Wednesday 11 November 2015

Final score……..As I awake today I can’t say I’ve had the best of nights but there’s only one thing on my mind. I must check the final score from last night’s game. I’m quite surprised to read that Hereford FC have beaten local rivals, Stourport Swifts 6 : 0. Ok that’s brilliant but what will be the final score today as I prepare for my return to Bangkok late this evening? First I grab a filled roll from outside the hotel as they don’t serve breakfast then it’s all about packing. The morning is reserved for shopping and I hope to check out at noon. However when I report to reception the staff is eager to throw me out asap. Its 10am and as I have a tour booked in the afternoon there seems no reason not to check out now. I can leave my bags in reception.
Saigon Square…….. Saigon Square is a shopping centre about 5 minutes walk from Ben Thanh Market which we would probably call a rag market. It deals mainly with clothes. I manage to pick up some items to take back home while Katoon is only interested in buying coffee; not to drink right now I might add. After an hour muching around it’s time for an early lunch in a local backstreet restaurant. I need to keep a careful eye on the remaining vnd as I don’t want to be left with any. Nobody would want it! As backup I still have some USD I can use if necessary. It’s time to head back to the tour office and wait for the arranged tour of the city. Again it’s very hot.
City Tour – lacquer workshop……..I’m collected from the office at around 12.45pm and shoved on a bus waiting around the corner. The aircon does give some relief from the heat but quite honestly I’m feeling drained both physically and mentally and actively count the hours till my evening flight. It shouldn’t really be like this! OK let’s get on with it. One thing I don’t know is the itinerary. I haven’t really had the time to check that and regard the tour perhaps unfairly as a means of killing time. My mood hardly changes when we’re taken to a lacquer workshop run by the government to support those affected by the use of chemicals in the Vietnam War similar to the one we visited last week on the Cu Chi Tunnel Tour. What measure of support this means I’m not sure. I have to admit that the lacquer ware, produced in three styles, hand painting, eggshell and mother of pearl is really beautiful and clearly a labour of love. I still think the government is making a statement here and they probably balance the books quite effectively.
City Tour – Reunification Palace……..As we make our way through the city streets the guide recites the history of the palace and my degree of attention improves. In a cooler environment it seems as if I’ve managed to break though the period of lethargy when I’d rather have a pillow. My attention is further aroused when we enter the administrative centre where the consulates are located. The British Consulate is on my left but the historically important US Embassy is to the right as is the French Embassy next door. I’m old enough to remember that incredible day in 1975 when the remaining US consular staff was air lifted from the consular roof by helicopter ending decades of war. The Reunification Palace is not far away and the guide allows us an hour here. The palace is the former residence of South Vietnams last presidents and it was here that the Vietcong liberation forces burst into the palace grounds at the end of April 1975 to raise the communist flag. It’s an amazing piece of history replicating the fall of the Third Reich. Today there is no national administration in Ho Chi Minh City, that’s in Hanoi, so the palace has been opened up as a museum. All the rooms are more or less as they were with signage describing their function. Clearly some important people came here including US President Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Historically important decisions were taken here including the dramatic discussions that led to the US government abandoning South Vietnam. Outside the palace in the grounds are two Vietnamese tanks, the first two tanks to break into the palace grounds. One is a Chinese build T59, the other a Russian T54 supplied to Vietnam as military aid in 1972. An hour is certainly needed here to register the historical importance of the Reunification Palace.

Notre Dame Cathedral……..Notre Dame Cathedral is not far away. It was built between 1863 and 1880 as a model of its namesake in Paris. For me this completes the triplet of cathedrals in each city I’ve visited on this tour after Dalat and Nha Trang. France occupied Vietnam for less than a hundred years yet that was sufficient to leave a legacy of Catholic religion that has managed to maintain these beautiful cathedrals. They still make a huge statement and it’s a credit to Vietnam that there is religious tolerance here.

Saigon Central Post Office……..Saigon Central Post Office is another legacy of French occupation. It lies just across the road from the cathedral. The post office was constructed between 1886 and 1891 to a typically French design. It also has become a tourist attraction in its own right but still retains its original function. It’s a win win situation. It would be crazy to knock it down and build a new one. The interior is spacious like the interior of a major railway terminal in 19th century UK or France. Here you can buy philatelic items including those from colonial times and souvenirs of all kinds. Many people send postcards to themselves back home. The tour is restricted to just 30 minutes for these two venues. It’s not enough but I manage to pick up a few more things to take back home.

Unfinished business……..The way I’ve managed my stay in Ho Chi Minh City was bound to have restrictions. A full day tour of the city is really needed. I joined an afternoon tour of the city so another iconic site that was covered in the morning was missed. The War Remnants Museum is certainly something I would have loved to have seen. Does that mean I will return to Saigon? That’s a good question. The guide now confirms the tour is at an end and the passengers are being dispersed but there is a rather unusual ending. At precisely 4pm the heaven open to a ferocious tropical downpour right at the time I need to get off the bus. I rush for the shelter of a doorway. If I get soaked now I won’t be able to change cloths. As the tops of the apartment blocks become almost invisible I continue to huddle in the doorway of a jewelry shop but after 15 minute the cloud breaks and the rain stops.
Ben Thanh Market……..Once again I’m back outside Ben Thanh Market. While the rain is so strong I can’t even make it across the street but finally I make it inside. For me there is nothing more I can do but Katoon still has coffee on her mind. It wasn’t until I visited the Far East that I realised that there was an alternative to freeze dried coffee. For that last few years now I’ve nearly always drunk freshly ground coffee and Vietnam is one of the world’s centres for specialty coffee. The beans can be purchased whole and freshly ground later or bought in powder form. Some of the coffee is so strong with caffeine it is intoxicating. Katoon at last finds her weasel coffee but there’s now a problem. After a plate of rice there’s barely enough vnd left to take a bus to the airport. At 5.30pm we pick up our belongings from Sen Hotel and head to Ben Thanh Bus Station.
Ho Chi Minh departure……..The bus station at Ben Thanh is very busy in early evening as locals make their way home. There is a wait for the 152 service to the airport. The online guide states that the fare is 5000 vnd plus another 5000 for airport luggage. My backpack sits happily on my lap so doesn’t take any extra space. We managed to avoid the extra on the way here but now the conductor asks for extra but ‘the lady is not for turning’ and the conductor backs off sheepishly when Katoon refuses to hand over the extra 20 cents. The moral of this story is never tangle with Katoon unless you’ve got a good pair of boxing gloves. The journey out of the city takes ages. You really need to see some photographs to understand the situation here with motorcycles in particular. I just couldn’t live here. Nevertheless time is not important to me as such but it would be great to get into the cool of the terminal building.
At 7pm we make it and offload the luggage. Now it’s a long wait of some two and a half hours. The formalities go without a hitch but when I reach the concourse I see everything priced in dollars. $2.20 for bottled water: Am I sure I’m not in London Heathrow? I’ll wait till I’m on the plane at least. I do however pick up a bottle of scotch. That puts a smile on my face. The time drags on until the Airbus A320 eventually arrives. The turnaround is thankfully quick and by 10pm we’re airborne. After the lights of Ho Chi Minh City fade I remember nothing until I see more lights. The aircraft is descending and there are the lights of Bangkok.
Formalities go without a hitch and I’m soon in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road waiting for a taxi. There is no shortage of taxis but at this time of night they are fussy where they will go. Kubon is not exactly heading into the city and they worry about finding passengers on the return trip at midnight. When a driver does agree to go I feel there is some reluctance. It is a lot to ask with a fixed metre rate at this time of night. When I reach the residence I hand him a useful tip and his mood completely changes. We’re back in the land of smiles right? Next Page.