Saturday 31st October. Saigon to My Tho and Can Tho

The We headed south at 8.30am after an enjoyable stay in Saigon that probably boosted the local economy with our group's 'retai therapy'. The drive to My Tho was relatively short and on arrival we boarded a wooden Mekong boat with our local guide Tuyet for the cruise to Unicorn Island. This island is the home of coconut candy so we were able to taste the different types and watch it being made before continuing on to a morning tea area for a herbal brew and fresh fruit. I was pleased to be able to finally get to taste durian fruit which has been described as eating heaven in a public toilet. Durians are banned in hotels but our particular piece wasn't too bad. I liked the sweet taste and different texture but would much rather have a good mango. We transferred to 2 much smaller wooden boats for the trip up a creek to a local farm. It was a very low tide and our boat bottomed twice before reaching our destination.

The farm house was well laid out with a number of bonsai plants near the entry. Lunch had been set up  with elephant ear fish and sticky rice balls on the menu. We were served 4 deep fried spring rolls and then pork and a large prawn. The big sticky rice balls were cut up and served like crispy crackling while our waiter stripped the fish and made rice paper spring rolls. The owner also encouraged people to try his snake wine because of its supposed viagra properties. A few people tried it but most were turned off when they saw the wine jar literally full of dead Cobras. We weren't done with snakes however as the piece de resistance was their big Python which a few of us managed to drape around our shoulders. Overall a pleasant Mekong lunch.

The drive to Can Tho only took 2.5 hours and we were ensconced in the classy Muong Thanh hotel by 5.15pm.

Some of the rice padi fields on the way to the delta. Tinh calls the graves 'second homes'

Our guide Tuyet bought durian fruit from this seller

One of the bee hive racks from the local apiary

The fruits served for morning tea. The red one is dragon fruit. The round longans are like lychees

Navigating a Mekong canal with water coconuts lining the waterway.

A point of congestion

A view of the Mekong

Heading for lunch

The elephant ear fish used for rice paper rolls

A sticky rice ball

The 40kg Python

Hold it Tony, don't kiss it!

Relaxing after lunch with fresh coconut milk.

Friday 30th October. Saigon - Cu Chi Tunnels

An 8am start this morning for our journey out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. Traffic was heavy in the am peak hours so it was 9.45am before we arrived. This is my 4th visit to the tunnels and I would have to say that nothing has changed in the presentation. We headed straight to the hut that gave the Vietnamese version of the war with the enemy (USA) but you had to be impressed with the resilience of the VietCong in standing up to the allied forces. The 3 tier layer of tunnels at 3 metres, 6 metres and 10 metres approximately and the ingenious methods of hiding cooking smoke and fresh air ducts in termite mounds still captures the imagination. The various displays highlight the booby traps set by the VC and really brings home the futility of this war that achieved nothing but misery for families both in Vietnam and with the allied forces.

Most in the group ventured into the tunnel, but with its short distance, concrete reinforcement and enlargement for westerners it is hardly a challenge for "tunnel rats". I do have the utmost respect for those soldiers who actually climbed into the tunnels during the war to flush out the VC and with over 200kms in the complex this must have been difficult and extremely dangerous.

Tinh walked us to Al Fresco's restaurant tonight for a pleasant meal with 3 choices for each course. There was still time after that for some of the group to visit the Nga lacquer shop near the hotel while a few of us headed to Saigon Square, which was closed. We regrouped on the upper level of the Rex Hotel and enjoyed a drink while listening to a very good 3 person band. The Rex in Saigon is quite upmarket and this is reflected in drink prices, but the atmosphere is great. I have said before that Saigon is a much more westernized city than Hanoi and there is a real sense of vibrancy in the streets, particularly in the large square that fronts the city hall. Thousands of people, mostly young, crowd this square to dance, mingle and generally have a good time. In addition, some areas have fountains with colored lights that operate spasmodically and the overall impression is one of people enjoying themselves.

Believe it or not this is the fruit of the cashew. You can see the nut forming on the bottom. Imagine how many of these fruits you need for a kilo of cashews. Hence the cost!

Part of the static display at Cu Chi

This lady was making rice paper wrappers

Carol emerging from the tunnel

A walk in the park....

Some herbal tea refreshments and taro root nibbles.

Thursday 29th October. Saigon

The Hong Sen Hotel isn't the poshest in town but it is in an excellent location to explore the important sights of the city. A clear sunny day greeted us for the walking tour and we headed up towards the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. City Hall looked immaculate and the gardens fronting the building contained a new bronze sculpture of Ho.

The bus picked us up in front of the PO and we headed down to the Presidential Palace, the stronghold of President Thieu until his departure to the US in 1975. This short bus ride takes away some of the heat exhaustion from walking and the group arrived reasonably refreshed to tackle the stair cases in the heat. The palace is not overly ostentatious for an important building but it would be fair to say that the administration lived a very comfortable lifestyle during the war. After that, it was on to the military museum and most people ventured inside to look at the photos depicting the horrors of war. Having seen this in 2010 gave me no desire to go back inside and by all accounts many found it quite moving.

There is a large roundabout close to the markets and perched on the upper level of an adjacent shop is Phō 2000. It makes a delicious soup and we enjoyed the lunch. The same shop entertained Bill Clinton in 2000. The afternoon was free and some people took the opportunity to go back to the hotel while others hit the markets. I tried Saigon Square for a change and found it cooler and roomier but there was little to tempt me other than some small gifts for the grandchildren. Later in the afternoon after a rest from the heat I headed to the model boat shop and CD shops with Wendy and David. We managed to get some useful DVDs and CD's at bargain prices.

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the vIsit to the Noir Restaurant. Students of French will know that Noir means black and that is what we experienced. Carol L had Googled this restaurant on Trip Advisor and it had rave reviews so we had asked Tinh to book it. We arrived around 8pm and were met by the manager and seated in a outer room to explain the concept of the evening. To get us in the mood they blindfolded us and got us to complete a shapes puzzle, which was more demanding than it seemed. We were then led into a totally dark room for our 3 course evening meal. All of our waiters were blind and they delivered the wine and each course in the most impeccable manner. The entreé consisted of 5 tasting bowls. There were 2 soups and 3 other tasting courses. This was followed by the main meal with 4 small courses and then the dessert with 4 courses. We opted for the mystery wine package and 3 appropriate wines were served for each course. We opened with a rosé, followed by a Zinfandel and then a sticky dessert wine. At this point of time I should explain that I will not give details of each course as it would spoil it for future patrons reading this blog, but be prepared for pleasant surprises. 

The thing that really hit home was how much we depend on sight to recognize and define the taste of food. People adapt quickly and it was amazing how everyone coped although I would imagine that social graces went out the window in the dark. All in all a terrific evening and one for the 'bucket list' of those who haven't been.

How many bamboo fish traps can you get on a bicycle?

City Hall with the new statue of Ho.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Outside the Presidential Palace

The beautiful mosaic with real gold inlays

The view from the balcony

A very sobering experience. The war museum.

Lunch at Phō 2000

A pre dinner activity at Noir to ready us for the totally dark experience to follow.

Wednesday 28th October Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City

Normally when you fly to a destination you can pretty much write off a day but as our flight was booked for 3.10pm and we were only half an hour from the airport we had until 12 noon to enjoy our last few hours in yet another beautiful clear day in Hoi An. Most of the gals on the trip were pretty much shopped out but after some tidying up of clothes fitting at the local tailors, there was time to relax around the pool. I also enjoyed a walk around the bike free areas of the old town (a recent and excellent local government decision) to savour some of the cultural delights this city has to offer.

On the way to the airport we stopped at a marble factory to look at some of the brilliant sculptures on display and being carved. Their artistry was amazing. After that, we stopped off at China Beach for a paddle, mainly so people could say they tipped their toes in the South China Sea.

Our flight from Da Nang was delayed by an hour overall which also put us into a holding pattern coming into Saigon. This also added to the delay and we didn't reach the hotel until about 6.50pm. This gave us about 35 minutes to freshen up for our dinner cruise on the Saigon River. I have been on this 3 times in the past and I think the food was the best this time around. The live orchestra was a bit tuneless to start with but improved over time, especially with a rousing rendition of Waltzing Matilda and the inevitable help they received from our group.

Saigon has continued its transition to a vibrant western city with considerably more cars on the road and tall buildings punctuating the skyline. Travelers from my first trip in 2010 would be amazed at the metamorphosis this city has gone through in 5 years, and it shows no sign of slowing down.

The city of Da Nang after take off.

Marble sculpturing at a factory near Da Nang. The artistry is brilliant

A panorama of China Beach

There's a poser in every crowd

Geoff and Jill were co-opted into helping the band.

Part of the city skyline from our boat

La Perle de l'orient

Tuesday 27th October Hoi An

Another lazy day in paradise here in Hoi An. My day started at 5.50am with a walk down to the fresh food market to watch the stall holders set up and the locals buy their fresh produce for the day. The morning cloud burnt off very early and we had a beautiful (hot) sunny day for the rest of the day. In 4 trips to Vietnam this is by far the best run of good weather that I've experienced, so fingers crossed for Saigon, the delta and Cambodia.

There was little socializing from the group today as everyone did their own thing and from all accounts provided a fair amount of value-addedness to the local economy. Most people seemed happy with their clothing and shoe purchases.

The Historic Hoi An hotel is well located for easy access to the old town and is highly recommended as a place to stay. The swimming pool is excellent and a great haven for worn out shoppers as the photos below show. The grounds are spacious and well manicured and breakfasts would rate about the best of the trip.

In the evening, Jill and I had 'business' to attend to with Tinh. Tony tagged along and we met for a meal at a favourite restaurant at the end of Le Loi street overlooking the Thu Bon River. A great end to a pleasant day in Hoi An.

I wonder what else I can fit on this bike

The small stubby bananas are the sweetest

Breakfast under the trees.

The grounds of the Historic Hoi An Hotel

The pool!

Taking care of business

The hotel's front courtyard.

Monday 26th October Hoi An

A beautiful clear sunny morning in Hoi An and the group had little to do except shop, swim and eat. By all accounts the local clothing stores did a roaring trade. With temperatures around 30 degrees the beautiful pool at the hotel was also popular, although a few opted to try the beach only to find that the cyclone damage from earlier in the year hadn't been fully repaired.

Tinh had organized a boat cruise on the Thu Bon River and we enjoyed a 1 hour journey down the river, returning on sunset. The skipper let us off on them other side of the river and we walked straight to the cooking school. Rice paper spring rolls were constructed with varying degrees of finesse before we were ushered downstairs to be served the rest of the meal. The banana flower salad was a favourite as was the fish dish which had been cooked in banana leaves. After leaving the restaurant we joined the throng of people on the riverbank to watch candle boats being released on the river for good luck. Tomorrow night is full moon so we are expecting a bigger turn out for this lunar event.

An old lady selling candle boats for good luck