Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Part 1

My daughter planned our Ho Chi Minh itinerary. Minus flying time, we had five days for this trip, including a side trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  She really packed a full schedule!

I have heard from friends that there are lots of motorbikes in Vietnam but I was still overwhelmed when I saw them firsthand.  WOW! There are really lots and lots of motorbikes! We were staying at the Tulips Hotel and it’s location was ideal; most of the places we wanted to visit were within 5-20 minutes walking distance. Crossing the street was always exciting; when you think it’s safe to go, there would be motorbikes popping up suddenly from unexpected places.  

We accomplished a lot on our first day. After having some money changed at a pawn shop in the Ben Thanh Market area we proceeded to Pham Ngu Lao (backpackers’ district) where we bought bus tickets for the trip to Phnom Penh (the next day).

Among the places we visited were: the Ho Chi Minh Museum of Fine Arts, the People’s Community Hall (aka Ho Chi Minh City Hall or Hôtel de Ville de Saigon), the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Post Office, the Saigon Opera House, and the Reunification Palace (also called the Independence Palace).  Along the way, we passed by a Hindu Temple, a Buddhist Temple,  many sidewalk food stalls and street vendors. Aside from regular merchandise, there were also interesting and exotic stuff for sale (insects, snakes in bottles).

Fine Arts Museum

Opera House

People's Community Hall

Notre Dame Cathedral

Post Office

Reunification Palace

A Hindu Temple

A Buddhist Temple

Sidewalk food stalls

Street vendors

Exotic merchandise

We did a lot of walking; we just did not have the courage to get on a motorbike so we declined offers of tours on motorbikes. I enjoy walking but it was quite hot and humid. When we were in front of the Opera House, I saw a street vendor who was selling “buko” (young coconut). I was really thirsty at that point and ordered two pieces (one for my daughter, of course). When I asked how much it cost, I was shocked! The guy said VND 150,000.00! That’s about US$ 7.00! more than PHP 300! Seriously!!!??? We told the vendor that we were from the Philippines and buko there was much, much cheaper (PHP 50 is already a high price). We haggled and he brought the price down to VND 70,000; still quite expensive but I was thirsty.

How much? Seriously??!!!

We stopped for lunch at a place called “Café Zoom”, a Vespa-themed café (yes, more motorbikes). You can watch the traffic go by (again mostly motorbikes) as you enjoy your meal.

We were able to get tickets for that afternoon’s water puppets show at the Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater. By then our legs and feet were really, really tired and sitting down for the show was a welcome break. A traditional Vietnamese orchestra provides the background music and the narration is in Vietnamese. We may not have understood exactly what they were saying but we got the gist of the story and we enjoyed the show nonetheless.

Water puppets show

We were pretty tired after all that walking so we just bought some food and headed back to the hotel. We had to get up early the next day for our trip to Phnom Penh!

Around Sydney’s CBD – Part 2

Although still within walking distance, it was easier and faster to take the 555 bus to Circular Quay and The Rocks. Circular Quay is at the foot of the central business district and the older, historic end of the city.

Circular Quay is a bustling water transport hub; it is where you can catch ferries to different parts of the harbour (like Manly Beach, Watsons Bay, Mosman, Taronga Park Zoo, Darling Harbour).

The Harbour Bridge can be viewed from different points around Circular Quay; I never got tired of seeing the Bridge, each time was a fresh view. There are outdoor cafes and boutiques in the area and oftentimes street entertainment (buskers, street theatre). On the southern side of the Circular Quay is a walkway that takes you to the Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Gardens. On the northern side is a walkway that takes you to The Rocks, Sydney’s old historical district where old brick warehouses now house restaurants and pubs, boutique shops as well as art galleries and museums. The Rocks offers a closer view of the Harbour Bridge.

From the Opera House you can follow the walkway leading to the Royal Botanic Gardens. This is a lovely place with beautiful trees that offer shade, expansive green lawns that invite you to lay down a blanket, and strategically located benches. It’s a place to slow down and relax while you view the water or the gardens. While in the Botanic Gardens, I walked to the place referred to as Mrs Macquarie’s Point, a peninsula that offers a combined view of the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney’s skyline, providing the perfect backdrop for picture taking. According to folklore, Mrs Elizabeth Macquarie (the wife of Major-General Lachlan Macquarie, Governor of New South Wales from 1810 to 1821) used to visit the area and sit on the rock, watching for ships from Great Britain sailing into the harbour. An exposed sandstone rock formation on the point, where Mrs Macquarie used to sit, is known as Mrs Macquaries Chair (also called Lady Macquarie’s Chair); it is said to have been hand-carved in the shape of a bench rock by convicts in 1810.

Around Sydney's Central Business District - Part 1

My husband and I were booked at a hotel on George St. in downtown Sydney so we took the Airport Link train that would take us to Town Hall, the stop nearest to the hotel. I wish we had a similar train system back home; it would make commuting less stressful and so much faster. It would ease traffic congestion especially on city streets. Getting off at Town Hall, we took to the street with our luggage in tow. The hotel turned out to be five blocks from the Town Hall station, but no problem, our luggage had wheels and it was a pleasant day (sunny but cool) for a walk.

We explored both directions of George St on foot; one direction took us to the Circular Quay (Sydney Harbour Bridge, The Rocks and the Opera House), the other way took us into Chinatown and Haymarket. We could also go around the Central Business District on the free shuttle CBD bus (Route 555). Either way was fun tho of course riding the bus was less tiring.

We were in Sydney for six days, each day we found ourselves at the Circular Quay. We never got tired of seeing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House; each time we viewed it from a different perspective.





More about specific places later.