attendant said 2,000 Dong for each (that's just a few cents, no worry). And she added, "Five?" I was really embarrassed because my husband would be teasing me with that incident as if I was a petty thief, hahahaaa. A LEAK IN THE CEILING. On our last day in the hotel, suddenly there was water leaking from the ceiling, that's near the doorway. I called up the operator and said, "There's a leak." I was repeating that statement, giving my husband the impression that the person on the other end of the phone couldn't understand. So my husband dictated to me, "Water is falling from the ceiling." My husband has a point because when the phone operator heard me say about falling water, she easily understood and replied that maintenance will be coming over. Next time maybe I will just say it is raining inside our room. Hahahaaa.
awww…but your a pretty petty thief…that doesn't count Now, that I flattered you, "Can we share your banana split?"
@Lara Moss, it is customary here to keep tissues and napkins for souvenirs that's why I was kind of shocked when the server said those napkins were not for free. I had posted that incident in my Facebook account and several have reacted why it was not for free. But anyway, that is not a banana split, they call it something different that I don't remember anymore due to that napkin incident, hahahaaa. In fairness, the ice cream tasted good and I was glad my husband did not share in my order. All he had was water since we just had our early dinner.